Under the clarity of the Sword Heart, the power of the Profound Artifact "Frost of Heaven" had been unleashed to its limit.
Had Yin Mianmian still been at the Eight Apertures of Observation, she might have been able to resist somewhat by fully manifesting the Heavenly Demon Illusion.
But alas, there were no "ifs."
After a single sword strike, countless celestial maidens dissipated like fleeting dreams, all returning to Yin Mianmian herself.
Yin Mianmian let out a muffled groan, her aura reverting to the Eight Apertures of Observation, though it was clear she had been wounded.
The Sword Scar Monolith reappeared.
Elder Zeng, who had been guarding the monolith vigilantly in case of further disturbances, finally moved. Five swords abruptly materialized from the void—gold, wood, water, fire, and earth—aligning perfectly with the Five Elements.
The moment the five swords descended, countless sword energies surged in midair, endlessly regenerating without pause.
Not just the Sword Tower, but everything in the surroundings seemed severed by this sword domain, disconnected from the real world.
Infinite sword energies wove into an intricate, dense net.
Yin Mianmian twisted and turned, her eerie movement technique pushed to its limits, yet the space for evasion was rapidly shrinking.
In mere moments, she would lose all room to maneuver.
Meanwhile, Elder Zeng stood poised in the void, casually directing the sword energies with effortless grace, as if threading a needle or painting a masterpiece.
"Pretty cool," Little Li remarked.
This was the first time he had witnessed a fifth-realm expert in action up close.
Outer Realm experts manifested their inner visions into reality, giving it an almost tangible quality.
Of course, it was still far inferior to a World Seed.
"In his youth, our master was known as the 'Five Elements Sword,'" Wu Chushu explained, relieved. Noticing Li Mo's lingering vigilance, he added,
"At the Observation Realm, he studied five mid-tier forms, refined them into upper-tier forms, and finally unified the Five Elements to achieve Inner Realm, and later, Outer Realm."
"Unfortunately, Five Elements Sword Physiques are exceedingly rare..."
Li Mo asked, "Is it because progress is slow in the early stages due to difficulty absorbing the world's spiritual energy?"
Wu Chushu paused. "How did you know?"
"..."
What a five-element mixed spiritual root.
A Five Elements Sword Physique, cultivating into the Five Elements Sword Domain.
What would his own Outer Realm manifest when he reached the fifth realm?
Little Li was curious.
Since the Outer Realm somewhat resembled a World Seed, what if he merged his inner and outer worlds to bring the World Seed into reality?
But for now, he could only barely mobilize a fraction of the World Seed's power. Testing this idea was still a distant dream.
The young genius fell into deep thought.
"So... what Teacher showed us... was his Outer Realm?" Jiang Chulong peeked out from behind Li Mo.
"...Huh?" Bai Jinghong's ears perked up.
Wu Chushu, too, was intrigued. Who was the teacher of this sword prodigy?
Could it be a master from the Heavenly Mountain Sword Manor?
"Might I ask the honorable name of your teacher, young lady?"
"Teacher... said I can't tell." Princess Little Jiang clutched Li Mo's sleeve and shook her head firmly.
"Can't say, huh..."
Wu Chushu pondered, then rephrased his question:
"What does your teacher's Outer Realm look like?"
The Outer Realms—or Law Bodies—of Earth Ranking and Heaven Ranking experts were often highly distinctive.
"Well... it's... the Celestial Court," she began.
"There are the Thirty-Three Heavens... the Southern Heavenly Gate... the Hall of Divine Might... the Tushita Palace... the Eight-Trigrams Furnace... and the Nine Nether Hells... the Great Sage Equal to Heaven..."
"Oh, and there's also a beach... I even... made sand sculptures there..."
The little princess vividly recounted the animated slideshow she had seen.
The three prodigies of Hengyun were stunned, leaning back in shock.
You call that an Outer Realm?
Hengyun Sword City had once produced a seventh-realm expert, the Palm Profound Realm, whose body contained a self-contained pocket dimension.
Yet even that pocket dimension couldn't compare to the grandeur the girl described—not even by a fraction.
Had anyone else said this, they wouldn't have believed it.
But this girl was naive and guileless—more likely to be tricked than to deceive others.
Li Mo: "..."
He silently facepalmed.
Images are for reference only. Actual product may vary.
Perhaps one day, when Princess Little Jiang reached higher realms, she would learn the truth...
"The Thirty-Three Heavens..." Ying Bing's breath hitched slightly, her clear eyes flickering.
Among the Nine Heavens, she knew the most ancient, and she herself was the strongest.
Yet even an eighth-realm expert, whose body manifested an entire world, couldn't possibly possess such divine wonders.
It was beyond her comprehension.
Even an immortal might not achieve this.
But this was merely Jiang Chulong's account. Whether it truly existed remained questionable.
In her past life, she had never heard of such a thing.
Suddenly—
Riiip—
A thread of pure darkness tore through the Five Elements Sword Domain, splitting it open.
The Outer Realm shattered instantly.
Darkness swallowed the heavens and earth as a black hurricane, like an apocalyptic dragon, ravaged the world.
Seizing the opportunity, Yin Mianmian fled.
But Elder Zeng had no time to pursue her. The five swords encircled the Sword Scar Monolith and the group, compressing the sword domain to resist the encroaching darkness.
In the distance, a ferocious and sinister King of Wrath manifestation loomed, bound by countless chains to a black stone pillar. The chains rattled and hummed like a black sun descending.
"A Law Body."
"Ninth Heaven's Slaughter—the Wrathful King of Wrath."
Ying Bing snapped back to focus and identified the intruder.
Yet after its arrival, the entity did not attack.
After a deep glance toward the heart of Sword City, the black tide receded, carrying the surviving assassins of the Fine Rain Tower into the distance.
Hengyun Sword City also had Law Bodies—more than one.
But none gave chase.
A battle between Law Bodies would leave Hengyun Sword City and Yunzhou City in ruins, regardless of the outcome.
The Fine Rain Tower's plot to seize the Hengyun Sword Scar had come and gone in haste.
After eliminating the remaining assassins left behind by the retreating darkness, the crisis was finally over.
Thanks to forewarning, casualties were minimal. Even the visiting factions attending the summit only suffered minor chaos.
......
"Finally, it's over."
Li Mo exhaled in relief.
Then—
A relentless stream of notifications chimed in his ears, one after another.
Rewards—common and rare alike—flooded in all at once.
A massive haul.
Quality aside, the quantity was unprecedented.
Speaking of quality, there was still that ice block's reward waiting to be claimed.
"Too many to click through—way too many."
Little Li suppressed the urge to claim everything immediately.
The elders gathered atop the Sword Tower.
After exchanging glances, they bowed in unison to Li Mo:
"Young Hero Li, we owe you our deepest gratitude for sharing the intelligence—and to Lady Ying for intercepting that demoness at the critical moment, safeguarding our city's treasure!"
"From this day forth, you shall forever be honored guests of Sword City!"
Without them, the Sword Scar might have been lost. Worse, an unprepared Hengyun Sword City could have suffered devastating losses under the Fine Rain Tower's ambush.
The elders were forthright.
"Sword City's selflessness in sharing its treasure with the world speaks of its righteousness."
"We merely acted as circumstances allowed—no thanks are necessary."
Li Mo smiled from the bottom of his heart, utterly unfazed by the other party's promise of generous rewards.
The crowd couldn't help but marvel.
No matter what else could be said about this young man, his character was truly beyond reproach.
He genuinely carried the chivalrous spirit of a noble warrior!
"Young Hero Li is flawless!"
"Recalling my own days wandering the martial world, I truly feel the urge to swear brotherhood with Young Hero Li!" Elder Zeng remarked, half in admiration and half in nostalgia, as the atmosphere reached its peak.
Wu Chushu: "Huh?"
If Elder Zeng ever learned that Little Li's source of information was the "Hammer King of the Northwest," one wonders if he'd still feel the same way.
Speaking of the sword marks—
Only then did the crowd remember that the main event of the Martial Arts Summit hadn't even been concluded yet.
Some still hadn’t had the chance to observe the mystical sword-marked stone.
And this year’s "Sword Elite" had yet to be chosen.
Their gazes turned toward Li Mo and Ying Bing.
young master of the Shen family—a figure of immense power and wealth beyond measure—and awakened the "Destined Ultimate Villain System"! His starting scenario? Running into his icy fiancée who shows up with a mountain-descending divine doctor to break off their engagement. The divine doctor arrogantly taunts: "What does your Shen family have besides a bit of stinking money? You're not even worthy of tying Qingxue's shoelaces!" Shen Fei just smiled. He completely defied the usual script: "Fine, I agree to break off the engagement. Also, notify the finance department to withdraw all investments from the Su family." Minutes later, with its capital chain severed, the Su Group teetered on the brink of bankruptcy! The once aloof and proud ice queen CEO was thrown into utter panic. That very night, she went to Shen Fei's villa, casting aside all dignity to beg and plead desperately... From then on, in this world teeming with Sons of Destiny, Shen Fei embarked on a path of extreme dimensional suppression! A mountain-descending divine doctor? Peerless medical skills? Shen Fei: "Reporting you for practicing medicine without a license! I'll gladly take your ancient medicinal cauldron and twin sister assassins." The Crooked-Smiling Dragon King? Commanding a hundred thousand soldiers with a single order? Shen Fei: "Illegal assembly and suspected treason! Let a fleet of attack helicopters sanitize the area and teach you what the state apparatus really means!" A reborn tycoon? Knows all the golden opportunities of the next decade? Shen Fei: "A trillion in capital to reverse and pump the stock market, making you blow your margin and jump on the very first day of your rebirth!" What Chosen Ones? What bearers of Heavenly Fortune? In Shen Fei's eyes, they're all just chives (i.e., suckers/marks) waiting to be harvested! Shen Fei: "Sorry, but as the Destined Ultimate Villain, I don't play by the rules of honor. I only play the game of dimensional suppression."
rowess are unmatched, commanding a million-strong army! Yet, the Emperor wants to depose him for the sake of a false prince? Hold on, are you throwing me into some female-oriented romance plot? How can I tolerate this? With a grand wave of his hand—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! Slander the Emperor? Very well, all of you shall die! ... The False Prince: "Although I am not the biological son, Father and Mother love me more. The throne should be mine!" The Female Lead: "Qin Xiao, you are the Emperor, and I am a commoner. If you wish to marry me, you must abdicate. Otherwise, you will never have me!" The Empress: "After we divorce, you must give me half the empire!" The Transmigrator Consort: "You worthless Emperor, why should I kneel to you? All men are equal—I advise you to be kind!" The Great General: "The enemy general is my childhood sweetheart. For her sake, I willingly abandon the frontier defenses!" The Retired Emperor: "Although Yu'er was adopted, I prefer him. Qin Xiao, you should abdicate and let him become Emperor!" ... Very well! So this is how you want to play? Facing this twisted world of female-oriented tropes, Qin Xiao grins and raises his hand to unleash—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! I am the Emperor. Why would I bother reasoning with you? Seal the gates! Leave none alive!
orn and Humiliation】【Forced Love】 In his past life, Lin Ran was betrayed and murdered by his girlfriend and family, while the yandere female aristocrat, who had treated him as a mere plaything, avenged him by doing in his enemies. Upon seeing the yandere female aristocrat lying in the same coffin, ready to die with him, Lin Ran realized how profoundly mistaken he had been. Reborn, he abandoned the fickle campus beauty and wholeheartedly embraced the yandere female aristocrat's arms. "Ran! If I dig out your eyes and turn them into a specimen, you'll only be able to look at me!" Lin Ran: "Darling, kiss me!" "Ran! If I break your legs, you won't run away anymore, right?" Lin Ran: "Love, hold me tight!" "Ran! If..." Lin Ran: "Hush now! Love me more!" Luo Yao: ... Seeing his scumbag dad: "Take him out!" Seeing his stepmother: "Get rid of her!" Seeing his brother: "Eliminate him!" Seeing his white moonlight: "Send that to Southeast Asia!"
e bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.
