At this moment, the thunder sea had entered its most violent stage.
The eighth-level Thunder Phoenix spread its wings and soared forth.
A phoenix cry pierced the nine heavens.
Countless thunder feathers, like heavenly blades, slashed toward Ji Wushang.
The black mist around Ji Wushang was finally torn apart completely.
He raised a hand and waved it, and a black talisman seal appeared in his palm.
The seal unfolded, transforming into an ancient black shield.
The Thunder Phoenix collided with the black shield and exploded with a deafening roar.
Terrifying thunder might engulfed the heights of the sacrifice platform.
But when the thunderlight faded, Ji Wushang still stood there.
His robes were torn in places.
His hair was somewhat disheveled.
Yet his aura had not waned too much.
Wang Hao's eyes narrowed slightly.
"The eighth level only scratched his skin?"
The New Emperor Sword muttered quietly beside him: "Master, this guy is not right."
Wang Hao said nonchalantly: "I can see that."
The New Emperor Sword: "So are we still fighting?"
Wang Hao glanced at it.
"What do you think?"
The New Emperor Sword immediately straightened up.
"Of course we fight!"
"A great master doesn't waste time on trash, only on trash that can take a beating."
Wang Hao nodded with satisfaction.
"Learning fast."
The New Emperor Sword flattered: "All thanks to master's teaching."
Wang Hao could not be bothered to banter with it.
He raised his hand and clenched his five fingers into a fist.
The ninth level of the Thunder Abyss Demon-Suppressing Tower lit up completely.
A violet thunder dragon poked its head out from the tower.
Its dragon eyes were cold and indifferent.
Its whiskers crackled like electricity.
Upon its dragon scales, purple-gold thunder patterns interwove.
This time, Wang Hao did not send the violet thunder dragon to strike the Emperor Corpse.
Instead, he had it lock onto Ji Wushang.
Ji Wushang's expression finally changed slightly.
The ninth-level Violet Thunder Dragon.
A thunder tribulation equivalent to a full-force strike at the pinnacle of the Martial God realm.
Combined with Wang Hao's current transcendence-bearing state and the draconic qi of imperial sovereignty.
This strike had already far surpassed an ordinary Martial God pinnacle blow.
It was enough to annihilate the vast majority of late-stage Martial Gods.
It could even threaten those at the threshold of transcendence.
Wang Hao smiled.
"Ji Wushang."
"I've come to inspect the goods."
The violet thunder dragon roared downward.
The world was instantly flooded with purple-gold thunderlight.
The Emperor Corpse suddenly raised its head, appearing to want to intervene.
Wang Hao's eyes turned cold.
He stomped down with one foot.
The lingering force of the Sky-Sealing Earth-Covering Palm, which had just dispersed, erupted once again, forcibly pressing the Emperor Corpse back half a step.
Just that half step was enough.
Enough for the violet thunder dragon to reach Ji Wushang.
Boom!
The violet thunder dragon slammed head-on into Ji Wushang.
The highest point of the sacrifice platform instantly blazed into nothingness.
Thunderlight shot into the heavens.
The Myriad Abyss was lit up like a purple sun.
Everyone instinctively shut their eyes.
The terrifying shockwave swept in all directions.
The members of the Great Xia camp were sent flying backward, only to be blocked by the demonic qi that the Demon Lord forcibly expanded.
Ghost Granny spat out a mouthful of blood, yet she stared fixedly at the center of the thunderlight.
"It hit!"
"That strike absolutely hit!"
Han Shanyue trembled all over with excitement.
"Is he dead?"
No one answered.
The thunderlight gradually faded.
The smile on Wang Hao's face slowly vanished.
Because at the center of the thunder sea.
A figure still remained standing.
Ji Wushang stood atop the shattered remains of the sacrifice platform.
His robes were completely tattered.
Half of his body was charred black.
But he did not fall.
He had not even taken a step back.
The black crystal on his chest rotated slowly, devouring the residual thunderlight.
Ji Wushang lifted his head.
A sinister smile spread across his face.
"Wang Hao."
"Is this what you call quality?"
The entire scene fell into dead silence.
Even the New Emperor Sword was stunned.
"Even the Violet Thunder Dragon couldn't hurt him?"
Wang Hao narrowed his eyes.
This was the first time his expression turned truly grave.
"It's not that he wasn't hurt."
"It's that he wasn't hurt enough."
He stared at the black crystal on Ji Wushang's chest, his voice low.
"Ji Wushang."
"It seems I've been underestimating you."
"To be able to endure the Violet Thunder Dragon and remain standing."
"You've at least touched the threshold of half-transcendence."
Ji Wushang's smile turned icy.
"You only realize this now?"
Wang Hao also smiled.
But there was no warmth in his smile.
"It's not too late to realize."
"After all, what I enjoy most is beating down old schemers who think they've hidden themselves well."
Ji Wushang stood amid the dying embers of thunderlight.
The black crystal on his chest spun slowly.
With every rotation, a fraction of the purple-gold thunder remnants clinging to his body disappeared.
That was not simple absorption.
It was more like devouring, corrosion, transformation.
Wang Hao observed closely.
The Violet Thunder Dragon had not been completely useless.
Half of Ji Wushang's body was charred, a section of his shoulder bone was exposed, and his aura was clearly fluctuating.
But he had not fallen.
And that alone spoke volumes.
Wang Hao's gaze darkened.
Ji Wushang was no ordinary Martial God pinnacle.
Nor was he merely a puppet master lingering on through the sacrifice platform's support.
He was at least half-transcendent.
Or perhaps, through some bizarre means, he had already fused himself with the corruption source of the Emperor's Fallen Stele.
That kind of enemy was the worst.
They could not be killed.
They were not human.
And they loved to put on airs.
Wang Hao hated opponents like that.
Because opponents like that were often even more cunning than he was.
That was unacceptable.
In all of Great Xia, the position of number one schemer could belong to only one person.
And that person was me.
Ji Wushang raised his hand, and his fingertip brushed across the crystal on his chest.
The charred flesh began to squirm and heal.
He stared at Wang Hao, his gaze sinister.
"Wang Hao."
"You have truly surprised me."
"At the second layer of the Martial God realm, using some secret art, you can briefly bear the power of transcendence."
"Divine-rank martial arts, a demonic thunder tower, the draconic qi of imperial sovereignty, and that sword that talks nonsense."
The New Emperor Sword immediately grew furious.
"Who are you calling nonsense?"
Ji Wushang looked at it coldly.
"You."
The New Emperor Sword immediately turned to Wang Hao.
"Great master, he just insulted your loyal little sword!"
Wang Hao's expression was blank.
"I heard him."
The New Emperor Sword: "So aren't you going to say something?"
Wang Hao said flatly: "I'll use you to smash him later."
The New Emperor Sword: "..."
It was silent for a moment.
Then it said cautiously: "Master, can you use the blade to slash him instead?"
Wang Hao sneered.
"You willing to cooperate?"
The New Emperor Sword immediately said: "Cooperate! Absolutely cooperate!"
"Whatever master wants his little sword to slash, his little sword will slash!"
"Whatever direction master wants his little sword to go, his little sword will go!"
"Whatever master wants his little sword to devour, his little sword will devour, and never just drink the soup!"
Wang Hao's eyelid twitched.
"You could have left out the last part."
The New Emperor Sword gave an awkward laugh.
"Occupational habit."
Ji Wushang watched this man and his sword, and his expression grew ever darker.
Here they were in a life-and-death battle.
The Emperor Corpse was still present.
He had already revealed his half-transcendent foundation.
Yet Wang Hao could still quip with a shameless sword at a moment like this.
That kind of composure disgusted Ji Wushang.
Because he could not tell whether Wang Hao was genuinely confident, or merely running his mouth.
And what was even more infuriating.
Either way, Wang Hao was utterly deserving of death.
Ji Wushang's hands formed seals once more.
This time, half of the Emperor's Fallen Stele's illusion rose directly from the black crystal on his chest.
The moment the illusion appeared, the ruins of the nine-coffin sacrifice platform trembled simultaneously.
The blood-red chain sigils that Wang Hao had shattered began to show signs of reconverging.
The Emperor Corpse abruptly raised its head.
The deathly aura on its body surged.
The body that had been suppressed by the nine palms slowly straightened once again.
The members of the Great Xia camp all changed expression.
"The Emperor Corpse is getting up again!"
Han Shanyue clenched his teeth and roared.
"How can this damned thing not die?"
The Demon Lord said in a deep voice: "It's not that it can't be killed, it's that Ji Wushang is sustaining it."
Ghost Granny's face turned pale.
"The corruption source of the Emperor's Fallen Stele..."
"He has refined himself into part of the sacrifice platform."
"As long as he doesn't die, the Emperor Corpse can be continuously driven."
Yin Jiuyou muttered: "Then we must kill Ji Wushang."
Xue Wuhen gave a bitter smile.
“The problem is, even the Purple Thunder Dragon couldn’t kill him.”
Everyone’s hearts sank.
Right.
If the Purple Thunder Dragon couldn’t kill him, then what else could they do?
They all looked at Wang Hao.
At this moment, every ounce of hope rested on his shoulders.
But Wang Hao didn’t answer right away.
He was calculating time.
The duration of the Transcendence Realm Checkup Card was running low.
The nine palms that pressed down the Emperor Corpse and the nine thunderbolts that struck Ji Wushang had drained him enormously.
His injuries were forcibly suppressed, but they weren’t gone.
The collapsed part of his chest was beginning to throb with pain.
His meridians felt like they were burning.
The checkup card wasn’t a healing card.
That note from the system was vicious, but brutally honest:
If you get killed during the checkup, the checkup ends.
Wang Hao sneered inwardly.
This system really needed to be taken out and disciplined someday.
But this wasn’t the time to curse at the system.
He had to find a true way to break the deadlock before time ran out.
If Ji Wushang didn’t die, the Emperor Corpse would never stop.
If the Emperor Corpse didn’t fall, Great Xia could not move forward.
Since the Purple Thunder Dragon couldn’t kill Ji Wushang, then it was time to try a different approach.
Wang Hao’s gaze swept over the Emperor Corpse, then settled on the crystallized core in Ji Wushang’s chest.
Suddenly, a judgment formed in his mind.
Ji Wushang could withstand the Purple Thunder Dragon because that crystal core could devour thunder.
Then what about pure physical brute force?
What about a god-rank martial technique layered with the New Emperor Sword’s bizarre devouring ability?
What if he struck the Emperor Corpse first, forcing Ji Wushang to split his focus maintaining control, and then suddenly slashed at the crystal core?
A faint smile curled at the corner of Wang Hao’s mouth.
Good.
He had a plan.
Ji Wushang saw that smile, and an inexplicable chill ran down his spine.
He knew that smile too well.
Every time Wang Hao smiled like that, someone was about to have a very bad day.
Except before, the victims were always other people.
Now, it was likely him.
Ji Wushang said coldly, “What are you smiling about?”
Wang Hao said seriously, “I was just wondering if that ugly black thing in your chest could be dug out and sold for some coin.”
Ji Wushang’s eyes narrowed with fury.
“You’re asking for death!”
The Emperor Corpse moved.
It fully broke free from the lingering momentum of the ninth palm.
It took a single step forward.
Boom!
The abyssal ground sank even deeper.
Behind the Emperor Corpse, the gray-white sea of death churned like an ocean that could bury the heavens.
It threw a punch at Wang Hao.
There was no technique in that punch.
But it possessed the raw power to annihilate any technique.
Before the fist even arrived, the space around Wang Hao had already shattered into tiny fragments.
The New Emperor Sword shouted, “Master! It’s coming!”
Wang Hao reached up and grabbed the hilt.
The New Emperor Sword’s spirits lifted.
Finally!
Finally, it was time for this blade to cut the Emperor Corpse!
It had been beaten so badly by the Emperor Corpse earlier, but now that its master had grown stronger, it was time for revenge!
Sword light blazed.
Black-gold slaughter aura surged into the sky.
The New Emperor Sword was brimming with excitement.
“Master!”
“Let us become one, man and sword!”
“And slash this dead corpse to pieces!”
Wang Hao nodded.
“Alright.”
The New Emperor Sword was moved.
This tyrant had finally done something right.
The next instant.
Wang Hao reversed his grip.
He didn’t grab the hilt to swing the blade.
Instead, he swung the New Emperor Sword, using the pommel to smash straight into the Emperor Corpse’s fist.
The New Emperor Sword: “???”
“Wait!”
“You’ve got it backwards!”
Wang Hao said expressionlessly, “I know.”
The New Emperor Sword’s voice went completely shrill.
“Then why are you hitting with the pommel?”
Wang Hao sneered.
“The blade is cracked.”
“The pommel is sturdier.”
The New Emperor Sword nearly had a mental breakdown on the spot.
“I am a sword! Not a hammer!”
Wang Hao said, “Today, you are.”
Boom!
The pommel collided violently with the Emperor Corpse’s fist.
A terrifying force exploded outward.
The New Emperor Sword let out a bloodcurdling scream.
“AAAAH!”
“My butt!”
Everyone in the crowd: “...”
The corner of Wang Hao’s mouth twitched.
“The pommel is your butt?”
The New Emperor Sword roared in anguish, “Call it whatever you want! It hurts my dignity either way!”
Wang Hao sneered.
“You’ve got a lot of high-maintenance parts.”
But although the New Emperor Sword was screaming in agony, it had to be said—it was tough.
After devouring the four half-step Transcendence ancient corpses, its rank had risen to eighty-nine, and the hardness of its blade body had far surpassed before.
Even if the Emperor Corpse had cracked it, it could still withstand such a terrifying collision.
More importantly, Wang Hao’s strike wasn’t a random smash.
At the instant the pommel smashed into the Emperor Corpse’s fist, the sword intent of the god-rank martial technique, Nine Swords of Heaven’s Opening, had already flowed through the sword’s body.
The blade didn’t slash.
But the sword intent went first.
On the Emperor Corpse’s fist, a black-gold crack was carved open.
From within that crack, gray-white death aura poured out.
The New Emperor Sword suddenly stopped screaming.
It sensed a familiar fragrance.
Something it could devour.
“Master!”
“Its fist is cracked!”
Wang Hao’s eyes turned cold and fierce.
“Devour.”
The New Emperor Sword instantly became ecstatic.
“On it!”
The sword’s body blazed with black light.
The power of devouring evolution erupted.
It followed the crack on the Emperor Corpse’s fist, frantically devouring the residual death aura and fragments of Dao patterns within.
ing gift was a patch of barren land, and disciples were all picked up along the way. He spent fifty years diligently building three "ramshackle little sects," thinking he could finally live a carefree life relying on his disciples. But right at the fifty-year mark, he was suddenly swept away by a spatial rift and exiled to the Chaos Desolation, the Disorderly Ruins. There was no spiritual energy there, only slaughter. Relying on the cultivation feedback from his disciples, Gu Changyuan hacked his way through a sea of blood for eleven hundred years. When the system finally fished him back out, he discovered the ramshackle little sects he'd built back then had developed a rather... unusual style. Hold on... I vanished for a thousand years, so how did my ramshackle little sects become holy lands?!
iemie, male, Race: Moon. Hobby: Collecting anomalies. At first, he thought he possessed two systems: the Crimson Rainbow Moon and the Clear Cold Frost Moon. One day, he discovered that he himself could also become a system for others, holding the chessboard of fate. The Eighth Epoch, also known as the Eternal Moon Epoch. Humans, witches, elves, bloodline descendants, specters, demons, and spirits together compose a new history. Walking the path on behalf of the moon, before he knew it, Chen Miemie's footsteps were followed by all manner of strange and wondrous anomalies. As time passed, many titles circulated about him—The King in Yellow, Lord of Anomalies, Heart of the Eternal Moon, and more. "Me? I'm just a traveler who enjoys collecting interesting creatures," Chen Miemie said.
transmigrates into the role of a villainous rich second-generation kid in an urban fantasy novel, and gets bound to a god-tier choice system. Right at the start, he catches the female lead stealing exam papers! This triggers the villain's choice options! [Choice 1: Pretend you didn't see anything] [Choice 2: Loudly call her out, drawing everyone's attention] [Choice 3: ...] And thus, a twisted villain is born. To avoid getting killed by the protagonist, he has no choice but to take down all the protagonists first. Jiang Che: Nobody understands being twisted better than me!
ut it can buy an entire year of absolutely perfect training results! Su Yu stared at his empty wallet and decisively opened up various online loan platforms. “Borrow a thousand bucks! Recharge my vitality!” Boom! His vitality broke a hundred points, shattering the limits of the human body! “Borrow ten thousand bucks! Recharge my combat skills!” Boom! A basic punching technique so common it was everywhere instantly maxed out, revealing the ultimate assassination technique of Five Elements Unity—Inner Force! When a rich kid hired assassins for a midnight ambush, aiming to break both of his legs, they instead ran headfirst into a monster—a human-shaped tyrannosaur, brimming with dragon-like vitality. With just two fingers, Su Yu snapped a steel staff reinforced with alloy. Staring at the killer’s stash of stolen cash—a staggering quarter-million dollars—he showed a corporate-sincere smile: “Thanks for the pre-exam gift pack, Mr. Zhao! I’m gonna go re-invest this!” Three days later, at the National Martial Arts College Entrance Exam, while everyone else struggled just to reach the passing line, Su Yu threw a single punch—and more than a thousand vitality points literally detonated the entire arena!
