Let the Holy Land and the Demonic Sect formally declare war.

Wang Hao held it down.

“No licking.”

“This is state treasury property.”

The New Emperor Sword said indignantly:

“I’m state treasury property too!”

Wang Hao said seriously:

“That’s why you’re even less allowed to steal from the treasury.”

The New Emperor Sword fell silent.

It had discovered that it would never win an argument with its master.

The Ancient Corpse King’s heart-bone, meanwhile, had caught the Demon Lord’s attention.

He frowned and said:

“This thing is saturated with corpse energy. If refined properly, it could be used to forge a half-step Transcendent corpse puppet.”

Wang Hao’s eyes lit up.

“Is it valuable?”

The Demon Lord nodded.

“Extremely valuable.”

Wang Hao immediately stashed the heart-bone away even more securely.

“Once we return to Great Xia, hand it over to the Ministry of Works and the Hall of Venerables for research.”

“If it can be used to refine a corpse puppet, then refine one.”

“If not, sell it.”

Yin Jiuyou asked in a low voice:

“Your Majesty, who would we sell it to?”

Wang Hao smiled.

“The White Bone Demon Sect.”

Yin Jiuyou was stunned.

“They’d buy it?”

“Of course.”

Wang Hao said calmly:

“As long as they don’t know I was the one who stole it.”

Everyone was speechless.

Just then, another deafening explosion erupted from the distant Sword Tomb.

A sword-ruin communication talisman shot into the sky.

“The White Bone Demon Sect has stolen the Sword Ruin’s Transcendent broken sword!”

“Disciples of the Sword Ruin, heed my command!”

“Exterminate every last bone fiend!”

Almost at the same time, the White Bone Demon Sect’s black soul command token exploded across the heavens.

“The Sword Ruin Holy Land has stolen the heart-bone of the Ancient Corpse King!”

“Disciples of the White Bone Demon Sect, heed my command!”

“Refine every last sword cultivator!”

The two communication talismans were like twin bolts of lightning, setting the entire world ablaze.

The news spread at an astonishing speed.

The Sword Ruin Holy Land was enraged.

The White Bone Demon Sect was furious.

The two sides had already accumulated deep grievances over the rumors, the convoy, and the Sword Forge incident.

The events at the Sword Tomb became the final boulder that crushed what little reason remained.

That very night, all seventeen sword mountains of the Sword Ruin Holy Land began to ring in unison.

The Sword Master’s edict echoed throughout the Central Continent:

“The White Bone Demon Sect has insulted our predecessors, stolen our broken sword, and slaughtered our disciples.”

“From this day forth, the Sword Ruin Holy Land declares war on the White Bone Demon Sect.”

“All disciples of the White Bone Demon Sect are to be killed without mercy.”

Deep within the Land of Sin stood the White Bone Demon Sect’s Hall of Ten Thousand Bones.

Gu Ming stood in a grand hall built from countless piled-up skeletons. After hearing the report from the Sword Tomb, his expression turned terrifyingly grim.

He knew there was something wrong.

Very wrong.

But the problem was that members of the White Bone Demon Sect really had died.

The heart-bone of the Ancient Corpse King really had disappeared.

Sword Ruin sword energy really had remained at the scene.

And the Sword Ruin really had accused them of stealing the broken sword at the very first opportunity.

What did that mean?

It meant that even if the Sword Ruin hadn’t stolen the sword, they were prepared to pin the blame on the White Bone Demon Sect anyway.

Since that was the case, why investigate?

Gu Ming slowly closed his eyes.

A moment later, he opened them again, his voice hoarse.

“Disciples of the White Bone Demon Sect, heed my command.”

“From this day forth, we declare war on the Sword Ruin Holy Land.”

“Dig out their sword bones and refine their souls.”

“Let the Central Continent know that the White Bone Demon Sect cannot be insulted.”

On this day, the Sword Ruin and the White Bone Demon Sect formally declared war.

And this was only the first boulder to fall.

The Lunar Yin Holy Land and the Yellow Springs Demon Sect erupted into a large-scale conflict over the Cold Moon Mine and the Soul Well incident.

The Yellow Springs Demon Sect attacked the Lunar Yin Holy Land’s Spirit Medicine Valley.

The Lunar Yin Holy Land froze three of the Yellow Springs Demon Sect’s ferry crossings.

Transcendent experts from both sides clashed across the void, shattering two mountain ranges.

The Blood Prison Demon Sect also suffered a major incident.

Someone had poisoned one of its blood pools with a secret toxin from the Blood Lotus Holy Land.

Three thousand blood slaves died on the spot.

When Tu Qianshan heard the news, he chopped apart half a pillar in the Blood Prison Demon Hall.

“Blood Lotus old dog!”

“If I don’t chop you to pieces, I’ll take your surname!”

The Blood Lotus Holy Land, meanwhile, received word that the Blood Prison Demon Sect had ambushed one of its herb-gathering teams, skinned and bled them dry, and carved the words “Blood must be repaid with blood” into their corpses.

The old man in the blood robe was so furious that he vomited blood.

“Blood Wusheng again!”

“Wang Hao again!”

But he had no evidence.

The only aura left at the scene belonged entirely to the Blood Prison Demon Sect.

Moreover, Tu Qianshan had indeed publicly threatened to chop up the Blood Lotus Holy Land.

Thus, the Blood Lotus and the Blood Prison also went to war.

The Golden Palace Holy Land and the Myriad Souls Demon Sect likewise failed to escape the chaos.

A team of craftsmen from the Golden Palace Holy Land, sent to maintain a Soul-Suppressing Pagoda, disappeared.

Several days later, their souls appeared at an underground auction house on the outskirts of the Myriad Souls Demon Sect.

The auction listing read:

“Souls of Golden Palace craftsmen. Skilled in artifact refinement, good for warming a bed. Starting bid: three thousand spirit stones.”

The Golden Palace Holy Land was utterly enraged.

The Myriad Souls Demon Sect insisted that it had been framed.

But they explained themselves too late.

Because, before the auction house owner was arrested, he had shouted:

“May the Myriad Souls Ancestor bless us!”

When the Myriad Souls Ancestor heard this, he remained silent for a long time.

At last, he said only:

“Which idiot arranged this?”

Naturally, no one admitted to it.

That was because Yin Jiuyou had personally arranged the entire affair.

Afterward, he even made a special report to Wang Hao.

Wang Hao’s assessment was:

“The slogan is quite good.”

“Though the words ‘good for warming a bed’ are a little too frivolous.”

Yin Jiuyou replied solemnly:

“Your Majesty, that is simply the style of the underground market.”

Wang Hao nodded.

“We must respect local culture.”

By this point, the Central Continent and the Land of Sin had entered a state of all-out escalation.

Of the twelve Holy Lands, six had already become directly involved in the conflict.

Of the nine great demon sects, five had formally begun mobilizing their forces.

Even the remaining factions, which had hoped to stand by and watch, were forced to choose sides as the flames spread around them.

The Dark Lands had completely become a meat grinder.

Holy Land caravans no longer dared to travel alone.

Demon sect strongholds remained on high alert day and night.

Independent cultivators joined a Holy Land today, defected to a demon sect tomorrow, and realized the day after that neither side was willing to pay them. So they raised their own banners and established bandit strongholds.

The most absurd faction of all called itself the “Central Peace Alliance.”

Their slogan was:

“Whoever pays us, we help make peace for them.”

On the third day after its founding, the alliance was wiped out after accepting money from both the Lunar Yin Holy Land and the Yellow Springs Demon Sect.

When Wang Hao heard about it, he was rather regretful.

“The direction was right.”

“The strength just wasn’t enough.”

Yin Jiuyou asked:

“Your Majesty, should we learn from their mistake?”

Wang Hao nodded.

“Of course.”

“When accepting money from both sides in the future, leave at least three layers of identities between them.”

Yin Jiuyou: “…”

He was gradually becoming unable to keep up with the limits of His Majesty’s morality.

No.

To be precise, His Majesty might have no limits at all.

Only a cost threshold.

Half a month later.

Within a cave dwelling in the barren mountains, Wang Hao once again sat before a map.

The mines, ruins, and trade routes that had originally been marked with vermilion circles were now connected by one battle line after another.

In the southern reaches of the Central Continent, the Lunar Yin Holy Land and the Yellow Springs Demon Sect faced off.

In the western reaches, the Sword Ruin and the White Bone Demon Sect had gone to war.

The Blood Lotus and Blood Prison had destroyed seven strongholds in the Dark Lands in succession.

The Golden Palace and the Myriad Souls were retaliating against each other over the Soul-Suppressing Pagoda and the incident involving the craftsmen’s souls.

Local conflicts had already evolved into large-scale battles.

Casualties on both sides continued to rise.

More than a dozen Martial God experts had already fallen.

The deaths among those in the True Intent, Astral Force, and Skyfaring realms were beyond counting.

The Holy Lands had begun conscripting subordinate sects.

The demon sects had started gathering their peripheral blood slaves, corpse puppets, and soul soldiers.

The entire world seemed like a bow drawn to its limit.

All that remained was the final arrow.

Yin Jiuyou reported:

“Your Majesty, the latest news.”

“The Sword Ruin Holy Land has formally sent the Demon-Slaying Sword Edict to the White Bone Demon Sect.”

“The White Bone Demon Sect responded by erecting a viewing platform made from ten thousand corpses.”

“The Lunar Yin Holy Land has frozen the waterways within three thousand miles of the Yellow Springs Ferry.”

“The Yellow Springs Demon Sect sank three of the Lunar Yin Holy Land’s spirit ships.”

“The Blood Prison and Blood Lotus clashed again today. Tu Qianshan severely wounded a Martial God of the Blood Lotus Holy Land.”

“The Golden Palace Holy Land has dispatched its Golden Armored Army, advancing straight toward the Soul Sea on the outskirts of the Myriad Souls Demon Sect.”

Wang Hao listened, then nodded.

“Still not enough.”

Yin Jiuyou was startled.

“This still isn’t enough?”

Wang Hao looked at the map.

“Only a few factions have declared war.”

“What I want is for all twelve Holy Lands and the nine great demon sects to tear one another apart.”

The Demon Lord frowned.

“You’re planning to continue?”

Wang Hao countered:

“If we stop now, they’ll eventually uncover the clues.”

“Only by letting the flames of war spread far enough can we burn away every trace.”

“Besides…”

His finger lightly tapped the very center of the map.

That was the heart of the Land of Darkness.

An ancient city.

A city without a lord.

It was also the buffer zone that the Sacred Ground and the Demon Sect had tacitly maintained for hundreds of years.

Wang Hao slowly said:

“Here.”

“As soon as something happens here, no one will be able to back out.”

Han Shanyue stared at the map and quietly read out the city’s name.

“Black Heaven City.”

Black Heaven City.

The largest black market in the Land of Darkness.

The most important resource-trading hub between the Central Continent and the Land of Sin.

The Sacred Ground had hidden agents here.

The Demon Sect had businesses here.

Rogue cultivators came here to buy their lives.

Fugitives came here to trade faces.

Legend had it that even Transcendence Realm experts would disguise themselves and enter Black Heaven City to trade in things that could never see the light of day.

If a great battle erupted in Black Heaven City, it would be tantamount to tearing apart the last shred of decency between both sides.

Yin Jiuyou’s throat felt a little dry.

“Your Majesty, you intend to make a move against Black Heaven City?”

Wang Hao said indifferently:

“It isn’t me.”

“It’s the Sacred Ground.”

“And the Demon Sect.”

“I’m merely passing by.”

The New Emperor Sword said excitedly:

“Master, are we picking up more expensive loot this time?”

Wang Hao smiled.

“This time, we’re not just picking things up.”

“This time, we’re collecting rent.”

Everyone froze.

Wang Hao took out several storage rings.

Inside were resources seized from the Cold Moon Mine, the Broken Sword Mound, and various merchant caravans.

“There’s an underground auction in Black Heaven City.”

“The Sacred Ground wants to buy a batch of demon-suppressing materials.”

“The Demon Sect wants to buy a batch of strange artifacts for breaking formations.”

“The rogue cultivators want to buy their lives.”

“We’ll put the goods in.”

“Then let them bid against each other.”

Yin Jiuyou finally understood.

His Majesty had seized goods from both sides.

He would then frame them on each other.

After that, he would put the stolen goods up for auction at a black market attended by both sides.

He would make them spend money to buy their own things back.

And after they were done buying, they would still suspect each other of wanting the same goods.

This was no longer merely killing the body and crushing the heart.

This was killing, crushing hearts, emptying pockets—and issuing receipts.

The Demon Lord took a deep breath.

“Wang Hao.”

“You’re truly suited to becoming a supreme giant of the demonic path.”

Wang Hao corrected him:

“I’m a proper emperor.”

The New Emperor Sword muttered:

“Proper emperors usually aren’t this ‘proper.’”

Wang Hao immediately shoved it back into its scabbard.

“Prepare to depart.”

“Our target: Black Heaven City.”

“Let the Sacred Ground and the Demon Sect officially declare war.”