I Will Safekeep It for Them First

Black patterns rapidly spread across the surface.

The tentacle thrashed violently.

It wanted to turn around and devour the New Emperor Sword.

The two forces made the sword itself their battlefield.

They gnawed at each other.

Wang Hao raised his hand and summoned the Seal of All Contracts, One Source.

The seal descended.

The will of Xuanming within the tentacle was briefly suppressed.

The New Emperor Sword seized the opportunity.

Its devouring speed surged.

The several-hundred-zhang-long black tentacle rapidly withered.

In the end, it turned into a layer of black ash.

【The New Emperor Sword has devoured the flesh of a high-level aberration!】

【The origin of the uncanny artifact has increased!】

【The uncanny artifact’s ranking has risen!】

【Current ranking: Eighty-eighth!】

【Transformed combat power has risen to the peak of the seventh Martial Dao realm!】

The silver sword’s radiance surged.

The silver-haired youth transformed back into human form.

A long robe of silver and black now covered his body.

His right eye had also returned to normal.

Only, whenever he opened his mouth in a hearty laugh…

A tiny, spinning eye had appeared on his tongue.

The silver-haired youth was completely unaware of it.

“Master!”

“I’ve grown stronger!”

Wang Hao stared at the eye on his tongue.

After a moment of silence, he said, “Talk less from now on.”

The silver-haired youth was stunned.

“Why?”

“It’s bad for the eyes.”

“What does talking have to do with the eyes?”

“You’ll understand eventually.”

Wang Hao had no intention of telling him.

He did not want the sword to go insane on the spot.

On the other side of the battlefield,

the golden ancient bell in Taiyi Ancient Immortal’s hand rang once more.

The Xuanming Immortal-Evil Dharma Form punched the bell.

A gap burst open across the surface of the golden ancient bell.

A great amount of golden lightning surged out through the opening.

This lightning was not the heavenly thunder of the Nine Provinces.

It was immortal thunder left behind in the Immortal Domain’s Thunder Pool.

Every bolt contained power far beyond that of a ninth-realm purple thunder dragon.

The Thunder Abyss Suppressing Demon Tower shook violently.

The doors to all nine levels opened at once.

Every crack across the tower’s body began to glow.

It was hungry.

Wang Hao could clearly sense the longing of the Thunder Abyss Suppressing Demon Tower.

“You want to eat?”

The tower nodded frantically.

“Then go.”

The Thunder Abyss Suppressing Demon Tower shot into the sky.

The doors to its nine levels transformed into a thunder vortex.

The immortal thunder leaking from the ancient bell immediately changed direction.

It all surged into the tower.

Taiyi Ancient Immortal abruptly turned his head.

“Who dares steal this immortal’s Nine-Heavens Thunder Source?”

Wang Hao raised his hand and pointed at the Blood Luo Immortal Lord.

“She did!”

The Blood Luo Immortal Lord had just used a sea of blood to bind Xuanming.

Upon hearing this, astonishment appeared on her skinless face.

“Mortal.”

“What are you talking about?”

Wang Hao wore an expression of righteous indignation.

“Senior Taiyi.”

“I witnessed it with my own eyes.”

“Blood Luo secretly devoured your immortal thunder while you were fighting Xuanming.”

Taiyi Ancient Immortal glanced at the Thunder Abyss Suppressing Demon Tower, which was devouring the lightning.

Then he looked at Wang Hao.

“Do you take me for a blind man?”

Wang Hao shook his head.

“The blind one is the fellow over there with the sword.”

Heaven-Deficient Sword Immortal suddenly turned his head.

Two small swords, his natal swords, poked halfway out of his eye sockets.

Wang Hao immediately changed his answer.

“Of course…”

“Though Senior Heaven-Deficient has no eyes,”

“his heart is as clear as a mirror.”

“I have always admired you.”

Heaven-Deficient Sword Immortal’s voice was cold.

“Say one more word.”

“And I’ll cut you down.”

Wang Hao promptly shut his mouth.

The Thunder Abyss Suppressing Demon Tower, however, did not stop.

A great amount of immortal thunder poured into the ninth level.

The purple thunder dragon that had been hiding in a corner and pretending to be dead suddenly raised its head.

It opened its maw.

And began frantically devouring the immortal thunder.

Its purple scales gradually took on a layer of golden color.

A new phantom of a thunder dragon slowly coalesced within the ninth level.

【The Thunder Abyss Suppressing Demon Tower has absorbed the Nine-Heavens Immortal Thunder!】

【The ninth level’s lightning reserves have increased!】

【Number of times a full-power ninth-realm strike can be released: Three!】

The tower shook with satisfaction.

Taiyi Ancient Immortal, however, had already raised his hand.

A golden palm imprint reached for the Thunder Abyss Suppressing Demon Tower.

“Ant.”

“Return my thunder source!”

Wang Hao stepped in front of the Thunder Abyss Suppressing Demon Tower.

The Heaven-Imprisoning Earth-Covering Palm burst forth.

The first palm.

The golden palm imprint trembled slightly.

The second palm.

Immortal light rippled.

The third palm.

The skin on both of Wang Hao’s arms split open.

The fourth palm.

The five fingers of the golden palm imprint began to contract.

The fifth palm!

The sixth palm!

Behind Wang Hao, a river of Imperial Dao stretched across heaven and earth.

The phantoms of countless Great Xia citizens raised their hands at the same time.

The seventh palm.

The eighth palm.

The golden palm imprint of Taiyi Ancient Immortal was forcibly pushed back.

Wang Hao’s blood and qi seethed.

The Transcendent Great Dao burned.

His final palm came crashing down.

“The ninth palm!”

Boom!

The palm imprint that Taiyi Ancient Immortal had casually struck exploded in midair.

Wang Hao was also sent flying by the shockwave.

His body slammed into the remains of an immortal palace.

The ruins were pushed backward for ten thousand li.

Wang Hao shattered the palace wall beneath his feet and forcibly brought himself to a stop.

Both his arms were reduced to a bloody mess.

Yet the corners of his mouth curled upward.

He had blocked it.

Though it had only been a casual strike from a decayed ancient immortal—

Though he had relied on Great Xia’s national fortune and the nine palms stacked together—

he had indeed shattered the immortal palm head-on.

The first level of Transcendence.

A divine-grade martial technique.

And an Imperial Dao supported by the will of countless living beings.

The Wang Hao of today

truly possessed the qualifications to fight a decayed immortal corpse!

Immortal fire flickered in Taiyi Ancient Immortal’s eyes.

“One level of Transcendence.”

“And you can actually block one of this immortal’s palms?”

Wang Hao shook the blood from his hands.

“Taiyi.”

“That palm of yours was nothing.”

“What happened? Didn’t you eat?”

Half of Taiyi Ancient Immortal’s decayed face spasmed violently.

He had only just devoured the incense offerings accumulated by the seventy-two sacred lands over tens of thousands of years.

Those words

were practically an insult hurled directly at his face.

“You’re courting death!”

Taiyi Ancient Immortal was just about to attack again

when Xuanming seized the opportunity.

The Xuanming Immortal-Evil Dharma Form seized the golden ancient bell.

Its right arm transformed into countless mouths.

They frantically gnawed at the bell’s body.

A huge chunk was torn from the golden ancient bell.

The river of incense offerings was swallowed into Xuanming’s belly.

Taiyi Ancient Immortal let out a furious roar.

He could no longer spare any thought for Wang Hao.

He attacked Xuanming with all his might.

Wang Hao immediately recalled the Thunder Abyss Suppressing Demon Tower.

He turned and ran with the tower.

The Dragon-Slayer landed beside him.

His expression was strange.

“You deliberately provoked Taiyi?”

Wang Hao nodded.

“Otherwise, he’d keep targeting my tower.”

“Now that Xuanming is the one eating his incense offerings,”

“he’ll naturally deal with Xuanming first.”

The Dragon-Slayer looked at the Immortal-Sealing Altar in Wang Hao’s arms.

Then he looked at the newly evolved New Emperor Sword.

Finally, he glanced at the Thunder Abyss Suppressing Demon Tower, whose ninth level now blazed with even more intense lightning.

“How long have you been on the battlefield?”

“Less than half a quarter of an hour.”

“How much have you taken already?”

Wang Hao began counting seriously.

“One fragment of an immortal sword.”

“One drop of half-immortal, half-uncanny origin blood.”

“One section of a corrupted tentacle.”

“One wisp of Nine-Heavens Immortal Thunder.”

“And half an immortal palace.”

The Dragon-Slayer froze.

“Where is the half of an immortal palace?”

Wang Hao pointed toward the ruins of the immortal palace he had just crashed into.

The golden dragon of national fortune was currently hugging the ruins with all four claws.

While dodging the shockwaves of the immortal battle,

it was struggling to drag them toward Great Xia.

The corner of the Dragon-Slayer’s eye twitched.

“You’re even hauling away the ruins?”

“The ruins of the Immortal Domain.”

“Can those really be called ruins?”

Wang Hao wore a solemn expression.

“That’s called an ancient relic.”

“Take it back to Great Xia.”

“We can make a fortune charging admission.”

The Dragon-Slayer was left utterly speechless.

Boom!

Another violent clash erupted at the center of the battlefield.

The Xuanming Immortal-Evil Dharma Form tore through the Blood Luo Immortal Lord’s sea of blood.

One of the Blood Luo Immortal Lord’s arms was ripped off.

The severed arm flew out of the battlefield.

Before it even hit the ground,

it grew into a ten-thousand-zhang blood serpent.

The blood serpent raised its head and shrieked toward the sky.

Then it opened its jaws and lunged at Wang Hao and the Dragon-Slayer.

The Dragon-Slayer tightened his grip on his woodcutter’s blade.

“That thing is still alive.”

Wang Hao looked at the Immortal-Sealing Altar.

There was only one blood-colored mark on the altar.

It could still hold eight drops.

“Alive means it’s worth even more.”

Wang Hao raised his hand and recalled the New Emperor Sword.

The Transcendent Great Dao poured into the blade.

A silver sword aura shot into the sky.

“The Nine Heaven-Opening Swords!”

The first sword struck the Blood Serpent’s head.

The ten-thousand-zhang Blood Serpent paused ever so slightly.

The second sword descended.

A sword mark appeared on the Blood Serpent’s crown.

The third sword.

The fourth sword.

The fifth sword.

The sword mark grew deeper and deeper.

The Blood Serpent let out a piercing hiss.

Its enormous body coiled toward them.

The Dragon-Slayer took a single step forward.

His woodcutter’s cleaver struck the Blood Serpent’s vital point.

“Here.”

Wang Hao understood instantly.

The sixth and seventh swords fell at the same time.

The blood-colored immortal runes at the Blood Serpent’s vital point shattered one after another.

The eighth sword descended.

All the light in heaven and earth converged into a single line.

The Blood Serpent’s body was nearly severed in two.

Wang Hao gripped the New Emperor Sword with both hands.

The entire river of imperial might behind him poured into the blade.

“The ninth sword!”

“Heaven-opening!”

Slash!

The ten-thousand-zhang Blood Serpent split apart at its vital point.

The front half of its body writhed violently.

The rear half transformed back into an immortal’s arm.

Wang Hao summoned the Immortal-Sealing Altar.

The mouth of the altar faced the severed arm.

The will of the Blood Luo Immortal Lord, which remained within the arm, immediately awakened.

The severed arm spread its five fingers, attempting to crush the Immortal-Sealing Altar.

The Dragon-Slayer’s woodcutter’s cleaver descended once more.

All five fingers were severed.

The Immortal-Sealing Altar’s suction erupted.

The severed arm rapidly shrank.

In the end, it transformed into a single drop of pungent scarlet immortal blood.

It fell into the altar.

A second blood-colored mark lit up.

Wang Hao sealed the altar’s mouth and looked up at the Dragon-Slayer.

“Senior.”

“Good teamwork.”

The Dragon-Slayer put away his cleaver.

“How shall we divide it?”

Wang Hao looked puzzled.

“Divide what?”

“The immortal blood we just obtained.”

“That was collected by me.”

“I severed the five fingers.”

“If I hadn’t cut through its vital point first, would you have had a chance to touch those fingers?”

The Dragon-Slayer stared at Wang Hao.

Wang Hao met his gaze without flinching.

After a moment, the Dragon-Slayer slowly spoke.

“I understand now.”

“Why you would chase an immortal to demand repayment.”

Wang Hao smiled.

“Senior flatters me.”

“As a person—”

“I have always been fair in public and private matters.”

The Dragon-Slayer asked, “Does this drop of immortal blood count as public or private?”

“It counted as public before it entered my pocket.”

“After that, it became private.”

The Dragon-Slayer gripped his woodcutter’s cleaver.

Wang Hao immediately changed his tune.

“Senior gets ten percent.”

“Thirty percent.”

“Fifteen.”

“Thirty.”

“Twenty.”

“Thirty.”

Wang Hao looked heartbroken.

“Twenty-five percent.”

“That’s my final offer.”

The Dragon-Slayer nodded.

“Deal.”

The two of them looked toward the battlefield at the same time.

Xuanming had already torn off one of the Corpse Liberation Immortal’s legs.

The Heaven-Deficient Sword Immortal had also had three fingers broken.

Cracks had appeared in Taiyi Ancient Immortal’s ring of incense-fire immortal power.

After losing an arm, the Blood Luo Immortal Lord’s aura had visibly weakened.

Meanwhile, the shattered starry sky within Xuanming’s chest had also been blasted open at one corner by the combined assault of four decaying immortals.

Deep within the starry sky,

a half-silver, half-black heart was beating.

With every beat,

it spewed out vast amounts of Immortal-Twisted source power.

The five immortal-level beings had completely lost themselves to the slaughter.

Not a single one of them noticed that, at the edge of the battlefield,

an Emperor of Great Xia covered in blood,

and an ancient woodcutter with only one arm remaining,

were dragging the Immortal-Sealing Altar, the Thunder Abyss Demon-Suppressing Pagoda, the New Emperor Sword, and half of an immortal palace behind them.

Following the ravines carved out by the aftermath of the immortal battle,

they picked up the scattered immortal bones, broken swords, fragments of the bronze coffin, and bizarre flesh one piece at a time.

Wang Hao even took out a blank ledger.

Each time he picked something up,

he carefully recorded it.

“Three fragments of the Taiyi Immortal Bell.”

“One drop of Blood Luo source blood.”

“Two Corpse Liberation bronze coffin nails.”

“Seventeen Heaven-Deficient broken swords.”

“Xuanming’s principal and interest.”

“Temporarily deducted: one drop of half-immortal, half-Twisted source blood.”

The New Emperor Sword followed behind them, holding a piece of immortal bone it was unable to devour.

The silver-haired youth glanced at the ledger.

“Master.”

“What do these things have to do with Xuanming’s debt?”

Wang Hao did not even look up.

“He brought the battlefield to the Nine Provinces.”

“Therefore, he is naturally responsible for all the damage caused.”

“But some of these things were dropped by the other four immortals.”

“They were the ones who took the initiative to attack the debtor.”

“That counts as compensation.”

The silver-haired youth suddenly understood.

“Master is wise.”

The Dragon-Slayer held back again and again.

In the end, he still had to ask, “What if none of the five of them agree?”

Wang Hao closed the ledger.

He raised his head and looked toward the battlefield, once again being engulfed by immortal blood and black mist.

A gentle smile appeared on his face.

“It doesn’t matter.”

“For now, I’ll hold on to them on their behalf.”