Untitled Draft

The laughter within the transparent heart grew louder.

“Can’t bear to do it?”

“Then die with them!”

“You can save half.”

“Save seventy percent.”

“Even ninety percent!”

“But as long as even one person dies because of you...”

“You, Emperor of Great Xia...”

“Will have lost!”

Wang Hao looked at the transparent heart.

Then, suddenly, he smiled.

“Xuanming.”

“After being an immortal fiend for so many years...”

“You still don’t understand Great Xia’s laws.”

Xuanming’s laughter abruptly stopped.

“What?”

Wang Hao spoke:

“A death requires an autopsy.”

“After the autopsy...”

“The authorities must issue official documentation.”

“The death must be entered into the registry.”

“Only then can the household record be closed.”

Xuanming did not understand.

Wang Hao continued:

“I never ordered an autopsy for you.”

“The Ministry of Revenue never struck your name from the rolls.”

“On the Register of Immortal Calamities...”

“Your account has not been settled.”

“So under Great Xia law...”

“You are still alive.”

The transparent heart shook violently.

“Absurd!”

“My true body has already turned to ashes!”

“Hundreds of millions witnessed it with their own eyes!”

Wang Hao replied blandly:

“What people see with their own eyes doesn’t count.”

“Only an official seal counts.”

The imperial capital.

The main hall of the Ministry of Revenue.

Every official froze at once.

The elderly official responsible for Great Xia’s Register of Immortal Calamities...

Was the first to react.

He lunged for the ledger.

Turning to the page that recorded Xuanming.

After Xuanming’s name...

There were only the words: “Still on record.”

There was no “Executed.”

Much less “Account closed.”

The old official’s eyes shone brighter and brighter.

“My lord!”

A junior clerk beside him cried excitedly.

“His Majesty means—”

“Silence!”

The old official snatched up the great seal.

Holding it tightly to his chest.

“No one is allowed to stamp anything!”

“Xuanming isn’t dead!”

“Without a document from the Ministry of Revenue...”

“Even if he’s dead, he has to be counted as alive!”

The entire Ministry of Revenue...

Instantly sprang into action.

Officials rushed out of the main hall one after another.

They sealed off the archives.

Shut down the household-record closure office.

Some officials even hauled over dozens of locks.

They locked the cabinets containing the Register of Immortal Calamities...

Layer upon layer, more than ten times over.

Within the Heart Realm.

Xuanming’s remnant consciousness finally realized the problem.

The foundation of the Nail of Fate, anchored by the masses...

Was not merely what people had seen.

It was cognition.

So long as the countless citizens of Great Xia acknowledged that he existed...

Then he existed.

And now...

As long as every citizen of Great Xia still believed Xuanming was not dead...

Then the “death” Xuanming had planted within the heart plague...

Would become a contradiction.

The dead could not spread death.

What the living spread...

Could only be called illness.

Death could not be reversed.

But illness...

Could be cured!

Xuanming’s remnant consciousness howled madly:

“I’m already dead!”

“You all saw it!”

Within the imperial river of destiny, Wang Hao’s voice rang out across the Nine Provinces.

“Xuanming is not dead.”

“He’s pretending to be dead to dodge his debts.”

The people of the Nine Provinces were stunned for a moment.

Then Zhao Ergou’s furious curse was the first to ring out across the Western Wastes.

“Playing dead?”

“Not paying what he owes is bad enough!”

“And now he dares to fake his death?”

Zhang Shan immediately roared:

“Xuanming isn’t dead!”

“I just heard the bastard fart!”

More and more voices rose.

“Xuanming isn’t dead!”

“His debts haven’t been cleared!”

“The Ministry of Revenue hasn’t removed his name!”

“You want to dodge your debts by playing dead?”

“In your dreams!”

The people of Great Xia might not understand the ways of immortal fiends.

Nor did they know what cognitive anchoring meant.

But they understood that debts must be repaid.

And they understood that a dead person’s household record had to be closed.

Since the authorities had not closed Xuanming’s record...

Then Xuanming was not dead.

Even if he were dead...

He would have to come back to life and settle his debts first!

Boom!

The cognition of countless millions converged once more.

Within the transparent heart.

A pure aura of death.

Then, suddenly, a thread of life appeared.

It was not Xuanming coming back to life.

It was the people of Great Xia—

forcibly refusing to acknowledge his death!

The system prompt appeared once more.

【Xuanming’s final disintegration has been disrupted by the collective consciousness of all living beings!】

【The absolute-death attribute is weakening!】

【The Heart Plague attribute is changing!】

【Xuanming’s Death Plague → Xuanming’s Heart Venom!】

【Warning!】

【Xuanming’s Heart Venom is still spreading!】

【Estimated outbreak: one hundred breaths!】

Wang Hao’s gaze sharpened.

They had succeeded halfway.

The Death Plague had transformed into Heart Venom.

At least it was no longer certain death.

But eliminating the Heart Venom from nearly a billion people within one hundred breaths—

was still practically impossible.

The Myriad Contracts Origin-Seal no longer existed in Wang Hao’s palm.

Instead, a silver-black contract rune emerged from the Imperial Bone of his severed right arm.

It connected to the transparent heart.

This was the same-origin link left behind by Xuanming’s source blood.

Wang Hao closed his eyes.

He sensed every trace of Heart Venom.

Every strand of it.

All of it originated from Xuanming.

Since they shared the same origin,

they could be bound by the same contract.

And since they could be bound by the same contract,

the price could be shared as well.

Xuanming’s remnant consciousness shrieked:

“You want to transfer all the Heart Venom into your own body?”

“With your body in its current state…”

“You couldn’t withstand even ten percent of it!”

Wang Hao said:

“Who said I was going to bear it myself?”

Xuanming’s remnant consciousness froze.

Wang Hao turned his head.

His eyes fell upon the Thunder Abyss Demon-Suppressing Tower in the distance.

The black tower had just swallowed twenty-four bolts of Burial Realm Immortal Thunder.

It had then unleashed another full-powered attack at the Ninth Realm.

At present, the tower was covered in cracks.

All nine levels of its gates had dimmed.

The tower spirit’s aura was feeble, as though it might fall into slumber at any moment.

Sensing Wang Hao’s gaze,

the Thunder Abyss Demon-Suppressing Tower trembled faintly.

Instinctively, it retreated half a step.

Wang Hao spoke:

“Come here.”

The black tower did not move.

“Thirty-five percent of Xuanming’s power.”

The black tower immediately flew in front of Wang Hao.

Wang Hao was quite satisfied.

“Look.”

“Xuanming isn’t dead yet.”

“That thirty-five percent…”

“can’t be divided for the time being.”

The black tower froze.

The cracks across its body widened by another fraction, all from anger.

Wang Hao continued:

“But I can give it to you in advance.”

The gates on all nine levels of the black tower lit up with faint arcs of lightning.

“On one condition.”

“You must store something…”

“for the people of Great Xia.”

The black tower shook warily.

Wang Hao pointed at the transparent heart.

“Xuanming’s Heart Venom.”

The Thunder Abyss Demon-Suppressing Tower turned around and left.

It was a tower that imprisoned thunder as weapons.

It was not a collector of junk.

Nor was it some kind of medicine jar!

Wang Hao said calmly:

“Within this Heart Venom…”

“there is thirty-five percent of Xuanming’s origin power.”

The black tower stopped.

It slowly turned around.

The top of the tower tilted to one side,

as if judging whether Wang Hao was lying to it.

Wang Hao’s expression did not change.

“Thirty-five percent.”

“Not a bit less.”

“As long as you can refine it into thunder…”

“it’s all yours.”

The Thunder Abyss Demon-Suppressing Tower fell into deep thought.

It truly could only imprison thunder.

However, the Heart Venom contained a vast amount of Burial Realm Immortal Thunder.

Moreover,

it had just absorbed some of Xuanming’s power.

The thunder soldiers within the tower had already adapted to part of the sinister immortal contamination.

In theory,

it was worth a try.

The black tower sent out a single thought.

Forty percent.

Wang Hao shook his head.

“Thirty-five percent.”

The black tower turned around.

“Thirty-six percent.”

The black tower continued walking.

“Thirty-seven percent.”

Its speed slowed.

Wang Hao sneered.

“Thirty-five percent.”

“Take it or leave it.”

The black tower abruptly turned around.

The gates on all nine levels opened at once!

The corners of Wang Hao’s mouth lifted slightly.

Trying to haggle with Me?

You’re still too young.

Xuanming’s remnant consciousness, however, let out a sharp laugh.

“A heavily damaged anomalous artifact…”

“Trying to contain a billion portions of Heart Poison as well?”

“The instant it opens the tower gates—”

“This Immortal will contaminate it!”

“When that happens—”

“all of Daxia will die beneath this tower!”

Wang Hao looked at the New Emperor Sword.

“Time for you to get to work.”

The silver-haired youth pointed at himself.

“Me?”

“You devour Xuanming.”

“The tower devours the Heart Poison.”

“You stay nearby—”

“and devour the Xuanming that emerges from the tower.”

The silver-haired youth understood.

The Thunder Abyss Demon-Suppressing Tower was the furnace.

The New Emperor Sword was responsible for clearing out the dregs.

What was Wang Hao responsible for?

The silver-haired youth thought about it.

But he didn’t dare ask.

Usually, in situations like this—

the master was responsible for splitting the profits.

Wang Hao connected his Imperial Soul to the Imperial Dao River.

The silver-black vessels within the bodies of hundreds of millions of living beings—

were simultaneously enveloped by golden faith-force.

He could not remove all the Heart Poison through his own power.

But he could borrow the Imperial Dao—

and connect nearly a billion people into a single, complete body.

“The mountains and rivers of Daxia shall be the body.”

“The faith-force of the people shall be the blood.”

“The Imperial Dao River shall be the meridians.”

For the first time—

the power of the first level of Transcendence within Wang Hao—

erupted without restraint.

The so-called Transcendence—

was not merely a realm that stood above the Martial God realm.

It also meant being able to temporarily transcend the restraints of the rules.

Wang Hao could not simply ignore the Heart Poison within a billion people.

Then he would rewrite the location of the Heart Poison!

“All Contracts, One Source!”

“Shift!”

Boom!

The Imperial Dao River raised monstrous waves.

Throughout the nine provinces—

from the chests of every poisoned person—

a silver-black thread flew out at the same time.

One.

A hundred.

Ten thousand.

Hundreds of millions!

Countless silver-black threads—

rose from above the cities,

rose from among the mountains and rivers,

and finally converged in the sky above Daxia.

It was like a colossal web covering the nine provinces.

With every thread he pulled out—

another crack appeared on Wang Hao’s body.

He had no arms,

so the wounds appeared across his chest,

across his legs,

across his face,

and across his Imperial Soul.

Nearly a billion portions of Heart Poison—

even the backlash from merely transferring them—

was enough to make a peak ninth-realm powerhouse—

instantly vanish into ashes.

Wang Hao’s body continued to split apart.

Imperial blood fell like rain—

scattering across the Heart Realm.

The silver-haired youth’s expression changed.

“Master!”

Wang Hao’s voice remained calm.

“Keep an eye on the tower.”

“If even a wisp of Xuanming escapes—”

“I’ll deduct ten percent from your compensation.”

The silver-haired youth immediately turned around—

and fixed his gaze on the Thunder Abyss Demon-Suppressing Tower.

He certainly cared about his master’s safety.

But the compensation could not be deducted.

On the tenth breath—

the first level of the Thunder Abyss Demon-Suppressing Tower—

was filled with Heart Poison.

The silver-black mist—

condensed into one strange heart after another inside the tower.

Countless first-level thunder serpents pounced forward—

tearing the strange hearts apart with lightning.

Then—

they swallowed the fragments into their bellies.

The bodies of the thunder serpents exploded.

After re-forming—

an additional silver marking appeared on their scales.

On the twentieth breath—

the second level opened.

The thunder soldiers on the second level—

began suppressing even more Heart Poison.

On the thirtieth breath—

the third level.

Then the fourth.

One tower gate after another—

swallowed the Heart Poison in succession.

Xuanming's remnant consciousness awakened within each level—

only to be torn apart again and again by the thunder soldiers.

Whenever some of the remnant consciousness attempted to escape through the tower gates—

the silver-haired youth would slash down with his sword.

Then he would open his mouth and devour it.

The New Emperor Sword’s ranking—

slowly rose.

Seventy-ninth.

Seventy-eighth.

Seventy-seventh.

The more the silver-haired youth ate—

the more excited he became.

But the Thunder Abyss Demon-Suppressing Tower grew increasingly furious.

Because it had discovered—

that the Xuanming's remnant consciousness devoured by the silver-haired youth—

seemed to count toward its thirty-five percent share as well.

The black tower suddenly shook.

A questioning intent surged toward the silver-haired youth.

“What do you mean, yours?”

The silver-haired youth tightened his grip on his sword.

“Once it leaves the tower gate, it becomes ownerless.”

Lightning erupted from the black tower.

The silver-haired youth looked up at Wang Hao.

“Master!”

“It’s trying to welch on the debt!”

Wang Hao was enduring the backlash of countless heart poisons.

His expression remained blank.

“Both of you, shut up.”

“For every wisp of heart poison, one eighth-realm material as payment.”

The silver-haired youth fell silent.

The Thunder Abyss Demon-Suppressing Tower fell silent as well.

Both sides resumed their work.

At the sixtieth breath,

Wang Hao’s Imperial Bones in both legs shattered.

At last, his body could no longer remain standing.

He dropped to one knee in the starry void.

Yet his head remained raised.

The silver-black blood vessels across the chests of the people in every province

had already faded by more than half.

One person after another who had collapsed

opened their eyes again.

Zhao Ergou coughed up a mouthful of black blood.

The unfamiliar heartbeat within his body

finally vanished.

He looked up at the heavens.

There, he saw Wang Hao kneeling amid Xuanming corpse ash,

with scarcely a patch of intact flesh left anywhere on his body.