Wang Xiaobai

Wang Hao said calmly,

“I didn’t mobilize anything.”

“This is my own power.”

The Black-Armored Heavenly Immortal stared fixedly at him.

“What about the wish power within you?”

“It’s gone.”

“The imperial destiny fortune?”

“I don’t need it anymore.”

“Then what are you relying on?”

Wang Hao slowly curled his five fingers into a fist.

“Because I’m willing.”

Crack!

The Exorcist Bureau token on the Black-Armored Heavenly Immortal’s chest split apart.

An ancient will awakened from within the token.

“Stop!”

“I am of the Exorcist Bureau—”

Wang Hao’s ninth palm descended.

“Heaven Imprisonment.”

“Earth Overturning.”

The golden palm imprint thunderously closed together.

Above the Fallen Immortal Market, it was as though two worlds had appeared.

One pressed downward.

The other flipped upward.

The Black-Armored Heavenly Immortal and the hundred thousand Soul-Capturing Army were caught between the two worlds.

Their immortal bodies, souls, and tokens all shattered into countless fragments.

The Immaculate Sacred Flame fell soon afterward.

It burned away every trace of corruption.

The heavens and earth returned to clarity.

The silver-haired youth crawled out from the sea of corpses.

He let out a satisfied burp.

The aura around him had stabilized at the peak of the eighth martial realm.

“Master.”

“I ate too much.”

Wang Hao looked at him.

“If you’re full, then fight.”

“Huh?”

“There are still people ahead.”

The silver-haired youth raised his head.

Beyond the Fallen Immortal Market, dozens of figures were walking through the air.

Some wore white robes and held immortal seals.

Some were clad in golden armor, with immortal swords strapped across their backs.

There was even an old woman dragging nine blood-red chains behind her.

Every one of them possessed the aura of a Heavenly Immortal.

At the very front stood a handsome white-robed immortal. His eyes, however, had been replaced by two immortal characters.

“Exorcist Bureau operation failed.”

“Target threat level reassessed.”

“Wang Hao.”

“Earth Immortal level.”

“Today, you must be taken back.”

Wang Hao glanced up.

“So many people from the Exorcist Bureau?”

Gu Changfeng said,

“They aren’t from the Exorcist Bureau.”

“They’re from the Ascension Bureau.”

The white-robed immortal smiled faintly.

“I am Bai Wuchen, Discipline Commissioner of the Ascension Bureau.”

“Wang Hao, you have severed the Imperial Mandate.”

“You voluntarily abandoned ten billion units of wish power.”

“If you kneel now and hand over three complete Dao fruits…”

“This one can report to the Immortal Court and have your past crimes pardoned.”

Wang Hao asked,

“The Immortal Court still exists?”

Bai Wuchen replied,

“Of course it does.”

“Even though the Immortal Emperor has fallen, the Immortal Court continues to operate.”

“Since the Immortal Emperor is dead, why do you still obey the Immortal Court?”

The smile on Bai Wuchen’s face remained unchanged.

“Because the Immortal Court represents order in the immortal realm.”

“Order cannot disappear.”

Wang Hao looked around the Fallen Immortal Market.

There were white-bone walls.

Rotting eyeballs.

Loose immortals devouring one another.

And the hundred thousand battle corpses that had already been reduced to ashes.

“You call this order?”

Bai Wuchen said,

“Order was never meant to make everyone live comfortably.”

“It exists to ensure that those who deserve to die die according to the rules.”

Wang Hao nodded.

“That makes sense.”

Bai Wuchen’s smile deepened.

“It seems you’re willing to accept judgment.”

“I merely think…”

Wang Hao gripped the New Son of Heaven Sword.

“Your nonsense sounds almost identical to that of the Immortal Emissary.”

Bai Wuchen’s expression darkened slightly.

“Attack.”

Dozens of Heavenly Immortals attacked at the same time.

Immortal light blotted out the sky.

One immortal domain after another unfolded.

Space was sealed layer by layer.

The Loose Immortals in the Fallen Immortal Market fled in terror.

But in the next moment, a black figure stepped out from behind Wang Hao.

He wore black robes.

His face was identical to Wang Hao’s.

Only his eyes were pitch-black, and a sinister smile curled across his lips.

The spirit of the New Son of Heaven Sword.

The silver-haired youth’s expression changed drastically when he saw him.

“Who are you?”

The Black-Robed Wang Hao glanced at him.

“Another version of me inside the sword.”

“Why didn’t I know about you?”

“Because you’re stupid.”

The silver-haired youth flew into a rage.

“Master, he insulted me!”

Wang Hao said,

“He’s right.”

The Black-Robed Wang Hao raised a hand.

A pitch-black sword condensed out of the void.

The blade held no Immaculate Sacred Flame.

Instead, it was wrapped in endless dark emotions.

Greed.

Killing intent.

Scheming.

Jealousy.

Indifference.

They were all the dark sides Wang Hao had kept buried in his heart throughout his journey to this point.

The spirit of the New Son of Heaven Sword had been born after devouring those dark sides.

At this moment, it revealed its true form for the first time.

The Black-Robed Wang Hao took one step forward.

His sword slashed toward the immortal domains filling the sky.

The First Sword of the Nine Swords of Creation!

The sword light was not grand.

It even appeared somewhat plain.

Yet the instant the immortal domains touched the sword light, every one of them split down the middle.

Bai Wuchen’s expression changed drastically.

“The Nine Swords of Creation?”

The Second Sword!

A Heavenly Immortal’s body was cleaved in two.

The Third Sword!

Three immortal domains collapsed at the same time.

The Fourth Sword!

Four officials of the Ascension Bureau were nailed to death in the void.

The Fifth Sword!

Bai Wuchen’s right arm flew through the air.

The Sixth Sword!

The immortal seal on his chest shattered.

The Seventh Sword!

Fear finally appeared in Bai Wuchen’s eyes.

“You’re not Wang Hao!”

The Black-Robed Wang Hao smiled.

“You’re right.”

“I’m not him.”

“I’m the part of him he refuses to acknowledge.”

The Eighth Sword!

Bai Wuchen’s immortal body completely disintegrated.

A pure-white Dao fruit flew out from the remains of his flesh.

Immortal law chains wound around the Dao fruit.

Wang Hao raised his hand and seized it.

The Immortal Realm Guide Stele displayed a message.

[Dao fruit of Bai Wuchen, Discipline Commissioner of the Ascension Bureau.]

[Degree of corruption: eighty percent.]

[Residual consciousness within: one wisp.]

[Recommendation: Do not consume for now.]

The silver-haired youth immediately said,

“Master, you can’t eat that.”

“I can see that.”

Bai Wuchen’s fragmented soul continued struggling inside the Dao fruit.

“You can’t kill me.”

“I am the Discipline Commissioner of the Ascension Bureau.”

“If you kill me, the various offices of the immortal realm will never let you go!”

Wang Hao put the Dao fruit away.

“Perfect.”

“I was beginning to think they were taking too long to arrive.”

Bai Wuchen’s voice turned shrill.

“You’ll regret this!”

The Black-Robed Wang Hao raised his sword.

“You regret it first.”

The Ninth Sword!

Creation-Splitting!

The sword light swept across.

Bai Wuchen’s final wisp of consciousness turned to ash.

The remaining officials of the Ascension Bureau were also subdued by the combined efforts of the immortals.

The Fallen Immortal Market was left in complete ruin.

Wang Hao stood in the center of the wreckage.

After severing the Imperial Mandate, this was the first time he had killed a Heavenly Immortal with his own power in the truest sense.

Although he had been aided by the Thunder Abyss Demon-Subduing Pagoda and the spirit of the New Son of Heaven Sword, he had not borrowed a trace of Great Xia’s wish power.

Nor had he used any imperial fortune.

There had been no boost from the Imperial Dao.

This battle proved one thing.

Even if Wang Hao no longer remained emperor, he could still kill a Heavenly Immortal.

The only problem was that after the battle, nearly all the immortal power in his body had been exhausted.

His protective wish power had not re-formed.

And using divine martial techniques in succession had caused cracks to appear throughout his imperial soul.

The Longevity Earth Immortal walked over.

“Your Majesty… no.”

“Daoist Wang.”

Those three words sounded extremely awkward coming from him.

Wang Hao looked at him.

“What were you about to call me?”

“Daoist Wang.”

“Say it again.”

The Longevity Earth Immortal took a deep breath.

“Daoist Wang.”

“That was better.”

Taixuan Heavenly Immortal withdrew the Northern Abyss Immortal Domain.

“You truly intend to start over as a Loose Immortal?”

Wang Hao nodded.

“I’m going to cultivate a new technique.”

He unfolded the Loose Immortal fragment he had obtained through the sign-in reward.

The fragment contained only three pages.

The first page read:

[A Loose Immortal has no root.]

The second page read:

[One without roots is bound by neither the Mandate of Heaven, the Immortal Court, nor karma.]

The third page read:

[To become a Loose Immortal, first sever your former self.]

Wang Hao stared at the third page and suddenly understood.

The Severing Mandate Platform had cut away only his external Imperial Mandate.

The true old self was not the identity of an emperor.

It was the self who had grown accustomed to using the will of all living beings to solve every problem.

He had to reclaim all that power for himself.

Starting from his weakest point.

He would cultivate anew, layer by layer.

Until one day,

even without a single person kneeling before him,

he could make the entire Immortal Realm bow its head.

Wang Hao put away the Loose Immortal remnant scroll.

“From now on, I’m called Wang Xiaobai.”

Taixuan Heavenly Immortal fell silent.

Withered-and-Blooming Heavenly Immortal fell silent.

Su Hongxiu fell silent.

Gu Changfeng fell silent.

Mo Xuan fell silent.

The silver-haired youth spoke cautiously:

“Master, are you really going to use that name?”

Wang Hao looked at him.

“Is there a problem?”

“No.”

“Then why are you crying?”

The silver-haired youth wiped at the corner of his eye.

“I just think your name carries profound meaning.”

“What meaning?”

“It sounds like the name of an ordinary person who could be dragged away for registration at any moment.”

Wang Hao raised his hand.

With one palm, he sent the youth back into the New Son of Heaven Sword.

“From now on, anyone who calls me Wang Hao—”

“will be punished by being sent to the Immortal City of Reception to turn himself in.”

The immortals’ expressions grew solemn.

No one spoke again.

Outside the Fallen Immortal Market,

countless bells suddenly rang through the void.

A blood-red wanted poster, even larger than the previous one, stretched across the entire Unclaimed Immortal Domain.

[The Immortal Realm’s Highest-Level Wanted Notice.]

[Target: Wang Hao.]

[Current Alias: Wang Xiaobai.]

[ cultivation: First Layer of the Earth Immortal Realm.]

[Threat Level: Immortal Emperor.]

[The Imperial Mandate has been severed. Suspected to possess a forbidden art capable of opening the heavens.]

[Suspected to possess the Thunder Abyss Demon-Suppressing Pagoda.]

[Suspected to possess a Strange Artifact capable of taking human form.]

[Reward: Five complete Dao Fruits, the coordinates of an Immortal Emperor’s legacy, and the position of Deputy Commissioner of the Ascension Bureau.]

Wang Xiaobai looked up at the wanted notice.

“How do they even know my new name?”

Gu Changfeng replied:

“The various bureaus of the Immortal Realm possess many methods of tracking people.”

“Names are merely surface details.”

“What they are truly tracking are your memories, aura, and traces left behind by your battles.”

Wang Xiaobai nodded.

“Then I’ll change my name again.”

Su Hongxiu asked:

“To what?”

Wang Xiaobai gazed into the distance.

At the far end of that shattered continent,

an extremely faint immortal light flickered.

Within that light, the indistinct outline of an ancient Dao Platform could be seen.

The Sign-In System appeared at the same time.

[Special location detected: Nameless Dao Platform.]

[Proceed to sign in?]

Wang Xiaobai put away the New Son of Heaven Sword.

“Names aren’t important.”

“What matters is—”

“where we begin.”

He walked toward the Nameless Dao Platform.

There was no imperial robe.

No crown.

No court officials.

No ten billion strands of the people’s will.

Only a sword.

A pagoda.

And a group of lunatics wanted by the entire Immortal Realm.

In the distance,

more and more beams of immortal light began to flare.

One rotten immortal vessel after another passed through the void.

Countless immortal-hunting banners snapped violently in the wind.

The pursuers from the Strange Suppression Bureau, the Ascension Bureau, and the Reception Bureau had already locked onto the Fallen Immortal Market.

Yet Wang Xiaobai did not look back.

He stepped onto the Nameless Dao Platform.

There was only one line of broken ancient writing upon it.

[The First Step of a Loose Immortal: Self-Severance.]

Wang Xiaobai stood before the ancient characters.

The immortal power within his body began to contract bit by bit.

The radiance of the Earth Immortal Dao Fruit also slowly dimmed.

He was going to start over.

Not by reducing his cultivation realm to zero,

but by stripping away every power he had once relied upon from external sources.

The Imperial Dao was gone.

The people’s will was gone.

The Imperial Mandate was gone.

Next came the refinement of the body anew.

Tempering the skin.

Tempering the muscles.

Tempering the bones.

Tempering the organs.

Opening the acupoints.

Comprehending True Intent.

Condensing Astral Qi.

Taking flight.

Martial God.

Transcendence.

And finally, the Earth Immortal Realm.

Starting from the very beginning.

One step at a time.

Wang Xiaobai closed his eyes.

“Sign in.”

[Sign-in successful.]

[Reward: The First Chapter of Loose Immortal Cultivation.]

[Intelligence acquired: An ancient Immortal King is buried beneath the Nameless Dao Platform.]

[Intelligence acquired: The Immortal King’s corpse is awakening.]

[Intelligence acquired: It has already noticed you.]

The ground began to tremble.

Beneath the Nameless Dao Platform,

a deep laugh pierced through the endless earth.

“An immortal without an Imperial Mandate.”

“An Earth Immortal without the people’s will.”

“What will you use to contend with this king?”

Wang Xiaobai opened his eyes.

He did not use the Heaven-Imprisoning Earth-Covering Palm.

He did not open the Thunder Abyss Demon-Suppressing Pagoda.

Nor did he call upon the spirit of the New Son of Heaven Sword.

He merely rolled his wrist.

“I… am called Wang Xiaobai now.”

“As for what I’ll use to contend with you…”

Wang Xiaobai took one step and shattered the Dao Platform.

Behind him, a black-robed sword spirit slowly emerged.

The Thunder Abyss Demon-Suppressing Pagoda hovered above his head.

The Immaculate Kindling illuminated the void.

“I’ll start from the Skin-Tempering Realm.”

“And fight my way back up from there.”

“If you can survive until then—”

“I’ll show you”

“how a Loose Immortal kills an Immortal King.”