One Month Later, the Forbidden Power on the Verge of Comprehension

Time passed.

A month later.

The world of humanity underwent tremendous changes.

Demon Creatures and martial artists began appearing in people's daily lives.

The Martial Artists Alliance officially initiated comprehensive talent testing for all martial artists.

Prior to this, countless martial arts facilities had been constructed accordingly.

Among them, the Sword Holding Department had become widely known.

In the heart of Jianghai City,

broadcasts echoed throughout the city.

[Attention all citizens, attention all citizens!!]

[A second-tier Demon Creature—the Giant Rock Golem—is heading toward Jianghai Road!! Evacuate to safety points immediately!]

"A second-tier Demon Creature?!"

"Oh no, isn’t that the powerful Demon Creature mentioned on the Martial Artists’ official website, comparable to a late-stage innate martial artist?!"

"It actually appeared in Jianghai City... This is already the second Demon Creature attack this month!"

"Stop talking and hurry to the safety points!"

Countless martial artists began evacuating civilians to the safety points built by the Alliance.

Just minutes after the evacuation was completed—

"ROAR!!"

A deafening roar shook the sky.

Swish! Swish! Swish!

Figures clad in white darted between skyscrapers.

They stood atop high-rise buildings, observing a colossal figure in the distance.

The creature was massive, standing roughly fifty meters tall.

Its body was composed of hardened rock and minerals, its skin a dull gray-brown, covered in moss and crystalline formations that shimmered faintly under the sunlight.

The Giant Rock Golem had a massive head, with deep-set eye sockets and a wide mouth lined with jagged stone teeth.

One of the white-clad men frowned, his voice grave. "This is bad. This Demon Creature has already reached the peak of the second tier—just one step away from advancing to the third tier, where it would rival a grandmaster-level martial artist."

Another man nodded solemnly. "You’re right. This is already the second Demon Creature attack within the Alliance this month."

"Recently, Demon Creatures have been growing restless and breaking through their limits one after another. What’s happening?"

As soon as he finished speaking—

BOOM!!

Skyscrapers collapsed as the giant creature advanced.

Noticing the white-clad men, the Giant Rock Golem’s eyes turned blood-red.

It raised its arms, and a massive boulder—nearly a hundred meters in diameter—slowly formed in its grasp.

"Scatter! The Golem is about to attack!"

One of the men shouted and swiftly retreated.

The others dispersed as well.

Then, the Golem hurled the boulder—BOOM!!

In an instant, the spot where the white-clad men had stood, along with the skyscraper, was reduced to a deep crater.

Scattered across the area, their expressions darkened. "Damn it... This isn’t something a few post-innate martial artists like us can handle."

The white-clad man pressed his earpiece. "Requesting backup! The Giant Rock Golem in the city center is at the peak of the second tier!"

"What? Peak second tier?"

"Can you hold on a little longer? The situation here isn’t great either."

"Yeah... We’re also dealing with something tricky."

Hearing this, the white-clad man gritted his teeth. He lowered his hand and looked at the others.

"All Sword Holders!" he roared. "Other zones are under attack too. We’re the only ones who can protect this area!"

"Behind us are thousands of civilians—we can’t retreat!"

"Everyone! Charge with me!"

As his voice rang out—

Hum!

A radiant white sword materialized in his hand.

This... was the Blade of Will!

"Yes!"

The others nodded, summoning their own spiritual weapons.

Each weapon, forged from mental energy, took a different form—some were shields, others blades, and a few even resembled modern sniper rifles.

With the command given, the Sword Holders surged forward like tigers descending a mountain, charging straight at the monstrous creature.

BANG! BANG! BANG!!

Provoked, the Golem instantly conjured countless rocks, hurling them at the Sword Holders.

The Sword Holders retaliated with bursts of mental energy.

BOOM!

Their spiritual weapons sliced through the air, leaving dazzling trails of light as they clashed with the Golem’s attacks, creating deafening explosions.

"ROAR!!"

Even indirect contact with their mental energy inflicted real damage on the creature.

But the Sword Holders’ spiritual power was too weak—their strikes only enraged the Golem further.

Suddenly—

The Golem’s eyes burned crimson, and its entire body began glowing with a pulsating red light.

"What’s this?!"

"It’s... evolving?!"

"You’ve got to be kidding me... Advancing mid-battle? Are you the younger sister of our department head or something?!"

"We can’t retreat! If we do, everyone in the city center will die!"

In mere seconds—

The Golem completed its evolution. Its body turned blood-red, and its sheer aura reduced nearby buildings to dust.

"ROAR!!!"

It bellowed at the Sword Holders—then, boulders materialized around them and hurtled toward the group at terrifying speed.

"This is bad—"

The Sword Holders’ eyes widened.

Time seemed to freeze.

If those boulders hit them... they would be annihilated on the spot!

Meanwhile, inside the safety shelters—

Civilians watched the live footage with bated breath.

Clenching their fists, they murmured anxiously, "Are the Sword Holders... going to lose?"

"No! The Sword Holders won’t lose!"

"Right! Hang in there, Sword Holders!"

"You can do it!"

As if hearing their pleas—

The Sword Holders swiftly formed hand seals.

Their mental energies intertwined, weaving together into a massive spiritual web around them.

BOOM!

The boulders struck—

The web shattered.

"Cough!!"

"Ugh—!"

The Sword Holders were sent flying, scattered across the battlefield.

Pale-faced and drained, they could no longer summon their spiritual weapons.

They had survived... but they were out of the fight.

Thud!

BOOM!!

More boulders formed as the Golem lumbered closer.

Death loomed over them.

Despair flickered in their eyes.

Was this... really the end?

Yet—

Just as the Golem prepared to deliver the final blow—

A voice, cold as winter, cut through the air.

"Perish."

The moment the word was spoken—

Swish—!!

A blade of pure mental energy streaked across the sky, piercing straight through the Golem’s core.

Squelch!!!

BOOM!!!

As its core shattered, the Golem froze—then, with a thunderous crash, crumbled into black ash, vanishing from the world.

The entire process took less than a second.

The Sword Holders stared blankly at the dissipating debris.

Exchanging stunned glances, they turned toward the white-clad figure now standing where the Golem had been.

Twelve spiritual blades hovered behind her, her beauty ethereal, her aura icy.

This person was none other than—

"Director Leng!!"

"Director Leng is here!!"

"Director Leng!"

Leng Qingqiu hovered in the air, her gaze calm as she addressed the Sword Holders.

"Reassure the civilians," she commanded, her voice frosty.

As her words faded, whoosh!

Her figure vanished.

The members of the Sword Holding Department collectively felt as if they had narrowly escaped death.

"Damn! That’s Director Leng for you!"

"Leng Qingqiu is the head of our Sword Holding Department. In the past half-month, no Demon Creature has survived a single strike from her!"

"Some say Director Leng might be the strongest below the Grandmaster level!"

"She’s unreal!"

The civilians in the safe zone also erupted in cheers:

"Director Leng truly is humanity’s strongest fighter!"

"Exactly! With her around, why fear the Night King?"

"Director Leng is the hope of all mankind!"

"When I become a martial artist, I’m joining the Sword Holding Department too!"

Meanwhile, in the shadows...

A black raven observed everything.

Its gaze lingered where the white figure had disappeared.

With a low chuckle, it muttered, "Qingqiu has already condensed twelve spirit blades. With talent like that, calling her the greatest in the world wouldn’t be an exaggeration."

No wonder the Night King version of Leng Qingqiu in the original story was so extraordinary.

"Truly worthy of being my sister."

Leng Bingning, cloaked in black, emerged from the darkness.

She glanced at Gu Yan beside her and asked, "How’s your progress?"

"When can we move to the next phase?"

The raven tilted its head and replied, "Soon... I’m on the verge of deciphering the power of the Third Forbidden Zone."

"After that, understanding the other Forbidden Zones will be much easier."

"By the way, what’s the situation with the Phoenix Feather Empire? Any updates?"