His hand pressed on the sword hilt, slowly drawing the blade out. With every inch the sword was unsheathed, the aura on Ming He grew stronger. Each pull birthed an indescribable sword intent that wrapped around his body, a pillar of blood-colored light enveloping him. Every inch unsheathed made the blood sword light sharper, more terrifying—ripping through the void, stirring endless wind and clouds.
Seventh Tribulation Sword Intent!
Eighth Tribulation Sword Intent!
Ninth Tribulation Sword Intent!!
The sword intent climbed frantically.
It was Heaven-Slaying Sword Intent, the Dao of Slaughter embodied.
This sword intent had been nurtured for a hundred years. Once unleashed, its power was utterly dreadful. In that instant, the Blood Heaven Dao Venerable clearly felt a fatal threat emanating from Ming He. That sensation sent chills crawling across his skin, goosebumps erupting all over his body. In the blink of an eye, the aura surged to a level comparable to the terrifying Hunyuan Realm. This sword intent was fearsome to the extreme.
"Blood-Slaughter Stele, suppress and kill him for me!"
The Blood Heaven Dao Venerable barked a sharp command.
At his words, an enormous blood-colored stele materialized from thin air. Its size was no less than tens of thousands of zhang. On its surface floated countless crimson characters for Slaughter, each exuding the aura of corpse mountains and seas of blood.
Endless death and slaughter radiated outward.
The oppressive might spreading from the Blood-Slaughter Stele swept across heaven and earth like a tidal wave. Countless cultivators watching felt their minds flooded with horrifying visions: corpse seas, rivers of blood, boundless massacres. Each scene was a nightmare that could jolt one awake in the middle of the night, violently assaulting their spirit and will.
Just a single glance made it feel as though their bodies were shackled by endless chains, leaving them unable to breathe. Even their souls seemed on the verge of collapsing under the pressure.
The Blood-Slaughter Stele crashed down mercilessly toward the Ancestor of the Nether River. If it struck, there was no doubt—even a Dao Proving Realm expert would be smashed into pieces, exploding into a mist of blood.
"Ming He, I grant you death!"
The Blood Heaven Dao Venerable's voice was as cold as frost.
This strike was meant to kill Ming He before he could fully draw his battle sword. He had to be stopped before reaching peak momentum.
The stele loomed before Ming He—
And just as it was about to crash onto him, his aura reached its pinnacle. He let out a chilling shout:
"Cut!"
The moment the word left his mouth, the Yuan Tu Sword on his back slashed down along a mysterious trajectory. At the same time, the towering sword pillar beside him descended in unison, its momentum like splitting heaven and earth, cleaving apart the firmament.
Where the sword passed, space itself shattered completely. The sword strike met the Blood-Slaughter Stele head-on.
Boom!!!
A deafening explosion resounded.
The enormous blood-colored sword light collided fiercely with the stele. Blood light surged in all directions. Countless anguished wails of myriad beings echoed. Many cultivators nearby were shaken until blood streamed from their seven orifices, feeling as though their very bodies were about to rupture.
The Blood-Slaughter Stele trembled violently. Within a few breaths, it was cleaved and sent flying backward, vanishing in an instant.
The sword light on Yuan Tu consumed only a portion of its power and continued to slash directly at the Blood Heaven Dao Venerable.
This strike—was like the opening of heaven and earth.
Fast!
Indescribably fast!
After splitting the stele, the speed of Yuan Tu's sword light suddenly increased—not by a mere one or twofold, but tenfold—slashing downward.
The Blood Heaven Dao Venerable's face darkened. He could feel his life force locked entirely by this sword. No matter how he tried to evade, it was useless. He could only withstand it head-on. And this strike—its horror could not be imagined unless faced directly.
Though he could not dodge, he reacted instantly. Around him, boundless waves of blood surged back, weaving into countless blood dragons. They entangled and fused, forming an enormous protective barrier.
Blood Dao Divine Power—Myriad Dragons Blood God Barrier!!
This divine ability was unimaginably fearsome. Among all beings, blood was the most vital and enduring, carrying inheritances through endless ages. Many bloodlines contained unique divine powers. The Blood Dao could condense the essence of another's bloodline, drawing forth their innate powers. In this, the Blood Heaven Dao Venerable possessed innate superiority. By fusing the bloodlines of myriad races, he had created this supreme divine ability—the Myriad Dragons Blood God Barrier.
One could see blood dragons rising, each radiating different auras—some metal, some fire, some bearing kobold bloodlines, some minotaur, even blood dragons forged from the essence of Holy Spirits. Each was no weaker than a Dao Proving Realm expert. Together, they wove this barrier.
The entire shield gleamed like blood-colored crystal, with scarlet dragons coiling and swimming upon it. Each dragon was like a mysterious rune, perfectly merging into the barrier. Its aura was flawless, seamless—impenetrable.
In the hands of the Blood Heaven Dao Venerable, this divine ability was pushed to perfection. When it appeared, it was like a world unto itself.
Clang!!
As the barrier formed, the Yuan Tu Sword struck. Countless ferocious dragon roars erupted, shaking the soul itself. Anyone who heard felt visions of corpse mountains and seas of blood. The blood dragons writhed, spinning the entire barrier. Yuan Tu's blade cleaved only a crack before the rotating shield spun violently, channeling a terrifying spiral force that flung the sword away.
Blood-colored divine flames erupted from the barrier, spreading toward Yuan Tu, as if to trace the blade back and engulf the Ancestor of the Nether River in bloodfire.
This was Myriad Dragons Bloodflame. Once touched, it was utterly invasive, seeping directly into one's blood. Its power constantly shifted, exploiting any flaw in one's divine powers. The moment a weakness appeared, the bloodflame would burn, reducing its victim to ash.
Utterly tyrannical.
Runes on the barrier flickered, brightening and dimming as the clash raged.
It was clear—the battle had reached a fever pitch. On Yuan Tu, a mass of karmic fire erupted, colliding violently with the bloodflame.
"Explode!!"
At last, Ming He uttered a command, detonating his sword intent in full.
In an instant, endless blood light engulfed both him and the Blood Heaven Dao Venerable.
Blood light rained down across the Great Yi Realm like falling skyfire.
Many of these beams descended directly toward Great Yi's Immortal Cities—
But before they could land, the Mountains and Rivers Sheji Map manifested, blocking them. Upon contact, they were instantly devoured and vanished, as if what everyone saw had been an illusion.
When the blood light dissipated, the two figures stood revealed in the void. Both appeared battered. Ming He still held Yuan Tu in hand, though his hair was disheveled. The Blood Heaven Dao Venerable, however, looked even worse. A crimson sword mark marred his brow, a drop of fresh blood seeping out. Clearly, he had been wounded by that sword.
"You deserve death. If not for this cursed Great Yi suppressing me, do you think you could ever wound me?"
The Blood Heaven Dao Venerable's expression was black with fury. To be struck by Ming He was a humiliation beyond bearing. His pride was utterly shattered.
"But such sword techniques—how many times can you use them? Just this much is far from enough to kill me."
His gaze shifted to the other sword still sheathed on the Ancestor's back—the Abi Sword. Before it was drawn, it held a lethal threat. But once unsheathed, if it failed to slay in a single strike, its power would never again reach its peak. That was the price of nurturing a sword for a hundred years.
"Nine Heavens without Dao, heavens harbor demons. They are the eternal tumor—To be cut down, to be slaughtered. Kill!!"
Almost simultaneously with the duel, other mighty beings launched their attacks. Witnessing the Blood Heaven Dao Venerable wounded beneath the Nether River Ancestor's sword completely ignited their bloodlust. Slay one Dao Venerable, and one could obtain a strand of Hongmeng Purple Qi. Such an opportunity would never come again.
"Ming He, I'll aid you!"
Zeus roared, his Lightning Spear flashing with arcs of electricity. Thunderbolts danced around him, divine light coursing across his body, his form a near-perfect godly physique. That Lightning Spear was like a bolt of twisted thunder, exuding indescribable dread. For ordinary cultivators, even a touch meant annihilation by lightning, which contained the supreme will of the gods.
It was Zeus's natal divine artifact, imbued with the will of the God-King, blessed by all the gods. It represented the majesty of the King of Gods.
At that moment, he poised to throw, hurling it like a thunderbolt straight at the Blood Heaven Dao Venerable. The Lightning Spear's destructive force was undeniable—one of the highest-tier divine artifacts.
"Kill!!"
Donghuang Taiyi and other mighty ones also unleashed their attacks, merciless and without hesitation. No probing, no holding back—every strike was a killing move. To restrain oneself here was equivalent to seeking death. Everyone knew this truth.
In the void, the great battle immediately escalated to a white-hot frenzy.
All the while, Yi Tianxing stood calmly upon the Heaven-Sacrificing Altar, gazing toward the Bitter Sea, where changes were already beginning.