Translator: Deathblade
Editor: Chesire Phoenix
Hailanâs cultivation base was very mysterious. The whip in her hand seemed like a spirit snake, and at the same time was a convergence of faith so powerful that Yang Qi didn't dare allow it to hit him. If he got infected by that faith power, he would be able to extrude it, but it would put him in a bad position that Proud Heaven would surely take advantage of to launch a fatal blow.
And there were definitely other almighty entities who were waiting to step in, and would be more than happy to have a share in splitting up Yang Qiâs corpse.
Swish!
Yang Qi didn't hesitate to dodge to the side, then struck out with his sword. Of course, that sword contained the will, energy, light, and divinity of the Lord of the Sword Dao.
A sword nimbus flared to life, slashing right toward Hailanâs neck.
It was a strike with such speed and magnificence that it actually surpassed anything the Lord of the Sword Dao had been capable of.
Shocked, Hailan shrank down into a point of blue light that sped away in the opposite direction.
However, she was slow enough that he managed to slash off a strand of hair, which he reached out and grabbed, then scanned to assess her life force and substructure.
âThis woman is very strange,â he thought, surprised. Within her genes, he found something like a spiraling river of stars, and other bizarre things unlike anything he had ever seen before. It was almost as if she were connected in communication to the dao of heaven.
The genes seemed similar to those of the King of Godmammoths. âDonât tell me theyâre the genes of the High Priestess!â
If they were, he knew he had to be particularly careful.
âDie!â Heaven-Reaching Dugu, Heaven-Immolating Dugu, and Heaven-Sacrificing Dugu combined their power and unleashed a strike from the Invincible God-Fist.
The Dugu Clan hated Yang Qi with a passion. After all, he had stolen roughly a third of their top experts when Generalissimo Dugu Sheji defected. And that had left the clan leaderless and badly weakened.
âComplete crap!â Yang Qi said, chopping his hand out to destroy the fist strike. Then he slashed out with his sword again, sending sword energy rumbling toward the three Dugu patriarchs, who were forced to leap away in terror.
âCentral Tempest!â
The grand generalissimo, prime minister, and imperial preceptor from the Central Dynasty had also joined forces, sending godpower out that formed a spectacular tempest and slammed into the sword energy of the Unbounded Sword River.
RUMBLE!
The three experts staggered backward, while Yang Qi simply remained in place, unfazed.
âIf this is all the eight of you can do, I'd say the time has come to wipe you out, one by one!â He spun into motion, first sending a fist toward Yang Voidprime that sent him flying. Then he slashed his sword at Hailan, removing another strand of hair. Another sword move devastated the three Dugu patriarchs, and caused blood to flow from the three leaders from the Central Dynasty.
It was with ease that he shoved all eight opponents into very bad positions.
âSo incredible!â
Everyone in the Sage Monarch Empire watched with awe. Then, the sage monarch magistrates took advantage of the scene and began chanting, âSage Monarch Empire, Triumphant in Every Battle! Victorious in Every Fight! Unifiers of the God World!â
As their voices joined together, their wild shouts caused the destiny of the empire to surge. As a result, the Everlasting Aegis slowly started expanding into something even more colossally large.
âThis is bad!â Proud Heaven said. âHe used only three moves to gain the upper hand against eight people, and that's got his side even more stirred up. If he defeats those eight, or kills one of them, it's going to cause a dangerous decline in destiny!â
Transformations to morale and destiny could have a major effect on a battle. It was the case in the impure lands, so it would obviously apply just as well in the god world, or even more so, considering how destiny functioned.
âImpossible!â Proud Heaven thought. âHow could Yang Qi have gotten this strong? I had no idea the treasure troves in the Halls of Heaven were this incredible.â
âSurprised, Proud Heaven?â Yang Qi said. âYouâre probably wondering how I got this strong. It's simple. I pulled a fast one on Proud Central. I got the last piece of the MahÄtmÄ Jade, giving me the full, combined version. King Immortal-Slayer is going to break free soon, and the Lord of Righteous Justice is waking up. Once you lose your ability to negate the rancorous energy of your dynasty, you're finished!
âOf course, now would be the perfect time to seize control, Proud Heaven. Proud Central has no idea whatâs going on, so if you just go back and attack him when he's not expecting it, you could devour him and get your cultivation base to the same level as mine. We donât have any true grudge between the two of us. Why donât we split the god world between us? If we join forces, we could take the Invincible Dynasty and the Chiliocosm Dynasty for our own. What do you say?â
His words caused anxiety to well up in the hearts of numerous individuals.
âDonât try playing mind games on me, Yang Qi,â Proud Heaven said with a sinister chuckle. âOur three dynasties signed a formal agreement, bound with a blood oath. We have no choice but to work together. Besides, do you really think your jabbering would have any effect on me? Kill him! Then kill him again! Get out here, Star Swordlife!â
Whizz!
Dazzling light flashed in everyoneâs eyes as a sword shot out from the depths of the Central Dynasty, accompanied by a surging energy of life force. This was the very same person from the impure lands who had invented a dao of the sword based on life force, then clashed with Yang Qi on numerous occasions. Star Swordlife!
After Proud Heaven took him to the god world, Yang Qi had never seen him again, or even sensed his energy. Therefore, it was something of a surprise to see him here.
His energy was different now. Apparently, he had acquired the legacy of some top expert, or perhaps found a source of immense life force in the god world. Even more interesting, his cultivation base and dao of the sword surpassed those of the old Lord of the Sword Dao. Furthermore, he had obviously gained far more enlightenment into the mysteries of life force.
With Star Swordlife added to the mix, there were now nine enemies facing Yang Qi.
âI canât believe it's you, Star Swordlife,â Yang Qi said. âYou just wonât go away, will you? I let you live, down in the impure lands, yet you dare to show your face here and now. Do you really think you can't die?â
âI don't kill people,â Star Swordlife replied. âAnd because of that, karma ensures that I canât die. Havenât you come to understand that yet, Yang Qi? Whether in the immortal worlds or the god world, it doesnât matter how many times you try to kill me, you wonât succeed. Those who kill often end up getting killed. Itâs an eternal truth. Because you're a killer, you have a killing will, and that ensures that eventually youâll be killed. As for me, I donât kill; therefore, Iâll exist for all eternity. If you donât gain enlightenment on this, youâll never transcend.â
Star Swordlife was the same old person spouting the same old words.
His facial features were the same, which went to indicate that he hadnât changed in any way. Apparently, no one could change his mind about anything. However, Yang Qi didnât care. And even if Star Swordlife were stronger than he was, he still couldnât match up to Yang Qi.
Yang Qi had reached a point in which destiny mattered more than personal strength. And because of that, Star Swordlife was like little more than one of the crowd ganging up on him.
However, he was curious how Star Swordlife had grown so much stronger so quickly. It wasnât Proud Heavenâs doing. And most likely, it wasnât Proud Centralâs doing, either. Had Star Swordlife come across some sort of good fortune?
âLook at my empire, Star Swordlife. And look at my destiny. This is the true dao of life. Rulership. You've walked down a wretched path and become a wretch-god. You donât even know yourself anymore. My empire is upright and just, and you have nothing that can even compare to it. Even if you were stronger, as strong as the Sovereign Lord for instance, you would still perish. After grasping at the true dao, you went down the wretched path. How tragic. I guess I have no other choice than to bury you.â
He didnât have to fear Star Swordlife any more than the commander of an army needed to fear a random bandit.
Looking very grim, Yang Voidprime said, âImpressive, Yang Qi. Very impressive. So it turns out you got the God Legion Seal and the MahÄtmÄ Jade. You combined the legacies of the Sovereign Lord and the True Devil. Thatâs how youâve reached this level. If we don't kill you, then you're going to turn into another Sovereign Lord. And we can't have that.â
Their earlier clash had confirmed to him that he wasn't strong enough to beat Yang Qi on his own.
âYou have a lot of treasures, Yang Qi,â Hailan said. âSadly, you donât know how to keep a low profile. You established an empire that all heroes under heaven want. And the essence of the god world wonât let you succeed. You are a threat to the very nature of the god world!â
1. The last time we saw Star Swordlife âon screenâ was in. It never really said what happened to him after the fight between Yang Qi and Proud Heaven. Now we know.