The final strike unleashed by the Swordsaint was indeed powerful, but he was already running on fumes. Even at full might, his power was limited.

By deploying his full arsenal, Su Han managed to significantly weaken the attack using the Eight Extremes Star Array and two Holy Artifacts for defense. In the end, he barely managed to withstand it, relying on his strongest defenses and his Unrivaled Physical Body.

Of course, if it weren’t for the Secret of Healer, Su Han would have ended up on the ground just like the Swordsaint, barely clinging to life and unable to continue the fight. Although his Demonized State was disrupted, the Secret of Healer allowed his injuries to recover, and he ultimately achieved victory in this battle.

The Swordsaint was dead. His head was severed and his sea of consciousness was shattered, completely eradicating him with no chance of resurrection.

With his great revenge complete, a faint smile appeared on Su Han’s face.

"Collect!"

With a sweep of his hand, Su Han collected the Swordsaint’s corpse into the Bronze Ring.

The commotion in the Heavenly Demon Cult was bound to attract attention. Moreover, the site had turned into ruins, and the Heavenly Demon Cult’s gates were about to be swallowed by the marsh and sink to the bottom. Naturally, Su Han could not remain there.

Dragging his weary body, Su Han left the toxic marsh, chose a direction, and swiftly departed, disappearing from sight.

Shortly after Su Han left, some nearby Martial Artists cautiously came to investigate. They had sensed the tremendous disturbances and guessed that something must have happened to the Heavenly Demon Cult, so they had come to look into it at the first opportunity. The Heavenly Demon Cult had been the overlord of Mozhou for hundreds of years, and its every move affected all the Martial Artists in the region; thus, no one dared to take it lightly.

However, upon reaching the toxic marsh, what they saw was nothing but a wasteland of ruins. The shattered gates of the Heavenly Demon Cult were slowly sinking.

This scene left everyone dumbfounded and aghast.

"The Heavenly Demon Cult has been annihilated? Who could be powerful enough to do this?"

"Where is the Earth Fiend Demon Sovereign? Where are the other Supreme elders? At the very least, there were thousands of Heavenly Demon Cult disciples, so how come not a single one can be seen? Surely the entire cult hasn’t been slaughtered!"

"I’ve been keeping an eye on this place, but I haven’t seen anyone leave. Yet now, there’s no one here. Besides a slaughter, I can’t think of any other explanation!"

The crowd was in turmoil, discussing the matter with shock and horror. The Heavenly Demon Cult had dominated Mozhou for hundreds of years, and everyone had grown accustomed to the presence of this great mountain. But now that this mountain had been toppled, they were panic-stricken, unsure whether this was a good or bad omen.

The Heavenly Demon Cult had been overthrown!

This news spread like lightning, reaching far and wide and shaking countless people. It wasn’t just Mozhou that was shaken; several neighboring Daozhous were equally stunned, especially the Seven Stars Sect.

「Seven Stars Sect」

Ye Chuanfeng was in the sect master’s hall. Everyone in the Seven Stars Sect was now loyal to him, from the elders to the disciples. Although the Seven Stars Sect wasn’t as prosperous as it once was, it had managed to avoid decline. After all, Ye Chuanfeng was a powerhouse in the Supreme Realm Ninth Layer and had rallied several elders to his cause.

"What? The Heavenly Demon Cult has been destroyed? Who did it?" Ye Chuanfeng shot to his feet, his eyes bulging and his mouth agape, his face a mask of astonishment.

The Seven Stars Sect had battled the Heavenly Demon Cult for hundreds of years, and the cult’s last sneak attack had nearly obliterated them. Moreover, with the defection of Qin Wushuang and Leng Rufeng—two Supreme Realm powerhouses—to the Heavenly Demon Cult, its strength had become even greater than before.

But now, the Heavenly Demon Cult had been annihilated. From the Earth Fiend Demon Sovereign down to the ordinary disciples, not a single survivor was left. This was simply unbelievable.

Was it Saint You Heng who took action?

Ye Chuanfeng’s first thought was of Saint You Heng, for he had the strength and the motive. After all, Su Han had a close relationship with the Myriad Treasures Pavilion, and with his exceptional innate talent, his fame was at its peak. If he had offered Saint You Heng some incentive, it was highly possible.

But Ye Chuanfeng quickly shook his head, dismissing his own guess. Impossible. If Su Han had convinced Saint You Heng to act, it would have happened long ago. Why wait until now? Moreover, with the war raging between the Myriad Treasures Pavilion and the Demon Slayer Sect, Saint You Heng wouldn’t have the spare time to deal with the Heavenly Demon Cult.

Ye Chuanfeng furrowed his brows, racking his brain, but he just couldn’t figure out the reason for the Heavenly Demon Cult’s destruction.

"If it wasn’t Saint You Heng, then who could it be? It surely couldn’t be that young bastard Su Han!"

The only one with a deep-seated grudge against the Heavenly Demon Cult seemed to be Su Han, but his power was merely at the Heavenly King Realm. He couldn’t even deal with Qin Wushuang, let alone annihilate the entire Heavenly Demon Cult. This guess, which was closest to the truth, was rejected by Ye Chuanfeng himself.

It wasn’t Saint You Heng, and it couldn’t possibly be Su Han. Ye Chuanfeng thought and thought but couldn’t figure out who the killer could be. But one thing he was certain of: the person must be a Saint.

"Convey my orders! The entire sect will contract its forces. All disciples and elders are prohibited from going out!"

Ye Chuanfeng didn’t know who had destroyed the Heavenly Demon Cult, but he had to be cautious. In these times of strife, he didn’t want the Seven Stars Sect to be annihilated as well.

***

The news of the Heavenly Demon Cult’s annihilation soon reached Cang City in Yun Province, where Saint You Heng was stationed. 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

All Demon Slayer Sect strongholds within the five Daozhous under his control had been eradicated, and he was arranging cleanup operations while focusing on hunting down the Swordsaint. He didn’t know where the Swordsaint had fled, but he was certain the man was still within the five Daozhous under his jurisdiction.

"Sir, who do you think annihilated the Heavenly Demon Cult?" Master Gong Ming relayed the news, equally puzzled about the identity of the culprit. "The Heavenly Demon Cult’s overall strength was considerable. To slaughter all of them like this, I’m afraid it must have been a powerhouse from the Saint Realm."

"If I’m not mistaken, it should be the Swordsaint!" Saint You Heng’s fingers intertwined, a flash of insight in his eyes as he partly deduced the truth.

"The Swordsaint?" Master Gong Ming was surprised, but the more he thought about it, the more plausible it seemed.

The Swordsaint was a powerhouse of the Sage Realm Fifth Layer. Furthermore, he possessed the Great Accomplishment of the Great Sun Sword Body. Even if severely injured, annihilating the Heavenly Demon Cult was well within his capabilities. However, the Swordsaint had no past grudges or recent spats with the Heavenly Demon Cult, so why would he strike at them?

"I received news earlier that the Swordsaint was suspected of hiding within the Heavenly Demon Cult to heal his injuries. I was planning to investigate, but I didn’t expect this to happen."

"Since the Heavenly Demon Cult has been destroyed, the Swordsaint must have left. He will definitely need to find a new hideout. Pass my order: the Branch Pavilions of all five Daozhous must mobilize to search for the whereabouts of the Swordsaint—I must kill him!"

Saint You Heng swiftly issued the command, also not suspecting Su Han in the slightest.

For a time, the five Daozhous were shaken, but amidst this chaos, Su Han was enjoying a rare moment of peace.