“Of course,” said the Malevolent Sword Monarch, “I know better than to underestimate him. Fellow Daoist, so long as you cooperate wholeheartedly, our victory is assured.”

As he spoke, he thought back to the God Domain’s Battle for Order. Numerous Heavenly Sovereigns and Heavenly Sovereign factions had participated, but in the end, all of them suffered unexpected setbacks. Even more unexpectedly, Su Yi managed to survive!

That was why the Malevolent Sword Venerate had included so many backup measures in today’s deathtrap. All of it was “just in case.” He wanted to prevent anything from going wrong, no matter how unlikely it seemed!

“But I can tell you haven’t truly placed your hopes for victory on my shoulders,” said the Sword-Bearer. “Ah, well. I can’t be bothered to try to guess your thoughts. I’ve been sitting here for a long, long time. It’s time I repaid everything I owe you!”

The Malevolent Sword Venerate smiled and was just about to say something when a thunderous boom echoed out. The four supreme killing formations covering the collapsing ritual grounds finally cracked, unable to withstand the pressure any longer.

The Heavenly Monarchs controlling the formations looked stricken, and startled cries arose outside the battlefield. The blood-red power of sin was far too terrifying, like a rampaging flood bursting through a dam and shooting into the sky!

The four killing formations were intended to stop Li Muchen. Who could have imagined that they’d crumble like this?

The Malevolent Sword Venerate furrowed his brow, then said suddenly, “Fellow Daoist, it’s time you intervened.” 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

He took a step forward, then vanished into thin air. He had other business to attend to!

Meanwhile, the Sword-Bearer slowly rose for the first time in a long, long time.

The entire Forgotten Palace rumbled and boomed. Countless snow-white chains of the power of the Laws shot into the Sword-Bearer’s gaunt frame. A rain of chaos light fell from the wall he’d faced for countless years, and a vision of countless circulating stars sloughed off the walls, transformed into starlight, and flowed into the Sword-Bearer’s body.

His whole body was enveloped in an endless rain of dazzling light. His unassuming frame grew taller and grander. Like a long-dormant ruler reawakening!

The Sword-Bearer turned and walked out of the hall. He raised his sword and pointed it outside as if to touch the heavens.

The countless star corpses hovering over the Ancient Nine Luminaries City lit up with dazzling, attention-grabbing light. The blood-red power of sin soaring into the firmament was instantly suppressed. It clashed with the hovering star corpses with a muffled bang.

Everyone was stunned. “What’s going on?”

From the ground, the countless star corpses hovering over the city were like a massive, ancient, and unfathomable formation. Endless starlight fell like rain, enveloping the city completely.

The Divine Contemplation Lotus Platforms, the Demon-Refining Cave, the Gazebo of Buried Swords, and the rest of the city’s fortuitous grounds all emanated the power of the Laws, resonating with the rain of starlight. The whole city, from the ground below to the sky above, was shrouded in endless starlight!

The four killing formations could no longer hold. They shattered and dissipated. However, the endless rain of starlight held the power of sin firmly in place.

This unbelievable scene left countless people wide-eyed and tongue-tied. Some of the onlookers felt a powerful sense of unease. They immediately fled the Nine Luminaries Forbidden Zone, too startled to even spectate.

At least, they tried to. When they activated their Nine Luminaries Medallions, they were horrified to discover that they were no longer effective!

“This is bad! The Ancient Nine Luminaries City has been sealed completely!” someone shouted. “The medallions don’t work anymore!”

Many of the onlookers looked stricken. This development was far too unexpected, and it caught them completely off guard. Only Old Yao Kun Peng, Granny Snake, and the other old monsters’ spirits soared. They knew that the Sword-Bearer had made his move!

According to their plan, the true death trap began after the Sword-Bearer sealed the ancient Nine Luminaries City! It was just a pity that the four supreme killing formations had been destroyed before their target appeared.

Smoke and dust filled the starlit air. A chaotic, uneasy atmosphere descended over the entire Ancient Nine Luminaries City.

By the time the upheaval died down, the ritual grounds had been reduced to a deep crater. A tall, upright figure hovered above the wreckage, far from the crowd. He was extraordinarily eye-catching.

Li Muchen!

The moment he appeared, over one hundred Heavenly Monarchs’ eyes blazed with unconcealed killing intent. Their target had finally appeared!

The distant onlookers stirred, and the sound of discussion rose on all sides.

“The Sin-Severing Dungeon has shattered, but that young man survived! He sure is a tough one!”

“Li Muchen is only in the Unfettered Realm. What on earth did he do to get himself targeted like this?”

“It doesn’t matter. No matter what, he’s finished!"

Mo Lanhe and Fu Lingyun heard every word. Their hearts sank into the pits of their stomach. They’d planned for Fu Lingyun to flee the moment she saw danger, but now, the city had been sealed. There was no path left to safety!

Fu Lingyun wasn’t afraid to die. She was more concerned about how Daoist Brother Li would defend himself under the circumstances! The odds seemed insurmountable. She didn’t see any way out whatsoever.

Li Muchen is an unparalleled sword cultivator, and had he lived, he would surely have dazzled the Eternal Heavens Domain. It’s truly a pity. Lian Yue sighed to herself.

He survived even a cataclysm like that? My Daoist Brother Li sure is cool... Xia Rouyun’s eyes sparkled.

He was surrounded by enemies on all sides, yet he fought alone! Who else beneath the heavens could have warranted his enemies going to such lengths? Even if he died in battle, he’d leave a dazzling mark on the history of the River of Destiny.

Of course, Xia Rouyun would strongly prefer that he didn’t die. After all, she still wanted to pursue him!

Argh! How enormous is the Eternal Heavens Domain? How long is the River of Destiny? Why can’t these factions find room in their hearts for my Big Brother Li? Dong Liujia sighed.

He’d suffered a crushing defeat at Su Yi’s hand, but he was convinced of his loss. It was just that even if you hit him over the head, he couldn’t for the life of him figure out why all of these Heavenly Monarchs were going to such lengths to target an Unfettered Realm sword cultivator.

It wasn’t just Dong Liujia. Most of the onlookers were still baffled. They couldn’t wrap their heads around why these Heavenly Monarchs were doing this.

“It’s only been two weeks, but you’ve already lost your cool?” Su Yi stood in the air, calmly scanning the crowd. “Where is the Malevolent Sword Venerate? If we’re fighting already, why not come out to see me?”

The Malevolent Sword Venerate!

In the Eternal Heavens Domain, few understood the significance of the title, and those who did seldom spoke of it in public. After all, Jiang Wuchen was the founder of the Heart-Tempering Sword House. Publicly discussing his business was a recipe for disaster.

Thus, most people had no idea that the founder of the Heart-Tempering Sword House had long since been displaced by his own heart devil.

No one responded. Not even Old Yao Kun Peng, Granny Snake, and the others knew what the Malevolent Sword Venerate was doing. All they could say with certainty was that he was within city limits!

“Skulking about, huh? You’re as undignified as ever.” Su Yi shook his head slightly.

He’d clashed with the Malevolent Sword Venerate back in the God Domain, and more than once at that. Admittedly, that was just the Malevolent Sword Venerate’s clone, but it was enough for Su Yi to understand that there were no depths to which the Malevolent Sword Venerate would not sink. He’d do whatever it took to win, no matter how ruthless and underhanded! That made him starkly different from Su Yi’s second incarnation, Jiang Wuchen.

Heaven and earth were deathly silent save for the echo of Su Yi’s voice.

Everyone’s expressions shifted. They didn’t understand. He’s only in the Unfettered Realm. How can he remain so calm even in the face of over one hundred Heavenly Monarchs? But look at Li Muchen! It’s like he doesn’t even know the meaning of the word death!

Elder Fu Yong of the Heart-Tempering Sword House burst into laughter, then said to Old Yao Kun Peng and the others, “Our target has arrived. Shall we carry out our plan?”

Old Yao Kun Peng nodded. “That’s right. We’ve got to go all out to destroy this anomaly. Otherwise, there’s a high risk of failure.”

Granny Snake furrowed her brow. “Are you certain that power beyond the Heavenly Monarch level cannot appear in the Ancient Nine Luminaries City?”

Bi Yunzi nodded. “I’m concerned too. The boy himself might not be worthy of concern, but what if something goes wrong?”

The onlookers heard every word, and all of them were startled. They almost dared not believe their ears.

That’s over one hundred Heavenly Monarchs of the Five Great Continents! And all of them are up against a single Unfettered Realm junior, yet they’re still this cautious? To the point that they’re worried that something will go wrong when the fighting begins?

It was truly unexpected.

“Everyone, the Ancient Nine Luminaries City has been sealed, and the Sword-Bearer is overseeing things. Even Heavenly Sovereigns can forget about intervening now!” Fu Yong said with confidence.

Only then did the other old monsters calm down and nod their heads.

Su Yi’s eyebrows rose. His enemies were indeed different from before.

They had an obvious advantage, yet they were still this cautious. He didn’t even need to think to know that they understood his past accomplishments in elaborate detail. It was even entirely possible that they knew about most of his supporters and trump cards. The Malevolent Sword Venerate had likely revealed everything he knew, too!

“Wei Xiu, your chance to prove yourself has arrived,” Old Yao Kun Peng said coldly.

“Understood!” A stick-thin old man in black robes stepped forth. His skin was deathly pale, his eyes were sunken, and his whole body emanated an unsettling, ghostly air.

As he walked, countless vengeful spirits floated around him. There were thousands upon thousands of them, all of them struggling desperately. It was as if his body were a walking purgatory with endless vengeful spirits trapped inside it.

The crowd shifted when he stepped forth.

Wei Xiu!

He was a soul cultivator and a Heavenly Monarch infamous throughout the Five Great Continents for his ruthlessness. He’d once entered an ancient battlefield akin to a forbidden zone to gather the spirits of the fallen, all to refine his treasures. He was a true tough nut to crack.

There were over one hundred Heavenly Monarchs present, yet they’d arranged for Wei Xiu to fight alone. This arrangement was obviously intentional. They were using Wei Xiu to test Li Muchen’s limits!

From this, it was obvious that despite their advantage in numbers and their terrifying lineup, the Heavenly Monarchs were proceeding with the utmost caution!

The onlookers were increasingly curious. Just who is Li Muchen, and what’s so special about him? What could possibly warrant such caution?