Tu Shiba knelt on one knee, suddenly dragging his palm across the edge of his blade.

Fresh blood immediately gushed out, instantly dyeing the remaining half of the long blade, which had only been half-crimson before.

At once, an incomparably thick scent of blood spread in all directions, and a murderous aura soared to the heavens.

It felt as if a bloodthirsty demon was about to be born into the world.

Lin Hao’s expression was extremely grave.

The greatsword in Tu Shiba’s hand was definitely a Spiritual Artifact. Moreover, it was a Tier Two Top Grade Spiritual Artifact that he had refined with special methods, making it infinitely close to Tier Three.

This was precisely why Lin Hao hadn’t been able to shatter the long blade with a single punch.

Although this was the starting area where a Martial Artist’s cultivation was suppressed to the Blood Coagulation Realm and Spiritual Artifacts couldn’t display their full power, it was obvious that Tu Shiba had a Secret Technique that could unleash a sliver of the Spiritual Artifact’s might.

No wonder he was so certain when he declared that he would kill Lin Hao today.

The long blade in Tu Shiba’s hand glowed brightly with red light. Although no blade gleam erupted, the greatsword seemed to double in size out of thin air. It descended from the sky like a heavenly saber.

Heaven and Earth lost their color; only this tyrannical strike remained.

Lin Hao was dauntless, advancing instead of retreating.

Lin Hao charged forward, his arm twisting in an impossible way, coiling like a long dragon as he blasted a strike toward Tu Shiba like lightning.

With that one strike, Lin Hao’s bones and sinews sang in unison, booming like thunder, his presence disdainful of the world.

This was the Heaven-Stepping Sect’s Yellow Level Top Grade martial technique, the Dragon-Form Tyrant Emperor Fist.

With Lin Hao’s cultivation having reached the Extreme Realm of Blood Coagulation, his punch actually produced the faint sound of a dragon’s roar.

This punch was the true and ultimate expression of the fist’s profound meaning.

His arm transformed into a long dragon, its domineering aura peerless.

He was going to meet this tyrannical strike head-on with a single, bare fist.

In the next moment, the two clashed once more.

BOOM!

A terrifying shockwave spread out from between the two. One or two Martial Artists who were too close were caught in it and vaporized into a bloody mist before they could even scream.

Countless others around them were sent flying and wounded.

"Is this still a battle at the Blood Coagulation Realm? It’s terrifying!" exclaimed a pale-faced Martial Artist who had once again escaped disaster.

"This kid is incredible! To clash with a blade using only his physical body and not be at a disadvantage at all!" someone else exclaimed, marveling at Lin Hao’s courage.

"I saw Tu Shiba fight that young prodigy a year ago. He’s only used four moves of his Blood Slaughter Eighteen Blades. The best is yet to come."

Upon hearing this, the crowd retreated in unison once more, lest they be caught in the terrifying aura produced by the clash.

Sure enough, having failed with his first strike, Tu Shiba’s blade technique changed again. The greatsword swelled in size once more, and an even more terrifying aura rose from it. Faintly, the roar of a Devil Beast could be heard.

The roar sounded like a peerless Demon King that had been trapped and was desperately trying to escape.

"A soul-stealing, beast-trapping technique! Tu Shiba actually killed a Demon King and sealed its soul!" an experienced elder exclaimed in shock.

BOOM!

Lin Hao clashed with him head-on again, but this time he was forced back a step by the impact.

’This Tu Shiba really is strong!’ Lin Hao sighed internally, but his fighting spirit only soared higher. He stomped his foot and took the offensive.

RUMBLE!

Then, with the two at the center, tremendous clashing sounds rang out, like metal striking stone, the noise shaking the surrounding wilderness.

No one knew how many times the two had clashed head-on. The crowd could only see that the terrifying aura of the long blade in Tu Shiba’s hand was growing thicker, and at the same time, the phantom of a blood-red vicious beast was gradually solidifying.

"This... this aura is even more terrifying than a real Demon King from the starting area! He actually refined a Demon King’s soul to this extent!" someone said, horrified.

Tu Shiba’s might was terrifying.

"Go!"

At that moment, a single word shot from Tu Shiba’s mouth, his shout like thunder.

The next moment.

ROAR!

A Devil Beast’s roar erupted from the mouth of the Demon King’s soul. It then fully solidified, opened its massive, bloody maw, and charged into a field of crimson light.

Lin Hao’s figure was still submerged in the crimson light.

But the Demon King was too astonishing; in a single gulp, it swallowed all of the crimson light.

The crowd stared intently, but the space ahead was empty. Lin Hao’s figure had vanished.

He had been swallowed by the Demon King’s soul.

This left the crowd stunned.

Tu Shiba wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and stared at the Demon King’s abdomen in the air. "In the starting area of the Divinity Realm, you are the second person to make me, Tu Shiba, use the fifteenth move of the Blood Slaughter Eighteen Blades! Your blood is worthy of feeding my blade. Refine!"

As he spoke, he slashed his blade through the air, stabbing toward the Demon King’s abdomen.

BOOM!

At that exact moment, the Demon King in mid-air suddenly exploded. Countless crimson fragments transformed into streaks of light and shot across the sky.

Lin Hao’s body appeared in mid-air, and in the next moment, he stepped onto the spine of Tu Shiba’s blade.

"I’ve never liked being second. Why don’t you let me see your other three moves?" Lin Hao stood on the blade’s spine, hands clasped behind his back, as steady as a mountain, his clothes whipping in the wind.

Watching this scene, the crowd felt a wave of dizziness.

They knew this kid was strong, but they never imagined he was *this* strong.

"My Devil Beast soul, which I spent years painstakingly refining, was actually blown apart by you! You deserve to die!" Tu Shiba’s eyes were crimson as he glared at Lin Hao, his killing intent palpable.

As he spoke, Tu Shiba abruptly raised the hand holding his blade.

Lin Hao’s body was instantly sent flying.

"Blood Slaughter Eighteen Blades: Borrowing Heaven’s Might!" Tu Shiba declared, the gleam of his long blade soaring toward the heavens.

At a glance, the blade’s gleam seemed to merge with the firmament.

The crowd felt as if they had been plunged into an icy cavern, because they couldn’t muster the slightest will to resist. It seemed this strike truly contained the might of the firmament, capable of suppressing all of eternity.

If this strike were aimed at them, they could only sit and await their deaths.

The might of heaven is irresistible.

Tu Shiba spun and slashed toward Lin Hao in mid-air.

SWISH!

Just because others couldn’t, didn’t mean Lin Hao couldn’t. His body shifted impossibly sideways in mid-air.

The blade slashed through empty air.

BOOM!

The starting area itself seemed on the verge of being split apart by this slash, trembling slightly.

But a soft light glowed, and the strike instantly vanished.

That Lin Hao could actually dodge this strike was far beyond Tu Shiba’s expectations.

But after only a moment’s stun, he plunged his long blade into the ground.

The ground instantly fractured, the cracks spreading outward at an unimaginable speed.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Something terrifying happened. The cracks looked ordinary, but if anyone was standing on them, they would, without a doubt, be instantly vaporized into a bloody mist!

"Blood Slaughter Eighteen Blades: Borrowing Earth’s Terrain!" Tu Shiba announced, as countless fissures surged toward Lin Hao.

Lin Hao retreated swiftly, but the cracks spread just as fast.

In the blink of an eye, Lin Hao had already fled a thousand meters away.

Yet, not only had he failed to escape, but the cracks were getting even closer.

"Hmph!"

Just then, Lin Hao snorted coldly. His body came to an abrupt halt, and then he stomped his foot down.

BOOM!

The stone slabs beneath his feet were completely pulverized, and a terrifying shockwave spread out in all directions.

At the same time, under Lin Hao’s deliberate control, that terrifying shockwave transformed into sharp arrows, shooting toward the greatsword Tu Shiba had plunged into the ground.

CLANG!

Tu Shiba’s greatsword let out a crisp clang as it was knocked out of the ground.

Once again, his blade technique had been broken by Lin Hao.

Tu Shiba stood holding his blade, utterly shocked.

"You are strong." In the end, after saying these three words, Tu Shiba shouldered his greatsword and turned to leave.

Lin Hao’s expression turned cold. "Stop!"

’Earlier, this Tu Shiba saw me as an easy target. He not only wanted my armor, but also my life. Now he thinks he can just walk away? There’s no such thing as a free lunch.’

"You ruined my plans, and I’m already being merciful by not pursuing the matter. What, you want to make me stay? If this wasn’t the Divinity Realm, ten thousand of you wouldn’t be enough for me to cut down!" Tu Shiba turned, lowered the greatsword from his shoulder, and spoke coldly.

Lin Hao noticed that the half-crimson section of the greatsword was gone, likely because he had just dispersed the Demon King’s soul.

"Unfortunately, there are no ’ifs’. Today, I will kill you," Lin Hao’s mocking voice rang out.

Tu Shiba’s expression suddenly stiffened.

He had just declared that he would kill Lin Hao today, only to give up in the end. Lin Hao’s words were undoubtedly a slap in his face.

"Since you’re looking for death, I’ll grant your wish!" Tu Shiba raised his blade abruptly, his killing intent flaring.

The final move of the Blood Slaughter Eighteen Blades was the most mentally draining. Even if he could annihilate Lin Hao in the Divinity Realm, both his mind and his real body would be damaged. That was why Tu Shiba had chosen to swallow his anger and leave. But now, Lin Hao was pushing him too far.

Lin Hao didn’t speak, his expression grave.

’This final strike is surely the essence of the blade technique. I can’t be careless.’

Sure enough, when Tu Shiba unleashed his final move, everyone in the starting area paled.

Tu Shiba’s figure began to fade away, until only an extremely faint silhouette remained. Only the long blade, hanging in the air, was incomparably dazzling.

"Besides the long blade, his spiritual presence is almost invisible! He’s nearly reached the ultimate state of the Way of the Blade: ’Nothing exists beyond the blade’!" someone exclaimed in amazement. Tu Shiba’s mastery of the Way of the Blade was unimaginably high.

"There’s no blade master like this on the Celestial Yang Continent. Could he be from the upper realm?" someone cried out.

"No, the Divinity Realm only reopened in recent years. It’s impossible for someone from the upper realm to be in the starting area at this time," someone else said, shaking their head.

"Then who is he?"

While the crowd was speculating about Tu Shiba’s true identity, he had already struck.

The blade slashed toward Lin Hao. There was no world-shaking gleam, and the move was so simple it was as if a novice was holding the blade.

But once this strike was unleashed, it created a suffocating feeling of impending doom, as if not even heaven and earth could stop it.

This was a feeling the previous two moves lacked.

Lin Hao was also horrified. He found that his body seemed to be imprisoned, completely unable to move.

When Tu Shiba borrowed heaven’s might just now, Lin Hao had also felt a binding force, but it couldn’t imprison him.

Under this strike, Lin Hao found it was utterly unavoidable.

Lin Hao could only circulate his imperial technique to counter this strike.

The Tai Chi Array Map spun madly, Chaos Qi surged to every part of his body, his vital energy began to boil, and even his true self was being expended.

Under the immense pressure, every cell in Lin Hao’s body was releasing energy.

This strike was supreme!

Lin Hao’s expression was incredibly grave. He even worried whether his physical body could withstand this blow.

This was a situation he had never encountered before.

As the blade fell, Lin Hao suddenly clapped his hands together, catching the greatsword between them.

However...

BOOM!

Lin Hao’s body was slammed into the ground, his arms bending under the force.

This strike was too terrifying.

In the end, not even Lin Hao’s hands could stop the blade.

The blade’s edge fell abruptly, striking Lin Hao’s head.

The crowd’s eyes widened.

But Lin Hao’s body was freakishly tough; the blade could not advance another inch.

Meanwhile, Tu Shiba, man and blade, began to fade, eventually disappearing completely.

While the crowd was still stunned, a brilliant light suddenly erupted in the direction of the starting area’s record stele.

This... Could it be that another record had just been set?