At that moment, the Blood Saber Ancestor swallowed hard and said, "King of Heaven, don’t push me too far. If we really fight, I’ll drag you down with me even if I die!"

"Do you have the strength for that?" Ye Fan retorted mockingly.

"Try me and you’ll find out!" the Blood Saber Ancestor said coldly.

"Perfect. I was just itching for a test," Ye Fan replied, suddenly charging forward. The Blood Saber Ancestor hadn’t expected his threat to be so useless against Ye Fan, but in hindsight, it was inevitable. Ye Fan was not only powerful but also incredibly daring. Why would he ever fear a fight?

"Blood-Drinking Mad Saber!"

The Blood Saber Ancestor unsheathed a red, curved blade. Under the moonlight, it gleamed, but this was no holy radiance. It was a light of death, thick with a ghastly aura.

"Be careful, King of Heaven! That’s a weapon of the Sky Sword Sect forged from ten thousand corpses!" Shangguan Jinhong warned urgently.

To touch the Blood-Drinking Mad Saber meant certain death. He had heard legends about this weapon before and thought they were mere folklore. Now, he saw it was no legend at all, but terrifyingly real.

As the Blood-Drinking Mad Saber descended, Ye Fan felt an immense Power of Death. The force was truly fearsome. Just as he was contemplating how to counter it, the Blood Saber Ancestor taunted, "King of Heaven, you forced my hand! Even for you, my Sky Sword Sect’s heirloom treasure is not to be underestimated!"

"Die!"

He began channeling his own life force to empower the Blood-Drinking Mad Saber. Fueled by his life force and bathed in the moonlight, the saber became even more terrifying. At this moment, even the light reflecting off it seemed tinged with a red, hairy mist, and ghostly specters flitted about in the gloom.

Even Ye Fan felt the pressure, but he didn’t panic. In his eyes, the Blood Saber Ancestor definitely had a flaw. At that moment, he launched a sudden attack. The Dragon Claw Hand, the very same move he had used to slay the Blood Ghost, reappeared. He lunged toward the Blood Saber Ancestor, but the old man just sneered, "It’s too late! Die!"

The Blood-Drinking Mad Saber plummeted from the sky above.

Ye Fan declared coldly, "It’s never too late!"

CRACK!

Beneath the silver moon, a streak of blood arced through the air. The Blood Saber Ancestor collapsed in despair, unable to believe that Ye Fan could still kill him in an instant, even while hindered by the immense Power of Death. He fell, full of regret. He had touched the King of Heaven’s reverse scale—a transgression that meant certain death—and was doomed to perish in this calamity.

The Blood-Drinking Mad Saber fell from the sky, and Ye Fan caught it. Once it was in his grip, no longer sustained by the Ancestor’s life force, the cursed blade lost all its luster.

The moment Ye Fan held the blade, all the martial artists of the Sky Sword Sect trembled. They didn’t have a shred of courage left to resist or even feel anger. As for the martial artists of the Shangguan family, they breathed a collective sigh of relief. At least their lives had been spared.

As Ye Fan held the Blood-Drinking Mad Saber, he felt a chilling Power of Death begin to corrode his body. He immediately threw the blade to the ground.

How terrifying! This is an ominous aura. Once contaminated, my body would be ruined, and I would become dependent on this cursed saber. It would slowly consume me... The very idea is horrifying.

At that moment, Shangguan Qiuyue hurried forward to help Shangguan Jinhong to his feet.

"Thank you for saving my life, King of Heaven," Shangguan Jinhong apologized profusely. "I was blind and failed to recognize Mount Taishan. Please forgive me!"

Ye Fan replied, "Don’t thank me. If the Sky Sword Sect hadn’t provoked me, I would never have gotten involved."

As harsh as the words were, Shangguan Jinhong didn’t dare show any anger. His gaze drifted to the Blood-Drinking Mad Saber, his eyes filled with greed.

Ye Fan asked coldly, "You want this cursed thing?"

"I wouldn’t dare, I wouldn’t dare!" Shangguan Jinhong denied hastily. Although he desperately wanted it, what could he do? Ye Fan had spoken, so he wouldn’t dare act rashly or even touch the weapon.

Then, Ye Fan stepped forward. He fearlessly grabbed the Blood-Drinking Mad Saber, ignoring the Power of Death clinging to it. With a forceful shake, the blade instantly shattered, falling to the ground in pieces.

Shangguan Jinhong’s heart ached at the sight, but there was nothing to be done. It seemed the Shangguan family was simply not fated to possess the Blood-Drinking Mad Saber.

Ye Fan then said, "Although the leaders of the Sky Sword Sect have been slain, many of their members have retreated to their mountain stronghold. If they aren’t dealt with, they will continue to cause harm."

"Right. We will annihilate them all!" Shangguan Jinhong said through clenched teeth. They all understood the principle: just as weeds sprout anew in the spring breeze after a wildfire, their enemies would return if not completely eradicated. For this reason, Shangguan Jinhong did not object.

Ye Fan nodded, and the group swiftly headed for the Sky Sword Sect headquarters.

About an hour later, they arrived at the headquarters. The entire sect was in chaos. As Ye Fan’s group charged in, the remaining members scattered and fled in terror. Though their numbers were still large, it meant nothing. In a world where strength was absolute, mere numbers offered no advantage. Without a powerful expert to command them, they stood no chance against the assault led by Ye Fan.

Just as they were about to wipe them all out, the entire mountain stronghold began to tremble violently.

"Not good! Run!" Ye Fan yelled.

It seemed the surviving members of the Sky Sword Sect had triggered a self-destruct mechanism. The entire stronghold was collapsing. The group began to retreat hastily.

"Qiuyue!" Shangguan Jinhong cried out in panic.

Ye Fan spun around and saw Shangguan Qiuyue stranded on an isolated, stable piece of rock, her eyes wide with terror.

"You all get out of here! I’ll save her!" Ye Fan shouted.

Shangguan Jinhong gave a quick, grateful nod, and Ye Fan rushed back toward the collapsing area.

"Stay right there and don’t move! I’m coming to get you!" Ye Fan called out to her.

"Okay!" Shangguan Qiuyue replied meekly, though her whole body was trembling. She had never witnessed such a cataclysmic, earth-shattering event, let alone been caught in the middle of one. She was terrified.

The ground continued to crumble around them. Ye Fan positioned himself a short distance from Shangguan Qiuyue. The earth around her had already given way, leaving her isolated. Ye Fan was now about ten meters away.

When he saw the mountain behind her begin to give way, he leaped forward with all his might and swept her into his arms. In that instant, Shangguan Qiuyue felt an overwhelming sense of security. She never imagined that the great King of Heaven would risk his own life to save her.

Then, Ye Fan began to retreat, holding her tightly as he navigated the treacherous, crumbling landscape. It was a truly heart-pounding gamble.

"Watch out in front!" Shangguan Qiuyue cried out.

Ye Fan glanced ahead and saw the path before them was also collapsing. He had no choice but to use the falling debris as footholds, leaping rapidly from one to the next.

Not good! He looked back and saw their escape route had also been cut off.

He took a final leap, launching them out into a great canyon. Before them was a deep, dark abyss, but at this point, he had no other choice.

"Ah!" Shangguan Qiuyue screamed, squeezing her eyes shut in terror. She had never experienced anything so intense. She could feel herself and Ye Fan plummeting into the darkness.

The wind roared past them as they fell. It was a terrifying moment.