This was no longer the villain he had faced in the game; it was the arch-villain An Qixiu had once confronted.

His grip on the Shadow Hong Saber was very tight, and as he looked at the Dark Alien Race sweeping in like a flood, Wang Mu felt a faint chill in his heart.

At some point, a hand gently took Wang Mu's palm. "Don't be afraid." Heroine Yan's voice, though still cold, made Wang Mu pause. "You've already done well enough... What comes next..."

Wang Mu narrowed his eyes. "Don't say it. I know what you want to do... I won't allow it."

Heroine Yan fell silent.

Wang Mu took a deep breath. "I... still have a way..."

Heroine Yan thought, If he truly had another way, he would have used it by now.

Piao Miaoxu also laughed, her battered body making her look like a loser.

Wang Mu suddenly gripped the Shadow Hong Saber tightly. As the Evil Qi within him began to surge uncontrollably, he swung it, but the saber flew from his grasp as if repelled by some force.

I can't hold on... Wang Mu's heart sank again.

The Evil Qi of the Shadow Hong Saber was too strong; it was something even Mu Hongyuan needed to absorb for her cultivation. It was already remarkable that he had managed to wield it for this long. Moreover...

Seeing this, Piao Miaoxu looked at them and couldn't help but laugh. "Dongfang Mu... what else can you do? You can't even hold on now! Back then, you relied on a woman to defeat me... And now? Don't tell me this place still shelters one of your female confidantes?"

No sooner had she spoken when suddenly, in the distance, like a setting sun rising in the west, a disk of dark light slowly ascended from afar.

The next second, a brilliant streak of saber light tore through the dark world, sweeping across, displaying a magnificent and boundless will to annihilate everything.

Countless members of the Dark Alien Race, frozen by the Unrivaled Bell, turned to ash. In a single encounter, under the endless saber light, they all dissolved.

Even several Foreign Kings hidden among them fled, quickly retreating into the depths of darkness as if they had encountered some great terror.

Then, an endless stream of saber light descended.

It was the Silent Annihilation Saber Skill, the same as Wang Mu's. The same Shadow Hong Saber. Yet, the power was different!

It wasn't merely a world of difference; there was a natural resonance to it. The disparity in power was like a chasm.

This great disparity left Wang Mu in a daze, suddenly realizing why the Silent Annihilation Saber Skill he used was so different from the one in the game.

The reason was simple: in the game, the protagonist's Silent Annihilation Saber Skill had changed because he had obtained the Evil Ghost's Buddha Heart—or, to be precise, Ying's bloodline. That transformation had enabled him to execute a Silent Annihilation Saber Skill of completely different might, and its effectiveness against the Dark Alien Race was also entirely different.

But now, he... he didn't possess that. The Silent Annihilation Saber Skill he executed always fell short, not due to a lack of proficiency... but because a key element was missing.

Having understood the reason, Wang Mu froze. Piao Miaoxu froze. Heroine Yan froze too.

This power... Piao Miaoxu stared into the distance, sensing the fear in the hearts of the Dark Alien Race! "What is that?" Yes, it was fear. Before, they were merely trembling before the sword skill. Now, it was true fear!

Impossible! In this Dark Border, what could possibly instill such fear in them? A hallucination?

And the Shadow Hong Saber... Isn't that weapon exclusively Dongfang Mu's? Besides him, who else could use it? Indeed, who else?

Piao Miaoxu shuddered, a wild possibility dawning on her.

Wang Mu remained silent. Besides myself, who else could use the Shadow Hong Saber? There's only one answer...

Heroine Yan frowned slightly, a sense of unease stirring deep within her...

BOOM!

Like autumn winds sweeping away fallen leaves, countless members of the Dark Alien Race retreated like a receding tide.

In the darkness, a figure wielding the Shadow Hong Saber walked slowly from the distance. Then, as if having discovered something, her steps quickened. The faster she moved, the faster the Dark Alien Race retreated...

The figure paused upon reaching Wang Mu. In the darkness, nothing was visible.

Wang Mu couldn't even sense her arrival, as if she weren't a normal living being. But then... he saw light—the light in her eyes.

It was a gaze that had traveled through millennia, the light that had been absent from the Dark Border for uncountable years.

A voice, calm and crisp, rang out, "Dongfang Mu, you've come?"

Hearing this voice, Piao Miaoxu was the first to faint. Her Residual Soul felt as if it were being violently tossed about in a stormy sea, unable to find calm...

It felt as if something was roaring with anger deep within her heart! Dongfang Mu, you truly are a bastard! This place actually has your female confidantes, doesn't it?!

In that instant, Piao Miaoxu felt an overwhelming sense of powerlessness. She absolutely refused to admit that Dongfang Mu had defeated her... Not a thousand years ago, and certainly not now!

Meanwhile, Heroine Yan stood silent in the darkness. Though there was no wind, the hem of her garment fluttered slightly...

Wang Mu's heart also stirred. He felt relief, yet at the same time, a profound sense of foreboding. The crisis is resolved, thankfully. For now, Piao Miaoxu can't stir up any major trouble, and the Dark Border won't face any more problems. Everything is good... except for me. The foreboding comes from what seems to be an even bigger problem. If it can't be resolved... He glanced sideways at Heroine Yan. If the sword breaks, its wielder perishes...