BOOM!

Long Chen’s fist struck a giant shield that looked like a city gate, and the impact sent his Blood Qi flipping inside of him, causing him to cough out blood. This wasn’t an ordinary shield; ancient beast runes were carved across its surface, and it was wielded by a greater demon. Though Long Chen had defeated dozens of powerful foes, this shield managed to stop him.

“Be suppressed!” shouted the demon, forming hand seals and hurling the colossal shield at Long Chen.

“One star, Star Fall!” Long Chen shouted, raising his palm.

To his surprise, a big star sphere shot forth—three feet wide this time, much larger than the fist-sized sphere he’d used before. It crashed into the shield.

BOOM!

Unable to endure the star sphere’s power, the shield exploded into smithereens along with its owner.

“Two stars, Flying Rainbow!”

“Three stars, Soul Chaser!”

“Four stars, Devil Prison!”

Long Chen’s roars echoed as he unleashed his strongest attacks, consuming astral energy at a shocking rate. The battlefield shook as four immense star pillars appeared and converged, crushing countless foes beneath them.

BOOM!

The four pillars exploded when they gathered, unleashing a wave of astral energy that obliterated even more lifeforms. The heart of the battlefield instantly became much emptier.

“Nine star heirs truly are formidable. I’ll take you down myself!” A cold voice rang out as sharp Sword Qi sliced through the void toward Long Chen’s back.

Long Chen deflected it with his palm but felt a sharp sting as a deep cut opened on his hand. He was shocked; this Sword Qi was as potent as Yue Zifeng’s.

Before him stood a man with an icy expression. Emblazoned on his chest was a circular emblem that was surrounded by intricate, glowing runes. Within this design, two larger characters stood out. They were ancient Jiuli characters that Long Chen recognized immediately:

High Heaven

“The High Heaven Sword God’s disciple, Luo Zixu, will face you!” announced that man coldly.

“There’s only one Sword God—when did this ‘High Heaven Sword God’ appear? Did he just declare himself one?” Long Chen scoffed.

Long Chen had studied the ancient texts and knew that since the primal chaos era, there had been only one true Sword God across the nine heavens and ten lands. Known simply as the Sword God, he was the eternal deity of the Sword Dao—nameless, revered, and transcendent. He was the guiding spirit whose blessing empowered them all.

Long Chen had once spoken to Yue Zifeng about this mysterious figure. Yue Zifeng held an unwavering belief in the Sword God’s existence, often sensing his presence as a guiding force.

But now, another supposed “Sword God” had emerged, calling himself the High Heaven Sword God. This title contradicted the history Long Chen knew.

“Ignorant fool, the so-called Sword God of yours is long dead. My master, the High Heaven Sword God, is the only Sword God across the heavens now!” sneered Luo Zixu. “I won’t waste words on a dead man. You’re as good as dead.”

Luo Zixu’s sword hummed ominously, cutting through the very fabric of the Heavenly Daos as it thrust forward in a blinding strike.

The chilling surge of killing intent made Long Chen feel as if he’d been plunged into an iceberg, his skin prickling from the deadly Sword Qi. This was a terrifying sword cultivator, definitely the most fearsome he had met to date other than Yue Zifeng.

What made this moment even more dangerous was that this attack was unavoidable. Dodging would throw Long Chen into a defensive position, leaving him vulnerable to an unending tide of strikes. In a battle like this, evasion would mean certain death.

BOOM!

Long Chen unleashed a punch, his fist blazing with starlight. The Sword Qi shattered on impact, but to his shock, a cut appeared on his fist as the Sword Qi sliced through his astral energy.

Until now, his Eight Star Battle Armor had shielded him from every weapon he faced, making him nearly invincible against even the strongest foes. But Luo Zixu’s Sword Qi pierced those defenses with ease.

Throughout history, sword cultivators were famed as the unrivaled masters of offense, wielding the purest, most lethal power among all cultivators. No one had ever questioned this fact. Their Sword Dao transcended the laws of the ten thousand Daos, and when cultivated to the pinnacle, it could cut through all laws in this world.

Long Chen was injured in this clash, but he didn’t mind. He advanced, and each step landed him in a strange, almost untraceable position. It was as if he were both dodging and weaving through some unseen path. On the eighth step, he abruptly appeared right in front of Luo Zixu.

Luo Zixu’s expression shifted from icy confidence to alarm. He leaped back, fully aware of the sword cultivator’s Achilles’ heel—poor defense. If anyone managed to get close to them, even a single blow could be fatal.

But as Luo Zixu retreated, he suddenly felt the air grow thick around him, as though he were moving through water. His movements grew heavier and more sluggish.

Most frightening of all, despite leaping away, he was actually moving toward Long Chen.

“Five stars, Void Breaker!” Long Chen shouted, sending five stars speeding toward Luo Zixu.

In response, Luo Zixu stamped on the air, launching himself back as his sword slashed the incoming stars in half, sending them spinning past him without detonating.

Sword cultivators were indeed terrifying. Luo Zixu’s Sword Qi sliced through Long Chen’s five blazing stars without even triggering an explosion, a feat that underscored just how heaven-defying a sword cultivator’s power could be.

Yet, despite this success, there was no satisfaction in Luo Zixu’s expression, as six more stars had appeared around him.

“Six stars, God Seal!” Long Chen shouted, and the six stars blazed with blinding light. Instantly, the space around Luo Zixu froze, trapping him.

“You...!” Luo Zixu’s face twisted in shock. Only now did he realize how seamlessly he’d fallen into Long Chen’s trap. That last attack had been nothing but bait, a setup for this devastating technique.

Six Stars, God Seal was the advanced version of Four Stars, Devil Prison. It was more covert and had greater sealing power. Once caught inside, escape was virtually impossible.

Long Chen remembered how this same technique had nearly crushed his body during the nine-star trial. He refused to believe a sword cultivator’s weaker physique could withstand it.

Long Chen’s hands moved through a series of seals, locking the six stars in place around Luo Zixu. Three stars hovered above, three below, rotating in opposite directions as their gravitational force tightened. Luo Zixu’s body trembled violently, and blood sprayed from his mouth as he struggled against the crushing pressure.

Just as Luo Zixu was about to be crushed to death, the six stars trapping him shattered. Luo Zixu was flung free, a blur streaking out of the seal.

Long Chen struck out at the void, his foot slicing through the air, but he missed the one who had disrupted his technique. His eyes narrowed as he spotted a woman holding a thin, deadly sword, staring at him with an icy glare.

“Lifehunter race!”

The sight of that sword made Long Chen clench his teeth so hard they nearly shattered.