In the palace hall on Exquisite Cloud Mountain, Demon Emperor Wind Slaughter, Region Lord Hongyu, and Region Lord Xuanchong stood together.

𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

When they saw the monstrous killing intent emanating from Lin Xun, they were inwardly shocked and couldn’t believe that this was the might that a supreme quasi-Emperor was capable of having.

Meanwhile, the depths of Baqi’s eyes flashed with a strange light when he watched Lin Xun’s killing intent and energy change.

He had to admit that the man in front of him, who should have died as an infant, was one of the most outstanding geniuses in existence. It was probably impossible to find a match for him even if one were to search the entire Ancient Nebula Road.

Baqi was intrigued. How had Lin Xun defied the heavens and switched his fate around after the loss of his Origin Aeth Artery and then achieved so much? It was as if he had been blessed with nirvana.

Kaboom!

The region quaked as Lin Xun strode up in the void. His boiling murderous intent threw the space around him into disorder. Endless divine radiance flowed around him.

Baqi suddenly asked, “Starting the fight already? Don't you want to know about the things that happened back then?”

“I’ll get the answer myself after I squash you and extract the memories from your spirit,” Lin Xun said coldly, then took a deep breath. “Yezi!”

From the bronze sword case, Yezi swept out like a brilliant flash of light.

Yezi could clearly feel that Lin Xun had become a different person with the extreme hatred and killing intent he currently presented.

Such a display had never occurred at all before this.

Yezi did not inquire Lin Xun about it, and neither did he tell him that the man in the sky opposite them possessed unfathomable cultivation, suspected to be at the seventh realm of the Emperor Stage!

To be exact, Yezi was aware that Lin Xun still would never back down even if he just told him this cruel fact.

Therefore, without a word, Yezi jumped right into action.

Swish!

A sword qi pierced the clouds like a dazzling rainbow and shook the starry sky. Its overwhelming aura seemed to want to cut down this world.

This was Yezi's strongest strike that he poured every bit of strength into. With it, he had once easily dominated the four region lords Linfeng, Mingyue, Huishuang, and Feiya!

Baqi's bright red eyes gleamed eerily, his voice low, “This is the sword spirit who aroused Ice Devouring Sword Emperor’s greed? Extraordinary, indeed.” 𝙧äNօʙĚŞ

As he spoke, scarlet Emperor law power manifested in front of him and formed a gigantic, hideous python head. Facing the sky, the head opened its mouth and sucked in.

Rumble!

The savage and acute sword qi looked like the most fragile thing in the world as it got swallowed up by the python head, leaving not a trace behind.

Baqi acted as though he had just done something very casual and said to himself, “Unfortunately, you’re still too weak to fight me.”

Yezi's pupils constricted.

Lin Xun quietly clenched his fists. Hatred surged in his eyes and the fire of fury raged inside him, but they had not burned away his sanity.

This exchange alone made him realize how naïve his previous perception of Baqi was. How could such an existence be something a quasi-Emperor could ever compare to?

On Exquisite Cloud Mountain, Demon Emperor Wind Slaughter and the two region lords looked greatly relieved.

Yezi’s attack had caused them to break out in a cold sweat. The sword qi had been so strong that their hairs stood up under a great sense of threat.

Fortunately, it was…inadequate against Great Emperor Baqi!

“I’ll give you a chance. Use every life-saving treasure and skill you have now, or else…you won’t be able to when I make my move.”

Baqi's voice resounded between heaven and earth with immense conceit, while his demeanor was ever indifferent and cold like that of a lofty god’.

“ROARR!”

As the python head before him roared, the surrounding terrains exploded and collapsed. Terrifying Emperor law power in the form of infinite scarlet waves swept toward Lin Xun with an engulfing momentum.

Yezi struck out, deploying thousands of crisscrossing sword qi that slashed through the distance.

RUMBLE!

The world turned upside down, and the sun and moon vanished when the dense sword qi and blood-red waves clashed.

The power generated by their collision was so horrifying that it straightaway looked like it was destroying this side of heaven and earth.

When the smoke and dust dispersed, Yezi's figure became dim.

The difference in strength was too great!

Had he been at his peak, a seventh realm Emperor wouldn’t be a threat to him at all, but unfortunately, the current him could at most kill a fourth realm Emperor.

However, Yezi showed absolutely no fear. His merely three-inch-tall figure in the vast void had the enormous might of someone who could stop an entire army.

This time, Lin Xun had disregarded his life, deciding to fight to the end, so what did he, Yezi, have to fear?

A sword spirit never feared death!

“This sword spirit is on his last leg. Since you were able to run all the way from the Primordial Chaos World to the Underworld, surely he’s not your only lifeline?” commented Baqi as he stood between Exquisite Cloud Mountain and the sky. The fact that he seemed untouchable was hair-raising.

This was the might of a Hand of Darkness.[1] In the Underworld, even Emperor experts would pale at the mention of this name.

“So much nonsense only proves that you have scruples.” Lin Xun's eyes were dark, cold, and overflowing with killing intent. “Otherwise, why don't you dare to go all out?”

Baqi went silent for a moment, then nodded. “You are correct. In fact, neither you nor the sword spirit is worth a glance from me. The only thing I’m being careful about is any card you might be hiding in your sleeves. After all, staying cautious allows a ship to sail for a myriad of years. I definitely don’t want my ship to capsize in a puddle.”

Then, his attitude suddenly took a complete turn as his gaze became intimidating. “However, no matter what kind of unexpected situation gets in my way, it won’t change the fact that you shall die today!”

His declaration was flat but unquestionable.

He possessed supreme power of a deity, but from start to end, he had neither been arrogant nor careless. Instead, he was calm and callous.

The more so, the more chilling and despairing it was for the other party.

As Wind Slaughter and the other two watched, their hearts palpitated under pressure. They didn’t dare to imagine how frightening and powerless it would feel to be the enemy of Great Emperor Baqi.

Lin Xun, however, didn't seem to be affected in any way. In the face of Baqi's complete confidence in victory, only one word came out of his lips: “Kill!”

Immediately, Yezi once again attacked. His figure was brilliant as though he was burning, he charged toward the enemy.

Baqi frowned.

In his eyes, it was like an ant trying to shake a big tree, and he refused to believe that Lin Xun wasn’t aware of this.

However, both Lin Xun and the sword spirit seemed so determined, wanting to use their lives in exchange for a slim hope.

Did they really have a death wish?

Baqi didn’t think so.

Therefore, faced with Yezi who had approached, he used his true power.

A hand probed out from thin air and gently folded!

Boom!

The void fractured. Scarlet Emperor law power formed thick chains, which intertwined into a bloody prison.

In the prison were appalling visions of demons dancing, gods falling, and worlds crumbling.

Forbidden Blood Prison!

It was a supreme secret skill that exploited one’s cultivation and space law power to the fullest.

However, something bizarre happened.

Before the Forbidden Blood Prison could demonstrate its divine might, there was a hint of lag.

In actuality, the world came to a standstill as the supreme law power of time was disturbed in that instant.

Despite having made sufficient preparations and sensing something was wrong right away, Baqi couldn’t react in time.

Meanwhile, in that split second of stillness, a glistening jade bottle appeared in the grasp of Yezi who was in mid flight. From the mouth of the bottle, a sword qi slashed out.

Dao Immeasurable Bottle!

The sword qi that swept out from it was Yezi's best strike when he had been in peak condition!

After that split second, just when Baqi finally returned to his senses and saw the sword qi that had unknowingly appeared, it had already arrived. It was too late for him to dodge.

The sword qi roared as it arrived. With incredible speed and boundless sharpness, it tore Baqi’s defensive layer, shattered his chest armor, and split his chest!

Poof!

Blood splashed. Great Emperor Baqi, who was like a supreme deity, let out a pained, muffled grunt. His face changed drastically, and his cold, scarlet eyes flashed with anger.

The sword qi had almost disemboweled him!

Although he ultimately made it stop, his skin and flesh had been ripped out, revealing white bones, and blood would not stop flowing. The ferocious sword qi invaded his body and continued raging inside, causing internal injuries.

This was simply inconceivable.

It had all happened in just a blink of an eye!

Baqi couldn't help but doubt that it would have been enough to kill him if it hadn’t been for his high cultivation. The more he thought about it, the more fearful and angry he became.

He had been vigilant enough to take everything into calculation, only to still have suffered a big loss in a split second!

Rumble~

Only now did the Forbidden Blood Prison that he had conjured finally collapse in the void due to his injury. From this, one could imagine how fast the attack had happened!

In the distance, Lin Xun's pupils shrank, and there was a slight change in his expression.

This was the first time ever that the power of Time Stopping failed to aid him in killing his opponent, and it was when being coordinated with the Dao Immeasurable Bottle at that!

Without a word, this seemed to prove how terrifying an Emperor existence Baqi was, someone far beyond the reach of an average Emperor.

Meanwhile, Demon Emperor Wind Slaughter and the two region lords were staring blankly. The almost fatal attack had been so fleeting that it caused their heads to spin. They just couldn't imagine how someone as powerful as Great Emperor Baqi could have suddenly sustained such a heavy wound!

The uncanny event sent chills down their spine. If the receiving end had been them…then they would have fallen on the spot.

Swish!

Everything took a long time to describe but had all unfolded in just that moment. Seeing that the strike had failed to kill Baqi, Yezi immediately charged up again, wanting to use the momentum to end the opponent.

“Scram!” bellowed Baqi, his energy rumbled and spread, sweeping through the nine layers of heaven and ten layers of earth. Its terrifying might instantly knocked back Yezi.

Bang!

Yezi was sent flying. His figure dimmed as he staggered, obviously displaying the fact that he was unable to hold on for much longer. Gasping for breath, he transmitted, “Lin Xun, the old bastard is actually at the eighth realm!”

Eighth realm Emperor Stage!

Just such a cultivation was enough to cause any opponent to crumble in despair.

The difference…was more than that between the sky and earth.

Lin Xun's eyes flickered. Xi wasn’t here, and Yezi was injured. Even with Time Stopping, he had only been able to wound Baqi instead of killing him.

This could be considered the biggest crisis that Lin Xun had encountered in his cultivation!

1. Yes, the raws calls Baqi a Hand of Darkness too, if you recall, Yu Kunzi was called that back in 2089 ☜