Chapter 52: Devouring the Heavens, Annihilating the World

They stared at Lin Hao, weapons in hand, and shouted harshly, “Kid, no matter what, you won’t leave Tianyu Mountain alive today. I advise you to surrender now.”

“All your men have already been killed by me. What other tricks do you have left to deal with me?” Lin Hao sneered, gazing at He Yi, puzzled where his confidence came from. He was now all alone, yet dared to utter such bold threats.

He raised the Cloud-Swallowing Sword and slashed toward He Yi.

A whirlwind stirred, a streak of lightning flashed across the sky.

Thunder rumbled!

The sword blade, carried by the storm, shot toward He Yi.

“Ah!” The crowd barely had time to recover from their shock when a shrill scream pierced the air.

As the lightning faded and calm returned, everyone saw that He Yi had vanished from where he stood.

Ten meters away, a large pit had appeared in the grass.

“Cough, cough, cough!” Weak coughs sounded from within the pit.

He Er realized what had happened. “Brother!” He rushed over immediately.

He helped out a charred, blackened figure, smoke still rising from its head.

Mo Ming stared, dumbfounded. “Senior brother, did you just comprehend Sword Intent?!”

Lin Hao was immersed in a strange sensation. After delivering that strike, he felt his mind filled with new insights, elevated to a mysterious realm, so comfortable he lingered there, unable to return to himself.

Mo Ming’s touch jolted Lin Hao from his reverie.

“Hm?” He looked at Mo Ming, somewhat confused.

Mo Ming gazed at him with envy in his eyes, then glanced at He Yi and He Er, his mouth twisting.

“Was that really caused by my last strike?” Lin Hao could hardly believe it.

He recalled the state he’d been in moments ago, looked at the Cloud-Swallowing Sword in his hand, then at He Yi.

“Lin Hao, I’ll kill you!” Before Mo Ming could reply, He Er laid down the lifeless He Yi, grief-stricken, eyes red with hatred, and charged at Lin Hao.

Lin Hao calmly flicked his sleeve; a Lotus of Strange Fire shot forth, exploding in a blaze of red light that blocked He Er’s path.

The Lotus manifested corporeally and, with a hiss, aimed straight for He Er’s mind.

It was about to finish him off when a powerful, chilling pressure descended, freezing the surroundings into frost—a world of ice and snow. The Lotus was instantly frozen solid, and Lin Hao, suffering backlash from the Lotus, spat blood.

“Senior brother!” Mo Ming was forced to his knees by the pressure, anxiously calling out to Lin Hao.

Suddenly—a loud explosion!

The Lotus shattered into sparks, returning to Lin Hao’s body.

Lin Hao’s face was pale; gathering all his spiritual power, he raised the Cloud-Swallowing Sword. “Ha!”

A surge of immense power radiated from him.

Centered on the sword, it swept outward, shattering the ice and snow.

Silence reigned, broken only by the crunch of splintered ice.

Taking advantage of the moment, Lin Hao looked toward the newcomer.

It was an old man, clearly advanced in years, his hair already white. The force of his single palm was astonishing.

The old man regarded Lin Hao with murderous intent in his eyes, tinged with surprise—he hadn’t expected Lin Hao’s strength to be so formidable.

He then glanced at the Cloud-Swallowing Sword, a flicker of amusement passing through his gaze.

He Er, covered in ice and snow, looked wretched. He turned to the elder, eyes full of respect, and called out loudly, “Elder!” His face lit up with joy.

The elder looked at He Er with disdain and rebuked him, “Useless fool. You can’t even handle such a trivial matter.”

“Elder, it was all my brother’s and my fault. Now that you’re here, you’ll surely capture those two,” He Er stammered, ashamed.

Listening to their exchange, Lin Hao understood—they had summoned this so-called elder as reinforcements. He scrutinized the elder, his expression grave, his heart on high alert.

The elder’s power was unfathomable, radiating a dangerous aura. Lin Hao regretted not having acted more decisively earlier to finish off He Yi and He Er; otherwise, he wouldn’t be facing this elder now.

After scolding He Er, the elder turned his gaze to Lin Hao, calm as if looking at a corpse. “You’re quite strong, but today, which of you wants to die first?”

Hearing the elder get straight to the point, Lin Hao frowned, about to speak.

Mo Ming stepped in front of Lin Hao, wiped the blood from his lips, and, sword raised, pointed at the elder. “I’ll be the first to face you.”

“Mo Ming!” Lin Hao cried out in alarm.

Mo Ming looked back at him. “Senior brother, you’ve helped me enough along the way. Let me test his strength for you this time.”

With that, Mo Ming charged forward, sword in hand. “Old man, let me see what you’re made of!”

The elder watched Mo Ming’s approach, utterly indifferent, eyes unruffled. As Mo Ming reached him, his sword just a centimeter away, time seemed to freeze.

Mo Ming’s face changed dramatically.

The elder’s expression cooled; he flicked his sleeve, and Mo Ming was transformed into an ice pillar, hurtling over ten meters away. He landed with a crash, splitting the ice on his body, shards embedding into his flesh. Bloodied, he lay unmoving on the ground.

Lin Hao’s eyes flashed with terror; he rushed over anxiously, lifting Mo Ming.

Mo Ming had already lost consciousness.

“Junior brother!”

Lin Hao checked his breathing, sighing in relief—he was still alive.

He gently laid Mo Ming down and faced the elder, his expression more solemn than ever, heart full of awe at the elder’s overwhelming power.

He gripped the Cloud-Swallowing Sword, projecting an air of resolute sacrifice, channeling all his spiritual energy into the blade. Under its aura, the sword shimmered with fierce brilliance.

Though Lin Hao looked battered, his heroic determination shone undiminished as he strode proudly toward the elder.

The elder’s gaze flickered with a hint of approval. Having witnessed his own strength, he hadn’t expected the young man to stand and fight rather than flee.

A true man, he thought.

But dead is dead.

The elder raised his hand and conjured a staff—his weapon, a gesture of respect toward Lin Hao.

Lin Hao and his Cloud-Swallowing Sword swept forth; thunder cracked overhead!

Another bolt of lightning enveloped them, dark clouds gathering, shrouding Lin Hao and his sword.

As Lin Hao raised his sword, it seemed he could swallow the heavens and destroy the world.

Boom! Crash!

The elder, surprised, lifted his staff to block. Their weapons collided, and the world spun, winds howled, forcing everyone nearby to use their spiritual energy to withstand the pressure.

The result: a thunderous crash. The Cloud-Swallowing Sword was stuck midair, lightning fading; Lin Hao, despite exerting all his strength, couldn’t advance the sword any further.

“Young man, interesting. You’ve comprehended Sword Intent, but you’re still too inexperienced,” the elder remarked.

Seeing this, Lin Hao released the Lotus of Strange Fire with his left hand, sending it speeding toward the elder.

The elder casually waved his sleeve to catch it, unharmed.

As Lin Hao sent out the Lotus, the elder’s staff pressed down on the Cloud-Swallowing Sword. Lin Hao grunted as the staff forced the sword down.

The sword hacked into Lin Hao’s shoulder.

The pain made him loosen his grip, his arm falling limp.

Gritting his teeth, he sent a fire dragon from his left hand, forcing the elder to step back.

Seizing the chance, Lin Hao leapt several meters away, standing and clutching his nearly severed right arm.

But the elder gave him no respite. He advanced, staff sweeping horizontally. An ice spike shot forward; Lin Hao failed to block it and was hurled away, the spike piercing his shoulder blade and pinning him to a tree.

The tree shuddered, shedding icy debris and leaves.

Facing the elder, Lin Hao’s mind could only form one thought: powerful—too powerful.

This was a true master.

Today, he finally understood, accepting defeat, despair in his eyes.

The elder strode forward, staff raised. Lin Hao felt as though he were in an ice cellar, chilled to the core, powerless to resist.

Suddenly, a flash of red streaked past Lin Hao’s eyes, attacking the elder.

Sensing danger, the elder instinctively stepped back, dodging.

As he steadied himself, he swept his gaze toward Lin Hao—only to find both Lin Hao and Mo Ming had vanished.

The elder frowned at their disappearance.

His heart jolted: If he hadn’t seen wrong just now, that was a qilin! How could it be?

Seeing Lin Hao and Mo Ming rescued, He Er was shocked. “Elder, how could you let them escape?”

The elder, deep in thought, was interrupted by He Er’s outburst. Annoyed, he glared at He Er.

Immediately, He Er was so frightened he couldn’t utter a word, lips trembling.

Seeing He Er’s cowardice, the elder snorted and turned away.

He Er hurriedly gathered He Yi and followed behind.

The elder returned to the palace to report to his master.

“Master, I failed in my task and did not kill those two,” the elder knelt, begging forgiveness.

“Oh? You actually made a mistake? What happened?” the figure on the chair inquired.

“I could have killed them, but they were suddenly rescued by a qilin, so I did not pursue,” the elder explained.

“A qilin! Are you sure you saw it?” Hearing this, the figure’s interest was piqued, his tone losing its usual coldness and gaining a hint of curiosity.

“Yes, I am certain. The qilin was swift, but I saw clearly. I did not act rashly. Rest assured, Master, I will take appropriate measures to remedy this,” the elder replied respectfully.