Proud Sword Soaring Clouds

Zhe Wushuang coughed up a mouthful of blood. His physical body was destroyed, and he died a wretched death right then and there!

An ethereal soul struggled free from the corpse. As an expert of the Sword Venerable Realm, his cultivation had been immensely powerful, and now his resentment blazed to the heavens. The soul was so substantial it was nearly corporeal, and the gaze it fixed on Ling Xiao was full of venomous hatred.

Ling Xiao scoffed coldly. A Transparent Crystal Stone suddenly appeared in his hand—something he had stumbled upon during his cultivation travels these past few years. This Transparent Crystal Stone had only one purpose: to seal souls!

Ling Xiao cast the Transparent Crystal Stone toward Zhe Wushuang’s soul.

Zhe Wushuang’s soul, terrified, tried to flee. But like a wisp of smoke, it was sucked into the Transparent Crystal Stone. Ling Xiao formed countless hand seals, pressing them onto the crystal. The transparent stone gradually turned black, and a tiny, fingernail-sized black figure materialized on its surface.

Its mouth, nose, and eyes were clearly visible—a perfect, miniature version of the Sword Venerable, Zhe Wushuang!

Ling Xiao smiled at the Crystal Stone and said, "The descendants of the Su Family will absolutely love you!"

Inside the Crystal Stone, the miniature Zhe Wushuang stared at Ling Xiao, his eyes filled with terror and venomous hatred. Ling Xiao casually stored the Crystal Stone in his ring, then turned his gaze toward Shangguan Yutong and the others. A single glance was enough to see the battle was turning in their favor. Moreover, the fact that the Zhe Family’s only remaining Sword Venerable had been so openly slain by Ling Xiao dealt a devastating blow to the remaining Zhe Family Sword Emperors, completely shattering their will to fight.

Before long, screams rose and fell in succession. With Ling Xiao’s battle concluded, the Cold Iron Short Sword Array he had deployed roared back to life with a vengeance. Shrill cries echoed from within as Tier Six Sword Emperors were cut down like helpless lambs. However, two of the more defiant ones self-detonated in their final moments, destroying several dozen of the Cold Iron Short Swords. Ling Xiao’s brow furrowed slightly. The backlash to him was minimal, but he couldn’t help but feel a pang of regret for his damaged treasures.

By now, the Zhe Family Sword Emperors inside the Urgently Cold Treasure Cauldron had all been completely refined. Even allies like Thirteenth Master and Fourteenth Master now looked at Ling Xiao with a sense of awe they had never shown before.

’Just how powerful is he?’ The question rose in everyone’s mind. ’Not only did he kill a Sword Venerable on his own, but he also killed eight or nine other experts from the Zhe Family just by casually using two of his treasures!’

The remaining enemies were cut down one by one by the others; Ling Xiao didn’t even have to lift a finger. Su Xue, in particular, was now drenched in blood, her once-beautiful eyes a terrifying, scarlet red.

Gazing at the mountain landscape after the great battle, everyone found it hard to believe. They couldn’t even fathom that they were the ones responsible for this level of destruction.

An entire mountain peak had been sheared off, leveling an area several li wide and reducing its height by over a hundred meters!

The scale of the destruction was horrifying.

Ling Xiao walked over to Su Xue, who handed the Soul-Devouring Demon Net back to him. Seeing her state, he asked with concern, "Aunt Su, are you all right?"

Su Xue let out a long breath. A devastatingly beautiful smile suddenly bloomed on her blood-stained face. "Ling Xiao, thank you! I’m fine, really..." As she spoke, tears of blood began to trace paths down her cheeks. She then turned and broke into a sprint, vanishing from sight in the blink of an eye.

Shangguan Yutong started to go after her, but Ling Xiao held her back. "Let her be alone for a while. She needs to vent. She’ll be fine."

Just then, Thirteenth Master, Fourteenth Master, and Tiger, still high on the thrill of battle, came over. Thirteenth Master looked toward the Zhe Family Manor, shrouded in the night, and asked with a malicious grin, "Sect Leader, what about that place...?"

Ling Xiao’s eyes narrowed. With almost no hesitation, he declared, "Kill everyone at the Sword Sect rank and above! I’ll set up an array. The rest will be trapped in here to die."

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