CHAPTER 718: CHAPTER 584: THREE TALENTS!

Thud.

The monster punched into the Babylon Pillar, instantly shattering seventeen or eighteen bricks.

Its two heads gazed at those broken worlds as if seeing the worlds it had destroyed.

A brutal joy surfaced on both faces simultaneously, quickly turning into sorrow:

"Ah... you are the foundation of the ritual, the nourishment for summoning us, breaking you actually breaks my heart."

Before the sound of its voice faded,

all the bricks instantly restored themselves to their original state.

The monster paused, a dark look appearing on both faces.

"’Tomb of All Laws’ deck card, possessing such restorative power... it seems I need to hurry and kill that guy."

The monster withdrew its hand and continued climbing upward.

Countless civilizations released their strongest attacks through the surface of the bricks.

However, the monster was only occasionally shaken by the impacts.

It was unharmed—

and even quickened its climbing pace!

At this moment, Wu Xiaode fell from above.

"Clang!"

The long sword lightly flicked into his hand.

An endless Sword Qi emanated from him, pausing all attacks on the colossal pillar.

Those civilizations watched the scene unfold.

—The moment that decided everything.

All turned into silence.

The long sword pointed distantly at the monster.

Wu Xiaode enunciated:

"Slash."

Ice crystal prompt runes swiftly flashed through the Void:

"You have used ’Heir of the World Tree’."

"Your swordsmanship: ’Long Moon Sparse Shadows’ has been forcibly upgraded one level."

"Current swordsmanship upgraded to:"

"Secret Sword: Torrent."

"—Reincarnation Swordsmanship."

Fine and numerous Sword Qi burst forth from the blade, gathering into layered sword lights, jumping levels rapidly, constructing a charging river in an instant.

Boom—

Sweeping floods poured down, striking directly at the monster.

The monster desperately clung to the pillar’s wall, but was still sent sliding downward by the continuous slashes.

Mottled sword wounds began appearing on its body, blood splashing everywhere.

The monster couldn’t help but roar:

"Aaaaah—such cruel swordsmanship, but it’s too early to think of killing me—"

Wu Xiaode’s expression remained impassive as his long sword sliced through the wind.

He slashed repeatedly!

A full moon appeared out of nowhere, rotating from the monster’s head to its tail, slashing through its entire body.

—Secret Sword: Moon Slash!

Immediately, a horrific wound was torn open on the monster’s body, from its neck to its thigh, almost split in two.

The monster opened its mouth to scream: "What kind of swordsmanship is this, you definitely cannot—"

Its voice abruptly stopped.

A sword.

Pierced into one of its heads, while another sword shadow pierced out of its other head.

—Secret Sword: Yan Gui!

"Did you enjoy chasing me down?"

Wu Xiaode gritted his teeth as he spoke, holding the sword with both hands and giving it a strong shake.

Boom!!!

Three strokes of Sword Qi burst forth simultaneously.

The monster’s entire body was enveloped in the "Torrent," "Moon Slash," and "Yan Gui" Secret Swords’ Sword Qi, instantly turning into a mangled mess of flesh, tearing apart the Void, its whereabouts unknown.

The card "Heir of the World Tree" completed its three skill upgrades, instantly turned gray, and returned to the Book of the Dead.

—It would need seven days to cool down.

But fortunately, the monster had disappeared.

Wu Xiaode breathed heavily, glanced at the Void.

No prompt rune.

And no idea if the monster was dead.

Though it was slashed into mincemeat, that was a creature surpassing all mortals.

Never mind.

Dead or not, I had my fun.

This series of three moves should buy some time.

—I must quickly seize the sixth card while I have the chance!

Wu Xiaode’s figure vibrated, speeding like lightning towards the upper end of the Babylon Pillar.

...

Elsewhere.

In the vast boundless Blood Sea,

a tiny raft roamed arbitrarily among the waves.

The man wearing a straw hat held a fishing rod, sitting motionless.

Suddenly.

A surge of Sword Qi erupted from beneath the Blood Sea, blasting open the surface, sending a flurry of blood rain into the sky.

Those finely fragmented pieces of flesh danced in the air before eventually falling back onto the surface of the sea.

As time passed—

The flesh completely melded into the seawater, turning the entire blood-red ocean into a churning mass of crimson flesh in just a few seconds.

—Something as massive as Sumeru Mountain, an Evil Object, was about to be born!

The small raft finally could not drift anymore, ultimately stopping on the writhing mass of flesh.

It was not until this moment that a faint voice came from beneath the conical hat:

"Originally there was a fish about to bite the bait, I had planned to fry it up, but it turned into this mess instead."

As if responding to him—

From the depths of the infinite flesh, a strange noise came forth.

The man in the conical hat said with interest,

"Oh? Not only do you not apologize, but you also want to eat me?"

He extended a slender hand very slowly, his index and middle fingers held together, pinning his ring and little fingers with his thumb.

This was the posture of a Sword technique.

But his movements were so slow that it seemed as though he was merely toying.

"Eternal Destruction."

He said languidly.

In the depths of the sky, it seemed as if a sword shadow flashed by, followed by—

A profoundly cold sword light, as vast as the world itself, fell from the sky, covering the entire world and lasting for tens of seconds.

All flesh was shattered into powder, returning to the bloody waters and merging into the sea.

The Blood Sea reformed.

The small raft regained its freedom, darting wildly through the waves.

However, the man was no longer interested.

He retracted the fishing rod, reached behind him, and pulled out a long sword, whispering,

"Now that I have your flesh, perhaps we can meet."

He lightly raised the long sword.

A yawn echoed from the sword’s spine, a female voice spoke in a sleepy murmur,

"Do you want it to return to before that drop of blood fell?"

"Yes, come on."

The man performed a Remote Cutting with his sword.

As the sword came out—

A fierce wind suddenly rose, whipping up waves into mountains, the mountains furious as though transforming into a humanoid.

—It was a young man with an orchid in his hair and wearing a snow-white long robe.

The man scanned him from top to bottom, feigning surprise as he said,

"You’re still alive?"

"You won’t die, so how could I?" the young man landed on the surface of the Blood Sea, continuing with a smile, "Speaking of which, back in the Void, I taught you quite a few things, quick, call me Master to hear."

The man, unwilling to show weakness, replied,

"How do I remember it as me personally teaching you quite a few things, leading you on the path? By rights of mentorship, you should call me Master."

"It’s your turn to call Master." the young man said.

"It’s your turn to call Master." the man replied.

"Call Master."

"Hurry up and call Master."

"Boring."

"I don’t know who’s boring, still coming here to nag after reviving from insect flesh, huh."

Upon this, the young man changed the subject:

"They’re just some insects; they eat my body, which just helps me gain their power."

"When you’re completely transformed by them, I’ll kill you," the man retorted.

The young man, hands on his hips, boasted,

"You’ll wait forever and never get the chance—I’ve been roaming the depths of the incomprehensible Mysterious Evil Realm recently, seen many stronger and more bizarre beings, and gained a deeper insight into the power of Evil."

For the first time, a deep envy appeared in the man’s eyes.

This young man truly stood peerless between heaven and earth. Whatever he took up, he immediately understood everything about it; any magic he glanced at, he knew its true essence, and his fighting styles were endlessly diverse, never repeating a single move.

Perhaps,

Only someone like him could venture into that unknowable place and uncover its secrets.

—But he himself could as well.

The man adjusted his hat and said, "How about you take my place here to watch over the Blood Sea seal while I go have some fun?"

"Wishful thinking!"

The teasing in the young man’s expression disappeared, replaced with seriousness:

"Only you can guard this place. With you defending and me attacking, we barely manage to maintain the situation; not even the slightest error is permissible, otherwise all beings will lose their chance to rise again."

"Did you see something?" the man asked.

"Indeed."

The young man couldn’t resist clasping the hilt of his blade at his waist, his gaze revealing a flicker of trepidation.

He thought for a moment, then softly said,

"Those bizarre and undefeatable Evil Objects are stirring; they probably know about you, and are aware of that battle from years ago."

"That’s not good news," the man squinted slightly as he spoke.

"Fortunately, we’re not entirely on the defensive anymore; at least one person is searching for hope," the young man said.

He looked down towards the depths of the Blood Sea, his gaze seemingly piercing through the layers of bloody water to see something.

The man wearing the conical hat also lowered his head, looking towards the depths of the Blood Sea.

For a moment, neither of them spoke.