The origins of the knife technique known as “One Word Chop Stands Decided” are vast and deep. It was forged in the younger days of the Legalist Grandmaster, Han Shen Tu himself.

When it comes to sheer decisiveness in killing, this technique is arguably peerless in the world.

Though disciples of the Three Punishments Palace are granted ease in their official careers, the techniques of the Legalist school are widespread. Even Han Shen Tu does not forbid the transmission of his own creations. Yet, for Dou Zhao to have mastered this particular knife art, it is a testament to the profound foundations of the Great Chu Dou clan.

One must understand that the Han Shen Tu of today is the very holder of the Legalist School’s Pavilion of Heavenly Regulations, the foremost figure of contemporary Legalism! The knife techniques he has crafted are inherently scorching hot, exceedingly difficult to attain even with immense effort.

And Dou Zhao has completely grasped their essence. When this knife is unleashed, the blade light is dazzlingly brilliant, embodying the very spirit of “no deviation, law tolerates no sentiment.”

But compared to the technique of One Word Chop Stands Decided itself, what truly strikes fear in Jiang Wang is Dou Zhao’s strategic choices in combat. Dou Zhao wields the Dou War Seven Styles, a technique lauded as the “foremost killing art since the world began,” and he has mastered it to a god-like degree, capable of adapting to any situation.

Neither the Grand Illusion Indu Knife nor One Word Chop Stands Decided can possibly surpass the prowess of his Dou War Seven Styles in his hands. With his innate talent, practicing these other knife techniques is merely for the purpose of observing the world of the blade and supplementing his own art.

So why, in this battle he values so highly, does he suppress the Dou War Seven Styles and frequently employ other knife arts? There is only one reason: he believes this to be the more advantageous path to victory.

From this, one can deduce that in the previous confrontation within the Mountain Sea Realm, Dou Zhao, with astonishing battle intuition, had already gleaned too much information about Jiang Wang. Information such as the power of his spiritual sense is, of course, easily perceived with a mere touch.

More detailed insights, like the Samadhi True Fire requiring time to “comprehend its samadhi,” or Jiang Wang’s ability to continuously supplement his understanding through the Crooked Path during combat, thereby making increasingly precise judgments against his opponent… These are the very hallmarks of a battle genius.

Thus, in the clash of spiritual senses, Dou Zhao even prepared a divine soul killing technique of the level of the Other Shore Golden Bridge to counter. Thus, in response to the Samadhi True Fire, Dou Zhao chose to extinguish it with full force at the first opportunity.

And so, in this knife-sword confrontation, Dou Zhao constantly changes his moves. After using a complete set of the Grand Illusion Indu Knife, he adamantly refuses to use it a second time, immediately switching to One Word Chop Stands Decided. All of this is to deny Jiang Wang the opportunity to supplement his understanding!

He cannot possibly know of the Crooked Path’s existence, but he has already inferred the effect of continuously gaining knowledge in battle. Confirming this is simple; one merely needs to observe whether Dou Zhao will continue to frequently change his techniques.

And in Jiang Wang’s heart, the answer is already certain. He would never dare to underestimate the heroes of the world. After their initial battle, Tai Yin immediately provided Yi Sheng Feng with remarkably accurate information. Dou Zhao, a character of such exceptional battle talent, could only have captured even more details.

The true question is… what else has Dou Zhao detected?

All these judgments are made in the flicker of a thought; the battle never pauses for an instant. And facing the present predicament, where a criminal order hangs like a severed head and a great knife descends to behead him, Jiang Wang’s left hand merely flips—

Beneath the shroud of the Calamity Dou Seal, the Blue Dragon Seven Changes are already complete. Five clusters of brilliant light hang at his fingertips. Jiang Wang directly raises his left hand as if to pierce the heavens!

Roar!!

Clouds surge upwards. The spirits of the Seven Mansions all appear, each possessing a divine bearing, encircling Jiang Wang, almost forming a wall of vital energy. The Horn Wood Flood Dragon and the Neck Gold Dragon, riding auspicious clouds and treading upon military weapons, all raise their heads to the sky, stirring wind and clouds. They charge forward, successively crashing towards the blood-red “Chop” character high above.

The Heart Moon Fox and the Room Sun Rabbit each radiate glorious light, colliding violently before his body, causing yin and yang to reverse and triggering chaos within the Five Elements. The other three Mansions each employ their divine powers, instantly creating a turbulent flow of vital energy!

For a moment, the entire Azure Teeth Platform is engulfed in resplendent light and flames. One sees myriad streams of flowing light and rolling dust. The void shudders faintly, filled with sounds like muffled thunder.

And in Yu Wen Duo’s astonished eyes, Dou Zhao actually refuses to yield even an inch, his body directly crashing into this turbulent flow! His resplendent Dou War Golden Body is almost like a divine sculpture. The treasured knife in his hand seems like a knife of law, merely held horizontally.

Within the void, a majestic voice resonates—”The third quarter of noon has arrived!”

This moment is precisely noon. Law stems from heavenly reason, and is moreover a reflection of heavenly impartiality. Thus, the heavenly light shines with great brilliance. Is that heavenly light, or knife light, or the golden light of the Dou War Golden Body? One cannot distinguish, nor is there a need to.

Because this single horizontal stroke of the knife has instantly cleared the field. Before national law, gods and ghosts retreat! Thus, one is simply to be beheaded.

At this time, the blood-red “Chop” character in the high sky has already been shattered, the majesty of law also broken. However, Dou Zhao’s knife comes horizontally, yet it signifies that the order to “Chop” has already descended, the blade already at the neck. Law cannot be violated!

But a single bean-sized flame burns precisely at the edge of the knife. This tiny point of flame, like a red amber, appears exquisitely beautiful, yet within it surges immense power.

A crimson light spreads outwards. This crimson hue envelops Jiang Wang, then the Sky Hero Knife, then Dou Zhao’s entire person, and finally, the entire martial arts arena!

That hazy red light is not merely a kind of beauty, but rather a description, a rule, a definition! It is a boundary, and also a membrane. Jiang Wang’s spiritual domain extends to its limit, a full thousand zhang in radius! It encompasses the entire Azure Teeth Platform, reaching up into the high sky and down to the ground below.

Dou Zhao’s knife still advances, but that irrefutable majesty of the Legalist school has already dispersed completely. Though law cannot be violated, this world is different from other worlds. The tides of life ebb and flow, kindness is exhausted. Customs change, and laws follow the changes of the world. Who can use the law of a previous dynasty to behead the person of this dynasty?

Thus, the Dragon Scale Staff, with a single vertical strike, has already blocked the edge of the knife! He does not seek to dismantle Han Shen Tu’s powerful knife technique, but rather to strike at the very foundation of the law itself, using his spiritual domain to shake the rules and disintegrate the knife’s momentum. This is truly a response as wild as a horse running across the sky.

But it is not all of Jiang Wang’s strength. At the same time, his left hand flips again, the dim light covering the Calamity Dou Seal already dispersed. A city of blazing flames descends from the sky; the Flame Flower Burning City has already arrived! He repeatedly used the Calamity Dou Seal to conceal his battle intentions, precisely to influence Dou Zhao’s combat judgment and shorten his reaction time.

Moreover, within the burning realm of the fire domain, the might of the Flame Flower Burning City is naturally different from its usual state. In this fire domain where spiritual sense interferes with reality, all rules must yield to the flames. This is the world of flames, where the fire element reigns supreme. The scorching heat and ferocity of fire are spread to their limit. All fire-element techniques, within this spiritual domain, will exhibit their most powerful might.

The city has not yet descended, but the scorching high temperature has already spread first. The fire of the flame city has not yet fallen, but the fire element within the air has already begun to burn. Those frantic tongues of fire are even already licking at the hem of Dou Zhao’s clothes!

At this moment, the Flame City illuminates the world. Jiang Wang, in his green robes and upright sword, faces Dou Zhao, in his red robes and wielding a knife. Dou Zhao grips his knife handle tightly, his eyes devoid of surprise. If Jiang Wang did not possess such strength, how could he possibly match him in this arena?

Almost instantly, a splendid golden light spreads outwards with him as its center. Like a stone falling into a clear ripple, the still mirror suddenly ripples slightly, the ripples expanding with extreme speed. If Jiang Wang has a spiritual domain, how could Dou Zhao not? And it is the Dou War Spiritual Domain, the most suitable for him, and the most skilled in killing!

To the onlookers outside the arena, the Dou War Spiritual Domain, with a radius of eight hundred zhang, is clearly encroached upon by the fire domain. The disparity in spiritual sense between the two is reflected in the range of their spiritual domains. But the collision between the two spiritual domains does not so quickly determine victory or defeat. As both sides’ spiritual senses spread, they borrow the rules of their respective domains, clashing like a thousand armies. Different rules continuously touch, collide, and perish. Both sides’ spiritual domains are greatly suppressed.

The Flame Flower Burning City naturally also loses the benefits of the fire domain. In this kind of frantic consumption of spiritual domains, Dou Zhao’s entire body shines with violent golden light. He merely wipes his long knife with one hand, already cleaving Jiang Wang, sword and all. Then his knife momentum shifts, striking vertically before him, like a general on a battlefield, charging alone into a thousand armies. At this moment, his blade light is incomparably sharp, his entire body permeated with killing and blood aura, as if ready to decide life and death with his enemy at any moment.

This is a military technique, the Loulan Breaking Formation Knife! It is worth mentioning that this portion of the knife technique was created by a military grandmaster who witnessed the Duke of Loulan of the Qi Country break a formation. That grandmaster never forgot the heroic posture of the Duke of Loulan and even performed a divine tour of the battlefield after the war ended, thus creating this knife. That a military school would specifically create a portion of a knife technique for him reveals a glimpse of how powerful the Duke of Loulan was in his time. Of course, this part of the knife technique cannot remain in the Qi Country, and most of his personal history has also been erased. Although it has been less than twenty years since his military defeat and death, contemporary discussions of his achievements have long since become unclear.

It’s not just the Qi court whose history is unclear, nor is it just the Duke of Loulan. This Loulan Breaking Formation Knife is exceedingly ferocious, often embodying the spirit of “I alone against all enemies.”

However, at this moment, the Flame Flower Burning City has already crashed down. Jiang Wang, who was just repelled, has again struck vertically with his sword. Trapped within the fire domain by the Flame Flower Burning City, Jiang Wang naturally will not give him an opportunity to evade. If he were to simply raise the city like Zhong Li Yan earlier, that would provide Jiang Wang with ample space for unrestrained attack. It can be said that Jiang Wang’s seemingly easy retreat earlier was precisely to trap Dou Zhao in this dilemma of retreating or advancing. His grasp of the battle rhythm is top-notch, just as he easily suppressed Zhong Li Yan earlier.

Good Dou Zhao! He fundamentally does not choose within the dilemma Jiang Wang presents. He surges forth with the momentum of the Breaking Formation Knife, his body advancing vertically, wrapped in a dense killing and blood aura, directly crashing into the interior of the Flame City! Hence, the old dream of the city, the flame flowers burning like fire. He precisely breaks into the most lethal position of the Flame Flower Burning City. This kind of seemingly thoughtless choice, entering a place of certain death, is something only a true strongman dares to do. What kind of confidence allows him to step into the core of this super-grade technique?

The smoke and fire of humanity, fueled by dreams. This concrete and microscopic Flame City is thus displayed before Dou Zhao, taking him to experience that small city already trapped within the gap between two realms. This is something so familiar to Jiang Wang, and so strange to Dou Zhao.

The killing aura and blood aura are continuously burned, turning into black smoke that curls upwards and dissipates. A man as brilliant as the rising sun strides in large steps within this small city. All the pedestrians and carriages along the way have turned into flames, regardless of everything, rolling towards him. The long streets and small alleys, the wine houses and tea stalls, are all devouring flames!

He alone confronts this flame city, rushing forward all the way, chopping all the way. He swings this set of Loulan Breaking Formation Knife, killing until the flame light scatters in all directions. At this moment, a flash of green clothes appears. Jiang Wang also follows closely behind, killing into the interior of the Flame City.

Why would Dou Zhao be willing to battle with him within the Flame City? Jiang Wang urgently pursues from behind, while he urgently rushes vertically, instantly chopping four styles continuously. For the monarch! The monarch must remember! A thousand autumns of industry! The people do not return! The violent knife intent directly explodes! The blood-colored knife light is like a tornado and a raging storm, sweeping across the vast Flame City.

Suddenly, it seems like a general spurring his horse and holding his knife horizontally before the formation, two riders clashing, standing to decide life and death. Suddenly, it’s like a strong man drinking strong wine, moreover beheading an enemy for a promise. Suddenly, it’s like mountains roaring and seas surging, horses trampling connected camps, beheading generals and seizing flags for great merit. Suddenly, it’s like being trapped in the middle of a formation of ten thousand armies, killing until one’s body is covered in blood, unable to see anyone before or behind.

One person alone, actually chops out the momentum of a thousand armies entering an enemy city. The raging storm rolls violently, the ferocious knife energy chopping this city into broken walls and ruins.

Amidst the boundless flowing fire, Dou Zhao, shining with golden light all over, rushes upwards towards the sky. He escapes the Flame City one step ahead of Jiang Wang. Yet he turns back again! At this moment, he is high up, looking down. His entire body’s killing aura also ignites with flame light. His body is of blood and fire, like a blood-colored angry dragon wearing flames, rolling across the heavens to punish and descend. This knife is precisely the Loulan Breaking Formation: Burning Heaven’s Wrath!

To use fire to chop fire, what kind of arrogance is this? It is simply too Dou Zhao! In this level of confrontation, neither side can afford any superfluous actions. Every step must create battle value. Otherwise, it is simply a failure. At this moment, Jiang Wang has just now rolled the boundless remnant flames of the Flame Flower Burning City onto his body, using this remnant flame to fill the fire domain and strengthen the suppression of the Dou War Spiritual Domain. At the same time, he presses out with one hand, the Eight Winds Dragon Tiger!

He has cultivated the Eight Winds secret technique in the Jixia Academy, especially in his exchanges with Instructor Lu Xiang Qing, raising seven types of wind except for Buzhou Wind to a certain realm. The Eight Winds have achieved a certain degree of balance, and Buzhou Wind has even been completely integrated. Only then did this secret technique inherited from the old Yang truly achieve liberation. This is the so-called Eight Winds Dragon Tiger.

All secret techniques that involve clamping and binding, unless crossing realms, are generally very difficult to truly bind an opponent. Because preventing oneself from being clamped is an effort every cultivator must make. In an instant change battle, even a little hesitation can change the direction of the battle. If someone is bound for one or two breaths, life and death are already decided. Where can there still be a possibility of victory? The greatest battle value of this class of secret techniques is usually manifested in the opponent having to expend enormous power to resist it. Hence, in battle, it is often a means to seize the initiative.

Even though the Dragon Tiger secret technique has been deduced to the level of Eight Winds Dragon Tiger, it still had no possibility of success against the Divine Arrival realm warrior Zhong Li Yan. But using it on Dou Zhao, he must respond. This is a difference in paths, and not related to strength. Both sides’ grasp of the battle timing can be called exquisite. With a kind of unspeakable tacit understanding, at the same opportunity, they simultaneously unleash a killing blow. Dou Zhao’s body is protected by the Dou War Golden Body outside and the Other Shore Golden Bridge inside. Originally, he should be firm and unmoving.

But the Eight Winds Dragon Tiger of today has completely introduced Buzhou Wind, transforming from a pure binding secret technique into a super-grade technique attached with terrifying killing intent. Even though he was completely invulnerable, at this moment, he couldn’t help but turn his knife to the northwest. If the killing-life nail was nailed down, it would surely turn invulnerability into vulnerability. This strike of Burning Heaven’s Wrath thus deviates, sweeping away the surrounding Eight Winds.

Good opportunity! Jiang Wang charges vertically with his sword amidst the remnant flames. Between his chest and abdomen, five wheels of blazing light shine. Thus, with red eyes and a wandering sword, the Frost Coat unfolds in the wind, and the Sword Immortal descends to the human world again!

On the viewing platform, Huang She Li’s beautiful eyes are already sparkling. At first, she admitted that the shaking and displaying Dou Zhao was extremely charming, making her very much want to forgive him. At this moment, she only regrets not descending to the field to assist Jiang Wang, fighting alongside him and severely defeating their opponent.

Boundless waves of flame roar. The green-clothed Sword Immortal, with fire as his mountain, directly pushes the absolute peak, tilting his sword! At the moment when the fire domain suppresses the Dou War Spiritual Domain, the roaring sword energy rolls up the remnant fire, turning the flame mountain into a red sword, breaking through all barriers, and directly crashing into Dou Zhao’s side waist.

Dou Zhao is high in the air, yet he twists his waist and brings up his arm, gripping the Sky Hero Knife for a reverse pull—he has also accurately calculated that Jiang Wang will not let go of this opportunity. Simultaneously with sweeping away the Eight Winds, he has already made preparations. That killing aura and blood aura are completely swept away, and the knife momentum instantly changes. The wrath of Burning Heaven has already calmed. He is absolutely unwilling to use it a second time, allowing Jiang Wang to see through its root.

At this moment, this knife is like a fish leaping up the dragon gate, seeing the vastness of the sea and the sky. That kind of “I alone against all enemies” sharpness has been wiped away. In its place, is a kind of brightness and weight. This knife momentum, intent, is majestic to the extreme.

One knife chops down. One sees mountains and rivers stretching out, like a dragon crouching. Rivers for ten thousand miles, seemingly pouring like silver. There are too many stories that have occurred on this land. The grandeur of history relies on mountains and rivers!

This is a top-tier knife technique of the Confucian school, the Nine Hills. The Nine Hills refers to the ambition of the mountains and rivers of the nine provinces! Jiang Wang’s Great Zhou Heaven image condensed in the Zhou Heaven Realm is precisely heaven, earth, and man. In his humble state at lower realms, he also used this to turn his sword, creating the concept of the very grand Heaven, Earth, and Man Three Swords. At that time, of course, it was only an empty form, obtaining only a slight intent, only showing fierceness in low-level battles. Later, after experiencing much, seeing the various forms of humanity, turning out old generals in their later years, famous scholars who have fallen, young, light-headed individuals, etc., these human path sword styles, he only then truly carved out this “human” character. And later, in grasping the path, moving the Seven Stars Sacred Building, chopping out that one sword that brought winter to the world, he only then barely managed to embody the “heaven” character. As for the “earth” character, although he occasionally obtained glimpses, it has never truly formed completely.

While the knife technique Dou Zhao displays at this moment is precisely the true mountain and river knife. Confucian scholars travel ten thousand miles, walk through a thousand mountains, experience the vicissitudes of life, only then knowing the infinite inclusivity and vastness of the mountains and rivers of the earth. Thus, they formed the book “Nine Hills,” and thus this Nine Hills knife technique came into being.

At this moment, on this Azure Teeth Platform, a scene of extreme display is occurring. Red and gold, green and red. So opposing, yet unified. Amidst the infinite splendid light and flames, two human figures separate and then clash again. Sky Hero and Dragon Scale Staff clang against each other. The clouds at the edge of the sky also open! The air ceases to flow for it.

This martial arts platform, capable of bearing battles of the Divine Arrival realm, sees cracks like spider webs continuously spreading across its ground bricks. Thus, ten thousand miles of mountains and rivers collide against the bending of a heavenly pillar!