Unlike his daughter’s near-stubborn conviction, Ye Lingxiao didn’t actually believe Jiang Wang had any chance of survival. Wenren Shen had no reason to deceive him, and the Great Qi Military God’s personal assault through Frostwind Valley to attack South Heaven City, yet returning empty-handed save for the declaration of Jiang Wang’s death, only solidified this belief.

But why, then, did he still agree to bring Ye Qingyu here? Why did he indulge her faint glimmer of hope, even taking her onto the battlefield?

Beyond confirming Jiang Wang’s fate, it was for this very moment.

Ye Qingyu, having grown up in the confines of the Lingxiao Secret Realm, accustomed to luxury and untouched by hardship, was about to face a stark reality.

The prerequisite for the Pluck Cloud Seal divine ability was twofold: first, “no heart-fate,” and second, the inability to bear the karma of killing.

Had Ye Qingyu never killed before?

Before venturing deep into Chi Cloud Mountain, she had barely seen blood.

The time she had quietly slipped away to temper herself, with Ah Chou secretly following, and the minor dangers encountered at Jade Balance Peak in Three Mountains City – in Ye Qingyu’s previous life, that counted as hardship.

He, Ye Lingxiao, a Divine Arrival expert with the qualifications to aspire to the realm of Sword Immortals like Fengqi, naturally understood the trials required to forge a strong practitioner.

One who, like Jiang Wang, bore heavy karma and constantly walked the knife-edge of life and death, would naturally experience astonishing growth.

But as a father, he was naturally reluctant to subject his daughter to such perils.

Since ancient times, the greatest strong practitioners had emerged from the crucible of wind and frost, honing their edge between life and death.

Yet, of those so-called young geniuses who embarked on this path, how many, out of ten thousand, truly reached the pinnacle?

Walking the cliff edge was indeed a path to strength, but countless others plunged into the abyss.

He desired, as much as possible, to meticulously plan a smooth and steady path for his daughter’s growth, ensuring her safety. Even necessary dangers and hardships would remain within his control.

Absolutely, under no circumstances, would he allow his daughter to be in genuine peril.

Regarding the tempering required for cultivation:

Possessing the top-tier divine ability, Cloud Seal, with her innate immortal bones, Ye Qingyu’s path was already near the Great Dao. Having cultivated to the Outer Tower realm, it was time for her to confront life and death, to truly understand their meaning.

And there was no environment more brutal than a battlefield, no time more agonizing than the eternal loss of a loved one.

With True Monarchs and Heavenly Demons like Zuo Xiao, Jiang Mengxiong, Ape Immortal Court, Zhu Yi, and Qi Guanying participating, the battle for South Heaven City had almost reached the limit of what humanity and demonkind could bear.

Further escalation had little room to grow. Initiating a full-blown blood war between the two races was something both sides were unable to tolerate.

Hence, while seemingly perilous, this place was, in fact, relatively safe.

In the situation of True Monarchs and Heavenly Demons mutually restraining each other, he had absolute confidence in thoroughly protecting his daughter.

He brought Ye Qingyu to the battlefield, encouraged her stubbornness, told her she could try to find Jiang Wang, but warned her not to let the demon race detect her true purpose. It was precisely under these circumstances that his obedient daughter, who usually avoided worldly conflicts, would exert her utmost effort in participating in the war. She would rapidly absorb the military strategies and combat techniques she had only studied on paper and truly grasp the meaning of life and death.

To seek yet not find, to think yet not see, was, of course, a source of

Pain. To search for a lost soul in the territory of the deceased was, of course, torment.

But he could only watch in silence.

And he channeled his sorrow, his anguish, all of it, into unleashing his fury upon the demon race who had trampled through South Heaven City!

This was a father’s cruelty, and also a father’s tenderness.

The battle outside South Heaven City was, in fact, something neither side had fully anticipated.

Compared to the massive battlefields where the two races clashed, the scale of the Wu Nan battlefield was considerably smaller.

The confrontation between Wu An City and South Heaven City was originally intended to be a protracted process. A war was inevitable, but its scale was meant to be kept within certain bounds.

That war was more of a strategic maneuver for a long-term standoff, allowing both sides to maintain a degree of tacit understanding and clarify the acceptable intensity of hostilities.

However, the constant influx of various strong practitioners into Wu An City, coupled with the sudden assault by Zuo Xiao and Jiang Mengxiong, completely altered the war’s trajectory.

From the outset, the demon race on this battlefield was at an absolute disadvantage!

They were fundamentally unprepared for a war of this intensity – even the likes of Jiang Mengxiong hadn’t anticipated it, so how could they have been prepared?

Heavenly Demon Qi Guanying, in a desperate move, joined the battle, rescuing Zhu Yi from the brink of death. However, the other True Demons and armies were not quick to converge.

The gate of South Heaven City was breached by Ye Lingxiao alone, yet the human army did not immediately pour in. Instead, under Wenren Shen’s command, they engaged in a fierce strangulation of the demon race’s vital forces just outside the city walls.

The Annihilate Thunder Army was stalled by the Iron Cage Army, and the Great Qi provincial soldiers also met with firm resistance.

But the mere three hundred Cangtu Divine Cavalry were at this moment rampaging across the battlefield, like a sharp blade plunged into the flesh of cattle and sheep. Wherever they passed, none could stand in their way.

Zhao Rucheng, wearing a bronze ghost mask, was simply a descending god of slaughter.

Queqiao Immortal Gengjin Sword Qi, Small Wuxiang Pluck Flower Sword Finger, Garuda Break Array Sword Finger, Tianya Wumai Qi Sword Technique Nine Tribulations Cave Immortal Finger!

His ten fingers danced like threading butterflies, and demon race warriors fell in batches.

In contrast, Helian Yuyun, the Great Mu Imperial Princess, remained low-key, quietly following by Zhao Rucheng’s side, her long whip cracking as she checked for gaps and filled in weaknesses.

Of course, she was also secretly operating a secret technique, seeking out that third brother Jiang without a trace.

With Bai Yuxia’s discerning eye for prodigies, he greatly admired Zhao Rucheng’s strength. The participants in the main matches of the Yellow River Meeting and the Four Strongest players, with the passage of time, had seen the gap between them widen even further.

This was naturally the case. Because no one stood still, and their talent was already apparent at the View River Platform. Naturally, the longer they cultivated, the larger the gap became.

Generally speaking, this kind of rapidly widening gap would slow down before the Divine Arrival realm, the checkpoint known as the “heaven and human barrier.” The Divine Arrival barrier presented a good opportunity for latecomers to surpass others.

History was not devoid of prodigies who soared in the Inner Mansion and Outer Tower realms, only to suffer for hundreds of years before the Divine Arrival barrier, ultimately turning into dust and bones.

But for prodigies like Jiang Wang, Dou Zhao, and Chong Xuan Zun, for whom the Divine Arrival realm was not an obstacle, it posed no problem. Perhaps it would not be until the barrier between the Cave World and the True World that latecomers would have a chance to close the distance.

That Jiang Wang, an Inner Mansion champion, could challenge the strongest in the Outer Tower realm, and Lü Fei, among the eight strong, could contend with the two strongest, were relatively rare occurrences – Miao Pei could fight Zhang Linchuan for a thousand bouts without falling…

Let’s set aside Miao Pei fighting Zhang Linchuan for a thousand bouts without falling for now. Lü Fei’s ability to contend with Zhang Linchuan without falling meant he was at least a strong Divine Arrival practitioner.

The Cangtu Divine Cavalry was the foremost among the Heavenly Cavalry Armies. Zhao Rucheng was invincible, Helian Yuyun’s abilities were hard to gauge, and furthermore, the contemporary True Person, Helian Xiaohu, anchored their formation.

This leg was truly thick. Bai Yuxia held on exceptionally tightly.

However, leading his troops to follow the Cangtu Divine Cavalry closely wasn’t just about tailing them.

A racial war of this scale was the best possible tempering ground.

Relying on his excellent overall vision and keen battlefield instincts, Bai Yuxia led this hundred-strong elite cavalry detachment of guards, periodically penetrating the complex battlefield, like a cold knife plunging into the demon armies, drawing blood.

Whenever there was a tendency to get entangled, he would immediately lead his men back towards the Cangtu Divine Cavalry.

Using the formidable Helian Xiaohu as a mobile stronghold, they moved near and far, near and far, engaging in near-limit battlefield drills, tempering this hundred-strong Wu An guard unit, and sharpening his own cultivation.

As a guest, he would exert himself for the Wu An Marquis Manor.

As himself, he would exert himself for Bai Yuxia.

Regardless of whether Jiang Wang was still alive.

At the View River Platform in the 3919th year of the Dao Calendar, he had aimed for Yue Country to achieve every victory honorably.

At the end of the 3921st year of the Dao Calendar, he had already left Yue Country, fighting in the Heavenly Prison for the Great Qi Wu An Marquis, and fighting for himself.

Perhaps luck was against him, perhaps Heaven posed an obstruction. But how could one of his generation, seeking their own path, be stopped?

He turned and approached a cat-race warrior, engaging in hundreds of sword exchanges in an instant before cutting him down. Fresh blood dripped onto the frost-covered blade as Bai Yuxia fell back onto his horse, mobilizing his army formation once more.

Suddenly, a booming sound echoed from the front!

Looking up, he saw a dog-race Demon King approaching with the speed of wind and lightning.

Bai Yuxia raised his hand, unleashing several sword qi seals to block its path, and further utilizing Dao techniques as a barrier. Without hesitation, he led his army in retreat, moving closer to the Cangtu Divine Cavalry.

In this war, he had already become extremely proficient in this tactic.

No, it was two Demon Kings. Another Demon King was approaching from the front left!

Perhaps the performance of this hundred-strong unit had been too disruptive to the demon race. In such a tense battlefield, they still dispatched two Demon Kings to annihilate them.

Bai Yuxia’s sword intent was fully roused. Feeling the undisguised killing intent of his opponents, his heart remained completely calm.

With True Person Helian present, no matter how many Demon Kings appeared, they would not pose a threat. In fact, they might even become military merit!

On the battlefield, it was always the big fish eating the small fish, and the big fish being eaten by even bigger fish.

Now, it was merely a change of roles. Acting as bait, how could that be a difficult matter?

Bai Yuxia instantly gathered the soldier evil, his hundred-strong, well-trained army formation connecting men and horses into a long dragon, immediately rolling towards the Cangtu Divine Cavalry –

True Person Helian, save me!

But the roaring army formation stopped mid-air. Bai Yuxia’s confusion and shock were fully reflected in the violently swirling soldier evil.

Where was True Person Helian?

Just as Bai Yuxia led his army in retreat, sending his formation flying through the air, he saw, to his astonishment, a massive hand with dazzling golden hair suddenly reaching out from the void, rumbling down – it slapped the rising rush of golden flames that was Helian Xiaohu, sending him to the edge of the sky, his fate unknown!

That massive hand fell like the dome of the sky, like the earth overturning, encompassing the boundless universe, suppressing all living beings.

A contemporary True Person, vanished without a trace!

Witnessing the powerful leg he had just embraced being swept off the battlefield like this, Bai Yuxia found it difficult not to question life itself!

He had just taken on the Wu An Marquis Manor’s position, and the Wu An Marquis was gone.

He had just embraced True Person Helian’s powerful leg, and True Person Helian was gone too!

What was going on?

From any perspective, there was no reason for Helian Xiaohu to have met with an accident.

As a True Person of the Great Mu Empire’s imperial family, representing the foundation of the “Heavenly Family” Helian clan, Helian Xiaohu’s strength was absolutely formidable. He was also a battlefield veteran, having led King-rank cavalry units. In this battlefield where humanity held the advantage, he wasn’t like True Person Ye, rampaging and crashing into the enemy city alone.

Instead, he had remained quite low-key within the three hundred-strong Cangtu Divine Cavalry, his sole focus throughout the process being the safety of the Great Mu Princess, Helian Yuyun.

Such a contemporary True Person, what reason could there be for an accident?

But *precisely* Helian Xiaohu, before Bai Yuxia’s very eyes, was struck by a single slap until his form vanished!

In extreme shock and bewilderment, Bai Yuxia instinctively gathered the soldier evil, sweeping his hundred-strong army through the air, a dragon turning its head mid-flight, engaging in a fleeting exchange with the pursuing dog demon, and fleeing for his life!

“Cangqing’s eyes, hehehe…”

From the void, a series of majestic laughs rang out.

That massive hand with dazzling golden hair, after effortlessly flicking away the attempting block by Helian Xiaohu, merely lightly tore outwards, as if tearing off a layer of window paper, directly ripping open the void!

Upon which, a majestic golden-armored lion-race figure stood in plain sight.

His physique was towering, like a mountain peak. His face was broad and square, his eyes a deep, deep purple, his golden hair fluttering like burning flames.

He stood in the void, yet he was like a new golden sun.

Nearly infinite light and heat, along with his boundless majesty, spread outwards.

In the vicinity of his golden flames,

Regardless of whether they were human or demon, large numbers of mounts successively wailed and knelt, and many warriors thus prostrated themselves.

The situation on the Wu Nan battlefield was completely reversed! Heavenly Demon Shi Anxuan had appeared!

He was the “old lion” spoken of by the Ape Immortal Court.

Shi Shanhui, ranked ninth among the “New Kings of the Heavenly List,” was his direct bloodline.

As a peak strong practitioner of the demon race, participating in a racial war was not an uncommon occurrence.

However, for him not to join the large-scale battle between Heavenly Demons and True Monarchs, and instead come to the battlefield to display his might, was truly a case of a large bully picking on a small one, like an elephant walking into an ant colony.

Without a Heavenly Strong Army of at least one hundred thousand, aided by a Soldier Dao True Person leading, it was utterly impossible to intercept a Heavenly Demon.

Derive Dao was the absolute peak of the super凡, and a Heavenly Demon at the same level as a Derive Dao cultivator was, in a certain sense, “Heaven”!

Strong as the contemporary True Person Helian Xiaohu, he could not withstand a single blow, being sent flying with one slap.

And even with a strong practitioner like Helian Xiaohu, who expended all his strength to unleash a rising rush of golden flames to block, the only military achievement gained was a brief respite for Helian Yuyun. It allowed her and Zhao Rucheng to gather the army formation, integrate the strength of the Cangtu Divine Cavalry,

And quickly escape into the distance.

But before a Heavenly Demon, how far was truly far?

Before appearing, Shi Anxuan seemed very interested in Helian Yuyun’s eyes. But after magnificently stepping out of the void in his golden armor, he did not even glance in that direction, only suddenly opening his mouth!

His target was the entire battlefield, all the warriors outside South Heaven City, even those he couldn’t distinguish between human and demon!

So, where Helian Yuyun fled was irrelevant. What did Cangqing’s eyes matter, what did the soldier armor, warriors, horses, and equipment matter? Ten li, a hundred li, a thousand li – all would be swallowed in a single gulp!

The majestic King’s mouth transformed into a gaping maw, a blood basin of foul wind.

This mouth was terrifying beyond measure.

Its jaw scraping the ground, its teeth propping up the sky!

Shi Anxuan’s fangs were ferocious, like sky-supporting pillars. As they extended to their limit, all sounds disappeared, all light vanished. Heaven and earth fell into absolute silence, absolute darkness.

Even in the chaotic battlefield where Zuo Xiao and Jiang Mengxiong fought with the Heavenly Demons, no more movement could be transmitted.

It was as if he had swallowed heaven and the world in a single gulp!

Suddenly, all light vanished, and a raging wind rolled. Infinite power descended.

All warriors, regardless of whether they were human or demon, had their “footing” torn away. Their bodies were uncontrollably lifted into the air. And their shock, their roars, their howls, were all silent!

In a certain moment, within this absolute silence, a thunder-like explosion of air suddenly resounded.

Boom boom! Boom boom!

But even such intense sound was unable to shake this doomsday darkness, this world-ending quiet. Instead, the thunder seemed to ring, emphasizing the deathly silence of heaven and earth at this moment.

The more vibrant the life force, the more cruel and cold the death. The more forceful the struggle, the more brilliant the destruction.

Zuo Xiao was not present, Jiang Mengxiong was obstructed. At this moment, Heavenly Demon Shi Anxuan was absolutely an invincible existence sweeping across the battlefield. With a single gulp, he could swallow heaven and earth, extinguishing countless lives!

But just at this moment, two streaks of knife light appeared.

No, they were not knife lights.

They were merely two extremely sharp, extremely sharp intents, gazes that made people feel as if they were being cut by a knife edge!

Guided by these gazes, a figure appeared within that heaven-swallowing maw.

Did he exist because he was seen, or was it because his existence demanded to be seen, thus focusing him within people’s vision?

It was unclear!

But light had already appeared, and the battlefield returned to its clamor. The sealed world had reopened. The floating warriors regained their senses, re-established their connection with heaven and earth, and could land.

And where all gazes converged, people saw only a single figure. He wore an ordinary hat, an ordinary raincoat, a pair of ordinary straw shoes. His body was unadorned, even his back was extremely ordinary. He quietly hovered before Shi Anxuan, facing the Heavenly Demon, his back to the thousand armies and ten thousand horses.

Everything about him was ordinary, save for his knife!

He held it reversed, horizontally in front of him, yet it remained sheathed.

Clearly still in its sheath, yet without an edge revealed…

Exposed, yet relentlessly impacting the knife sheath. Like a demonic beast, confined in a prison, emitting bloodthirsty roars!

With this sheathed knife, he dared to block Shi Anxuan.

With this sheathed knife, he sealed Shi Anxuan’s blood basin of a mouth.

Such a human knife practitioner.

The entire demon realm, the entire civilized world, possessed only one.

The True Monarch of Qin, the Knife Maniac, Qin Changsheng!

One gulp opens the Heavenly Gate, seeking to swallow ten thousand soldiers. One with a long and renowned life, holds his knife horizontally, sealing this door.