99: Sword of the Thief: Hell

Zhao Xiao was immensely pleased with himself; looking back over the past million years, only a handful of powerhouses had managed to unify a hundred domains, and today, he, Zhao Xiao, was about to make history.

Just then,

He caught a glimpse of the bones scattered across the mountains and plains, which reminded him of the real matter at hand.

“My virtuous brother, tell me, who did this? I’ll tear him into ten thousand pieces!” Zhao Xiao asked through gritted teeth.

Cao Nie’s lips curled into a playful smile: “I killed them.”

“What?!” Zhao Xiao’s pupils contracted sharply, thinking he had misheard: “Say that again.”

He stared intently at Cao Nie, unwilling to believe it.

This mountain of corpses and sea of blood was clearly the work of a demonic cultivator, yet Cao Nie didn’t have a trace of demonic energy on him.

Cao Nie stood with his hands behind his back, stepping through the air towards Zhao Xiao, slowly saying: “Your son asked me why I killed him before he died, and I said…”

He deliberately drew out his words: “I’ve taken a fancy to your woman, and your father’s women—none of them will escape.”

“You’re courting death!!!”

Zhao Xiao instantly erupted in rage, his spiritual energy surging wildly, and the Ninth-Rank Spiritual Sword in his hand burst forth with dazzling cold light, cleaving down towards Cao Nie’s head.

“Boom!”

The ten-thousand-foot sword light unleashed by the Ninth-Rank Spiritual Sword tore through the sky, and the space within a ten-thousand-mile radius once again turned into nothingness.

The surrounding Asking Dao Realm cultivators retreated, fearing to be caught in the aftermath.

“With this sword strike, this person won’t even find his bones!” someone exclaimed.

Facing this world-destroying sword strike, Cao Nie neither dodged nor avoided, his steps unwavering, merely condensing a blood-gold protective shield around himself.

“Boom!”

The ten-thousand-foot sword light struck the protective shield, emitting a world-shaking clang of metal.

Terrifying aftershocks spread out.

Dozens of nearby domains trembled along with it.

Innumerable living beings near Heaven Sword Manor died or were injured.

When the sword light dissipated, Cao Nie’s figure reappeared, completely unharmed.

The observing Asking Dao Realm cultivators were greatly alarmed.

“How is this possible? He’s unharmed.”

“Who is this person? The Sword Master calls him virtuous brother, yet he’s even more terrifying than the Sword Master.”

“This defense should be comparable to a Tribulation Extinction Realm expert of the third or fourth layer. The Sword Master is in danger.”

Zhao Xiao was equally shocked.

This sword strike, if not at full power, was at least seventy to eighty percent of it.

“Zhao Xiao, your attack is too weak; it can’t even break Cao Family Head’s defense. This sword in your hands is simply a waste of a heavenly treasure.”

This sword was crafted with materials like nine nether dark iron, used for refining immortal artifacts.

It was far more terrifying than an ordinary Ninth-Rank Spiritual Sword.

In Zhao Xiao’s hands, it couldn’t even unleash one-tenth of its power.

Zhao Xiao, with murderous intent, raised his sword and charged: “I don’t believe it, again.”

“Again?” Cao Nie’s lips curled into a mocking arc: “Are you worthy?”

Before his words finished, Cao Nie’s figure suddenly vanished.

Zhao Xiao’s pupils contracted sharply, and he instinctively held his sword horizontally to block.

“Clang!”

A deafening explosion echoed in all directions, and the Ninth-Rank Spiritual Sword vibrated violently, the runes flowing on its blade instantly dimming.

Zhao Xiao himself was sent flying backward, smashing through ten mountain peaks consecutively before finally stopping.

He coughed up a mouthful of fresh blood, horrified to find that his right arm, which held the sword, was twisted and deformed, its bones shattered inch by inch.

“This… how is this possible!” Zhao Xiao’s voice trembled; he couldn’t even withstand a single move.

The Asking Dao Realm cultivators watching from a distance gasped: “He withstood a Ninth-Rank Spiritual Sword bare-handed?!”

Void Yangzi and Yu Huatian exchanged glances.

Both saw a hint of pleasant surprise in each other’s eyes.

If Zhao Xiao died,

Then no one in the nearby hundred domains would be able to suppress them.

As for Cao Nie, in their opinion, with such heaven-defying talent, he probably wouldn’t bother to rule within these hundred domains.

Such a prodigy should head to the nearby thousand domains; only there would he truly shine.

Cao Nie stepped through the air, each step causing blood-gold ripples to spread through the void.

He examined the Ninth-Rank Spiritual Sword with interest: “nine nether dark iron truly lives up to its reputation; it’s a good sword indeed.”

Zhao Xiao’s face was contorted with rage, and he suddenly bit his tongue, spitting a mouthful of essence blood onto the sword: “With my essence blood, I sacrifice this sword to slay the demon!”

The Ninth-Rank Spiritual Sword immediately burst forth with brilliant blood-red light, and the runes on its blade re-illuminated.

Zhao Xiao laughed wildly as he swung his sword: “Die!”

A blood-red sword beam, spanning heaven and earth, cleaved out, and wherever it passed, space collapsed inch by inch!

“Merely a futile struggle.” Cao Nie snorted coldly, forming his right hand into a claw and grabbing at the air.

“Boom!”

That world-destroying sword beam was crushed by him!

Before the aftershocks dissipated, Cao Nie had already teleported in front of Zhao Xiao, snatching the Ninth-Rank Spiritual Sword from his hand.

“Good sword.”

Cao Nie gently stroked the sword’s body, and the violently trembling spiritual sword immediately quieted down, emitting a humming sound of submission.

The blood-red runes on the sword gradually transformed into blood-gold, actively recognizing him as its master!

Cao Nie smiled: “From now on, you shall be… Nether Prison.”

The sword trembled slightly, as if cheering.

Zhao Xiao was dumbfounded.

He couldn’t unleash the sword’s full power because it didn’t truly belong to him.

Who would have thought that in the blink of an eye, the sword would actively recognize a new master.

“No, Cao Nie, I want you dead.” Zhao Xiao pulled out a communication talisman from somewhere and crushed it.

“Boom!”

A massive rift tore open in the sky.

Terrifying pressure instantly enveloped a hundred-thousand-mile radius, making even the air viscous.

A black-robed middle-aged man slowly walked out of the rift; with each step, sword qi lotus platforms automatically condensed beneath his feet.

“Zhao Xiao, why have you summoned me?” The man’s voice was cold, looking down on everything.

Upon seeing the newcomer, Zhao Xiao immediately burst into wild laughter: “Nine Firmaments Sword Saint! The favor I did you by giving you that sword back then, now is the time to repay it! Kill this little beast for me!”

Nine Firmaments Sword Saint’s gaze swept towards Cao Nie, and when he saw the blood-gold glowing spiritual sword in his hand, his pupils contracted sharply.

As a Sword Saint, he could tell at a glance the extraordinary nature of this sword.

The runes flowing on the sword were tens of times more profound than those on the Ninth-Rank Spiritual Sword in his own hand!

“Alright.” Nine Firmaments Sword Saint said coldly: “However, the sword in his hand belongs to me.”

“If you can snatch it, it’s naturally yours.” Zhao Xiao agreed without hesitation.

As long as Cao Nie died, any price was worth it!

He was now a true Artifact Emperor; as long as he had materials, he could always refine another one.

“Young man, hand over this sword, and I, this Sword Saint, will leave you a complete corpse.” Nine Firmaments Sword Saint looked down at Cao Nie from above.

Cao Nie gently stroked the sword, muttering: “To slay a Tribulation Extinction Realm fifth-layer, how many sword strikes do you need?”

He poured all the laws within him into it, and the Nether Prison Sword burst forth with brilliant blood-gold light.

“Clang!”

The sword vibrated violently, actively breaking free from Cao Nie’s control, transforming into a blood-red lightning bolt that shot directly towards Nine Firmaments Sword Saint.

“Pfft!”

The sharp sword pierced through his chest, bringing forth a spray of blood mist.

Before anyone could react, the Nether Prison Sword had already rushed into the spatial rift and disappeared.

The entire scene was dead silent!

Everyone’s eyes widened, their jaws nearly dropping to the ground.

“This… this…” Zhao Xiao’s face was pale, his legs involuntarily trembling.

Only then did everyone realize.

Nine Firmaments Sword Saint’s figure gradually became illusory, finally transforming into a wisp of sword light that dissipated into the air.

“It was a sword qi clone!”

At the same time,

Above a mountain range three hundred and sixty-five domains away,

Two Tribulation Extinction Realm fifth-layer powerhouses were engaged in a fierce battle, their terrifying power rendering the surrounding ten thousand miles into nothingness.

Suddenly, a blood-red sword light shot down from above them.

In a blink of an eye, it pierced through one of the individuals’ bodies.

The other person, who was accumulating power, suddenly saw this scene and shivered in fright.

The blood-red sword light tore through space and vanished directly, and Nine Firmaments Sword Saint, who he was battling, fell straight down.

He looked in the direction where the blood-red sword light disappeared, feeling cold sweat trickle down his back.

“Which senior is that? To be able to cross hundreds of Dao Domains and slay a Tribulation Extinction Realm fifth-layer existence with a single sword.”