Chapter 424: Do You Want to Join a Guild?

Almost everyone witnessed the terrifying sword force in the sky, churning with rolling waves of clouds as it roared down from the highest heavens, while Fang Qi was still mid-taunt.

Immediately following, that surging power, akin to the celestial river bursting its banks, completely submerged his entire being.

Witnessing this, Nangong Jiuwen could not help but sneer; even if Fang Qi's recent transformation had been somewhat peculiar, he no longer cared in the slightest, for in his eyes, Fang Qi was already a dead man.

In his estimation, even if a true immortal were to descend upon the world, they could not save the Fang Qi currently enveloped by this horrific sword light.

A look of sheer gratification finally spread across his face.

Meanwhile, the others were frozen in utter horror.

"Is he dead?"

Just as this very thought surfaced in everyone's minds, the world, which had been convulsing in a tempestuous upheaval only a moment ago, inexplicably and gradually restored itself to a calm clarity.

That peerlessly terrifying power had passed right through him, yet they discovered a monumentally absurd reality—the young man with white hair and a red trench coat still stood in his original spot, his hands thrust back into his pockets.

"What... happened?!" Several cultivators of the Li family asked, exchanging bewildered glances.

Right at that moment, the terrifying dragon-like sword force, formed from countless sword lights within the array, saw the cataclysmic sea of clouds trailing its tail dissolve away, and then, beginning from the dragon's maw, it began to shatter inch by inch!

Like a row of dominoes, the collapse of the array's core triggered an even greater chain reaction; countless sword lights disintegrated in tandem until, ultimately, only that sword pellet, resembling a dragon pearl, remained.

Then, with a sharp crack, a fracture manifested upon the sword pellet as well.

A second one.

A third one.

A fourth one...

"You... what did you do?!" Never in his life had Nangong Jiuwen experienced such a hair-raising sensation.

What was even more horrifying was that the adversary seemed to have merely stood there all along, having done absolutely nothing, and yet...

The entire Immortal-Slaying Sword Array collapsed!

The formation was violently repelled, and the terrifying force of the backlash instantly swept through every single person maintaining the array!

The hundred elites of the Wentian Sword Palace, whom Nangong Jiuwen had been so proud of moments ago, were swallowed by this dreadful power almost in the blink of an eye, exploding directly into clouds of bloody mist in midair!

Amid his own wretched shrieks, Nangong Jiuwen could do nothing to halt this despairing force; he stared in absolute terror at the man standing calmly upon the flying sword—though the white hair and red coat had already faded, to him, the man still resembled a demon.

He glared deathly at the figure before him: "The Wentian Sword Palace will never let you—"

Boom!

Reduced to fine powder.

A gust of wind blew, leaving behind nothing but a faint scent of blood drifting through the sky.

All the cultivators and warriors watching the livestream at the Jiuhua City shop and the Banbian City shop fell to their knees.

"!? Does anyone know what the boss just did?!"

"Can't see a thing, I only saw the boss pull off a taunt."

"How did he manage that?!"

"Is this the power of a Magic Swordsman?!" Sitting on the sofa and watching the livestream alongside the people of the Nanhua Sect, Shui Xianyun's eyes shone with an immensely thrilled light. "The boss is awesome!"

She cried out instantly, as no amount of refined language could possibly express her current state of mind.

"Eh...?" Yue Yan sat to the side, murmuring softly, "Why is the Grand Elder even more excited than we are?"

Daoist Master Xichi, sitting adjacent, looked thoroughly embarrassed: "Senior Sister... sit down first!"

The enchantress Ning Bi, who possessed half-demon lineage, appeared highly invested in this; sipping her milk tea while staring intently at the large screen, she hastily sent a bullet comment: "Which move did the boss just use? How come we didn't know about it? (Cute)"

She added an emoji along with it; after all, no one would know who sent it anyway.

"Which move?" Boss Fang explained, "I just used a Release, a Perfect Release."

"A Release?!"

"In that split second?!"

One must realize that after the taunt concluded, there was only a fleeting instant where the slightest delay would mean failure; reality was unlike the original game where a single button press sufficed, for now he had to skillfully distribute the power-manipulation techniques of Royal Guard across his entire body in a mere flash.

It could not be a fraction of a second too slow, nor a fraction too fast, for the perfect absorption of energy only existed in the precise moment the technique was flawlessly executed; it was akin to the proverb 'a single surge of morale carries the first strike, weakens with the second, and exhausts with the third.' If there were even a hair's breadth of error in timing or technique execution, a battle of this caliber would surely leave him severely wounded, if not dead.

This was a feat that perhaps only Fang Qi, having fully synchronized with Dante and relying on that absolute pinnacle of strength, could achieve.

The efficacy of utilizing Royal Guard to block and absorb demonic energy over a prolonged duration versus explosively absorbing it via power condensed in a single instant was completely different; with the latter, even an Immortal-Slaying Sword Array of such devastating potency could not harm Fang Qi in the slightest.

Consequently, under the execution of a Perfect Release, the result was a completely unscathed Fang Qi and an instantly shattered Immortal-Slaying Sword Array!

At this moment, Boss Fang flew forward under the utterly horrified gazes of the Li family cultivators: "Uh... let me explain, I'm actually just a passerby who came up to ask for directions."

Boss Fang bore an expression of utmost sincerity, looking entirely harmless to man and beast.

The cultivators of the Li family: "..."

They were completely dumbfounded.

Who on earth asks for directions like this? You charge up and obliterate Nangong Jiuwen along with the entire Immortal-Slaying Sword Array, and then you tell us you just came to ask for directions?!

The elder of the Li family found his aged face twitching, completely at a loss for words.

"Li Lanruo of the Li family thanks Senior for your saving grace." The speaker was a woman clad in a plain white silk gown, possessing an aura as refined as an orchid and features as picturesque as a painting; though currently in distress, she still retained a graceful and elegant demeanor, though it might have scored higher marks if not for the touch of awkwardness on her face.

Boss Fang merely offered a faint nod: "Do you know the way to the Haotian Academy?"

Li Lanruo was startled inwardly: "The Haotian Academy?! Senior intends to go to the Haotian Academy?!"

Fang Qi rejoiced internally; it seemed this 'Haotian Academy' was indeed quite famous if a randomly asked girl knew of it?

But why make such a fuss over going to the Haotian Academy?

Fang Qi spoke up, "Yes, is there a problem?"

"No..." Li Lanruo said awkwardly, "Could it be that Senior also intends to go to the Haotian Academy?"

A look of shock suddenly washed over her pretty face: "You... surely you aren't planning to enroll at the Haotian Academy as a student, right?"

Fang Qi's face darkened: "Do I look like one to you?"

"..." Li Lanruo stole a glance; being so young, he really did look like one...

But if that were truly the case, wouldn't this level of strength be far too terrifying?!

Perhaps he hailed from some supreme, hidden clan.

She spoke with trepidation, "Senior, you have slain so many elites of the Wentian Sword Palace, and that Nangong Jiuwen was their prime disciple, you..."

Boss Fang: "...Can you stop telling me how awesome the Wentian Sword Palace is over and over again? Let me tell you, the Defying Heavenly Online Gaming Guild is what's truly awesome. Do you folks want to join?"

Li Lanruo: "..."

The one-armed elder, Li Wuya: "..."

The other children of the Li family: "..."

This plug was, without a doubt, a perfect score.

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