Chapter 331: Plucking Teeth from a Tiger's Mouth

to maintain the original's tension and urgency.

Chapter 331: Tiger's Mouth Extracting Teeth

The last ancient emperor of the human race, Xuan You, once unified the world, waged wars across the heavens, and subdued all clans, who dared not lift their heads but bowed in submission.

Such was the last brilliance of the human race, before the arrival of the divine spirit's remains.

At that time, any clan that dared to defy the human race's Five Upper Branches would be annihilated by the imperial executioners.

Countless clans and evil cultivators fell to the Five Upper Branches, their numbers beyond tally.

Each of these branches was a force capable of intimidating the heavens and the earth, making all clans tremble.

The Sword Department was one of these Five Upper Branches.

Yet all of this crumbled the moment the divine spirit arrived.

The divine spirit's presence infected all things, causing upheavals in the heavens and the earth, and even the mighty Xuan You could only wither away.

Many a sleeping ancient emperor and sovereign in the Great God Continent was stirred to awaken, yet they could only sigh, powerless to resist.

In the end, they abandoned the Great God Continent, taking their suitable followers to depart.

Some clans left alone, carving out their own sacred lands beyond the Great God Continent.

Most, however, gathered together to forge the sacred land now legendary in the Great God Continent—a sanctuary that, though seemingly distant beyond the skies, was not infinitely far from the Great God Continent.

They used the Great God Continent to lure the divine spirit's attention, developing themselves in safety for countless years.

Yet this was the hardship borne by the remaining clans on the Great God Continent—bearing the trials that should have been shared by all.

Over the ages, the clans on the Great God Continent perished in batches, rebuilding endlessly, their essence now vastly different from the original.

This divergence was the most telling mark.

Though Xuan Qing's path of divergence had little impact on cultivators, it was tied to his sect's nature; the greater the sect's power, the more meticulously they handled divergence.

For smaller sects and ordinary clans, divergence was a decisive factor in life and death.

Even the greatest sects could not fully eradicate divergence within their cultivators, only temporarily suppress it, never truly root it out.

Like a massive hidden danger, a slight oversight could trigger an explosion, causing a cultivator to diverge and become a monster.

For years, various methods to combat divergence had yielded some results, though not entirely eliminating the threat.

While divergence could not be exterminated, the great sects and powers had significantly reduced their risks.

Yet every cultivator understood that this danger—divergence—would forever linger, waiting for someone to possess the ability to ignite it.

This was why Zhulu's arrival shocked the Imperial State.

For the divine spirit's power contained a method to instantly push a cultivator's divergence beyond the critical point, causing immediate divergence and loss of self, turning them into a monster.

But there was no other choice; the path of cultivation in this era demanded perseverance.

Only in the sacred lands or the legendary Emperor's Great Domain could one find a way to purify the body entirely.

Other techniques existed, allowing temporary purity, but within this realm of heaven and earth, even brief purity would be infiltrated by the surrounding spiritual energy.

Thus, being guided to the sacred lands was the deepest dream of countless cultivators.

Yet the sacred lands were lofty and high, accessible only to the great clans with connections to them—connections that stabilized their order and structure.

The human race, the human race's Five Upper Branches—now, in this twilight glow, beneath the bleak earth illuminated by light, the Sword Court acted.

"Human race, still exists!" The middle-aged figure's voice echoed, and the suppression war erupted instantly.

Countless figures flashed from all directions, radiating killing intent toward the Three Spirits' Sacred Mountain.

To become a Sword Court member, one had to be exceptional; now, their murderous aura overwhelmed the city below, where the Three Spirits' disciples dwelled.

The Three Spirits themselves responded in kind: the first mountain cleaved by sword light, the second mountain roared with giants, the third mountain struck by three blades.

The heavens and the earth trembled, eight directions thundered.

Howls, wails, and magical chants resounded through the clouds, thinning the dark skies and bathing the earth in lingering twilight.

The middle-aged warrior strode toward the first mountain.

The three demons, born from the Devil Emperor's three souls, were his targets. The third and second were but first-stage souls, but the first, the Supreme of the Great Soul, had entered the second stage years ago. Now, in the sword light, the Great Soul's black mist seemed unstoppable.

Yet in the next instant, as the middle-aged cultivator stepped forward, his aura of celestial might exploded, crushing the black mist.

Heaven and earth waged war.

The earth waged war.

All that was seen was war!

"The moment has come!" The team leader suddenly leaped up, his eyes gleaming.

In an instant, he charged down the mountain, heading toward the third mountain where Zhihua was, urging them to follow.

"Go on."

Yan Yan was about to rise when Xu Qing turned and walked slowly toward a withered tree behind him, standing before it.

"Big brother, it's time to go."

Xu Qing's words made the team leader pause, his expression strange.

"Xuan Qing, I'm right here."

Xu Qing ignored him, glanced at the tree, then looked back at Yan Yan.

"I've left some beautiful jade scrolls for you—would you like to see them?"

Before Yan Yan could respond, the tree behind Xu Qing burst into laughter. The team leader's figure materialized beside him, smiling warmly, with no trace of embarrassment.

"Ha ha, Xuan Qing is joking with you. You brat, why are you taking it seriously? Come on, let's go, quickly grab your treasure."

The team leader spoke, darting away. Upon reaching his clone, he patted it, and it vanished.

Yan Yan widened her eyes, suspiciously glancing at the team leader. She realized he had planned to let her and Xu Qing lead the way.

Xu Qing said nothing, but with a flicker, he approached the team leader, and Yan Yan glared at him, sneering inwardly, then hastily followed Xu Qing's steps.

Thus, the three raced swiftly, speed unrelenting, descending the mountain as the battlefield erupted. Seizing the chaos, they hid their figures, crossing the battlefield.

Along the way, Xu Qing frequently noted the grim scenes in the cities consumed by war—boiling pots of cooked flesh, dried meat hanging, rivers of purple-black blood, bones piled high, countless cages holding clansfolk destined for consumption.

Such sights were rare for Xu Qing, yet here, they were common.

"Kill if you wish." The team leader glanced at Xu Qing, his voice low.

Xu Qing spoke not, but materialized beside a Golden Core Palace disciple, striking the moment the disciple retreated from the Sword Court warrior. With a flash, his dagger's cold glint sliced across the disciple's throat.

A scream echoed as the head rolled, Xu Qing's face blank as he moved to another disciple behind him, grabbing his head and severing his neck.

As blood sprayed, Yan Yan also acted, her murderous intent exploding. Though not a Golden Core, she sought opponents she could kill, grabbing them and tearing open their bellies.

The team leader, witnessing this, had no further hesitation, darting through the battlefield, turning every Three Spirit disciple he encountered into ice with a single glance.

In their concealment, the three moved like assassins, killing all in their path—a necessity, for the Sword Court's many warriors might otherwise suspect them.

Otherwise, if Xu Qing were to fully unleash his poisonous path, the surroundings would be even more desolate.

The three of them, had the Sword Wielders not arrived, would have inevitably caused chaos, making it impossible to retreat unscathed. But now, with the battlefield in such disarray, the sounds of slaughter and roaring echoing everywhere, the ground littered with corpses, their arrival went unnoticed.

Moreover, Xu Qing’s sanity, which had existed for most of his life, remained unchanged; even in killing, his direction stayed the same, steadily approaching the Third Mountain.

Thus, after half an hour, they grew closer and closer to the Third Mountain, the aerial combat above becoming increasingly clear.

The First Mountain’s fluctuations were the greatest, the Second Mountain’s roar the most intense, while the Third Mountain, which they focused on, displayed the most figures.

It was observed that the Dark Spiritual Lord, with a grand figure, suddenly divided into three forms, engaging the three Sword Elders in fierce combat.

The waves spread, distorting the heavens and earth, creating fissures that seemed to threaten the world’s collapse.

Under this disturbance, the trio’s progress slowed, as if bearing heavy weights.

Closer to the three mountains, the battlefield grew more chaotic, with carnage erupting on all sides. The Commander occasionally fell prone, hiding to avoid notice.

Xu Qing’s reactions mirrored the Commander’s almost identically, needing no reminders, as if governed by instinct.

Even when the surroundings grew too violent, he chose to crawl on the ground, sometimes pausing, sometimes accelerating, and when he found it convenient, he swiftly severed the cultivators passing by.

Only Yan Yan, adapting to this method, was slightly slower.

However, her learning ability was remarkable, so she began to mimic.

In this way, the three utilized various means to gradually cross the battlefield.

They encountered Sword Elders several times, not all of whom could be detected, but those who noticed them found the Commander’s preparations thorough. He swiftly placed a talisman on his body.

The Sword Elders who spotted the talisman looked puzzled and mostly ignored them.

“How about this? I told you I was fully prepared. Do you know what this is? It’s the identity talisman of a Sword Elder informant, which I spent a lot of money buying. It’s usually ineffective, but on the battlefield, when the Sword Elders’ targets are numerous, this talisman comes into play.” The Commander, crawling ahead, turned back with a proud smile.

Xu Qing blinked slightly, showing admiration, and the Commander felt relieved.

During this time, they also faced several dangers, but with Xu Qing and the Commander’s caution, they carefully avoided them.

Until another half hour passed, they finally crawled out of the battlefield’s chaos, reaching the base of the Third Mountain.

Above the Third Mountain’s heavens, the Dark Spiritual Lord’s three forms were locked in combat.

At the peak of the battle, the golden light of the setting sun fell upon her, revealing the three robes she wore—different from the ones on the Half-Eye Void earlier.

“Her clothes are numerous!”

“Xiao Qing, time to get rich!!” The Commander’s eyes gleamed with greed, and he leaped up, no longer hiding, charging straight toward the mountain ahead.

Xu Qing did the same, and with the Commander’s movement, Xu Qing’s speed erupted simultaneously. Yan Yan, though slower, had many treasures and struggled to keep up, never ceasing her steps.

From the sky’s perspective, the earth was in disarray, the heavens in turmoil, with three figures on the great black Third Mountain charging fiercely toward the upper palace, approaching swiftly.

The Commander’s eyes were wild.

Xu Qing’s eyes sparkled with light.

“He’s gone mad…” Yan Yan, though silent all along, felt her heart pounding more than ever before.

She watched the two figures ahead, perceiving that what these two were doing—plucking the eyes of tigers and wolves—was something no ordinary person would dare to do!

“But it’s so thrilling!” Yan Yan’s breaths became ragged, her eyes clouded, and her body trembled under the intense stimulation.