At that moment, he cleaved through the dark curtain with his sword, allowing light to reclaim the sky. He was a master of the Sword Dao, an invincible warrior on this path. He raised his Flying Sword, wary of the two mighty adversaries.
When the light returned, he was instantly horrified. Of his five-hundred-thousand-strong army, nothing remained but shattered armor; not even a single skeleton was left behind. It had been no more than two hours in total. Now, all of his men had perished, devoured by these ominous creatures that had burrowed into the earth and vanished without a trace.
"No!" the Main God of Spirit cried out, his heart aching as it never had before. In such a short time, his grand army was gone. The sight filled him with unspeakable sorrow and boundless hatred.
He roared, "I will have you dead!"
"Flying Sword Breaking Sky!"
The Main God of Spirit’s Flying Sword magnified endlessly as it charged toward the Misfortune Pangolin. The creature leaped away, descending from the sky to evade the fearsome strike.
"Darkness Without Boundaries!"
Seizing the opportunity the Misfortune Pangolin had created, the Demon Sky Monkey plunged the world back into darkness.
"Ten Thousand Swords Return!"
The Main God of Spirit exerted the peak of his power. He was an illustrious master of the Sword Dao who had attained godhood through the sword, leaving countless legends in his wake. Now, it seemed his legend was fading. For that reason, he had to unleash his final legacy.
His Ten Thousand Swords Return was his most comprehensive strike. A single sword split into a myriad of blades that floated in the sky before converging back into one, charging toward the Demon Sky Monkey with murderous intent.
"I’ll aid you!" the Misfortune Pangolin roared.
"Boundless Fear!"
"Boundless Darkness!"
Darkness and fear intertwined, clashing fiercely against the unified sword. In an instant, the clash between these two pinnacles of power laid waste to everything within a ten-thousand-mile radius. Wielding the converged sword, the Main God of Spirit charged toward his two adversaries.
"I will cut you down!" he thundered.
At that moment, the two powerhouses channeled their full strength, shattering all of the Main God’s defenses, regardless of his power. Once his defenses were breached, he was struck by two terrifyingly boundless forces and sent flying. He crashed into a city, reducing it to rubble, before struggling back to his feet.
"A kill at every tenth step, leaving no trace for a thousand miles!"
The Main God of Spirit activated his mystic footwork and swordsmanship, charging immediately at the Misfortune Pangolin.
WHOOSH!
The sword struck the Misfortune Pangolin. The creature spat out a mouthful of black blood as it inspected the wound. Though not severe, he took it as a grave insult. With that, he transformed into his true form—a gigantic battle rat—and barreled toward the Main God of Spirit, who struggled to fend off the charge.
"Die!" the Demon Sky Monkey yelled, severing the Main God of Spirit’s arm with the Dark Blade.
"Ahh!" the Main God of Spirit cried out in agony. He had never suffered such a dreadful injury.
In that moment, he split their combined assault with his sword and sprinted away. His only thought was to escape; he was already at death’s door. He knew that staying meant certain death. He summoned his swiftest Flying Sword, intending to flee.
He called out furiously behind him, "The moment the Divine Talisman falls, all you foul, ominous creatures shall die! I’ll spare you for now, but your remaining days will be numbered!"
However, the Main God of Spirit was once again plunged into terror. He realized that no matter how he flew, he couldn’t escape the area. An Array had been set up here.
"Damn it!"
He frantically hacked with his Flying Sword, attempting to break the formidable Array, but all his efforts were in vain. In the next moment, he was completely trapped.
"Who’s there? Show yourself if you have the guts to face me one-on-one!" the Main God of Spirit bellowed.
A figure emerged from the Array—it was the Nightmare Beast.
The Nightmare Beast mocked, "To think a mighty Main God could fall into such a wretched state. I can’t help but feel quite pleased! Your flesh is mine now, hahaha!"
Enraged, the Main God of Spirit slashed down with his sword, only to find that the Nightmare Beast had already vanished back into the Array.
As he searched for the Nightmare Beast, the Misfortune Pangolin’s razor-sharp claws sank into his body.
"Ah!"
The Main God of Spirit let out a pitiful cry. At that moment, he realized just how close to death he was.
Before he could react, the Nightmare Beast reappeared behind him, striking his back with a phantom blade. The Main God of Spirit mustered his full strength, but it was to no avail. He could only feel himself growing weaker and weaker as his life rapidly slipped away.
His end came when the Demon Sky Monkey descended from the sky and severed his head, thus ending the glorious era of a Sword God and concluding his legend.
The three Divine Beasts displayed contemptuous smiles, though they were also pleased. It was their first time collaborating to slay someone of his stature.
"A pleasure working with you!"
The Demon Sky Monkey stretched out his hand, only for the Misfortune Pangolin and the Nightmare Beast to ignore him completely. The sheer embarrassment made him fume.
"I think our Master will be very pleased to see this!" the Nightmare Beast said.
"Indeed! And when Master sees how magnificent I looked delivering the final blow, even he will be jealous!" the Demon Sky Monkey declared shamelessly.
This earned him a heavy look of scorn from the other two. Had they not first drained the Main God of Spirit of his life force, would the Demon Sky Monkey have succeeded so easily?
Just then, the Misfortune Pangolin asked, "Should we press forward and strike at their core?"
The Nightmare Beast replied, "Let’s wait for Master to come out. Our mission is already accomplished."
The other two could only nod in reluctant agreement.
Suddenly, a commanding voice rang out. The three were instantly alarmed, for the power in that voice was immense. None of them could face such an opponent alone.
"Three little clowns daring to wreak havoc in my Shen Zhou? Today, I will slay you three vermin!"
Three supremely powerful forces assaulted the trio. Their expressions changed as they quickly summoned their strongest abilities to neutralize the attacks.
"Who are you?" the Demon Sky Monkey roared.
A figure appeared. It was a man with white, weathered features. Despite his appearance, he was a fearsome individual whose terrifying gaze alone was enough to make anyone tremble.
"I do not change my name or hide my identity. I am the Heavenly God Monarch!"
He was one of the six Divine Monarchs of the God Monarch Palace, ranking second among them. The Heavenly God Monarch was already a powerhouse famous throughout the world ten thousand years ago. Now, after ten thousand years, his strength was even greater than before. He was an expert who had surpassed ninety minor nirvanas. While his power still fell short of the Subcestor level, he was far stronger than any in the Main God Level.
The three Evil Clan Divine Beasts were shocked. They had never expected to draw out the Heavenly God Monarch.