The Decapitation Strike

“Who… who are you?” Shaoyan Chou stared in disbelief at the person before him.

“It seems you’ve offended too many people to even guess,” Ji Ning said. His features and aura began to shift, returning to his original appearance. He had used the Arcane Art to change his appearance in order to first slay Shaoyan Chou’s sixteen avatars without alerting the Celestial Immortals and True Gods of the Seamless Gate.

Had he not concealed his identity.

If he had gone openly to kill Shaoyan Chou, the Celestial Immortals and True Gods of the Seamless Gate would likely have grown vigilant and immediately fled. And if he had struck at those nine Celestial Immortals and True Gods first… that would instantly alert the Daofathers of the Seamless Gate camp, and he would have no leisurely time to deal with Shaoyan Chou afterwards.

“Ji… Ji Ning?” Shaoyan Chou couldn’t believe it, then cried out in terror, “Spare me, spare my life!”

He had eighteen avatars in total. Sixteen were hidden here, and the remaining two were in the Brightmarm Realmverse.

The Zhuanxu Realmverse was still relatively stable.

But the Seamless Gate had lost the war in the Brightmarm Realmverse. His two avatars were even more endangered there, yet he could not defy the Seamless Gate’s orders. As for condensing new avatars? One must understand, these avatars of his were not ordinary clones; they had no distinction between primary and secondary. As long as one survived, he would continue to live.

Thus, condensing a new avatar required a great deal of time, but with the Great Tribulation upon them, he was not given enough. If all sixteen were destroyed, and his other two also perished in the disaster, he would truly die.

“Spare my life, and I will give you all the insect beasts I’ve raised, all of them,” Shaoyan Chou said hurriedly. “And my Innate spirit-treasures, I’ll give them to you too.”

“Die.” Ji Ning’s voice was cold. He thrust the great banner in his hand forward, and the pole pierced directly into Shaoyan Chou’s chest. The gap in strength between them was far too vast; Shaoyan Chou had no way to resist.

“No!” Shaoyan Chou was both shocked and enraged.

“Once you’re dead, your treasures will be mine regardless.” Ji Ning pulled the pole out, and Shaoyan Chou’s avatar had already been utterly destroyed, its soul scattered.

“Destroying Shaoyan Chou’s sixteen avatars was merely an appetizer. Now, it’s time for the true main course.” Ji Ning’s gaze was icy cold.

Kill.

What he needed to kill were Celestial Immortals and True Gods. Celestial Immortals and True Gods were the key to the struggle for fortune; they could command armies of Immortals and Fiendgods, they could unleash spells and treasures. With them, vast numbers of Immortals and Fiendgods could form terrifying combat power. Without their leadership… the remaining Celestial Immortals and Loose Immortals would be far less useful. Moreover, there were only so many Celestial Immortals and True Gods in the entire Three Realms. Every single loss would weigh on the Seamless Gate. The loss of ten would be enough to make them ache.

…

In the Starseizing Major World, on a vast stretch of wilderness.

Ji Ning appeared in midair.

“Greetings, Prefectural Lord!” The vast, dense host of Celestial Immortals and Loose Immortals before him all knelt down as one at the sight of Ji Ning.

“Prefectural Lord.” The seven True Gods, including Red Snow True God, also bowed.

Earlier, Ji Ning had sent Nine-Fang True God back to the Starseizing Major World, and preparations had begun here. They had long been ready to deploy their troops.

“My Starseizing Prefecture has been in hiding for a long time. The Three Realms have long forgotten our might. And you… have lived in the Starseizing Major World for endless ages. Now, it is time to show the Three Realms your fangs.” Ji Ning looked at the vast army of Immortals before him and spoke in a cold voice.

“Fight!”

“Fight!” A roar that shook the heavens erupted from the countless Immortals. Fire burned in every one of their eyes. They had known about the outside Three Realms for ages but had never been allowed to leave. They had been cooped up for far, far too long. Immortals from other major worlds could roam the Three Realms to visit friends, but they were forced to stay here.

Now that Ji Ning had fully refined the aquatic manor, they could go out. However, this was the time of the great calamity; which Celestial Immortal would dare to go visiting alone? The entire Three Realms was already on high alert, with countless Immortals gathering into legions.

So these Immortals were pent up. They yearned to shine their light upon the Three Realms.

“Form the formation.” Ji Ning gave the order.

Instantly, rumbling sounds filled the air.

Countless Immortals rose into the air, moving in an orderly fashion to gather around Ji Ning, who stood at the center. The surging power of Heaven and Earth began to rapidly coalesce into a colossal Fiendgod. The Starseizing Major World was, after all, a major world, containing an incredibly vast amount of power from Heaven and Earth. Forming a perfect Karmic Punishment Deity was a simple task.

Soon, a Karmic Punishment Deity was formed. The Seven Radiance Empyrean God also took shape beside it. Both were thirty thousand meters tall.

“Red Snow, you go to the second lair. I’ll go to the first,” Ji Ning said. “We’ll rendezvous at the third lair in the end.”

“Alright.” The Seven Radiance Empyrean God nodded.

“Let’s go.”

The Karmic Punishment Deity Ji Ning and the Seven Radiance Empyrean God simultaneously left the Starseizing Major World.

…

It was incredibly fast.

Ji Ning and the Seven Radiance Empyrean God both directly tore through space to reach their respective targets.

Among the three great lairs was the Iron Soldier Tower.

“Come, drink.”

Immortal Iron Soldier, along with the couple Gold Red, were drinking and making merry in the main hall. They remained on alert; once that deranged Celestial Immortal was found, Golden Spear True God would set out immediately.

“Beauty, come here.” Golden Spear True God pulled one of the singing and dancing women into his arms. The woman laughed and reached out with a cup of fine wine: “My lord.”

“Come, drink with me.”

Golden Spear True God took a sip, then lowered his head to kiss the woman, passing the wine to her. His large hands had already begun to fondle the dancer’s chest. The nearby Scarlet Flower Immortal couldn’t have cared less, as she already had two male favorites attending to her. Only True Immortal Iron Soldier felt a slight bit of discomfort, but as a True Immortal, he chose to ignore it as well.

Ji Ning had already killed Shaoyan Chou’s sixteenth avatar, but they had no idea here.

After all, that sixteenth avatar had been hidden too well.

“BOOM!”

Suddenly, a tremendous crash came from outside.

The entire Iron Soldier Tower shook violently, the main hall trembling. Wine and cups toppled, spilling everywhere, and the dancers screamed in alarm.

“Not good.”

True Immortal Iron Soldier, Golden Spear True God, and Scarlet Flower Immortal all transformed into streaks of light and rushed out of the hall, appearing in midair. The moment they emerged, they froze. Before them stood a towering Fiendgod thirty thousand meters tall. This Fiendgod had no head, stood barefoot, and held two giant swords in its hands. The golden light of the formation restrictions in midair flickered, trembling.

“Karmic Punishment Deity?”

“Look at the face on its chest! It’s Ji Ning! The Northern Sea Sword Immortal, Ji Ning!” The three of them were utterly shocked. Ji Ning had led a Karmic Punishment Deity to awe-inspiring feats in the ‘Realm War’ of the Brightmarm Realmverse, and news of it had spread across the Three Realms. The current Ji Ning was undoubtedly one of the very top figures among all the True Gods and Celestial Immortals of the Three Realms. Although the three of them were in the Zhuanxu Realmverse, they were also well aware of Ji Ning’s detailed dossier.

“BOOM!”

The Karmic Punishment Deity, Ji Ning, swung its two giant swords. With a thunderous crack, the entire formation restriction finally collapsed completely.

“What? How is this possible?”

“The restrictions are broken?”

Their hearts turned cold.

“Flee!”

This was a lair’s formation restriction. Even if a dozen or twenty True Gods and Celestial Immortals were to assault it, they could hold out for a while. But Ji Ning, leading a Karmic Punishment Deity, was far more powerful than even twenty such gods. He had already reached the ‘Daofather’ level. Even a Daofather Puppet had been suppressed by Ji Ning.

In just a few short breaths, Ji Ning struck nine times in succession, completely shattering the formation restriction. The three True Gods and Celestial Immortals rushed out, but the moment they recognized Ji Ning, he was already upon them.

“Run, run, RUN!” The three of them panicked.

“Too late.”

A vast, sweeping sword-light, tens of thousands of meters wide, descended like a curtain, blotting out the sky. It was even more terrifying than it had been during the last Realm War. Ji Ning’s sword-art was clearly more refined and faster now. The slowest to flee, Scarlet Flower Immortal, was swept up by the sword-light, instantly disintegrating into ash and vanishing, leaving only a single, unwilling shriek.

“No.” Another one, True Immortal Iron Soldier, attempted to use an escape technique, but he was no match for the speed of the flying swords. He, too, was slain.

It was too fast.

There was no time for spatial teleportation, let greater teleportation. As for hiding inside a treasure cave or manor? That would only result in Ji Ning collecting the treasure, leading to certain death. So their only chance was to rely on speed to escape. In true battles among the powerful experts of the Three Realms, they generally relied on escape techniques. Those with powerful escape arts had a real advantage. Even if one’s escape technique was weak, if they possessed an extremely powerful Innate spirit-treasure for fleeing, that would also be excellent.

It was just like how the Xia Emperor and his forces had used the ‘Boat of Fleeting Light’, which could match the absolute speed limit of the ‘Heaven-Swallowing Great Sage’ among the three Devouring Mountain Demon Gods.

Unfortunately, True Immortal Iron Soldier’s escape technique was poor, and he had no powerful top-grade Innate escape treasure.

Thus, only death remained.

“Spare me, spare me!” Golden Spear True God was even more terrified. While begging for mercy, he immediately split into nine avatars, fleeing in all directions. Although this would reduce each avatar’s power, if he didn’t split, he had no hope of escape at all.

“BOOM!”

The sword-light spun, instantly turning an area tens of thousands of meters wide into a zone of absolute death.

All nine of Golden Spear True God’s avatars were annihilated!

Ji Ning’s sword-light swept downward, and heaven itself seemed to shatter. The panicked Celestial Immortals and Loose Immortals who were trying to flee were all ground to dust.

“Next.”

The Karmic Punishment Deity, Ji Ning, flickered and disappeared, tearing through space to head for the third lair.

It had been over two years since the Realm War ended. Ji Ning’s Heartforce soul techniques had also improved slightly, enabling him to now fully and perfectly control the strongest Karmic Punishment Deity’s power. He had only been a hair’s breadth away from this before. Because of this absolute, perfect mastery without even the slightest leakage of energy, he was able to directly tear through space with the Karmic Punishment Deity.

If he had not achieved such perfect control, he would not have been able to tear through space directly. He would have had to use a ‘Void Boat’ or hide within his aquatic manor, relying on such treasures to perform escape techniques.

Now, that was no longer necessary.

…

To launch a surprise attack, one had to be fast and powerful. That was why Ji Ning used the Karmic Punishment Deity from the very start.

The first lair was destroyed too quickly.

The news hadn’t even reached the third lair before Ji Ning had already arrived. The towering, thirty-thousand-meter-tall, headless Karmic Punishment Deity stood on the wilderness, directly swinging its two great swords in a furious cleave aimed at the palace built atop a towering mountain peak. The light of the formation restrictions flashed, and three True Gods and Celestial Immortals rushed out of the palace.

“Flee.”

A voice rang out in their minds.

“It’s a Daofather!” The three of them immediately understood. The Daofather of the Seamless Gate had finally urgently informed them. Unfortunately, it was too late.

BOOM!

The formation restriction collapsed.

The Karmic Punishment Deity, Ji Ning, wielded its two giant swords, slaughtering the three True Gods and Celestial Immortals with overwhelming power. One of the True Gods had even managed to send one of his avatars far away. But because his other seven avatars had all been destroyed, and even his souls had been annihilated, the loss of soul-essence was too great. The small remnant of his soul could not sustain itself independently, resulting in the complete destruction of his soul.

This was the weakness of a True God. Although his divine body was formidable, once his soul was destroyed, he was as good as dead. It was just like the True God Qi, whom Ji Ning had encountered in the Tristar Crescent Major World when he obtained the ‘Luofu Bow’. Although his divine body was intact, his soul had already been extinguished.

If a soul suffered too much damage, even if a tiny remnant remained, it would inevitably collapse.

“Ji Ning, I’ve cleared the second lair. I almost let them get away. You’re faster than I am,” a voice said in Ji Ning’s mind as space twisted. A thirty-thousand-meter-tall Karmic Punishment Deity holding a long spear appeared—it was the Seven Radiance Empyrean God.

“Red Snow, let’s go.”

Ji Ning transmitted mentally.

At the same time, a hundred-meter-long boat appeared in midair. It was the Innate supreme treasure, the ‘Void Boat’. Ji Ning now possessed a full three Innate supreme treasures, and this one was specifically for fleeing.

“Whoosh.”

The Karmic Punishment Deity, Ji Ning, and the Seven Radiance Empyrean God flew directly into the Void Boat. Although the boat appeared to be only a hundred meters long, within it lay a vast internal space, easily accommodating them both.

“Swoosh!”

It tore through the void. The Void Boat left the Dongxuan Major World… heading for another major world within the Zhuanxu Realmverse.

Ji Ning was not so easily satisfied!

Killing nine True Gods and Celestial Immortals? Not enough!

“What’s going on?”

“Such a massive disturbance?”

The Dongxuan Army of the Dongxuan Major World immediately detected the commotion.

A group of True Gods and Celestial Immortals gathered, staring at the images appearing in a mirror. By the time they took notice, Ji Ning’s destruction of the third lair was already playing out.

In the image, a thirty-thousand-meter-tall, headless Fiendgod dressed in what looked like beast-hide, wielding two great swords, could be seen cleaving through the formation restrictions, sweeping the lair clean. None of the three True Gods and Celestial Immortals escaped.

“Check the other two lairs immediately,” one of the True Gods said.

The mirror began to display the other two Seamless Gate lairs.

Massive ruins!

Both were ruins.

“They’ve been wiped out?” The commanders of the Dongxuan Army exchanged glances, all of them shaken. The Seamless Gate had three lairs with a total of nine True Gods and Celestial Immortals who had been relying on their formation restrictions for shelter—and they had all been destroyed? They had been locked in a struggle with these nine True Gods and Celestial Immortals for years.

…

The great powers of the Three Realms possessed abilities that pierced the heavens. The moment Ji Ning destroyed the first lair, they had sensed it.

“What a bold Ji Ning.”

“He truly has guts.”

“This Ji Ning, he’s launching a solo surprise attack outside of the Realm War? Is he really trying to fight the Seamless Gate to the death?” These great powers were all amazed. They clearly understood that directly attacking the Seamless Gate and mercilessly slaughtering them like this was a mad provocation that would enrage the Seamless Gate!

…

In a grand, majestic major world suffused with endless freezing energy, this was one of the Seamless Gate camp’s main fortresses—the Third World.

Fiendrealms like the Brightmarm Realmverse were attacked by the Seamless Gate’s Fifth World.

But the Zhuanxu Realmverse was attacked by the even more powerful Third World.

Within the Third World…

“Ji Ning?” At the peak of a towering, ice-cold mountain, within a palace hall, a figure with emerald-green hair and emerald-green eyebrows sat cross-legged. At this moment, his eyes snapped open, filled with a chilling coldness. His divine sense had already enveloped the entire Zhuanxu Realmverse. In that short span of time, the death of nine True Gods and Celestial Immortals had already completely infuriated him.