Ninth could only be stopped with death. Once becoming his target, they would be hunted till the very end.

He didn’t mind killing their fellow sect members and families in order to force a fight. Criticisms and chastises didn’t faze him.

This has been the way of the Sword God Sacred Ground. Thus, their members were viewed as death incarnates despite not being assassins.

Shi Yingxue was his current target. If she were to refuse, Ninth would kill his way through Armament Mountain. Thus, Celestial Ape Demon King and the others were quite unlucky.

They wanted to deal with Li Qiye yet Ninth came out of nowhere. Most of the captives have been killed as well.

“How about this, we will meet you this time tomorrow?” The demon king wanted to retreat to Armament Mountain first.

He knew he couldn’t take Ninth on. Otherwise, he might have been the target instead of their sect master.

Moreover, he didn’t wish to fight in her place despite being from the same sect. There was a high probability of her death in battle. In that case, the armament branch would decline as a result of having no one truly strong as their representative.

As the current first elder, he could even become the next sect master or at least gain more authority.

Because of this, he didn’t want to catch the hot potato. He didn’t think about avenging the fallen disciples either nor worry about Li Qiye. Staying alive was the top priority.

“Why not now? I will kill you all first before coming to Armament Mountain.” Ninth uttered coldly.

People could smell the stench of blood and the scene of carnage already after listening to him.

“So this is a member of Sword God Sacred Ground…” Someone murmured, having realized how frightening they were. No wonder why people whispered their titles with fear.

The demon king dreaded this development and turned pale. Ninth’s insistence left him in a difficult position. He had already conceded just now but Ninth didn’t let up.

Ultimately, the first elder should still uphold the sect’s prestige and authority. He couldn’t fully surrender and had to maintain an air of dignity. A battle seemed inevitable now.

“Enough, our Armament Mountain isn’t that easily bullied. If you insist on being the aggressor, we’ll show you what we can do!” He roared.

His allies were gazing at him, wanting to see his choice after Ninth had killed so many of their peers. His prior concession teetered on a dangerous line. Being too subservient would destroy his reputation even if he were to return to the sect alive. That’s why keeping up a strong act was still crucial.

“Perfect.” Ninth said while raising his sword again.

The demon king had no response, this seemed to be the end of their conversation.

“Demon King, let’s kill him!” Starshooter King bellowed, eager to fight Ninth despite not being a target.

The difference between the two kings was that Starshooter had lost his son. Vengeance was powerful motivation.

On the other hand, Eight-armed Prince was only a member of his kingdom. Losing one prince wasn’t a big deal.

Starshooter King was aware of this and decided to drag a potential ally into the fray. This made it even more difficult for the demon king to back off.

“...” He pondered without responding.

Starshooter didn’t wait and commanded: “To formation, we will slay our enemy even if it’s the last thing we do!” 

“Slay the enemy even if it’s the last thing we do!” Both legions roared and returned to their formation.

Ninth caught them off guard earlier so they were ready to give it a shot.

“Brothers, lend me your strength!” Starshooter returned to his post and would fight regardless of the demon king’s choice.

“Good, all come together.” Ninth pointed his sword forward.

As for the demon king, his beast legion had already started moving to battle. If he were to escape alone, he would absolutely lose his position as the first elder.

He regretted coming here to save Eight-armed Prince, having thought that this would be an easy way to gain recognition.

“A fight to the death.” A spectator in the distance became excited.

Ninth frightened them but since they weren’t involved in this mess, they were more than happy to watch a fun show. They would also learn many things after seeing his swordsmanship.

“Do they have a chance?” An expert asked.

One ancestor shook his head and gauged the situation: “No, Ninth has taken the next step. I’m afraid it’s looking bad for the Six Kings and Six Sect Masters, let alone these two.”

“We get to see some of the famous thirteen variations today.” One swordsman said.

“Maybe even the ninth?” His friend was overwhelmed with anticipation.

The thirteen slash allowed Thirteenth to kill a dao lord. Though the ninth variation was far from being comparable, it was still a rare spectacle.

“I’ve never seen it before.” A high elder responded.

“Elder!” Meanwhile, a general in the beast legion shouted at the demon king after seeing his hesitation.

“Till death then!” The demon king stomped the ground and returned to his post. His hands were tied due to the circumstances.

“Start!” He commanded.

The members of the beast legion released their vitality and became resplendent. They roared and transformed back into their true form.