The battlefield remained a mess but the various powers have dispersed. This allowed the crowd to rest with the pressure gone. Weaker cultivators have been forced to the ground earlier.

They saw Ninth standing there, still wielding his sword. Blood slowly flowed down the edge and gathered at the tip.

On the other hand, the gigantic ape and Starshooter King had a gaping wound on their neck.

“They’ve lost.” An expert whispered.

The duo’s eyes were wide open. Their throat moved slightly as if they wanted to speak. Alas, the words were stuck in there.

“Clank!” Rampaging sword waves erupted even though Ninth didn’t do anything. They actually came from inside the duo’s body, especially the wound by the neck.

“Ugh…” Their groan could be heard again.

“Boom!” The maelstrom empowering the demon king cracked and the beast legion appeared again. This was the case for Starshooter Legion as well.

Heads started rolling. Thousands and thousands of cultivators have been decapitated. Blood gushed out of the duo’s neck first, then the same thing happened to the rest.

As their head was falling down, they could see their body standing there. They tried to scream to no avail.

Their body eventually fell as well. The demon king’s massive frame smashed onto the ground, issuing a deafening blast.

Blood gathered on the ground and became small streams, flowing towards lower elevation. Only corpses remained of these once-famous cultivators.

“An utter defeat.” A last-gen cultivator remained shocked.

Who knows how many survivors were actually left on this battlefield after Ninth was done with them?

The other main player didn’t even get to play - Li Qiye. Ninth came out and stole the show.

“Damn, he killed so many with one slash.” One expert turned pale.

Even the experienced warriors felt dread. Another added: “A reaper indeed.”

They have heard of his notoriety and brutality before, that his sword needed to taste blood once unsheathed. Alas, seeing it in person was too much to take. The actual Ninth was far more horrifying than the tales.

The stench of blood and the visual carnage made their legs tremble.

“That was only the sixth variation.” A powerful ancestor took a deep breath: “Imagine the ninth.”

The high elders and ancestors nearby narrowed their eyes in contemplation. They thought that both Celestial Ape Demon King and Starshooter King were quite capable. They would have a hard time beating either.

The two were definitely big shots in Sword Continent. Unfortunately, they only made it to the sixth variation.

“How many people can actually survive the ninth variation?” This became the next question.

“No wonder why he dares to challenge Shi Yingxue.” Someone else replied: “If he finishes the Six Kings and Six Sect Masters, the next targets would be the Five Overlords…”

“Which variation will that take?” A youth became curious.

The seniors pondered the interesting question.

“If Ninth can kill the twelve right now…” Another youth said before stopping.

The Six Kings and Six Sect Masters represented the top masters of Sword Continent, consisting of members from Sea Emperor, Nine-wheel, Virtuous School…

Saying something like this could offend all of these behemoths.

“Legend has it that Thirteenth died in battle with Bones Dao Lord.” An ancestor said: “How do the Five Overlords compare to a dao lord?”

“Are they at the Immortal Sovereign realm?” One cultivator asked.

“No way. I know that only Immortal Sovereign right now is Dao Sanqian.” An ancestor shook his head. [1]

“Dao Sanqian.” Everyone became emotional after hearing this name.

“Hmm, the Five Overlords should be above Golden Sovereign. Myriad or Supreme Sovereign then?”

Of course, a few here knew their true power but refrained from divulging this sensitive information.

“An Immortal Sovereign can fight against a dao lord but can’t kill one.” An ancient ancestor analyzed: “Since the thirteenth slash can kill a dao lord, the twelfth should be able to kill an Immortal Sovereign. The eleventh can deal with anything below.”

“He’s only two variations away.” Another gasped.

“That’s slightly misleading.” The ancient ancestor explained: “Each variation doesn’t mean possessing another technique. It requires cultivation improvement too. For example, for a ninth and ten-slash user, they will have a drastic difference in results while performing the third slash. That’s why it’s easier said than done when talking about the thirteen slashes. The sacred ground only had one Thirteenth in history.”

Others nodded in agreement. Meanwhile, Ninth ignored the conversations, still looking as indifferent as ever.

1. Three thousand dao. Could be a name or a title ☜