Ancient Battlefield

Its bony claw pointed deep into the Ancient Battlefield. "That stubborn old fool Xiahou Jie has guarded the Saint Burial Abyss for a thousand years, yet he doesn't know that buried at its deepest point is no Heroic Spirits of the Human Race, but the Nine Nether Demonic Heart personally planted by His Majesty the Demon Emperor three hundred years ago! That heart is nearly mature now... it only lacks one final bit of nourishment."

Lin Hao's pupils contracted. "What nourishment?"

"The blood of a True Saint, the soul of an emperor." The ghostly green flames in Bone Demon's eyes danced wildly. "Seven True Saints battling on the Saint Conferring Platform, their blood qi soaring to the heavens and Soul Power surging... they're the perfect sacrifices to awaken the Demonic Heart! When the time comes, the Demonic Heart will revive, the Nine Nether will return, and the Western Domain will be transformed completely into demonic land! And you, Your Majesty the Sword Emperor..."

It suddenly lunged, its bone claw ripping through space as it reached for Lin Hao's head!

"...will be the first sacrifice!"

Lin Hao drew his sword.

The sword light flowed like water through the dusk.

There was no earth-shaking spectacle, only a hair-thin thread of purplish gold, tracing a gentle line through the air.

Bone Demon's charging body abruptly froze.

It lowered its head and looked at its chest.

A fine line of light had silently appeared there, stretching from its brow to its abdomen.

Within that line, the surging demonic qi inside it, its false fleshly shell, even the contract binding its soul to the Demon Emperor... everything was swiftly stripped away, purified, and annihilated.

"Xuanyuan... Asura... impossible..." Bone Demon let out one last furious howl. Its body turned into a shower of black specks of