In the endless, shattered starfield, Jiang Ding gently touched the wound on his cheek.
That shallow cut held a wisp of will, mana, vital energy, and crystallized power of the order of force left by the Netherheaven Ancient Imperial Heir after he had burned everything he possessed. The moment it touched an unfamiliar power, it began devouring the surrounding flesh.
That was why wounds dealt in battles between cultivators were so difficult to heal. This was no ordinary cut.
But the moment those foreign powers entered Jiang Ding's body, countless strands of Sword Qi surged toward them. They held the six orders and the Great Sun Annihilation Sword Intent, while the faint outline of a world even seemed to emerge among them.
The Sword Qi swept in like a tide and extinguished the remnants of the Netherheaven Ancient Imperial Heir's final strike.
Dark brown, tainted blood ran down Jiang Ding's cheek and fell into the starfield, melting away a stretch of space. Within it, the order of force and the six orders still fought, wreaking destruction fiercer than an exploding arsenal—comparable to a desperate battle between the strongest Spirit Transformation cultivators.
The higher cultivators rose, the less human they became.
That was true even of spell cultivators and sword cultivators, whose bodies were said to be frail. Their flesh was fragile, but the mana and sword intent flowing through their meridians were not.
Once the foreign powers had been expelled, the wound on Jiang Ding's face healed instantly.
The entire process of expelling those powers and healing the wound took only an instant. The Supreme Clarity Flying Sword doubled back and slipped into the black sword sheath at Jiang Ding's waist.
"Mingtian was a hero."
Jiang Ding's gaze fell on the several million Horned Demon Imperial Clan troops who remained.