Huge Gains (Thanks to Alliance Leader Xie Yanne for the Reward, Really

The instant the Black Tortoise Daoist Heir's soul and body were destroyed and his bonded magic treasure, the Primordial Eight-Trigrams Chessboard, was sent flying, the Black Tortoise Heavenly Palace's army of millions of cultivators was seized with terror.

A deathly chill gripped every heart. Their fear was beyond words.

"Run!"

"The Daoist Heir is dead..."

"The Daoist Heir is dead!"

The Black Tortoise Heavenly Palace cultivators went completely mad. They abandoned their battle formation, which still had the strength to resist, and fled in every direction like ants from a shattered nest.

They shoved against one another. At the slightest obstruction from a fellow cultivator, they struck ruthlessly. Blood and severed limbs flew everywhere. All order was lost.

An army of millions collapsed in an instant!

Jiang Ding stood in the sky and gently closed his eyes.

The Supreme Clarity Flying Sword, whose blade had been humming with excitement, fell quiet. Serene and peaceful, it floated beside him like an elegant lady.

He looked inward at his sea of consciousness.

The killing intent accumulated over decades of sword refinement had settled at the bottom of his heart's lake, dark red and so dense it would not disperse. It had hovered on the brink of losing control at every moment, held down only by his Sword Intent.

The struggle had repeated endlessly. No one knew when his Sword Intent might cease to contain it.

But now, his sea of consciousness was clear as flawless crystal, without a trace of impurity.

Jiang Ding felt as though a crushing burden had been lifted from his shoulders in an instant.

He had never felt so light. His soul was keen and clear, as though he had grown many years younger and returned to the moment of his birth.

Clang!

Ding-dong...

At the center of