This General... Refuses to Submit

That sword shadow was tyrannical and razor-sharp, dazzlingly brilliant. A dragon's roar rang out, as though the entire curtain of rain had fallen under its command, lending it even greater might.

This sword strike was fast to the extreme.

The air split by the sword light twisted and collapsed, and as if teleporting, it crashed down upon the Demon Ghost!

Boom!

The entire rain-soaked alley instantly collapsed beneath that strike, turning into a long, narrow pit filled with shattered stone and mud.

"..."

With a clang, the Heavenly Flood Dragon Sword plunged deep into the bluestone.

Xia Konghan braced himself on his sword and dropped to one knee, an unnatural flush rising on his face.

He had used his full strength in that blow. Moreover, if he had not been wearing the Heavenly Flood Dragon Armor to protect himself just now, the Demon Ghost would likely have beaten him to death in midair with brute force long ago.

Even so, the violent shock had still injured his internal organs, sending his blood and qi churning without end.

"This monster is actually growing stronger... But fortunately, it should be over."

Xia Konghan coughed several times, his white robe now stained with mud. Just as he was about to rise, he suddenly realized that the rain above his head had vanished.

An indescribable, shuddering sensation descended from overhead.

Xia Konghan froze where he stood, his body beginning to tremble uncontrollably.

Was he... afraid?

At the same time, a terrifying pressure made every living creature within a thousand zhang feel as if someone had seized their hearts.

It was an instinctive fear, like a weak prey animal facing a supreme predator.

Ning Qingqing looked at Liu Qingni, who was so close by, and opened her mouth, yet no sound came out, as though she had been stripped of the right to speak.

What was that...

What kind of existence had stood up?

"Hehe, that was truly dangerous. You nearly killed this general, you little ant! What a pity. You were only that tiny bit away."

A cold voice rang out with a chuckle, yet its tone carried boundless fury.

Looking over,

the Demon Ghost was half-crouched, its four arms folded before its chest as it looked down imperiously at Xia Konghan.

The reason Xia Konghan had suddenly felt the rain stop was because...

the Demon Ghost's body had now expanded to nearly six meters tall. At the same time, a row of pitch-black bone spurs had grown from its back. It was savage as a giant demon crawling from the abyss, while suppressed power surged and roiled without cease.

In that brief transformation, the aura it released had already surpassed the scope of an Innate Warrior.

Ning Qingqing could not tell whether it had reached the Grandmaster level, because she had never seen a Grandmaster take action. But clearly...

the Demon Ghost before them was no longer something mortal martial artists could handle.

"The suppression of this world is far too severe. This general nearly capsized in a gutter."

"However, now that I have revealed my true form, there is no way to cram myself back into that narrow body."

"In other words, this general's mission has failed just like that..."

Demonic light surged from the Demon Ghost's six pupils, and overwhelming rage spread outward. Even it could not bear the consequences of mission failure.

Since the outcome could no longer be reversed,

then in the final moments of its existence, it would drag these countless living beings down into the grave with it!

"It is all your fault! If not for you, how could this general have been exposed?"

"Damn it!"

"I'll eat you first, then bathe this entire long street in blood and turn this imperial city into a burial ground!"

The Demon Ghost bent slightly forward, all four massive arms gathering strength at once. Its gaze swept over Xia Konghan, then crossed the deep pit and locked onto Liu Qingni and Ning Qingqing atop the distant roof.

Xia Konghan gritted his teeth and struggled to rise and fight again.

But the aura behind him was too powerful, pinning him firmly in place like a mountain. It was absolutely an existence he could not contend against.

Liu Qingni's legs had gone weak, and her entire body trembled without stopping. Yet suddenly, the Blood Jade in her arms grew faintly warm.

Then she seemed to realize something, and delight appeared on her face.

"My dear sister, at a time like this, you can still smile?"

"Quickly use the Blood Jade that my lord gave you!"

Ning Qingqing's breathing was ragged. The icy rain poured down upon her, leaving her heart cold, but when she turned and saw Liu Qingni smiling, she nearly burst into tears.

What was going on? Was she truly destined to die today?

"There's no need anymore," Liu Qingni said softly.

"What..."

The Demon Ghost was furious and violent, on the verge of madness. It was about to rise, then ram forward in an instant and crush every living creature within its sight.

Boom!

The horrifying veins on its knotted, muscular body bulged as berserk power erupted like a volcano, but it suddenly stiffened...

It discovered that it could not stand up at all!

Because...

at some unknown moment, a fair, slender hand had casually reached out.

Its five fingers were spread wide, palm facing down, and it simply pressed upon the Demon Ghost's enormous shoulder.

"Roar—!!"

"Damn it! Get off! Get off me!!"

The Demon Ghost's boundless, terrified roars exploded one after another. The muscles across its body swelled and bulged madly, while the ground around it burst apart and collapsed. This showed just how terrifying the force of its struggle was!

But alas... it was useless!

That hand on its shoulder was like an entire vault of heaven pressing down upon it!

It could not move even the slightest bit.

Humiliation, terror, and sorrow nearly blew its mind into a pulp.

It had revealed its full-power form and broken free from every restraint. Even though its mission had already failed, it had wanted to slaughter without restraint in its final moments.

Yet it had been casually pinned down by a single person, unable to move.

"Where did this mongrel crawl out from?"

Su Qingyang stood in midair. His cool voice slowly rang out, and his dark eyes settled upon the Demon Ghost, his emotions unfathomable.

The aura rising here was too powerful and had already alarmed half the imperial city. Even from Purple Pavilion Manor, he had sensed it.

So he had immediately rushed over.

Yet he had not expected to find such a hideous monster.

"Damn it! This general refuses to submit! If you have the guts, let me go, and this general will fight you fairly!"

The Demon Ghost roared as it looked at Su Qingyang.

"At any other time, I might have been interested in playing with you. But now... I have no time to deal with you!"

Su Qingyang spoke calmly. The other party's aura had barely reached the level of three breakthroughs in blood and qi. Though it was still far inferior to a Martial Dao Grandmaster, it had surpassed the Innate Realm.

It had not been easy for Ning Qingqing and Liu Qingni either.

Then, his palm exerted a little force. The Demon Ghost's pupils abruptly shrank as an indescribable chill and terror rose from the depths of its heart.

It could clearly feel it!

The hand suppressing it was slowly... applying force downward.

In an instant!

A powerful sense of death exploded in its heart!!

"No! No! No!"

"You can't kill me like this! I refuse to submit, I..."

Crack!

Before it could finish its final words, the Demon Ghost's elephant-like legs could no longer withstand the terrifying force and exploded outright. Then came its lower body, until the destruction finally stopped at its waist and abdomen.

Blood mist filled the air!

Mangled remains flew everywhere!

The Demon Ghost, once arrogant beyond compare and like a demon of the abyss, had half its body crushed alive. It lay on the ground like a dead dog.

Su Qingyang looked down at it coldly.

Then he lightly applied force with his foot and directly crushed its four massive arms as well, turning it into a human stump.

Under the onslaught of agonizing pain, the Demon Ghost fainted on the spot.

"Hiss!!"

Ning Qingqing and Xia Konghan both felt their scalps go numb as they sucked in a cold breath.

The Demon Ghost had already been terrifying enough, but this young man was an even greater monster—perhaps even somewhat brutal!

"Young Master!" Liu Qingni, on the other hand, was overjoyed and was about to step forward.

"Stay farther away!"

Su Qingyang shook his head, telling them to keep their distance. He gently raised his eyes and looked toward the depths of the heavy clouds.

Rain poured down in torrents, and countless peals of thunder rolled and roared. Yet the entire world seemed to have been imprisoned, even the flow of wind and rain slowing.

"A Martial Dao Grandmaster is coming."

Good night, everyone!!