A taunt?
No.
When two opponents of equal or near strength provoke each other, that's called a taunt.
But when an ant dares to provoke an elephant, that isn't a taunt—it's sheer ignorance of death.
And now, it was already too late.
Even though Mo Jialan realized this truth, he realized it far too late.
Pfft!
A bloody hole pierced his brow.
More terrifying than the sword qi was the spiritual power within Yang Cheng's sword intent.
That power shattered Mo Jialan's soul and obliterated his sea of consciousness.
And so—
Mo Jialan's eyes first dimmed, and only then did the spark of life begin to drain from his body.
Silence.
Deathly stillness.
It was as if heaven and earth, as if time and space themselves, had been frozen.
All the mocking voices, the commentary, the excited cheers…
In that instant, everything vanished.
It was as though every throat had been gripped shut, no sound could escape.
Every mind went blank.
Shock.
Unimaginable shock.
It was as if their very souls had been seized by that single sword, leaving them unable to recover for a long time.
Perhaps, even after a hundred years, a thousand years—
As long as these people still lived, they would never forget this moment.
They would never forget this sword.
A world-shaking sword!
A brilliant sword!
A dazzling sword!
A sword that made heaven and earth marvel, that crushed the pride of all beings, that dimmed the glory of all creation…
"Unwilling? There's no need for unwillingness. This sword has been forged in my heart for 500 years."
"You, unfortunately, just happened to be its first soul to claim."
Yang Cheng spoke lightly as he looked at Mo Jialan's face, still twisted in unwillingness.
Today, in the Qingqiu Secret Realm, he created The Sword of Humanity.
It was his second self-created sword art.
Mo Jialan's lips moved as if he wanted to speak.
But in the end, no words came out.
Bang!
His body collapsed backward.
Ding!
[Is this Mo Jialan, Holy Son of the Wheel-Turning Sect, a Refining God powerhouse?]
[And the host has slain him? This shakes heaven and earth, terrifying even gods and demons.]
[System evaluation complete. The host's battle record is extraordinary. Reward: 30 Marrow-Washing Divine Jades.]
Yang Cheng swung once more.
Mo Jialan's head and body were severed.
This was to completely cut off his life force, leaving no chance for a genius like him to use some hidden method of revival.
Even his head's inner sea had already been ground to dust by Yang Cheng's sword qi.
Even if his body could reassemble, he could never return to life.
Then Yang Cheng turned his gaze outward.
The moment it swept over them, everyone around felt a chill run down their spines, shuddering uncontrollably.
"He's really dead!"
"Mo Jialan is dead!"
Voices of disbelief broke out.
Until now, many still clung to a faint hope that Mo Jialan might survive.
After all, he was the number one prodigy of the Western Luo.
But now his head and body lay apart.
No matter how he acted before, no disguise could feign this.
"Run!"
Yang Xiu and Tian Congxuan reacted first.
Truth be told, the moment they felt that terrifying sword intent, they had already been preparing to flee.
Now that Mo Jialan was confirmed dead, they didn't hesitate—they bolted at full speed.
Zhao Shouyi and Nangong Yi were slower by just a step.
Yang Cheng showed no mercy.
Having just slain Mo Jialan, his sword momentum was at its peak.
Riding that overwhelming force, if he struck now, no one could resist.
"Kill!"
Yang Cheng no longer held back. He directly used Divine Ability · Shrinking the Earth to an Inch.
In an instant, he appeared behind Nangong Yi.
His sword light poured down like a waterfall.
The result was obvious.
Even Mo Jialan couldn't withstand Yang Cheng's blade, how could Nangong Yi possibly resist?
Nangong Yi was cut down on the spot, his head flying apart from his body.
Then came Zhao Shouyi.
In the next moment—
The system grew busier than ever.
[Leader of the Bian'an Divine Sect, Nangong Yi, has been slain by the host… Reward: 20 Marrow-Washing Divine Jades.]
[Senior Brother Zhao Shouyi of the Heaven's Mandate Emperor Sect, slain by the host… Reward: 15 Marrow-Washing Divine Jades.]
After that, Yang Cheng didn't spare the disciples of the Wheel-Turning Sect of Western Luo, the Bian'an Divine Sect, or Xuan Yuan Temple.
To him, killing as many as possible now was best.
In his eyes, every single one of them was no different from another Marrow-Washing Divine Jade.
And since they were already his enemies, every kill meant one less future threat. Yang Cheng showed no mercy.
After finishing his slaughter, Yang Cheng suddenly sensed the aura of the transforming serpent.
The beast chased through the crowd, seemingly trying to strike him.
But after witnessing that sword he unleashed earlier, it too was frightened off and fled.
Yang Cheng didn't care.
He knew well enough that the serpent would most likely end up under Yang Xiu's control. There would be plenty of opportunities in the future to kill it.
Half an hour later, blood flowed like rivers around Yang Cheng.
Except for those close to him, everyone else who could run had already fled.
The only regret was that Tian Congxuan and Yang Xiu had escaped.
But that was expected.
Those two were never easy targets to kill.
"Marrow-Washing Divine Jades: now at 260."
Yang Cheng's heart was full of satisfaction.
A single Marrow-Washing Divine Jade was enough for others to fight to the death over. He alone now had 260.
Then he turned to face the corpse of the divine beast Chiwen.
Without hesitation, he raised his wooden sword and split open its head, retrieving a golden pearl from within.
This pearl was the equivalent of a demon beast's inner core.
But for a divine beast, its core had evolved into this divine pearl, also called a "Divine Pill."
Its value was beyond doubt.
"This Divine Pill contains boundless energy. I alone won't be able to absorb it all. You can join me."
Yang Cheng spoke calmly.
This was a rare chance for his nineteen Tiger Generals to greatly increase their strength.
By his estimation, the Qingqiu Secret Realm was close to shutting down—at most within two days.
That gave them just enough time to push their cultivation higher.
And since the Chiwen was the guardian divine beast of the secret realm, it was bound to the realm itself.
Its Divine Pill couldn't be carried out. Once outside, it would collapse.
That meant it had to be used here and now.
Two days alone wouldn't be enough for him to finish absorbing it.
But with nineteen more people sharing, it would be just right.
Lu Yun let out a sigh and decisively bid farewell.
The relationship between the Zither Institute and Yang Cheng wasn't close enough for her to shamelessly linger and leech off his fortune.
Wei Roujia also politely excused herself.
Yang Cheng had saved her and the Wei clan earlier. She wasn't the kind to be greedy beyond reason.
In the end, only Yang Cheng and his nineteen loyal subordinates remained.
"Begin cultivation."
Yang Cheng gave the order.
The nineteen gathered around him as the Divine Pill floated in midair.
Together, they began absorbing its energy.
The Divine Pill's power was indeed vast.
Even with all twenty absorbing at once, it still felt like being battered by a raging flood.
Its energy wasn't something easily refined.
Inside it surged terrifying baleful qi, enough to easily drive one into madness.
But Yang Cheng had long been prepared.
He gave each of them a Marrow-Washing Divine Jade.
The jade would cleanse them while they absorbed, washing away the baleful qi within.