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However, it was precisely under such unfavorable circumstances that the true strength of the "Hanyue Knight" was finally revealed.

"Hein, I must admit that your ghost-fueled power is indeed astonishing. However, the power derived from ghosts has countless flaws. Even without considering the innate suppression by holy and dark magics, the rigidity and lag in your control alone are enough for me to find a weakness," Carol, now fully committed, gradually turned resolute, his twin blades suddenly becoming ethereal and elusive. At the same time, he shouted loudly, "You have repeatedly insulted Master Arshu. Today, I will use Master Arshu's ultimate technique to make you understand what the true realm of a Sword Saint is. Heavenly Blade Three Sighs — Time as a Blade —"

Time as a blade ages people, yet the soul remains oblivious.

This ultimate technique, created by the "Sword Saint" Arshu with the goal of challenging the "War Saint" Leimen, is a condensed artistic conception born from the solitude of the passage of time. It can completely integrate the blade's momentum into the myriad natural changes of the world, grinding the enemy to dust as imperceptibly as time itself, making it a masterpiece of blade artistry.

However, the reappearance of this long-lost ultimate blade technique was not performed by the same person as before. Although the "Hanyue Knight" Carol was a genius disciple who inherited almost all of Arshu's martial arts, he was still just a youth. To think that he could execute a blade technique that required the tempering of years of solitude to truly ascend was truly astonishing. Even Chen Xuanfeng, who held decisive martial arts from two worlds and possessed the legendary book "Sword God Realm," could not replicate this ultimate technique that he had personally experienced in the past.

Thus, when Chen Xuanfeng heard the youth shout the name of this blade technique, he couldn't help but be surprised, his eyes shining even brighter. However, he soon revealed a smile of understanding.

That move was indeed the ultimate technique "Time as a Blade," but when this ultimate technique was performed with a pair of epic-tier divine weapons, it was different. The twin blades, following opposite trajectories, expressed the profound meaning of this blade technique. Carol's realm was not yet sufficient to fully grasp the ethereal, heavenly-like artistic conception of this blade. However, this clever youth used a small trick, leveraging the mutual resonance of the two divine weapons to compensate for the flaws, thus unleashing a version of "Time as a Blade" that was similar in form but not entirely in essence. Although this blade technique was remarkably lifelike, in the eyes of top-tier experts, it still had many flaws. If used to challenge the two Saint-level "Emperor Martial" orcs, it might not even last a single move before being broken. However, when used against the nearly insane "Red Sun Knight," its effect was almost the same as the genuine "Time as a Blade," as the opponent couldn't discern its subtleties.

Thus, the result was as expected.

"Pfft————————"

The intertwined blue and golden crescent moonlight effortlessly pierced through the black flames entangled with countless ghosts, gracefully landing on Hein's "Nine Ghost Demon Armor — Lament of the Underworld." Although the "Nine Ghost Demon Armor — Lament of the Underworld" was rumored to be one of the armaments of the strongest death knight, "Dark Eagle" Ziegfried, from the era of the Undead War, it was ultimately just a top-tier legendary set, not yet reaching the level of an epic. On the other hand, the "Twin Crescent Moons" were a rare pair of epic-tier divine weapons. Although each crescent blade was only of mid-to-lower rank when separated, when combined, their power surpassed even the "Sword Saint's" "Thunder Emperor Slash." Under the Sword Saint's power and the sharpness of these renowned blades, the nine ghost faces on the black heavy armor exploded, and the countless imprisoned blue souls turned into billions of tiny lights, blooming like fireworks in the night sky, accompanied by howls that were both mournful and liberating, scattering into the endless void.

Hein, hidden within the armor, was not affected. His figure turned into a flame at the moment Carol's twin blades struck, instantly disappearing within the blade shadows and reappearing hundreds of meters away on the desert. He glared hatefully at Carol, whose twin blades were still flashing, and without another word, turned and left. His figure flickered a few times in the distant desert before silently vanishing into the night.

"Lotus Doppelganger," one of the flame abilities inherent to the furious sword "Ten Realms Crimson Lotus," could completely replace the wielder in enduring a fatal strike, with a cooldown of one hundred days. It had always been a life-saving ultimate technique for the wielder of the "Crimson Lotus Sword." In truth, Carol had no intention of seriously harming Hein, so even if Hein hadn't used this precious "Lotus Doppelganger," he would have at most suffered a few light wounds from the "Twin Crescent Moons." However, the hot-tempered "Red Sun Knight," judging others by his own standards, naturally didn't believe that his opponent would show mercy. Carol, on the other hand, intended to deplete this murderous colleague's life-saving trump card, thereby keeping him in check for the next three months. Thus, Carol, whether deliberately or inadvertently, exuded a hint of killing intent, further convincing Hein that this fair-haired youth, who spoke of the Sword Saint's rules, was actually a sinister and ruthless individual who had planned to take his life.

As for this outcome, the happiest was undoubtedly Chen Xuanfeng, as Hein's loss of both the "Lament of the Underworld" and the "Lotus Doppelganger" would make Chen Xuanfeng's planned scheme twice as smooth.

Chen Xuanfeng glanced down at Jin Luosha beside him, and the girl responded with a smile. In their silent understanding, the true battle had just begun.

Chapter 10: The Spiral Lock of the Golden Crow

Although the "Flame Sand Army," now without a Sword Saint, still possessed overwhelming military strength, and the stone bridge connecting the chasm still stood, facing a hostile Sword Saint and a dark mage of the tenth level, even if their numbers were ten times greater, they wouldn't dare act recklessly. Thus, after carefully obtaining a promise from the "Hanyue Knight" that he wouldn't pursue them, the commanding general immediately abandoned the occupied oasis, and the army fled in a cloud of dust.

After seeing off the army of over twenty thousand, the tribe finally breathed a sigh of relief. The warriors of the Hanos Tribe busied themselves with clearing the battlefield and tending to the wounded, while the Anxi Tribe, which had unexpectedly regained its homeland, was overjoyed. As for the three thousand mercenaries who had come to their aid, they were warmly welcomed by the tribal warriors.

As for the "Hanyue Knight" Carol, the greatest savior, he deliberately avoided the celebrating crowd. Whether out of the dignity of a Sword Saint or political prudence, he had to maintain a stance aloof from the mundane. After all, a top-tier powerhouse with a large group of devoted followers was a dangerous thing for any nation and would inevitably be met with suspicion. This was the price one had to pay for obtaining immense power. Of course, if the associates were also top-tier powerhouses, it was different. Experts of this level, even if not at the "Saint Realm," possessed a considerable degree of pride and dignity, making it difficult to form a group of powerhouses that could threaten the national system. Thus, they were not feared by those in power.