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Bato's words seemed ordinary, yet the secrets they revealed were world-shaking. Who else could stand alongside Leinster as the "twelve half-elves" if not that legendary cabal of mages who mastered forbidden spells—the Twelve Sages? As for the "first emperor," naturally, it referred to the one who slew the Abyssal Demon Dragon King and established the first human empire—the Dragon-Sealing Emperor. Who could have imagined that these pivotal figures in humanity's rise were all connected to the very Demon King himself?

"Tch, why bother with such meaningless talk? Do you expect humans to build you shrines? All I want to know now is why you're here and why you helped that werewolf." Knowing the truth in the other's words, Leinster could only shift the topic, glaring intently at the Demon King before him with a piercing aura. "You're just a disembodied spirit—shouldn't you return to the Netherworld to restore your body? That werewolf already opened a passage for his Demon Dragon to return. Instead of following, you intervened to help him break through to Sainthood. What exactly are you scheming?"

"Heh, I gave you the path to Sainthood power and guided you during your breakthrough in battle. At the same time, I provided the Twelve Sages with the coordinates for forbidden spells and revealed the weakness of my mount dragon to your human leader, ultimately propelling humanity to dominion over the continent. You didn’t disappoint—within a few centuries, you broke my seal and set me free. A fair trade, wasn’t it? I gained freedom, and you seized the chance to rule the continent." The Demon King spoke leisurely, utterly unfazed by the Ancestor of Sword Saints' piercing aura. "But our deal is over. This time, I’ll make a new transaction with that werewolf. Once again, I trust I’ll obtain what I desire, and my counterpart will receive a satisfying reward. That’s simply how I operate."

"Heh, pity your trading partner is already dead. I’ve never heard of you possessing the ability to resurrect the dead. And let’s not forget—those slain by the rules of time perish from aging, beyond any revival. Even if such magic existed, remember: before his death, he broke through to Sainthood. That means he can no longer receive any healing."

"True, I lack such power. But I don’t need to lift a finger. Those I deem worthy to deal with are never simple. This time, let’s see what he can do on his own." Bato’s voice carried a hint of mockery as his puppet body vanished into thin air, as though it had never existed.

At the same moment, Leinster sensed an endless roar surging toward him through layers of space. In an instant, it felt as though the heavens and earth were collapsing upon him. "This... is that werewolf’s 'pressure'? Damn it—Bato stood on the cliff earlier to mask the rising energy fluctuations with his own power. But how did this beastman evade my time-aging curse?"

The next moment, he saw the answer to his confusion.

A massive black dragon head, conjured from energy, slowly rose from below the cliff—followed by a second, then a third. These were the spectral projections of Chen Xuanfeng’s "Nine-Headed Dragon combat energy." But after the third, what emerged were no longer black dragon heads—but six bleached draconic skulls.

"What... is this?" Leinster was taken aback.

Then, at the core of the combat energy, Chen Xuanfeng’s figure gradually ascended. His body had almost fully recovered to its healthy state—only his legs and left arm remained withered and desiccated. Suddenly, one of the remaining three black dragon heads shriveled away, transforming from head to neck into a new skeletal dragon skull. Simultaneously, Chen Xuanfeng’s left arm bulged unnaturally, instantly healing and regaining its healthy glow.

The next two dragon heads restored his legs.

"Hmm... a substitute? An ability akin to the 'Lotus Substitute' of the 'Ten Realms Crimson Lotus Sword,' capable of bearing the injuries of a Saint realm expert? So your second combat energy hid such a power. But... its limitations must be far stricter than the 'Lotus Substitute.' After this use, who knows how long or what conditions must be met before it can be used again."

In an instant, Leinster saw through Chen Xuanfeng’s trump card. But he had no time to attack further—Chen Xuanfeng’s fury erupted with his newly acquired boundless power.

"Burn to cinders!"

As he spoke, the Tiger Soul Blade returned to Chen Xuanfeng’s hand. A maelstrom of violet-black energy surged forth, surpassing even the combined might of his sword and blade techniques—the ultimate strike of the demonic blade, Chaos Reborn: Violet Calamity, was unleashed. This super move, normally requiring extensive charging, was completed in an instant. A violet-black energy sphere hundreds of meters in diameter crashed down upon the cliff like a colossal hammer.

"BOOM————————————"

Today, a second mushroom cloud rose over the ruins of Sacred Dragon Mountain.

Then, with unyielding force, came a third. A fourth. A fifth. Even a sixth.

"Die, die, die, die, die, die——————————"

Originally, Chaos Reborn: Violet Calamity was a fusion of supreme blade artistry and ultra-dark magic—each use demanded lengthy preparation, slow recovery, and absorption of vast enemy magical energy to unleash its full might. But now, having just entered Sainthood, Chen Xuanfeng, though not yet mastering his domain, possessed an inexhaustible wellspring of combat energy. Thus, he could unleash this ultimate technique like a common move, hurling five massive violet-black chaos spheres in succession, pounding the entire mountainside into a crater.

This infinite compression of magical energy into wide-range bombardment was akin to meteor strikes—true power overwhelming skill. Neither time nor space laws could withstand it; there was only retreat.