Right now, the Ghost Elder really wants to stop Ryan Ling, but this is just like when Ryan insisted on giving up his cultivation breakthrough to save Gabriel Xue and the others—some bonds just can't be explained by logic.
Especially for someone as sentimental as Ryan!
But just as Ryan was about to take his first step, a surge of overwhelming power burst out from Guihai One-Blade’s body, instantly blocking Ryan outside.
"Don't move, kid!" That voice was unmistakably Guihai One-Blade's.
"Senior! I really want to—" Ryan hadn’t even finished speaking when Guihai One-Blade chuckled and cut him off: "I may be worn out and drained, but I’m not at the point where I need your help yet. There’ll be plenty of chances for you to step in later. For now, dealing with these three punks is still within my pay grade!"
As soon as Guihai One-Blade finished, he suddenly shouted, "Hah!"
With a thunderous roar, countless surges of fierce saber-qi exploded out. The whole scene was earth-shattering—Guihai One-Blade seemed like a completely different person, and razor-sharp blades erupted from every inch of his body, like thousands of steel knives bursting forth all at once.
Ryan had at least reached the Golden Core – Transforming Core phase by now, but faced with such ferocious saber-edges, he couldn’t block them at all and had to frantically retreat. It was clear Guihai One-Blade was finally showing his true strength.
Just how strong was this power? Ryan couldn’t even imagine—maybe it was at the God Realm, or maybe it was already smashing into the Nascent Soul stage of Immortal cultivation. Either way, it was a level Ryan couldn’t hope to touch right now.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Countless blades swarmed out, slamming straight into the Saint King War-Blade. In that instant, the entire Yangtze River surged wildly, and it was like both banks had exploded.
Even the Saint King War-Blade was instantly chopped into several pieces—if Ryan hadn’t seen it himself, he wouldn’t have believed it. This was truly the saber king’s ultimate strike.
"This—this is Guihai One-Blade’s last desperate struggle, channeling the strongest Saint King power! If we don’t finish him off right now, we’ll regret it for the rest of our lives!" The Saint Kings weren’t fazed at all—in fact, they seemed even more fired up.
In a flash, as the Saint Kings counterattacked, all those countless blades shattered in the blink of an eye!
Then an even stronger force gathered, instantly forming a Saint King War-Spear in midair. And the one gripping the spear was actually an ancient Saint.
Meanwhile, the Saint Kings kept chanting under their breath.
"The Saint is here, gripping the demon-slaying spear! Guihai One-Blade, submit now, or you’ll be branded a traitor to your country and family, unfilial and faithless! Even in death you’ll be cast down to the Eighteenth Level of Hell, never to be reborn!"
As those words rang out, Ryan almost couldn’t help but drop to his knees.
"Ryan, hang on! It’s the Saint Kings’ bewitchment spell—don’t let their words mess with your head!" The Ghost Elder shouted, voice raw with urgency.
Ryan jerked his head, and clarity instantly snapped back into his mind.
The Saint Kings’ power was just too overwhelming. Ryan hadn’t even fought them head-on yet, but just hearing their words almost bewitched him—if they actually clashed, he’d probably be insta-killed, no contest!
"Ridiculous! I, Guihai One-Blade, am the true incarnation of the Saber God! You think a few holy words can make me submit? Don’t make me laugh! Since things have gone this far, I’ll unleash my own trump card and show you the real terror of Avici Hell!" As soon as he finished, Guihai roared, "Hell Mad Blade Eighteen Styles! All ghosts of Hell, heed my command—attack!"
"Severing Desire, Severing Soul, Severing Spirit, Severing Essence, Severing Bone..." In that instant, Guihai finally unleashed his strongest technique—the Hell Mad Blade Eighteen Styles.
Ryan had only ever learned the first ten forms before, but now Guihai released all eighteen at once. Outsiders couldn’t see clearly, but Ryan saw everything—Guihai was teaching him the final eight forms as he fought.
"Ryan, pay attention! These last eight aren’t just saber moves—they’re hell-domain techniques, simulating the most terrifying Avici Hell. Once you use them, it’s like dragging your enemy straight into hell—pure annihilation!" Guihai’s spiritual sense explained as he fought. Ryan nodded, and with his mind at the Transforming Core level, he instantly modeled and replayed each move in his sea of consciousness, burning them into his memory as if branded there forever.
The moment Ryan mastered them all, Guihai had already struck—under his mad onslaught, all three Saint Kings exploded.
Of course, that was all thanks to Guihai’s insane strength—Ryan couldn’t even compare right now, they were worlds apart. And with all four of them fighting, the entire area was sealed off by their power; if those seals ripped open, thousands of miles would be scorched earth in seconds.
"Damn, that’s nuts!" Ryan marveled—even now, he couldn’t get anywhere near the battlefield!
"Ryan, it’s done! Did you memorize all eight final forms?" Guihai One-Blade took a deep breath, and suddenly everything around them returned to calm, like nothing had ever happened.
"Got them all. Thank you, Senior!" Ryan said sincerely. He’d just killed a Great Saint, and now Guihai had decapitated three Saint Kings of the World Dominion Society—there’s no way anyone from North Jiangsu would dare mess with them for a while.
"Good, good!" Guihai nodded slightly, but just then he coughed up a mouthful of blood again.
"Senior!" Ryan blurted, startled. Just moments ago, Guihai One-Blade had looked perfectly healthy, but now his face was so pale he seemed like a different person.
"He’s badly hurt—probably took a heavy blow before the fight, and forcing out the Hell Mad Blade Eighteen Styles to kill three Saint Kings only made it worse. I doubt he can ever use that move again!" the Ghost Elder said, deeply worried.
"What do you mean, Senior?" Ryan was shaken, then quickly looked at Guihai One-Blade, at a loss for words. It seemed like Guihai’s real goal in unleashing the Hell Mad Blade wasn’t just to kill the three Saint Kings, but to pass the technique on to Ryan—he knew if he didn’t do it now, he might never get another chance!
"Say no more. I’ll be fine. I’m wounded, but with proper care I’ll recover. The World Dominion Society won’t dare make a move for at least three to six months!" Guihai coughed twice, biting back pain. "But those three Saint Kings weren’t their ultimate force—they have even stronger ones. The road ahead will only get harder. What you need to do now is get stronger. I could help you this time, but next time, you’ll be on your own!"
After he finished, Guihai’s coughing grew worse.
"Senior, please don’t say any more. I know what I have to do!" Ryan clenched his fists. They’d just repelled the World Dominion Society’s strongest attack yet, but another would surely come. Now that they’d broken all ties, there’d be no peace—next time could be any day.
For now, at least Guihai One-Blade was holding the line!
That’s why news of Guihai’s injuries absolutely couldn’t leak—otherwise, chaos would erupt!
To Japan!
If Ryan wanted to make real progress, Jiangnan was no longer an option—only Japan held hope. If he could track down the Primeval Heavenwood, his strength might soar to new heights.
Everything else was pointless!
"Ryan, things may be urgent, but as the master of Jiangnan you absolutely can’t show it. Learn from Guihai One-Blade—stay calm and collected, buy yourself more time. Got it?" the Ghost Elder reminded him.
"Exactly, you’re right. The more urgent things get, the calmer I have to be. For now, let Senior Guihai focus on healing—we’ll head back to Jinling, there are major decisions to make tonight!" Ryan took a deep breath. He knew the World Dominion Society was nothing like the old Azure Dragon Society—their power was overwhelming, and there might be even stronger forces behind them. He had to keep that in mind.
So before heading to Japan, Ryan had to find a way to meet the Huaxia Divine Dragon one more time.
Now, he needed both strength and powerful allies—he couldn’t afford to lack either!
But just as his mind was racing, a surge of heat swept through his body—like he’d been drugged, suddenly losing control.
"Master, what’s wrong? If you need anything, I’ll satisfy you right away!" In the snake-demon bowl, the sensitive Mitsui Hinadori instantly sensed it—speaking, she spread her legs wide...