Richwater City.
It was a fine day, and the sun was blazing. Under the glaring rays, everything seemed to glow with dazzling brilliance. Autarch Qian raised his head and stared directly at the sun, then squinted his eyes.
"The sun really warms the heart." He grinned.
He stood on a tall building facing the ruins. In the center of the ruins was a vast, deep pit filled with river waters from Richwater City, forming a huge quagmire.
"Start on the second pot right away,” smiling, Autarch Qian nodded at the autarch beast in the distance.
The nine intact heads of the autarch beast first roared, cleared their throats, and then made a melodious sound that swept through Richwater City. As soon as this melodious sound made its way through the city, people left their houses with smiles and started walking towards the quagmire.
"No lifebound beasts were killed. This pot of soup isn’t pure. But it doesn't matter. I won't drink it today. I shall sacrifice this pot of soup to the descendants of the imperial family. I’ve let all of you down.”
Autarch Qian shook his head, bursting into tears.
"It’s easy to get emotional as one ages. I can’t control my tears like I used to. Who says I have no feelings? I’m full of them,” said Autarch Qian.
"Stop muttering to yourself. It’s annoying. Hurry up!” The autarch beast said impatiently.
"Even you’re annoyed with me. I’m helpless!’ Rising to his feet, Autarch Qian patted the dust from his clothes.
He looked down and found more and more residents of Richwater City in the quagmire.
"What a big pot of soup! Richwater City has about three million people, right? It’s a huge city indeed. Just wonderful!”
An hour later, the quagmire was filled with people.
"Not so crowded! We don’t want to smother the fish before I show off my cooking skills!” said Autarch Qian.
In a good mood, he stretched himself.
"Let’s begin.” He announced.
"You fucking beast!” Suddenly, a roar exploded in Autarch Qian’s ears from the ground. He turned around, only to see a red gleam in the distance that shot towards him. In that instant, he was greeted by the blade.
"We have guests.” He grinned.
A mirror appeared in his hand, shielding him. As the power of the two empyrean saints collided, Li Wudi’s attack sent Autarch Qian flying. With several turns, power poured out of the Cyclic Mirror, allowing the latter to steadily descend to the ground. At the same time, a blood-red peng swooped in. With a flap of its wings, a bloody storm swept the autarch beast.
The beast let out a miserable wail, interrupting the psychedelic sound, and letting the people in the quagmire gradually sober up. Many sank into the water. This inexplicable encounter caused widespread panic. When the people in the water looked up, they saw Autarch Qian's lifebound beast. Having heard about the events in the Divine Capital and Dazzling City, most of them knew what they were about to experience.
"That’s the Cyclic Mirror!”
"Autarch Qian actually wants to use our fate souls to cultivate!”
"He’s going to kill us!”
"He wants to slaughter the entire Richwater City!”
"I’m a Jiang, member of the imperial family. There are five hundred thousand of us in Richwater City. What is he doing?!”
Despair filled the air.
"Run! Run!”
After finally regaining their senses, they tried to escape.
"The one who saved us is Li Wudi of the Decimo Dao Palace. I never imagined our own autarch would harm us, and to think Li Wudi actually came to rescue us!”
"Die, Theocrats! Autarch Qian, your end is here!”
The masses were filled with grief and indignation. For the descendants of the Jiang clan, it was even harder to accept the fact. Would there even be a future with such an imperial family and autarch?
What made them despair even more was that despite leaving the quagmire, the surrounding area was shrouded by a heavenly pattern formation. The strongest men in Richwater City were sky saints. Unfortunately, these experts had been killed by Autarch Qian before this, and earth saints had no way of breaking the heavenly pattern formation before them.
"Quick, let’s break the formation together!”
"Hurry up!”
In order to survive, the people of Richwater City desperately fought for their lives. However, the heavenly pattern formation remained intact.
……
The duel between the two great empyrean saints caused the collapse of the buildings in Richwater City. Most of the damage came from the two beasts—the Thunderflame Regalfiend Hydra and the Primordial Bloodbane Kunpeng—and their abilities. The autarch beast had the same properties as Dongyang Fengchen's lifebound beast. Both possessed the power of thunder, fire, and poison—the most formidable types among the hydra.
"You’ve reached Empyrean Saint?” Autarch Qian widened his eyes in shock.
Li Wudi had undergone Bloodfiend Transformation. Both man and lifebound beast had tougher scales and physique. Li Wudi resembled a human-shaped lifebound beast. Even without the use of saint ki, the power of his punch could shake the earth.
"Is it enough to claim a low-life like you?” Yuwen Taiji, whom Li Wudi once hated, seemed like a good man compared to the one before him.
Had he arrived any later, all three million residents of Richwater City would have perished.
"How interesting! What other means do you have? Go on, show them. You’ll make this old man really happy!" Autarch Qian smiled.
Li Wudi had assumed Autarch Qian would be reduced to a crazy demon, fighting desperately upon meeting him. Surprisingly, the old man could still laugh after his descendants had all been slaughtered. He was on a whole other level.
"You old devil, what other tricks do you have?”
Blood surging, Li Wudi held the Firstbane Saber in his hand and struck with the First Hegemon Sword. Although the two had a cultivation gap of one level, Li Wudi was young, vigorous, and bursting with energy, while the other was old and withered. If Autarch Qian didn’t possess the Cyclic Mirror, there was no way he could stop Li Wudi.
Even the people of Richwater City could see how Autarch Qian and his lifebound beast struggled under Li Wudi’s attack. Autarch Qian strained to resist, relying on the Cyclic Mirror.
"Autarch Qian, let me be honest. People like you, who have spent their whole life and cultivation relying on a divine weapon, don’t have a real martial dao! The human body is the strongest weapon. Without the Cyclic Mirror, you’re nothing!" Li Wudi said contemptuously.
"So, you mean the same is true for your son, Li Tianming?” Autarch Qian remained composed. No matter how Li Wudi and the Primordial Bloodbane Kunpeng attacked, he blocked with the Cyclic Mirror, which was equivalent to an indestructible shield, thus placing him in an invincible position.
"He’s different. To him, the Grand-Orient Sword is just the icing on the cake.” Li Wudi basically understood how powerful his opponent was.
This time, his breakthrough and transformation were huge. It was no longer possible for Autarch Qian to crush him like last time. As long as he managed to restrain Autarch Qian, the latter wouldn’t be able to use the Cyclic Mirror to harm innocents again.
Although Li Wudi had killed many people, there was no way he could ever point his weapons at the old and weak or the women and children.
“Autarch Qian, everyone has to pay the price for their sins. I once punished an old friend with a life worse than death. This time, your punishment will be ten times, no, a hundred times worse!”
"Oh, it sounds so scary. Keep going. Aren’t you going to defeat me?” Autarch Qian laughed.
Li Wudi was so angry that steam was coming out of his ears.
"It’s amazing how shameless one can be!”
Li Wudi admitted that defeating Autarch Qian wasn’t easy. However, he had time. Anyway, he wouldn’t allow Autarch Qian to kill again. Since his opponent possessed the Cyclic Mirror, there was no way to make this quick.
He glanced at the autarch beast.
"The autarch beast doesn’t have a Cyclic Mirror!”
Li Wudi and his Primordial Bloodbane Kunpeng shared a spiritual connection, so they knew what the other was thinking. But how could Autarch Qian be unprepared? Both man and beast were almost glued together, fighting side by side, so Li Wudi had no opportunity to take advantage of his opponent’s weaknesses.
"Li Wudi, your idea of attacking one by one is silly. Don’t you have any other tricks up your sleeve? If you don’t, I’m about to surprise you!” Autarch Qian laughed.
Li Wudi narrowed his eyes, the flames of fury rolling in his chest. He didn't believe Autarch Qian had any other trump cards. At most, his words were simply meant to frighten.
But the good news was, he actually found Tianming standing behind Autarch Qian. Having just arrived, Tianming was still hiding in the corner, watching Li Wudi and Autarch Qian with cold eyes.
Li Wudi swept his gaze across. To his satisfaction, Tianming immediately understood what he meant. He stood in the shadows, the power of the Myriad-Demise Sword already brewing and aimed at the autarch beast.
The Myriad-Demise Sword suddenly shot towards the autarch beast at a terrifying speed. At this moment, the autarch beast was fighting head-to-head with the Primordial Bloodbane Kunpeng, its three heads tearing a large piece off its opponent’s wing. However, the kunpeng powered through the pain, firmly holding down the autarch beast.
Tianming’s Myriad-Demise Sword whizzed through the air, piercing the autarch beast’s abdomen. Blood poured out of the wound. Its bones and even internal organs were visible. Ten thousand Invincible Sword Ki exploded like scattered celestial flowers, tearing more wounds in the beast’s flesh before returning to Tianming's hands.
The autarch beast screamed in pain as it madly attacked the kunpeng with Primordial Blood Tribulation, repeatedly retreating.
It possessed a stubborn vitality, perhaps due to the efficacy of the miraculous herbs in its body. Although this bloody wound wasn’t considered severe damage, it would significantly affect its state in battle.
The balance had been broken. Right now, Li Wudi had a better chance of killing the autarch beast first. This brought him great joy.
"Tianming hasn’t disappointed me!" He smiled.
Autarch Qian turned around and glanced at Tianming, his lips curling into a smile.
Then, his sinister, deranged laughter seemed to drown out Tianming's laughter. In the distance, Bai Mo, Ye Yi, and hundreds of powerhouses from the Decimo Dao Palace surrounded the place.
"Has he gone mad? The autarch beast is injured, and he’s at the end of his life. How can he still laugh?”
Everyone found it incredible. Surrounded by their contemptuous gazes, Autarch Qian's laughter sounded extremely harsh.
"Friends from the Archaion Divine Realm, your Grand-Orient Sword, and Prime Tower have been delivered to your door," he shouted.
"Xuanyuan Xu, won't you come out and accept them?"