ROAR!!
A howl of chaotic madness drenched with the essence of evil and heretical defiance of natural laws shook the very foundations of the world. The resulting shockwave stifled the air and mana, disrupted the flow of light and space, and contorted the foundation of Heavenly Law. The Soldiers of War, this fearless legion, regardless of their role or cultivation, found their spirits impacted heavily, freezing physically and mentally in response.
Zhan You clenched his spear, and with an internal roar, almost instantly regained his autonomy. Harnessing the Minor Authority of War, with unimaginable swiftness, he interconnected his awareness and will with those under his command. The effect of this was nigh-instant, immediately allowing these impacted Soldiers of War to regain their freedom.
And while impressive, almost instantaneous, this left an inevitable gap of orders and action during that extraordinarily brief period of time; Tuo Bihan had gained the respite amidst the unrelenting brutal rush of metal and flesh, soaring outside of the surrounding cage of armored soldiers from all sides with his Way of Mysticism: Spatial. A hard-fought escape that he refused to allow un-leveraged for a decisive advantage.
Standing not too far away as all eyes turned to him, calculating and determining their next course of action, Tuo Bihan’s entire body, as thin as could be, began to expand as fascinatingly impressive muscles bloomed across his frame with a faint boom. The ground beneath his feet trembled, sinking ever-so-slightly from his increased weight. He reached out his hand.
"Embrace of Heretic; Transform the Berserk; Cleave the Unseen!" Tuo Bihan’s chant felt unbearably slow, yet in reality was incomparably fast. The godsword’s surface glowed with esoteric runes that emitted a chaotically vile and malicious aura imbued with true, unrivaled madness. Then, his muscular form grew until it reached fourteen feet in height, an outright giant.
"Men!" Zhan You was not an inexperienced soul, and his reaction was nothing short of decisive and swift, transmitting orders with speed, precision, and clarity. "FORMATION 37! Defensive—Battalion Eight, STAND!!"
Immediately, he tapped into his Heaven’s Gate, all his Ways of Mysticism, and the dual Minor Authorities of Wind & War, and without the slightest hesitation, retreated with his fastest movement art. Simultaneously, he fiercely lanced his jade spear into seemingly nothing. At the tip, a miniature gale-storm brewed.
The soldiers under his command acted instinctively, their minds wandering as they observed the monstrous changes unfolding before them. They acted like proper soldiers, not cultivators. When given orders, they acted first, thought later. Trust was absolute, and orders secured victory; unless incompetence was shown and proven in the leadership, a pattern of behavior resulting in continuous failing outcomes, they would never question orders.
Nine thousand soldiers retreated in seamless coordination, those in front defensively guarding. At the same time, those behind them pulled and created a degree of great distance between them and the now-monstrous Tuo Bihan. It was almost as if one set of soldiers were using their allies as shields, and the other as automated vehicles.
Defend.
Move.
Survive.
Only a thousand soldiers stayed. They fortified themselves and entrenched their position, acting as the first line of defense.
Tuo Bihan’s body kept releasing pulse after pulse of eerie and malicious pressure that could crush the fighting spirit. As if predicting this outcome, those thousand men shrouded their allies. They weren’t sacrifices—they were shields! And they seemed adept at dealing with ambient pressure, outright countering the torrential outflow with their own World Pressure, as if to determine its frequency and negate it flawlessly.
Tuo Bihan’s eyes were a deep, unsettling crimson, from pupils, irises, to sclera—all crimson! A malevolent aura erupted without restraint, yet his gaze held not just the berserking madness of a monstrous entity but also solemn surprise. In his lifetime, he faced trials and tribulations, fought against enemies for the sake of treasure and blessings, and even sparred with other Prime Ascendants, yet this was an unparalleled army the likes of which he had never experienced or even remotely conceived possible!
Whether it was their coordination, clear delineation of roles, adaptability to obstacles, or diversity of actions and tactics, they were exhibiting frightening, almost godlike prowess in warfare! In the Everlore Starfield, now known as the Neo-Dawn Starfield, his original homeland, there were various myths and legendary tales describing a Heavenly Army capable of conquering the skies and dominating the lands.
For the first time in his life, he felt that these soldiers were the perfect personification of those legends!
However, that did little to quiet his fighting spirit or diminish his resolve!
Holding the Heretical Berserk Godsword in his hand, he channeled its innate power, driven by his Purist’s Mystic Power, and pushed his Mystic Soul to the limit!
Yun Che, the original possessor of the Heretical Berserk Godsword, at the Demi-Mortal Lord Phase, was only able to unleash a few swings before exhausting his strength. Tuo Bihan was different, yet due to the principles of his cultivation and the refinement of this item, not that it was lacking, but that it was TOO high in compatibility. If he wished to unleash a single swing of this sword, it would exhaust over 90% of his strength!
This was bringing out the FULL strength of the sword!
The hidden benefits of a Purist were an unrivaled compatibility with anything within the respective limits of that Dao. And at this moment, Tuo Bihan was a Minor Envoy of the Mystic Dao, and the Mystic Dao was a greater dao capable of encompassing heaven and earth. There was no armament within the Mystic Dao—Mystic-Earth, Mystic-World, Mystic-Heaven, or Mystic-Soul—that he couldn’t refine!!
Regardless of cultivation base!
And this sword, this ’godsword’ was not a Mystic-Earth Armament nor was it a Mystic-World Armament! ALSO! It was not a Heavenly Treasure!! Not even a Mystic-Heaven Armament could describe its grade! No, it was far, far greater!
IT WAS A MYSTIC-SOUL ARMAMENT!!!
From the blade itself, a howl was unleashed that shook heaven and earth, and like a divinity of murder, Tuo Bihan held it upright and drove his entire being into its hilt!
He opened his mouth.
"AHHHHHHHH!!!" A primal scream unlike any other boomed from his lungs, filled with pain and suffering and maniacal insanity to defy heaven and earth!
The retreating soldiers felt their Minor Authority of War, and the resulting aura, grow sluggish. Then, much to their surprise, they felt the authority held within their souls slowly being drawn away, toward Tuo Bihan’s monstrous form. Soldiers should feel no fear on the battlefield, willing to die for their cause, their brothers, and their leader, yet fear arose unbidden within their very souls!
Zhan You’s eyes widened to their limits. Before he could even think further, Tuo Bihan smashed the sword downwards toward the ground, not aiming for anyone in particular!
"Shit!" Shui Fengbao cursed as his body burst into wisps of flames, dispersing in all directions and fading within a single instant.
Yao Houyi’s blindfold glowed a distinct grey as ripples of space and time enveloped him. He became translucent in form and substance, no longer existing in this space and time.
Su Mei’s figure vanished entirely. Without rhyme or reason, she was simply gone.
The sanguine pillar condensed into a crystallized form of blood, hardened by an unfathomably terrifying power.
The Heretical Berserk Godsword completed its swing.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
The very earth and sky exploded, twisting reality in unfathomable ways. The ten thousand soldiers of war mounted a defense, gathering together to resist, yet upon facing the colossal wave of berserking energy surging their way, their defenses were as fragile as a piece of paper.
The core issue was that their Mystic Energies were affected by Tuo Bihan’s Suppression Art, relying on his status as a Purist, weakening them to a tenth of their power, while the Heretical Berserk Godsword defied heaven and earth and siphoned, no—forcefully claimed their Authority of Law. They had little left to defend themselves.
The fact that they could last even a microsecond, given the circumstances, was a testament to their outrageous powers. Zhan You lasted longer than a microsecond, using his spear to last a full second as the berserking energy stripped him of his authority. He was utterly flabbergasted by the sheer terror of a single swing of a sword.
"Incredible..." Those words left his lips as he was sundered into pure spirit energy. Dead.
For ten thousand miles, the ground was dented and covered in fissures. A berserk force stained heaven and earth, tainting the space entirely. Even the various functions of the Battlefield required some time to initiate repairs.
At the epicenter of this destruction, a lone figure, no longer muscular, simply thin, bearded, and a little old, leaned against his hunk of iron stabbed into the ground.
"Hehe," Tuo Bihan chuckled as his eyes no longer contained any pupils or irises, only a stark sea of white. He was blinded by fury and madness, quite literally. He hurriedly withdrew a peak-grade pill from his Void Ring and consumed it. After a few seconds, his pupils and irises returned. While his eyes were a little bloodshot, they were lively and functioning.
He looked at the godsword with a faint smile. While this was a damaged fragment of a Mystic-Soul Armament, it was still of the Mystic-Soul grade. That strike earlier could threaten a Supreme Existence. Although ’threaten’ did not mean harm. Simply if they took it without any defense, it could damage their body.
Still, Zhan You and his legion could not fight against a true Supreme Existence at their current level. And this display showed that flawless tactics and coordination all yielded to absolute power.
A majestic voice resounded outwards:
"You pass."
Tuo Bihan’s breathing was heavy with exhaustion yet pride bloomed within his soul. A gentle warmth suffused his soul. He was one of his majesty’s first subordinates, if not his first true subordinate from all those years ago, and for the first time since he earned the qualification to become a Prime Ascendant, he felt worthy enough to stand by his side.
With a hearty inhale and an excited, relieved exhale, he lifted the hunk of iron known as a godsword and carried it on his shoulders as he trudged back to the sanguine pillar. At this point, Su Mei, Yao Houyi, and Shui Fengbao had already returned.
Shui Fengbao gave him a thumbs up with a bright smile.
Su Mei nodded.
And Yao Houyi’s lips contained the faintest of a smile.
Even the crystal sanguine pillar filled with cracks pulsed outwards with the will of acceptance and admiration.
"Hahaha!" He couldn’t hold back his laughter or smile.

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