Chapter 49: The World of a Thousand Faces (Fifth Update)

“Yes!” Bing Changtian bowed his head in subservience, but his heart was wild with joy.

It was done!

Before long, the two of them arrived at an ancient site. There, at the very center, a stone sword stood planted in the earth.

The sword was austere and ancient, marked by the passage of ages, its surface even showing signs of weathering. The sword’s size was immense—its blade a meter wide and three meters long above the ground.

“So this is the Heaven-Slaying Sword Array?” Bing Changtian’s heart pounded violently.

Though there was no discernible sword intent emanating from it, the stone sword exuded an imperial aura, a spiritual majesty that compelled Bing Changtian to kneel and worship.

“Yes, this is the sacred treasure of our Spring and Autumn Holy Nation—the Heaven-Slaying Sword Array.” Even Donggong Fu looked upon the ancient sword with reverent awe. He nodded solemnly. “For endless ages it has stood here, quietly protecting our nation, ensuring prosperity for generations. Take this sword array, destroy the painting that seals the Demon Emperor, and eliminate that Young Master Chen. Remember, return immediately—show even a hint of delay, and I will not spare you.”

“Yes! Yes!” Bing Changtian nodded in frantic obedience.

Donggong Fu stepped forward, bowing three times before the old stone sword. Only then did he sweep his sleeve, releasing a torrent of power that enveloped the sword.

A sharp sound split the air as the ancient sword was drawn forth—revealed in its full length of ten meters!

Thunder rumbled. As the sword was raised, a strange phenomenon ensued. The entire imperial realm shuddered. Black clouds surged across the heavens, blotting out the sun as if doomsday descended.

Panic erupted throughout the land; everywhere, people fled in terror.

Donggong Fu gazed up at the ominous clouds, his expression grave. “Is this a heavenly omen?”

Bing Changtian stood by his side, shivering uncontrollably, not daring to utter a word.

Suddenly, the black clouds split apart. In a blinding flash of white light, a colossal bolt of lightning crashed down, striking the very spot where the stone sword had stood.

A terrifying shockwave exploded outward.

Bing Changtian screamed as he was flung away by the blast. Donggong Fu reached out and caught him in mid-air.

“Thank you, Holy Sovereign!” Bing Changtian’s face was ashen; his clothes were in tatters, his body lined with cracks like a shattered vase, blood quickly seeping out, making for a ghastly sight.

Donggong Fu said nothing, his gaze still fixed on the heavens. Only after a long while, when the oppressive clouds slowly drifted apart, did he finally lower his eyes and turn to Bing Changtian.

“It is done. Take the Heaven-Slaying Sword Array back to the Southern Domain. Remember: once your task is finished, return the sword at once. The slightest delay—death!”

Bing Changtian trembled and nodded rapidly. “Yes! Yes!”

Leaving the imperial realm, a smile crept onto Bing Changtian’s face. “This is unbelievable—the Heaven-Slaying Sword Array, the sacred treasure of the Spring and Autumn Holy Nation, is now in my hands. It feels like a dream.”

Then, his expression darkened with cold malice. “Mu’er, do not blame me. From the moment you met that Young Master Chen, your fate was sealed. Now, you will die with him.”

“The Holy Sovereign wants me to return the sword immediately after killing Mu’er and Young Master Chen?” Bing Changtian sneered. “Now that I possess the Heaven-Slaying Sword Array, what need have I of the Holy Sovereign?”

His blood surged within him, boiling as if on fire.

The Heaven-Slaying Sword Array, the nation’s ultimate treasure, now belonged to him. What ruler could make him afraid?

“Hmph! With the Heaven-Slaying Sword Array in my grasp, I shall soon become the next Holy Sovereign of the Spring and Autumn Nation!”

As he stepped out of the imperial realm, a wild and reckless thought seized his heart.

After eliminating the little princess and Young Master Chen, he would march on the imperial capital with the sword array in hand and slay Donggong Fu himself!

His willingness to risk plunging the entire Southern Domain into chaos, digging up the Demon Emperor’s tomb from the heart of the Ten Thousand Mountains, proved he was a true madman.

There was nothing he would not dare attempt.

“Ha ha ha! How marvelous! How delightfully things have turned in my favor!” Bing Changtian threw his head back and laughed.

At first, he had revealed the Demon Emperor’s tomb’s location in hopes that Bing Miaoguo could obtain the Demon Emperor’s legacy. But after the Demon Emperor’s resurrection and the deaths of Bing Miaoguo, Elder Mu, and others, he had fallen into despair and rage.

Only now did he realize that the heavens had bestowed upon him an unimaginable opportunity.

He intended not only to seize the Myriad Forms World of the Qianlong Sect, but also to claim the Heaven-Slaying Sword Array for himself—using it to storm the imperial capital, slay Donggong Fu, and ascend as the new Holy Sovereign!

—

“Chang Tian, did everything go smoothly?” In the City Lord’s Mansion of the Southern Domain’s county seat, Bai Linglong rushed forward on graceful steps when she saw Bing Changtian return.

“Smoothly—so smoothly it’s almost unbelievable,” Bing Changtian replied with a smile. “Nie Long, the sect master of Qianlong, was so eager to avenge his son that he readily lent me their sect’s treasured Myriad Forms World. After that, I made a trip to the imperial capital and paid my respects to the Holy Sovereign.”

“You met the Holy Sovereign as well?” Bai Linglong was stunned.

“That’s right.” Bing Changtian’s excitement was impossible to conceal. “I didn’t believe the remnant demon dragon soul at Qianlong Sect could kill Young Master Chen, so I requested the Heaven-Slaying Sword Array, the Spring and Autumn Nation’s supreme treasure, from the Holy Sovereign—and he actually gave it to me.”

A thunderclap seemed to strike Bai Linglong; she trembled violently. Only after a long moment did she recover from the shock.

“Chang Tian, what is your next move?”

“It’s simple—we hold a grand celebration,” Bing Changtian declared with supreme confidence.

—

Thus began Bing Changtian’s mad and ambitious scheme. Invitations were sent from the City Lord’s Mansion to all the powers of the Southern Domain, beckoning them to the upcoming celebration.

The entire Southern Domain was thrown into fresh uproar.

“Nie Long, I’ve brought the Qianlong Sect’s invitation myself. I hope you will attend!” At the Qianlong Sect, Bing Changtian handed Nie Long a thin piece of red jade, smiling faintly.

Even the invitations were made of red jade—a display of extravagant confidence!

Nie Long accepted the jade tablet and infused it with a trace of mysterious energy.

The jade trembled softly and glowed with a crimson light. Within the red radiance, lines of densely packed red characters appeared:

Recently, a disturbance arose in the depths of the Ten Thousand Mountains: the Demon Emperor’s tomb, long hidden, wrought chaos, and the Demon Emperor, fallen ages past, was resurrected. Countless factions joined the suppression, suffering grievous losses. Fortunately, the little princess acquired a saint’s painting and, with it, sealed the Demon Emperor anew.

For her merit in vanquishing the Demon Emperor, the little princess shall be honored at a grand celebration!