Winterfell, South Gate.
Facing the thousands of floating Sword Clan warriors, Feng Qi remained calm.
Because these Sword Clan warriors weren't even worthy of being called his opponents.
On his long journey of cultivation, he had encountered countless Domain creatures far stronger than these Sword Clan fighters.
Even the elite squad once under his command, Lei Ting, had warriors stronger than these Sword Clan members.
While the Sword Clan might possess strength beyond that of average humans, in the vast world of Domain forces, they were just another ordinary faction.
But Jian Ji was different.
Jian Ji's strength would be remarkable even in the Domain World.
The fact that he had a Miracle Item perfectly compatible with his body already set him above many with great potential.
Feng Qi didn't know if, in the original timeline, Jian Ji and the Demon Blade ever truly decided a victor.
But what he did know was that 1,500 years in the future, the Demon Blade had never stopped pursuing ascension. He had even found and battled the Lord of the Mist from the future, ending in mutual injury after a peak-level fight.
Perhaps in the future New World, Jian Ji would also have a place.
But that was in the past. He wouldn't let Jian Ji survive any longer—on this timeline, Jian Ji had to die.
His body turned into a streak of black light, piercing through the floating Sword Clan warriors in an instant.
The Demon Blade in his hand slashed through the air, carving a black rift like a flaming undead phoenix spreading its wings.
As the blade armor covering Feng Qi's body turned into black mist and was absorbed by the Demon Blade, the expressions of the Sword Clan warriors froze in place.
Their bodies trembled slightly, but they were utterly helpless to resist the invading blade Qi. The vitality within their bodies withered away rapidly under the brutal pressure of the energy.
They tried to speak, only to find they couldn't utter a sound. Their twitching throats eventually fell still.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
In an instant, thousands of Sword Clan warriors exploded. The cold wind swept snowflakes and blood into the sky, drifting over the battlefield like a crimson snowfall.
Against true overwhelming force, even struggling was a luxury.
Looking down at the fierce battle below, Feng Qi frowned slightly. Then he turned to the distant Xiao You and the others, and said calmly:
"Do everything you can to stop the battle from spreading. If any Sword Clan warriors arrive... kill them."
Though his voice was soft, it clearly reached the ears of Xiao You and the others.
Po Jia nodded. As he clenched his fists, ferocious spirits wrapped around his body.
Lei Ting didn't respond. Electricity surged across his body, forming a suit of Lei Ting armor.
Taihang let out a howl. His fur grew rapidly, and in the blink of an eye, he transformed into a seven-to-eight-meter tall beast.
"Boss, good luck!" Xiao You raised her fist and cheered toward Feng Qi.
Feng Qi smiled and nodded. Just as he was about to use Body Technique to fly into Winterfell, he suddenly heard a weak voice in his ear:
"W-Wait… who… who are you?"
He turned around and saw Qin Shikong—bloodied, his lips stained with blood, a mess.
Feng Qi grinned and replied, "Old friend, weren't your divinations always accurate? Try guessing who I am."
Then, without looking back, Feng Qi flew into Winterfell like a streak of black light.
As the black light vanished in the distance, Qin Shikong looked down at the shattered Eight Trigrams Disk in his hand and shook his head with a sigh.
"He seems to know me really well… Who on earth is he?"
Winterfell, Northern District.
Steel Refining Forbidden Zone.
A piercing air raid siren echoed through the blizzard, resounding across all of Winterfell's northern area.
Faced with sudden danger, the citizens of Winterfell began evacuating toward shelters and underground bunkers.
At that moment, Mu Qing hovered high in the sky, slowly withdrawing her fist surrounded by jade-colored lightning arcs.
Those punches just now were to trigger Winterfell's emergency system, ensuring the northern district's people could evacuate as quickly as possible.
What came next would be a brutal battle.
Her gaze pierced the swirling snow and locked onto the young man standing in the center of the factory within the Forbidden Zone, who was calmly smiling and meeting her eyes.
She hadn't made a move yet, but Mu Qing had already sensed the sharp, aggressive presence emanating from him.
"It's him. I fought him once when I returned. His sword Qi Domain is terrifying."
Mu Qing nodded but did not strike. She waited patiently for the evacuation to complete.
Jian Ji also made no move.
He shared the same thought as Mu Qing.
In his eyes, both Mu Qing and the Dawn Army had to die—but Winterfell's future was still under his control. Civilian casualties would only weaken his base.
Time passed.
When the air raid sirens finally ceased and the red warning lights atop the distant danger towers turned green, it meant the shelter gates had sealed.
Mu Qing moved.
Surging blood energy erupted from her body, forming a blurry shadow above her.
She vanished from the sky in an instant. When she reappeared, she was already above Jian Ji, her fist crashing down. The force of the blow warped the very space around them.
Jian Ji's eyes lit up with excitement. His right hand formed a sword seal and struck upward to meet her attack.
Boom!
Red and jade-colored energy collided. The explosion shattered the ground, and the factory buildings in the Forbidden Zone collapsed under the impact.
When the second wave of shock rippled out, the ruined buildings were swept far into the distance by the wind.
The third, fourth… the buildings of the Forbidden Factory District were reduced to dust under the cascading shockwaves.
Mu Qing's fist and Jian Ji's sword finger remained locked in a deadlock.
Behind Jian Ji, the suspended Burning Heaven Sword flared with a blinding red glow. The once-dormant Enhancement Gem embedded in the hilt lit up simultaneously.
His eyes gradually turned red like molten steel.
A fierce surge of sword Qi burst skyward.
Roar!
The phantom behind Mu Qing let out a deafening roar, unleashing a supreme pressure that bore down on Jian Ji.
Sensing Mu Qing's physical strength rapidly rising, Jian Ji chose not to continue in close combat. He raised his left hand and pointed directly at Mu Qing's brow.
Violent sword Qi formed in an instant and, guided by Jian Ji, pierced toward Mu Qing's forehead.
But before the sword Qi could land, Mu Qing's power suddenly surged to a higher tier. The overwhelming force slammed down on Jian Ji's sword finger, smashing him into the ground.
Her surging blood Qi transformed into crashing waves, pouring downward.
The wild sword Qi couldn't break through the sea of blood energy and was crushed under its weight, eventually shattering into fragments.
Although Jian Ji had been driven underground, Mu Qing didn't stop.
Sensing that Jian Ji's vitality remained strong, entirely unharmed even, she narrowed her gaze.
"I'll handle this!"
Mu Yan's voice came from behind.
As his words fell, the sun—just beginning to set—suddenly erupted with ten thousand rays of golden light.
A column of light descended at unimaginable speed, striking Jian Ji's position directly.
In an instant, the world was consumed in golden brilliance.
Explosions rang out in quick succession, Lei Tingous and endless, as if the entire world had entered a complete reset state.
When the blasts faded, Mu Qing and Mu Yan both looked down at the bottomless crater.
"Still alive."
Mu Qing spoke suddenly, her clenched fist wrapped in chaotic jade-colored lightning.
Her gaze pierced the darkness and locked onto Jian Ji at the bottom.
His gray robes were now tattered. The Burning Heaven Sword had melted into blazing red liquid, flowing over his muscular, hardened skin.
The Enhancement Gem was now embedded in the center of his chest.
When Jian Ji opened his eyes, ferocious sword Qi burst out, stirring a gale.
He had entered a state of complete unity between man and sword.
This was a technique he had forged in imitation of the Demon Blade—melding flesh and weapon. In this state, he didn't need to wield a blade; he himself was the strongest sword.
He slowly looked up, eyes fixed on Mu Qing and Mu Yan hovering in the sky, a faint smile playing at his lips.
Mu Qing's strength had exceeded his expectations.
But this alone wasn't enough to force out his full power. He hadn't even used his trump cards yet.
His body flickered and vanished.
When he reappeared, he was already beside Mu Qing. His lips curved upward as his sword finger pointed once more toward her brow.
Like an animal reacting on instinct, Mu Qing perceived the attack and twisted her body. Her right fist surged forward like a meteor about to crash into Earth, friction igniting blazing heat and flame.
Boom!
Fist and finger clashed once again.
Before the burst of energy could spread, Jian Ji preemptively activated his Sword Qi Domain.
In a flash, countless streaks of sword Qi manifested out of thin air. Within this domain, one had to constantly endure relentless sword Qi assaults.
The released energy was absorbed by the domain and converted into even more sword Qi.
At that moment, Mu Yan moved.
He flipped his silver spear in his hand, like a silver dragon weaving through space, and struck the edge of the Sword Qi Domain with its tip.
Ripples spread across the domain. A spatial crack appeared where the spear struck.
Noticing Jian Ji's gaze shifting toward Mu Yan, Mu Qing's cold voice rang out:
"Your opponent… is me!"
Roar!
The crimson phantom let out a heaven-shaking howl, devouring a massive portion of the surrounding sword Qi. Mu Qing's power surged again.
Jian Ji, caught by the phantom's gaze, instinctively looked up.
In that moment of daze, he saw an endless mountain of corpses and sea of blood.
Atop that mountain sat the crimson shadow—its form blurred, but the throne beneath it real. It looked down at him with a gaze of absolute indifference.
Just one look made Jian Ji tremble from the depths of his soul.
It was an unstoppable fear—like something etched into the memory of life itself. He was merely one link in the food chain, unable to escape the control of the ultimate predator.
This trembling in his soul made the once-composed Jian Ji feel a deep and humiliating disgrace.
He had chosen the path of becoming the strongest.
And now, fear was telling him he was wrong.
As he forced himself to steady his mind and looked back at Mu Qing, murderous intent flooded his eyes.
"Die!"
With a low shout, the sky filled with sword Qi that spun into a tornado, surging toward Mu Qing.
Facing the storm of sword Qi, Mu Qing's power continued to rise. Her right fist stirred the sea of blood into a frenzy.
The sword Qi tornado collided with the blood sea, forming two clashing energy barriers.
Under the mounting pressure, murderous light flashed in Mu Qing's eyes.
The jade lightning around her body turned faintly red.
In that instant, her strength exploded.
With a violent push, she shattered Jian Ji's sword Qi tornado and drove her fist directly into his skull, sending him flying through the air.
Her body flickered forward as she caught up, both fists blurring into afterimages as she rained blows down on Jian Ji.
At the same time, Mu Yan tore open Jian Ji's Sword Qi Domain.
Under the starlit sky, Mu Qing's figure darted through the air at incredible speed. Jian Ji's body twisted and distorted under the relentless pummeling. Yet the Enhancement Gem embedded in his chest still glowed brightly.
The fiery red Burning Heaven markings flowing across his skin quickly began repairing his injured body.
Another heavy punch sent Jian Ji tumbling through the air.
A moment later, a roaring silver dragon shot in and slammed his flying body straight back toward Mu Qing.
Just like that, Mu Yan and Mu Qing coordinated, launching blow after blow, attempting to completely break Jian Ji's body apart.
At this point, Jian Ji was clearly stunned by the beatdown.
He realized he had completely underestimated Mu Qing's strength.
And with Mu Yan constantly interfering from the side, his Sword Qi Domain couldn't fully activate at all.
Frustration boiled in his chest like fire.
He was just starting his path to becoming the strongest. How could he accept being so easily suppressed?
When his body was knocked once more toward Mu Qing, Jian Ji let out a furious roar. Countless tangible sword Qi blades erupted from his body.
In an instant, his body turned into a living porcupine of sword Qi.
But Mu Qing didn't hesitate—her fist smashed straight through the hardened sword Qi and slammed into Jian Ji's chest.
Though the sword Qi absorbed some of the impact, this time Jian Ji responded.
He forcefully clapped his arms together in front of him, forming a massive great sword from converging sword Qi and thrust it toward Mu Qing.
Faced with Jian Ji's ferocious counter, Mu Qing didn't retreat. Her right fist charged forward with unyielding momentum.
Boom!
The massive sword collided with her punch, generating a terrifying shockwave.
But before Jian Ji could continue pressing the attack, he felt a heavy blow from behind.
His body lurched forward as the great sword shattered—and Mu Qing's fist filled his vision.
Her strike and Mu Yan's silver spear landed at the exact same time.
This time, Jian Ji's body finally couldn't withstand the force. He coughed up blood, eyes full of disbelief.
He had thought he'd already gathered enough intel to understand Mu Qing's capabilities.
But he was wrong. He had severely underestimated her.
It was as if a wild beast was caged within her body. Her physical power had reached a terrifying level. Even giving his all, he still couldn't truly injure her.
Mu Qing didn't even bother dodging the stray sword Qi that leaked from Jian Ji's core attacks.
Those scattered sword Qi blades couldn't even break through the jade-colored lightning that shrouded her body.
Such raw physical strength made Jian Ji feel ashamed.
Even in his fully unified man-sword form, he knew that continuing to match brute force with Mu Qing was a joke.
But unleashing his Sword Qi Domain was nearly impossible.
With Mu Yan helping from the side, every attempt he made was disrupted. He couldn't establish control long enough to gain the upper hand.
His body rolled through the blood sea below. Jian Ji's expression grew twisted and savage.
He suddenly realized he had no choice left but to reveal his final trump card.
This move—he had originally prepared it for that destined rival. But now, he could no longer hold back.
If he couldn't even break Mu Qing's defense, let alone defeat her and Mu Yan working together, then all that awaited him was death.
Having made his decision, Jian Ji's eyes glinted with malice.
Gazing at the endless blood sea in front of him, he slowly raised his arms:
"Sword Spirit!"
His voice cut through the blood sea, echoing across the heavens.
His Sword Qi Domain regenerated and rapidly expanded outward from his body.
At the same time, the Sword Tomb buried within the domain trembled.
In a flash, one million ancestral swords soared into the sky, flying from the Sword Tomb to hover and quiver within the domain.
One million ancestral swords all resonated at once, releasing a terrifying wave of killing intent.
Each of these swords had once belonged to a wielder—and among them were the mightiest in Sword Clan history. The killing aura they accumulated during their lifetimes had all been sealed into the blades.
These spirit swords flew behind Jian Ji, weaving together into a massive Sword Spirit Grand Formation that blanketed the skies.
"Come, my swords!"
Jian Ji's voice pierced space like a sword cry, resonating across the battlefield.
This time, even the entire Winterfell City was affected.
Outside the city gates, warriors in mid-battle suddenly had their eyes turn red. Blood within their bodies began boiling uncontrollably until their flesh exploded.
From the ruptured corpses, pure white sword spirit bodies emerged and soared into the air.
Inside the underground bunkers of Winterfell City…
Even the civilians who had once cultivated Sword Spirit techniques weren't spared. Under Jian Ji's call, their flesh shattered, turning them into sword spirit bodies that burst through the steel plates and shot up from belowground, flying toward the sword formation.
It was a sight both horrifying and magnificent.
One million sword spirit bodies surged in from all directions like swallows returning to their nests.
Mu Qing and Mu Yan stood frozen in shock. They tried to intercept the wave but couldn't stop the overwhelming tide of sword spirit bodies.
Each spirit body merged with a spiritual sword, becoming the sword's new soul.
Each held a different ancestral blade.
But within the formation, they were connected by threads of energy—fully unified into a single entity.
This… was Jian Ji's ultimate trump card.
Now, with the power of one million ancestral swords behind him, and one million human warriors transformed into sword spirit bodies, Jian Ji stood at the center.
With Jian Ji as the core, and the one million sword spirit bodies as the formation nodes, the Sword Spirit Grand Formation was fully formed.
That vast, sky-obscuring formation floated behind Jian Ji, making him look like a god descended to command an army of divine weapons.
A sharp surge of sword Qi shot into the sky, cracking the air with countless fine spatial fissures.
The Burning Heaven Sword exited its previous state of unity with Jian Ji, reappearing in his hand.
In the activated state of the Sword Spirit Grand Formation, Jian Ji's eyes turned into emotionless, pure white voids.
As Mu Qing charged from a distance, Jian Ji casually swung his sword.
Immediately, one million sword spirits followed his motion.
One million streams of sword Qi merged into a tsunami of blades, blasting Mu Qing backward before she could even get close.
Mid-flight, Mu Qing kept ramping up her power in an attempt to withstand the onslaught, only to realize she couldn't defend against what seemed like a casual attack.
When she hit the ground, a sword Qi abyss—stretching several li long and seemingly bottomless—was carved into the earth.
"Mu Qing, you're strong… but this is where it ends."
Jian Ji's voice carried no emotion. He raised the Burning Heaven Sword once more.
Behind him, the one million sword spirit bodies mirrored his action, lifting their spirit swords in unison.
Sword intent pierced the heavens. Even before any strike landed, the terrifying pressure of sword Qi swept across the land.
The air itself tore under the sword Qi's force, carving a crisscrossing ravine across the surface.
Countless strands of sword Qi quickly gathered toward the Burning Heaven Sword, merging into a colossal energy sword over a thousand meters long, wreathed in blazing flames, and crashing down toward Mu Qing.
As the energy great sword descended, it left a trail of spatial rifts in its path.
The pressure alone sealed off space, leaving Mu Qing with nowhere to escape.
She clearly sensed the impending danger. Letting out a low, guttural roar, she raised both hands to meet it.
The blood-red hue in the jade-colored lightning around her body intensified.
When her hands made contact with the descending energy sword, her entire body was forced downward.
The collective weight of the one million sword spirits' sword Qi was like a mountain, slamming her toward the ground.
Seeing Mu Qing suppressed, Mu Yan immediately launched an attack on Jian Ji.
She was trying to divert Jian Ji's focus to relieve the pressure on Mu Qing.
But before Mu Yan could get close, Jian Ji waved his hand and knocked her flying.
More accurately, one million sword spirits waved their hands simultaneously.
Even without activating a formal sword technique, the vast sword Qi they casually released blasted Mu Yan several kilometers away before his energy scattered.
Yet Jian Ji's cold gaze remained locked on Mu Qing.
The massive energy great sword continued pressing down with unstoppable momentum.
When Mu Qing's feet finally touched the ground, the sword detonated.
A towering mushroom cloud erupted from the impact point.
A massive, ever-expanding rift split the earth, as if trying to cleave the entire northern region of Winterfell in two.
The force of that blow resembled divine punishment, reshaping Winterfell's entire terrain.
Then Jian Ji raised his hand again. The Enhancement Gem on the Burning Heaven Sword flared with dazzling light as the one million sword spirits raised their blades with him.
Another energy great sword—over a thousand meters long—formed once more.
As it descended, the emblem of the Burning Heaven Sword appeared on its surface, now engulfed in roaring flames.
Dust-covered, disheveled Mu Qing slowly lifted her head.
She looked up at the falling great sword from the sky, took a deep breath, and her eyes never wavered.
"Roar!"
Her long hair whipped wildly as she raised both hands toward the heavens.
Her eyes turned fully crimson. She was preparing to block the crushing weight of one million strands of sword Qi once again.
Just before the energy great sword collided with her, a dark blade—over a hundred meters long, engulfed in black flames—suddenly appeared, slashing horizontally through the air to intercept.
Mu Qing immediately turned to the direction the black blade had come from.
There, a figure clad in fierce, pitch-black armor stood. And despite the change in appearance, she could sense something deeply familiar.
After a brief moment of thought, realization struck her—and her face filled with disbelief.
At that moment, the energy great sword collided with the enormous demonic blade, and the resulting explosion sent a shockwave of energy rippling outward.
The previously unstoppable great sword now hovered mid-air.
At the point of contact between the two weapons, energy clashed in a crushing standoff, releasing bursts of glowing particles.
Staring at the sudden black blade, Jian Ji's formerly indifferent expression twisted in astonishment.
"The Demon Blade… Chao Tian, you've come?!"
With just one glance, he recognized the origin of the black flame-enshrouded weapon.
Even if its form had changed, Jian Ji would never mistake the Demon Blade's aura.
For over a thousand years, the Demon Blade had taken a new shape every time it appeared—and each time, its power had grown dramatically.
Since entering the human world, it had gone silent.
But Jian Ji had always known—it would come back.
That he and the Demon Blade were destined to settle things here, in the human realm.
He just hadn't expected his fated rival to appear now.
Then the Demon Blade's hoarse, crazed voice echoed across the heavens:
"Jian Ji, I've come to settle the score!"