Chapter 1185: You Must Atone for Betraying My Expectations

The madness in the old man's eyes gradually faded within the scarlet blood-light.

In that instant, he knew clearly that he had to slay the blue-robed youth before him—only then could he live.

Otherwise, certain death, without a doubt.

"Hehehehe…"

"A sword cultivator!"

The blood-robed elder's reason gradually returned, and he laughed strangely: "To think that I, who roamed unchecked for a lifetime, was forcibly bound and shackled with restrictions, used as a whetstone for a junior sword cultivator."

"So be it, indeed my strength is no match for another's."

"May I ask, little friend, which sect and which lineage do you hail from?"

"My sect's reputation is modest, so I won't bother mentioning it."

Jiang Ding smiled faintly: "Senior, how about this—you take your own life, and it saves me the trouble. Wouldn't that be the perfect outcome for both sides?"

"Hahaha, little friend, you are quite the wit."

"It won't come to that, won't come to that—there is still a sliver of hope for survival."

The blood-robed elder laughed heartily: "Sword Dao sects that enjoy using life and death to temper their juniors usually have one or two principles they cling to. For instance, your sect's elders should sit back and watch me beat you to death, then let me leave. Sword cultivators are just that proud and stubborn—and therein lies your chance to live."

"Of course, there are also Sword Dao sects that don't bother with such niceties."

"Then one can only resign oneself to fate."

Hum!

The vast starry sky was now blanketed in blood-light. Countless bones drifted up and down, and an almost-real phantom world unfurled, spanning over seven thousand kilometers. Within it, order revolved, sun and moon alternated, and countless streams of Blood Dao order-force wove through, propping up an entire world.

"Senior, the foundation of this avatar of yours is no match for mine."

Jiang Ding nodded slightly.

The Ten-Thousand-Li Destruction Sword Domain unfurled, forming a real and true Sword Dao world. Countless plants adapted to destroying suns grew within it—spring, summer, autumn, and winter cycled in turn, flora flourished and withered, mountains and rivers flowed on without cease.

Six streams of order wove through it, radiating an aura palpably stronger than that of the Blood Dao order-force.

One must understand: after over a thousand years of recovery, this blood-robed Daoist had reached the absolute peak of his strength—even far surpassing his power back when he was still at the Soul Transformation stage—and yet he still fell short of this unfurled Sword Domain.

The Great Sun Destruction Sword Domain crushed toward the world of the Blood Lake and Bones!

Within it, six streams of order revolved. Countless sword-qi erupted, severing the drifting bones one by one, crushing the blood-red corpses one by one. Even the Blood Lake where countless ghosts and monsters nested began to be destroyed, losing the foundation of its existence.

The embryonic form of the Great Sun Sword World was tearing the Blood Lake Bone World apart.

This advantage swiftly reflected onto the order-force itself.

The Six Paths order-force gained the support of heaven and earth, its radiance and aura exploding rapidly, while the Blood Dao order-force dimmed, being annihilated at an even faster pace.

"Sigh, indeed it is no match."

The blood-robed elder sighed softly: "The foundation and reserves you carry were clearly cultivated by an entire Dao-grade sect. I am but a single avatar—how could I be mentioned in the same breath when it comes to foundation? This is my helplessness."

"However, little friend, you need not be pleased with yourself."

"In the Upper Realm, there exist sects that far surpass the Dao Merging level. Their Dao Sons possess foundations far exceeding yours. In my lifelong cultivation, I've encountered this situation countless times—and every single time, the victor was me."

Hum!

Within that Blood Lake Bone World, countless streams of Blood Dao order-force converged toward the center, forming a blood-dripping heart. Then the heart gave rise to bone, then flesh and blood, and finally a skin like armor.

Thump!

Thump thump!

In the span of an instant, a colossal blood-stiff that pierced heaven and earth appeared. It took Blood Dao order as its armor, and from Blood Dao order forged a halberd of heaven and earth. It trampled the starry sky like a heavy war-drum, striding with ponderous weight to slay that radiant, resplendent Great Sun Destruction Sword World—like an invincible, peerless war-general on the battlefield.

The Upper Realm sect Blood Lake Bone Mountain was renowned across the land for its puppetry!

The blood-stiff war-general stepped into the Great Sun Destruction Sword World.

Swish swish swish!

Countless destruction sword-qi scattered down like rain—capable of annihilating a meteorite hundreds of kilometers across in an instant—yet when they struck the blood-stiff war-general's body, they were easily deflected by the armor condensed from Blood Dao order-force.

It was still Blood Dao order-force, only its structure had changed, yet it instantly displayed a strength far surpassing what it had shown before.

"Roar!"

The blood-stiff war-general gripped its halberd of heaven and earth and cleaved out once—galaxies shattered.

Boom!

The invincible, steadily advancing Great Sun Destruction Sword World stalled.

And then, with a thunderous crash!

One corner of the Sword World was directly blasted apart by the blood-stiff war-general's brute force. The entire embryonic Sword World heaved in turmoil, the Six Paths order fell into chaos, countless plants perished, the four seasons were drastically affected and no longer distinct—utterly chaotic, the order dim and weak.

"Worthy of a Void Refining senior."

"This technique of manipulating Blood Dao order-force is nothing short of miraculous—truly admirable."

Jiang Ding praised.

That application of Blood Dao order instantly turned cotton into steel, a qualitative transformation—such was the foundation of an old-school powerhouse.

The passage of time brought far too many things with it. Overcoming the strong with the weak was their innate advantage, not the reverse.

Clang!

Jiang Ding drew his sword.

A resplendent great sun rose from within the Sword Domain.

It was born with six rings of light rippling outward in all directions, like six solar halos, blooming with boundless radiance.

The instant this light appeared, the turbulent

embryonic Sword World instantly calmed. Order became distinct, the four seasons began their cycle once more, and all things flourished anew.

Boom!

The sun fell—racing toward that heaven-piercing, earth-shattering blood-stiff war-general. Like the divine punishment of a sun god, it would purge the sins of the mortal world and sweep clean the filth of creation.

"Roar!"

The Blood Zombie War General roared, and the power of the entire Blood Lake Bone Realm converged upon him, causing his aura to surge violently.

He raised the Fangtian Halberd high with both hands, and met the six Order Suns in the sky with a ferocious downward slash—no retreat, no evasion, no surrender—his battle intent piercing straight through the clouds.

The Fangtian Halberd and the suns made contact in the span of a breath.

Boom!

Heaven and earth suddenly blazed bright.

The starry sky turned scorching white as a prison, no longer showing a trace of darkness; the order-temperature that destroyed everything swept the surroundings, silently melting space apart and revealing the ever-turbulent power of heaven and earth's rules.

After a moment, the light dispersed.

A towering Blood Zombie War General staggered back, his whole body stiff and scorched black; chunk after chunk of enormous charcoal tumbled through the starry sky, his entire frame burned away over vast stretches.

The halberd-head condensed from the Blood Dao's order-power had directly touched the sun's core temperature, and was instantly melted and vaporized by the terrifying heat, leaving only a bare halberd shaft.

"This sword art and order-power…"

The blood-robed elder's face went pale, his gaze filled with horror.

"Senior, you are not as strong as expected."

"This is not good."

A trace of blood-red rose in Jiang Ding's eyes, his gaze cold: "It seems you are, after all, nothing more than a Void Refinement casually nailed down by Zou Zou Xiyuan—an ordinary Void Refinement; your value is not as high as I had imagined."

"So, go die."

"After this, I will find your true body and beat it to death, to atone for the expectations you have failed to meet today."

Boom!

The Ten-Thousand-Li Sun-Destroying Sword Domain suddenly blazed with brilliant light; countless azure electromagnetic order-lines materialized in the sky, spreading in all directions and shrouding the entire world.

A terrifying, scorching presence rapidly took shape within the world's domain.