No one had expected that Shui Miao would actually dare to snatch a middle-grade Saint Artifact directly—his strength had completely overturned everyone’s understanding.
Relying on his overwhelming power, Shui Miao snatched away the middle-grade Saint Artifact that contained the devastating Void-Annihilation Formation.
Shui Miao had just fully activated his Time-Defying Protection Bead, and the entire process happened in the blink of an eye.
By the time everyone finally regained their senses, Shui Miao had already returned to his seat within the Small Chessboard Killing Array. With a mere flicker of intent, the array’s aura erupted without restraint. Instantly, the five Punishment Deities found themselves suffocated under the oppressive force.
A single Supreme Saint Artifact could command absolute reverence.
Yet Shui Miao wielded a super killing formation composed of no fewer than fourteen Supreme Saint Artifacts—its sheer, razor-sharp aura alone could obliterate ordinary Immortal Emperors!
“This is the aura of a Supreme Saint Artifact—and not just one, but many!”
“Terrifying! This is simply too terrifying!”
“Throughout the entire Celestial Empire, only the Celestial Emperor and the Four Great City Lords possess Supreme Saint Artifacts. How could he possibly have them?”
“He actually snatched away my Saint Artifact! How is this possible? He’s not the Celestial Emperor—how could he be this powerful?”
“We’re finished… this time, we’re truly finished…”
“Then… then let’s run?”
“Run? How can we run now? I can’t even channel my own spiritual energy anymore!”
“What should we do, what should we do…”
The five Punishment Deities exchanged frantic telepathic messages, completely at a loss.
Even the Void-Annihilation Formation paled in comparison!
Shui Miao, on one hand, didn’t wish to escalate things too much; on the other, he wanted to maintain a positive image in front of the countless celestial soldiers and generals. After analyzing the formation within the Saint Artifact, he tossed the middle-grade Saint Artifact back to its original owner and sighed, “None are sages or virtuous men who never err. Since you five are no sages, I hope you will no longer act with such ruthless cruelty. Giving others a chance is ultimately giving yourselves one. Today, I’m giving you a chance—I won’t kill you. Take your Saint Artifact and leave quickly.”
“…”
Shui Miao actually returned the middle-grade Saint Artifact!
Once again, the celestial soldiers and generals were stunned. That was a middle-grade Saint Artifact! Could it really be discarded so easily?
Was this a dream? The five Punishment Deities were equally astonished. They couldn’t comprehend why Shui Miao would do such a thing—abandoning even a middle-grade Saint Artifact! Such a person could either be a fool or someone so powerful that he simply had no need for such treasures.
If he truly looked down upon middle-grade Saint Artifacts, just how formidable must he be?
“Brother, there was no need to show them mercy. These people will become our enemies eventually. The more Saint Artifacts you seize, the more power we gain, and the greater our chance of completely overthrowing the Celestial Empire,” murmured Saintess Shui Tianyi, who strongly advocated for openly rebelling against the Celestial Empire. Seeing Shui Miao snatch and then return the artifact, she couldn’t help but feel perplexed.
Shui Miao smiled faintly and transmitted his thoughts telepathically, replying, “Sister, overthrowing the Celestial Empire indeed requires strength, but even more importantly, it requires winning people’s hearts. Our actions today will soon spread across every corner of the Nine Heavens, even reaching the Buddhist Realm, the Netherworld, and the Realm of the Rakshasas. How will they view us? Will they recognize our actions? You must consider this carefully. Moreover, I’ve realized that relying solely on violence can only offer temporary solutions. For lasting change, we must rely on benevolence, win people’s hearts, and ultimately dedicate ourselves wholeheartedly to saving all beings.”
Shui Miao had no desire to rule the Celestial Empire—he only wished for it to treat all beings with kindness.
But Saintess Shui Tianyi held a different view. In her heart, she sought to replace the Celestial Empire entirely and establish a new, powerful empire of her own.
Such thinking was clearly too selfish.
“Brother, I never imagined you to be such a compassionate person. But I don’t understand—why did you forge destructive Immortal Artifacts and kill so many immortals across the Nine Heavens if you’re so benevolent?” Shui Tianyi couldn’t help but question, finding Shui Miao’s behavior contradictory—sometimes ruthless, sometimes merciful, making him hard to understand.
“Times change. People grow. I will surely make amends when the opportunity arises. The sins I’ve committed, I will do everything in my power to atone for. Besides, rest assured, sister—I’ve already grasped the profound secrets of the Void-Annihilation Formation.” Shui Miao sighed involuntarily. Looking back, there was indeed a contradiction. He had been too naive and impulsive back then.
Thinking about it now, he almost felt like laying down his weapons and attaining enlightenment on the spot.
“Shui Miao, you’re really going to let us go? Are you mocking us?” After a while, seeing no movement from Shui Miao, Lü Zheng finally spoke up. This was the first time he had ever been genuinely frightened. He knew even if the Ancestor of Punishment himself appeared, he might still not be a match for Shui Miao.
“Of course not so easily. I must teach you a lesson. Hand over your middle-grade Saint Artifact—I will destroy its spirit core as a punishment.”
Shui Miao gazed over the celestial cultivators with the majesty of a Celestial Emperor himself.
Upon hearing this, one Punishment Deity immediately stepped forward, shouting, “Impossible! A warrior may be killed, but never humiliated! You may kill us, but we will never willingly hand over our middle-grade Saint Artifact!”
“Exactly! A warrior may be killed, but never humiliated! We may die, but we can always be reborn. However, once you kill us, the Celestial Empire will never let you go unpunished.”
“Fools!”
Saintess Shui Tianyi couldn’t help but exclaim, “Do you really think we won’t prevent your rebirth after killing you with so many Saint Artifacts at our disposal? Once you’re destroyed, every soul fragment within your life talismans will be completely annihilated. You will perish utterly, your souls scattered forever—never to be reborn!”
“…”
Hearing this, the five Punishment Deities were shocked into silence.
Seeing them cowed, Shui Miao spoke with renewed authority, “Listen well—you five are unworthy of being Punishment Deities. I could easily destroy you and avenge all the cultivators you’ve killed across the sects. I’m offering you a punishment, yet instead of showing remorse, you dare to defy me. Do you truly believe I won’t kill you?”
“…”
The five Punishment Deities exchanged glances, their expressions growing increasingly grim.
“I’ll count to three. If you haven’t handed over your Saint Artifacts to let me destroy their spirit cores by then, I will begin my massacre.” Shui Miao’s tone suddenly turned sinister. The massive host of celestial soldiers and generals didn’t know whom to support anymore. “Now, one…”
“I’m leaving first…”
Seeing the situation deteriorating, the Punishment Deity holding the middle-grade Saint Artifact containing the Void-Annihilation Formation quickly fled.
“Two…”
Shui Miao suddenly channeled the Small Chessboard Killing Array to its maximum, causing its power to surge violently. The oppressive aura increased more than tenfold in an instant.
“I’ll hand it over…”
“Me too…”
“I’ll do it too…”
Three of the Punishment Deities, terrified, hurriedly offered up their middle-grade Saint Artifacts.
Just as Lü Zheng was about to hand over his Saint Artifact, Shui Miao suddenly sensed an extremely powerful consciousness abruptly entering Lü Zheng’s body. Lü Zheng’s body trembled violently, as if transformed into someone else entirely. He sneered at Shui Miao coldly, “I won’t hand it over. If you dare, kill me! Let’s see how much power you really have!”
Clearly, a supreme expert was using Lü Zheng’s body to provoke Shui Miao into action.
Moreover, only Shui Miao detected the arrival of this powerful consciousness.
Suddenly, Shui Miao found himself in a difficult position—neither able to kill nor to let go.
If he truly destroyed the five Punishment Deities, it would be a grave offense. He was certain the Celestial Empire would immediately send supreme experts to eliminate him.
Yet if he refrained from killing them, he would lose face and authority, making future revolutionary plans far more difficult.
“This expert is extremely formidable—he has been secretly observing me all along!”
“What exactly does he want me to do?”
“Is he testing the power of the Small Chessboard Killing Array? Or is he seeking a sufficient excuse to destroy me?”
As thoughts raced through Shui Miao’s mind, he suddenly realized he had been cornered by a supreme expert. This opponent was truly terrifying!
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