Hao looked at their fearless expressions as they prepared to face death, and inwardly sighed helplessly, muttering, “If it’s just about dying, I wouldn’t have come here at all. Who in this world could be so foolish?”
Yet, the children of Hao’s Sword Group were exactly that foolish. In terms of strength, they were nowhere near the level of the Empire’s elite sword groups. However, these children had grown up as orphans, enduring endless bullying and hardship. It was Yang Hao who rescued them from misery, organizing them into a group. Therefore, their feelings for Yang Hao were something no outsider could truly understand.
Today, Lou Weizhen overheard Long Yun and XII’s conversation. XII had always been pessimistic, constantly lamenting that Yang Hao was certainly going to die. When this news spread back to the Hao Sword Group, the members became frantic with worry. Without telling Long Yun, they secretly followed Lou Weizhen to this satellite, hoping to assist Yang Hao.
Of course, their intentions were good, but to Yang Hao, it was a mix of gratitude and anger. In fact, the arrival of the Hao Sword Group completely disrupted Yang Hao’s original plan.
Actually, no one knew that Yang Hao had indeed come here to die. Ever since he learned that the Imperial Army had surrounded the planet Saint Bear and intended to destroy it, although he refused to admit it aloud, he understood deep down that this disaster was entirely his fault. Yang Hao was a carefree, easygoing person, but that didn’t mean he lacked a sense of responsibility.
It was precisely because of his extraordinary sense of duty that he had lured Wang Mu to this swamp-filled planet. Originally, Yang Hao had planned that if he could successfully capture Wang Mu, it would be a happy outcome. However, if Wang Mu somehow managed to escape his plan, then as a last resort, Yang Hao had prepared a final move.
He intended to ignite the entire planet.
This was a desperate measure, but against the massive Imperial fleet and a master swordsman like Wang Mu, it seemed to be the only viable option. This satellite, Bianbian II, was practically a planet filled with methane gas. All Yang Hao needed to do was exhale a breath of true fire, and it would instantly trigger a massive explosion in the atmosphere. At that point, not even a single ant would survive—not even Wang Mu.
Of course, Yang Hao, along with Kevin and the Demon Bear Group, would also perish in the explosion. But this had been a plan they had discussed and agreed upon in advance, and each of them had already accepted the possibility of sacrificing their lives for the planet.
Yang Hao had named this operation “Nirvana,” hoping that both Saint Bear and the Hao Sword Group could be reborn through this cataclysmic explosion.
But things rarely go as planned. As the ancients often said, plans can never keep up with changes. Yang Hao’s noble and self-sacrificial plan was completely ruined by the unexpected arrival of the Hao Sword Group.
To sacrifice thousands of bears meant nothing to Yang Hao—he even thought that having himself die alongside them was actually a benefit to the bears. But to let the members of the Hao Sword Group die with him? That was something Yang Hao would absolutely never allow. He had always cared for these children deeply, treating them like family. How could anyone allow their family to die with them?
As Yang Hao’s expression shifted between dark and uncertain, Wang Mu across from him had no idea that he had just narrowly escaped death. He thought Yang Hao was simply proud of his newly arrived reinforcements. Wang Mu couldn’t help but sigh, thinking how shallow today’s youth were. In battle, especially in a duel between masters, numbers meant nothing. With the strength of the Hao Sword Group, he could easily eliminate them all with just two sword masters.
“I advise you to surrender quietly. At least you might survive,” Wang Mu suggested.
“Huh,” Yang Hao smirked, “If you want to surrender, I can accept that too.”
“Stubborn fool!” Wang Mu’s eyes flashed coldly.
“I’m not just stubborn—I’ve got plenty of other hard qualities too!” Yang Hao never lost a verbal battle.
“That’s right! Yang Hao has plenty of hard parts!” That damned Maya chimed in at the worst possible moment. She nodded knowingly, looking down at Wang Mu, “I think old man, you’ve got nothing left that’s hard. Maybe you should go buy some aphrodisiacs.”
“You’re asking for death!!”
“Hey, who exactly is asking for death?” Maya put her hands on her hips, looking like a furious shrew, “We’ve got thousands of people here. Ten against one! Don’t you know what a group fight is? We can take you on ten to one, and if you really want to play for real, just wait and see if I don’t eat you alive!”
“Ten Thousand Cuts!!” Wang Mu roared. With a wave of his scepter, the members of the King’s Sword Group behind him drew their swords in unison. With two loud clangs, their blades erupted with blinding light, illuminating the entire planet. Even Maya, hundreds of meters away, could feel the chilling edge of their swords.
Wang Mu was an old hand at this game. He had long since seen through Maya’s identity as a Saintian. In Wang Mu’s memory, the Saintians had been extinct for a long time, so he couldn’t understand how Yang Hao had found someone like Maya to help him. But the ancient glory of the Saintians made Wang Mu even more cautious. He decided not to give Yang Hao and his group any more chances.
Maya, however, had no idea she was already marked for death.
The sword group drew their blades and sheathed them again—fast and coordinated, but seemingly without effect. She burst into laughter, “Hmph! I thought they had something impressive. Ten Thousand Cuts, huh? Cutting what? Cutting air?”
Yang Hao had initially been startled by Wang Mu’s technique, but after the “Ten Thousand Cuts” move ended, he quickly checked his body. Finding himself unharmed, he began to think that the King’s Sword Group was nothing but show, not truly dangerous.
But Wang Mu stood there with his arms crossed, looking very pleased.
“Wow, that was amazing,” Yang Hao began his usual act.
“What was amazing?” Maya played along.
“Amazing in that absolutely nothing happened!” Yang Hao widened his eyes and pointed at Wang Mu, “What top ten sword group in the universe? What strongest sword master? It’s all just flashy moves. If that’s the case, I can design some gold medal techniques tomorrow and get the Hao Sword Group ranked as the number one sword group in the world!”
“Is that so?” Wang Mu didn’t seem angry.
“Of course!” Yang Hao finally felt relieved, thinking that maybe they really could defeat the enemy.
“Idiot!” The ever-reclusive Hunyuanzi, who had been quietly resting inside Yang Hao’s belly, finally couldn’t hold back any longer.
“Who are you calling an idiot?” Yang Hao was caught off guard.
“You, of course!” Hunyuanzi growled, practically gnashing his teeth in frustration, “You’re so stupid it’s incurable. They used such a powerful technique, and you didn’t even realize it.”
“How was it powerful? I don’t get it,” Yang Hao was completely confused.
Hunyuanzi was practically hopping in frustration, “The target of the ‘Ten Thousand Cuts’ wasn’t even you! Otherwise, you’d already be torn apart!”
“Then who were they trying to kill? You?” Yang Hao couldn’t help but joke, “Oh my god, Master, you died so tragically. I must carry on your legacy and take care of your women.”
“You still have the nerve to joke at a time like this!” Hunyuanzi exploded, probably upset about the mention of “women,” “Listen up! Wang Mu was warning you just now. The ‘Ten Thousand Cuts’ were aimed at a grain of sand two kilometers away. If you don’t believe me, check it yourself with your perception technique.”
Hunyuanzi’s words were like thunder to Yang Hao. Immediately, he activated his power and used his maximum perception technique to locate the so-called grain of sand.
Fortunately, Yang Hao’s strength had recently increased, allowing his perception to extend two kilometers. Sure enough, under the guidance of his technique, he soon found the grain of sand mentioned by Hunyuanzi. But could it still even be called a grain of sand? Perhaps it once was, but now it had been sliced into thousands of pieces, as if hundreds of swords had carved hundreds of wounds into it, turning it into the finest dust.
Yang Hao’s face turned ashen. He had no idea that this was the King’s Sword Group’s usual pre-battle ritual. On one hand, it was meant to intimidate the enemy, and on the other, to inspire themselves. Just like ancient cavalry who needed to adjust their horses’ hooves before charging, elite sword groups also needed to synchronize their spiritual energies before battle. Only when all their powers were perfectly coordinated could they cut a single grain of sand miles away, creating the cohesion needed to unleash true killing intent.
And now, the King’s Sword Group had successfully built up their killing intent. From a distance, you couldn’t even see the individual swordsmen clearly. They stood like dark mists, forming a single, terrifying entity—an incarnation of death itself.
With Wang Mu’s scepter slowly swinging, this deadly entity began to rise. As if they could fly, they lifted off the ground and shot toward Yang Hao’s group.
Hundreds of people, hundreds of swords, but the power they wielded was enough to kill tens of thousands of people tens of thousands of times. This unstoppable, black torrent surged forward.
Yang Hao was completely unprepared. His heart had barely begun to calm from the shock when the enemy was already upon them. And now, standing at the very front of the battle line were the weakest members—the children of the Hao Sword Group.
Though these children had great courage, their strength was barely enough to get them killed. As the King’s Sword Group descended upon them, they hadn’t even drawn their swords when the overwhelming spiritual pressure surged forward, snapping the blades of several children.
When the real battle began, the members of the Hao Sword Group finally understood how brutal combat could be. None of them had ever experienced real warfare. Most were paralyzed with fear, their faces pale as death. Only a few older ones, like Lou Weizhen, still had the will to resist.
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