Chapter 653

Chapter 653

I Can See Through Everything

As the seventh star reformed, it joined the other six colossal stars, each one blazing and breathing out sword light.

Cang Jue’s once arrogant laughter froze upon his face.

Staring at the seven stars radiating sword light, he felt the crushing sword intent within them. A chill of pure terror surged in his heart.

“Impossible! That last move should’ve been your strongest strike. How could you still have something even stronger?!”

His eyes locked madly on the seven radiant stars as he screamed.

“I told you before. Don’t use your shallow vision to measure this world. Demon whelp, savor for yourself what true despair feels like.”

Lu Qing stood suspended in the heavens, like a divine being looking down from above. His calm gaze pressed on Cang Jue so heavily it seemed as if the latter’s knees would buckle at any moment.

Even with a mask hiding his expression, the scorn in Lu Qing’s eyes was unmistakable.

Cang Jue knew that look all too well. It was the same one he used when gazing at the human slaves he kept penned like livestock.

Never had he thought that one day, he—the proud son of the Demon Lord of Annihilation—would be looked at in the same way by a lowly human.

Humiliation boiled in his chest. Yet what shook him even more was the terrifying aura emanating from those seven stars.

A single star’s sword light had already left him gravely wounded. Without the Heavenly Demon Bone Claw, he would have perished then and there.

Now all seven were descending together, linked into a sword formation. Even with his confidence in the claw, dread filled his heart.

For he knew Lu Qing was right—his current strength allowed him to draw out only a fraction of the artifact’s true might. Back then, it was only with his father’s aid that he managed to refine this superior-grade demonic artifact at all.

To ensure his control, his father had sealed away the artifact’s spirit, leaving only a trace of awareness. Otherwise, the artifact spirit would never bow to someone so weak as a mere Golden Core cultivator.

But with the spirit sealed, the claw’s full power could never be unleashed. Worse still, it could not fight on its own; Cang Jue had to shoulder everything himself.

That was why fear now consumed him—because he truly didn’t know whether he could withstand Lu Qing’s Seven-Star strike.

All this transpired in but an instant.

Lu Qing’s gaze did not waver in the slightest at Cang Jue’s terror. His palm pressed downward.

The seven stars blazed, transforming into seven strands of sword light. Their auras intertwined, weaving into a sword formation that crashed down on Cang Jue.

The might of seven falling stars surged with power tenfold greater than a lone strike.

Feeling this descent as if the heavens themselves were collapsing, Cang Jue’s expression twisted in horror. Death’s shadow wrapped around him, forcing a strangled cry from his throat.

“Spare me—”

But before the words were fully spoken, the heavens exploded in a flood of sword light.

The brilliance drowned everything. Even the mysterious figures watching from their hidden realm could not pierce through the blaze.

Cang Jue was utterly engulfed.

In an instant, his flesh dissolved into nothingness. His black scales offered no protection.

“Ahhh!!”

His shriek of agony rang out—but lasted less than a breath before it dwindled into silence.

Only after ten long breaths did the resplendent sword light finally fade, revealing the battlefield once more.

All eyes turned toward where Cang Jue had stood. Even those hidden figures leaned forward.

And then—they all froze in shock.

Cang Jue was gone. Not even ashes remained.

Only a lone black claw hovered there, exuding a faint demonic aura.

Everything else had been annihilated. Even his Trial Jade Token had been reduced to dust.

“What a pity. Had I known, I would’ve held back.”

Lu Qing sighed at the sight. To unleash such a blow, only to erase the Trial Jade Tokens he could have claimed, left him a touch regretful.

But only for a moment. He quickly brushed it aside. He could always seize more from others.

His eyes settled on the claw. Yet rather than snatch it immediately, he activated his spiritual powers to probe its secrets.

Meanwhile, those watching—humans, demons, even the hidden figures—finally grasped the truth. An uproar erupted.

“Impossible! Lord Cang Jue was slain by a human?!”

“Not even a corpse remains. How can a human wield such power?!”

“This is a disaster! Cang Jue was the Demon Lord of Annihilation’s favored son. When he learns of this, his fury will fall on us all!”

“Run!”

The demon horde was first to panic. Terror written across their faces, they turned to flee.

But sword qi flickered through the air, ghostly flashes too swift to follow.

Dozens of demons froze in place. Blood erupted in gouts as their bodies split apart, falling lifeless to the earth.

Slaying dozens of Golden Core demons with a single sword, Lu Qing did not even blink. His gaze remained fixed on the black claw.

The elephant-trunked man who had considered fleeing stiffened, cold sweat trickling down. After a long moment of hesitation, he dared not move at all.

Could this masked figure truly be only at the Golden Core Realm? He began to suspect the truth—perhaps this was an ancient Nascent Soul powerhouse in disguise.

For who else could unleash such a devastating sword technique?

…

Down below, the Dao Heir of Dao Xu Temple stood stupefied.

The demon who had wielded a superior-grade artifact had been slain. Logically, he should be rejoicing. But there was only emptiness in his heart.

Because Lu Qing’s display of strength had utterly shattered his understanding of the Golden Core Realm.

Suddenly, another figure came to his mind.

A battle ten years past on Sacred Tianxu Mountain. Chen Qing, who had slaughtered Nascent Souls with nothing but his body, as if a demon god had walked among men.

That man too had stood invincible while still at the Golden Core Realm.

Perhaps only he could contend against this mysterious masked swordsman.

No—the Dao Heir shook his head. That thought was absurd. Chen Qing’s power had come from a body like iron, while this stranger was clearly a sword cultivator. Their auras were utterly distinct.

Still, the existence of two such monstrous Golden Core cultivators made him question whether his own cultivation had gone astray.

How else could he be so weak by comparison?

…

In the hidden space, the cloaked figures watching through the light curtain were also shaken.

“Cang Jue is… truly dead?”

“His body turned to ash. He’s gone.”

“Even a superior-grade artifact couldn’t save him. Just how strong is this masked youth?”

“That sword formation… could it be the Seven-Star Sword Formation of Tianxu City?”

“No. It’s not the same. I see the Heaven-Shattering Sword Sect’s intent interwoven within it. But the blend is seamless… impossible.”

“To merge two such supreme inheritances… and with just a Golden Core cultivation?”

“Ridiculous. Even ordinary Nascent Souls couldn’t manage such a feat.”

“Exactly. This must be the creation of some supreme Nascent Soul grandmaster, melding multiple legacies into one unparalleled Dao Technique. Which means this youth is no stray cultivator—he has someone backing him.”

The figures fell silent at the thought. That made sense. Without a hidden master, how could one so young wield such overwhelming power?

“Then his participation in the trial… it must be under his backer’s direction. But why? What purpose lies behind it?”

They exchanged uneasy glances. The one who could fuse the Seven-Star Sword Formation with the Heaven-Shattering Sword Intent had to be a terrifying existence.

What business did such a figure have with the Netherworld Palace’s trial?

“It matters not. Such calculations are for those above us to worry about. Our duty is only to see the trial completed.”

“Agreed. Let the higher powers shoulder the burden. We do our part.”

With that, they turned their attention back to the light curtain.

There Lu Qing stood, still gazing at the black claw. An odd suspicion stirred among them.

“Could it be? Does he intend to take that artifact? But he’s human—what use has he for a demonic weapon?”

“Even so, a superior-grade artifact is tempting for anyone.”

“But Demon Lord of Annihilation surely left a restriction within it. He cannot refine it.”

“And when he learns Cang Jue has fallen, that mad Demon Lord will go insane.”

“He wouldn’t dare act against our Netherworld Palace.”

“Don’t be so sure. Two thousand years ago, do you not recall what he did?”

“Mad or not, even he must bow before the Netherworld Palace. Not even a seven-tribulation Nascent Soul would dare run wild before us.”

“Wait! Look—what is that boy doing now?”

“He seeks to destroy the claw? Impossible!”

“No—something’s happening. The claw is changing!”

“That aura… it’s the Demon Lord of Annihilation!”