Chen Xin raised his Seven Kill Sword: "Xiao Tian, let me teach you something. Some pretend to be foolish, and you can't wake someone who's feigning sleep. Even if they know the truth, they will never admit it. Wisdom and eloquence are useless when you don't have strength."
"Tang San, Tang Hao, Xue Beng—take my three swords!"
Chen Xin swung the Seven Kill Sword—the first slash aiming straight at Tang San.
Tang Hao was shocked—he hadn't imagined Sword Douluo would strike so mercilessly, and this strike was even stronger than before. Instinctively, he grabbed Niu Gao, the chief of the Defense Clan, and pushed him in front of Tang San.
"Tang Hao, you bastard!" Niu Gao was furious. He'd only agreed to help Tang San because of pressure from Spirit Hall and an invitation from Tai Tan—he never thought he'd be betrayed again.
Even an ant wants to live—Niu Gao didn't want to die, but he had no way to dodge Chen Xin's sword aura. His only hope was his proud defense.
"Strongest defense in the world? Useless!" Chen Xin said coldly.
Swish!
The sword aura passed through Niu Gao—he appeared unhurt, but then his body started to crumble from the feet up, soon turning to dust.
The so-called strongest defensive Soul Douluo was annihilated by a single sword, and not even a hair left behind.
"Master, what was that?" Tianlin was shocked—the sword had split life into atoms, too terrifying.
"This is the Sword of Annihilation," Chen Xin said. "Annihilation—created by fusing my Seven Kill Sword with your Shu Mountain Sword. It's just a prototype; I'll teach you once it's perfected."
"Next, the second sword!" Chen Xin turned—this time his target was Crown Prince Xue Beng.
Xue Ye was alarmed: "Sword Douluo, what are you doing?"
"Protect the Crown Prince!"
Xue Beng was nearly frightened out of his wits—the sword aura was so strong it changed the color of heaven and earth.
Despite the emperor and prince's fear, Chen Xin said not a word, the second sword slashing down.
Countless imperial soul masters tried to shield Xue Beng, but their power was nothing compared to Chen Xin. Anyone who touched the sword aura turned to ash.
Fortunately, Chen Xin didn't intend to kill Xue Beng—this sword was just a lesson. The sword aura merely sliced off Xue Beng's right arm, which turned to powder and blew away.
Chen Xin's overprotectiveness showed—he felt Xue Beng was bullying his disciple and coveted his precious granddaughter Rongrong, which was unforgivable.
"Ah!!"
Xue Beng screamed—the pain of the sword was so great it even lagged behind the loss of his arm.
"Quick, get the prince to the imperial physician!" Xue Ye ordered, anxious. Though there was little familial love in the royal family, Xue Beng was his only son—if he died, there'd be no heir.
"The third sword!" Chen Xin once again raised the Seven Kill Sword—this time, his target was Tang San. The earlier strike at Xue Beng was just to vent for his disciple and granddaughter; Tang San was the real target.
"Uncle Sword! Stop!" Ning Fengzhi hurriedly pleaded—he hadn't expected Chen Xin to be so ruthless. What started as revenge for Oslo was about to become war with Heaven Dou!
"Fengzhi, don't stop me. Can't you see the royal family is sheltering Tang Hao? The only way for Xiao Tian to get justice for his brother is by killing!" Chen Xin said calmly. "I know the big picture matters, but that's no excuse for a swordsman to be indifferent to his brother's death. Xiao Tian inherited my sword—he has a sword of emotion."
"Chen Xin, if you want war, then war!" Tang Hao saw Chen Xin wouldn't let them go—he had no choice but to fight.
The Deathgod Domain spread toward Chen Xin, whose white hair danced in the wind, his expression unchanged. Just before the domain covered him, Chen Xin's Seven Kill Domain erupted, devouring the Deathgod Domain and using its killing intent to strengthen his own.
"How is this possible? My Deathgod Domain was absorbed!" Tang Hao could not believe it.
"Domains using killing intent depend on strength. Tang Hao, you are far weaker than me now!"
The expanded Seven Kill Domain covered the entire imperial city. Except for Ning Fengzhi and Tianlin, everyone felt as if they were carrying a mountain, unable to move.
Chen Xin's current domain would weaken any opponent's attack power by 95%, defense by 80%, and speed by 80%. Even Title Douluo would be powerless.
Everyone knew Ultimate Douluo were strong, but only now did they truly understand.
In truth, Chen Xin was not as strategic as Ning Fengzhi, but he was not foolish. Today was not just about helping Tianlin, but also showcasing his power.
Recently, Heaven Dou Empire had covertly suppressed the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, which stoked his anger. And today, Xue Ye had publicly slighted Ning Fengzhi, pushing Chen Xin over the edge.
He knew the empire was not afraid of him because, even as an Ultimate Douluo, he could not withstand a million troops.
That was true—no matter how strong, he was still mortal. Once he exhausted his strength, he could be defeated.
But today, Chen Xin wanted to teach two lessons: First, while he couldn't defeat a million troops, he could move freely among them and kill the emperor as easily as plucking something from a bag.
Second, compared to an army, he was far more mobile. He didn't need to take on a million troops head-on—he could kill 100,000, retreat, recover, and repeat. In two weeks, he alone could destroy Heaven Dou Empire.
With these two points, Heaven Dou would not dare target the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect again. Only as long as the sect existed would Chen Xin have misgivings; if they were destroyed, he'd have nothing to lose.
Xue Ye, as emperor, understood Chen Xin's thinking but could not lose his dignity. With Ge Long's help, he barely stood and said, "Wait, Sword Douluo, kill Tang Hao if you must, but why attack my son? He had nothing to do with Oslo."
"I suspect he and Tang San colluded with Spirit Hall, so I must kill them," Chen Xin gave a nonsensical reason. Xue Beng was the prince, and Tang San hated Spirit Hall—how could they collude?
Someone was about to object, but Chen Xin continued, "Don't you believe me? Xue Beng just said it himself. As a Title Douluo, would I frame juniors? Or does this privilege only work for Tang Hao?"
Using Xue Beng's words against Xue Ye, the emperor was speechless. No wonder Tianlin was so arrogant—his master taught him so.
Xue Ye was in no better mood than Tang Hao. The clash of the three sects was not something he, as emperor, could interfere in. Although he now favored Clear Sky because of tensions with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, he knew Heaven Dou still needed them.
Today he witnessed Chen Xin's power and truly felt the terror of an Ultimate Douluo. Spirit Hall also had one—Qian Daoliu. Without the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, they couldn't resist Spirit Hall's top forces.
Clear Sky's five ordinary Title Douluo couldn't even handle the old nine elders of Spirit Hall, let alone the current high priests and Pope. Either Qian Daoliu or Bibi Dong alone could wipe out the Clear Sky Sect.
Now, only the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and Chen Xin could oppose them.
Knowing this, Xue Ye didn't even care about Xue Beng's arm. With Tang Hao and Tianlin at an impasse, he stayed silent, supporting neither.