1056 Surprise Attack...

"A tool that allows a god to momentarily descend…?" Muttering this to himself as he heard what the cardinal told his two companions, Xuan Hao could not help feeling a shiver run down his spine upon imagining what would have happened to him if he had attacked the cardinal before the assassin from the Shadow Lotus Sect.

Although he had no clue what kind of power the Shadow Lotus Sect was, he could at least be certain that it was a power from the central region of the continent. Not only that, but it shouldn't be any weaker than the religion that the cardinal belonged to considering that they had dared to try and assassinate their people.

Hm? But if the Shadow Lotus Sect is so powerful, wouldn't they already know about the tool that allows the god of this cardinal to descend? Shouldn't they have sent someone more powerful if this was the case? Unless… They didn't expect the cardinal here to have that kind of tool on him as it's normally not given to someone of his status!

Feeling like he figured out what had gone wrong for the assassin from the Shadow Lotus Sect, Xuan Hao felt a sense of relief. From his prediction, the tool that the cardinal used shouldn't be that easy to procure and the one he had should have just been obtained through luck or from a senior who had been pleased with him. Meaning that he shouldn't have any more of those tools on him!

Even if the cardinal had implied that he didn't have any of those tools left when talking to his companions, he could always be lying to them to keep a trump card ready in case something ended up happening. For example, he had no idea if there were any more assassins from the Shadow Lotus Sect present.

Although they might have been scared away by the earlier display, they might also be lurking somewhere nearby waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike.

The current calm display by the cardinal as he continued to attack the formation was not true to the current fearful emotions he felt deep inside. Not able to stop himself from constantly scanning his surroundings with his divine sense for any signs of another assassin from the Shadow Lotus Sect.

Whoosh~

Feeling this divine sense sweeping over him every few seconds, Xuan Hao became even more certain that he didn't have any more of those special tools left as he continued to observe the cardinal.

I should be able to make a move without any problems emerging. Even if the cardinal still has another of those tools left, I might be able to kill him before he has a chance to use it. In the worst-case scenario, I can try to escape before he gets a chance to attack.

Narrowing both of his eyes as he thought about this, Xuan Hao began to slowly approach the cardinal. Intending to kill him before he had a chance to do anything.

The only problem with this plan was the fact that the cardinal was currently on edge and was fully focused on his surroundings. Making it impossible for him to get anywhere near the area covered by his domain without being discovered.

On a positive note, the distance he would have to cover could be covered in a single step with the help of the Drifting Cloud Steps. Only giving the cardinal the time between him using the Drifting Cloud Steps to him appearing in front of him to defend himself.

As for the other two Soul Ascension Realm Experts… Xuan Hao didn't care too much about these two, as they had only reached the First Tribulation of the Soul Ascension Realm and wouldn't be able to do anything to help out the cardinal. Dealing with them could wait for after the cardinal was dead.

Craaaack~!

"Huh? The formation is breaking faster than expected!" Suddenly seeing the formation in front of him starting to break at a speed visible to the naked eye, the cardinal momentarily focused most of his attention on the formation. "I think Yi Min might have been affected by the earlier attack from my god!"

Filled with pride upon mentioning his god, the cardinal was unaware of the danger approaching as he began preparing for one last final hit to break through the formation.

Wanting nothing more than to finish the Iron Sky Kingdom so he could return back to the safety of the capital and contact his superiors to find out what had happened for the Shadow Lotus Sect to suddenly sent someone to kill him.

Seeing this as an opportunity, Xuan Hao leaped out from the shadows-

Swish!

And before the cardinal had any time to react, he had already appeared directly in front of him, his sword covered in his sword intent as it pierced through the air towards the surprised cardinal.

"Wha-!?"

The cardinal sensed the impending danger and attempted to create a protective barrier to block the sword, but it was too late-

Ptsh!

The blade cut through the protective barrier and found its mark, striking down the cardinal with deadly accuracy. Giving him no time to recover from the injury as a terrifying surge of sword intent flowed through the blade and into the body of the cardinal. Killing him in both body and soul as what remained of him soon collapsed to the ground.

Fwoosh~!

However, even after this, Xuan Hao used his Dao of Fire to burn off what little remained. Not planning to take any chances in case the cardinal somehow had a way to revive himself through the help of his god.

Although all of this felt impossible to him, he had no idea how strong a god was and what was possible, so he could only do his best to ensure that nothing ended up happening.

"Huh…?"

Witnessing the scene of the cardinal who had just been happily informing them about how powerful his god was and the fact that they would soon be able to break through the formation being killed and erased from the world before they even had the chance to do anything, the two Soul Ascension Realm Experts froze on the spot in fear. Both of them feeling terrified at what they had just witnessed.

All things considered; the cardinal was still someone in the Soul Ascension Realm. Even if he ended up getting killed, it shouldn't happen that fast!

"Now for the last two…"

Only when they heard Xuan Hao say this as he turned around to face them did the two realize their current dangerous situation-

Swoosh-!

And knowing that they stood no chance fighting against Xuan Hao after seeing how easily he had killed the cardinal, both of them directly took out everything they had before escaping in opposite directions.

"Hm?"

Seeing the two escaping, Xuan Hao was just about to chase after them when he noticed the formation covering the Iron Sky Kingdom start crumbling at a speed visible to the naked eye. Even without the three Soul Ascension Realm Experts attacking it.

BANG!

Not even a second later, the formation fully broke apart and revealed the Iron Sky Kingdom on the other side.

Did something happen to Yi Min?

Feeling worried that something was wrong with Yi Min and not wanting to risk losing someone that he had already intended to recruit for the Star Shattering Sect, Xuan Hao didn't bother chasing after the two Soul Ascension Realm Experts and instead made his way in the direction of the Iron Sky Kingdoms capital city where he could feel Yi Min's presence.

Swish-!

Of course, this didn't mean he planned to let the two Soul Ascension Realm Experts escape, as he created two small swords that he sent flying after the two escaping Soul Ascension Realm Experts. Considering the difference in strength, he believed that the two swords containing a sizeable portion of his power should be more than enough to deal with them.

…

"This… He didn't chase after us…?"

At the same time, one of the two Soul Ascension Realm Experts noticed that Xuan Hao didn't chase after them and instead went into the Iron Sky Kingdom, causing him to slow down as he realized that his life wasn't in danger any longer-

Swish-!

At least that was what he thought, as a small sword suddenly appeared directly behind him the moment his speed slowed down-

"Wh-"

Ptsh-!

And before he could react, the sword lodged itself deep in his chest as it began emitting a terrifying flame that reduced him to ashes in less than five seconds!

"This…"

Seeing his friend being killed from afar, the last remaining Soul Ascension Realm Expert didn't dare slow down as he continued escaping-

Swish-!

However, no matter how fast he was, the small sword chasing after him soon caught up to him and pierced through his heart. The only difference compared to what happened to the other Soul Ascension Realm Expert, the second sword emitted a freezing qi that turned the second Soul Ascension Realm into a human ice cube that soon fell from the sky-

Crack!

Causing him to shatter into thousands of small pieces. Officially ending the life of the final of the three Soul Ascension Realm Experts.