If it were not for the protection of the military formations within the great army, and the suppression of a powerhouse like Chongxuan Chuliang.
Yang Jiande's single charge would have drained the vital energy and blood of all ten thousand Autumn Slaughter Army soldiers, killing them!
Now it only tore open a small gap, but the blood mist that rose was already like the smoke of vital energy and blood, showing the formidable power of the Blood Demon Art of Severing Emotion and Desire.
The vision representing the Killing of Decay also wavered slightly, like ripples on water, and Yang Jiande thrust his spear straight into it!
This great battle had raged from dawn to noon, and from noon until now.
At this moment, the setting sun on the horizon was like blood.
And beneath the setting sun, Yang Jiande seemed like another blood-red sun!
His light, his heat, his lifelong struggle and valor—all were shining at this moment, all burning at this instant.
His entire body was wreathed in blood flames, as if wearing a crimson dragon robe. In his hand was the world-famous Blazing Sun War Spear—the front half of the spearhead was a piercing crimson, while the rear half blazed with brilliant gold.
The Killing of Decay hung in the air like a floating painting, with vital energy and blood depicted as smoke.
And Yang Jiande, like a reckless man determined to tear the masterpiece apart, charged forward with an overbearing and unreasonable posture.
"Die with me!"
The entire battlefield froze, seeing Yang Jiande, alone with his spear, challenging the formation.
One spear thrust downward!
The vision representing the Killing of Decay shattered.
Military killing intent surged for three or four miles.
Before the Yang army watching this battle could rejoice, nor the Qi army feel terror—
The surging killing intent instantly coalesced again.
Yang Jiande's Blood Demon Art of Severing Emotion and Desire was indeed unexpected, but Chongxuan Chuliang had advanced step by step, cautious and meticulous, precisely to deal with such unforeseen situations?
He had given Yang Jiande the utmost respect, and made the most supreme preparations.
Withering had fallen, Decay had ceased.
But the killing was not over!
Autumn is the season of solemn slaughter.
Historically, if a death sentence was to be carried out, the execution was often done after autumn, precisely because this season held the heaviest killing aura.
Autumn has three killings: Withering, Decay, and Beheading!
Chongxuan Chuliang's voice, at this moment, actually carried the sharpness to cleave heaven and earth.
"Now, I execute punishment on behalf of heaven... Lord Yang is devoid of virtue, bringing calamity to the state and the people! First inciting plague, then starting a war! The sentence is... immediate beheading!"
From within that boiling, surging killing intent, a blade suddenly emerged.
At first glance, one might mistake it for the famous Life-Shearing, but looking closely, it was not the Life-Shearing blade. Instead, it was a uniquely shaped blade, formed with the Life-Shearing at its core and the killing intent of the Autumn Slaughter Army as its outer shell.
This blade was heavy, with a ghost head carved at the hilt, a round hole along the spine, and the ghost head was broad and thick. Judging by its form alone, one could tell it was cumbersome and heavy, suited for chopping.
This blade was named... Ghost Head!
It was most suited for beheading.
Throughout history, executioners had often used this blade.
This strike was clearly still far away.
Even though Yang Jiande had already countered with his spear.
Yet when the blade rose, the killing intent had just shattered and reformed.
When the blade fell, Yang Jiande's head had already flown into the air.
He had actually been beheaded!
Just a moment ago, he had been valiant and unmatched, challenging the formation alone with his spear, his Blood Demon Art of Severing Emotion and Desire overwhelmingly powerful.
But in the next instant, his body and head were separated.
It was such a sudden, yet entirely inevitable, strike.
Just as when a crime is determined, a person is taken to the execution ground, the execution order is dropped, and the executioner swings his blade.
Everything was irreversible!
The blade rose, the blade fell, a head flew!
Strong as Yang Jiande, a top-tier Divine Presence cultivator with a golden body and jade marrow, his physical form imperishable, almost immortal. Until his death, his cultivation would not recede.
This realm was known as "Immortal and Indestructible, I Am Like a God's Presence."
In ancient times, it was also directly called the Immortal Realm.
Ordinary means could hardly kill his body.
Yet this single blade strike fell, and he died cleanly and decisively!
In their lifetime of clashes, Chongxuan Chuliang had always held the upper hand. The root cause seemed to be simply that Qi was strong and Yang was weak.
But was it not terrifying enough to firmly grasp that advantage from beginning to end, never giving his opponent a chance to turn the tables?
At the moment Yang Jiande's head flew into the air, it seemed as though time and space had paused.
Thirty years before and thirty years after, connected by the arc of that flying head.
Within the great army, Chongxuan Chuliang remained expressionless!
Those in power had no friends.
This was what he had told Chongxuan Sheng.
Because the higher one rose, the less one could act on one's own will. Because many decisions could no longer be made based on personal preference.
Who would have known that he, Chongxuan Chuliang, and Yang Jiande had once been each other's only friend?
But one was in Qi, and one was in Yang.
One was from a prestigious Qi family, sharing the state's fortune. The other was even royalty of the Yang state.
Neither could change their allegiance.
As early as thirty years ago in Crescent Moon Valley, they had understood all this, foreseeing this day.
After that, they went their separate ways, and for thirty years, not a single letter, not a word was exchanged!
In truth, in a one-on-one battle, he, Chongxuan Chuliang, was also confident he would not lose to Yang Jiande, even if the latter had mastered the Blood Demon Art of Severing Emotion and Desire. Yet against Yang Jiande, he would still unhesitatingly employ all his advantages.
Not just because even a lion or tiger would use its full strength to hunt a rabbit, and someone like Yang Jiande could not be allowed the slightest chance.
But also because he wanted Yang Jiande to believe from beginning to end that his loss was not due to "I am inferior to others," but stemmed from an innate disadvantage—it was the crime of heaven, not of battle!
Only in this way could his final pride be preserved.
Thirty years passed in a snap of the fingers, life and death like clouds and smoke.
How much past, glory, pride, and friendship had been buried in the river of time.
A person like Chongxuan Chuliang would not allow himself to dwell in nostalgia for too long.
He merely paused for a moment, then flew out of the formation, reaching out to snatch Yang Jiande's head as it soared high into the air. He grabbed it by the hair and held it aloft.
"Yang Jiande is dead!"
His voice echoed across the battlefield.
"Yang Jiande is dead!" "Yang Jiande is dead!" "Yang Jiande is dead!"
The Qi army repeated it loudly.
The Yang army collapsed instantly, and not a single formed defensive line remained on the entire battlefield.
The Autumn Slaughter Army soldiers charged and killed without restraint, cutting down enemies like grass.
The largest scale of casualties on a battlefield usually occurred after the outcome was decided. The greatest killing numbers were typically produced during the pursuit.
Countless Yang soldiers discarded their armor and weapons, kneeling to beg for surrender. Innumerable Yang soldiers fled in panic, scattering in all directions.
After the outcome was certain, allowing troops to slaughter for a while was also an unspoken rule in many wars.
After all, they had just fought to the death, countless comrades had fallen in battle, and they themselves had skirted the edge of life and death... Hatred needed to be vented, and pressure needed to be released.
But usually, this period did not last long.
After discarding their armor and weapons, many Yang soldiers pressed their heads hard to the ground, hoping to survive this brief slaughter.
However, Chongxuan Chuliang held Yang Jiande's head aloft, remained silent for a moment in the high air, and then said: "All who participated in this battle and resisted the great Qi heavenly army, regardless of whether they surrender or not... shall be executed without exception!"
He had issued a massacre order directly!
A kneeling Yang soldier rose in terror and was immediately beheaded by a blade, falling back to the ground.
A Yang soldier who had just laid down his weapons, before he could react, had his throat slashed by a war blade that swept in from the side.
Terrified, in disarray, and each acting on their own, the Yang soldiers were no match for the Autumn Slaughter Army soldiers to begin with, and now they could form no effective resistance at all.
They were cut down like grass, falling in droves.
A carnival of slaughter began.
"Marshal, you cannot! Marshal, absolutely not!"
From the edge of the battlefield, an elderly scholar flew over, pleading with Chongxuan Chuliang from afar.
"The outcome of this battle is already decided. Marshal, why add to the slaughter and incur a worse reputation?"
Immediately, a general drew his blade to intercept.
But Chongxuan Chuliang merely waved his hand: "Let him through!"
Le Wen