“Yes, I shall take my leave.”

“Wait.”

“Master, what can I do for you?”

“I have a premonition. You have to be careful tonight. If you encounter any danger, I allow you to use that power.”

“Master, don’t worry. I will be careful,” said the Moonlight Fairy, her tender body trembling.

Time ticked by in seconds and minutes.

Finally, the crimson sun sank below the distant horizon.

Darkness began eagerly to engulf the face of the earth.

A full moon scattered down tens of thousands of silvery rays, gradually creeping up the sky.

It was now less than two hours before midnight.

The places near Yellow Crane Tower were all brightly illuminated.

There were all kinds of flying magical weapons floating in the sky, like multicolored flowing streaks of light, slashing the night sky, leaving behind undispersed light trails.

Besides the streets in front of the tower, the roofs of the buildings within the surrounding few kilometers were also densely packed with seated men. Many warriors above the Primordial Realm had no scruples depleting their inner Qi to freeze the void, choosing a suitable angle to observe the duels.

Countless pine torches illuminated the surrounding few kilometers, making the area as bright as day.

Even now, Ding Hao had not appeared.

“He must be too scared to turn up!”

“This place is completely surrounded. Not even water can seep through. How can he climb up the Yellow Crane Tower? Unless he’s already upstairs? Be careful, everyone. Don’t let this murderous devil hide himself in the crowds!”

“Pay attention, everyone. Stand with the people you know. If you see someone you don’t know, pull him out immediately!”

All kinds of shouts resounded around the Yellow Crane Tower.

As it was almost midnight, the crowds began to feel tenser and tenser.

The truth was that during this time, that swordsman from the Northern Region who had massacred so many, piling up their corpses like hills, had left horrible memories and impressions on everyone. There was a horrific apprehension within the crowds. They feared that the moment they turned their heads, that Devil King would be behind them, staring at them with a grim smirk…

In the deep indigo night sky, the full moon was like an emerald disc.

Finally, there were only a few minutes left before midnight. Everyone looked up and saw the full moon hanging above the uppermost floor of the 21-story Yellow Crane Tower. The deep indigo sky was tranquil and mysterious, and the environs were completely silent.

“Clang, clang, clang, clang!”

The distinct sounds of the night watchman, announcing the hour with his gong, rang out from a distance.

The midnight they were waiting for finally arrived.

Right at this moment…

“Look! What’s that?” Someone pointed at the rooftop of the Yellow Crane Tower.

His voice shocked everyone. When they looked up, they suddenly started gaping, their hearts in their mouths. They only felt their throats parched and could not utter a word.

No one knew when this slim, handsome, teal-robed figure first stood on the spire of the tower, which was shaped like the tip of a needle. In the night sky, his flowing black hair billowed in the wind like leaping black flames, his robe flapping like a fluttering teal banner, or like an eagle about to soar with outstretched wings, gazing down at the world.

The gigantic full moon, like a jade disc, accentuated his contours more distinctly, as if he had walked down from the moon.

The murderous Devil King, Ding Hao.

This crazy swordsman from the Northern Region had finally appeared.

He really appeared.

No one could see clearly how he had appeared. It was as if he had descended like a god at that precise stroke of midnight.

All of a sudden, there was dead silence all around.

Those warriors who had clamored to kill Ding Hao as soon as they saw him, chopping him into minced meat, all stood there in a daze. Even they themselves did not know why they were completely silent for a long time. At the earliest moment, a few even stepped back unconsciously…

Many were suffering from a very strange misconception.

It was as if this teal-robed youth on the rooftop of the Yellow Crane Tower, was not a sinister and horrible murderous devil, but an immortal banished to earth. Under the chaste bright moonlight, his whole body emitted silvery light.

Ding Hao’s eyes were calm and indifferent.

He lowered his head and gazed down, his bright eyes as chaste and resplendent as moonlight, slowly sweeping over the black sea of people below. At this moment, almost no one dared to meet his eyes. Everywhere his gaze passed, the crowds would lower their heads.

The corners of Ding Hao’s mouth curled up slightly.

He stretched out his right arm in the void. With a flash of light, that sword mottled with rust appeared in his hand.

The rusty blade shook.

“Swoosh!”

Some crimson sword brilliance streaked out and then disappeared.

The roof of the Yellow Crane Tower’s 21st story had been silently severed by that sword brilliance.

Ding Hao waved his hand, his long sleeve billowing in the wind, and an invisible force gushed out. The roof of the building flew up like a weightless falling leaf, landing on the ground 100 meters away. The roof was not damaged at all, nor did the action raise any dust.

He executed everything as naturally and elegantly as an immortal.

Grasping the rusted sword in his hand, Ding Hao stood on the rooftop of the Yellow Crane Tower.

Without the rooftop, the 21st story of the tower was exposed and had turned into a platform of 30 to 40 square meters. The green limestone floor reflected the bright moon’s silvery light, looking like an elevated fighting arena towering between the heavens and the earth.

“Aren’t you waiting to take revenge on me? Who’s first?”

His voice was neither loud nor soft, but filled with indescribable calmness and majesty, creeping distinctly into the ears of everyone.

It was not until this moment when the crowds around Yellow Crane Tower seemed awakened from a strange dream, gradually recovering from the atmosphere of shock and terror. They were enraged by his condescending attitude. Someone shouted first, and in the next instant, that shout had become like a pebble thrown into a calm lake. Suddenly, everyone started roaring hoarsely and unrestrainedly.

“The Devil has appeared!”

“Don’t let him run away…”

“Kill him!”

The crowds around him suddenly roared, lifting their hands, and the clangs of swords being unsheathed were heard. Under the bright night torches, there were shimmering reflections of fires amidst gleaming sabers and sword shadows. The atmosphere was cold. Everyone drew out their weapons, completely surrounding Yellow Crane Tower, so that not even water could seep through.

In the void, there were also faintly discernible veins of inscriptions.

These strange patterns of light, like spider webs, sealed up the space around Yellow Crane Tower. In the distance, beams of light shot up the sky from all directions. A terrible aura emanated, forming transparent, layered light screens, sealing up the space around Yellow Crane Tower, wrapped in numerous layers both inside and out.

These formations and boundary stones had been prepared a long time ago.

Once Ding Hao appeared, his presence would make their controllers immediately activate them. There were at least 45 different layers of formations, inscriptions, and boundary stones both inside and out, all overlapping, turning this space into an unbreakable prison.

“Now that you’re here, don’t even think about leaving.”

The masters of the Divine Central Continent who had gathered here had prepared all kinds of countermeasures. They had long vowed to confine Ding Hao, that murderous maniac from the Northern Region, here at whatever price.

“Wicked bandit, pay me back my father’s and brother’s lives!”

With flames flickering, one man could not restrain himself and finally leaped up the roof of the Yellow Crane Tower’s 21st story. It was a young man in his 30s, dressed in plain white mourning clothes, his fiery eyes bloodshot. He was holding a long peculiar golden saber in his hand, his eyes glaring fixedly at Ding Hao.

“Tell me your name,” Ding Hao asked calmly.

“Hua Tianyun, the Leader of the Blood-Robed Sect in Jin Province, was my father. Hua Yunfei was my younger brother. That night at Dreamy Cloud Swamp, you and Golden Cicada shattered the Golden Boat and caused my younger brother’s death. Later, in the wilderness of Bian Province, you killed a total of 134 martial artists from Jin Province, including my father, Hua Tianyun. Why, evil fiend, you don’t dare to admit what you did?”

The young man gnashed his teeth and bellowed. He approached slowly with the long saber in his hand.

Ding Hao thought back and seemed to have a slight impression of it.

On the morning after rescuing Sweet Sound, there were indeed hundreds of martial artists pursuing him and Golden Cicada. One was an old man with leonine golden hair, who claimed to be the Leader of Blood-Robed Sect.

However, at that time, he, Golden Cicada, and Sweet Sound had left as soon as they possibly could. They did not kill these men.

“Could it be that they were killed not long after we left?”

“Devil, hand over your life!”

The young man could not wait any longer. Without waiting for Ding Hao’s explanation, he hacked down his saber. The almost tangible radiance of his golden saber cut through the night sky. A strong, extremely powerful gale assailed Ding Hao.

Ding Hao chose not to give any explanation.

He flicked his left finger gently.

With a light “ding” sound, the golden saber radiance rebounded and then shattered, dispersing outwards. Then Ding Hao caught the young man’s long golden saber, which was hacking down on him with hatred, easily between his fingers. No matter how hard the man tried, the saber would not budge.

“Your younger brother died in the hands of Miaoyu Bordello. As for your father, I didn’t kill him either. You must have got the wrong man!” Ding Hao explained.

“Bah! Devil, you dare to do it, but don’t dare to admit it? Who else could it be but you? Don’t try to argue, I will definitely kill you today.” The young man was blinded by anger and hatred, and would not listen to reason.

Ding Hao shook his head weakly and flipped his fingers.

In an instant, the long golden saber fractured easily like a stalk of grass.

“Poor fool, you don’t even know who your enemy is, and still want to take revenge? Go down and calm yourself down!”

Ding Hao was too lazy to give him any explanation.

His left palm struck out like lightning, and his Hell Ice Qi burst out. A surreal color appeared and morphed into a divine ice crystal dragon, hitting the young man in the chest and sending him flying backward at once, crashing down the 21-story Yellow Crane Tower.