Great Demon Sun Wukong

The strike from the Primordial Honor nearly made the Flame God vomit blood. Yet, the Flame God stubbornly held it back, immediately reaching out with both hands to grab the Primordial Honor's shoulders tightly. At this moment, the Primordial Honor had a premonition before he could turn his head, a figure appeared behind him. An axe sliced across the Primordial Honor's lower back, while a black shadow materialized behind the Primordial Honor's warrior phantom, counter-locking it.

The warrior phantom had no choice but to release Sun Wukong's giant ape shadow and the beautiful woman's image, preparing to turn and attack the shadow behind. However, the shadow retreated as soon as the warrior phantom loosened its grip. Simultaneously, the Flame God seized the opportunity to retreat, and the person who attacked the Primordial Honor from behind also retreated.

"Very well, very well, everyone who should and shouldn't be here has arrived. Sun Wukong, Flame God, and Xi Zhao—is it only the three of you for the final showdown?" The person who suddenly appeared was none other than Xi Zhao, who had been concealing himself in the void. Xi Zhao's invisibility ability was indeed formidable, unseen even by the Primordial Honor. However, regrettably, not even Gan Qi's sharpness could harm the Primordial Honor.

Just then, another figure shot up into the sky, accompanied by a fifth gigantic phantom. However, this apparition seemed somewhat faint compared to those of Sun Wukong and others, lacking that solidified presence. The one arriving was the Rogue Heart Sword Hero. Under normal circumstances, Rogue Heart Sword Hero's own power wouldn't suffice for such a grand battle. Yet, when figures like Po Jun, Overlord, and Ling Yi poured their strengths into him, Rogue Heart Sword Hero earned a place in the fight.

"And me, how could such a battle be without me?" Saying this, Rogue Heart Sword Hero raised his sword with one hand, pointing skyward with the other, and loudly declared, "Purple Gold Stars Transformation!" Back in the Patrolling Celestial World, Rogue Heart Sword Hero had gained the complete Power of the Stars once during Ling Weiyang's Purple Gold Stars Transformation, and had never truly utilized this strength. In truth, Rogue Heart Sword Hero hadn't known how to use it.

Until witnessing the battle between Ling Weiyang and the Pioneer, Rogue Heart Sword Hero, with his prodigious talent, comprehended the Purple Gold Stars Transformation, and tailored it to suit his own circumstances. Finally, at this real last stand, with the power borrowed from Po Jun, Ling Yi, and others, Rogue Heart Sword Hero unleashed this strength.

In an instant, all witnessed the sky above Rogue Heart Sword Hero crack open, revealing a seven to eight-meter-wide hole. At the other end of this gap lay the depths of the universe, where countless stars twinkled, ultimately merging into a purple star torrent, cascading down through the opening and engulfing Rogue Heart Sword Hero.

Meanwhile, the Primordial Honor suddenly felt the Demon Emperor Halberd in his hand tremble, seemingly yearning for that Power of the Stars. A thought flashed through the Primordial Honor's mind—the Demon Emperor Halberd originally belonged to Ling Weiyang, and the Power of the Stars was drawn by Rogue Heart Sword Hero's Purple Gold Stars Transformation, so it was natural for the halberd to resonate with it.

Seeing the Demon Emperor Halberd's yearning for the Power of the Stars, the Primordial Honor did not stop it, and he released the restrictions on the Demon Emperor Halberd. After a few tremors, the halberd flew out of his hand, circling continuously around the purple-gold light pillar. Actually, at this moment, if the Primordial Honor acted, even with Sun Wukong and the others' interference, he could disrupt Rogue Heart Sword Hero's absorption. But he didn't.

Intervening to disrupt Rogue Heart Sword Hero's absorption of the Power of the Stars would show the Primordial Honor's apprehension towards him, a sentiment absolutely intolerable for the Primordial Honor. He, as the Primordial Honor, fears no one or any force, let alone a mere Power of the Stars. Even if Ling Weiyang resurrected, he wouldn't be deterred. So, under the watchful eyes of Sun Wukong and the others, the Primordial Honor stood impassively, waiting for Rogue Heart Sword Hero to finish his absorption.

Yet soon, the Primordial Honor's expression changed—not because Rogue Heart Sword Hero had become overwhelmingly powerful after absorbing the Power of the Stars, but because of the Demon Emperor Halberd. As the halberd absorbed the Power of the Stars, the Primordial Honor suddenly realized he was losing control over it. Though his brows furrowed, he refrained from acting and simply stared at the halberd with eyes gleaming with peculiar light. Soon, a sneer appeared on the Primordial Honor's face.

"Humph, a dying struggle. Since you're already dead, why not go quietly into the night?" As the Primordial Honor spoke, Rogue Heart Sword Hero completed his absorption of the Power of the Stars, visibly transformed. His long hair turned deep purple, his brilliant golden armor transformed into deep purple with countless starry specks, and his Domain Instrument, the Seven-Star Dragon Abyss, also turned purple gold.

The change wasn't limited to Rogue Heart Sword Hero. The Demon Emperor Halberd, originally circling the light pillar, suddenly stopped above Rogue Heart Sword Hero's head. As it began to transform, Sun Wukong and the others were stunned—the Demon Emperor Halberd turned into Ling Weiyang, albeit not in a physical form, but resembling a soul and essence.

"Ling, Ling Weiyang? You aren't dead?" Sun Wukong exclaimed. Rogue Heart Sword Hero also looked up in disbelief, quickly retreating. Seeing Ling Weiyang, Rogue Heart Sword Hero immediately backed away. At this point, the soul-like Ling Weiyang spoke: "I am indeed dead; this is just a remnant soul, preserved by the Demon Emperor Halberd. In fact, this remnant soul could remain dormant for millennia, but the strong Power of the Stars absorbed by the halberd roused me."

Having said that, Ling Weiyang's soul body flickered with a twisted, ephemeral quality before stabilizing again. Ling Weiyang continued, "I cannot exist for long, but I shall become the Artifact Spirit of the Demon Emperor Halberd. Xi Zhao, Monkey, this accursed being is yours to handle. As for me, this is my end!" As soon as Ling Weiyang finished speaking, his soul turned spectral again, and vanished.

Within the Demon Emperor Halberd, the original Artifact Spirit had disappeared, and to control the halberd, the Primordial Honor had sealed the Soul and Essence of the Heavenly Patroller inside as the new Artifact Spirit. Thus, upon his awakening, Ling Weiyang's soul was intensely attacked by the Soul and Essence. The words he managed to speak were already his utmost limit. Immediately after speaking, he had to return within the Demon Emperor Halberd, faced with either destroying the Heavenly Patroller's Soul and Essence or negotiating to coexist as Artifact Spirits.

But regardless of what transpires, Ling Weiyang's soul will not emerge again, marking this scene as his last appearance, and his words may well have been his final testament. As Ling Weiyang's soul returned to the Demon Emperor Halberd, it reverted to its original state, serenely floating above Rogue Heart Sword Hero.

Having tried to regain control over the Demon Emperor Halberd earlier, only to fail, the Primordial Honor had no choice but to abandon the halberd. Using a weapon misaligned with his spirit would do more harm than good, and such an outcome was not what the Primordial Honor desired. Indeed, given the Primordial Honor's pride, he spared no regard for the Demon Emperor Halberd.

Thus, the Demon Emperor Halberd became masterless. Among those present, everyone had their own weapons and were not adept at wielding a halberd, yet leaving such a Divine Weapon unclaimed seemed wasteful. As Sun Wukong hesitated about letting the White Dragon take the halberd, the halberd suddenly shuddered, pivoted, and aimed directly at Rogue Heart Sword Hero.

Rogue Heart Sword Hero quickly parried with his sword, deflecting the Demon Emperor Halberd, sending it flying toward the Primordial Honor. A look of puzzlement crossed the Primordial Honor's face as he extended his hand, summoning the halberd back effortlessly. Filled with surprise, he soon burst into hearty laughter: "Doomed to fail, pitting a remnant soul against a complete Artifact Spirit leads only to destruction!"

It turned out that in the contest between Ling Weiyang's soul and the Artifact Spirit formed by the Heavenly Patroller, Ling Weiyang had lost. The earlier loss of the Primordial Honor's control was due to their clash. With the Heavenly Patroller's Spirit regaining control over the Demon Emperor Halberd, it naturally returned to the Primordial Honor's hands. Witnessing this, Xi Zhao's heart sank. While initially overjoyed at seeing Ling Weiyang, he couldn't have foreseen his failure.

"Damnation!"

With a curse, Sun Wukong charged once again, with the Flame God coordinating from the side to attack the Primordial Honor simultaneously. Rogue Heart Sword Hero, though slightly taken aback, collected himself quickly. Seizing the moment when Sun Wukong and the Flame God engaged the Primordial Honor, Rogue Heart Sword Hero began familiarizing himself with his newfound power. (To be continued. If you enjoyed this work, feel free to visit Starting Point (qidian.com) and cast recommendation votes or monthly passes. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please read on m.qidian.com.)