Heavenly Emperor's Childhood, Sword Dao Prodigy

In the scene.

A young boy took some food from home, wrapped it in a cloth bundle, and tucked it into his clothes.

Then he hurriedly ran out of the house.

He raced toward the ruined temple outside the village.

Inside the ruined temple sat an old Daoist with a head full of white hair. He looked weak, his face deathly pale, and his cracked lips showed that he seemed not to have eaten for days.

"Old Daoist, you're hungry, aren't you? Eat while it's still warm. I kept it against my chest and brought it for you."

Outside the mirror.

The cultivators were somewhat stunned.

Though they knew full well that this boy was the present-day Heavenly Emperor, most of those present still found it difficult to connect this boy with the Heavenly Emperor.

"Who would have thought that the Heavenly Emperor, whose crimes fill the heavens and whose cruelty knows no bounds, would look so harmless as a child?"

"At the beginning of life, human nature is inherently good. No one is born a great villain. This was likely one of his rare moments of innocence and kindness."

As everyone sighed, they inexplicably found it all somewhat jarring.

At that moment, someone stared at the old Daoist in the scene and spoke. "This Daoist doesn't seem ordinary. His meridians have been severed inch by inch, his Dao foundation shattered—after such grievous injuries, he's still alive?"

The others all turned to look at the old Daoist as well. Quite a few wore puzzled expressions. "Why is there such dense Sha Qi around this Daoist's body?"

In the scene, the old Daoist grinned. His gaze fell upon the boy, and he nodded thoughtfully, praising him.

"Not bad, not bad. With your innate bones, such a sight has not been seen since the ancient era."

As he spoke, he casually tossed the sword in his hand to Gu Changqing. Taking the food Gu Changqing offered him, he began to eat with difficulty.

The people outside the mirror sniffed disdainfully at the old Daoist's words.

They thought, wasn't that obvious? This boy was the present-day Heavenly Emperor. If his aptitude were ordinary, that would be strange.

Just as they were mocking him inwardly, they saw the Young Heavenly Emperor casually playing with the sword. With a casual swing, he actually sent out a smooth blade aura.

Seeing that incomparably smooth cross-section in the air, the old Daoist was dumbfounded. Every cultivator in the Justice Alliance was dumbfounded as well.

Whether Emperor or Quasi-Emperor, all stood rooted to the spot in wide-eyed shock.

If they had not seen wrongly, the Young Heavenly Emperor, only five or six years old at this moment, had unleashed a strand of Sword Qi.

And this Sword Qi looked extraordinarily refined.

Though it possessed little power, it had already taken on the rudimentary form of the True Meaning of Swordsmanship!

How could the crowd not be astonished?

There were no few Emperors, Quasi-Emperors, and supreme experts present. When most of them were five or six, they were still playing with mud. Even those who had entered cultivation were merely laying their foundations—yet the Young Heavenly Emperor had already unleashed Sword Qi?

One had to know that to unleash Sword Qi, one had to grasp the True Meaning of Swordsmanship!

How could a child of only a few years old, still lost in ignorance, comprehend it?

The old Daoist in the scene was equally astonished.

He immediately asked, "Have you practiced the sword before? Did a famous master teach you?"

Gu Changqing shook his head in confusion. "No one taught me. There isn't even a sword at home."

At that moment, horror rose in the old Daoist's pupils at a visible speed.

Not only the old Daoist—even the many Quasi-Emperors and Emperors outside the scene wore expressions of shock.

No one had taught him?!

How could a five-year-old child comprehend the True Meaning of Swordsmanship without anyone's guidance?

A genius?

No... he should be called a peerless genius of the sword!

Everyone present stood at the pinnacle of this world, yet even after roaming heaven and earth for countless eras, they had never witnessed anything so shocking and unprecedented.

Seeing this scene, even Ye Chen, the male lead, could not help revealing a stunned expression.

He had risen against all odds, his talent unmatched, but before Gu Changqing, who could comprehend sword intent at the age of five or six, all he could do was watch with envy.

"Who would have thought the Young Heavenly Emperor's talent for the sword was so terrifying? No wonder he was able to become the Heavenly Emperor in the future!"

Everyone sighed in amazement.

However, someone soon noticed that something was wrong.

"Why have we never seen the Heavenly Emperor draw his sword?!"

The question left everyone stunned.

That was right.

The Heavenly Emperor had displayed such extraordinary mastery of the sword at a young age. After cultivating all the way to where he was now, his swordsmanship should have reached the heavens!

So why had none of them ever seen him wield a sword?

Could it be that, even while he had been sealed, the Heavenly Emperor had never fought with his full strength?

An involuntary chill ran through the crowd.

If that were true, didn't it mean this Heavenly Emperor truly had a trump card hidden away?

At that moment, Jiang Minghuang said calmly, "He truly was a genius of the sword. But later, for certain reasons, his sword heart was destroyed."

"For what reason?"

Everyone looked at Jiang Minghuang in confusion.

"He never told me."

Jiang Minghuang shook his head faintly.

His sworn elder brother had far too many secrets that he could not see through.

"However,"

Jiang Minghuang added, "if we keep watching, I imagine we'll find the answer."

The crowd nodded silently and continued watching the scene, anticipation unconsciously rising in their hearts.

A sword prodigy who had revealed such immense talent at the age of four or five—once he grew up, his swordsmanship was destined to shake heaven and earth.

They wanted to see exactly who had destroyed the Heavenly Emperor's sword heart.

Who had destroyed the greatest reliance of the Heavenly Emperor, now guilty of every imaginable crime!

"Old Daoist, I have to go back. If Mother finds out I stole food from home, she'll beat me."

The youth in the mirror ran off at full speed without looking back.

Night fell.

Gu Changqing jolted awake from his sleep. More precisely, he had been awakened by the noise.

He heard piercing screams.

He was terrified.

"Father! Mother!"

Gu Changqing ran into his parents' room, but neither of them was there.

He ran into the courtyard.

The servants and maids of the household were all sprawled on the ground. A thick stench of blood hung over the entire courtyard.

"Mother!"

Gu Changqing ran toward the outskirts of the village.

Bodies lay strewn across the village paths. People were collapsed everywhere, familiar faces lying in pools of blood.

Firelight flickered in the distance, accompanied by unceasing, shrill screams. Vaguely, within the blaze, he could see a figure shrouded in dense black mist flashing rapidly from place to place.

After deflecting Cao Yuwei's attack this time, Mei Gongzi did not rush to counterattack. She merely stood where she was.

Cao Yuwei's brows furrowed slightly. Was this little girl's perception really so keen? After he had used flames to forge armor around himself, he still had other methods at his disposal. If Mei Gongzi had pressed her attack, he was confident he could use those methods to restrain her. But Mei Gongzi had not advanced, forcing the ability he had poised to unleash to be interrupted.

The battle blade slashed out again, its formidable blade intent even stronger than before. Cao Yuwei moved with the blade, man and saber becoming one as he charged straight toward Mei Gongzi.

The Heavenly Secret Plume in Mei Gongzi's hand formed a Heavenly Mysterious Circle once more, and with an instantaneous teleportation, she switched positions. While neutralizing her opponent's attack, she also broke his lock-on. The next instant, she was already somewhere else. A flash of golden-red light passed over Cao Yuwei's body; had she not dodged swiftly, another ability would undoubtedly have descended upon her.

A battle of attrition! She seemed determined to wear Cao Yuwei down.

Yet no one questioned the origin of this ability. After all, the Peacock Demon Race's most adept innate gift was Stellar Transposition. Her technique bore a striking resemblance to Stellar Transposition.

After deflecting Cao Yuwei's attack this time, Mei Gongzi did not rush to counterattack. She merely stood where she was.

Cao Yuwei's brows furrowed slightly. Was this little girl's perception really so keen? After he had used flames to forge armor around himself, he still had other methods at his disposal. If Mei Gongzi had pressed her attack, he was confident he could use those methods to restrain her. But Mei Gongzi had not advanced, forcing the ability he had poised to unleash to be interrupted.

The battle blade slashed out again, its formidable blade intent even stronger than before. Cao Yuwei moved with the blade, man and saber becoming one as he charged straight toward Mei Gongzi.

The Heavenly Secret Plume in Mei Gongzi's hand formed a Heavenly Mysterious Circle once more, and with an instantaneous teleportation, she switched positions. While neutralizing her opponent's attack, she also broke his lock-on. The next instant, she was already somewhere else. A flash of golden-red light passed over Cao Yuwei's body; had she not dodged swiftly, another ability would undoubtedly have descended upon her.

A battle of attrition! She seemed determined to wear Cao Yuwei down.