"I have a sword that can move mountains and fill the seas!"
"I have a sword that can split the heavens and cleave the earth!"
At this moment, the Martial Dao Truth Calligraphy underwent a wondrous change. It twisted and transformed, forming a mysterious silhouette!
"What's going on? The Truth Calligraphy has taken form?" Ye Wudi, watching everything unfold from outside with worry written across his face, was utterly stunned. He could hardly believe his eyes. This kid actually possessed such astonishing fortune.
It was said that this calligraphy was an unparalleled opportunity left behind by the Founding Ancestor before breaking through to the Sword God realm and ascending—or vanishing without a trace. Only a true Heaven-Chosen or someone blessed with tremendous fortune could catch a glimpse of it!
For such a thing to happen was one chance in ten thousand. He never expected to encounter it in his lifetime.
"Hahaha, old friend, this time you've lost both your wife and your soldiers. A spectacle this rare appears only once in a thousand ages!"
"I told you this kid was no ordinary person, but you refused to believe me. Facts speak louder than words. What else is there for me to say?"
"Of course. It's nothing. This is his ability. But the Martial Dao Truth Calligraphy taking form is only one aspect. Whether he can learn those Supreme Nine Swords that have suppressed the ages is another matter entirely."
A master could only lead one through the gate; cultivation depended on the individual. The other party had already taught him everything that needed teaching. How far he could go and what level he could reach would depend entirely on his own comprehension.
The entire mysterious space seemed to boil at this moment. That mysterious figure struck only one sword, yet that sword encompassed every sword path among the myriad ways of the world.
One move followed another. Under his evolution, the Supreme Nine Swords unleashed power so unfathomable that even ghosts and gods could not predict it.
"Young man, have you learned it?"
A voice entered Ye Yang's ears. His entire body trembled, and he entered a special state in which he could attain infinite enlightenment.
"Founding Ancestor, is that you?"
Ye Yang sensed the changes in his body and was shocked beyond words. That had been merely a voice, yet it had left him unable to move.
"The Dao that can be spoken is not the eternal Dao; the name that can be named is not the eternal name. Heaven treats all things as straw dogs, so I shall shatter it with a single sword!"
The other party did not answer him, but instead demonstrated the Supreme Nine Swords for him once.
At this moment, the Martial Dao Truth Calligraphy had already dimmed completely, like a candle burning down to its end and giving off one final, resplendent blaze.
"Young man, you and I were fated to meet. I'll give this fortune to you. I hope you'll conduct yourself wisely."
In an unknown place, an old man suddenly opened his eyes. Peerless Sword Qi radiated from his entire body, and the surrounding chaos automatically parted, revealing his true appearance.
"How many years has it been? Is the Ye Household about to produce another astonishing prodigy?"
The old man was none other than the Founding Ancestor of the Ye Household. At this moment, he was trapped in a mysterious place, waiting for someone fated to arrive and rescue him.
"Old man, you're a mighty Martial God, yet I managed to trap you like this. I never expected you to be so bold as to use your own domain to evolve a world and imprison me here. Why go to such lengths?"
Suddenly, a flame leaped up in the unknown place. The instant it appeared, all things under heaven seemed to be thoroughly burned, reduced to ash.
"How dare you! As long as I'm here, I won't let you escape. Someone will come and deal with you eventually. Just you wait."
Without another word, he strengthened the seal imprisoning him through his actions.
"Hahaha, I am the Supreme Demon Lord. One day, I will escape. Just you wait. The moment I break free will be the moment your Ye Household is destroyed."
That year, through a twist of fate, he had encountered this Demonic Flame capable of burning all things. He had never expected it to be the natal flame of a Demon Lord. For the safety of the human world, the Founding Ancestor who had ascended from the Ye Household had no choice but to step forward. That was how the stalemate had lasted so long.
"Hmph, enough nonsense. Someone will come and deal with you eventually. Until then, behave yourself!"
With a single thought, the sword transformed into heaven and earth, completely binding the other party and forcing him to let out a pained howl.
"Just you wait. I'll return." The furious roar gradually faded into the distance until it vanished completely, plunging into utter silence—until someone stirred the Martial Dao Truth Calligraphy.
Like a dream, like an illusion; both real and unreal. It rang out in his mind like the voice of the Great Dao!
"Wait, what's going on? Has he already entered that state?"
The two Founding Ancestors were stunned when they saw this. They could not help thinking that this kid's luck was simply too good.
"Yang, keep going! As long as you can completely learn the Supreme Nine Swords, and if your luck is good enough to cultivate them to perfection—to the point where the sword arises from the heart—then victory at this Heaven's Pride Arena will be all but guaranteed."
Thinking back to the past, there had once been an astonishing prodigy who became a legend of his era after learning only the Supreme Six Swords.
"If he can learn the Supreme Nine Swords, how glorious would that be?"
The moment Ye Wudi thought of this, he grew excited and filled with anticipation. This was what he had been waiting for—the moment he would turn the tables and finally hold his head high.
Time trickled away. Ye Yang sank into a state of infinite enlightenment. Here, he directly achieved the unity of appearance arising from the heart and man and sword becoming one.
"This kid really is something. I never expected him to reach the Heart Sword realm at such a young age."
"Old friend, you're underestimating him far too much. This is only the beginning."
"What? Are you feeling sorry for him? Even if you are, there's nothing you can do. Since you've already brought it out, you'd better be prepared for what follows." The two men fixed their eyes intently on the youth before them.
"Now I understand. Having no move surpasses having a move; using the formless to respond to all changes."
Ye Yang unconsciously began to demonstrate the technique with a branch in his hand. Around his body appeared wisps of razor-sharp Sword Qi that left others unable to fathom them.
"First sword, Split the Heavens!"
"Second sword, Rending the Earth!"
"Third sword, Reincarnation..." Before he knew it, by the ninth sword, he had perfectly fused and mastered them all, directly reaching the realm of perfection.
With a clang, the branch in his hand seemed like an unrivaled divine weapon, radiating dazzling light. A streak of Sword Qi shot into the heavens, and the entire special space trembled.
"Not good. This kid really is a genius. It seems we still underestimated him."
"That's right. At such a young age, and in such a short time, he actually comprehended the Supreme Nine Swords left behind by the Founding Ancestor—and attained perfection in a single burst of enlightenment."
Seeing only one side, they knew nothing of the other. What they did not know was that Ye Yang had already opened the first layer of the Primordial Chaos Pagoda. Time flowed more than ten times faster there than outside!
One day here was equivalent to ten days outside. This stretch of time had therefore been more than enough for him to comprehend the Supreme Nine Swords to perfection.
"Wait, what's going on? My natal magic treasure is trembling violently."
"Mine too. My treasured sword is acting as though it has seen an emperor. Could this be the might of the sword's ultimate path?"
The two Founding Ancestors sensed the strange phenomenon as well and turned to look. At that moment, a resplendent sword light shot into the sky.
Crack! A sharp sound rang out.
While the two men were still astonished, countless cracks suddenly appeared throughout this secret realm, which they had reinforced as the formation's supports.
At first, there had only been a few tiny cracks. Then they grew wider and wider before suddenly shattering, transforming into a sky full of stars.
"I have a sword. Who can stand against it?"
Ye Yang knew the true trial still lay ahead, but he feared nothing. Since he had chosen to do this, he would do it at the very best and strongest level possible.
A sword in the hand was inferior to a sword in the heart. The might of the Supreme Nine Swords at the realm of perfection burst into the world, and the two sides finally came into contact at zero distance.
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