The night passed, and dawn arrived. The first ray of light pierced the twilight. For many, it signaled the beginning of a new day's labor.
At the gates of Shangqing Palace, people streamed in without end to attend Li Qingshan's Sect Master inauguration ceremony. The elders of Shangqing Palace welcomed guests from every direction, chatting and laughing amid a scene of celebration.
At Shangqing Palace's sect golden cauldron, Li Qingshan stood with his hands behind his back, his expression steady. The wind made his robes flutter loudly, yet he remained perfectly still, like a sharp sword overlooking the countless mountains and valleys.
By the Scripture Repository Pavilion, amidst the wilderness and before a waterfall, Li Jiusheng stared wide-eyed at the illusory figure beside him. "The Thousand-Year Sword God of the Old Land?"
"I never expected that among later generations, you would learn my Heaven-Slaying Sword Drawing Technique," the Thousand-Year Sword God of the Old Land said as he looked at Li Jiusheng.
Li Jiusheng said, "I only learned it through a fortunate coincidence."
"That is a good thing. I thought that when I died, the Heaven-Slaying Sword Drawing Technique would be lost forever. I never expected it to be passed down. My life's work was not wasted." The Thousand-Year Sword God of the Old Land nodded.
"Senior, you are not dead?" Li Jiusheng hesitated before asking.
The Thousand-Year Sword God of the Old Land smiled freely. "I died long ago. Back then, I broke through to the Ancestor Realm, and my swordsmanship became divine. My consciousness merged into the Great Dao, carrying my unwillingness and regrets as it drifted through the mortal world. Over the centuries, I became muddled and dazed. If you had not comprehended the Heaven-Slaying Sword Drawing Technique and drawn this fragment of my soul here, it would not have been long before I vanished completely."
Li Jiusheng finally understood. So this was the trace of aura his extraordinary comprehension had sensed.
"Do you want to witness the true power of the Heaven-Slaying Sword Drawing Technique?" the Thousand-Year Sword God of the Old Land suddenly asked in a seductive tone.
Li Jiusheng recalled the sword strike he had seen in those memories of the past. Its dazzling brilliance immediately pulled his consciousness back to the present.
"What do you intend to do, Senior?" Li Jiusheng swallowed and asked nervously.
"Lend me your body. I will strike a sword at that lofty Ancestor!" The Thousand-Year Sword God of the Old Land raised his head. His illusory form became immensely majestic, like a mountain, exuding infinite weight. He seemed not like a lingering soul, but an Ancestor himself.
"Strike a sword at that lofty Ancestor?" Li Jiusheng repeated in a dry voice, utterly stunned.
"Yes, strike one sword!"
"But this sword will span ninety thousand miles!"
The Thousand-Year Sword God of the Old Land gazed into the distance, his eyes cold as black ice upon an ancient glacier, impossible to melt.
At that moment, a piece of information Li Jiusheng had once seen flashed through his mind. Shangqing Palace was ninety thousand miles away from Luochuan Sect.
This sword was aimed at Emperor Wu of Zhou of Luochuan Sect!
Within Qingzhou, amid a towering mountain range, peaks rose one after another, surrounded by spiritual energy. Countless enormous mountains stood between heaven and earth like giant swords thrust into the land, their upper slopes hidden in clouds and mist all year round.
One of those mountains was especially beautiful. Its wilderness was lush and green, while a great river flowed from its peak like a strip of white silk hanging from the mountainside, crashing down with a roar to form a perfect waterfall.
Dense mist churned, scattering countless droplets. Birds circled overhead, and white cranes spread their wings as they soared joyfully.
On one side of the mountain stood a sheer cliff ten thousand fathoms high, smooth as a mirror. In one corner, four large characters had been carved.
Luochuan Sect!
Inside Luochuan Sect's main hall, the current Sect Master bowed as he reported, "Ancestor, Shangqing Palace's Sect Master inauguration ceremony has begun. Forces from every direction have gathered there. It is extremely lively and spectacular."
Deep within the Sect Master's hall sat a figure cross-legged in meditation. He was immensely burly, seated there like a small mountain.
Luochuan Sect's only Ancestor, Emperor Wu of Zhou!
His features were rugged, the lines of his face seeming carved by blade and axe. His aura was extraordinarily violent, and nine divine rings hung behind his head. Each ring represented a level of his strength. With all nine stacked together, his Ancestor aura suppressed the entire hall. With every breath, Daoist magic lay hidden, Buddhist teachings shone grandly, and martial arts flourished.
"Shangqing Palace. A hundred years ago, I crushed their hope of rising. They did not dare seek revenge then, yet a hundred years later, they dare kill my disciple? They are courting death!"
"Today, Shangqing Palace's new Sect Master takes office, and heroes from across the world have gathered. Perfect. I will turn their joyous occasion into a funeral. Shangqing Palace will be annihilated from this day forth, avenging Wudao."
Emperor Wu of Zhou's voice boomed with an irresistible aura. To destroy a thousand-year-old sect in a few words seemed as easy to him as eating and drinking, showing just how terrifying an Ancestor's might was.
"Ancestor is divine and mighty! May you reign for ten thousand generations and unify the Old Land!" Luochuan Sect's current Sect Master immediately knelt and shouted excitedly.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Emperor Wu of Zhou rose to his feet. His aura piled higher and higher, exploding without end in layer after layer, wave after wave, producing terrifying sounds. Surrounded by it all, he looked like an eternal god as he walked out of the Sect Master's hall.
He was going to descend upon Shangqing Palace and erase it before all the great factions of the world, proclaiming both his own fame and Luochuan Sect's invincibility.
Beside the Scripture Repository Pavilion was a vast waterfall. The waters from the surrounding mountains all converged there, crashing down with a deafening roar day after day. Rain mist sprayed everywhere, and beneath the sunlight, rainbows occasionally appeared.
Li Jiusheng and the Thousand-Year Sword God of the Old Land stood before the waterfall, gazing into the distance.
"Senior, can you still unleash an Ancestor-level sword strike?" Li Jiusheng asked.
"If I burn all of my essence, energy, and spirit, I can!" The Thousand-Year Sword God of the Old Land nodded, then said regretfully, "When I created the Heaven-Slaying Sword Drawing Technique, there was one ultimate move I never had the chance to use. My thoughts have come and gone in fragments over these years. Whenever I was lucid, I contemplated this sword strike. Today, it has finally reached perfection."
"Are you going to destroy Luochuan Sect?" Li Jiusheng asked expectantly.
"I only want to rescue my wife. She was implicated by me and has been imprisoned by Luochuan Sect for four hundred years. This sword is meant to save her." The Thousand-Year Sword God of the Old Land spoke seriously.
"But I do not have a sword!" Li Jiusheng shook his head.
"Do not be bound by form. All things between heaven and earth can become swords. Even the Dao Rhyme and laws you have comprehended can become swords. Close your eyes!" the Thousand-Year Sword God of the Old Land said as he looked at Li Jiusheng.
Li Jiusheng took a deep breath, then closed his eyes.
In an instant, another consciousness appeared within his mind and took control of his body.
Li Jiusheng became like a stranger watching his own body.
"Watch carefully. This sword strike will be very handsome!"
The Thousand-Year Sword God of the Old Land's voice rang out in his heart.
Li Jiusheng then saw his body begin to draw a sword. Spiritual energy between heaven and earth boiled, falling like rain in a swishing torrent. It transformed into glittering particles of spiritual energy, which gathered together and formed a long sword.
The Thousand-Year Sword God of the Old Land drew that sword and slashed it forth.
BOOM!!!
The next moment, sword energy surged wildly. Amid the dawn glow, a colossal sword formed from countless particles of light stretched across heaven and earth as it raced forward. Wherever it passed, the sky was cut open into an incomparably terrifying abyss, dazzling and terrifying all at once.
Within this sword strike, Dao Rhyme churned, sword energy howled, thunderous power surged, and invincible intent blazed...
At that moment, countless people felt their hearts tremble. They looked up in shock at the horrifying sight in the sky, so shaken that they could barely keep their reason.
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