Slaying Zhang Wudao

Amid the vast snowstorm, several towering mountains stood between heaven and earth. Upon their ridges stood all manner of buildings—azure bricks, jade tiles, carved beams, painted rafters, upturned eaves, and intricate brackets—having endured the wind and snow for over a thousand years.

This was Shangqing Palace. The First Generation Patriarch had established his Daoist lineage here, and it had once been incomparably glorious. Unfortunately, the disciples of later generations had failed to live up to expectations, and no Patriarch had emerged since. It had gradually declined, until even a mere Zhang Wudao could bully it.

On this day, disciples throughout Shangqing Palace watched anxiously. Zhang Wudao's arrogant declaration from a month ago—that he would take Shangqing Palace's Daoist lineage and Blessed Land as a gift for his Master, to serve as his cultivation ground—had long spread throughout the Cultivation world.

The disciples of Shangqing Palace were deeply uneasy, unsure whether their sect's Old Ancestors could withstand Zhang Wudao.

It was not only the disciples of Shangqing Palace who were watching. On this day, countless people from the Cultivation world near Shangqing Palace were also observing.

Some came with their souls riding the wind, watching from beyond the mountain peaks.

Some crossed the wind and snow in person, arriving here out of immense curiosity.

Others used secret techniques and Thousand-mile mirror transmissions to project the scene at Shangqing Palace elsewhere.

They all wanted to know whether Shangqing Palace would stop Zhang Wudao today, or whether this thousand-year Daoist lineage would collapse with a thunderous crash.

Tap, tap, tap!

Even the howling wind and snow could not conceal the footsteps. They were light, yet at this moment, they reached the hearts of everyone watching the battle. It was as though those footsteps were stomping upon their hearts, squeezing them until their chests hurt and their expressions changed slightly.

"Zhang Wudao is here!"

Someone cried out in disbelief. They were separated by an entire mountain, yet Zhang Wudao's aura could still affect them. Just how powerful was he?

"Why does it feel like someone is clutching my heart? Every time he takes a step, my heart hurts, as if it might burst open the next second. Terrifying." Someone clutched their chest in distress.

"This is Momentum. The area where Zhang Wudao stands is affected by his Momentum. If your cultivation is lower than his, you will be affected. But do not worry—Zhang Wudao may be arrogant, but he does not slaughter innocents indiscriminately. In his eyes, we are not worthy of making him act." Someone gave a bitter smile.

"We have not even seen him, yet his presence is already this overwhelming. Zhang Wudao has followed his Master's path of supremacy... could he really have succeeded?" someone asked in alarm.

"Zhang Wudao has run rampant these past years, killing countless geniuses and crushing innumerable experts of the older generation. He has long accumulated enough invincible Momentum. If he destroys Shangqing Palace's Daoist lineage this time, he may truly achieve it," someone else murmured after analyzing the situation.

"Three hundred years ago, Shangqing Palace still had a Li Tianxian, but Emperor Wu of Zhou had killed him early on without regard for his reputation. It has declined ever since. No outstanding disciples have been heard of in recent years, and the older generation cannot hold up the banner either. Will the thousand-year Shangqing Palace truly be destroyed today?" someone sighed, finding it a pity.

Those hushed discussions could not affect the unceasing footsteps.

Amid the boundless wind and snow, before the mountains and ravines, a youth approached.

He seemed to be walking, yet his feet never touched the ground. Instead, he stepped through the void. Wind and snow swirled around him as though submitting to him, escorting him to the gates of Shangqing Palace.

The youth stood with his hands behind his back, gazing indifferently at the gates of Shangqing Palace. There was no emotion in his eyes. An overbearing, domineering aura radiated from him, one that looked down upon the world as though no opponent existed beneath heaven.

The youth was Zhang Wudao. Looking at the Shangqing Palace disciples who had not fled, he said coldly, "Since you refuse to leave, from this moment onward, you will be my Master's household slaves."

The moment those words fell, everyone erupted. Everyone in Shangqing Palace felt humiliated. Those with hot blood nearly rushed out to challenge Zhang Wudao alone, but their fellow disciples hurriedly held them back.

The onlookers, however, did not find it strange. This was Zhang Wudao: lawless and unrestrained, his hands drenched in blood, never caring about anyone else's dignity. If your cultivation was weaker than his, you were not even human in his eyes. If it was stronger, you could only temporarily count as human—until he defeated you, when you would no longer count.

If someone else said such words, everyone might consider them arrogant and insolent. But when Zhang Wudao and his Master said them, everyone found it normal.

Zhang Wudao did not care what others thought. With a boom, an incomparably terrifying Pure Yang consciousness burst forth from between his brows, vast and mighty as it enveloped Shangqing Palace. In an instant, he discovered a strand of sword energy in one corner of Shangqing Palace, like a cold plum blossom blooming alone amid the snow. That touch of red was exceptionally dazzling against the endless white.

"I did not expect Shangqing Palace to have a disciple like you. You hid yourself well." Zhang Wudao stared directly at the Scripture Repository Pavilion. Even with mountains between them, he saw Li Qingshan at a glance.

Li Qingshan faced him calmly, neither speaking nor moving, as though accumulating something.

"Come here. Let me slay you!" Zhang Wudao spoke, utterly lawless. The killing intent in his words was colder than the wind and snow.

Before the Scripture Repository Pavilion, both Li Qingshan and Li Jiusheng frowned. This was far too arrogant.

Since matters had come to this, Li Qingshan said to Li Jiusheng, "Senior Brother, I will go slay him!"

Then he took a step forward. His body was like a sword as he crossed the biting wind and snow in an instant, appearing before the gates of Shangqing Palace.

"Who is this person?"

"I do not know him, but judging by his bearing, he does not seem weak."

"More than merely not weak—I cannot see through him. He seems no weaker than Zhang Wudao."

"I never expected Shangqing Palace to have hidden such a genius. As expected, the foundation of a great sect with a thousand-year legacy cannot be underestimated."

"I wonder whether he can stop Zhang Wudao?"

The moment Li Qingshan appeared, he immediately sparked countless discussions. After decades of bitter cultivation, this was the first time he had shown himself before the world and revealed his strength.

"Zhang Wudao, you seem quite fond of Shangqing Palace. Take a look around and see which patch of land you like. After you die, I can bury you there and satisfy your fondness," Li Qingshan mocked as he looked at the arrogant Zhang Wudao.

Zhang Wudao sneered. "You are quite dissatisfied, aren't you? Heh. Along my path, I have buried the bones of countless geniuses. They were just like you—ignorant and fearless. Kneel now, and I can show mercy by taking you in as a strongman. Then you can follow me and see the summit of cultivation."

In the Cultivation world, a strongman generally referred to a gatekeeper who carried sedan chairs, moved heavy objects, and did grueling labor.

Zhang Wudao's words fully displayed his arrogance.

"One sword!"

"I will strike you with one sword. If you can withstand it, then you may speak such arrogant words again."

Li Qingshan's voice was cold. His body stood straight as bursts of sword hum rose from within him, then erupted all at once.

Between heaven and earth, the wind and snow howled, spun, and swept across the land. What had been disorderly became controlled. Every snowflake transformed into a sword blossom. Dense and innumerable, thousands upon thousands of them glimmered with sword light, their budding forms as brilliant as a galaxy.

Seeing this, a trace of disdain curled Zhang Wudao's lips. Did Li Qingshan think such a paltry trick could deal with him?

But in the next moment, Li Qingshan's body transformed into a streak of light and plunged directly into the boundless wind, snow, and sword light.

Then, a dazzling sword light descended with sword intent and sword essence so dense they reached the extreme, forming a Sword domain as it crashed down.

Its target was Zhang Wudao.

At that moment, a resounding clang rang out, like an Immortal sword emerging into the world, shaking the land for a thousand miles. At that moment, what drifted between heaven and earth was no longer snowflakes or cold wind, but sword energy. It was as though the withered grass, cold trees, and massive rocks in the mountains all emitted sword energy and sword intent, which merged together and converged into Li Qingshan's strike.

This sword strike made the onlookers turn pale in shock.

This sword strike filled the people of Shangqing Palace with delight.

This sword strike gave Li Jiusheng sudden enlightenment.

This sword strike also made Zhang Wudao frown. He remembered the sword strike his Master, Emperor Wu of Zhou, had told him about. When that sword fell, grass and trees became swords, mountains and rivers became swords, the sun and moon became swords, and in the end, it had severed the foundation of his Master's Patriarch.

Had that sword art not been lost long ago with Li Tianxian's death? A trace of panic rose in Zhang Wudao's heart. Even his Master had been injured beneath that sword. Could he withstand it?

"Run!" Zhang Wudao was arrogant, but he was not stupid. He recognized the strike and knew he could not confront it head-on, so he immediately tried to flee.

But could he escape?

"Slay!"

Between heaven and earth, the wind and snow roared, the mountains trembled, waterfalls bellowed, and sword energy shrieked as it surrounded Zhang Wudao from every direction.

"Indestructible Golden Body!"

Zhang Wudao roared. Knowing he could not escape, he would fight!

He had not come this far for nothing.

Boom!

His aura surged, piercing through the clouds, wind, and snow. Dazzling golden light spilled down as his body assumed an invincible defensive stance.

This was Emperor Wu of Zhou's ultimate art. When cultivated to its peak, it could resist all damage.

Clang! Clang! Clang...

At that moment, sword energy crashed against Zhang Wudao again and again, producing sounds like hammering iron, yet it failed to harm him in the slightest.

"You are not Li Tianxian. You cannot hurt me!" Zhang Wudao roared. Blood Qi Wolf Smoke billowed forth as golden light covered half the sky. His body expanded to a hundred zhang tall, standing in the void as he glared coldly in fury.

But in the next instant, a strand of sword energy came flying over. At first it seemed utterly unremarkable, but upon reaching him, it exploded with a boom, like a mountain flood erupting or lakes and seas bursting through their banks. The roar of sword energy thundered out, leaving Zhang Wudao dazed for a moment before he saw clearly that it was Li Qingshan.

Li Qingshan came bearing mountains, rivers, wind, snow, grass, and trees.

"I am not Li Tianxian, but neither are you Emperor Wu of Zhou!"

That sword pierced straight into the brow of the hundred-zhang golden body. Sword energy entered his body, and with a boom, before Zhang Wudao could react, the surging power instantly shattered both his body and Primordial spirit.