Saber God Attacks

Sword follows the Xiaoyao, blade questions the Primordial Chaos.

The Gale Wind of Myriad Ren Sword Peak still carried the lingering sword intent. When the wind swept across the dark brown rock veins, it no longer carried the sharpness that reshaped the peak. Instead, it seemed as if afraid of disturbing something, gently brushing against the hem of the Sword Ancestor's plain-colored Daoist robe. The sword marks on the robe were once the imprints of ninety thousand years of slaughter and glory, but now they had lost their flamboyant golden light, leaving only a warm and gentle glow—the warmth flowing through the veins of the new Dao Path after the shattering of the sword path barrier. Even the sword-shaped moss clinging to the rock crevices gently unfurled its leaves in response to this warmth.

Sword Ancestor watched Ren Xiaoyao's departing figure, standing at the edge of the sea of clouds, the Chaos Current around him elusive, like a veil shrouding the nascent Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi. He raised his hand to brush away the rock fragments from his shoulder, the grains of rock his fingertips touched carrying a faint warmth of sword intent—shards of sword blade embedded in his clothing during the earlier clash of their swords. As his feet unconsciously followed, the hem of his Daoist robe swept across the sword-shaped blades of grass in the field, and the fragments of the <Heaven and Earth Sword Scripture> on the blades shimmered gently with each step. Those ancient characters, once obscure and difficult to understand, now seemed to come alive, flowing on the blades as guiding light trails.

Ren Xiaoyao did not turn around, but gazed at the Primordial Chaos points of light that appeared and disappeared in the sea of clouds ahead—those points of light flickered, sometimes transforming into sword shadows, sometimes condensing into Tai Chi, which was proof that Primordial Chaos encompassed all things. He said softly, "The sword intent of Sword Peak for ninety thousand years should see the scenery beyond heaven and earth." His voice was not loud, but it traveled with the Gale Wind into the ears of the Sword Ancestor, like a casual remark between old friends, yet it carried the power to awaken those who were lost.

Upon hearing this, the Sword Ancestor paused for a moment, his fingertips tracing the void. A stream of shimmering white light slowly rose from the green grass—it was the Sword Soul remaining after the Flowing Cloud Sword shattered. The Sword Soul circled three times in the air, transforming into a thin ribbon of light that gently wrapped around his wrist, forming a sword-shaped jade bracelet. The jade bracelet warmed against his skin, resonating with the sword marks on his Daoist robe, emitting a barely audible Sword Hum. Without further hesitation, he quickly followed Ren Xiaoyao's footsteps. From then on, Ten Myriad Ren Sword Peak lost a Sword Ancestor who guarded the peak. On the sword-shaped boulder at the summit, only the sword marks of the same origin as those on his Daoist robe remained, silently recounting the past ninety thousand years of swordsmanship. Yet, a sword shadow that traveled with the Primordial Chaos appeared in the world. Wherever the sword shadow passed, spiritual herbs would sprout sword patterns, streams would reflect sword intent, and even the wind carried a touch of the gentle aura of the swordsmanship.

The news spread throughout the Three Realms like the Sword Hum, first alarming the Sword Cultivator sects around the Myriad Ren Sword Peak, then reaching the East Sea Sword Island and the Southern Xinjiang Sword Forest Frontier, and three days later reaching the Western Desert Saber Domain. The Western Desert is perpetually shrouded in sandstorms, and only the highest Black Stone platform in the northern desert can overlook the entire Saber Domain —standing on the platform is none other than the Saber God. He wears Black Iron Battle Armor, which is covered with marks of sword slashes and cuts, each Dao Marks corresponding to a life-or-death battle; in his hand, the Mysterious Iron battle blade "Sky-Splitting" points diagonally at the ground, and fine blade Saber Qi seeps out from the Gobi sand and wind patterns engraved on the blade. When those Saber Qi land, they cut the surrounding sand and gravel into dust, and the dust is reassembled in the wind, only to be shattered again by new Saber Qi, in an endless cycle.

Upon hearing that the Sword Ancestor had been defeated with the Sword of Heaven and Earth, the Saber God showed no fear whatsoever. Instead, a fierce fighting spirit ignited in his eyes—a fighting spirit as scorching as the midday sun in the Western Desert, hot enough to ignite the air. Since he comprehended the Sword Dao of "Sky-Shattering Saber Dao" amidst the mountains of corpses and seas of blood on the Ancient Battlefield ninety thousand years ago, there had been no opponent in the world worthy of his full strength: the sand bandits of the Western Desert, the Barbarian Tribe of the Northern Frontier, the Demon Beast of the deep sea, and even the Ancient Saber Soul that had challenged him, all had fallen to the "Sky-Splitting" sword. Now, Ren Xiaoyao's Chaos Dao had emerged out of nowhere, becoming the perfect touchstone for him to test his sword path and the opportunity for him to break through the bottleneck of "Slaying Dao".

"The Chaos Dao? Let's see if it can cleave through Primordial Chaos, or Primordial Chaos can devour my blade!" The Saber God raised his hand and stroked the "Sky-Splitting" blade. The blade hummed louder and louder, and the Saber Qi spread along his fingertips, carving a blade mark more than ten feet long on the Black Stone platform. Deep within the blade mark, one could vaguely see the phantom of the sword path inheritance of the Western Desert Saber Domain over millions of years.

The next morning, before dawn, the sandstorm in the Western Desert suddenly stopped—not a normal calm, but rather suppressed by a more powerful force. The Saber God descended, shattering the clouds. His Mysterious Iron battle blade, "Sky-Splitting," gleamed with a cold, hard luster in the morning light. As the blade sliced through the sky, it left a jet-black gash that lingered for a long time, swirling with the unique yellow sand of the Western Desert. When the sand landed, it transformed into countless miniature battle blades, each an inch long, densely packed beside the sword-shaped flower buds in the green grass. The blades of the miniature battle blades gleamed with cold light, while the petals of the sword-shaped flower buds were imbued with sword intent. One was hard, the other soft; one black, the other gold, forming the rudimentary form of a confrontation between "blade" and "sword." Even the air seemed to freeze because of this confrontation.

"Ren Xiaoyao!" The Saber God's voice carried the roughness of the Gobi Desert winds, like countless grains of sand hitting rocks, causing the leaves of the surrounding ancient trees to rustle. The sword shadows hidden on the leaves trembled slightly due to the Saber Qi, and a few new leaves, unable to withstand Saber Qi pressure, gently drifted down, transforming into tiny sword shadows upon landing, confronting the miniature battle blade. "The Sword Ancestor lost inexplicably. Everyone says how powerful your Chaos Dao. Today, I will challenge Primordial Chaos with my blade. If you truly have the ability, then withstand three of my strikes!"

At this moment, Ren Xiaoyao was squatting on the grass, his fingertip lightly touching a dewdrop containing Primordial Chaos and sword intent. The dewdrop was three parts larger than ordinary dewdrops, and the Tai Chi Pattern within it spun more and more gently—golden sword intent and gray Primordial Chaos intertwined within it. Sometimes the sword intent prevailed, and the Tai Chi leaned towards gold; sometimes the Primordial Chaos was stronger, and the Tai Chi leaned towards gray; eventually, it would return to balance, as if the order and Primordial Chaos of the world were meant to be this way. Hearing the voice of the Saber God, he slowly stood up, his movements unhurried yet carrying a composure that Inclusive of Heaven and Earth.

Behind him, the grass parted automatically, creating a three-foot-wide path. The Sword Grass and Chaos Moss on either side of the path bowed in unison. The sword-shaped leaves of the Sword Grass faced Ren Xiaoyao, while the Tai Chi Patterns of the Chaos Moss shimmered, as if bowing to him or challenging him to a duel. The Sword Ancestor stood beside Ren Xiaoyao, the remnant soul of the Flowing Cloud Sword on his wrist trembling slightly. The Sword Hum's cry carried a hint of wariness—an instinctive reaction to the "Sky-Splitting" Saber Qi —yet also a touch of anticipation. He did not attack, but simply watched the Saber God before him, his eyes reflecting the confrontation between the miniature battle blade and the sword-shaped flower bud. In his heart, he pondered: what kind of Dao Path would emerge when this "Sky-Shattering Saber Dao" sword path met Ren Xiaoyao's Chaos Dao? He knew that this was a clash between the Dao Path of Ren Xiaoyao and the Saber God, and also an opportunity for him to observe a new path and perfect his own sword path.

Seeing that Ren Xiaoyao did not answer, the Saber God took it as disrespect and roared as he unleashed his first strike. This strike had no fancy phenomena, no overwhelming momentum, only the purest and ultimate will to "break"—when the Mysterious Iron Battle Blade "Sky-Splitting" cleaved down, the air was forcibly split in two, forming a vacuum chasm half a zhang wide and a hundred zhang long. The Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi on both sides of the chasm was forced back by the Saber Qi energy, and even the distant sea of clouds was pressed down three feet by this sword force, revealing the rolling dark purple Thunder Clouds below. The lightning in the Thunder Clouds seemed to be intimidated by the Saber Qi energy and dared not fall for a long time.

"This blade is named ' Sky-Rending Strike,' capable of cleaving through the Heaven and Earth Barrier, and splitting the winds and clouds of the four seas. I'd like to see if you, Primordial Chaos, can withstand it!" The Saber God's voice was full of confidence. This "Sky-Rending Saber" had once cleaved through the defenses of Ancient Demon Gods and split open the sea eye deep in the ocean. He did not believe that Primordial Chaos could withstand this blade.

Ren Xiaoyao stood still, his gaze unchanged. The Chaos Current around him circulated automatically, as if sensing the will of "breaking," slowly gathering into a seemingly soft yet all-encompassing Gray Mist shield. The Gray Mist drifted gently, like clouds in the sky or water in a stream, without a trace of sharpness.

When the Mysterious Iron Battle Blade "Sky-Splitting" struck the Gray Mist, there was no expected tearing sound, no earth-shattering roar. Instead, it was as silent as a pebble thrown into the deep sea. The Saber Qi was instantly enveloped and disintegrated by the Chaos Current —those blade energies that shattered the air lost their "breaking" attribute in the Primordial Chaos, turning into tiny particles of light. After the particles landed, they sprouted Primordial Chaos grass with blade patterns in the grass; the vacuum chasm was slowly filled by the Chaos Current, and at the point of filling, the phantom of the Saber God appeared: as a youth, wielding his sword in the Gobi Desert. Sweat dripped down his cheeks, only to be evaporated by the Saber Qi upon landing on the sand. In his youth, he used his sword to summon lightning in a thunderstorm; the lightning struck the blade, but he transformed it into Saber Qi and slashed it back. In his middle age, he fought against countless demons on Ancient Battlefield; the sword flashed, demon blood splattered, yet he never allowed any evil spirits to get close... Every movement was clearly reflected in the Primordial Chaos, even the calluses on his hands from practicing swordsmanship and the thick calluses from gripping the sword too tightly were clearly visible in the phantom, as if showing the world his 90,000-year journey in the way of the sword.

"This is impossible!" The Saber God's pupils shrank, and the confidence on his face vanished instantly, replaced by disbelief. He had never imagined that his proud "Sky-Rending Saber" would be so easily neutralized, let alone that Primordial Chaos could replicate his sword path and display all ninety thousand years of sword practice—this was not only neutralizing the sword move, but also seeing through the root of his sword way.

He took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the shock in his heart. His Saber Essence surged wildly within him, and crimson sword flames ignited on the Mysterious Iron Battle Blade "Sky-Splitting." These sword flames were no ordinary flames, but rather formed from his ninety thousand years of sword intent and the ferocity of life-and-death battles. Countless tiny sword shadows were wrapped within the sword flames, each representing the experience of a life-and-death struggle, and each carrying an aura of destruction.

"The second strike, 'World-Burning Blade,' will burn everything in its path, extinguishing even the Living Souls beings. Let's see how your Primordial Chaos can contain us!" The Saber God's voice held a hint of urgency. He wanted to use this "World Burning Saber" to completely ignite the Primordial Chaos and let Ren Xiaoyao know the power of "Slaying Dao."

The blades and flames swept in like wildfire, causing the sword-shaped flower buds in the grass to close as if afraid of being scorched; the new leaves of the ancient trees also curled slightly, and the sword shadows on the leaves dimmed; even the remnant soul of the Flowing Cloud Sword on the Sword Ancestor's wrist trembled slightly, and a hint of vigilance appeared in its Sword Hum. Only the Chaos Current around Ren Xiaoyao grew increasingly dense, and the Gray Mist shield became thicker, yet remained gentle.

Ren Xiaoyao raised his hand and waved it lightly, the movement as casual as brushing dust off the corner of his clothes. The Chaos Current around him transformed into a Prograde rotating vortex, and a point of pure white emerged from the center of the vortex—it was the lingering essence of the concept of "sword" that had defeated the Sword Ancestor earlier, but now it was endowed with the will of "containment" by the Primordial Chaos. The pure white light point flickered gently, like the first ray of light at the Beginning of Chaos.

After the blade fire was drawn into the vortex, instead of burning away the Primordial Chaos, it was gradually assimilated: the crimson blade fire slowly turned gray, and the blade shadows within the fire began to merge with the Primordial Chaos light particles. The blade fire, which originally carried an aura of Destructive Aura, became gentle; finally, the blade fire and Primordial Chaos completely merged, transforming into a three-inch-long miniature battle blade, hovering at Ren Xiaoyao's fingertip. This small blade was entirely gray and gold, with the wind and sand patterns of the Western Desert Gobi engraved on its blade, and also entwined with Primordial Chaos air currents. When it was gently rotated, one could even see the phantom of the Saber God practicing his sword flashing past within it.

"You... you can actually assimilate my sword fire?" The Saber God's voice was filled with disbelief, and his hand holding the sword began to tremble slightly. He knew that he had no way out. If even the "World Burning Saber" was neutralized, then the bottleneck of "Slaying Dao" would never be broken. He took a deep breath and poured all the Saber Essence in his body and his ninety thousand years of sword dao insights into the Mysterious Iron Battle Blade "Sky-Splitting".

The Mysterious Iron Battle Blade "Sky-Splitting" was raised high, its blade beginning to absorb the sword intent of heaven and earth—the remnants of battle blades from the Western Desert Saber Domain rose from the sand, transforming into golden sword patterns that wrapped around the blade; the sword spirits of the Ancient Battlefield emerged from the void, merging into the sword patterns; even the Saber God's own ninety thousand years of sword dao enlightenment, his understanding of "slashing" and his obsession with "breaking," all transformed into golden sword patterns, layer upon layer, wrapping around the battle blade. The sword patterns multiplied, eventually combining to form the "Heaven Burning Saber Manual," a work on par with the "Heaven and Earth Sword Scripture." The characters on the manual shimmered with golden light, each word carrying an aura capable of annihilating all things.

"The final strike, ' Slaying Dao,' will sever all the great Daos of all things, shatter the rules of the world. Today, I will sever your Chaos Dao!" The Saber God's voice was resolute. This strike was his masterpiece, the culmination of his ninety thousand years of swordsmanship. He had staked his entire Dao Path, just to break through the Primordial Chaos.

As the blade fell, the world seemed to freeze in time—the sea of clouds ceased its churning, the Gale Wind stopped flowing, even the remnant soul of the Flowing Cloud Sword on the Sword Ancestor's wrist stopped flickering, and the Sword Grass and Chaos Moss in the grass also froze. The golden blade pattern, carrying an aura of destruction, was like a Golden Lightning, aimed straight at Ren Xiaoyao's brow. The Chaos Current along its path was forced back by the blade's force, as if it were about to be completely shattered. Even space itself was slightly distorted by the blade pattern, as if it would collapse at any moment.

Ren Xiaoyao suddenly smiled. There was no contempt or smugness in his smile, only a sudden realization, like the relief of finally seeing the whole world Beginning of Chaos. He raised his hand and gently tossed the Primordial Chaos Battle Blade from his fingertips. The movement was slow, but it carried an irresistible Daoist charm.

The three-inch-long dagger rapidly expanded in mid-air, growing in the blink of an eye into a battle blade the same size as the Mysterious Iron Battle Blade "Sky-Splitting." The blade radiated a gray-gold light, containing both the inclusiveness of Primordial Chaos and the fierce power of the blade's intent—this was the "Inclusion Saber Dao" condensed after assimilating the "Sky-Rending Strike" and "World Burning" blades. This blade path no longer pursued "breaking" or "burning," but was based on inclusiveness and symbiosis, retaining the blade's fierceness while incorporating the gentleness of Primordial Chaos.

The moment the two blades clashed, there was no earth-shattering roar, no devastating storm, only a gentle wave of light spreading out. Wherever the light passed, the golden blade patterns of the <Heaven Burning Saber Manual> were smoothed away one by one, and those characters carrying the Destructive Aura transformed into fragments of blade intent that merged into Primordial Chaos; the Mysterious Iron Battle Blade "Sky-Splitting" let out a mournful cry, a sound filled with resentment yet also with relief, the cracks on the blade spreading from the hilt to the tip, then shattering inch by inch, turning into golden particles of light that fell onto the green grass.

These golden particles of light intertwined with the remnant soul of the Flowing Cloud Sword and the sword-shaped grass leaves, and a strange grass grew in the grass: the grass stem was gray-gold, containing both Chaos Aura and the intent of swords; half of the leaves were sword-shaped, gleaming with a white sword intent, and the other half were blade patterns, flashing with red-gold Saber Qi; a Flower Buds was also growing on the top of the grass, the Flower Buds was tightly closed, but faintly let in light.

The sword god was shaken by the light wave and flew backwards. He fell heavily on the green grass and spurted out a mouthful of blood. This was caused by the disorder of the sword element in the body after the sword path was broken. The blood fell on the buds of the strange grass. The flower buds bloomed instantly, and the petals were gray-gold. On each petal, there were both "cut" and "grow" written on it. The two words were intertwined with each other, seeming to tell the true meaning of the sword path.

The Saber God slowly sat up, supporting himself on the ground. Looking at Ren Xiaoyao, his eyes had lost their previous fighting spirit, replaced by a bitter, resigned smile. He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, his voice weak yet exceptionally firm. "So... the ' Slaying Dao ' I've pursued my whole life is inferior to your ' Inclusion Dao.' I always thought the ultimate swordsmanship was 'slaying everything,' but I forgot that a Dao that can encompass 'slaying' is a more complete Dao. I've lost, and I accept it wholeheartedly."

Ren Xiaoyao stepped forward, bent down, and gently plucked the strange herb. As it left the ground, its roots trembled slightly, carrying a trace of Chaos Current and a hint of sword intent, as if responding to his touch. He presented the herb to the Saber God and said softly, "Your swordsmanship isn't weak, but it lacks inclusiveness. 'Slash' is the bone of the swordsmanship, 'tolerance' is its blood. Without blood, even the hardest bone cannot support a complete path. Just like this strange herb, without the softness of sword leaves, it lacks the hardness of sword patterns; without the hardness of sword patterns, it also lacks the softness of sword leaves. Sword and blade, Primordial Chaos and heaven and earth, should coexist, not slash each other; they should tolerate each other, not destroy each other."

The Saber God accepted the wondrous herb, his fingertips gently tracing the characters "Slash" and "Tolerance" on its petals. He felt the Primordial Chaos and sword intent flowing within the herb, and his inner obsession melted away like ice and snow. He suddenly rose, bowing deeply to Ren Xiaoyao, his movements respectful and sincere. "Thank you for your enlightenment, fellow Daoist, which has allowed me to see the full picture of the sword path. From this day forward, the Saber God is willing to follow you, walking this path of inclusiveness, comprehending this principle of symbiosis, integrating 'Slash' and 'Tolerance' into the sword, and forging a new path for the sword."

Sword Ancestor stood aside, watching the scene unfold before him. The sword marks on his Daoist robe shimmered gently, resonating with the scattered sword intent of the Saber God, emitting barely audible Sword Hum and blade howls. In that resonance, there was no confrontation, only harmony and symbiosis. The sea of clouds surged again, the Gale Wind flowed once more, and sunlight pierced through the clouds, falling on the green grass, illuminating the petals of the wondrous herb, the Sword Grass and the Chaos Moss, and also illuminating the three figures— Ren Xiaoyao stood in the center, Chaos Current flowing around him; Sword Ancestor was on the left, the remnant soul of the Flowing Cloud Sword on his wrist resonating with the sword marks on his Daoist robe; Saber God was on the right, holding the wondrous herb in his hand, his eyes filled with anticipation for the new path.

At this moment, the swords and blades, Primordial Chaos and order of heaven and earth finally achieved true harmony. The wind swept across the green grass, carrying the warmth of the swords and the fierceness of the blades, blowing into the distance; clouds swirled around three figures, enveloping them in the inclusiveness of Primordial Chaos and the order of heaven and earth, flowing slowly. This harmonious aura spread throughout the Three Realms along the Spirit Vein, causing all Sword Cultivator to stop their weapons and look towards the direction of the green grass.

As that harmonious aura flowed through the Three Realms along the Spirit Vein, the confrontation between swords and sabers quietly dissipated wherever it reached. The Sword Cultivator of East Sea Sword Island sheathed their longswords aimed at saber cultivators, and the water droplets on their sword tassels no longer carried a sharp sword intent, but instead reflected the flowing light of the sabers. The Barbarian Tribe saber warriors of the Northern Frontier Saber Domain lowered their curved sabers that were slashing at Sword Cultivator, and the beast patterns on their scabbards no longer exuded ferocity, but instead shone with a warm luster. Even the Central Continent Artifact Sect, which had been arguing endlessly about "Sword Venerable and saber inferiority" for many years, now had people placing their swords and sabers side by side on the table, watching the two weapons resonate gently in the harmonious aura, their eyes filled with realization.

Ren Xiaoyao gazed at the changes in the world, the Chaos Current at his fingertips gently intertwining with the sword intent of the Sword Ancestor and the saber intent of the Saber God, transforming into a gray-gold ribbon of light. After rising into the sky, the ribbon dispersed, turning into countless tiny specks of light that fell across the Three Realms —falling on the Sword Mound, where the ancient swords that had been sleeping trembled slightly, and the rust on their blades began to peel off, revealing the sword patterns hidden beneath; falling on the Saber Mountain, where broken battle blades sprouted new edges, the edges wrapped with Chaos Current, as if waiting for a new master; falling on the weapons of ordinary cultivators, kitchen knives, woodcutting knives, and wooden swords all gleamed faintly, and even the most ordinary iron swords condensed a touch of all-encompassing Daoist charm on their blades.

"This is the True Intention of 'symbiosis'," Ren Xiaoyao said softly, his gaze falling on the Sword Ancestor and the Saber God. "The Sword Ancestor's Heaven and Earth Sword Intent and the Saber God's Sky-Shattering Saber Dao are both part of the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth. If one only guards one's own Dao, it is like the blind men touching an elephant, unable to see the whole picture. Now that the two are combined and merged with the Primordial Chaos, they have finally touched the edge of the Great Dao."

Sword Ancestor raised his hand and stroked the remnant soul of the Flowing Cloud Sword on his wrist. The sword-shaped jade bracelet began to absorb the sword intent of heaven and earth, and a trace of gray-gold gradually blended into its shimmering white light—the color of Primordial Chaos and saber intent. "Before, I always thought of using Heaven and Earth as the Scabbard, but I forgot that heaven and earth inherently encompass all things, and even 'imperfection' is part of heaven and earth. Just like this sword bracelet, if it were still the complete Flowing Cloud Sword, it would be difficult to contain saber intent and Primordial Chaos. Now that it is broken, it has become a new container."

The Saber God gripped the wondrous herb, his fingertips tracing the characters "Slash" and "Acceptance" on its petals. The herb's leaves trembled gently, and a wisp of sword intent flowed into his body through his fingertips, merging with his previously chaotic Saber Essence. "I used to think that 'Slash' was everything, even deliberately avoiding 'Softness' when practicing my sword. Now I know that only by combining strength and softness, by having Slash and Acceptance coexist, can the way of the sword go further. That ' Inclusion Saber Dao,' if it hadn't merged with your Primordial Chaos, I'm afraid I would never have understood it."