The World's Strongest Sword! Qian Ye Makes His Move!

Gu Yuena didn't answer immediately.

She gently rubbed the ring's rough surface.

It wasn't smooth; in fact, it dug into her fingers a little.

Yet that rough touch stirred a long-forgotten ripple in her heart, dormant for ten thousand years.

"Fragments..."

Gu Yuena's red lips parted, her voice distant.

"Yes, it's only a fragment."

"Back then, while forging the sword, that person casually knocked off a piece of excess scrap."

"He saw that I liked it, so he bent it into a ring and gave it to me."

As she spoke, the corners of Gu Yuena's lips lifted slightly.

It was a smile from the heart.

Even after ten thousand years, whenever she remembered that person sweating beside the furnace, wholly absorbed in forging the sword, she felt that all the world's splendor paled beside that one breathtaking sight.

The Ferocious Beasts around them were dumbstruck.

Scrap?

Bent into shape on a whim?

King of Ten Thousand Monsters' mouth twitched. He couldn't help asking, "My lord, you mean that Divine Artifact capable of instantly killing a Starry Sky Behemoth was nothing but a scrap?"

"Th-then how powerful must the original sword have been?"

The question struck every Soul Beast's heart like a heavy hammer.

If that was only a fragment, could the complete sword split the Divine Realm in two?

Gu Yuena raised her head and looked toward Jialing Pass, a complicated glimmer passing through her eyes.

"That sword..."

"Didn't you just see it?"

The beasts froze.

Then Di Tian shuddered all over, as if he had thought of something utterly terrifying. He blurted out, "My lord! You mean..."

"That Angel God who abandoned her godhood?!"

"That... rusty Iron Sword stuck into Martial Soul Mountain?!"

Boom!

The moment the guess was voiced, the entire Lake of Life erupted.

Scarlet King's fiery aura flared wildly in fright, while Zi JI covered her red lips, eyes wide with disbelief.

When the Golden List Inventory had revealed the third-ranked item, they, like everyone else, had thought that First Generation Angel God was some madwoman with a screw loose.

She could have remained a God King, but instead she had gone and picked up a broken Iron Sword.

But now...

The truth was right before their eyes.

Just a fragment of that sword had secured second place on the Super Divine Artifacts List!

Then the original...

That Iron Sword everyone had mocked...

What terrifying power did it contain?

"That can't be..."

Bi Ji's gentle voice rang out, edged with uncertainty.

"If that sword truly held such divine power, why would First Generation Angel God have scattered all her divine power? And why would people see it as ordinary iron?"

Gu Yuena drew back her gaze, her eyes growing profound.

"Ordinary iron?"

"That's only because the world is ignorant and blind."

"The Great Dao is simple; the true master returns to the uncarved state."

"When sword cultivation reaches its pinnacle, even grass, trees, bamboo, and stone can become swords. Why would one need divine materials or immortal metals?"

"That person..."

Gu Yuena paused, a note of reverence entering her voice.

"He walked a path no one had ever walked before."

"A path above godhood, leading straight to the source of the Great Dao."

At that very moment.

Beside the Golden List's image, new words slowly appeared, confirming Gu Yuena's guess and answering the world's questions.

[The origins of the Great Dao Sword Ring are revealed.]

[Long ago, someone sought to forge a Heaven-Slaying Sword.]

[He took a piece of ordinary iron, refined it with the fire of his heart, and made the Great Dao its edge.]

[When the sword was complete, a fragment remained.]

[He made it into a ring and gave it to his beloved.]

[Though small, the ring had absorbed the sword's supreme sword intent.]

[Its wearer could draw upon that sword intent to slay gods, sever karma, and destroy stars!]

The lines of text thundered like bolts of lightning, striking the hearts of everyone across Douluo Continent.

The world fell silent.

All those who had been mocking and doubting stood as if a hand had clamped shut their throats, unable to utter a sound.

It really was a fragment!

It really was a piece of scrap casually given away by that "madman"!

In that moment, countless people felt their faces burn.

They had mocked him as a madman.

And yet the trash he'd tossed aside on a whim was a Divine Artifact they could only dream of reaching in their entire lives!

The staggering gap between the two left them nearly sick with regret.

While the beasts at the Lake of Life were still trying to process the earth-shattering news...

The sky suddenly changed color.

The clear blue sky was instantly covered by a dense layer of blood red.

An utterly terrifying aura of slaughter bore down like a mountain.

The waters of the Lake of Life churned violently. Countless low-ranked Soul Beasts foamed at the mouth beneath the pressure and fainted.

Even the Three-Eyed Golden Beast let out an uneasy growl, digging its hooves into the earth as its golden fur stood on end.

"That nauseating aura..."

Di Tian snapped his head up, murderous light flashing in his eyes.

"Those lackeys of the Divine Realm!"

Blood clouds churned.

A blue-clad figure, holding a blood-red longsword, stepped through the air and descended one step at a time.

With every step, a bloody footprint appeared in the air and lingered there for a long while.

The newcomer had a handsome face, but his eyes were filled with haughty indifference and undisguised greed.

Tang San.

The inheritor of the dual godhoods of Sea God and Asura God.

Looking down at Gu Yuena below, he regarded her as an emperor might regard one of his subjects.

"Gu Yuena."

Tang San's voice was not loud, yet divine power carried it clearly across the entire Star Dou Great Forest.

"I never expected a beast like you to possess such a treasure."

"The Great Dao Sword Ring..."

Tang San's gaze fell on the ring on Gu Yuena's finger, greed practically spilling from his eyes.

"An object that defies the heavens like this will only bring disaster to the continent in the hands of a Soul Beast like you."

"As the God Realm Enforcer, I have a duty to reclaim it and prevent the world from being plunged into calamity."

At his words, Gu Yuena's calm face instantly turned icy.

She rose slowly into the air, facing Tang San from afar.

"Reclaim it?"

Gu Yuena gave a cold laugh, her voice dripping with scorn.

"Tang San, drop that hypocritical act."

"If you want to steal the Divine Artifact, just say so. Why dress it up in such grand-sounding excuses?"

"You humans truly are as nauseating as ever."

Exposed, Tang San didn't even get angry.

He lightly tapped the Asura Magic Sword in his hand. It rang out with a clear, crisp note.

"So what if I do?"

"In this world, might makes right."

"I'm a god, and you're a beast."

"If I tell you to hand it over, you hand it over!"

Tang San's gaze grew sharper.

"Originally, out of mercy, I wanted to give you a chance to submit."

"Hand over the Great Dao Sword Ring, lead the Soul Beast Clan into submission, and help me attack Spirit Hall."

"Perhaps I'd consider saving you a place in the future Divine Realm—as a gatekeeper."

As he spoke, Tang San's aura surged.

Red and blue light intertwined, forming a massive halo behind him.