The Royal Capital.
Above Lishui Palace.
As that startled cry of "Nine Swords Immortal Lord" rang out.
Clang-!!!
A sword rang as it left its sheath, its cry resounding through heaven and earth.
That single sword cry pierced the vast sky.
Then a longsword abruptly appeared overhead.
The sword's arrival instantly pinned this stretch of heaven and earth in place.
Heaven and earth were a painted scroll, and that sword was a nail, fastening the scroll to the void.
In an instant.
All things froze, and heaven and earth fell silent.
That fist, too, halted in the void. Only the sword's ringing remained, the sole thing still vibrating in this world.
The blade hung high overhead, strands of sword intent cascading down to seal space and time, locking heaven and earth in place.
"Am I alive?" The terror had yet to fade from Shuiyun's eyes.
Just then.
Amid the descending sword light.
A figure appeared.
He wore an azure robe, a wine flask hanging at his waist, his hair disheveled and his eyes brighter than the sword light.
It was none other than the Nine Swords Immortal Lord of Biyou Heaven.
The appearance of this figure.
Instantly made him the center of heaven and earth, the focus of every gaze.
The void collapsed toward where he stood, like a taut net suddenly struck by a heavy weight.
And just then.
"So it was you!" The voice was clear and youthful.
Those simple, unremarkable words instantly broke the silence that had swallowed heaven and earth.
Boom-!!
The void exploded.
When everyone looked over.
They saw that the spot Shuiyun had occupied had become pure nothingness.
And within that void, a young man stood suspended in the air.
His long hair streamed like a waterfall, dancing wildly through the air, black as