Atop the Heavenly Repair Platform, tens of thousands of disciples knelt in submission, the bloodlines beneath their feet surging and transforming into streams of blood that enshrouded their bodies.
“Elder, I’m not a spy from the Demon Path!”
“You are the demon cultivator! Traitor! May you meet a horrible end!”
“Ridiculous, so many spies from the Demon Path, truly the biggest joke. I never expected the Supreme Sect to be so dark, still claiming to be the foremost upright sect of Taicang, hahaha, it won’t be long before the Taicang Dynasty is also annihilated!”
“Chu Xian, even in death, I won’t let you off as a ghost!”
“Such actions, are you not afraid of the wrath of gods and men, of retribution?”
Cries of agony, pleas for mercy, curses, and all manner of sounds filled the air within the Outer City.
At the center of the Heavenly Repair Platform, the channels in the stone pillars began to fill with fresh blood flowing upwards, like veins engorging with blood, eerie and terrifying.
Billowing dark clouds gathered from all directions above the heaven and earth, quickly enveloping the skies over the Outer City, casting a shadow over the city.
The pale golden light emanating from the Demon Suppressing Umbrella began to take shape, enveloping the entire city. Those disciples who hadn’t ascended the Heavenly Repair Platform tried to flee, but couldn’t break through at all.
Ye Lan trembled, striving to rise, but she simply couldn’t. Feeling her Spiritual Power being drained, her eyes were filled with panic and despair.
Su Han and Zhen Qin by her side were the same, unable to even speak, only able to wait desperately for death to come.
In the distance.
Within an attic.
The hunchbacked elder, gazing at Chu Xian’s silhouette, wore a grave expression and said, “I never thought he would become so powerful, the geniuses of the Supreme Sect are truly extraordinary, it has not been many years…”
Fear also shone in Jiang Qiong’s eyes, the mere pressure from Chu Xian made her dare not act rashly, the gap was too vast.
“So it is, the legendary Heaven and Earth Nirvana Array…”
Jiang Qiong muttered to herself, causing the hunchbacked elder to look at her and say, “Miss, this formation might threaten us, we should leave quickly.”
Jiang Qiong nodded; her target was not Chu Xian. His appearance had taken her by surprise, especially the Heaven and Earth Nirvana Array, which left a great impact on her.
They immediately turned and prepared to retreat from the Outer City.
Boom—
Thunder roared within the dark clouds overhead, as if the gods were bellowing, a heavy and loud sound.
Chu Xian looked up, his eyes calm. After a mere glance, he redirected his gaze to the city beneath him.
Looking at the struggling tens of thousands of disciples below, a look of compassion appeared in his eyes.
“For the thousand-year lineage of the Supreme Sect, making this sacrifice is not in vain for your lifetimes of cultivation,” he muttered, as if consoling himself. The pity in his eyes gradually vanished, replaced by detachment.
He raised his hand and grasped the Demon Suppressing Umbrella, ready to increase its power and refine the cultivation of all disciples on the platform in one go.
Ye Lan was already prostrate on the ground, lifting her eyes with difficulty. Under the rolling thunderclouds, Chu Xian’s figure was so terrifying.
But at this moment, what she saw was not Chu Xian, but another silhouette.
She worried that Gu An wouldn’t escape this calamity.
She regretted in her heart, thinking that she should have looked for Gu An yesterday, urging him to leave the Supreme Sect in advance.
The unforgivable actions of today meant Chu Xian would surely kill all the Servant Disciples belonging to this part of the Outer City.
More and more Blood-Colored Runes appeared on her body, like chains pulling taut. They seemed to drag her into the ground; an unprecedented wave of exhaustion swept over her like a tsunami. Her eyelids trembled as they closed.
The White Spirit Sword on her waist quivered fiercely, as if anxious for its master.
Just then.
Ye Lan seemed to sense something and opened her eyes instinctively. Sunlight shone on her face, and not only her, but other disciples enduring torture opened their eyes as the sky suddenly brightened.
The badly mutilated Lu Jiujia could only glance at the sky with the corner of his eye. Under his gaze, the dark clouds overhead had been blown away, and from the lingering traces of clouds at the edge of the sky, it was clear they were dispersed by some tremendous force.
Jiang Qiong and the hunchbacked elder moving quickly through the streets saw it more clearly; they turned their heads and stopped in their tracks.
They saw above the Demon Suppressing Umbrella, outside the pale golden shield, a sword floating in the air, enveloped by Sword Qi, its blade indistinct, only its slim form recognizable.
Chu Xian looked up and moved the Demon Suppressing Umbrella away, his brows tightly furrowed.
“Who?”
His voice rang out, his tone carrying a hint of tension.
This “who” gave hope to everyone in the city; those sealed on the Heavenly Repair Platform looked on with eyes full of anticipation.
Boom!
A tyrannical Sword Intent burst forth from the sword shadow in the sky, instantly shattering the pale golden dome that covered the entire city.
Chu Xian’s complexion changed drastically. He immediately channeled his Spiritual Power into the Demon Suppressing Umbrella. The umbrella shook violently, releasing a mighty force to oppose the Sword Qi from the sword shadow.
“Un—”
Chu Xian’s eyes widened in shock as he uttered the beginning of a word, but the sword shadow descended with overwhelming dominance. It scattered the vast power of the Demon Suppressing Umbrella, smashing it head-on and piercing through his flesh.
Like a meteor falling!
The sword shadow descended from the sky, landing on the Heavenly Repair Platform, its blade embedding into the stone of the platform, trembling nonstop. The powerful Sword Intent released, dispelling all Blood-Colored Runes on the platform; the massive stone column shattered instantly.
The Sword Intent swept over Ye Lan, causing her clothes to flutter, and she felt as if she had awakened from a nightmare.
Su Han and Zhen Qin felt the same, quickly getting to their feet.
More and more disciples freed from their bonds stood up, all turning to look at the sword shadow at the center of the platform; in their eyes, the sword was not to be feared, instead, it was their savior.
Some looked up to see Chu Xian still suspended in the air, his right hand gripping the shaft of the Demon Suppressing Umbrella, his body trembling, blood flowing uncontrollably from every orifice.
“Why…,” Chu Xian’s voice trembled, but before he could finish speaking, his body burst forth with sword light after sword light, turning to ash in midair, not even his Primordial Spirit managed to escape.
The vault of heaven then emitted a dark yellow glow as if dusk had arrived.
“How is this possible… He was in the Void Crossing Realm…”
The hunchbacked elder’s eyes widened in terror and disbelief.
Jiang Qiong, too, could not maintain her composure. Chu Xian had existed beyond the Divinity Transformation Realm, so what level of cultivation was required to slay Chu Xian with a single sword strike?
Following her gaze, a pillar of energy descended from the sky, connected to the Heavenly Repair Platform, as if splitting the entire world in two.
That was Sword Qi!
A Sword Cultivator of such caliber was actually born into this world…
In that moment, Jiang Qiong felt extremely insignificant and mediocre, as if her injuries from the past century had already disqualified her from the Immortal Cultivation World.
Simultaneously.
Third Medicine Valley.
Beneath a large tree, Elder Tian looked in the direction of the Outer City. Even from this great distance, he could see the column of Sword Qi above the Heavenly Repair Platform.
“Unification…”
Elder Tian murmured to himself, a sound that only he could hear.
Atop the mountain at the edge of Medicine Valley, Ye Yan stood firm against the wind. Suddenly, a strong gust blew, pulling his robe behind him as he grasped his long spear, standing tall and unwavering as a pine.
He squinted his eyes, staring at the distant column of Sword Qi, filled with amazement.
Dozens of miles away.
Shen Zhen stood on a cliff, with the entrance to her cave dwelling behind her. The wind swept her black clothes and veil, partially revealing her face below.
Her eyes, too, reflected the column of Sword Qi, brimming with curiosity.
The Supreme Sect had such a Sword Cultivator hidden within its ranks!
She couldn’t help but think of the Flying Leaf Sword Immortal, plucking leaves to slay Nascent Souls; his realm was unknown to all, as was his true identity.
…
Ye Lan stood on the edge of the Heavenly Repair Platform. Before her were tens of thousands of disciples. She couldn’t see the sword shadow enveloped by the crowd, but her gaze involuntarily shifted to the White Spirit Sword at her waist.
The sword was still trembling slightly.
A complex array of emotions crossed her eyes.
It was at this moment that the Outer Disciples in front of her began to retreat en masse, causing a thunderous clamor. Ye Lan was drawn by a sharp sound.
It was the sound of a sword blade grinding against stone!
She immediately leaped up, stepping on her Flying Sword to rise into the sky. Not just her—tens of thousands of disciples did the same, scattering into the air in a magnificent sight.
All those who reached the sky stared wide-eyed because they saw the sword shadow that had killed Chu Xian moving rapidly, its blade still embedded in the stone of the platform, sparks flying, the Sword Intent overflowing.
Elder Liu Chang of the Book Collection Hall furrowed his brows, chanting, “The… Righteous… Path…”
Once the sword shadow finished the last stroke, it soared into the sky, swept over the heads of all the disciples, and vanished into the horizon in the blink of an eye.
Everyone turned to look at the Heavenly Repair Platform, where two large characters were etched in the center.
Righteous Path!
The strokes were vast and fierce, exuding the ultimate sharpness and a killing aura!
Jiang Qiong and the hunchbacked elder also flew up to see the two characters, and the two Demon Cultivators from the Thousand-Autumn Pavilion were just as shocked.
The Taicang Righteous Path conducted the affairs of the Demon Path, but in the end, the mysterious Sword Cultivator intervened and left behind the words “Righteous Path.”
What did this imply?
While the Supreme Sect had its dark aspects, it also had Great Cultivators with a sense of justice!
Jiang Qiong had always sneered at the Supreme Sect’s claim to the Righteous Path, believing they were merely fooling the world. Yet now, she suddenly felt that perhaps the Supreme Sect wasn’t as deplorable as she thought.
…
In Mystic Valley, within a pavilion.
Gu An sat at his desk, his brows slightly furrowed.
Someone had locked onto his Qinghong Sword, making it difficult for him to directly retrieve it.
He was controlling the sword with his Sword Intent. That previous strike was no ordinary attack, it was the maneuver of the Taicang Divine-Shocking Sword.
The Taicang Divine-Shocking Sword at the Integration Realm!
“Since you want to pursue, so be it. Let them know that in the Supreme Sect, a sword hangs over their heads,” Gu An thought to himself. He then picked up the writing brush, preparing to try and multitask.
The Qinghong Sword had already traveled more than six thousand miles away from him, and the distance was rapidly increasing.
Above the sea of clouds, the Qinghong Sword enveloped in Sword Qi swiftly moved, leaving behind a long trail of disturbed air that stretched to the end of the heavens.
Suddenly, the Qinghong Sword stopped, hovering above the clouds.
Within three breaths, a streak of golden light sped from the horizon, quickly approaching the Qinghong Sword to within less than a hundred feet.
As the golden light dissipated, a man in a blue Daoist robe appeared, holding a horsetail whisk. He seemed to have the appearance of an immortal, but his expression was somewhat grave.
“Who exactly are you? There’s no mention of a Unification Realm Sword Cultivator in the Taicang Dynasty,” the man in the Daoist robe asked, his tone serious.