Chapter 218: Chapter 172: Slaying the True Monarch and Myself, No Longer a Guest of the Mortal World
This gourd of Qian Heaven True Balance Qi was of the supreme grade and exceptionally precious. It required a specialized Magical Artifact to ascend to the astral layers and seek out qi of a yang attribute, and one had to gather forty-nine different types just to refine a single wisp. It possessed both an explosive nature and the sublime quality of comprehensive inclusion.
It was of immense benefit to those who pursued the Cultivation of the Tai Yang and Shao Yang Daos.
Even an Ancestral Sect with a profound foundation might not be able to accumulate so much, making it a truly generous gift.
"Daoist Monarch Xuan’an, you certainly followed suit quickly."
Daoist Monarch Qiting Doukui’s laughter was thunderous, echoing like crisscrossing lightning bolts into the cosmos below, causing violent tremors in all directions.
"I still don’t favor that Jiang brat’s chances of attesting to Shao Yang again, but for a mere Qi Cultivation Lower Cultivator to dare raise his sword against a True Monarch... that killer instinct deserves praise. Besides, I am genuinely curious to see if he can upend this entire chess game with his sword in the next sixty years."
With that, the Daoist Monarch of the Hunlun Sect flicked his wide sleeve, releasing a perfectly square, inky-black stone nine zhang high and nine zhang wide—it was a ’Whetstone Platform’ condensed from pure Magical Power.
"Daoist Doukui, you are truly wealthy. A ’Whetstone Platform’ of this quality would be difficult to find anywhere in all of Yanfu."
Daoist Monarch Tongzhen Xuan’an gave a bitter smile:
"In comparison, you make a poor scholar like me look utterly destitute."
The Hunlun Sect’s Daoist Monarch Qiting Doukui said nonchalantly:
"You should learn from me. Find some formidable experts from the greater heavens to engage in Magical Combat, and your purse will soon be full. Two thousand years ago, I happened to run into a Daoist from some sword sect beyond our cosmos. After I killed him, I divined his background and went to sever the karmic entanglement. As a result, I gratuitously acquired quite a few new treasures for my domain."
Daoist Monarch Tongzhen Xuan’an waved his hands dismissively. The Hunlun Sect excelled at Magical Combat; every one of their Daoists and True Inheritance disciples possessed a profound foundation.
The Formless Sect, however, walked the path of transmutation, of turning illusion into reality. It was a path that emphasized ’one to replace ten thousand’ and ’myself to replace the heavens.’
It was not an open and righteous path, so they could not learn such methods for building a fortune.
Silence fell Beyond the Qingming.
Of the Eight Sects of the Nanzhan Continent, there were five Daoist Monarchs.
The two representing the Formless Sect and the Hunlun Sect had joined the Innate Sect’s Daoist Monarch Xianyou Mingxuan in placing their bets.
The Taifu Sect and the Juechen Sect remained unmoved.
The gray-robed Daoist put away the two treasures, items that would stir contention even among True Monarchs, and his voice boomed with majestic, Daoist resonance:
"This game has now reached its middle phase. Although it is not yet time for the endgame, the general outcome has become clear.
Let me be blunt. Having passed the Ninth Layer of Profound Thunder, that Jiang brat is now an Innate Daoist.
Within the Nanzhan Continent, should anyone show him disrespect, do not blame the True Inheritance disciples of the Eight Peaks for showing up at your door to enact punishment."
These words were not only directed at the other Daoist Monarchs Beyond the Qingming, but also served as a formal warning to the Eight Demonic Sects.
"Daoist Mingxuan, rest assured. I will relay your words to Sect Leader Yuanzuo and True Monarch Tao. Since the Jiang brat is now an Innate Daoist, we will naturally refrain from making any further moves concerning him."
The kindly old woman in worn robes, leaning on her staff, replied with composure. The conflict among the Eight Sects could be considered an internal matter of the Daoist Lineage—an overt rivalry and contest. But no matter how deep their schemes ran, they would never dare target a Daoist.
Otherwise, which of their sects didn’t have a world-governing Daoist Monarch as a backer?
"Why bother with all this nonsense."
Daoist Monarch Qiting Doukui, who had placed a bet, was growing impatient. He looked down below, as engrossed as someone watching a cricket fight.
"A Slaying Sword, once unsheathed, must draw blood! I can see this Slaying Sword is filled with indignation, resentment, defiance, and refusal to yield—a perfect match for that Jiang boy’s current state of mind. That little whelp of the Thunder Core is in for some terrible luck!"
Of the remaining Daoist Monarchs, only Daoist Monarch Fuji Shenhai, who had no interest in watching the spectacle, withdrew his Qi Mechanism and returned to Ningcui Cliff. The rest, like an audience waiting for a good show to begin, leaned in to quietly observe the events below.
...
...
「Fengdu, Profound City Central Palace.」
Outside the grand hall, the instant Jiang Yi grasped the [Inversion] Slaying Sword, heaven and earth seemed to transform into an unfurling ink wash scroll, a boundless and infinite expanse of black and white.
Miss Xiaoqiao had once said this Slaying Sword’s Artifact Spirit had incredibly high standards. Not even a Sword Dao prodigy as peerless as the ancient Sword Savant, Qiao Bu, had been acknowledged as its master.
At the time, Jiang Yi had been full of doubt. In terms of innate talent, brilliance, and even his Cultivation Realm, True Monarch Qiao had been a figure among a million, yet he had still failed to move the Slaying Sword.
’So that’s it. This Slaying Sword desires a Sword Master with soaring, heaven-defying ambition and a destiny grand enough to reach the sky, yet who is simultaneously trapped with no path forward and no road for retreat... Only such a Sword Master can comprehend its "All-Severing" Sword Intent.’
Jiang Yi gripped the hilt with both hands, feeling as though he were holding a great azure dragon. A peerless, surging power coursed through his entire being, enveloping his utterly shattered physical form.
A grim, dark light flooded his Inner Mansion and surged toward his Primordial Gate. The torrential killing intent felt as if it would erupt from every one of the hundred and eight thousand pores of his skin.
’This sword strike will slay the True Monarch—and myself!’
An understanding dawned in Jiang Yi’s heart. To command this [Inversion] Slaying Sword, one had to first strike oneself with every attack in order to annihilate all foes!
He looked toward the Ancient Gate, high above, which looked like a thunder god opening its eye to gaze down upon the mortal world.
’The nine bolts of profound thunder failed to kill a mere Lower Cultivator like me. Now, it’s my turn to brandish my sword!’
"Shao Yang requests this sword to annihilate the Thunder Core!"
His formidable cry echoed across the majestic Eighteen-Layered High Platform. Qiao Yu outside the hall, Lady Xuan’nv within, and even the numerous Daoist Monarchs and Great Powers Beyond the Qingming all turned their gazes toward Jiang Yi in unison.
As his voice faded, the [Inversion] Slaying Sword began to vibrate violently. As if driven by his will, the infinite killing intent that had lain dormant within it for a hundred thousand years suddenly burst forth from its chrysalis!
The youth whom the Daoist Monarchs and Great Powers had dubbed ’the Jiang brat’ soared into the air, looking for all the world as if he were holding a great azure dragon!
No one knew where he found the strength, but he actually vaulted over the Ancient Gate, rising a full head higher than the Thunder Core itself!
The [Inversion] Slaying Sword chopped down!
Heaven and earth fell silent; all sounds ceased.
In the eyes of all who watched, the sword strike was utterly unremarkable, even crude to the extreme. It failed to stir the slightest ripple.
The expected sky-sundering slash and Sword Qi Thunder Sound were nowhere to be seen!
"Miss Xiaoqiao, that gate... is it cracking?"
The chubby girl outside the Profound City Central Palace suddenly cried out.
Qiao Yu seemed not to hear, rushing through the air to catch Jiang Yi as he fell. He was as light as a feather.
She cradled the body, from which all life force was extinguished and all Primordial Essence had vanished, afraid that the slightest excess force would cause it to shatter.
At that very moment, the wisp of Shao Yang’s golden essence—unaffected and unobstructed by anything—finally entered Jiang Yi’s body.
"Is the sky getting brighter?"
Qiao Yu raised her head in astonishment. A sliver of light had suddenly pierced through the heavy clouds that had shrouded Fengdu for millions of years. A divine radiance seemed to rise from the east, illuminating Young Master Jiang’s broken body.
Immediately after, clusters of five-colored qi clouds, each as large as a carriage canopy, began to surge forth. Like smoke, yet not smoke, they billowed in dense profusion.
As the wisps and strands of qi flowed and circulated, his Cultivation Furnace—which had been damaged beyond recognition—actually mended itself, becoming as good as new.
The life force that had been severed by the [Inversion] Slaying Sword suddenly refilled his entire body, gushing like a fresh spring.
...
...
「On White Jade City.」
True Monarch Yingyuan Sijie gazed out into the great cosmos. When he saw a sword leap into the air and extinguish the profound thunder, his Dao Heart couldn’t help but tremble.
’Where did that Slaying Sword come from? In all the Yanfu Vast Land, there are no more than ten such blades in existence!’
Immediately after, alarm bells began to shriek in his mind.
’That Jiang brat couldn’t have obtained a Slaying Sword for no reason. Some Daoist Monarch or Great Power must be setting a trap from the shadows.’
’I’ve walked right into it. The profound thunder failed to kill Shao Yang, and now I’m afraid I’m about to...’
True Monarch Yingyuan Sijie reacted with extreme speed. He abruptly raised a hand and began to sketch in the air, writing a Talisman Decree that could command the thirty-six thunder deities, trying to sever the Great Dao connection between the Thunder Core and the Ancient Gate.
But from tens of thousands of miles away, a voice drifted over:
"I invite the True Monarch to test my sword!"
True Monarch Yingyuan Sijie’s expression darkened slightly.
’A mere Qi Cultivation cultivator dares to be so insolent...’
Before the thought could even fade, a line of dark light flashed across the vast cosmos, and a grim chill wrapped around his neck.
Before True Monarch Yingyuan Sijie could react, a shallow, bloody line appeared on his forehead. Purple lightning, like quicksilver, dripped down from it with a CRACKLE.
With a shake of his wide sleeve, his figure—clad in a high crown and purple robes—instantly dissipated. In his place, a vast pool of lightning materialized. Countless Jiao-dragons, mountains, and molten energies surged within it, attempting to grind away the Slaying Sword’s might.
But that grim, dark light was like a persistent shadow. No matter how True Monarch Yingyuan Sijie changed his form, the wound continued to expand, little by little.
"’From the Celestial Sovereign above to the Terrestrial Emperor below, no decree can be enforced without thunder. From the great matters of life and death to the small matters of fortune and ruin, no governance can be presided over without thunder.’"
After several transformations, True Monarch Yingyuan Sijie returned to his original form, the bloody line on his forehead still dripping an unending stream of lightning plasma.
Left with no other choice, he could only retreat to his Golden Position within the Thunder Core and borrow the Great Dao’s concept of ’ruling over objects and men, commanding life and death’ to purge the wound left by the Slaying Sword.
’To think I allowed a mere Qi Cultivation cultivator to damage my Dharma Body!’
True Monarch Yingyuan Sijie’s face was grim. Lightning of all colors flashed around him, casting his expression in shifting, uncertain light.
But in a mere moment, the roar of the Five Thunders blasted away his stray thoughts and dispelled his rage.
His Dao Heart had barely stabilized when ripples began to spread through the great cosmos.
"Shao Yang has wounded the Thunder Core. A Qi Cultivation cultivator has struck down a True Monarch. This feat deserves a great reward..."
These words spread to the ten directions, flowing across the four continents. Never mind True Monarchs—even True Masters of the Flying Foundation Establishment Realm perceived them.
And so, discussions erupted everywhere, raising a great clamor.
’Mere tricks worthy of a Demon Cultivator. You think this can disturb my Dao Heart?’
True Monarch Yingyuan Sijie’s gaze was indifferent. He remained impassive, as if he had heard nothing.
And yet, the bloody line on his forehead began to spurt lightning plasma that was ever more turbulent and searing.
