Sword and Resonance

Darkness rushed down like a surging tide. Billows churned into towering waves that swept across the heavens, surging incessantly toward that single sliver of brilliant starlight. Tides within the Vortex were rising, surging forth toward the material realm. It was as if the vault of heaven had collapsed, crashing down upon the earth, reducing all creation to mere ants beneath it and steeping everything in ruin. Yet time and again, those violent tides crashed against an invisible wall, rebounding in vain. Tianlu hung suspended between sea and sky. Chilly brilliance bloomed from the walking stick braced in his hand, illuminating the blood-drenched darkness and the mangled corpses suspended in midair. It even laid bare the cracks tracing across his face, his neck, the backs of his hands, and his chest. Blood wound down and dripped, silently staining patches of scarlet into the sea below. His white robes were soaked in crimson; his face remained devoid of expression. From the start until now, a mere ten-odd minutes had elapsed, yet it felt as agonizingly long as days, leaving the heart of every observer lodged in their throat. No one knew how much longer he could hold out. Even though countless formidable foes lurked in the surrounding dark, compared to a being of his caliber, they were nothing more than clay chickens and pottery dogs. No matter how ferocious their onslaughts were, they were laughable futilities. The true pressure stemmed from the Vortex gradually closing in upon the material realm. And from the Border Realm beneath his feet... In his grasp, that unassuming silver cane stood firm, like an obstruction wedged tight between gargantuan gears. It forcefully pinned the Border Realm and this stretch of sea to the material realm, tethering it and refusing to let it plunge toward the expanding Vortex. Just like a nail. The so-called—Wedge! Yet even a Wedge had its limits. Even for a Sage, how much longer could he endure? Everyone yearned to know: in this sea beyond the borders, where the authority of the Heavenly Overseer and Earthly Custodian could hardly reach, how long could a solitary pillar hold out against a catastrophe of the sky collapsing?! Waves engulfed flying stars; heaven shook and the earth trembled. Even though the situation seemed overwhelmingly favorable for their side, the silhouettes cloaked in darkness appeared to be drawing back, trying to put distance between them. "Don't be afraid, everyone." "There's only one opponent!" "Let's swarm him together!" "Does Tianlu have three heads and six arms? As long as we unite our strength, we will surely claim his head!" Regrettably, no one uttered such words. Idiots of that caliber rarely lived long enough to become Celestial-Humans; they died long before then. Yet those who had survived until now had never imagined... ...that there was still someone in this world capable of being this terrifyingly strong! It was nothing short of a nightmare! "Hm? Broken Horn, White Rainbow, Ten Thousand Hands... Oh, Brother Slit-Eye and Miss Corpse Mountain, when did you two arrive? It truly has been quite a while. Since you've all been watching for so long, why not step forward and catch up on old times?" Tianlu lifted a hand nonchalantly, wiping away a drop of blood that was not his own, and grinned. "What is there to fear from an 'old dog with a price on his head' like me? Rest assured, when I left the house this time, I only brought nine Celestial Artifacts in total—just a few trifles. I'm completely exhausted from holding out this long. Who knows, if you all attack at once, I might drop dead on the spot." No one answered. Whether it was a guise concealing a spent force or a calculated bait, no one was willing to step forward and throw their life away. Those 'youngsters' who had never seen Tianlu in action—if they weren't dead already, they had witnessed it now, so how could they fail to grasp the situation? Even if the bastard truly was at his wits' end, before drawing his final breath he could easily drag down at least three... no, five or six people to cushion his fall! They couldn't beat him in a head-on fight, and the subordinates they had sent into the Border Realm were dropping like stray dogs on the roadside one after another. Everyone present felt trapped in suffocating frustration, mixed with malicious anticipation. Hold on, then! Keep holding on! Just keep dragging it along—how long can you keep that up? Just make sure the Border Realm doesn't drag you down into the Vortex... When that happens, God only knows what kind of monstrosities will be waiting for you down below! BOOM! Amid an earth-shattering roar, the Eye of the Great Sin high in the sky suddenly expanded. Beneath the darkness cloaked in iridescent light, massive, ravenous silhouettes prowled. Those abominations beneath the Vortex had long been impatient; drawn by the sweet scent, they were practically leaping out of the whirlpool! Dense darkness swirled as gargantuan scales and grotesque talons flickered in and out of view, continuously probing the fringes of the material realm, itching to strike. Immediately afterward, the fracturing began! Accompanied by hoarse, mad laughter from within the Border Realm, the entire expanse of the sea jolted violently once more as countless fissures spread across the void. Like the hull of a ship warping as it sank into the ocean depths, thick, viscous darkness erupted from the crevices under crushing pressure, pouring violently into the material realm. At last, the limit had been reached! Peals of wild laughter rang out. That fellow Lu Changsheng—well done! Well done! Just as everyone's hearts leaped and their eyes widened, they saw the entire Border Realm suddenly sink toward the Vortex, dragging the whole maritime area down with it in another plunge amid piercing, maniacal laughter! Just a hair's breadth away. Tianlu's expression shifted drastically. In his hand, fissure after fissure manifested out of thin air along the walking stick, unable to sustain the strain any longer! Instinctively, he reached out and gripped it with all his might! BOOM! Beyond the Border Realm, the final fragile membrane of the boundary ruptured, tearing open a massive rift that began spreading at blinding speed. Now! From the shadows, bizarre silhouettes that had waited for so long erupted, hurtling toward the sacrificial temple growing ever clearer within the Border Realm! Before they could arrive, behind a spatial rift that abruptly burst open in the void, a colossal entity that had been watching in secret struck with ruthless force! Countless strands of pale rainbow light intertwined, resembling a gargantuan hand as it breached the Border Realm and clamped down over the entire sacrificial temple! The Sower! Having waited for this moment who knew how long, it unleashed its full power, tearing a fissure right through the projection of the Eye of the Great Sin. In the blink of an eye, the entire sacrificial temple was seized in its grasp! Trapped in a single haul! If it could not take the Imperial Seal of the Realm or capture that clown who had sprung out of nowhere, then it would simply carry off the entire fulcrum of the material realm! Snap! Yet that colossal figure seemed to freeze, grinding abruptly to a halt. "Since you're already here, you might as well stay!" Tianlu—who by everyone's perception had been on the verge of his absolute limit, his fuel exhausted and his light fading—actually burst into laughter! His aura surged once more in an explosive blast. Behind him, the apparition of the Heavenly Furnace, pouring forth like clusters of stars and kindling flame, suddenly expanded, inverting the tide to engulf the entire darkness. Heaven and earth were bathed in blinding light. Tearing away the pretense of being a spent force, a terrifying might never before seen was fully revealed! One hand remained on the walking stick, upholding the barrier between the material realm and the Vortex, yet in his previously empty hand, a bizarre puzzle cube had appeared at some unknown moment. Crafted from bronze, the cube hovered in midair, spinning violently, actually warping the flows of space and time. Within a thousand li, time scrambled, slowing or accelerating, but in this domain outside the Border Realm, time froze entirely, petrifying all creation! Including the half of the Sower's body protruding from the rift... I've finally caught you! Tianlu roared with laughter. In the frozen expanse of time, the Sower remained indifferent. Yet those pale, eerie eyes slowly shifted, glancing toward Tianlu. Filled with doubt. This trick again? How many times have you gone fishing over all these years? Don't you ever get tired of it?! You put on such an elaborate act—did you really think I'd buy it? Buzz— The frozen time and paralyzed flow shattered. The bronze cube abruptly wailed as fractures manifested upon it; it warped, collapsed, and shattered completely! Tianlu's right hand was lacerated along with it. All phenomena resumed their course. The sacrificial temple groaned in sorrow. The fulcrum of the material realm had already been seized tightly in the Sower's hand! And Tianlu was now powerless to stop it. When you are fishing, perhaps the fish is waiting to hook you as well. Now, the prolonged probing and patience had reached their end. The dagger was revealed at the end of the scroll! A strand of eerie, illusory light sprang from nothingness like a razor-sharp blade. The moment it appeared, it had already arrived at Tianlu's neck. Upon the blade swirled the chaotic myriad phenomena of the Vortex, condensed into the essence of ruin. Coming from nowhere and headed nowhere, devoid of cause or reason, it was like death itself—sudden and inescapable. It was a lethal strike that had been brewing for who knew how long! And at that very instant, a roar erupted behind Tianlu. A bizarre tear split open out of thin air, like a miniature manifestation of the Vortex within the material realm. The dark negative of matter coalesced into what seemed like a tangible black hole. In the deepest depths of the black hole, a blurred silhouette extended a finger, pointing toward the defenseless Tianlu. A Dragon on par with a Sage, the Eschatology opposing the Theory of Origin, manifested in his hand—when the universe expands to its limit and crosses the final critical threshold, all existence must collapse at the level of fundamental particles. This was the finale corresponding to the origin of all things in the Big Bang—the so-called 'Big Rip'! At this moment, at his fingertip, a speck of dust so infinitesimal it verged on nothingness disintegrated completely, erupting into a terrifying, incandescent brilliance surpassing even a stellar explosion! A pincer attack from front and back. Now, leaving no time to react, following the Sower, the entities known as the Reaper and the Guide abruptly revealed themselves, launching full-powered strikes against Tianlu without a shred of hesitation! "Didn't I tell you? You should only fish at midday! Fish morning and night, and trouble's bound to catch up with you..." A soft sigh had already resonated before the blow could land. The Reaper's blade came to a dead stop. Before two lifted fingers, even death fell under control! A stooped, white-haired old man appeared without warning, raising his hand. Or rather, it was as if the opponent's blade had willingly placed itself between his index finger and thumb; it could neither struggle nor withdraw, nor could it advance a fraction of an inch! Director-General of the Federation Security Bureau, living Sage and one of the Twin Poles of Tianyuan—Pang Pei! And right behind Tianlu, a burly man clad in ancient armor suddenly stepped forward, blocking the horrifying radiance of the Big Rip. Taking the beam cannon right to the face. Effortlessly absorbing the terrifying heat capable of vaporizing the entire ocean! His golden beard and hair incinerated in an instant and regenerated in the next, leaving not a single scar; he didn't even blink... This was the pinnacle of the Earthly Custodian bulwark, the Sword of the Empire! "Hm? Brother Ellis, when did you arrive?" The Guide within the black hole grinned. "Don't tell me you were squatting on the sidelines watching the show just like us?" Ellis remained indifferent, casting a cold gaze at the blurry figure. "Hiding your head and showing your tail for all these years, yet a dog still can't help eating filth, can it, Wen Zheng?!" In his hand, a blade blazing as bright as gold shone with light, thrusting ruthlessly toward the silhouette inside the black hole! Quit your blabbering and die! "Every time we meet, it's straight to swords and spears. I really can't hold a conversation with you Swarm folks..." The Guide smiled nonchalantly, allowing the black hole to collapse under the golden blade as he took a step back instead, having no desire to linger in combat. "Since our objective has been accomplished, I won't disturb you further. How about catching up next time?" "Accomplished, you say?" A gentle chuckle seemed to ring out. Right... behind the Sower! He said, "Hasn't it only just begun?" Those pale pupils contracted violently. The Sower saw it: between Pang Pei and Ellis, that figure who had leaned upon his cane, single-handedly supporting the Border Realm and maintaining the separation between the Vortex and the material realm, suddenly shattered, crumbling into flying ash... Tianlu died?! Then what was behind it—a second Tianlu?! No! From the very start, that had been a fake. No, from the very beginning, the entire Border Realm had... Following a momentary shock, realization finally dawned. Too late! "I've finally lured you out, you old bastard!" Behind the Sower, the true Tianlu smiled and raised the walking stick that never left his side. The sound of fracturing metal rang out. As the cane shattered, what burst forth was a majestic, blazing light that cast the entire material realm into shadow! The Heavenly Furnace unsealed; the stars descended. Gathering the world's brilliance here, forging was completed in an instant. The grandeur of Tianyuan, the agile versatility of the White Stag, the fury of Entropy, the nothingness of the Mirror, the tenacity of Ascension... the essences of the various branches of Supreme Goodness converged into one. A lethal nemesis forged in direct opposition against the Sower's soul, spiritus, power, traits, authority, and everything it was. —Supreme Celestial Artifact: Natural Enemy, unsheathed! Sever! In an instant, the sound of countless illusions popping echoed out. All resistance was utterly futile; every defense was reduced to nothingness. In its haste, the Sower only managed to raise its other hand, seizing the blade of incandescent light thrusting toward its chest, willing to sacrifice its five fingers and palm just to stall it for a single instant! Then, without hesitation, it released the sacrificial temple and pulled back its arm... pulled back its arm... pulled... pulled... pulled... It couldn't fucking pull it back! It was held fast! It had entered unobstructed, yet the moment it tried to retract, it was as if ropes had suddenly wound around its wrist from within the Border Realm, tangling tight and refusing to let go. And right after, agony struck without warning. As if bitten by something. Like a serpent. Yes, a serpent! The giant serpent rose from the abyss. After thousands, tens of thousands of years, its lingering hatred and venomous malice had never ceased! . When the hand of the Sower clamped down upon the sacrificial temple, irreversible collapse had already begun! Ji Jue gazed coldly at that sky-blanketing hand taking control of everything. Then, with his authority as Swordsmith and the Imperial Sovereign's Hand, he issued an order to the sacrificial temple. Alas, that command was neither to resist nor to endure. As the sacrificial temple was pushed to its absolute limit through battering after battering, the final instruction it received at this moment was: self-destruct! The remnant light left behind by the eternity of old, the miracle wrought by the imperial dynasty, was reduced to ash and smoke from that moment forth! Amid fracturing and collapse, it turned to flying ash... The final spiritus and power plummeted into the abyss, channeled by Ji Jue into the materials that the secret rite truly linked and catalyzed! The Tower of Darkness was nothing more than scrap used to draw attention. The grandeur of the sacrificial temple, the shadow of the tower, the sacrifice and slaughter of countless deaths—what all the spiritus circuits truly pointed to and covered was the unnoticed abyss beneath the sacrificial temple! The remains of the giant serpent that had long turned to withered bones! The massive spiritus structure of the Nether Sea Worm had already been fully overlaid. Under the cover of mist and darkness, Isis's modification and control had reached completion. "Awaken!" Now, pouring out every shred of his spiritus, draining most of the Doomsday Express's fuel stores, and adding all the souls and lives collected from across the entire Border Realm— In an instant, the Non-Offensive matrix spun with ferocious fury, crossing its limits into near overload, bringing a pain that tore at the soul. Beckoning commenced; Metamorphosis concluded! Beneath the hands Ji Jue pressed down, the great serpent shuddered violently, awakening once more from death. Animation, complete! The withered bones parted their jaws and hissed at the top of their lungs. Upon the pale form, a heavy metallic sheen emerged. Under the blessing of Non-Offensive's Metamorphosis, the material was forcibly elevated a tier; dazzling silver radiance flowed across the skeleton, bursting with brilliant light. The spiritus framework of the Nether Sea Worm rapidly slipped from control as the lingering hatred and venomous malice left by the serpent surged like a tide, swallowing everything. The bitter hatred and madness from the instant of its demise of old were reborn within the worm's spiritus structure, once more driving this skeletal body into motion. The moment the countless fragments of the sacrificial temple plunged into the abyss, the serpent's final shackles shattered completely, and it soared toward the heavens! Rising and falling. Metallic glints scraped together; silver scales sparkled like an ocean. Poised to devour all in its path! It refused any manner of control and paid no heed to any order. Yet it did not matter. This hatred and fury were simply too torrential, too mad, such that the slightest nudge was more than enough... In a mere instant, a hatred spanning a thousand years converged with Ji Jue's own hatred, melding into one beyond distinction! "Isn't your mortal enemy right before your eyes?" BOOM! And just like that, the revived great serpent pounced toward the colossal hand reaching deep into the Border Realm, instinctively entangling, binding, and locking it down, its magnificent body undulating to blanket the heavens and trap the limb within. Without hesitation, it opened its maw. And bit down! Injecting the venom of hatred deep into the marrow! At this pivotal instant— Tianlu laughed uproariously. Well done, Ji Jue! The incandescent light of the Natural Enemy blade drove forward relentlessly, breaking through the Sower's clamp inch by inch, pressing on until, amid futile, enraged struggles, it impaled its chest! BOOM! Incandescent light gushed forth. A resonant sword clang echoed between heaven and earth. The blazing light of the Natural Enemy blade had already burst through the Sower's back, piercing straight through. Endless pale shades gushed out along with it, cascading like waterfalls, corrupting the sea within a thousand li into a hellish landscape! Blocked and intercepted by Pang Pei and Ellis, the Reaper and the Guide could not offer aid in time. Caught off guard, the Sower suffered grievous injury under this long-plotted strike! Never in hundreds of years had it suffered such catastrophic trauma! "Tianlu..." The Sower's eyes locked onto the face mere inches away. At last, it clamped down on the spent blade of Natural Enemy. Gripping it tight! Yet just as the echoes of the first sword's chime faded, an unplanned second sword chime rang out in everyone's ears, without any warning... Coming from... within the Border Realm?!