Testing the Sword Array

The armored man was none other than Great Sage Zishen. With the situation beyond redemption, these Great Sages and Demon Kings fled faster than one another. Great Sage Zishen’s clansmen were not here, granting him all the more freedom to come and go as he pleased. With cultivation as high as theirs, they had little fear for their own safety; even if the Saint King Palace suffered a crushing defeat, the great clans would not drive them to a dead end. Unless they could guarantee a kill without fail, no great clan was willing to endure the frenzied vengeance of a demon Great Sage. After this battle, the change of masters over the Saint King Palace was a foregone conclusion. Great Sage Zishen felt a pang of regret. Their greatest loss was forfeiting the privilege to share the bounties of the Sacred Ground. However, over the years, the Saint King Palace had stood supreme over the clans of the Eastern Sea; by following the Azure Fox Saint King, they had already reaped lavish rewards. It was time to return to his cave dwelling for quiet cultivation. If necessary, should he come out of seclusion again, he would still be honored as an esteemed guest by any great clan. The Eastern Sea had been like this since ancient times: one player took the stage after another took their bow. After biding his time in dormancy, a whole new world would emerge. Though a general of a defeated army, Great Sage Zishen bore a calm and composed demeanor, showing no wrath. Just as he was calculating his next moves, his whereabouts were suddenly exposed by a single remark. The voice came from right behind him. Before the uninvited guest spoke, he had sensed nothing whatsoever—not even Great Sage Dragon Whale could have pulled that off! "Who's there?!" Great Sage Zishen was startled out of his wits. Hardened by countless battles, he leaped forward without looking back, the armor on his body blazing with dazzling azure radiance. The style of this armor was similar to the suit he had worn when infiltrating the mainland years ago, yet the two were worlds apart. That suit had only served to conceal his aura, whereas this one was the prized armor upon which Great Sage Zishen had built his renown. The azure glow detached from his body, coalescing into a sharp claw that resembled a three-foot blade of cyan steel, extraordinarily sharp. *Swish!* Striking with lightning speed and surprise, the claw ripped through the air, sending piercing shrieks through the void. Yet to his surprise, this strike hit nothing but empty air. Great Sage Zishen felt no resistance at all, and there was plainly no one behind him. Great Sage Zishen's heart sank as the voice sounded once more. "Fellow Daoist, now that you've been reduced to a stray dog, why haven't you called upon the Saint King for help?" Though directed at him, the speaker's tone was exceptionally casual. More terrifying still, the voice echoed from every direction around him, as though the speaker were everywhere at once, elusive and ghostly. At that moment, Great Sage Zishen noticed that the space around him had darkened without him realizing. It looked as though a veil had draped across the daylight. Straining his eyes, he saw that what drifted about were silk-like threads of sword qi, exuding an oppressive sword intent. "This sword intent..." From this sword intent, Great Sage Zishen inexplicably felt a hint of familiarity. Demons excelled at cultivating the physical body and bloodline; while many used swords, those who eschewed shortcuts to pour their heart and soul into the way of the sword were rare outliers. As these thoughts flickered through his mind, Great Sage Zishen saw a streak of flowing light plunge down directly ahead of him. Amidst its shimmering light, an illusory human figure materialized, one hand clasped behind his back and the other holding a sword pointed diagonally downward, his aura ethereal and elusive. The figure was faint, its facial features barely discernible, its eyes an ash-gray, its expression completely detached. "It's you!" Great Sage Zishen finally recognized the intruder's identity, his face draining of color. He had an indelible impression of Qin Sang. In the battle following the Six Prefectures Hall auction, Qin Sang had driven him into a frantic retreat, and two brothers who had followed him for years had perished by Qin Sang's hands. Later, when news of the Wuxiang Immortal Sect spread, Great Sage Zishen learned that even the Saint King had suffered a minor setback at this person's hands, which had actually brought him some peace of mind. Yet unexpectedly, this man dared show himself in the demon heartland! And what was more, his cultivation... Great Sage Zishen discovered that this illusory figure was not alone. There were seven of these figures in total—neither true avatars nor simple projections—surrounding him on all sides. Although the figures appeared flimsy and ready to pop at a touch, the moment they blended into the sword array, the array's momentum underwent an abrupt transformation, giving Great Sage Zishen the illusion that he was facing seven peerless swordsmen at once. Outside the sword array. Qin Sang stood suspended in midair. Once the Saint King Palace's army began to collapse, he had guessed that those Great Sages and Demon Kings would scatter in all directions. He had slipped in beforehand, and before him and the Heavenly Eye Butterfly, no enemy could hide. His very first quarry had been this green-furred rat demon traveling alone. The seven illusory figures were manifested from his seven sword po. After stabilizing his cultivation, Qin Sang had condensed his sword po according to the manual. Newly formed, the sword po remained ethereal and faint; even so, once merged into the sword array, they transformed the Seven Po Killing Array fundamentally. Unable to find a peer opponent, he had no choice but to test his sword on a demon Great Sage! Qin Sang had laid down the sword array in advance, and Great Sage Zishen, completely unaware, had walked right into the trap. Inside the sword array. Dense azure light erupted from Great Sage Zishen, within which the shadow of a green-furred rat demon emerged, directly manifesting his demon form. The demon form was clad in the prized armor, fitting him seamlessly. This armor could shift and conform to his every whim. Throwing his head back, the green-furred rat demon let out a piercing shriek toward the heavens. The armor flared with radiance, and the bones within his body popped violently. His frame swelled madly alongside the armor, reaching dozens of feet in height in an instant. His physical body grew without restraint, as though there were no limit. Towering between heaven and earth, the rat demon shook his colossal frame, ferocity glinting in his eyes. He lunged forward and swiped his giant claws furiously. The razor tips slashed across the void with an ear-splitting shriek, as though tearing apart the void along with the sword threads. The might of that single swipe could sunder mountains and rivers! Qin Sang, fully aware of what was happening within the array, remained impassive and seemingly offhandedly formed a sword incantation. The arms of the sword po trembled slightly as they raised their swords, tips pointing in unison at the green-furred rat demon. Abruptly, an unrivaled sword intent erupted. Drawn by an irresistible pull, the drifting sword threads within the array surged madly toward the swords held by the sword po. The piercing glare stung the rat demon's eyes. The sword array and sword po seemed to vanish entirely, leaving only seven streaks of sword light between heaven and earth. Boundless killing intent and sword intent crashed down like a collapsing mountain and a tidal wave, battering the rat demon's mind and laying waste to his defenses. The rat demon's heart pounded violently, dread filling his eyes as his massive body began to tremble uncontrollably. No one could imagine what he was enduring right now. He had never seen such terrifying killing intent. With a single stir of the sword po, it seemed to appear out of nothing, erupting to the absolute peak in an instant. Anyone with a slightly weaker disposition would have had their mental barriers shattered on the spot. Beyond that, there was a pressure he had only ever felt from the Azure Fox Saint King, as if he were not merely facing a single foe, but as though heaven and earth themselves were repelling him, leaving him isolated and helpless. Deity Transformation! *Whoosh!* The sword light sliced through the void. These could no longer be called mere rays of sword light; they were seven genuine blades of slaughter. Sword marks crisscrossed the void, converging above the rat demon's head before cleaving down in one decisive stroke! *Boom!* The swords fell! The rat demon's towering frame suddenly shrank down a notch. A wretched howl tore from his throat, indistinguishable between a shriek of agony and a roar of rage. The rat demon tried to flee, but there was nowhere to run. A flurry of explosive blasts rang out continuously. Only a cluster of sword light remained in the void, obscuring the rat demon. Heavy as a mountain, the mass of light plunged like a falling meteor toward the surface of the sea. *Splash!* A deep crater was blasted into the sea surface. Qin Sang appeared above the cresting waves. A streak of sword light shot upward and slid into his sleeve. Looking down below, the green-furred rat demon had reverted to his original size, curled up and trembling uncontrollably. Not only had his divine ability been broken in a single blow, but his prized armor had also lost all its luster. Visible cracks lined its surface, blood pouring continuously from each fracture. *Crack!* Several pieces of the armor fractured and shattered, washed away by the ocean waves. Witnessing this, Qin Sang gave a satisfied nod. During his cultivation, Qin Sang had sensed that integrating the sword po would bring a radical transformation to the Seven Po Killing Array. The Deity Transformation stage was also a profound epiphany achieved by the art's creator. Today's test had proved extraordinary indeed. It had not only routed the green-furred rat demon but also destroyed his prized armor. Had Qin Sang not intended to capture him alive and held back at the final juncture, the outcome would have been far more devastating. And this was merely the result of newly condensed sword po, without even deploying his natal spirit sword. It was hard to imagine just how terrifying the Seven Po Killing Array would become once he wielded the Wandering Sword! Naturally, the sword Qin Sang was using now was no ordinary weapon either. With a slight shake of his sleeve, the sword light swam back into his palm, revealing an elegant, slender sword. This blade was not the Jinchen Sword, but one retrieved from Su Zinan's belongings, named the Grey Oriole Sword. Nor had it originally belonged to Su Zinan. Back during the battle at Mount Dishou, four swords had flown out from the relics of the female cultivator from the Sword Pavilion. The jade sword had been destroyed; the gold sword recorded the heritage of the Metal-phase sword array; and there were two other longswords. One was suspected to be the female cultivator's personal sword, which had vanished in the chaos, while the other had fallen into Su Zinan's hands—namely, this Grey Oriole Sword. This sword was actually a spirit sword at the level of a pseudo-spirit treasure! Because it was not the female cultivator's natal spirit sword, its rank had not degraded. Yet having gone unwarmed and unnourished for many years, it was still far from birthing sentience. Refining a pseudo-spirit treasure was not as arduous as refining a true spirit treasure. Qin Sang had kept it at his side at all times and had long gained mastery over it; though it was a woman's sword, he did not mind in the least. With this sword in hand, Qin Sang had no need to trouble himself with re-forging the Jinchen Sword. The *Yuan Sacrificial Art* could not be applied to the Grey Oriole Sword. Qin Sang remembered that at the Six Prefectures Hall auction years ago, a secret art used to refine ordinary pseudo-spirit treasures had appeared, ultimately won by the Grand Elder of the Qiongying Sect. When an opportunity presented itself, he could pay a visit to seek instruction. Refining both the Wandering Sword and the Grey Oriole Sword alone would likely stretch his energy thin, so he would inevitably prioritize the Wandering Sword while using the Grey Oriole Sword as a transition. Nonetheless, that did not prevent him from learning that secret technique, which would also benefit his path of artifact forging. A pseudo-spirit treasure combined with the Seven Po Killing Array, staged as an ambush to boot—it was little wonder Great Sage Zishen had failed to withstand a single blow. Right at that moment, wisps of purple mist rose from the seawater. Great Sage Zishen was not dead; he had finally found a moment to catch his breath, apparently having deployed some rare treasure. Qin Sang smiled faintly, and his sword stance rose again. *** "Brother Hei, Mount Baiming isn't far ahead." Four figures streaked across the sea surface. One of them, a man robed in white, pointed ahead and addressed the black-bearded burly man beside him. Several protrusions broke the horizon; from afar, several large islands could be seen, though they appeared desolate and overgrown with yellow weeds, devoid of any discernible spiritual energy. The speaker was none other than Great Sage Baixiao. The one he spoke to was another Great Sage under the Azure Fox Saint King. His true form was a black lion, and his title was straightforward and crude: Great Sage Black Lion. After speaking, Great Sage Baixiao waved his hand from afar, dispelling the concealing illusion. The scene shifted dramatically. Those islands were actually a single colossal island, bearing a lone mountain range winding like a dragon. Magnificent in stature and rich in innate spiritual grace, it was a rare blessed land. Great Sage Black Lion sized up Mount Baiming and rumbled in a deep voice, "You and I served under the Saint King together for years, yet this is the first time you've invited this king to your sanctuary." Great Sage Baixiao laughed heartily. "In the past, Brother Hei held a prominent seat in the Saint King Palace; why would you fancy such a shabby place? Had I invited you then, wouldn't I have been asking for a snub? Rest assured, Brother Hei, from now on, you and I shall be co-rulers of this mountain. Your cave dwelling will not be the slightest bit inferior to mine..." Great Sage Zishen still had his clan, but Great Sage Black Lion, like the Azure Fox Saint King, came from the mainland and was completely alone in the world. Great Sage Baixiao had deliberately roped this demon in to bolster Mount Baiming's strength in preparation for what was to come. Great Sage Black Lion gave a dry chuckle and said no more. The other two were Demon Kings under Great Sage Baixiao, while yet more Demon Kings led troops trailing behind. Seeing that the situation had turned sour, Great Sage Baixiao had immediately evacuated his trusted subordinates. The demons sped toward Mount Baiming, arriving at the shore before long. Thin mist drifted above Mount Baiming. Great Sage Baixiao had purposely constructed mountain gates and drill grounds to train demon soldiers, all of which were currently concealed by a grand array. The demons landed before the mountain gate. Before opening the demon array, Great Sage Baixiao, chatting and laughing with Great Sage Black Lion, suddenly twitched his nostrils and frowned deeply. "There is a scent of blood!" The mist parted, revealing the mountain gate. The expressions of the demons changed drastically! Before the mountain gate, blood pooled into a crimson stream, with two corpses sprawled across the ground. A bone bird and a demon fish. Judging by the vitality wafting from the corpses, they had certainly been Transformation-stage Demon Kings in life! "Minggu!" Catching sight of the bone bird, one of the Demon Kings cried out in shock. These two demons had been capable subordinates of Great Sage Baixiao, ordered to remain behind and guard Mount Baiming. Yet they had perished senselessly right on their own doorstep. An ominous premonition welled up in the hearts of the Demon Kings. Just then, a Daoist stepped out from behind the mountain gate. He nodded at them with a smile and looked toward Great Sage Baixiao. "You arrived too slowly; Pindao has been waiting for you for quite some time." "It's you!" How could Great Sage Baixiao fail to remember Qin Sang? His face went pale with terror. Right after, the expressions of the four Demon Kings turned completely blank. Qin Sang made no effort to conceal his cultivation. The man they had once hunted down had already reached Deity Transformation! Qin Sang glanced down at the two demon corpses below. It had been a sheer coincidence. He had arrived at Mount Baiming ahead of time intending to intercept Great Sage Baixiao before the mountain. The mountain was sealed by a grand array, and even with his divine abilities, sneaking in undetected would have been difficult. Once those inside activated the defensive array to full power, breaching it would have required considerable effort and alerted the enemy. Unexpectedly, these two demons happened to be roaming outside when he ran into them. Recognizing them as old foes, he had eliminated them in passing, confiscated Great Sage Baixiao's cave dwelling, and waited right here. He only executed the Demon Kings, having no interest in the minor demons. *Whoosh!* A gale of black demonic wind whipped up out of nowhere. Great Sage Black Lion reacted with astonishing speed, whirling around and fleeing. Great Sage Baixiao was no slower. Harboring no hopes that Qin Sang would show mercy, he didn't even dare return home and fled at the head of his followers. Qin Sang remained where he stood, watching the four fleeing demons. A strange light gleamed in his eyes as they grew as deep as a boundless star-filled sky, countless stars surfacing in the depths of his pupils. The next moment. Mount Baiming Island plunged into darkness. The four Demon Kings looked up in horror. Though it was broad noon, the sun had vanished for reasons unknown, plunging into the dead of night. High in the void, a host of stars hung shining. Starlight spilled over them, carrying a bone-chilling cold. Upon closer inspection, one would see that this starry sky was incomplete, lacking the full number of the celestial cycle and containing only the Seven Mansions of the White Tiger. Yet it was more than enough to bottle them up. The four Demon Kings felt the void around them stretch infinitely away as even the sea beneath their feet vanished, dragging them into the depths of the starry cosmos, surrounded in the next breath by celestial bodies. Qin Sang had switched to another technique—this formation was none other than the Seven Mansions Division Sword Array! At the positions of the seven mansions. Within every mansion, a sword star was presided over by a sword po. Qin Sang soared high, his robes billowing as his true body stepped into the array. The river of stars shifted and flowed.