Starlight danced in wild disarray, and dark clouds surged and rolled in reverse as a churning vortex quietly took shape.
Heaven and earth were dead silent.
It was as though the entire world held only that lone figure in white robes, and the sword in his hand.
Each generation remembers the legends of its own time.
Today, the people of the world knew only that the sword of Xu Changge of the Chancellor's Manor was renowned across the realm, making all the heroes under heaven lower their heads. Yet once upon a time, the eldest son of the Feng family had also stunned the world with his three feet of green steel.
It was only that those years had been too dazzling, an era where countless prodigies rose together; Feng Jiuxuan had been merely one star among many, his radiance overshadowed by the man at his side.
Yet on this snowy night, the world bore witness anew to why this white-robed man had been crowned with the title of Sword Saint.
Everyone's gaze converged so intensely that they nearly forgot another figure stood at the heart of the storm.
The Emperor of Sien looked at the figure suspended in the void, a touch of gravity finally entering His aloof gaze.
The web of sorcery He had woven began to disintegrate uncontrollably the moment the opposing sword stance coalesced, spreading swiftly from the outer fringes into every corner of those spellcraft ribbons.
As the sword of the white-robed man slowly lifted, the wind and snow fell completely soundless. Along the banks of the Longping River, turbulent currents slapped ceaselessly against the hulls of the pleasure barges, churning up massive waves that had already capsized many boats.
This was a power He had never seen before.
A power belonging to the ancient dynasty beneath His feet known as Great Yan.
For the first time, the Emperor of Sien's heart beat faster.
And this subtle tremor, quiet to the point of being inaudible, was caught clearly by Feng Jiuxuan.
According to his nephew,
the spells of Sien cultivators were not unleashed through meridians, but through something known as "magic rings" that encircled the heart.
Thus, upon hearing that accelerated heartbeat, a trace of hesitation arose in Feng Jiuxuan's heart.
Such a rare opportunity to face the strongest figure from across the ocean—if he could not witness him at his peak, would it not be a tragedy?
Yet the moment that thought flitted through his mind, Feng Jiuxuan moved nonetheless.
He chose to respect his opponent.
Any pulling of punches was a desecration of the strong.
And so, he brought down the sword in his hand.
Across the horizon, the drifting snow and dark clouds swirled like the eye of a tempest. As his sword swept down, a rift gradually split open atop the dark clouds.
The sword strike descended.
Pure moonlight slipped through the parted clouds, quietly drifting down alongside faint wisps of snow. Everything was serene and exquisite.
This was a single sword.
It was also ten thousand swords—a pure, perfect sword.
As the wind pressure bore down, the Emperor of Sien's cascade of golden hair shone whiter than snow beneath the sacred radiance.
And at this moment,
He sensed, for the first time in His life, the breath of something called death.
His heartbeat quickened further and further.
It was the acceleration of Him driving His magic rings, and also a physiological surge.
When one had stood at the world's summit for too long, when all people and things lay within easy reach, the threshold of mortal desire would climb without bound until nothing in the world could move one's heart. Once the heartbeat stirred with not the slightest ripple, one could no longer truly be called human.
In His eyes, the descending sword stance seemed both an instant and an eternity.
Ripples disturbed the Emperor of Sien's divine, handsome features. His thin lips curved into a smile, and the gaze He fixed upon the white-robed silhouette in the heavens took on a hint of excitement.
"You are very strong,"
the Emperor of Sien said.
As the words left His lips, His heartbeat reached its absolute limit, and the countless intricate, densely packed ring patterns etched upon it lit up after a long, long absence.
Behind Him flared the ethereal phantoms of four wings—resembling both bat wings and white feathers—and an enormous halo of light materialized behind His back.
Then,
the Emperor of Sien slowly raised His hand toward the descending blade.
He intended to catch this cleaving sword head-on.
"Feng Jiuxuan has lost his mind..."
In the outer city of Di'an, surrounded by a grove of bamboo, a stream clinked and gurgled. Disturbed snowflakes drifted into an open-air pavilion beside the water.
From here, one could gaze afar at the phenomenon of sword intent rising above the city.
Within the quiet pavilion stood and sat four figures: two seated, two standing—three men and one woman.
One of the two seated men appeared middle-aged, dignified and commanding, with the subtle noble air of a supreme ruler lingering between his brows.
Behind him stood a young woman.
Her delicate features were exceptionally fair, especially her large, luminous eyes.
Beyond her striking beauty, what drew even more attention were the two antler-like nubs upon her forehead.
They spoke volumes of her identity.
As her black hair fluttered in the breeze, those two little antlers looked rather adorable at a glance.
The girl's mischievous, spirited eyes darted about, lingering back and forth upon the white-robed man high in the sky. Her red lips opened and closed as if she wanted to ask something, but looking at the stern, upright back of the man before her, she pouted and swallowed her curiosity back down.
Gazing at the celestial anomaly, the middle-aged man sighed softly,
"If this strike lands in full, I fear nearly half of your Great Yan imperial capital will be reduced to ruins."
Compared to the middle-aged man's dignified majesty, the hunched old man seated opposite him carried a rather wretched and gloomy air. Hunched over, sporting a goatee, he would stroke and twirl the hairs from time to time.
Hearing the middle-aged man's assessment, he chuckled sinisterly,
"There is the city-protecting array. The array formations within Di'an City have been refined across a thousand years. They can easily withstand Feng Jiuxuan and that Saint thrashing about for a good while."
Even as they spoke, the two figures above Di'an clashed.
Amidst the glow of misty snow, a silent shockwave rippled outward. The wind pressure swept across the densely packed blocks of Di'an City, surged over the towering, cloud-piercing walls, and billowed toward the surrounding mountain forests in all directions.
Seeing this, the hunched old man frowned slightly and lifted a finger. A layer of transparent halo instantly enveloped the pavilion. That done, he said in a low voice,
"When the qi dynamic sweeps through, you and I won't be troubled, and young Qin has Dao charm to shield him, but your little girl might be exposed."
"Qing'er, conceal your aura,"
the middle-aged man instructed calmly, his expression unchanged.
"Yes,"
the girl behind him answered softly, then looked over excitedly, seizing the chance to voice the question she had been holding back for so long:
"Father, which of those two humans do you think will win?"
The middle-aged man shook his head and replied gently,
"Originally, I thought the Yan man would win. But as it looks now, who will emerge victorious remains uncertain. That Saint from across the sea... is truly, truly powerful."
The girl rolled her dark eyes and asked coquettishly,
"Then how do they compare to you, Father..."
"Qing'er, conceal your aura!"
The middle-aged man's voice snapped sternly. Just a breath after his words fell, the shockwave rippling above Di'an came crashing in.
The entire bamboo grove was struck as if by a gale of unimaginable fury, the snapping and splintering of emerald bamboo resounding incessantly. Fortunately, this wind pressure left as swiftly as it came, leaving behind a field of devastation before howling off into the far distance...
The bamboo forest outside the city returned to calm, but the battle high above Di'an City grew all the more ferocious.
The speed of Feng Jiuxuan and the Emperor of Sien grew faster and faster, shuttling back and forth across the sky over Di'an City like beams of light. They moved so swiftly that even the eyesight of certain Transcendent Realm experts could no longer keep pace with their exchanges.
After Lou Ji ascended from the Black Prison to the Chancellor's Manor, she looked up at the sky without a word.
Not daring to wander about recklessly, Xu Yuan could only stand beside this grand succubus, putting on an act as he tilted his head up at a forty-five-degree angle to gaze at the sky with her.
Yet he couldn't see clearly—couldn't see a single thing clearly.
He didn't know where his maternal uncle and the Emperor of Sien were clashing, or who held the upper hand. He could only see the sky above the darkness pouring out endless light pollution as if it cost nothing.
It gave him the distinct déjà vu of being an extra in a storybook novel, watching the protagonists duel high in the heavens.
Yet he still retained a certain sense of participation.
After all,
one of the figures up there was his maternal uncle, while the other had been lured and summoned here by his own hands.
Still, waiting for the outcome remained somewhat agonizing.
Minutes and seconds ticked by.
Just as Xu Yuan was hesitating whether to return to the inner courtyard to wait, the grand succubus beside him let out a sigh:
"That Emperor of Sien is powerful, but what a pity."
"Did Uncle win?" Xu Yuan quickly asked upon hearing this.
Lou Ji glanced back at him, suddenly realizing the boy couldn't see the situation above. Smiling faintly, she raised a slender index finger and tapped it gently between his brows:
"Mhm... Changtian, you'd better see for yourself."
In an instant, Xu Yuan felt a gentle force pour into his sea of consciousness, guiding his spiritual vision into a warm, delicate realm.
Then,
Xu Yuan found that everything around him had become ethereal and crystal-clear.
It was somewhat similar to the perception he had gained during his aberrant ghost transformation, but far clearer than that.
The only pity was that this perspective was fixed; he could not shift it at will.
Without the slightest defense, Lou Ji had guided him into her sea of consciousness and shared her vision with him.
As far as his eyes could see:
Two figures shuttled through the heavens like starlight, every clash scattering terrifying tremors.
Feng Jiuxuan's white robes fluttered in the wind, stained with flecks of crimson blood.
Yet compared to him,
the Emperor of Sien in His purple-black robe appeared far more disheveled. His robe had been torn to tatters by sword qi, golden blood seeping from beneath and scattering into the pitch-black night sky in His high-speed movement.
With Xu Yuan's eyesight, he could tell his uncle had seized an absolute advantage, but deciding the victor would still take some time.
As a Body Integration expert who had once touched the realm of a Semi-Saint, Xu Yuan knew full well that for supreme experts like them, if a contest could not be decided in a short span, the duel would drag on indefinitely.
Yet after pondering for a moment, Xu Yuan instantly understood the meaning behind Lou Ji's words.
The direction they were speeding toward was wrong.
In their continuous clashes, the two were already about to fight their way toward the Palace City.
Noticing this, Xu Yuan's eyelid twitched uncontrollably.
You guys really want a showdown at the summit of the Forbidden City, huh?
Yet the Great Yan imperial family would never give them that chance.
The Great Yan imperial family had let the two fight without interference out of various political calculations, but that tolerance was predicated on the imperial family's dignity not being provoked.
As the two drew nearer to the Palace City, above the dense clouds, a translucent light membrane silently condensed, its thick patterns exuding a heart-palpitating might.
Di'an's city-protecting array had been fully activated.
Thoughts flashing through his mind, Xu Yuan caught sight of the scattered golden blood from the corner of his eye and suddenly sensed something was amiss. Subconsciously, he circulated his spiritual vision.
Yet the moment that thought arose, Lou Ji let out a soft exclamation:
"Xu Changtian, what are you doing? This is my sea of consciousness! You'll trigger Rejection Syndrome!"
Xu Yuan's voice was urgent as he said quickly,
"Big Sis, use your soul intent to look at the golden blood left behind by that Emperor of Sien!"
Lou Ji frowned at his words, but she complied nonetheless, extending her soul intent toward the scattered golden blood.
Seeing this, Xu Yuan immediately attached a sliver of his spiritual vision onto Lou Ji's soul intent.
In the next instant:
"What is... this?"
A disbelieving whisper parted Lou Ji's red lips.
With Xu Yuan's spiritual vision attached, the golden blood that had seemed ordinary beneath her soul intent quietly transformed—every single droplet of blood seemed to harbor boundless energy.
And during the battle just now,
this blood had already rained down upon every corner of the Great Yan imperial capital.
At first, it was only a few specks of light, but as a certain pulse rolled out, those scattered motes flared up like wildfire across a dry plain.
Mote connected to mote.
Points formed lines, and lines wove into planes.
Within breaths, thread after thread of golden light wove into a labyrinthine spell, spreading rapidly throughout Di'an City.
Bzzzzz—!
Golden blood sprayed the void, a hum resounded through the heavens, and heaven and earth abruptly dimmed.
The colossal Di'an City crouched between heaven and earth like an enormous beast, the gargantuan light membrane formed by the city-protecting array reaching straight into the clouds. Yet at this moment, beneath that transparent barrier woven by the array, an expanse of golden incantation runes appeared.
By the time the various experts noticed,
it had already covered nearly half of Di'an City.
The moment it solidified, heaven and earth seemed to freeze. The white-robed figure standing in the very center of the curse formation plummeted toward the ground without any warning.
Boom!
Tonight, Di'an City suffered its first true destruction.
"The farce... has come to an end."
Within the devastated bamboo grove's pavilion, the middle-aged man let out a soft breath as he watched the brilliant golden light linking across the city:
"I truly didn't expect that Sien Empire from across the sea to possess such methods. That Saint will most likely be able to breach the Di'an array with this."
Hearing this, the hunched old man seated opposite him wore a touch of gloating amusement in his eyes:
"The Saint of Sien is indeed strong, but for us, this isn't bad news. After causing such a massive commotion tonight, if that man still manages to escape, both the Chancellor's Manor and the imperial family—the entire court—will lose all face."
As he spoke, he stroked his goatee:
"Furthermore, if Feng Jiuxuan dies, it will sever an arm from that Xu junior."
The middle-aged man glanced at the sinisterly grinning hunched elder, his voice quiet:
"From that expression of yours, you seem to want to cooperate with Sien?"
"Tonight's events have certainly proven their strength."
The hunched elder twirled his beard, the gleam in his beady eyes impossible to read:
"Still, as for cooperation, it's unlikely to happen. I merely want to stop Xu Yinhe; I have no wish to invite the wolf into our house."
The middle-aged man gave him a noncommittal glance, a disdainful smile curving his lips.
Seeing this, the hunched elder caught his meaning immediately and chuckled in a low voice:
"You folks from Guyuan are different. We've worked together for so long; it's merely mutual exploitation. In the end, who triumphs over whom depends on our own means."
The moment his voice fell, the hunched elder saw the middle-aged man opposite him stand up.
His slender white brows arched, the hunched elder deducing what the other intended:
"White Emperor, don't tell me you intend to intercept and kill that Saint of Sien?"
Standing where he was, the middle-aged man gazed out over the vast Di'an illuminated by golden light, his voice calm:
"If possible, naturally. I am quite interested in their sorcery."
The hunched elder lowered his gaze with a faint smile, sighed softly, and slowly rose as well:
"Then count this old man in as well. A bunch of barbarians running wild in our Great Yan capital, and those two brats inside Di'an screwed up. As their senior, I ought to teach them a lesson on their behalf..."
His words stopped dead halfway through.
The entire bamboo forest suddenly fell so silent that one could hear the snow falling.
The eyes of both men froze simultaneously upon the white-robed figure standing at the very center of the sacred golden light.
Standing alone in the void, the Emperor of Sien, His purple-black robe bathed in golden brilliance, looked like a deity descending upon the mortal world.
He looked down condescendingly upon the white-robed Yan man below.
He watched his white robes stain with blood, watched him slowly rise again from the ruins, watched him look down at the broken spirit sword in his hand.
The moment the forbidden curse took shape,
the spirit sword, in its resolve to protect its master, had snapped straight into two halves.
After a moment of silence, His voice drifted out softly:
"Mortal..."
"..."
Though the voice pierced his ears, Feng Jiuxuan paid no mind to the other's clamor. He calmly looked at the broken sword Qingyuan in his hand, at this spirit sword that had accompanied him for most of his life, and slowly closed his eyes.
Seeing this, the Emperor of Sien held nothing back, raising His hand toward Feng Jiuxuan with an indifferent air:
"It has been a very, very long time since I felt an emotion like excitement. Going all out is my final respect to you."
As His words fell,
the golden motes of light scattered across nearly half of Di'an City suddenly contracted. Countless beams of light soared straight into the sky, their power crashing against the Di'an array, instantly dimming the transparent membrane formed by the city-protecting array.
Every expert within Di'an City realized what this deity-like Saint of Sien intended to do.
He was going to shatter the Di'an array while slaying Feng Jiuxuan!
Amidst the dead silence, the wildly fluttering snow settled into calm, drifting down steadily from the high heavens.
The golden forbidden curse coalesced with tremendous speed, faster than the operation of the Di'an array. Almost the moment the Emperor of Sien finished speaking, its power peaked at its absolute limit.
Certain people seemed to realize what was about to happen.
Once a spell of such magnitude descended, the majority of prosperous Di'an City's streets would be reduced to ash.
What would the destruction of Di'an bring?
Some grew thrilled, some remained silent, and some shot abruptly into the sky, rocketing toward the godlike Saint of Sien high in the heavens.
Yet the actions of all these people froze in an instant.
An ocean of accumulated energy gathered in the air, a white radiance drifting down upon the mortal world alongside the snowflakes. The might of the Sien forbidden curse, condensed from the blood of the Saint Emperor, began to converge.
It was too late.
Had they activated the array from the very beginning, had they crushed him with overwhelming numbers right from the start, this Saint from Sien would never have had a way out alive.
Yet they had not.
The empire's arrogance paid the price at this moment, and that price was the destruction of the imperial capital.
Clang—!
Amidst the wind and snow over the ruins, the broken sword struck the ground with a crisp ring.
Standing in the center of the forbidden curse, the white-robed man slowly opened his closed eyes.
There was no motion to draw a sword.
There was no surge of qi dynamic.
He looked up at Him in the sky.
His hands were empty, yet he seemed to hold a sword all the same.
Beneath the vault of heaven,
He radiated brilliance, like a deity descended to earth.
Upon the mortal earth,
a single figure in white, purer than snow.
And in this instant,
the godlike Emperor of Sien raised His brows.
Still there was no surge of aura, not even disturbing the gentle breeze, yet He saw a sword in the hand of the man below.
A desperate final strike before death...
A hint of pity surfaced in His aloof eyes.
Admirable, yet futile.
The convergence of the golden brilliance across Di'an City was complete. The earth veins began to tremble as though brewing a catastrophic upheaval. Every living creature within Di'an City felt the approach of death at this very moment.
The heaven-reaching radiance of the golden curse formation within the city contracted into a thin line, appearing as if descending from the heavens, or rising from the earth to pierce the skies.
Some closed their eyes, unable to bear watching; some began calculating the fallout of Di'an's destruction; still others prepared their arts, ready to take the Saint of Sien's life the moment this spell concluded.
Amidst all of this, the world-engulfing white light arrived as expected, descending upon the heart of Great Yan like divine retribution visited upon the mortal realm by a god.
Snow continued to fall; divine retribution descended.
All sounds ceased in this instant.
"..."
"..."
"..."
Seconds ticked by.
The heaven-reaching white light blazed with dazzling brilliance, yet the anticipated destruction never came.
Bewildered, someone looked toward the center of the white light.
And then,
they saw an invisible blade slicing through the vault of heaven.
As well as...
the white-robed Sword Saint holding a severed, golden-haired head.
Silence rippled through Di'an City; the colossal metropolis fell completely voiceless.
Tonight, there was no divine retribution in Di'an,
nor was there any god.
All that remained
was the Sword Saint, Feng Jiuxuan.
Chapter 509