Blade! Blade Astral Qi! A Sky Full of Wind Blades!

After departing the final sect of the Four Great Sects, Huang Tian's mind burst with inspiration, countless ideas surging into his thoughts. Sitting on horseback, he closed his eyes and let go of the reins, allowing the dragon horse to carry him into the distance. The dragon horse seemed to understand that its master had entered an esoteric and mystical state. It dared not gallop, treading briskly across the ground instead. It trod past wild grasses and wildflowers, passed lush stretches of forest, reached a broad thoroughfare, and then drifted away from the highway once more. "Roaaar—" A tiger's roar echoed from the distance, reverberating in all directions and startling birds into flight from the woods. Spurred by sudden interest, the dragon horse carried its master leisurely toward a hilltop ahead. That mountain, though called a mountain, was not actually very high; it was more like a gentle slope. Looking from afar, five young men and women stood on the gentle slope with several guards, holding their horses and spreading out mats, seemingly about to sit on the ground to take in the scenic views. "Brother Qin, this place is truly wonderful! When we were coming up, it clearly didn't look high at all, just like a small hill, but now that we've reached here, there turns out to be a sheer precipice right in front!" A young woman in a green dress peered curiously down the cliff. She saw mottled rock faces, weathered yellow stones, and clusters of shrubs and wild grasses dotting the slope with specks of green. Further below were soft, white clouds like puffs of cotton, drifting slowly halfway up the cliffside, making the valley scenery beneath appear and vanish by turns. Deep within the valley, the roars of tigers and cries of apes sounded now and then, some deep and resonant, some high-pitched, as if calling out to one another. The man called Brother Qin was twenty-six or seven, clad in fitted black martial attire with a saber slung at his waist. He said with a smile, "This place is called Divine Blade Cliff. Legend has it that a martial arts expert wielded a divine blade and fought an enemy here, cleaving out this thousand-fathom precipice in a single slash." The green-dressed girl marveled, "There is actually such a legend? I wonder if it's true or false!" Brother Qin shook his head. "I don't know either. The legend is far too ancient. If I hadn't happened across it in a century-old book, I wouldn't have known about the legend here at all." Hearing this, the young woman turned toward a young man clad in a moon-white robe. "Brother Liu, I remember you're a native of this county. Have you ever heard of this?" "In my recollection, I don't think I have." The young man surnamed Liu lightly tapped his head with a folding fan. "Besides, this legend must be false. What kind of martial arts master could cleave out a precipice so deep and broad in a single stroke?" "Not even a Grandmaster?" the green-dressed girl pressed. Brother Qin unconsciously touched the saber at his side. "I've heard a Grandmaster's full-power strike can shatter mountains and sever rivers. Still, even they probably couldn't slash out such a wondrous spectacle in one stroke... But in the end, I'm only a rank-seven martial artist. Never having seen a true Grandmaster make a move in person, I dare not make wild claims." The green-dressed girl said admiringly, "Brother Qin, reaching rank seven at your age is already very impressive. My grandfather is only rank six." Seeing the young woman casting admiring glances at Brother Qin, the Liu youth felt rather disgruntled and let out a soft sneer. "Don't be fooled by rank seven and rank six being only one realm apart. In truth, it's like a chasm in the heavens. Ordinary people can't cross it in half a lifetime, leaving them to sigh in futility! Sigh in futility, alas!" At these words, the green-dressed girl immediately rolled her eyes at him. Brother Qin merely chuckled without taking offense. Though not very old, he had roamed the pugilistic world for years and could easily see the Liu youth's feelings for the green-dressed girl. Unfortunately, the lad had the intent, but the lass had no heart for him. As for himself, he would soon part ways with these young masters and ladies out on their spring excursion, so he couldn't be bothered to meddle in their romantic squabbles. With Brother Qin ignoring the bait, the Liu youth found himself rebuffed. He let out a sullen grunt and walked to the edge of the cliff to gaze at the view on his own. The green-dressed girl spread mats on the ground and arranged the melons and fruit they had brought. The remaining few also spread mats, sat down, brought out fine wine, and indulged in literary pretenses as they drank and chatted. As the group enjoyed the gentle breeze, drinking and laughing, one young man suddenly looked not far away. "Someone's riding a horse over there." The Liu youth looked in the direction he pointed. Sure enough, atop a tall, sturdy steed sat a youth carrying a long case on his back. "Does that person seem to be asleep?" the green-dressed girl asked curiously. "Can someone actually fall asleep sitting on horseback?" Brother Qin's gaze narrowed. *That horse is truly magnificent and robust, far superior to ordinary horses. This youth must have an extraordinary background.* "To cross paths is fate. Shall we call him over to drink with us?" The Liu youth snapped open his fan with a clack and gave it a gentle wave. The green-dressed girl nodded. "The more people, the merrier... Wait, why does that horse look like it's going to carry him off the cliff?" The dragon horse had carried Huang Tian unhurriedly straight to the edge of the precipice, yet Huang Tian still had not opened his eyes, giving the green-dressed girl a fright. "Careful!" she cried out, trying to wake the youth. Brother Qin raised a hand. "Don't panic. All living things have spirit. That horse is exceptionally vigorous and intelligent; it wouldn't deliberately leap off a cliff to die." Sure enough, upon arriving at the cliff's edge, the dragon horse advanced no further. It stood in place, seemingly waiting for something. "Roaaar—" A tiger's roar echoed from the valley below. The dragon horse grew excited instantly, neighing loudly in reply. The two sounds reverberated through the valley beneath the cliff, echoing back and forth. "This horse..." The green-dressed girl looked on in wonder. "It's so spirited and intelligent!" The Liu youth's eyes shone. "A fine steed indeed, better than all the hundred-plus horses my family keeps! I wonder where that youth bought it. I'll have to ask him shortly." Brother Qin said nothing. Instead, he studied the dragon horse meticulously, feeling it looked more and more familiar. "This... is this a dragon horse?!" he exclaimed in disbelief. "A dragon horse?" The others looked over, and the Liu youth said in astonishment, "It really seems so... Dragon horses possess great spiritual intelligence, are fierce and fearless, and thus cost a fortune. You can't find them in a small county like ours at all—they only exist in the commandery seat. Even I have only seen one twice. If Brother Qin hadn't mentioned it, I wouldn't have recognized it." The young man who had first spotted Huang Tian clicked his tongue. "In that case, this youth must come from a wealthy and noble family, or how could he afford a dragon horse?" "I'll go invite him over to drink with us!" The Liu youth stood up. "This person..." Compared to the others, Brother Qin kept feeling that the youth looked intensely familiar... "Dragon horse, youth, arrow case..." A thought faintly struck him. His eyes widened in disbelief. "Don't go over yet! I think I know who he is!" he suddenly spoke, stopping the Liu youth. The Liu youth froze. "You know who he is? You know him?" Everyone looked at Brother Qin, whose voice grew solemn. "He... might be Huang Tian!" "Huang Tian?!" Shouts of utter shock erupted. Not only were the young men and women stunned, but the guards gaped in astonishment as well. The green-dressed girl's eyes rounded. "Brother Qin, do you mean the Huang Tian who single-handedly wiped out the Feihong Sect and subdued the Four Great Sects?!" Even though she was a young woman who rarely paid attention to the affairs of the pugilistic world, she had still heard of the major events shaking Kunyun Commandery over the past month or two. Aside from the suspected appearance of the Juntian Ocean-Subduing Ruler, the most sensational news was Huang Tian sweeping across the commandery and slaughtering five sects into submission. "Yes, it's him!" Brother Qin said with growing certainty. "Rumors say Huang Tian rides a dragon horse and carries an arrow case on his back. Furthermore, he is young, around sixteen or seventeen, matching this person completely." At these words, everyone held their breath and appraised the youth's appearance atop the dragon horse. Looking closely, they indeed felt his demeanor was extraordinary, clearly no ordinary mortal. Lowering his voice, the Liu youth said excitedly, "To think that on a simple outing, we would run into such a legendary powerhouse!" One person suggested, "Should we... go up and exchange a few words? Maybe we could receive some guidance or even a reward?" The others exchanged looks, all somewhat tempted. Only Brother Qin spoke up to dissuade them. "We have neither ties nor kinship with him; it would be improper to disturb him rashly. Besides, that senior's condition seems rather unusual." For he had noticed Huang Tian's half-asleep, half-awake state. Dissuaded by his warning, the others wavered. Just then, a strange shrill whistle rang out. Following the sound, everyone looked over, only to see Huang Tian on horseback—the true qi across his entire body detonated with a boom, and an extraordinarily violent tornado hurricane soared into the sky! The whirlwind blew larger and larger, rising tens of zhang high across the sky. Thousands of platinum air currents spun, resembling blades of peerlessly sharp blade astral qi. Those blade astrals swept through the sky, then, like a surging river, cleaved through layers of air and spread out in all directions! "Fall back! Quickly!!" Brother Qin let out a terrified cry and scrambled to flee further away, while the others scattered in fright. In merely ten breaths, the ground where they had stood earlier was carved into a crisscross of furrows and trenches by the surging blade astral qi, making everyone's scalps tingle with dread. "Cough, cough! Fall back further! Further back!!" The biting gale contorted Brother Qin's face. The moment he opened his mouth, icy wind poured down his throat. He coughed twice before barely managing to speak. Under his lead, the group fled even farther. Not until they were over a hundred zhang away, when the wind lashing their faces lessened, did they stop, lingering fear gripping their hearts. Looking back at the rainbow-like platinum astral wind swirling tens of zhang around Huang Tian, they were struck by an unspeakable shock. "Is this... the might of a Grandmaster?!" the Liu youth murmured. He now began to believe that this Divine Blade Cliff had indeed been cleaved out by some supreme expert in the past with a single strike. Brother Qin stroked the saber at his waist, his eyes shining with strange brilliance. "Such astounding blade intent! Such terrifying blade intent! If I could learn even one percent of it, I would have no rivals in the rank-seven realm!" Thinking this, he sat cross-legged where he was, looking up silently at Huang Tian in the distance, focusing his mind to perceive the razor-sharp, magnificent, and domineering blade intent filling heaven and earth! Whoosh— Hundreds, thousands of platinum astral winds hissed and spiraled around Huang Tian, slicing the air into chilling, piercing shrieks. The occasional stray bird that wandered into the area exploded into a cloud of blood mist tens of zhang away before it could even draw near. Beneath his feet, upon the surface of the cliff, the hard stone weathered by centuries of wind and rain was shredded into powder like drifting smoke and mist. And below the cliff, dozens of thick vines clinging to the rock face were uprooted, severed into dark-green dust, and scattered in midair alongside the drifting stone powder, raining down into the valley. Whoosh— At a certain instant, the qi and blood within his body boiled over with a roar! His tendons and bones resonated, twanging like bowstrings and tolling like a bell in an ancient temple. The skin across his entire body shuddered violently under the surging torrent of qi and blood, taking on a warm, jade-like luster. The spiritual qi from all directions seemed drawn by a summons, surging tempestuously into his body. The moment the violent spiritual qi touched his vast, heavy qi and blood—dense as lead and mercury—it instantly transformed into gentle, tranquil true qi, circulating through his heavenly cycles along the river of true qi. Poof— A sound like a bottleneck snapping open rang out. Martial arts rank four—broken through! Even after breaking through, Huang Tian still had not awakened from that wondrous realm. Instead, with true qi swelling within him, the astral winds circling his body grew even fiercer. It was only because the astral winds avoided the dragon horse beneath him; otherwise, the shivering steed would long since have been shredded into mincemeat. Astral wind howled like blades; black hair danced wildly like serpents! Whoosh— At a certain instant, Huang Tian finally opened his eyes, devoid of sorrow or joy. Then, he slowly raised his palm. To Brother Qin and the others in the distance, this raising of his palm seemed as though a Divine Emperor who bore the very same visage as Huang Tian—seated high in the boundless reaches of Lingxiao Heaven, bearing a will that disregarded mortal life and judged all creation—had slowly raised His hand! As the Divine Emperor raised His hand, behind Him manifested tens of thousands of heavenly blades condensed from pure lightning and radiance out of thin air, each imbued with terrifying might capable of tearing open the firmament and annihilating all existence! Rumble!! A chilling heavenly resonance and low thunder exploded deep within their souls. The brilliant, majestic heavenly might nearly stopped their hearts, freezing their qi and blood, instilling a profound sense of insignificance that made them want to prostrate themselves in worship. Weng— A silver-white arc of light flashed in the air. At first it was tiny, merely a foot or so long. Yet the moment the arc appeared, Huang Tian's surging true qi and the spiritual qi between heaven and earth poured madly into that silver-white ribbon of light. Roaaar!! A dragon's roar rang out. In the heavens, a blade astral hundreds of zhang long suddenly stretched across the sky! The blade astral was dense as myriad-year profound ice, its entire form flowing with bone-chilling, frosty white light. The blade's body was as broad and thick as a mountain, yet its edge was so razor-thin it seemed nonexistent, like a singular line of ultimate light. Merely illuminated by the blade's chilling gleam, everyone turned cold from head to toe, as if tens of thousands of icy blades were slashing down upon them! Chatter, chatter— Teeth chattered, hairs stood on end, and their scalps prickled as if electric currents were coursing through them. Whoosh— The blade light in the sky grew ever brighter, humming with great intensity. Huang Tian gently swept his raised hand downward, and the blade astral in the sky plummeted into the vast sea of clouds beneath the cliff! Boom!! The blade light severed the boundless, thick blanket of clouds. Endless clouds surged and parted to both sides along the great blade's trajectory, churning violently like boiling water. A razor-sharp, majestic blade intent descended like a physical force across the wilderness, reducing all grit, weeds, and vines to swirling powder. A piercing astral wind billowed back out from the sea of clouds, whipping Huang Tian's robes wildly and tossing his black hair. At this moment, this peerless heavenly blade plunging from the mountaintop, with its purest sharpness, became the sole existence between heaven and earth. The sea of clouds split in two; the sunlight dimmed in comparison!