Sword Tower Supreme

"What did he just say? Mingtai is a sword spirit transformed into human form?" The sword cultivators stared at Mingtai in utter disbelief. Lu Yang was the successor of Immortal Ying Tian, and Mingtai was a sword spirit in human form. Wait—both of them possessed such extraordinary identities! Compared to the two of them, weren't the rest of them far too ordinary? Originally, the sword cultivators had felt that with the arrival of the struggle of the Golden Age, it was precisely the time for them to showcase their prowess. In the end, they discovered that in terms of identity alone, they had suffered a crushing defeat. Having an extraordinary background was not actually a huge issue in itself. History was replete with cultivators who, through arduous cultivation, had defeated many foes of illustrious origins, their deeds celebrated as legends. The problem was that even after cultivating arduously, they still couldn't defeat Lu Yang or Mingtai. How the hell were they supposed to contest the Golden Age? The Sword Tower's higher-ups looked slightly uneasy. They had not expected this nameless ancient sword spirit to expose Mingtai's identity in a single breath, and they could not tell whether it would bring fortune or disaster. Yun Mengmeng quietly edged closer to Lu Yang. She sensed that Liu Ningxuan's demeanor was off; the faint aura seeping from him made her deeply uncomfortable. Had Yun Mengmeng spent some time in the mortal world, she would have recognized it as killing intent. Fixing his gaze on Mingtai, Liu Ningxuan revealed a cruel, menacing smile and said languidly, "Innate sword spirits truly have it good—they can even turn into humans. Unlike me, who can only remain trapped inside a sword." Lu Yang's expression hardened, and he stepped in front of Mingtai. "What do you think you're doing?!" Seeing Lu Yang's reaction, Liu Ningxuan found it laughable. "Brat, don't think that just because you inherited Immortal Ying Tian's legacy, I'll fear you. "Let me guess: you only obtained Ying Tian's inheritance and have only ever seen his phantom images, never having laid eyes on the real Immortal Ying Tian!" Judging by Lu Yang's expression, Liu Ningxuan grew all the more certain of his deduction. "Immortal Ying Tian hasn't shown his face in ages. Who knows, he might have perished long ago." Given how much Ying Tian loved to show off, could he really have stayed silent for over a hundred thousand years? Something had definitely gone wrong. He and Ying Tian shared a feud of life and death. Were it not for the lingering worry that Ying Tian might still be alive, he would have slaughtered Lu Yang as well! Over ten thousand years ago, after the Sword Tower Supreme acquired the Chengying Sword, Liu Ningxuan had feared that the Supreme might notice him inside it, so he had remained in deep slumber ever since. Upon waking, he first encountered the successor of his mortal enemy, and then saw an innate sword spirit transformed into a human. If he didn't kill both of them to vent his rage, it simply would not do! Manipulating the Chengying Sword, Liu Ningxuan unleashed invisible sword qi. Dazzling and boundless, it shone brighter than the supreme-grade luminous pearl at the dome of the Sword Treasury. Its tremendous power made the entire treasury shudder, and the Sword Tower above rocked from side to side, unable to withstand such ferocious sword qi! The invisible sword qi locked onto Mingtai, resolved to slay him in a single blow! At this sight, the sword cultivators trembled in terror. Even an ordinary Tribulation Transcendence cultivator would likely fail to survive this strike! "Protect Mingtai, quickly!" Tower Master Guan shouted urgently. Together with twelve elders, he threw himself in front of Mingtai, layers upon layers of runes pouring from their swords. Golden runes erupted, embodying supreme and inviolable principles of Dao. Resonating together, they formed the Sword Dao Heavenly Cycle Grand Formation. Boom! The invisible sword qi slammed down against the Sword Dao Heavenly Cycle Grand Formation, churning with immense force. After deadlocking with the formation for three breaths of time, both the invisible sword qi and the grand formation shattered simultaneously! "Ah—!" Tower Master Guan and the others were sent flying by the shockwaves of sword qi. Several of their ribs snapped, and blood trickled from the corners of their mouths. Liu Ningxuan scoffed. "Is that all you've got? "You should consider yourselves lucky. I haven't fought in tens of thousands of years and have grown rusty. Otherwise, that single strike would have annihilated all of you together! "I wonder what you plan to block with this time?" Liu Ningxuan condensed another surge of invisible sword qi, its might noticeably greater than before! Tower Master Guan and the elders paled. They had exerted every ounce of their strength just to stop the previous sword; how could they possibly block this one? Right at that moment, the supreme-grade luminous pearl overhead blazed with unprecedented radiance, and a graceful silhouette stepped forth from the nine-colored divine light. "Let me see who dares harm Mingtai!" Everyone stared fixatedly at the graceful silhouette amidst the nine-colored light, wondering which senior expert had manifested. Recognizing the familiar figure, Mingtai's eyes brightened, and he cried out involuntarily, "Master!" Master? Hearing Mingtai's address, Tower Master Guan also realized who she was. "This unworthy disciple of the Sword Tower pays respects to the Supreme!" The supreme-grade luminous pearl shattered, the nine-colored light faded, and the true appearance of the graceful figure was revealed: a woman of breathtaking beauty, looking delicate and frail, much like an aristocratic young lady from a cloistered boudoir. Very few people knew that the Sword Tower Supreme was actually a woman. "Sword Tower Supreme?" Liu Ningxuan's eyes narrowed slightly, yet he remained calm. This was by no means the Sword Tower Supreme's true physical body. As if completely ignoring Liu Ningxuan, the Sword Tower Supreme drifted down and lovingly patted Mingtai's head. "You truly did embark on the path of transforming into a human." "Master!" Mingtai hugged the Sword Tower Supreme tightly, weeping tears of joy and grief. He had thought he would never see her again in this lifetime. "All right, all right, don't cry. Aren't I right here, hale and hearty?" the Sword Tower Supreme softly consoled him. Then she turned her head toward Liu Ningxuan in the air. "Is he the one trying to bully you? Watch Big Sister teach him a lesson!" The Sword Tower Supreme took the Hanguang Sword and flew into the sky to confront Liu Ningxuan, the air growing thick and motionless. Liu Ningxuan showed no fear of the Sword Tower Supreme either, curling his lip in a contemptuous sneer. "You really have the nerve to say you're hale and hearty. All that remains of you is a remnant soul sheltered inside the luminous pearl, surely intended to appear only if the Sword Tower faced total destruction. "How much of your original power could a remnant soul like yours possibly muster?" To fail the Immortal Ascension Tribulation meant certain death; for the Sword Tower Supreme to leave behind even a remnant soul was already turning the impossible into reality. "Back then, I suspected this sword was the Chengying Sword, but unfortunately, there was never any proof, and the Imperial Academy never gave a definitive answer. "Who would have imagined? The world rumored that you vanished, yet you were hiding inside the Chengying Sword, dragging out an ignoble existence until now." The Sword Tower Supreme pointed her sword at Liu Ningxuan, her brows knitting together sharply. "Daring to hurt my Mingtai—it seems you're tired of living!" The Immortal Fairy was also inspecting the Sword Tower Supreme's condition. "Impressive! To preserve a remnant soul from the Immortal Ascension Tribulation... could she have had a rudimentary Soul Dao fruit?" Aside from a rudimentary Immortal Dao fruit, only a rudimentary Soul Dao fruit could achieve such a feat. "Fairy, what cultivation level is Liu Ningxuan?" Lu Yang asked in secret. "Peak Tribulation Transcendence." "Only peak Tribulation Transcendence?" Lu Yang thought to himself, I took it for granted that Liu Ningxuan was a half-immortal. Immediately after, he caught himself—Wait, since when did I start thinking the Tribulation Transcendence stage was 'only' this or that? "Back then, both he and this Immortal wanted to condense a rudimentary Extinction Dao fruit, and he foolishly challenged this Immortal beyond his depth. While we were fighting, he executed Man and Sword as One and fled," the Immortal Fairy said huffily. "It's a pity he became a sword spirit. A sword spirit can never possess a rudimentary Dao fruit—oh, except for this Immortal. "If he hadn't turned into a sword spirit, he would have had some modest chance of condensing a rudimentary Extinction Dao fruit." Lu Yang had not expected the Immortal Fairy to speak so highly of Liu Ningxuan. But then again, without real ability, he wouldn't have had the courage to challenge the Immortal Fairy in the first place.