Having made his decision, Xu Ziqing bid farewell to Yin Xiu and returned to the Sword Spirit Wall. He gently placed a finger beside Yun Lie, leaving behind a trace of his divine sense.
Since his Shixiong was deeply immersed in various sword Dao insights and could not be disturbed, Xu Ziqing left this trace of divine sense. Once his Shixiong awakened, he would naturally sense it, and there would be no need for him to worry.
After doing this, Xu Ziqing turned and walked out of the area surrounding the Sword Spirit Wall.
The central region was vast, and because many sword cultivators remained in the central sword domain, it was bustling with activity.
As soon as Xu Ziqing stepped outside, he saw a massive marketplace. The roads were wide, lined with many shops offering everything one could imagine.
His goal this time was to find an inn to settle in temporarily so that he could set up a formation and enter seclusion for intense cultivation.
—The area around the Sword Spirit Tower was still filled with surging sword intent, and the influence of the sword cultivators was too strong.
Soon, Xu Ziqing arrived in front of a large tavern.
After wandering around for a while, he hadn’t found any inn that was satisfactory. However, he’d heard that this particular tavern was quite famous, and many cultivators stayed there.
After a brief consideration, he decided to give it a try.
Upon entering, he found the service to be excellent. He also learned that the tavern had several spacious rooms in the back, which made Xu Ziqing quite tempted.
After inspecting the rooms, he chose a quiet one in a secluded area to stay in.
The room was elegantly furnished, but what Xu Ziqing appreciated most was the tranquil environment.
With his current cultivation level, many tasks required little effort. With just a few flicks of his fingers, he set up numerous restrictions in the room. Then, he released an array plate, causing the array flags to fly out and fix themselves on the surrounding walls. In an instant, the entire room was sealed tightly.
After some thought, he drew out a third-grade spiritual vein and placed it into the spirit-gathering array.
Within just a few breaths, the spiritual energy in the room grew rich, almost forming a milk-like mist that filled the air.
The spiritual energy from the vein gathered rapidly. In terms of quality, it wasn’t inferior to that in the mountain residence of the Wuling Mountain Domain.
Seizing the moment, Xu Ziqing wasted no time. He sat cross-legged and began to revisit the insights he had gained earlier.
At the same time, within his Small Universe, the Green Wood Dragon rolled and countless beams of green light cascaded downward.
Just as he had envisioned during his time at the Sword Spirit Wall, the cycle of life and death among the ten thousand trees was evident as they slowly transformed into dragons under the green light. Some were long, others short; some were massive, others delicate—all of them true dragons in form.
A true dragon, however, must have complete features: head, tail, scales, horns, and claws, with five claws on each foot.
A dragon that does not open its eyes cannot live—it is not considered fully formed.
Given his previous experience, it didn’t take long for Xu Ziqing to transform the ten thousand trees into true dragons, though all of the dragons kept their eyes closed, their dragon eyes not yet formed.
Now, in his seclusion, Xu Ziqing sought to use the lingering afterglow of his earlier insights to help the true dragons open their eyes as quickly as possible.
The surrounding spiritual energy boiled like water, continuously pouring into the room.
The third-grade spiritual vein emitted a low hum, clearly indicating that the spirit-gathering array was working at full capacity to extract spiritual energy.
The surging spiritual energy formed a vortex above Xu Ziqing’s head, flowing into him. The energy rapidly circulated through his meridians and dantian, following the patterns of the Ten Thousand Woods Great Heart Planting Technique. It continuously transformed into the Ten Thousand Woods Dragon Transformation Technique, compressing his true essence, all of which was absorbed by his nascent soul, infusing it with an abundance of spiritual energy and a radiant glow.
Countless incantations seemed to swirl in Xu Ziqing’s sea of consciousness, each word brimming with infinite mysteries. The nascent soul opened its tiny mouth, absorbing true essence like a giant whale drinking water, exuding an imposing aura. Despite its youthful face, the nascent soul appeared solemn, leaving those who saw it in awe.
At the same time, it seemed as if something invisible was pulling from above the nascent soul, channeling countless strands of true essence through it. This stimulated the Zifu’s Small Universe, causing the vitality within to flourish.
The Green Wood Dragon also seemed to grow larger and clearer under this activation.
Its powerful presence was truly terrifying!
The Green Dragon governs wood, and Xu Ziqing gained the submission of the ten thousand trees upon forming his nascent soul, enabling him to transform the essence of wood into dragons. Meanwhile, his Shixiong, Yun Lie, whose sword intent and sword soul both took the form of swords, had been able to attain a second form—allowing his sword soul to transform into a dragon—due to their dual cultivation, increasing its agility.
Now, Xu Ziqing sought to transform the Green Wood Dragon into a Dragon King, turning his Small Universe into a dragon’s nest!
As the master of the ten thousand trees and having comprehended the cycle of life and death, Xu Ziqing knew he should also wield control over life and destruction. With a single thought, he could have the ten thousand trees bury themselves in the Pure Land or transform into a ten thousand dragons!
The Green Wood Dragon absorbed more and more green light, and the number of trees transforming into dragon shapes increased. Even the dragons that had taken form earlier gradually had their eyes clarified.
Bit by bit, they became more complete and seemed to tremble slightly…
Xu Ziqing, fully immersed in his cultivation, had already lost track of time.
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Yun Lie’s sword soul had melded into the Sword Spirit Wall. Wherever it passed, there were sounds of killing, thoughts of killing, a heart filled with killing… Within his sea of consciousness, only the character for “kill” remained, filling his senses and bewildering his mind and soul.
As his killing intent surged, he swung his sword within the wall, decapitating countless figures, transforming into a god of killing who killed everything and everywhere, leaving nothing alive in the world!
The path he cultivated was one of ruthless killing through the sword, devoid of emotion or heart, free from fear, joy, sorrow, hatred, or regret. His seven emotions were frozen, never to resurface.
By all logic, he should have lost his mind before forming his core, turning into a mindless puppet of slaughter to be exterminated by his sect.
Yet, somehow…?
Amidst the endless carnage, a faint spark of life suddenly emerged.
That spark of life was extremely faint yet unmistakably clear, as if etched into his primordial spirit, merging with his sword soul.
As long as the sword soul remained intact, that spark of life would persist.
It was precisely this spark of life that stirred an emotion within him. That single emotion triggered the other seven, eventually restoring his consciousness and allowing his mind to stabilize like a rock.
Indeed, for those who cultivate the ruthless path of slaughter through the sword, there will always be moments when they become lost in the fog. Only by holding on to this single emotion can they succeed; otherwise, they are doomed to fail.
Yun Lie’s sword heart became clear, and he quickly awoke from his momentary trance.
Within the Sword Spirit Wall, the killing intent remained, but it was no longer a realm of senseless slaughter like the depths of Asura’s Hell. Instead, there were countless shadowy figures practicing countless sword techniques.
These were the sword techniques Yun Lie had once practiced, and the sword intent bursting forth was that which he had encountered before.
Vast and boundless, it was a source of endless enlightenment. But for Yun Lie, it was like a fish returning to water.
At his current level, simply overwhelming his opponents with sheer force was no longer appropriate. However, his previous methods of wielding sword intent were also no longer as effortless as before, due to the tempering of his sword soul. At the same time, all the sword techniques he had practiced, and the sword Dao insights he had contemplated, now filled his chest, ready to burst forth. It was as if something was brewing.
Yun Lie, always keenly aware of himself, saw the black-gold light flickering in his eyes, while his Immortal Demon Body grew more robust and formidable under the constant wash of spiritual energy.
What was brewing, ready to burst forth, was the essence of all his swordsmanship cultivation.
This was the sword technique most suited to himself and his sword path.
Kill: No one is exempt from death;
Kill: Nothing escapes the blade;
Kill: No place is free from annihilation;
Kill: By killing, one stops killing, unrivaled in tyranny.
On the Sword Spirit Wall, a faint phantom began to take shape, representing an extremely fierce and terrifying sword strike. It seemed that once it was unleashed, all things would vanish into nothingness.
This was the culmination of the fusion between the sword soul and sword Dao insight, leading to the birth of a killing move!
First Form: Form-Killing Sword.
Once the sword was drawn, everything with form would be utterly annihilated!
As this thought emerged, the phantom on the Sword Spirit Wall transformed into an unmatched sword technique, a single strike that slashed out!
In an instant, it was as if cries of despair echoed, rivers of blood flowed, and between heaven and earth, only overwhelming killing intent remained. Anyone who entered this place would be obliterated by the residual might, leaving not a trace. Moreover, this sword technique had multiple variations, continually generating, breaking apart, and reconstituting. Those variations were not yet complete.
Yun Lie focused intently, continually integrating his own insights.
The changes in that sword move gradually filled in, piece by piece, becoming whole…
While he was immersed in refining his skills, a figure in red robes emerged from the Sword Spirit Tower and glanced at several locations on the Sword Spirit Wall.
When his gaze fell on Yun Lie, he softly exclaimed, “Hmm,” and involuntarily stepped closer. He approached but stopped about ten steps behind Yun Lie, unable to advance any further.
“This is…” the figure in red murmured, “…a creation of sword techniques? Good lad, impressive comprehension! He surpasses even us.”
With such a protective demeanor, he blocked those around him, allowing only the sensing of his aura without letting anyone approach intentionally. Moreover, considering the time spent, having just entered the Sword Spirit Tower, it was remarkable that he could create a sword technique—at the mere Nascent Soul stage, even with a second refinement of the sword soul, it was typically inconceivable to achieve such a feat. Yet, he had done it.
Such comprehension and talent were truly noteworthy.
Undoubtedly, the figure in red was Tu Jin, who had come with several celestial path cultivators.
He had once roamed freely in the Qianyuan Greater World, wielding sword intent and reaching the late stage of the Spirit Severing realm. Coupled with his formidable skills, few dared to challenge him. Even among some common Great Ascension cultivators, he could hold his own, leading him to be quite arrogant and seldom impressed by others in the celestial path.
Gongye Feibai was his closest friend, and Tu Jin had wanted to advance further in the sword path, which was why he was willing to temporarily associate with celestial path practitioners and had promised Gongye Feibai to look after two shidis. However, he had never thought highly of Yin Xiu and Xun Liang, and regarded Yun Lie and Xu Ziqing as merely two capable juniors. But now, he finally understood why Gongye Feibai had been so insistent and why he praised these two disciples.
He had yet to ascertain Xu Ziqing’s capabilities, but he had witnessed Yun Lie’s prowess.
Creating a sword technique—if it were merely the most common kind, any sword cultivator could grasp it. But if it truly suited oneself, embodying one’s own path… once created, its power would far surpass other sword techniques, making it more satisfying in combat!
There are countless sword paths in the world, but whether a sword cultivator is merely a successor or a master of the sword path is fundamentally different!
The former only inherits the legacy of others, while the latter often creates the essence of the path, passing it on to future generations!
It is easy to imagine how difficult it is to create a sword technique within a specific sword path; one must have extensive experience, have practiced numerous sword techniques, have comprehended countless sword intents, and visualized many sword Dao insights… One must not know how many times they have pondered, how many times they have failed, and how profound their comprehension of their own path must be!
To achieve such a level, it’s hard to count the years of experience a sword cultivator must accumulate, and even after those years, how old they become and how high their realm must be.
Throughout history, creating a sword technique in the Nascent Soul stage is already extremely difficult, let alone at such a young age! Yet, Yun Lie had done it.
It is clear that when it comes to successors and masters, Yun Lie would undoubtedly be the latter…
Translator: Lynn
Translations are not 100% correct. Please let me know if there are typos/mistakes in the chapter.
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