Upon Jiang Wang’s arrival at the Canglang Arena’s most esteemed martial platform, the spectators who had secured tickets were already settled in the viewing stands. The assembly was, of course, not limited to the nobles of the Mu realm. Envoys from various lands, such as Huang Budong from the Qin and Chen Suan from the Jing, would naturally not forsake such an opportunity to discern the might of other nations’ heaven-blessed talents.

Neither Jiang Wang nor Zhongli Yan held reservations about competing within the Canglang Arena, a testament to their profound confidence – they cared not if their abilities were scrutinized, if they became targets of study, nor if potential adversaries gained early insights for preparation. For in the near future, no occasion of import akin to the Yellow River Assembly loomed, and their prodigious talents ensured that tomorrow would invariably surpass today.

Their greatest need was a battleground where their powers could be fully unleashed, unhindered and without consequence to others. The Azure Cliff Platform of the Canglang Arena was precisely such a place.

This Azure Cliff Platform, a circular arena spanning a full hundred Zhang, was a spectacle unto itself. City defense-grade array patterns were etched into tiles of supreme quality, forming a surface capable of withstanding the tumultuous aftershocks of a clash between mighty individuals. The surrounding spectator stands were arrayed in a tiered, ring formation. Beyond the protective arrays, the spectator seats were further imbued with arrays to enhance perception, allowing even those of lesser might to discern the intricate details of powerful cultivators’ duels, thus lowering the threshold for appreciation.

“So long as one is willing to part with coin, one may witness the contention of the mighty.” This ability to savor a pleasure beyond one’s own realm drew forth torrents of gold. To behold individuals vastly mightier than oneself locked in mortal combat was a truly stimulating experience.

The tax revenues generated by the various arenas were paramount among the industries of the Mu realm, dwarfing even the second-place contributors. Such immense profit naturally fostered a vast network of connections, with the shadows of influential figures lurking behind the top arenas.

Three hundred positions, while not few, appeared sparse when spread across the Azure Cliff Platform. Yet, as those who came were primarily extraordinary individuals, the scene felt remarkably full.

Beyond a colossal archway lay a long corridor. Lampstands adorned the stone walls, casting a dim, almost sacred, yellow light. Murals of vibrant hues adorned the corridor’s flanks, depicting ancient legends of the grassland. It seemed to be a tale of a goddess salvaging the world, with a white ox playing a crucial role – though Jiang Wang did not fully comprehend it.

He stood there in silence, awaiting the moment the duel would commence. Before him lay only a single archway gate, wrought of black iron, akin to the entrance of a fierce beast’s cage. Qiao Lin, leading four elites of the Heavenly Abode Army, stood quietly behind him. As escorts during the envoy duel, they were bound to guard the field’s periphery. Compared to Jiang Wang’s composed demeanor, Qiao Lin was visibly more agitated, his grip on his blade tightening and loosening in turn.

Presiding over this duel was the Canglang Arena’s foremost master of ceremonies – the one known as the “Rose of the Northlands,” Bian Qiong. Though, today, it seemed there would be little scope for her usual flourishes. Clad in a sweeping, floor-length gown that accentuated her proud figure, her jade-like arms, exposed save for a black armlet that enhanced the luminosity of her skin, commanded attention. Standing upon a suspended platform, her beautiful eyes cast rippling glances as her melodious voice rang out:

“On one side, the youngest military merit Marquis in nearly a century; on the other, the inheritor of a Great Chu Empire hereditary Marquisate! On one side, the champion of the Inner Mansion realm at the Yellow River Assembly in the three-nine-one-nine year of the Dao Calendar; on the other, an extraordinary heaven-blessed talent who cast aside techniques to cultivate the martial path and reclimb the peak!”

“In this battle, who shall emerge victorious?”

“Let us await and see, Chitan’s Jiang Wang, against Xian Valley’s Zhongli Yan!”

One had to concede that despite the brevity of preparation, she had invested considerable effort. She even noted Jiang Wang’s most recent fief in the Xia realm. Compared to Qingyang Town, the acquisition of Chitan due to his ennoblement as Marquis was clearly a more fitting counterpart to the Zhongli Clan’s ancestral lands.

All gazes were fixed upon the arena within. The archway suddenly parted, and the heaven-blessed talents positioned on either side of the Azure Cliff Platform were thus bathed in sunlight. Zhongli Yan, clad entirely in black, his frame taut, carried a heavy sword upon his back. His short beard and eagle eyes lent him an air of fierce determination; each step he took seemed to carry the weight of heaven and earth. Jiang Wang, still in his verdant robe, which fluttered in the breeze, carried a long sword on his left hip and a white jade on his right. He strolled with the leisurely grace of a wandering cloud.

They walked thus, relatively close, towards the center of the arena, exchanging not a single word. Bian Qiong, too, announced directly: “May the gods bestow glory upon you; please commence this sacred battle!”

Her voice was undeniably pleasant, especially with the blessing of divine technique, imbuing it with the power to stir hearts. It was at this moment that Jiang Wang took a step forward, already leaping high into the air. He reached out a hand, yet it was towards Bian Qiong’s direction, as if to grasp her announcement itself.

He grasped voice as substance!

Bian Qiong’s declaration, he denied with his very actions. He required no glory from gods, no bestowal from deities, be it the primordial heaven god or the god of Cangtu. Today, he was the god!

*Zizi zizi.*

Bian Qiong’s words resounded once more between his five fingers. The invisible sound patterns gained substance, erupting with the *zizi* of thunder and lightning. He clenched the violent thunderlight, forging it into a spear of crackling energy. The Descent of the Outer Dao Vajra Thunder Sound, in his grasp, had already undergone a transformation entirely different from that of the Suspended Temple monks. Today, this was but a minor display of ability, his true strength yet to be unleashed. Only as he soared into the sky did he casually grasp the voice into thunder, forging it into a long spear and thrusting it wildly downwards. White lightning crackled around his fluttering green robe, a divine martial posture of truly magnificent bearing in that moment!

Especially as Zhongli Yan activated his own power almost simultaneously, taking but one step with his foot. His entire being was like a launched crossbow, piercing the air with a violent, sharp whistle. Boiling energy, like a raging sea, surged around his body. His frame seemed to bring with it the roll of a wild tide –

And it met precisely with Jiang Wang’s thunder-electricity spear. Everything seemed to have formed naturally. Two heaven-blessed talents, with an unspoken understanding, completed their initial exchange. Divine intent merged with vital energy, colliding with the thunderous electricity. Zhongli Yan’s heavy sword scattered this thunder spear. And his own blood energy, in an instant, surged skyward like wolf smoke, piercing through layers of clouds, seemingly striking the sun itself! At the apex of that wolf smoke pillar, a layer upon layer of heaven was vaguely discernible beyond the firmament.

Zhongli Yan remained Zhongli Yan, yet when you beheld him in that moment, your gaze would be singed, consumed. He was terrifying to behold, impossible to look at directly. With every breath, he was thunder; every raised hand and lowered foot was water and fire. In this battle against Jiang Wang, all probes, all understandings, all weighings, he condensed into a single exchange! After that first clash, he had completely liberated himself, displaying the blood energy of a martial man who had cultivated divinity after opening twenty-one heavens in his spine.

What did the so-called “Great Martial Man’s power shatters ten thousand laws” rely upon? Precisely this body of muscle and bone, of flesh and hair, all surpassing the barrier between heaven and man, his blood energy connected to the divine! The scattered thunderlight crawled at his feet, suppressing all surrounding yuan force. He simply swept his heavy sword, as if pushing a mountain!

Not merely *as if*?! His blood energy roared like rivers, and behind him, the void truly manifested the shadow of a sword-shaped peak. Who could wield a sword like a moving mountain? Jiang Wang, in the Inner Mansion realm, also possessed the absolute peak Overturning Sword, integrating various divine abilities. Yet, compared to this sword of Zhongli Yan, it seemed illusory. Jiang Wang’s sword was the momentum of an overturned heavenly pillar, his extreme momentum at that time. While Zhongli Yan, having stepped into the twenty-one heavens of the martial path, wielded a sword that was not merely about momentum. It possessed the momentum to overturn a mountain, the intent to overturn a mountain, and moreover, the power to overturn a mountain!

Everything dimmed, for this mountain overshadowed the heavens and blocked the sun. Everything was pushed aside, for this mountain’s momentum was unstoppable, sweeping away all dust! Everything was repelled, everything was crushed. This was the first divine-descent martial man Jiang Wang had faced who could stand shoulder to shoulder with him. This was the terrifying power a martial man could display after stepping into the twenty-one heavens.

At this moment, heaven and earth opened wide, the four directions devoid of all else, save for the heavy sword like peaks. Gods and men pushed with this sword, crossing the eight wastes, unstoppable! However, before this mountain stood a person. A person accompanying the character for mountain… is the character for “immortal”!

That figure of thunderlight, virtually suspended high in the sky, which had just scattered from his hand, faced such a majestic sword yet neither retreated nor avoided. He advanced even further. Directly facing the dazzling sword mountain, a faint green cloud appeared beneath his feet. In that almost imperceptible gap in the qi mechanism, he took a single step, and had already stepped onto the summit of the sword mountain! Truly, great skill breeds great audacity.

The five mansions between his chest and abdomen revolved, and the brilliance of the Heavenly Abode Body blazed, instantly piercing through the visual suppression of Zhongli Yan’s sword. The mountain obstructing the eye vanished from this move. For a time, the collision of these two contemporary heaven-blessed talents presented a clearer picture.

Wuyan Lanzhu watched as Zhongli Yan’s blood energy surged wildly, like gods and demons descending, a sword mountain crushing horizontally, intent on suppressing all dissent. Though she was outside the field, and knew that the Azure Cliff Platform was absolutely capable of guaranteeing the safety of the spectators, she still felt a sense of unease, like standing alone in a storm of snow. Just at this moment, the Marquis of Wuan from the Qi realm emerged from the shadow of the mountain, stepping onto its summit. The corner of his robe billowed, fluttering like an immortal. Perhaps in the human realm, only this mountain was high, but immortals always resided on high mountains. Though she did not comprehend the intricacies of the battle, could not discern the details of the exchange, nor understand the various weighings within the conflict… she randomly felt a surge of emotion.

At this moment, on the Azure Cliff Platform. Blood energy, like wolf smoke, rooted to the ground and surged skyward. Behind Zhongli Yan loomed the shadows of heavy mountains, and he gripped his heavy sword with both hands, standing like a mountain between heaven and earth. And upon the tip of the heavy sword, Jiang Wang stood on a single foot. His left hand was virtually spread, five fingers pointed towards the sky. At his fingertips, five-colored light clusters swirled and mixed, violent yuan qi flowed turbulently, surrounding his body. His eyes held scarlet flames, and his breath exhaled a frosty wind. Divine abilities blessed his body with light, and the Heavenly Abode Body was liberated, granting him the power of ten thousand jun with a single step, allowing him to step down upon the heavy sword!

Another exchange! Samadhi True Fire quickly spread along Zhongli Yan’s heavy sword, and a wisp of Buzhou wind, lightly drifting down, approached Zhongli Yan’s face. Killing intent, so dense it stung the divine soul!

Zhongli Yan’s sword was named “Nanyue.” He named it “Nanyue” because he claimed this sword, coming from the south, should be the chief of all swords. After he resolved to abandon techniques and cultivate the martial path, he spared no cost to acquire this sword. This sword itself weighed ten thousand jun! To contend with force, what did a martial man fear? Facing the powerful pressure of Jiang Wang’s liberated Heavenly Abode Body, he merely used the tip of his sword to pick— Lightly, like picking a lamp flower. He picked up Nanyue. He actually overturned the momentum gathered by the Heavenly Abode Body!

His blood energy surged wildly, extinguishing the flames on the sword body. Jiang Wang’s breath of Buzhou wind immediately rose, drifting like a suspended hornless antelope, fierce and swift. While Zhongli Yan’s sword, once erected, precisely chopped upon the frosty wind. His sword technique was not skilled; it was simple, direct, and just right. Yet, with the realm of returning to simplicity, it reached a effect nearly similar to Chongxuan Zun’s War-King divine ability. Sword qi colliding with a divine ability! If it were the sword qi of an ordinary divine-descent cultivator, it would fundamentally be unable to block the Buzhou wind. Only Zhongli Yan, as a divine-descent martial man whose blood energy had cultivated divinity, whose sword qi also possessed divine intent, was able to hold out for a breath before collapsing.

This wisp of frosty wind collided with the edge of the Nanyue sword. Legend said that the heavenly wind that drifted down after the overturning of Buzhou Mountain met with Nanyue. Yet, it produced only such a crisp sound. Hu E Lianyin’s eyes widened. Her cultivation and vision far surpassed those of her good sister, but at this moment, she too felt only disbelief. She saw a long, black nail with a frost-white tip, pressing against the sword edge of the Nanyue sword. Edge against edge collided. A tiny, long nail actually pushed the heavy sword back, forcing Zhongli Yan to retreat several zhang! Could the divine ability rumored to be the fiercest among the eight winds be so terrifying?

Within the confines of the battle, Jiang Wang’s perception was naturally different. He was keenly aware that Zhongli Yan’s retreat at this moment was merely to avoid the killing power of the Buzhou wind. Once its momentum was spent, he could kill back at any time. Without any hesitation, he pressed down with a dao technique. The spirits of the Seven Mansions each displayed their might, circling in clusters high in the sky. Dragons, flood dragons, foxes, rabbits, magnificent light and shadows, transforming the Azure Cliff Platform as if it were in the divine realm. And then, they instantly crossed! Chaotic light flew, and divine qi was released without restraint. The terrible yuan qi turbulent flow directly submerged Zhongli Yan. The Seven Transformations of the Green Dragon, Seven Mansions Absolute Kill!

At this moment, Zhongli Yan had just chopped away the killing nail, and was directly facing this killing move. This was a super-grade dao technique he had never seen before, and it indeed made him feel threatened. But of course, this was not enough. In the violent yuan qi turbulent flow, Zhongli Yan held the Nanyue in his hand and simply grunted. Within his chest cavity, it was as if thunder boomed! The surrounding blood energy directly coiled into an angry dragon, instantly smashing the Hornwood Flood Dragon condensed from wood yuan, smashing open the yuan qi turbulent flow, and carrying Zhongli Yan in a swift flight towards the sky. Jiang Wang lifted a single hand, and with superb control, guided the yuan qi turbulent flow, chasing directly after Zhongli Yan.

Since ancient times, how many schools of cultivation have there been? Why is it that only the martial path is regarded as having great promise, a new road that can parallel the orthodox path of cultivation? Because only the martial path truly utilizes blood energy and the physical body to their limits. The martial path originated from the school of soldiers, yet it has become a path unto itself. Different from Confucian Dao, and uniquely shaped upon the physical body. The blood energy is too strong, too blazing, to the extent that within the body, there is no space for dao yuan to survive! At this moment, blood energy shatters laws, and the two mutually consume each other.

Zhongli Yan, however, soaring above the blood energy dragon, leapt high into the sky, gripping his sword and chopping vertically downwards! This sword cleaved the air, splitting space into two surfaces. “Splitting space into two surfaces” is not a metaphor, but a description. Where the Nanyue sword passed, space was directly cleaved into two surfaces, like a book being flipped open from the middle. The pages on either side revealed a dark, lightless void. Layer upon layer flipped over. The characters within the book pages were then the yuan force turbulent flow created by the Seven Mansions Absolute Kill, which was poured out in this manner, and finally flipped open!

*Hua la la.* Space fractured and flipped like paper. When “this book” flipped to the last page, Jiang Wang was precisely that book spine, precisely that middle line, precisely that endpoint. After abandoning techniques and cultivating the martial path, Zhongli Yan also overturned the sword dao he had learned in the past. He blended hundreds of top sword techniques, merging and returning them to form his own unique style, thus creating this Huangliang Sword Art. In a single dream, one experiences all glory. Thus, one can return to simplicity and illuminate the true self. Nanyue travels with Huangliang; one sword “flips the book” and cuts the human world, the book pages filled with a lifetime.

Everyone heard the sound of the sword! This sound was like a dragon traversing the nine heavens, like thunder shaking the azure sky, like a sudden awakening, making people instantly alert. That long sword, famous throughout the world, “Chang Xiangsi,” had already been unsheathed! Jiang Wang’s tall frame stood at the place of that “book spine.” His breath of frosty wind became a white cloak, and the scarlet fire in his eyes now roamed his body. He was like a character within the book, walking into reality. He was a silhouette from the story, now concrete life. Thus, he built his skeleton, thus he plumped his flesh, thus he descended like an immortal, thus his sword intent stood vertically!

The entire book of Huangliang shattered in an instant! And he, within these spatial fragments, these sword qi fragments, sword questioned Zhongli Yan—

My, Jiang Wang’s, lifetime, who can write it in full?