To the cultivators who came seeking challenge, we had our methods, regardless of whether they abided by the rules or not.

Take, for instance, Sikong Jingxiao’s attitude towards Xiang Qian and Bai Yuxia.

A few months prior, Xiang Qian arrived at Sword Pavilion and challenged inner-residence cultivators of the same realm, leaving no one undefeated. This in itself was not a significant issue; Xiang Qian himself had vowed that his challenges were solely to verify his Sword Dao, and the results of the battles would not be spread outside.

However, Sikong Jingxiao was profoundly displeased with the defeated junior brothers, believing they had shamed the name of Sword Pavilion. He declared, “Having learned arts without refinement, to allow the petty to triumph, to lose absolute techniques to mere trivial skills, this sullies my Sword Pavilion’s ten-thousand-year illustrious name.”

The inherited ancient techniques, the pinnacle of Flying Sword Three Absolutes, in terms of history, were indeed negligible compared to Sword Pavilion’s three-ten-thousand-year lineage.

The entire Flying Sword era in the present world’s history did not even trace back to the near-ancient period.

The Flying Sword era was glorious but tragically short, lasting only one hundred and seven years before its demise. It began in Dao Calendar year seven three three three and ended in Dao Calendar year eight four zero.

It could be said that Sword Pavilion, standing atop Tianmu Peak, was a witness to the birth and fall of the Flying Sword era, and could aptly describe it as “its rise was vigorous, its perishing sudden.”

Their disdain for Flying Sword techniques was thus understandable. The ancient looked down upon later generations, the surviving upon the perished.

But Xiang Qian, of course, was not content.

He was a person who completely disregarded being called petty or a waste. But to disparage his Sole Sword Dao as mere trivial skills was to touch his reverse scale.

Flying Sword techniques, in just one hundred and seven years, could proclaim an era. His Sole Sword Dao was able to stand at the pinnacle of that era, listed as one of the Flying Sword Three Absolutes. How could it possibly be a trivial skill?

Most importantly, this was the Dao his master, Xiang Fengqi, had passed down to him!

Thus, the usually slothful Xiang Qian delivered a heavy blow to Sikong Jingxiao and angrily declared that upon achieving the Divine Arrival realm, he would certainly journey south again and defeat that person under his sword.

And so, he was strung up…

The charge against him was “the younger generation being impolite to a great sect.”

Bai Yuxia, who had accompanied Xiang Qian, could not bear to watch and stepped forward to “speak a word of fairness,” thus being strung up alongside Xiang Qian.

Xiang Qian, this person, had absolutely no background to speak of. The Flying Sword era had long since fallen, and Xiang Fengqi had been dead for who knows how many years. Where could he possibly have a background?

As for Bai Yuxia, the Bai Clan of Yue Country was not entirely unknown, but to Sword Pavilion, they were fundamentally insignificant.

Sikong Jingxiao would certainly not truly kill Bai Yuxia, only suspend him for a few months to temper his spirit. It was expected that the Bai Clan of Yue Country would not object, perhaps even thanking him for disciplining their disciple.

But Sword Pavilion, standing at the peak as a sword sect, inviting the world’s sword elites, even establishing the Wangji Tianmen and proclaiming “none who come shall be refused,” embodied a spirit of magnanimity. Actions like Sikong Jingxiao’s were indeed too petty and, if spread, would significantly damage Sword Pavilion’s prestige.

Yet, he had his reasons.

In the past, Xiang Fengqi had journeyed south and consecutively defeated Sword Pavilion’s five great sword masters. Among them, the Wuxin Sword Master Tu Anli, whose left arm was severed, was none other than Sikong Jingxiao’s master.

Tu Anli regarded this defeat as a strange shame and great humiliation, vowing that until he defeated Xiang Fengqi, his left arm would never be restored. Later, when Xiang Fengqi’s sword was broken by Jiang Mengxiong’s fist, he forever lost the chance for vengeance and remains one-armed to this day.

A Flying Sword technique, already perished in history, still lingered and caused ripples. A new era had long since arrived, yet the ghosts of the old era still howled. Masters at the Cave True level came to challenge Sword Pavilion, and now disciples at the Inner Residence level also came to challenge Sword Pavilion. What did they take Sword Pavilion for?

Sikong Jingxiao indeed deliberately targeted Xiang Qian, and to avoid appearing too biased, he conveniently strung up Bai Yuxia as well.

Using a Divine Arrival cultivation to suppress an Inner Residence realm cultivator was, of course, a method that disregarded the rules. Sword Pavilion also possessed sufficient power to do so.

But Jiang Wang was different.

For Jiang Wang, he could not afford to disregard the rules.

If Sword Pavilion chose not to abide by the rules, Qi Country would likely be even more willing to do so.

So, he wanted to both deliver a setback to the Qi Country representatives and remain within the bounds of the rules.

However, among those of similar age to Jiang Wang, Ning Shuangrong was already Sword Pavilion’s most outstanding disciple and had already been defeated in Wenjian Gorge.

Typically, exchanges between the younger generations of great forces occurred among those of similar age.

Someone like Jiang Wang, who was twenty-one years old this year, should by no means compete against the thirty-six-year-old Sikong Jingxiao, who was more than a full cycle older.

How could Sikong Jingxiao justly and honorably engage?

As long as Jiang Wang himself didn’t mind, others had no room to speak.

Thus, he deliberately provoked Jiang Wang’s anger.

And Jiang Wang… also deliberately allowed himself to be provoked.

Sikong Jingxiao believed that Jiang Wang’s purpose in coming to ask for a sword fight was to challenge Sword Pavilion’s cultivators of the same age. Unbeknownst to him, Jiang Wang’s original plan was to challenge all of Sword Pavilion’s Divine Arrival realm cultivators!

Ruan Qu had instructed him to be a little arrogant on this trip.

He wouldn’t adopt an arrogant posture, nor would he bother with those insignificant shrimp soldiers and crab generals. He had come specifically to capture the king.

To be arrogant, one must do the most arrogant things.

Having entered Sword Pavilion through the Wangji Tianmen, the limit of his challenge this time was unbound.

Today, he came with sword in hand, and the object of his challenge was everyone in Sword Pavilion below the five great sword masters. No matter how many years of bitter cultivation, no matter how deep their accumulation, as long as they were at the Divine Arrival level, he would challenge them. Today, he was the “comer,” and he would refuse none!

However, the act of challenging could be like Xiang Qian’s, purely for tempering the sword, with the outcome of the closed-door battle kept secret. It could also be like Jiang Wang’s current approach, blocking the gate of Zhongsheng Jianque, calling out names, and acting with unparalleled arrogance.

The former was merely an exchange of Dao, the latter was almost equivalent to kicking down the hall!

Originally, considering Ning Shuangrong’s face alone, Jiang Wang would not have gone to this extreme.

But Xiang Qian was being oppressed by Sikong Jingxiao’s reliance on realm, being humiliatedly strung up here.

He absolutely had to reclaim face for Xiang Qian.

What was a close friend?

Initially, Xiang Qian had not even reached the Inner Residence realm, yet he accompanied Jiang Wang to ambush the Outer Building realm’s Hai Zongming.

This individual, accustomed to freeloading and waiting to die, so lazy that he wasn’t even willing to lift his eyelids too high, had run to Qin Country to challenge and was beaten by Qin Zhizhen, falling into the Wei River. Yet, he still did not forget to build momentum for Jiang Wang, allowing him to gain an advantage against Qin Zhizhen at the Yellow River meeting and establish his name as a sword absolute elite.

This was a close friend.

His joking with Xiang Qian did not mean he truly didn’t care.

When he was mocking Xiang Qian, his heart was aching!

He could understand Sikong Jingxiao’s intentions, and he had no plan to give Sword Pavilion any face whatsoever.

At this moment, Jiang Wang was almost poking Sikong Jingxiao’s forehead, seeking battle with a domineering and unrestrained attitude. The entire mountain platform square was filled with attracted Sword Pavilion disciples, all glaring at him with fury.

Ning Shuangrong took a step forward.

Sikong Jingxiao directly raised a hand to stop her: “Junior Sister Ning, there’s no need to say more!”

Jiang Wang had actively sought battle; his purpose had already been achieved. He would not give Jiang Wang another opportunity to avoid the fight.

“I must speak,” Ning Shuangrong said. “An exchange of swords is a common matter and should not damage harmony. Why not go to the Heaven and Earth Jianxia to fight, where there is more room to display our skills? With sword masters guarding, there are also no worries.”

“No need!” Sikong Jingxiao declared. “I will not kill him, but it is best to do it right here, to let all the junior brothers and sisters see what absolute sword techniques are and how our Sword Pavilion has stood for three ten thousand years!”

Ning Shuangrong, recognized as Sword Pavilion’s most talented disciple of this generation and having just achieved the Divine Arrival realm, was absolutely qualified to speak at this time.

But Jiang Wang and Sikong Jingxiao’s attitudes were both very firm, leaving her no possibility of stopping the fight. She simply stopped speaking and silently merged into the group of Sword Pavilion disciples.

Although Zhu Yao was very fond of this fairy sister, this time he pulled the white cow and retreated a few steps, standing firmly behind his master.

At this moment, near the archway of Zhongsheng Jianque.

Qi Country’s Wuan Marquis, Jiang Wang, and Sword Pavilion’s contemporary chief big disciple, Sikong Jingxiao, faced each other.

Behind Sikong Jingxiao was the continuous stream of Sword Pavilion disciples rushing over from the mountain platform.

Behind Jiang Wang were Zhu Yao, the white cow, Xiang Qian, and Bai Yuxia… small were small, useless were useless, the strongest force was a single cow.

If they were to clash without regard for rules, Jiang Wang and his companions would likely have to flee.

The disparity in supporters was so great, and Sikong Jingxiao was superior to Jiang Wang in age, cultivation time, and the number of years since achieving the Divine Arrival realm. Yet, on this side, whether it was Zhu Yao, the white cow, or Xiang Qian, all were brimming with confidence.

Only Bai Yuxia was somewhat worried. He was a perfectionist, and although influenced by Xiang Qian, he had relaxed considerably, yet he still held considerable requirements for himself. Jiang Wang’s intense attitude today, although primarily for Xiang Qian, also had a slight connection to him. If this led to Jiang Wang suffering humiliation, he would feel very uneasy.

Xiang Qian was entirely different. He still had the leisure to chat with Zhu Yao. “Boy, who are you?”

Zhu Yao nervously watched the confronting two people, replying through his mouth, “I am my master’s disciple. The second disciple! My surname is Zhu and my name is Yao!”

“So young and already taking disciples, and even taking a second disciple? Truly not averse to trouble, ah…” Xiang Qian muttered a sentence, listlessly waving a hand. “Come, help your grand-uncle. Let’s move back a bit, lest that guy surnamed Sikong has no place to kneel later.”

Zhu Yao heard that this person was his grand-uncle, so how could he not listen?

He quickly came over to support him and thoughtfully pulled the white cow over: “Cow brother, let my grand-uncle sit for a bit, he’s injured.”

The white cow mooed, directly swung its tail, and rolled Xiang Qian onto its back.

“Ha! Truly capable!” Xiang Qian laughed happily.

He didn’t care about his difficult brother Bai Yuxia, leaning self-satisfied on the white cow’s broad back, using his hand as a pillow for the cow’s rump, and conveniently lifting his second leg, fully prepared to watch the battle.

He originally wanted to ask if there was wine, but thinking it was a futile question, he was too lazy to ask.

Sikong Jingxiao, of course, regarded Xiang Qian’s words as mere flatulence. At this moment, his eyes were fixed on Jiang Wang, and he simply said, “Since Wuan Marquis insists on exchanging blows with me, although I am virtually older and ashamed to bully the younger, I can only agree. After all, Sword Pavilion invites the world’s sword elites, and there is no reason not to respond. However, if you lose today, please return whence you came and concern yourself with mundane matters no longer.”

“Agreed,” Jiang Wang calmly looked at him. “Today, if I do not beat you to your knees, this marquis will consider it a loss.”

He had always been a person who respected his opponents, never before uttering such vulgar and contemptuous words like a street ruffian before a duel. This time, he was truly angered and thus followed Xiang Qian’s words in saying this.

“Then we shall see if you have the ability!” Sikong Jingxiao casually beckoned, and crimson runes appeared without reason, quickly interweaving in the air to form a red long sword, its flowing light subtly concealed.

This sword was named “Chi Fu,” one of Sword Pavilion’s hidden world famous swords. Legend had it that it was worn by the last emperor of the former Liang Dynasty, Emperor Wen of Liang.

This incompetent emperor, poisoned to death by the Xia people, was said to have possessed good sword techniques in his youth. Alas, he was inept at governing the country and lacked the talent of a king. One day, his body perished and his country was destroyed, leaving only a jest.

This sword later, no one knew how, arrived at Sword Pavilion.

When Sikong Jingxiao chose a sword in his youth, he fell in love with Chi Fu at first sight. The elders of the master gate said it was inauspicious and allowed him to choose another. Sikong Jingxiao replied, “There have been inauspicious persons throughout history, but I have never heard of inauspicious tools. If it were true, a fool might still bear its weight.”

Wuxin Sword Master Tu Anli, hearing these words, was greatly pleased and declared that his Dao could be continued, thus taking him as his direct disciple.

So today, being so disdained by Jiang Wang, he was also a legendary figure among the Sword Pavilion disciples. Glory accumulated on his body, and he had the strong support of his junior brothers and sisters. No wonder the eyes of all the Sword Pavilion disciples on the entire mountain platform square were filled with anger.

Alas, this anger could not substantially interfere with the fight.

There was no need for a host; when Sikong Jingxiao grasped Chi Fu, this fight had already begun.

His sword intent surged into the sky, splitting layers of clouds.

The crimson sword body was like a river of blood, ancient runes sinking and floating within it.

But Jiang Wang’s sword had already struck first.

It struck in the divine soul world!

In the vast and boundless Yuan God Sea, inside the majestic and towering Yun Shen Hall, Sikong Jingxiao, holding the red sword, suddenly opened his eyes.

He keenly perceived that his control over this part of the Yuan God Sea was shaking.

Lifting his sword, he flew out of Yun Shen Hall, stepping directly into the Tong Tian Palace.

His person and his sword sat within the skull of the Dao Pulse True Dragon.

The Dao Pulse True Dragon coiled on the roof instantly raised its head and let out a long howl, its body erupting with endless sword light, seemingly wanting to pierce the eternal night of the Yuan God Sea. When the sword light scattered, every scale on the Dao Pulse True Dragon’s body had transformed into a sword edge!

Especially its pair of dragon horns, which emitted a terrifying sharpness comparable to that of Chi Fu’s sword, illuminating the dark night.

This was a secret technique of Sword Pavilion that was not passed down: Sword Dragon Control Heaven.

Namely, a top-tier divine soul secret technique that used a sword to kill the soul.

This dragon, bearing a sword within its body, combined strength into one. It possessed the powerful authority to control the Yuan God Sea and also had a terrifying killing force to break the enemy and destroy their soul. Relying on this, Sikong Jingxiao rarely met opponents in the path of divine soul combat.

But almost at the same time.

A pair of supreme, noble, ancient doors stood in the sky!

Terrifying majesty covered this square of the Yuan God Sea. The sword dragon, which had already flown high into the sky, was suppressed without any warning, falling more than ten zhang!

This distance was, of course, only a concept within the divine soul world, and what it reflected was authority within the divine soul world.

Very clearly, Sikong Jingxiao’s authority was being drastically curtailed.

The supreme will of heaven and earth had arrived; who dared falsely claim control of the heavens?

Those ancient doors standing at the apex suddenly opened!

That terrifying sword dragon, stretching for more than ten li, with the figure holding the red sword at its dragon head, had already flown out in reverse!

Yet, Sikong Jingxiao, along with his sword, was expelled from the sword dragon by Chaotian Que’s terrifying power!

Sword Pavilion’s inheritance spanned three ten thousand years, and the divine soul secret techniques it could pass down were, of course, formidable.

But the saying goes, the present must surpass the past.

Emperor Qi Wu alone restored the country, laying the foundation of hegemony for a Qi Country that was already factually broken.

Such a heroic king, compared to each generation of Sword Pavilion’s cabinet masters, was by no means inferior.

His signature absolute technique, to say it suppressed the world, was not an exaggeration.

Jiang Wang’s powerful spiritual consciousness, combined with Chaotian Que, immediately crushed the Sword Dragon Control Heaven.

And at this moment, a path of crimson-gold light pillar suddenly shot out from the center of Tianque, directly pursuing Sikong Jingxiao.

Dong Jin Mo!

The inversely flying Sikong Jingxiao blocked with his horizontal sword, then countless sword-shaped runes rose around his body, each drawing mysterious trajectories. Whistling among them, divine might manifested itself.

This was a divine soul secret technique he had solely created by combining the might of the Chi Fu sword: Sword Symbol Protect Spirit!

But the ancient Tianque, suppressed at the apex, merely trembled slightly, and this entire space of heaven and earth moved! Sikong Jingxiao’s protect spirit sword symbols instantly scattered in disarray, and those mysterious and even more mysterious trajectories all deviated.

Dong Jin Mo’s crimson-gold light pillar collided at this very moment, smashing layer upon layer of sword symbols, causing Sikong Jingxiao to continuously fly backward.

He was directly bombarded back to Yun Shen Hall!

And it was not a single step off, landing precisely back on his throne above Yun Shen Hall!

—Off-topic—

A little surprise attack.

I’ve developed a kind of illness: as soon as I have a draft, I immediately want to repay the debt.

Yesterday, I was in a very good state and wrote a bit more, so today I just couldn’t help but submit it. Now, the more I think about it, the more I regret it…

If it’s like this, when can I go out and play?

This chapter is dedicated to the great alliance Yan Shaofei.

78 chapters, ah! 78 chapters! Do you know how I finished chopping? My knife is all blunt!

Carry Brother Yan away!