Chapter 1110: The Will of the Last Master Shuoyang Sword Master Begins to Awaken

No matter how Xi Ping'an tried to egg him on, Master Canghai Canghai Tianjun remained utterly composed.

Instead, he kept trying to push Chong Chong Guang Zi to charge at the front while he himself provided support from behind, watching the flanks.

Normally this would have been easy — sword cultivators were always hot-headed; one didn't even need to egg them on, anyone who dared block their path to a strong enemy would be cut down on the spot.

Unfortunately, this time Chong Chong Guang Zi had no intention of stepping forward at all.

Xi Ping'an and Master Canghai Canghai Tianjun sparred with words for a moment, then stopped, both privately finding it dull.

"You can't beat him — not even the current him."

Chong Chong Guang Zi sighed: "And even if we killed him, we still couldn't obtain the chance to ascend to the Upper Realm. All of this must come from an Upper Realm being — preferably one of the highest status."

"If possible, it would be best to capture alive that Blood Dao grand cultivator's avatar."

He looked toward Xi Ping'an.

Capture alive the Blood Dao grand cultivator's avatar.

That was a pipe dream!

When the Blood Dao grand cultivator's avatar was strong, they would surely die the moment they showed their faces; when it was weak, it was accustomed to lurking in hiding, and no one could possibly find it.

A being that had lived for tens of thousands of years — cold and cunning — had no such thing as face or pride; even cursing its ancestors for eighteen generations wouldn't cause the slightest ripple in its heart.

The only situation in which the Blood Dao grand cultivator's avatar would reappear was when it had already recovered its strength — and grown even stronger.

A Refinement Void essence possessed such an ability: converting spiritual energy within the primordial void to restore itself, especially an avatar below Refinement Void.

Still, Xi Ping'an might be different.

He had a good father, who had refined a Refinement Void fortress for him — the Incense Divine Court.

"It won't work. Can't be done."

Xi Ping'an tried for a while, then shook his head: "When my father refined this Incense Divine Court, he referenced how successive generations of Master Shuoyang Sword Masters refined the Dayang Dayang Tianchi and the Black. It's meant to protect me, not for me to run amok with."

"Under normal circumstances I can't take the initiative to attack others — especially Refinement Void-level enemies, to provoke Refinement Void cultivators."

This was a common bias many powerful beings held toward their children.

What they gave their children were usually life-preserving, escape-oriented talismans and dharma treasures — not things for their children to use to provoke peers of their own level.

"Brother Ping'an, why sell yourself short?"

"You can do it."

Chong Chong Guang Zi deliberated for a moment, drew a deep breath, and carefully produced an ancient, unadorned sword talisman.

The instant this sword talisman appeared in the starry sky—

Tens of thousands of li of starry sky instantly froze, and a power above some order appeared — a power far surpassing that of the Blood Lake Corpse Mountain Blood Dao grand cultivator.

The two were not even on the same level!

Master Canghai Canghai Tianjun and Chong Chong Guang Zi's minds went blank, and fear surfaced on their faces.

A Master Shuoyang Sword Master's sword talisman!

This was the life-preserving talisman the last Master Shuoyang Sword Master, Zou Zou Xiyuan, had left for the Master Shuoyang Sword Child — and it was an offensive talisman, because he believed the Master Shuoyang Sword Child would not be the sort of weakling his own son was, and could use such an offensive sword talisman, so it was necessary.

If the Master Shuoyang Sword Child grew lax because of it, then dying was dying — no big deal.

"Sword Master…"

Chong Chong Guang Zi's body was trembling, utterly terrified — a fear beyond instinct, beyond control.

And it wasn't merely a matter of instinct.

He really would die!

This sword talisman only recognized the Master Shuoyang Sword Child — it didn't recognize any Chong Chong Guang Zi!

Once activated, an offensive grand-cultivator talisman like this would inevitably draw blood; without a Refinement Void-level opponent, everyone within a radius of hundreds of millions would die — friend and foe alike.

The sole exception was the Master Shuoyang Sword Child.

No!

There was also his own son.

"Dad!"

Xi Ping'an shouted.

Compared to the two beside him, he showed not the slightest fear — instead he looked comfortable, shouting joyfully, utterly indifferent to this sword-Dao rule-force that would slaughter hundreds of millions of living beings.

Hum!

The gradually awakening, ferocious sword talisman faltered slightly.

Its sword-light began to recede, and finally within the talisman appeared a hazy, indistinct, towering being—endless light, endless brilliance, endless destructive will.

Master Shuoyang Sword Pavilion, the last Master Shuoyang Sword Master — Zou Zou Xiyuan!

"Wastrel!"

"You useless wastrel!"

This hazy, indistinct, towering being cursed: "How could I have a son as useless as you."

"Oh, Dad."

"I'm not as strong as you were when you were young."

Xi Ping'an gave an awkward smile, not daring to argue back.

This was not the true last Master Shuoyang Sword Master, but the power he had left behind in the world — like an array spirit's logic, it had its own behavioral patterns, its own strict logic.

"You, when you were young?"

"Don't embarrass yourself — you can't even beat a single inheritance disciple of Taiyi Qingmu Xianzong at the same level."

The hazy, indistinct, towering being said helplessly.

Clearly such a heaven-shattering, earth-shattering powerhouse — even the power left behind thousands of years after his death still carried such terrifying might — now displayed a trace of helplessness, of having no recourse.

"Oh, isn't this Chong Chong Guang Zi?"

The towering being's gaze swept toward Ming Chong Guang Zi.

"Greetings, Sword Lord!"

Ming Chong Guang Zi performed the grand ceremony of obeisance—three kneelings and nine kowtows—respectful and reverent.

This was different from the last time he had seen Zou Zou Xiyuan several thousand years ago; back then he had remained standing, merely cupping his fists in salute.

"Ha ha!"

"I've wanted to beat you to death for a long time now."

The towering being laughed once: "When I was the Sword Child, I found the Master Shuoyang Sword Lord disagreeable to look at; when I became the Sword Lord, I found the Master Shuoyang Sword Child especially disagreeable to look at. A mere ant, and yet he dares to look at me with that itching-to-try-it gaze."

"Sword Lord…"

Ming Chong Guang Zi's scalp prickled.

Yet that towering being had already shifted its gaze away, no longer looking at him—like a blade of grass, no longer worth a single shred of attention.

He was safe.

A mere Nascent Soul cultivator was not worthy of dying beneath the Sword Lord's blade, not worthy of enjoying such an honor.

Ming Chong Guang Zi let out a breath of relief.

At the same time, a wave of loss welled up in his heart, unbearably bitter.

"Little brat, speak up."

"What happened to you."

The hazy, indistinct towering being drew its gaze back from the direction of the Minor Thousand Worlds and said lightly.

"Dad, Jiang Ding Zi bullied me!!!"

"Dad, there's a Void Refinement cultivator bullying me!"

"Dad, I want to ascend to the Upper Realm, but I can't find a way. Dad, can you help me catch a Void Refinement cultivator, and then help me search his soul…"

"Dad…"

Xi Ping'an's mouth kept running nonstop.

A string of names tumbled out—every person he had met in these past several thousand years, every thing he had wanted to do but failed to do—all poured out at once.

His whole body was utterly relaxed, utterly expectant, looking as if his wish had already come true.

This was the lesson summed up from past experience: whenever his dad spoke in that tone, anything could be done.

Anything!

"Jiang Ding Zi?"

"Is the Master Shuoyang Sword Child of the Eastern Extreme Demon Sect called by that name?"

The hazy, indistinct towering being nodded slightly: "That one I cannot do. I cannot slay the sect's Master Shuoyang Sword Child—bullying without blood and withering of life holds no interest."

"All the rest, though, are fine."