Chapter 1297: Materialist Sun Sword Soul Breakthrough

In the slow drift of time, two hundred years slipped away.

Jiang Ding cultivated in silence within the Sun Abyss, accumulating magic power and refining his flying sword. Though the refinement proceeded exceedingly slowly—perhaps ten thousand, nearly twenty thousand years before the Taiqing Flying Sword could reach the consummation of a Void-Tempering spatial treasure, bearing nine great solar-rule divine prohibitions, brushing against its limit.

"No, this way, there is still one bitter consequence…"

Jiang Ding murmured inwardly: "A Taiqing Flying Sword refined step by step in that manner cannot possess the foundation of a treasure above Dao Merging."

"A sword is like a person; Taiqing is like me."

"I need to change."

"I must cultivate the complete version of the Sun Sword-Refinement Art as quickly as possible, and… slay more powerful cultivators—of course, they must be evil ones, violators of the Immortal Gate's laws. This aligns with my Dao heart."

"Risk?"

"How could there be any risk? This sovereign is invincible beneath the heavens and above the earth. There is no risk whatsoever."

Hum!

The Taiqing Flying Sword trembled once, signifying its approval.

That was an absolute certainty—not the slightest risk.

At this moment, within Jiang Ding's body, the faint stinging pain that had persisted for two hundred years in his divine soul and flesh vanished. Body, divine soul, and sword intent achieved perfect harmony in an instant, no longer in any conflict.

His body could now bear the sword soul!

At this moment, Jiang Ding's divine soul, body, and sword intent merged flawlessly. The sword intent, like a droplet of resplendent divine light, fell gently upon the divine soul and instantly spread throughout his entire body, dyeing the deep-blue divine soul with the radiance of the sun.

Hum!

Hum hum!

At this moment, across hundreds of thousands of kilometers of cosmic starry sky, the celestial light blazed with sudden, incomparable brilliance. A blurred figure wearing a sword at his waist upheld a dazzling sun; the light of his Dharma image illuminated the entire cosmic starry sky. Within hundreds of thousands of kilometers, the starlight of heaven and earth trembled, condensing into flying swords of radiant brilliance that shot forth in all directions together.

Ten Thousand Swords, Sole Reverence!

The entire cosmic starry sky became a world of luminous sword Dao!

And within that sword-Dao world, that blurred sword-bearing figure radiated endless, resplendent light—yet did not resemble an eternal Immortal-Dao solar star. It merely possessed the form of a sun; its radiance actually contained the auras of destruction, law-prohibition, law-annihilation, primordial magnetism, distortion, and sword Dao.

Under the illumination of the solar radiance, every spiritual-energy particle in the cosmic starry sky instantly lost its liveliness. The very foundation of the Xian Dao Shi Gao Jie's existence was shaken: all was material; spiritual energy became inert matter, no longer easily wielded by anyone.

This was the Materialist Sun Sword Soul!

This terrifying sword-soul phenomenon immediately triggered tremors across the star domains, especially among the Badaxian Sect. They maintained large-scale observation formations year-round, monitoring everything that occurred in the cosmic starry sky, and learned of it at once.

"A sword soul!"

"It's not Zou Zou Xiyuan's—

Sun-Destruction Sword Soul!"

"But another kind, thick with the aura of law-annihilation and law-prohibition, and even stronger than Zou Zou Xiyuan's…"

The avatar of the great cultivator of Brother Xuanwu Heavenly Palace was shaken within.

One must understand that Zou Zou Xiyuan had only broken through to the Sword Soul realm at the early stage of Void Tempering—and even that had made her the most top-tier existence in the domain, creating the history of the Nine Spirit Domain in those years.

Yet this generation's Great Sun Sword Child had completed the breakthrough at the Soul Transformation stage!

If such a Great Sun Sword Child advanced to Void Tempering, advanced to Dao Merging—what then?

"Fate is truly unjust, letting two anomalies appear in the Nine Spirit Domain."

"And now, the two anomalies have merged!"

The avatar of the great cultivator of Brother Xuanwu Heavenly Palace gave rise to killing intent and transmitted a message outward: "Main body, make a decision quickly. Either kill him at any cost, or expand outward swiftly, far away from the Nine Spirit Domain. The domain is infinitely vast; even a true immortal cannot ignore the existence of endless space."

"Once far enough away, detonate all the domain passages. Whether he lives or dies is no concern of ours."

"Make your decision quickly."

"The time left to us is no longer much; we no longer have the luxury of hesitation."

The avatars left behind in the Nine Spirit Domain to guard their sects by the great cultivators of the Badaxian Sect were all shaken within, fully understanding what a sword soul signified. They had been entangled in slaughter with the Great Sun Sword Pavilion for hundreds of thousands of years—understanding them even better than the Great Sun Sword Cultivators understood themselves.

For a moment, the eight great cultivators gave rise to all manner of thoughts, their killing intent varying.

At the same time, the nine Dao Children of the Badaxian Sect, who were currently discussing the Dao, also learned the news of the Great Sun Sword Child's sword-soul breakthrough.

They all fell silent.

A bone-piercing cold spread from the depths of their divine souls, freezing everything. Their bodies stiffened motionless, and even their minds suffered a momentary lapse.

"Sword soul…"

Taiyin Sword Child Yu Yu Qianzi murmured, as if in a dream. Sword soul!

Even now, she had no confidence she could break through at the Void Tempering stage. It was too difficult—it required pure sword-Dao enlightenment, a will to face death for rebirth, and even more, a terrifying foundation of accumulation.

"Jiang Ding Zi,"

"Why can this impure sword cultivator achieve such a thing?"

"He clearly pilots warships—utterly shameless!"

Yu Yu Qianzi said resentfully.

The existence of this generation's Great Sun Sword Child dealt an immense blow to her sword-Dao conviction. She felt lost about the path of sword Dao ahead, unable to see where the road lay.

The other eight, however, held no interest in sword Dao.

"He already possesses the qualifications to become a disciple of an Upper Realm Immortal Sect's lineage."

"He has pulled far, far ahead of us—a qualitative change has occurred."

Tianji Dao Child said calmly: "This may actually be good news. The sect will no longer send us to surround and kill him, because we simply cannot

possibly win. It would be seeking our own deaths."

"However, we could consider advancing to Void Tempering first, then beating him to death."

He added another sentence.

"Haha…"

Taiyi Taiyi Qingmu Dao Child Ji Liuyue said with a bitter smile: "Senior Brother Tianji really does know how to comfort people. Thinking of it this way, I feel much better in my heart—no longer afraid, no longer lost."

"After his strength undergoes a qualitative transformation, he should no longer harbor a strong desire for our deaths; his self-control has improved immensely."

Turning a world-class delicacy into a roadside food stall is something anyone can endure; it requires no great self-discipline to achieve.

"There is no need to be too disheartened."

"Fellow Daoists."

An Tuzi, the Daoist of the Five Elements, softened his tone, comforting others while seemingly persuading himself: "If we obtain a great opportunity, receive a legacy from the Upper Realm, and gain sufficient chances during the Great Expansion, we might just qualify to condense a Dharma-Image Soul and possess combat power equal to his."

"In the Cultivation World, the unknown emerges endlessly."

"Who can say how the future will unfold?"

"Daoist An speaks truly; it is indeed a path..."

The Daoists around sighed.

The phenomenon of the Materialist Sun Sword Soul in the starry sky gradually subsided, and the cosmic galaxy returned to calm.

"Materialist Sun Sword Soul..."

Jiang Ding carefully contemplated his current self.

The Divine Soul and Sword Intent had completely fused into one, indistinguishable from each other; henceforth, if the sword exists, he exists; if the sword perishes, he perishes. His Divine Sense and Sword Intent received a massive boost; one of himself could thoroughly beat the previous three of himself, achieving a leap in strength.

Furthermore, a Sword Soul generally possesses a special ability.

Historical records state that Zou Zou Xiyuan's Sword Soul ability is 'Destruction'; it can destroy all rules, possessing peerless offensive might and unparalleled sharpness. Cultivators of the same realm cannot withstand a single sword strike from him, and those of a higher realm find him extremely troublesome. Had it not been for the fact that the nine great immortal sects of the Nine Spirit Domain are exceptionally formidable opponents within their own realm, he could have unified the Nine Spirit Domain long ago.

Jiang Ding circulated his Sword Soul, and soon, an instinct surfaced in his mind.

Materialism.

This is the ability of the Materialist Sun Sword Soul.

It can render all Qi particles along a specified line inert and ineffective; all spells, shields, and even magical treasures become incredibly fragile because they have lost their most crucial component, the Qi particles. The entire edifice of the Immortal Dao begins to collapse, no longer indestructible.

(End of this chapter)