Chapter 435: The Taiyin Dayan Jianzi's Doubts

Two years later.

The Taiqing Flying Sword slashed out in a single strike, following the rhythm of the lava's flow, listening to the circulation of magic power within the *Wan Hua Ci Yuan Jing*, tracing a graceful arc, and cleaving into the Ri Yan Jing.

A crisp crack rang out, and the lava crust shattered.

A fiery-red crystal stone was revealed, swept up into the sky, and landed in the hand of a green-robed youth on the riverbank.

"Dayan Jianzi, you've been led astray by the Dongji Demon Sect."

"You've barely reached the swordsmanship level of a core disciple at Foundation Establishment in the Sword Pavilion. You're still far from passing…"

Yue's voice appeared, seemingly rebuking him.

"Thank you!"

Yet Jiang Ding looked quite excited.

Whoosh!

The Taiqing Flying Sword rose spiritedly into the sky. Blue-gold sword-light unfurled, and an identical blue-gold sword body split off, rapidly multiplying—second, third—until in the blink of an eye there were nine flying swords.

Their auras were identical, all carrying the power to break laws and shatter all things.

The First Realm of the Sword Dao—

Sword-Light Differentiation!

And it had already reached the peak of the First Realm of the Sword Dao, only one step away from achieving the Second Realm of the Sword Dao—Sword Qi Thunder Sound.

If a sword cultivator comprehended such swordsmanship, a sudden several-fold increase in strength would be entirely possible.

"For me, it's not that impressive."

Jiang Ding calculated briefly in his heart: "My overall strength relies more on the amplification of the Super Aerospace Fighter's electromagnetic main cannon—extreme speed and power. Swordsmanship doesn't affect the shells that much…"

"But my strength has still increased by at least thirty percent!"

Whoosh!

The nine Taiqing Flying Swords dove once more into the lava river, slashing in turn, enduring the burning of the surrounding lava's Sword Dao fire. Before long they had approached the Ri Yan Jing, and all nine blue-gold flying swords cleaved in unison.

A crisp sound rang out.

The tough outer lava shell of the Ri Yan Jing shattered. The translucent fiery-red crystal was collected, flew into the sky, and then fell once more.

One after another, Ri Yan Jing crystals—enough to drive any sword cultivator mad—kept falling into his pouch.

"One Ri Yan Jing lasts ten years. Thirty will do."

"Mining too many will affect the operation of the Ri Yan River. This is my future cultivation ground—I can't afford to drain the pond to get all the fish."

"Oh right, Yue."

Jiang Ding suddenly thought of something and asked hopefully: "The Great Sun Sword Pavilion's inheritance—the complete *Great Sun Sword Scripture*—do you have it?"

Over these two years, the two of them had grown fairly familiar with each other.

The greatest obstacle on his current Dao path was undoubtedly the lack of an inheritance!

If he could obtain the Great Sun Sword Pavilion's inheritance, many seemingly insurmountable hurdles in the future would instantly become a great highway. Even if difficulties remained, they would undoubtedly be reduced by a great deal.

"Dayan Jianzi, no."

Yue's voice came through.

"The Great Sun Dayang Tianchi Array only operates according to sword-law. All inheritances are held in the hands of the Great Sun Sword Lord and the Great Sun Dayan Jianzi. Great Sun sword cultivators absolutely do not allow any other person or object to control their lifeblood."

"Great Sun sword cultivation: only the self, the ego, no reliance on external things."

"Dayan Jianzi must also strive in this direction."

"Maybe."

Jiang Ding shook his head and said nothing.

Several days later, the last Ri Yan Jing fell into his storage jade pendant. Jiang Ding cast a fond glance at the Taiqing Flying Sword, burned to a near-glowing red, then transformed into an invisible streak of sword-light and flew off.

"The Ri Yan River is for refinement."

"The Xihe River is for tempering."

"Only when the two are combined do they form the complete process of Great Sun sword cultivation."

Jiang Ding looked toward the Xihe River: "The Taiyin Qingse Jianzong—after the Great Sun Sword Pavilion was destroyed, the Badaxian Sect put it forward on the surface to contain the Mo Sect on the front lines. While the Xianmen's foundations were held in check by Brother Brother Xuanwu's Heavenly Palace, over these thousands of years it has inflicted many casualties on the Xianmen's armies."

"My Aerospace Studies teacher, Master Dinghai Master Dinghai Zhenjun, was severely wounded by the Yinwu Master Dinghai Zhenjun of the Taiyin Qingse Jianzong—one of his eyeballs shattered. He had no choice but to withdraw from the battlefield to teach and recuperate."

……

Xihe River.

Compared to the Ri Yan River's domineering, destructive, blazing glory, this place was more restrained. Even the riverbanks were filled with birdsong and flowers, green plants, blossoms, butterflies circling, and a hazy white mist.

It looked like an immortal's dwelling, a blessed grotto.

Not at all like the cultivation ground of sword cultivators, who were usually known for cruelty, bloodshed, and madness.

"Yue."

At the source of the stream, within the faint white mist—

An extraordinarily beautiful girl with a cool, aloof temperament, deeply clad in a moon-white immortal skirt, patted the white bear plushie in her arms and once again tried to connect with the core array of the Great Sun Dayang Tianchi.

There was no response at all.

"Yue."

"You were named after my Moon Lineage, and my Moon Lineage Sword Lord also helped build you." The girl was both angry and anxious, unwilling to give up: "Why won't you hand over the Great Sun Dayang Tianchi permissions?"

"Because…"

From all around, a cheerful female voice came.

"You don't have a Great Sun Flying Sword, you don't have a Taiyin Flying Sword, you are not the Great Sun Dayan Jianzi, nor are you the Taiyin Dayan Jianzi."

"That's true, but…"

"Times have changed!"

The young girl's face showed displeasure as she argued, "Taiqing Divine Iron was long ago destroyed at the hands of the Eastern Extreme Demon Sect. The last portion has already been seized by them — it is utterly impossible to forge another Taiyin Flying Sword!"

There was no further response.

The place fell silent.

"The Sun Moon Sword Pavilion has already perished. You must learn to adapt."

Yu Yu Qianzi tried to persuade the other party: "The Great Sun lineage is overbearing and domineering, far too extreme — it has already walked itself into destruction. Only the Moon lineage can allow the Sun Moon Sword Pavilion to rise once more…"

Her words faltered.

Whoosh!

A moon-white flying sword shot out from the moon-mark between her brows. Bearing sword-intent that froze all things and stilled all beings, it slashed past the crystalline ear.

Clang!

Sparks burst forth. Piercing soundwaves spread in every direction; along the way, trees thick enough for several people to embrace were snapped apart, mountain rocks collapsed, layers of thin mist were swept aside, and the sky cleared.

A flying sword, crimson all over with veins of blue-gold, emerged.

An aura of searing heat, keen sharpness, and law-annihilation spread forth — like the blazing sun in the vault of heaven, its radiance illuminating the nine heavens and ten lands, dispelling the cold that Xihe had accumulated over countless years.

The Taiyin sword-intent that froze all things was compressed layer by layer, destroyed, and forced to retreat to occupy only half the sky.

"Taiyin Sword Child."

"Your sword was not forged from the Divine Wood Heaven Seed, the inherited supreme treasure of Qingmuxian Sect."

Not far away, a youth in blue robes revealed his form. Not the slightest trace of shame at his failed ambush showed on his face. His divine sense and sword-intent swept the area continuously, and he finally confirmed, "—"

"Therefore, you are not the Dao Child of Qingmuxian Sect."

Jiang Ding felt a touch of disappointment and sighed: "Even after over a hundred thousand years, with disciples and elders changed countless times over, the Moon lineage is still the Moon lineage in the end — never regarded as a true inheriting disciple by Qingmuxian Sect."

"Your value has dropped considerably, all at once."

Immortal-gate Po Fa Xian Jin, Great Sun Sword Pavilion's Taiqing Divine Iron, Wuxingtian Sect's Five-Element Void Copper.

And Qingmuxian Sect's — the Divine Wood Heaven Seed!

It is not a metal, but a single seed — resembling both a plant and a magic treasure. If one could take it as a Ben Ming Fa treasure, it could increase the chance of Refining Void by one or two tenths out of thin air.

Still, one could not say the Taiyin Sword Child's treatment was poor.

Her flying sword was likewise a sword embryo forged from sixth-tier Refining Void-grade materials — incomparably sharp, with an extremely high affinity toward moonlight, starlight, coldness, and such directions.

Only, compared to treasures like Taiqing Divine Iron and Five-Element Void Copper, it fell short by quite a margin.

Still half a chapter unfinished — the next two chapters will take some time.

(End of chapter)