Chapter 197: The Dao of Heaven Has Collapsed—I, Wu Xian, Have Only One Sword (Requesting Monthly Tickets)

No sooner had the words left his mouth than a cry of alarm rose from a nearby military formation, and the single-edged knives in the hands of the Beiliang elite soldiers flew straight out, hurtling toward Li Chungang's position.

Ssssshhhh—!!

Tens of thousands of long knives soared into the heavens, blanketing the gloomy sky.

In an instant, razor-sharp qi filled heaven and earth, churning the clouds, boundless and endless—even the thunder vortex seemed affected, on the verge of disintegrating.

Wu Xian looked up, his eyes reflecting an endless sea of blade-light, as if capable of tearing open the heavens and splitting the earth; his face showed no fear or awe, only a faint, suppressed smile.

"Come, sword? Old Qianbei, have you truly grown old? You called for a sword, yet summoned knives."

"Knives, spears, axes, halberds, flowers, grass, bamboo, stones—if I can wield them, they are swords!"

With that, Li Chungang's gaze sharpened; he extended two fingers like a blade, pointing forward with deceptive slowness yet astonishing speed.

Woooooommmmm—!!!!

Amid the piercing hum, the tens of thousands of knives were guided by his single sword-finger, coiling into a hundred-zhang dragon of blades that blotted out the sky, tore through space, and crashed down upon Wu Xian like a metallic waterfall amid roaring, boiling winds.

Yet Wu Xian did not dodge or retreat; his 365 acupoints flared with brilliant light, releasing visible golden blood-qi that formed a thick barrier three feet around his body.

The next instant, countless blades charged forward, slamming into the golden aura-shield and exploding into countless "pop-pop-pop" bursts of qi.

Simultaneously, centered on Wu Xian, the already devastated hundred-zhang ground was repeatedly flayed by escaping sword-qi.

Soon, not a single patch of ground remained intact; only the area where the black-clad figure stood remained untouched, as if sealed in another dimension, immune to all effects.

"Can all things under heaven and earth become swords?"

Wu Xian's lips curled slightly; his surrounding qi surged violently—"Boom!"—the skyful of flying knives turned to dust, scattered by the gale in all directions.

"Old Qianbei, you speak truly—sword art is not such a clumsy thing… To be honest, I hail from the Wu Family Sword Tomb, and I understand sword art a little. But I've rarely met an opponent worthy of drawing my blade, so though I'm called the Sword Demon, I seldom use it."

"But today, having met the Old Sword God, to withhold my sword art would be deeply disrespectful."

As he spoke, Wu Xian raised his hand into a fist; his entire demeanor shifted abruptly, like a peerless treasure sword unsheathed. Sword-qi mist swirled around him, churning and shredding the heavens; the already fragile thunderclouds vanished instantly.

"The Dao of Heaven has collapsed—I, Wu Xian, have but one sword—capable of moving mountains, severing rivers, reversing seas, subduing demons, suppressing evils, commanding gods, plucking stars, leveling cities, opening heaven…"

"Please, Sword God, instruct me!!"

Hearing Wu Xian's final words, Li Chungang's body hairs stood on end; thunder roared within him, and his ocean-deep sword-qi surged skyward, forcibly breaking through the barrier of the Great Celestial Phenomenon, returning him to the Land Immortal Sword Realm.

At the same time, the remaining hundred thousand Beiliang knives pierced the air once more, circling Li Chungang before converging and fusing behind his back, forging into a single ancient, colossal greatsword suspended high above.

Heaven and earth trembled; solid space groaned under unbearable strain, as if unable to bear the torrent of unleashed sword-qi.

At that moment, the heavens cracked, and brilliant golden light slowly poured down, revealing a faint, translucent white gate.

Sword Opens the Heavenly Gate!

Li Chungang stared intently at Wu Xian below, and slowly uttered one word:

"Cut!!"

Feeling the qi locked irrevocably upon him, Wu Xian narrowed his eyes and shot upward as a dazzling golden streak.

"Cut—!!!"

Fist imprint crushed down; the greatsword descended. Golden and white light collided midair—and vanished instantly without sound.

Only visible ripples spread outward like tidal waves, reaching the horizon.

Finally, with a sharp "crack," space spanning hundreds of li shattered like glass, splitting into countless black void fissures from which a cascade of thunderous Gang winds erupted, sweeping in all directions.

At that instant, the newly formed illusory heavenly gate trembled slightly; before collapsing, a faint glimmer shot out, vanishing into the storm of void winds…

After an unknown length of time, the void fissures gradually closed, all anomalies faded, leaving only two figures standing midair, facing each other across the distance.

Wu Xian stared long at the old man holding the broken sword, then looked down at his right hand—there, clearly etched upon the back of his hand, was a fresh bloodline.

Shallow—but it had truly wounded him.

"In this world, followers of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Daoism may draw upon heavenly qi to amplify their combat prowess. But martial artists and swordsmen who follow the orthodox path must expend vast amounts of qi merely to sustain their strength."

"Just now, to unleash Sword Opens the Heavenly Gate, you exhausted every acupoint, burned your lifespan and soul—just to land one strike beyond the Land Immortal Realm."

"Why push yourself so hard? To aid merely a single Xu Xiao? Or to leave behind a mark before your final moment?"

He paused, sighing as he raised his palm:

"Had heaven not given birth to Li Chungang, sword art would remain eternal night… Old Sword God, you have done your utmost."

A thread of qi flicked from his fingertip, striking Li Chungang. As his body crumbled into dust, the legendary sword master of old became a final echo.

Yet no one noticed that as Wu Xian withdrew his hand, a tiny glimmer flashed from the spot where Li Chungang had vanished, instantly sinking into his palm and disappearing.

"It seems Wang Xianzhi won't be coming."

Wu Xian descended from the sky, ignoring the hatred or fear in Xu Xiao's and others' gazes, turning toward a distant point and letting out a cryptic chuckle. Then, with overwhelming qi, he amplified his voice to carry far.

"Come out now—this is your only chance. If you fail to kill me today, you never will again—and I will hunt you down one by one."

"Even if you escape, will you not care that the fate of Liyang will be severed?"

Ssssshhhh—!!

No sooner had he spoken than three figures appeared.

One was familiar—the young eunuch bound to Liyang's national fortune.

Another wore attire similar to Daoist Priests of Long Hushan, yet his qi was exceptionally vast and enduring, just slightly weaker than the young eunuch's.

The third was tall and imposing, his blood-qi immensely powerful; in sheer physicality, he surpassed everyone present—even the young eunuch.

"Zhao Huangchao—I never thought even you, you old dog, would dare show yourself. Are you afraid your Zhao dynasty's mandate will fall, so you've gambled everything to join Xu Xiao and eliminate me as your greatest threat?"

"Gao Shulou, right? The last prince of the Da Feng Dynasty four hundred years ago, who established the current martial hierarchy's top four realms… Too bad—you're not a true Celestial. Merely a body without essence. Your threat is less than Li Chungang's Sword Opens the Heavenly Gate."

As Wu Xian named these two strangers, his tone remained calm and idle, yet every word dripped with unmasked contempt and mockery.

Finally, he turned to Xu Xiao and the others: "Enough. All are present. You may join the Old Sword God on his journey."

(End of Chapter)