Chapter 373: The Sword Realm Opens (Requesting Monthly Tickets)

Gong Feiyun summoned a flying sword in his hand.

The sword was entirely white, exuding ethereal immortal qi, radiating boundless sharpness—it was indeed a fourth-rank superior spiritual treasure.

"The sword's name—'Celestial Immortal,' forged primarily from celestial immortal metal, weighing nine hundred and sixty-two jin, three inches and eight fen long…"

He performed an ancient ritual, ensuring every preparation was complete.

"The sword's name—'Rotten Iron!'"

Fang Xing summoned a phantom image of the Rotten Iron Sword and lightly tapped it: "Remember, it is this piece of broken copper and rotten iron that cuts through your 'Celestial Immortal' today!"

"Fine spirit!"

Gong Feiyun thrust forward his sword.

His swordlight was pure white, his technique the Sword of Ascending Immortal—ethereal, majestic, and beyond description!

The spiritual pressure of a Nascent Soul late-stage surged toward him.

As a Great True Lord of Sword Dao, he could easily defeat other Great True Lords, though killing them remained difficult.

But facing a Nascent Soul mid-stage sword cultivator, he was certain he could handle him effortlessly.

Shhh!

In that instant, a golden swordlight slashed across Gong Feiyun's body.

A silver talisman in his bosom ignited without wind, forming a spherical light shield, its surface flashing with ancient runes, blocking the strike.

"I was struck?"

"So fast… you… Nascent Soul late-stage?"

Gong Feiyun instantly retreated, scanning his surroundings.

He had long condensed boundless sword qi into a defensive aura around his body.

Yet beneath that lightning-fast strike, every defense shattered—only his sect's fifth-rank talisman saved his life.

At this moment, Fang Xing's spiritual energy surged, reaching the Nascent Soul late-stage level.

"No wonder…"

Gong Feiyun narrowed his eyes, then burst into laughter: "Now I understand—the Array Spirit deliberately forced you and me into a life-or-death battle, like breeding poison insects until only the king remains!"

"We are all heirs of the Spirit Sword Sect's legacy… In the future cultivation world, without sufficient talent and cultivation, one cannot shoulder such responsibility."

"Even Taibai isn't enough—he has no Divine Transformation patron!"

"Only one of us can inherit the entire Spirit Sword Sect!"

As he transmitted his thoughts, the 'Celestial Immortal' sword's path shifted again, carrying an empty, ethereal aura.

"Void?"

"It seems your Flying Sword lineage learned much from the Ethereal Immortal Palace."

Fang Xing casually swung the Rotten Iron Sword; their flying swords clashed, unleashing boundless sword qi.

Suddenly!

A flash appeared atop Gong Feiyun's crown—his Nascent Soul emerged, holding a pure white flying sword, piercing the void, using Nascent Soul teleportation to wield the sword!

A high-rank sword cultivator's life sword fuses with the Golden Core and Nascent Soul.

Now withdrawing it, he clearly meant to fight to the death.

Swoosh!

Swoosh!

Swoosh!

Around Fang Xing, shadowy Nascent Souls flickered, each delivering a piercing sword strike through the void.

'Using the Nascent Soul to wield the sword is dangerous, but the speed exceeds even my Golden Sword lineage.'

Fang Xing reached up and touched his crown—the Ten Thousand Dharma Ghost Nascent Soul appeared, holding the Qingyang Demon Lamp, exhaling nine purple-blue fire dragons that enveloped his surroundings.

"So you didn't reach Great True Lord through your own cultivation—you forged a second Nascent Soul at Nascent Soul late-stage."

Gong Feiyun's Nascent Soul sneered, and his previously motionless physical body suddenly moved.

"Huh? External Body Avatar? You also forged an external body avatar to control your physical form?"

Fang Xing understood.

Indeed, cultivators who ascend to Great True Lord all possess unique methods.

Gong Feiyun pretended to neglect his physical body, but secretly concealed an external body avatar.

If I'd moved to destroy it, I might have walked straight into a trap!

"You guessed right—but so what?"

Gong Feiyun's physical body smiled with a sinister grin, summoning a small silver banner.

"Two-Realm Banner? No… it's merely a replica."

Fang Xing had heard of the famed palace treasure of the Ethereal Immortal Palace.

"Even a replica is enough—go!"

Gong Feiyun's external body avatar formed hand seals; silver light erupted, shooting toward Fang Xing.

Fang Xing frowned slightly; his second Nascent Soul summoned the Qingyang Shield to block it.

Hum!

The silver light flashed—and both Fang Xing's Ten Thousand Dharma Ghost Nascent Soul and Gong Feiyun's external body avatar vanished.

"Transported into a special void? Only one side can die to escape?"

Fang Xing's spiritual sense shifted; his spiritual energy dropped back to Nascent Soul mid-stage. Before him, Gong Feiyun's Nascent Soul reappeared.

"Now… only you and I remain."

A faint voice entered Fang Xing's ears.

Now, Gong Feiyun retained only his main Nascent Soul at late-stage—vulnerable to injury, yet his combat power was near supreme!

But Fang Xing had only Nascent Soul mid-stage cultivation—and his Rotten Iron Sword!

"Die!"

Gong Feiyun's Nascent Soul swung his sword.

This sword strike resembled a celestial immortal descending, drawing in celestial spiritual energy, as if ten thousand horses charged!

He clearly intended to crush Fang Xing with pure spiritual power and sword technique.

Fang Xing felt slightly speechless, swinging the Rotten Iron Sword.

This strike produced only a single white line.

But the next instant—

Where the white line passed, the charging sword momentum collapsed violently.

No matter how many spells or treasures, beneath this sword, all must bow.

"One Sword Breaks Ten Thousand Methods?"

Gong Feiyun's Nascent Soul was filled with shock and disbelief.

He was a rare genius of the Ascending Immortal lineage, now a Nascent Soul Great True Lord, yet still had not grasped this pinnacle of mortal sword Dao.

How could a mere Nascent Soul mid-stage cultivator have understood it?

Shhh!

Fang Xing's swordlight shattered all heavenly and earthly momentum, then struck hard against the 'Celestial Immortal'—its spiritual treasure blade immediately cracked, letting out a mournful cry.

Gong Feiyun's Nascent Soul trembled violently as the Rotten Iron Sword pierced straight through its heart.

His expression was strange—disbelief mixed with relief: "Perhaps… I was wrong… you are the true heir of the Sword Sect!"

The tiny Nascent Soul gave a bitter smile, then exploded instantly into countless specks of light.

Rich spiritual energy swept across the battlefield.

Then, silver light flashed in the void—the Ten Thousand Dharma Ghost Nascent Soul stepped out, still holding the small silver banner.

"If the original body dies, the external avatar dissipates too… so you've won, then?"

Fang Xing took the banner, murmuring softly.

Unlike the second Nascent Soul, which constantly sought to rebel against the original body,

the external body avatar technique of orthodox cultivators, though slightly weaker in spiritual power, would never betray its master.

Indeed, when the original body dies, all external avatars vanish with it.

…

Spirit Sword Sect.

Mountain Gate.

"Sky-Blocking Hand, Five Fingers Mountain!"

Fang Xing's original body thrust both palms forward, sending the quasi-fifth-rank corpse flying far away.

Then, a giant flame palm descended from the heavens.

—Immortal Martial One-Qi Grasp!

The quasi-fifth-rank female corpse struggled violently, yet could not escape his grasp.

"After all, she's not a true fifth-rank corpse!"

…

The Array Spirit glanced behind him, suddenly pausing: "Dead?"

"Dead is fine… Though I'm bound by sect rules and cannot directly punish the Ascending Immortal lineage holder of the Black Iron Sword Token, those who betray their sect must pay a price…"

His fingertip moved like plucking a zither string, manipulating the spiritual treasure flying swords filling the heavens and earth.

Shhoo!

At that moment, among countless spiritual treasure flying swords, the three fifth-rank Soul-Channeling Flying Swords suddenly stirred!

One sword, ancient in design with a dragon-mouth hilt, became a streak of purple lightning and stabbed straight into the chest of Master Meng's thousand-zhang demonic body!

"Roar!"

Master Meng let out a deafening howl, swinging his last remaining demonic arm.

His five arms had all been severed during this battle by the Divine Feathers Sovereign, the Divine Seal Sovereign, the Qin Immortal, and other Nascent Soul cultivators.

"Please, friend, take your leave."

The Divine Feathers Sovereign raised the Nine Mysteries Demonic-Slaying Sword high; strange runes circled his body as he slashed downward!

Boom!

A pure white column of light engulfed Master Meng.

The thousand-zhang demonic body rapidly dissolved, followed by Master Meng's physical form…

"This time… you have won."

Master Meng's demonic body continued to vanish, leaving only a voice echoing through the void.

In the end, he dissolved entirely into nothingness, leaving behind only a single black iron sword token.

"Huh? It's not Master Meng's true body—it's his Second Soul?"

The Divine Seal Sovereign was startled: "Even I was deceived?"

"Pity… we only slew one Second Soul."

The Array Spirit cursed: "These old demons are always so cautious."

After cursing, he glanced suspiciously at the Divine Feathers Sovereign and the other Nascent Soul cultivators.

'These Nascent Soul cultivators—all desperate for transcendence and endless lifespan—have no morals… no, they have no limits at all… utterly untrustworthy. Even the leader of the orthodox sects, nearing the end of his lifespan, might willingly turn demonic…'

'This defeat of Master Meng was too easy…'

The Array Spirit felt uneasy.

"Array Spirit, we now have all five black iron sword tokens—can we open the Sword Realm?"

The Divine Feathers Sovereign sent out his spiritual sense, and the black iron sword tokens flew into the Array Spirit's hand.

"Of course… but remember your promise: you must slay that Ancient Demon!"

The Array Spirit spoke.

"Of course… we have all sworn oaths with our Nascent Souls."

The Divine Seal Sovereign and the others nodded vigorously.

"Enough."

The Array Spirit waved his hand—a flash of silver light.

When they reappeared, they stood at the edge of a lake.

Fang Xing's cultivation avatar was also teleported here, his face filled with shock and uncertainty; he hurried to stand behind his true body.

"Huh? Where's Feiyun?"

The Divine Feathers Sovereign cried out in shock and anger, his gaze locking onto Fang Xing's cultivation avatar.

"Oh dear… the heir of the Flying Cloud Sect and the heir of the Golden Sword Sect fought a mortal duel on the Life-and-Death Platform—and died."

The Array Spirit exclaimed, then added: "But according to the rules of the Spirit Sword Sect, this is perfectly reasonable. On the Life-and-Death Platform, all grudges are erased."

The Divine Feathers Sovereign scanned Fang Xing, then looked at his true body: "Fine. Very fine. Array Spirit, begin."

'Heh, no wonder these thousand-year-old monsters are so emotionally detached… wait, I've lived longer than all of you… though I'm not sure if I'm even alive…'

The Array Spirit muttered inwardly, then waved his hand—the five black iron sword tokens shot skyward, combining in midair into a five-pointed iron disc.

The disc suddenly erupted in brilliant light, forming countless strange gold-and-silver seal characters that sank into the void.

Countless seal characters coalesced, burrowing deep into the void as if forming a gate.

The gate slowly opened, revealing to their spiritual senses countless rare flowers and herbs, a central island lake, a giant bronze cauldron…

Third chapter later

(End of Chapter)