Chapter 680: Breath Soil

The site of the ceremony is located at the bend of the Tongyang River, where the water is at its widest and its temperature is at its highest.

It is also the place where Tang Zhao originally entered the water to search for the Jinwu Sword.

Now the Jinwu Sword is no longer there, but this bay of water remains boiling hot, and the power left behind by the Jinwu still supports the land for ten thousand miles.

If one wishes to reach the space left behind by the Jinwu Sword directly, one must enter the water from here once again.

However, Tang Zhao does not intend to enter the water today; he wants to complete all of this under the sunlight. Therefore, he brought the Qilin Sword to help.

"Sword Technique—Parting Rivers!"

Following the swing of the Qilin Sword, a cerulean divine beast descended from the sky.

Its horns were like a deer's, its head like a camel's, its eyes like a demon's, its neck like a snake's, its belly like a clam's, its scales like a fish's, its claws like an eagle's, its paws like a tiger's, and its ears like a cow's.

It was precisely the Sword Image of the Qilin Sword—the Water Qilin!

The Water Qilin stepped upon the waves, opened its mouth to take a slight breath of water, and then suddenly spat it out!

That thin stream of water transformed into a giant sword in mid-air, hacking down fiercely!

Using water to sever water!

With just one strike, the sharp and enormous water sword sliced the Tongyang River into two sections!

This is the power to pull up mountains and sever rivers!

As the saying goes, "Insert a blade to sever water, and the water flows all the more," even if a great force can temporarily cut off a river, it should only be for a fleeting moment before the flow resumes. But this wound in the river remained stagnant, as if two invisible dams had been built, firmly blocking the water flow on both sides.

The Water Qilin can not only part water, but also control it!

Such a powerful Sword Technique is enough to dazzle anyone, not to mention that the cross-sections of the water on both sides were like huge crystal walls, through which one could see fish and aquatic life swimming freely, like a crystal palace—a magnificent spectacle indeed. Yet, the crowd did not pay much attention to it, instead being stunned by the scene revealed below.

Originally, there was an endless sea of light beneath the water, but Tang Zhao dispersed the light, allowing everyone to see clearly.

To see clearly that giant tree hanging upside down—

That is Jianmu.

At the first sight of that Jianmu, which seemed to pierce through heaven and earth, even more so than the "Jianmu" that connected the two realms, anyone would be shocked. Especially when the great river parted to reveal such a spectacular sight, the giant tree, interwoven with brilliant light and vigorous vitality, made everyone involuntarily feel reverence and closeness.

But Tang Zhao only felt sorrow; he saw the leaves, which stretched out like the palms of a great Buddha, and remembered how Ju Dongjun, who had transformed from the Jinwu, looked when he first met him upon it.

The tree is still here, but the Jinwu is no longer.

Since the Jinwu is no longer here, this tree will not exist for long either.

This was originally one of the memorials the Jinwu left in the world, but today, it must be pulled up by Tang Zhao's own hands, erasing a trace of an old friend.

Tang Zhao took a deep breath and drew his sword.

A sword gleaming with golden light unsheathed, and in an instant, light flooded the world, surging mightily toward the clouds.

A cry of a crow shot straight into the clouds!

The Jinwu Sword emerges!

Just from this appearance, the expressions of the crowd were worlds apart.

Those who were knowledgeable, like Han Shengyuan, widened their eyes and clenched their fists the moment they saw the Jinwu Sword, feeling as if he were standing opposite the Jinwu Sword, pitting himself against that sword and that person.

Some, though they might not have recognized the Jinwu Sword, had seen enough to have some guesses, like the Imperial Envoy Lady Min, whose eyes narrowed slightly, the golden light reflected in her pupils as if she were pondering something. Others, less capable like Wang Fei, could not be said to recognize it, merely grasping a faint impression from his memory, his confusion mixed with bewilderment.

And those like Xiao Wang, who understood nothing, were left only with bewilderment.

Meanwhile, Guiyuanshi, who was at the very center, was extremely calm, even wearing a hint of a gratified smile.

Following the Jinwu's cry, the giant tree seemed to be summoned; its outline gradually blurred, slowly transforming from a concrete tree into abstract light.

The blurring of the treetop was merely a visual change, but the roots of the tree, which were stuck upside down in the earth, also began to pull outward. With every root pulled out, the ground shook, and the surface above vibrated as well, until gradually the entire land shook so violently it could not stop.

Although they were floating in the sky, everyone could see the ground trembling, soil and stone crumbling, and trees swaying. This was clearly a massive Earth Dragon Turning Over, spreading outward from the riverbank, the seismic waves rippling out, with no telling how far they would reach.

If it spreads further into the residential areas, a disaster will occur! An earthquake is a great catastrophe anywhere; even if such a disaster occurred in a remote Earth District, Jingcheng would have a headache.

What is the Gaoyuan Marquis doing? Is she inviting disaster upon her own territory?! Isn't she always known for loving the people and having compassion for the lowly?

The Gaoyuan Marquis watched calmly, as if everything were under control.

In truth, she was panicked in her heart; although this process had been planned long ago, it had never been rehearsed, nor could it be. In such a heaven-and-earth-shattering event, any mishap could occur. Moreover, once a disaster happened, it would be difficult to remedy, and the consequences would be unimaginable.

Yunzhou is like a person terminally ill; if not treated thoroughly, they will surely die. But to save the situation requires major surgery—opening the chest and abdomen. This is a high-difficulty, novel surgery with no precedent, and the one performing it is merely a novice. Once the surgery fails, the death will be a hundred times more tragic than dying of the illness.

Now, Tang Zhao is the lead surgeon on the operating table, but the Gaoyuan Marquis made the final decision to perform the surgery, and she bears the heavy responsibility. If Yunzhou collapses on its own, it is a Natural Disaster, and she is not responsible; she could still find another territory to be a ruler. But if she actively causes it to collapse this time, it is a man-made disaster. As the master of Yunzhou, she would bear full responsibility, and her own life would not be enough to pay for the lives of thousands.

Although the Gaoyuan Marquis does not believe in gods or Buddhas, she was muttering to herself at this moment, hoping for heaven's favor and that this journey would go smoothly.

In an instant, the giant tree had turned into radiance and rolled back into the Jinwu Sword, and the light of the Jinwu Sword brightened by another degree.

Of course, the Jinwu Sword had just been forged and only had thirty percent of its original power. By the time all three Sword Intents returned, it had reached ninety percent, and today, having collected the final bit of power, it finally reached one hundred percent!

The true, complete Jinwu Sword has only now returned to the world!

But such a complete Jinwu Sword was not the protagonist. The moment the Jinwu Sword was restored, Tang Zhao immediately sheathed it and turned to take out the lotus pond he had prepared long ago.

That is the Dharma Artifact of the Kun Sword, which the Sword Saint gave to Tang Zhao back then.

Tang Zhao put on his Glasses and used his hand to slightly cover the lotus pond, creating a visual blind spot for Guiyuanshi.

"Simulated Hold—Kun Sword!"

The heavy scent of soil replaced the sky full of radiance.

"Hmm?" Guiyuanshi, who had been smiling calmly, had her expression freeze.

Tang Zhao certainly knew this would attract attention, but he had reached a point of no return, so he had no more scruples and simply used all his power to wield the Kun Sword.

"Sword Image—Breath Soil."

In an instant, a small piece of soil fell, landing exactly in the pit where the giant tree had been.

"Sword Intent, Gentle Expansion."

That piece of soil, initially the size of a fingernail, suddenly grew larger, like a balloon being blown up...

No, an ordinary balloon could not expand this fast; or rather, nothing could expand this fast. It expanded even faster than the smoke released from lighting a fire, expanding almost instantly beyond the field of vision, and it continued to expand infinitely in places unseen.

As long as there is a gap, Breath Soil can fill it all.

It was just that Tang Zhao's Sword Essence was being consumed at a rapid speed; he could feel that the rate at which the Living Soil expanded was closely linked to his Sword Essence. This was something he had known for a long time; otherwise, he would not have waited another month, waiting for his second Sword Intent to sprout and his Sword Essence to grow once more before doing this.

Having been forced to instantly drain his Sword Essence during the forging of the Jinwu Sword last time, Tang Zhao was already accustomed to such massive transfers of Sword Essence. Moreover, with the Jinwu Sword acting as his backup, he was capable of handling this consumption.

As the Living Soil expanded infinitely, the trembling ground instantly returned to calm, just like a shriveled bag being refilled, becoming plump and full once again.

This was also because the speed was fast enough; the earth only trembled and did not rupture. If it had truly collapsed, even if it were pushed back up, it could not have been restored to its original state.

The first step was successful!

In the eyes of the crowd, it was simply Tang Zhao waving his sword, the land of Yunzhou about to collapse, and then waving his sword again to refill the earth.

The collapse and reconstruction of the earth both happened between the waves of a sword!

What kind of great power was this?

Was this the new Marquis?

At this moment, Yunzhou had just passed through a crisis of collapse; the original energy of the Jinwu had been filled by the Living Soil, and the earth had returned to peace.

And Tang Zhao's power was also nearly exhausted; if he stopped now, he would obtain an intact Yunzhou.

But it would also be a barren Yunzhou.

Or rather, having lost the nourishment of the Jinwu geothermal heat, Yunzhou would return to its original position, becoming a bitter, cold land just like Liangzhou. Beneath the surface, there would only be thick, new soil, lacking even the humus of perennial plants; it would be as barren as sand, turning into frozen earth with the long winter.

Was this enough?

This was Tang Zhao's hometown. Tang Zhao was unwilling to end it like this; he used his remaining strength to raise his sword once more and swung it down high:

"Sword Momentum—Fertile Fields for a Thousand Miles!"

Surging energy seeped into the land; that was vitality, that was fertilizer, that was humus... that was every precious substance that could make the land fertile. They were poured beneath the land of Yunzhou just like the Living Soil.

Tang Zhao felt fatigue; it was the fatigue of an arrow at the end of its flight, and also the fatigue that comes after relaxation. Compared to the sword strike just now that was necessary to save Yunzhou, this strike was the icing on the cake. He could stop at any time; persisting for one more moment would bring one more benefit, and doing less would at most mean a few fewer acres of good farmland.

Pressure is the enemy of laziness. Once the life-or-death pressure was released, even Tang Zhao could not help but feel some indolence, but he suppressed himself and poured all his strength into it.

He wanted to give his fellow townsfolk a bountiful Yunzhou.

Finally, Tang Zhao wrung out the last bit of Sword Essence in his body, and the sword hung down powerlessly. Yet, he still stood straight. He could sit down to let himself rest, which would make him feel better, but the competitive spirit of a youth would not allow him to do so. He looked as if he could swing the next sword at any moment.

The surroundings were silent; the crowd was still immersed in the shock of the scene just now.

At this time, applause rang out from one side.

The applause was not loud, but it was exceptionally clear in the silence.

It was Guiyuanshi.

Guiyuanshi stood up and said, "Good, used well. The Kun Sword is meant for this; it seems you have your own understanding of the sword."

He smiled and said, "Since we have reached this point, there is one last step; let me help you complete it."

He did not take a sword, but merely pointed his finger lightly, pointing toward the Yunzhou earth beneath his feet:

"Supernatural Power—

Outstanding People and Glorious Land!"