Chapter 162

Yet, for him, who sought nothing but defeat, this was no good thing.

Thus, he grew increasingly lonely and desolate.

Later, he roamed the martial world for over thirty years, slaying all his enemies and defeating every hero, leaving none in the world who could stand against him.

Helpless, he spent his life seeking a worthy opponent and failing to find one, so he retreated into a deep valley, making a vulture his companion.

While in seclusion, his understanding of the Sword Dao did not stagnate; instead, it grew ever more refined.

When he broke through to the Heavenly Being Realm, he reflected on his past experiences, gained insight, and created the Five Realms of the Sword Dao.

Sharp Sword Without Intention: Swift and fierce, unbreakable and unstoppable, he used it before age twenty to contend with the heroes of the He-Shuo region.

Soft Sword Without Constancy: The Purple Veil Soft Sword, used before age thirty, mistakenly wounded a righteous man and brought ill fortune, so he cast it into a deep valley.

Heavy Sword Without Edge: The heavy sword has no edge, yet supreme skill lies in simplicity. Before age forty, he wielded it to dominate the world.

Wooden Sword Without Equal: After age forty, he was no longer bound by objects; grass, wood, bamboo, and stone could all become swords. From then on, he refined himself, gradually advancing toward the realm of winning without a sword.

No Sword, No Form: No sword in hand, no sword in heart—he had glimpsed the Way of the Heavenly Sword.

Yet this being, whom countless others looked up to and could never surpass in their lifetimes,

was defeated forty years ago by the Great Dragon Head of the Qinglong Society, Ximen Wudi, who granted him defeat!

Unbelievably, Ximen Wudi used only one strike—and the Sword Demon Dugu Qiubai was defeated.

He lost cleanly, neatly, without even the chance to raise his sword in defense!

After this defeat, Dugu Qiubai did not sink into despair; instead, he was ecstatic, feeling that his path was no longer solitary!

Stirred to battle, he joined the Qinglong Society to defeat and surpass Ximen Wudi, accepting the post of Third Dragon Head.

Heavenly Dao Evaluation: Born with Sword Bones, Peak of the Sword Dao, Breaker of Boundaries!

Heavenly Dao Reward: Sword Heart (the wielder can instantly comprehend all sword techniques and martial arts, aiding easier mastery of the Supreme Sword Dao), Mythical Breakthrough Pill (increases probability of breakthrough to the Mythical Realm by eighty percent), Sword Dao Mystery (contains the Supreme Sword Dao; the higher one's insight, the more one gains).

As the final character faded into view.

The Nine Continents instantly fell into deathly silence!

Even though the golden list's phenomenon had vanished.

The world still could not snap out of its stunned daze.

Everyone stared wide-eyed, faces filled with shock and awe.

After a long while,

a chorus of sharp intakes of breath rose across the Nine Continents.

If

Senior Xiaoyaozi's fame stirred awe and even madness because of Master Changsheng,

then

Dugu Qiubai inspired a sense of sheer strength!

Unmatched strength!!

Especially the Five Realms of the Sword Dao,

which struck the hearts of countless swordsmen with brutal force!

Even before this,

many sword masters had forged their own paths.

But if you asked them to explain their path clearly, they could only stare at each other in silence.

Or rather,

though they had comprehended their own Sword Dao,

they could only feel it, never express it.

But Dugu Qiubai

not only created the incomparable Dugu Nine Swords,

but also established a complete Sword Dao system.

One can only imagine how terrifying this was!!

To say he pioneered the way for all swordsmen in the world is no exaggeration!!

Even more,

in the hearts of countless swordsmen,

he was already revered as the Pioneer of the Sword Dao!

A figure like the founding ancestor!!

The depth of their worship is unimaginable.

Even though such a being was instantly slain by one strike from Ximen Wudi,

they felt no great shock.

Instead, their eyes held a flicker of excitement.

Because

Ximen Wudi was revered as the forbidden supreme master of the Nine Continents.

In every tale where he appeared,

he typically subdued his foes with one or two moves.

But does that mean the ranked protagonists were weak?

Quite the opposite.

They were not weak—they were terrifyingly strong!!

They lost only because they faced Ximen Wudi, a god beyond the realm of martial arts.

Such a defeat is glorious in its very loss!

Moreover.

In other words.

To have Ximen Wudi personally come knocking, and bestow upon one a defeat.

Just this one point alone is enough to brag about for a lifetime!

Look — wasn't it the Dasuimo Sect's Evil Emperor Xiang Yutian.

Who merely happened to watch the battle, yet was scared into a lasting psychological shadow.

Even someone like Guiguzi, a being already nearly legendary.

Also fled for his life in desperation, barely clinging to survival!

And figures like Zhang Daoling, Li Taibai, and Senior Xiaoyaozi were all subdued one after another.

Thus.

To have lost to him.

Is it shameful?

Is it disgraceful?

Even.

If one had never crossed hands with Ximen Wudi.

No matter how high that person's ranking.

The people of the Nine Provinces might not necessarily be convinced!

A horse is a horse only when it has a record of clashing with the Great Dragon Chief of the Qinglong Society!

If one cannot even take a single move or half-move of his.

What right does one have to be on the list?!

Finally.

What the people of the world envied most to the point of total meltdown was the reward of the Heavenly Dao Golden List.

Whether it was the Sword Heart, the breakthrough to the Mythical Realm Pill, or the Sword Dao Mysteries.

Any single one of them was something countless experts dreamed of day and night!

It's not that they looked down on the previous Heavenly Dao rewards.

It's simply that among the martial artists of the Nine Provinces, swordsmen made up over two-thirds!

And the Heavenly Dao rewards of others were not as universally useful as these three.

Thus.

Naturally, such an effect would appear!