Chapter Sixty-Nine: The Three Pure Ones of One Qi Transform into the Azure Dragon

By all rights, for someone of his senior standing to be driven to such lengths in battle was already a sign that he had been outmaneuvered; after all, Bai Mu was a nameless, insignificant figure, while Shen Que was a sword immortal of the Wilds, renowned for centuries. Yet at this moment, Shen Que seemed oblivious to this fact. In his mind, there was only one thought: to thoroughly defeat Bai Mu and win glory for himself and for the Temple of the Ruins.

Having been forced back three feet in a sorry state, Shen Que hurriedly tossed his greatsword into the air, chanting, “O Mountain of Floating Jade, spirit of the God of War, sword of the Ruins, aid me in slaying evil—now!” The greatsword, suspended in midair, swelled several times over at his command, transforming before their eyes into a colossal blade at least two meters long.

Then, before the watching crowd, it split into four, becoming four massive swords aligned side by side, which in the blink of an eye whistled down upon Bai Mu’s head with astonishing speed.

Even Ling Yan, observing from a distance, could not help but feel a surge of anxiety at the sight of these powerful blades. The technique of multiplying a single sword into several is distilled from the very essence of the Dao itself. In the beginning, heaven and earth divided; there were two energies, Yin and Yang, which became the heavenly way. The Dao gives birth to one, one to all things, in an endless cycle of transformation.

The move Shen Que now unleashed, the Celestial Saint Sword Art, was derived by the God of War from the heavenly Dao. Though the power wielded by Shen Que could not compare to the God of War Fan Xian of old, such a marvelous sword technique, even in the hands of an ordinary cultivator, could yield miraculous results—let alone in those of a sword immortal like Shen Que.

Yet, to Bai Mu, this situation had a different flavor entirely. He had trespassed into Floating Jade Mountain precisely to study Fan Xian’s Celestial Saint Sword Art, hoping to master the sword energy within him that flared uncontrollably at every full moon. But now, before he had even met the God of War, he was already being forced back by a disciple of the Ruins wielding the very technique he sought—it was truly laughable.

“Boy, what are you afraid of?” A mysterious voice sounded from within the Void Cauldron in his abdomen. “The Azure Dragon Sword also possesses the power to split into three forms!”

“How do I unleash it?”

At this hint from the enigmatic figure within the Void Cauldron, Bai Mu’s confusion vanished as if a beacon had been lit in his heart. All previous anxiety and despair were swept away in an instant.

Meanwhile, a glance upward revealed the four giant swords were almost upon him; hesitate any longer and he would surely lose his life.

“Repeat after me!” thundered the mysterious voice within the cauldron. “Heaven gives birth to one, earth completes it. Sacred Sword Azure Dragon, transform without form—now!”

Nervously, Bai Mu followed the incantation. To his astonishment, the Azure Dragon Sword slipped from his grasp and soared into the air of its own accord. With the speed of a shooting star, it circled above, and in an instant, eight sacred swords of the Azure Dragon appeared out of thin air, forming a semicircular formation before him.

Each sword looked identical to the others, as if they were brothers born of the same mold—suddenly, he had gained seven powerful allies. Gazing at the eight ancient swords arrayed in the sky, then at the four giant blades rushing toward him, a fierce killing intent welled up within Bai Mu, as if a seed of slaughter had been planted deep in his soul, now beginning to sprout.

Kill!

With a hysterical roar, Bai Mu unleashed this intent, his voice laden with spiritual power that rippled outward like a shockwave, nearly rupturing the eardrums of the less cultivated disciples of the Ruins.

The eight sacred swords of the Azure Dragon, hovering in the air, instantly shot toward the incoming four giant blades like arrows loosed from drawn bows.

Clang! Clang, clang!

The clash of metal resounded through the air, tinged with the aura of death, causing many of the Ruins disciples nearby to spit blood on the spot. The eight Azure Dragon swords met the four ordinary greatswords, and in an instant, overwhelmed them with irresistible force, shattering them to dust—so completely that not a single fragment of iron remained.

Yet the power of the eight ancient swords did not wane; without any order from Bai Mu, they surged straight toward Shen Que himself.

Having unleashed his technique of multiplying swords, Shen Que had been certain of victory, a wicked smile curling upon his lips as his blades closed in on Bai Mu. In his pride, he had already forgotten his earlier promise to spare Bai Mu’s life.

But his smile froze before it could fade.

Facing the eight sacred swords of the Azure Dragon bearing down upon him, the regal aura they exuded left him so stunned that he forgot even the instinct to flee. He could do nothing but stand rooted to the spot and await death; even had he wished to evade, there was no way he could match the blinding speed of the Azure Dragon swords.

“Watch out!” The Lord of Heaven’s Wrath, witnessing the danger, rushed forward at full speed. His gray robe became a blur as he darted across the battlefield, and at the very moment the swords were about to strike Shen Que, he yanked him back and sped away.

Boom!

The eight great swords slammed into the ground where Shen Que had just stood, carving a square crater a meter across into the earth. Grass flew in all directions, and looking closer, one could see the blades sunk three inches into the soil.

The other seven Azure Dragon swords, their force spent, immediately retreated into the primary blade, leaving only the hilt of the Azure Dragon sword standing upright, most of its length buried in the gray-brown earth.

The thunderous crash of the sword striking the ground left the surviving disciples of the Ruins reeling, scattering them in all directions; some even bled from every orifice, their bodies trembling on the verge of collapse.

Whew...

Even the mighty Lord of Heaven’s Wrath could not suppress a long sigh of relief, inwardly marveling at how close they had come to disaster. Had he not intervened in time, Shen Que would have been minced to pulp by the eight ancient swords of the Azure Dragon.

Rise!

With a calm expression, Bai Mu pointed toward the distant, earth-buried Azure Dragon sword. At his command, the sword, as if drawn by an invisible force, burst free from the soil and, in the next instant, returned to his hand.