Chapter 2069: Bowing to the Sword

The Dao arrived in a dream; Qingju was called forth from the heart.When consciousness returned, the flowers were still in full bloom; as the swordplay ceased, only the shadow of a lonely tower remained.

That first sword, which once manifested in the Three Realms on Ba Zun'an's path to enlightenment, traversed millions of mystical gates, quietly arriving from the distant future.

“Dream…”

This was not the first time Sheng Xin had personally experienced the ‘Grand Dream of a Thousand Autumns.’Completely different from Xu Xiaoshou's sword, Ba Zun'an, as the original creator of the ‘Grand Dream of a Thousand Autumns,’ wielded his sword with a more innate and perfect mastery.

He had no intention of concealing when this sword was cast, how it would transform, or what ultimate outcome it would lead to.Nor did he layer a ‘Sea of Intent’ beneath the dream, ensuring that even if the target broke free from the dream, they would only fall into another vortex.

His ‘Grand Dream of a Thousand Autumns’ was simply a pure dream.This sword was designed to bring death within the dream, seemingly certain that those who entered it would have no chance of awakening.

“You have reached the end of the Dao; how could your sword possibly advance any further?”

Sheng Xin had no strength left to offer any resistance; in fact, the moment he saw the millions of mystical gates arrayed before his face, he had already fallen into complete despair.

After the ‘forced control’ of the myriad Celestial Mechanism Brains, his path was completely severed; he could not hear even a whisper from the outside world and had lost all will to save himself.

At the end of his life, the only thing he could do was witness the end of the Grand Dao one more time!

“Buzz…”A buzzing sound, like tinnitus, vibrated softly within his cerebral cortex.

The scene before his eyes blurred, and when clarity returned, there was no longer any sight of the starry sky beyond the Saintly Divine Continent.

Dreamlike and fantastical, beautiful flower petals drifted up with the wind.This world was too illusory, without sky or ground; even the very surface he stood upon was pieced together from spatial mirrors resembling prisms, reflecting faint, colorful light.

It plainly told those who entered the dream that this was merely a dream, that everything here was untrustworthy; to believe meant death, to believe meant descent into oblivion.Yet, Sheng Xin believed.

He lowered his head, and through the fragrant haze before him, he saw countless reflections of himself in the prismatic mirrors.There was the youthful self who, at the beginning of his cultivation, awakened the ‘Pupil of Pearls and Jade.’There was the young self who, having ascended through the power of destiny, comprehended the Grand Dao of Five Elements and the sacred paths derived from them.There was the middle-aged self who, beginning to revel in power and fearing the future he glimpsed, slaughtered hundreds of races, proclaiming “those who defy me shall perish.”There was the demonic and greedy self who, stimulated by the Sword Dragon and various Celestial Ancestors, turned to demonic cultivation, yearning for greater heights and more power.

There were too many, too many ‘selves’ along this journey of cultivation: those who had been resolute, those who had been lost, those who had fallen, and those who had been forgotten.

“Me…”With a single glance, countless dream-selves invaded his being.

The impact this brought was more profoundly moving than the massive computational results of the myriad Celestial Mechanism Brains.

Sheng Xin raised his head.He was merely a vestige of a single Dao, not even a complete self.

At this moment, enveloped by the ‘Grand Dream of a Thousand Autumns’ sword realm, under the assault of countless selves from a thousand autumns and ten thousand years, meaningless tears streamed from his eyes.

With blurry, tear-filled eyes, the scenes he witnessed became even more convoluted.

Sheng Xin had completely lost the ability to move, think, or speak. He looked up into the distance, sensing that the illusory sword-self of Ba Zun'an beyond the millions of mystical gates became more solid as his own self became more lost.

Eventually, it seemed as if Ba Zun'an's true form had personally entered the dream world. Though clearly eight feet tall, merely shoulder-height with him, its presence soared to the clouds, and only by looking at it did he realize how insignificant he truly was.

“Ba Zun'an…”Sheng Xin's face contorted as he struggled with all his might to say something.

He completely lost control of the inner turmoil assailed by his various selves at that moment. Perhaps he wanted to beg for mercy, or merely vent, or perhaps it was unwillingness, or anger.

But he couldn't speak.All emotions were caught in his throat, choking him painfully.

After Ba Zun'an's form solidified, he gave Sheng Xin no chance to speak. His eyes and brows held only the undisturbed calm of one who had indifferently faced eternity.

Qingju slashed obliquely, and a hundred flowers spun wildly.The ‘Grand Dream of a Thousand Autumns’ shattered; the broken mirror impossible to mend.

“No…”Sheng Xin helplessly watched the millions of mystical gates before him, which, in an instant, as if summoned, burst forth with dazzling sword light.

Behind each gate, a silhouetted black figure coalesced dimly, each a diverse image of a sword cultivator: thrusting, poking, parrying, blocking.

Millions of sword cultivators then transformed into millions of swords, all simultaneously bowing towards Ba Zun'an's position.

With this bow, the sword's momentum soared through the clouds.The figures Sheng Xin saw were surrounded by surging, vast sword energy, and amidst the swirling mist, scene after scene emerged.

Those were not his own ‘selves,’but Ba Zun'an's ‘selves.’

It was as if he was tracing Ba Zun'an's journey through time, searching for past Celestial Realms' encounters: seizing opportunities to comprehend the Dao, fighting against people he met, and battling continuously without pause.

A lone person with a single sword, at first, fought to a draw.Gradually, his realm stabilized, and he could resolve opponents in just a few rounds.Eventually, he could casually pick up a withered branch or fallen leaf from the roadside and suppress various Ancestral Gods and Venerated Supremes, forcing their families to yield and kneel in submission; after his fearsome reputation spread, Qingju, without even unsheathing, could already deter all challengers.

“This…”Sheng Xin's heart sank to rock bottom.

Ba Zun'an's journey had surprisingly not been merely a path to seek Celestial Realms, but a path of conquest and slaughter.After undergoing such trials, his aura remained just as formidable, growing stronger rather than diminishing. Against his current weakened self, what could he use to win?

All images, amidst the trembling of his mind, vanished like smoke.

Sheng Xin cast one last glance, as Ba Zun'an, brimming with endless sword momentum, twirled his fingers, pinching half a dream-leaf between two fingers, and lightly tossed it.

The yellow sword-leaf sliced through space and time, cutting towards him.

A world in a single flower. As the light of the flower-leaf patterns flickered, it seemed to project the true form of Ba Zun'an's sword: clearly taking his body as a sheath, raising the sword above his head.

The sword was drawn.Inch by inch, the blade emerged from its sheath; foot by foot, the sword's momentum soared.

Such a commotion startled all the Ancestral Gods and Venerated Supremes throughout time and space. Yet, not a single one dared to utter a sound, all retreating in alarm. Those who couldn't retreat fast enough were instantly pressed to their knees.

And those who, from across all ages and space, witnessed this sword and retreated or bowed in reverence, surprisingly became a source of aid to this sword's momentum, making its edge sharper, its killing intent increasingly potent, until it was utterly unstoppable.

A single leaf flew forth, a single sword was unleashed.Wherever it passed, the Dao laws lay low, destiny prostrated itself; none dared to rise higher than this sword-leaf.

The only one facing this sword head-on was Sheng Xin!Only Sheng Xin, with no escape, no evasion, completely locked onto!

No—Sheng Xin wanted to scream, but was suppressed to the point he couldn't even make a sound. He could only watch, wide-eyed, as death approached, listening as the sword-leaf flew closer, bringing with it the calm sword-verses from the distant end of the Dao, the verses of one who had nurtured momentum through battle, slain his way to the highest peak, and returned still undisturbed.

“A half-leaf of maple yellow suppresses the purple pine;A startled swan breaks its wing, the abyss fish are gone.Nine Heavens, Ten Earths, Three Thousand Realms,If Qingju remains silent, who dares claim supremacy?”

Sword-Worship Art?!On Crane Pavilion Mountain, the sickly Xu Xiaoshou suddenly sprang up, his face filled with shock.

Undoubtedly, this was the ultimate intent of the sword recorded in ‘The Sword-Gazing Compendium,’ integrating the Nine Great Sword Arts, Eighteen Sword Flows, and Three Thousand Sword Dao, the one sword that converted all variations and evasions into absolute offense.

However, it wasn't entirely the same as what was recorded in the book.Ba Zun'an's sword was thousands, tens of thousands of times more advanced?

“He’s holding back secrets?!”

Perhaps it wasn't holding back secrets, but rather that Ba Zun'an had integrated all his insights from the temporal realm into this single sword.Naturally, what was presented at this moment was vastly different from the ‘Sword-Worship Art,’ which, when ‘The Sword-Gazing Compendium’ was first compiled decades ago, was merely a conceptual outline.

What could not be questioned was…

“So powerful!”This sword far surpassed the so-called mystical gates of the Three Realms, the Four Realms, and even the higher gates above them.

Just as the sword emerged, the millions of mystical gates that opened from distant time and space to the present moment were far beyond what any ancient sword cultivator on the Saintly Divine Continent, throughout history, could achieve.

Ba Zun'an had surpassed the Sword Ancestor, not by half a step.After undergoing the bloody baptism of the temporal realm, he had surpassed him by countless steps, far beyond what any successor could ever hope to achieve.

“But even if I fall short, I’ve memorized it!”

Xu Xiaoshou's eyes widened as he committed the Sword-Worship Art to memory.His experience lacked the segment of temporal realm tempering. Even if he cast the same Sword-Worship Art, it would likely fall short compared to Ba Zun'an's.

But he wasn't afraid.He was still young.

As for temporal realm tempering, he could walk the path Ba Zun'an had walked later.

What Ba Zun'an knew, he must also know!And what he knew, he would surely hide, ensuring Ba Zun'an wouldn't know!

Only then would it be possible to surpass this petty person who liked to hide his skills and defeat him in a direct confrontation!

“In truth, even if I were to teach him the Dao of Naming, the Sword Art of Naming, Ba Zun'an probably wouldn't be able to learn it. Different professions are like mountains apart; it's hard to judge this.”

Amidst his mental shock, he looked back at Sheng Xin under the Sword-Worship Art…What was left of Sheng Xin?

The single maple-yellow leaf swept forth. This ‘purple pine,’ which Ba Zun'an still thought was in its prime, was in fact already outwardly strong but inwardly weak, having been reduced by his own killing to less than one ten-thousandth of its peak state.Yet, he had to forcibly receive this supreme Sword-Worship Art. So, as the maple yellow sliced through his skull, Sheng Xin couldn't even resist and died on the spot.

And after the momentum of the Sword-Worship Art within the sword-leaf fully erupted, it caused Sheng Xin... or rather, Dao Qiongcang's body, to directly explode into dust, annihilated into nothingness.

Dead beyond dead!Body, spirit, intent, self—all four paths were utterly destroyed, immediately triggering a lament of Dao sounds across the Saintly Divine Continent, announcing Sheng Xin's complete demise.

A True Stele of Origin flew out.This was the only object not completely pulverized by the Sword-Worship Art, yet it was not Sheng Xin's True Stele of Origin, but one inscribed with the character “Medicine.”

Before long, at the site of Sheng Xin's Dao fall, light flowed, and another True Stele of Origin condensed, this time inscribed with “Demon.”

“It’s over…”Xu Xiaoshou gazed at the two True Steles of Origin, falling into a sudden daze for no apparent reason.

After fighting for so long, the path of demonic medicine and malevolence was finally completely vanquished, and the scales of final victory tipped towards his side.

It felt like a dream!It felt as if he were still in his previous life, confined to a sickbed, unable to move.In the blink of an eye, the Heavenly Sang Spiritual Palace had become a thing of the past, and places like White Cave, Eastern Heavenly King City, Cloud Ridge Mountain Range, Void Island, Four Symbols Secret Realm, and the Ruins of God had rapidly passed by.

He directly ushered in a divine war, directly confronting various Ancestral Gods.

Yet, in the desperate situation where the cowardly Ba Zun'an had fled the battlefield, fearing to face the demonic medicine and malevolence head-on, Xu Xiaoshou, by himself, managed to quell the chaotic battle and seize the fruits of victory.

But in the end, it was Ba Zun'an, who had appeared from who knows where, who, with a single leaf of the Sword-Worship Art, slew Sheng Xin and declared the divine war over.

“Why?!”Xu Xiaoshou, as if waking from a dream, was so enraged his liver ached.

Why did you, Ba Zun'an, act like a coward, avoiding battle for so long, only to emerge at the very end to snatch the kill?Are you sick?!

Since you avoided it for so long, you should have just avoided it until the end, and then come out to share the fruits of victory.

You left at the crucial moment, then returned before the victory fruits were shared, with a flashy sword strike, to proclaim to the world that you are the most powerful?In my opinion, that flashy old Daoist isn't even half as insufferable as you, you damned old Eighth!

“Wait, there’s also that flashy old Daoist…”A sudden realization startled Xu Xiaoshou quite a bit.

He immediately focused back on himself, and a quick, careful search revealed that on his Sea of Intent, there was an unconcealed ‘handshake’ symbol clinging to it.

“Dao Qiongcang!” Xu Xiaoshou shouted loudly, and made to erase the mark.

“Master Shou,”A call, filled with various laments and deep pleading, immediately surfaced in his mind:“Master Shou, I was wrong.”“But please, please, do not erase this mark.”“In the New Celestial Realm, there is a Tree of Memories that elevates Dao laws. I can give it all up, let it all belong to you, Master Shou; I just want to live.”“Please also rest assured, Master Shou, even if I, Dao Qiongcang, live, I can no longer pose any threat to you or Ba Zun'an. After all, I've abandoned my body, and all my fallback plans were there; recovery would take a very long time.”“I have nothing now. If you truly erase this mark, Master Shou, and erase all memories of me from the consciousness of the world, then I will truly have ‘fallen.’ You would gain one more True Stele of Origin, but Master Shou… you would lose a good friend who genuinely loves you!”

Xu Xiaoshou fell silent.Images flashed through his mind: first hearing about the Dao Palace Master in the Heavenly Sang Spiritual Palace, first meeting Dao Qiongcang on Void Island, being pursued and hunted on Qingyuan Mountain, and then cooperating in the Ruins of God…Too many!

Dao Qiongcang, this dog, seemed both foe and friend, making it impossible to discern his true intentions.Once, Xu Xiaoshou had regarded him as a lifelong arch-enemy. He even kept an unrevealed ‘Berserk Golden Body,’ just in case Dao Qiongcang might eventually rebel.

None!This guy, could he actually be at his wit's end, with nothing left but to play the emotional card?

“Master Shou, I’ve paid my friendship fee…”“Master Shou, ‘Divine Descent Art’ is very useful…”“Master Shou, only if I live can I recreate the Black Memory Mark, and only then will the people in memories have a chance to revive. If I die, everyone is gone…”

In his mind, earnest pleas echoed. Dao Qiongcang was tearful and pitiful, utterly shameless, seemingly willing to do anything just to live.

“You’re noisy! Are you threatening me?!”“How dare I, Master Shou? I’m merely stating the facts…”

Xu Xiaoshou didn't immediately help Dao Qiongcang revive, but he also didn't directly erase the mark in his consciousness. He simply stood his ground.He was hesitating, unable to make a definite decision for a moment.

Dao Qiongcang was cunning, but he had indeed done quite a lot.Regarding the path of reviving the people of the Apricot Realm using the Black Memory Mark, although Xu Xiaoshou could seize Dao whiskers and the Dao of memory from Dao characters, recreate the Black Memory Mark, retrieve everyone from memories, and then revive the world's people through the Dao of Body, Dao of Spirit, and Dao of Intent.

But doing so would mean losing Dao Qiongcang.Though Dao Qiongcang was despicable, his Dao of memory could be seized, but his computational ability was terrifying, far beyond Xu Xiaoshou's reach.

He couldn't replicate it, nor did he want to.No normal person could endure the trillion-level information volume that constantly had to be processed in their mind.

And on Nuo Zu's side, it wasn't just him needed, but also more useful helpers.Ba Zun'an as the sword, Dao Qiongcang as the brain, and himself to muddle through—this was indeed the most perfect combination.

The only point of hesitation was that Dao Qiongcang was too prone to ‘straying.’ Xu Xiaoshou wasn't confident he could completely keep this person in check, no matter how sweet Dao Qiongcang's words were or how weak he appeared.

“Master Shou.”Just as he was still indecisive, at the far end of time and space, Ba Zun'an, having finished casting his sword, had not immediately disappeared.

He had only temporarily returned by following memories; his true body couldn't possibly return that quickly. Yet now, through memory, he turned to the Dao of Intent, climbed onto Xu Xiaoshou's Sea of Consciousness, and contacted him.

“You’re still here!”Xu Xiaoshou looked up, gazing at Ba Zun'an's blurred face in the distance, his eyes suddenly lit up:“You don’t ask yet, I have a question I want to ask you first.”

“Master Shou, please speak.”

Xu Xiaoshou took a deep breath, and solemnly asked: “Dao Qiongcang: to kill or not to kill?”

Ba Zun'an seemed to pause at the question, glancing at the nearby site of Sheng Xin's fall, as if wondering something, but quickly appeared relieved.He must have known that when Dao Qiongcang was involved, it was natural that he wouldn't be completely eliminated. And his choice was, naturally, an unequivocal one… to eradicate him completely:

“Kill!”“If you get the chance, it's best to kill him immediately, without any hesitation.”