Chapter 108: Witness of the Era (5) |
The crowd from Heavenly Sword Sacred Land erupted in joy.
"It's Senior Brother Mu coming out of seclusion! Senior Brother Mu ranks fourth on the Southern Domain Heavenly Prodigy List. With him taking action, he will surely crush this arrogant fool!"
"But… can Senior Brother Mu really defeat him…?"
"Of course he can! Senior Brother Mu is the number-one genius of our Heavenly Sword Sacred Land's younger generation!"
"…"
Every prodigy of Heavenly Sword Sacred Land pinned all their hopes on Mu Wunian. Yet even they had to admit—this madman who dared challenge the entire younger generation of Heavenly Sword Sacred Land was frighteningly powerful…
Under countless expectant gazes, vast sword qi unfurled into a soaring path that pierced the heavens. At the far end of the path walked a young man wearing a feathered crown. An ancient sword hung at his waist; faint crimson patterns pulsed across its surface like breathing. The sword seemed alive.
Mu Wunian—current Sequence Sacred Son of Heavenly Sword Sacred Land. Before reaching the age of twenty, he had already broken through to the Profound Connection Realm. More importantly, he wielded the legendary supreme sword left behind by the Imperial Sword Dynasty—Dustreturn Sword!
Legend claimed the sword had been forged from the sword path and physical body of the Imperial Sword Dynasty's founding ancestor. The forging method had long been lost. The first sword master, Shen Daoyuan, had once relied on this very blade to fight five Quasi-Saints in succession—slaying two, heavily wounding one—before finally perishing from exhaustion. Afterward, Dustreturn Sword vanished from the world.
Mu Wunian looked down from above. Beneath his sword-like brows burned an arrogant, untamed light that brooked no equals. He swept a contemptuous gaze across the defeated true disciples of Heavenly Sword Sacred Land who had fallen to Su Chen and snorted coldly. "A bunch of trash. After cultivating for so long, you can't even handle an outsider. Do I really have to handle this myself?"
Then his eyes settled on Su Chen. With open disdain, he declared, "So it's you—the one who dares challenge the younger generation of our Heavenly Sword Sacred Land?"
Su Chen raised an eyebrow. He genuinely found it hard to believe that this person was truly the most outstanding disciple of Heavenly Sword Sacred Land's current generation.
What a pitiful sight.
Mu Wunian mistook Su Chen's silence for fear. He turned his head and announced grandly, "The dignity of my Sacred Land cannot be lightly trampled. If you lose to me, I demand that you shatter your own sword heart. Do you dare accept this wager?"
Su Chen looked at the supremely confident Mu Wunian and gave a soft laugh. "If you lose, I want… that sword."
He pointed directly at the Dustreturn Sword hanging at Mu Wunian's waist.
Mu Wunian's expression changed slightly, but he still agreed without hesitation. "Fine. If you can defeat me, the sword is yours. If you lose, you will shatter your sword heart and never hold a blade again!"
Mu Wunian had absolute confidence in his own strength.
Su Chen nodded. A trace of seriousness finally appeared in his eyes.
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Mu Wunian's sword path realm was, at best, only slightly stronger than the true disciples of other Sacred Lands. But the moment he grasped the sword at his waist, Su Chen felt a terrifying sword aura awaken from within Mu Wunian's body.
Within Dustreturn Sword lay the fused sword insights of his sixth life as Shen Chen and Shen Daoyuan—already elevated to an entirely different level. Under the enhancement of the two sword paths, Mu Wunian underwent a transformation. Golden sword qi radiated from his body. His hair whipped wildly. Sword qi crisscrossed the air.
Su Chen leaped down from the white horse. His azure robes fluttered. The long sword at his waist left its sheath—calm as still water, without any unusual phenomena. It looked like an utterly ordinary mortal weapon.
Yet the sight made Mu Wunian feel as though he faced a great enemy. This sword intent… ever-changing, intricate, and profound.
In an instant, their sword qi collided. Sword intents clashed fiercely, forming a terrifying barrier of sword qi around them. Dense sword lights interwove so thickly that no one could see clearly what was happening inside. But everyone knew—this was destined to be a brutal, earth-shaking battle.
Mu Wunian could not understand why his terrifying divine abilities were always dispelled so effortlessly by Su Chen with a single ordinary-looking strike—whether a chop, a slash, or a lift. Every sword seemed simple, yet carried an extraordinary force.
"Why… why is this happening…"
In his growing agitation, Mu Wunian poured every ounce of his vital energy into Dustreturn Sword, hoping to win through its power.
Seeing this, disappointment flickered in Su Chen's eyes. He held his sword horizontally across his chest.
In the next moment, the sky changed. Everyone witnessed an unbelievable scene. Within the entire Heavenly Sword Sacred Land, every sword artifact suddenly resonated. They all turned in one direction, as though paying homage.
"This… this is the Sword of Utmost Sincerity!"
"How is this possible? How could someone so young have already reached this step in the sword path? Even that Sword Madman back then never…"
"We have all underestimated this person! Who in the world is he?"
"…"
The sword dao was flawless. With that single stroke from Su Chen, the world seemed to lose all color—everything faded to monochrome gray. A sound like tearing space rang out. Then color bled back into existence.
On the ground lay a figure in tattered robes, drenched in blood.
Mu Wunian stared blankly ahead. He had lost…
"It must be the sword in your hand… You only won because of superior weaponry!"
Mu Wunian roared in refusal to accept reality. But as the words left his mouth, he watched in disbelief as the "divine sword" in Su Chen's grip—far surpassing the Dustreturn Sword in his eyes—began to dissolve bit by bit until nothing remained.
Su Chen shook his head with faint regret.
"As expected, a sword bought with a single spirit stone really is poor quality. Fortunately, I won a decent replacement."
Under Mu Wunian's incredulous gaze, Su Chen raised a hand. The Dustreturn Sword flew from the ground straight into his palm.
Mu Wunian had no time to react. Su Chen's calm voice drifted past his ear.
"The wager is settled. This sword now belongs to me. And one more thing—your sword dao lacks sincerity. You rely too heavily on external objects and carry too many distracting thoughts."
Su Chen stored the Dustreturn Sword away and prepared to leave the Heavenly Sword Sacred Land. His purpose here had been fulfilled.
One man had single-handedly crushed the younger generation of the Heavenly Sword Sacred Land. Though he had killed no one, for proud young sword cultivators, this was no less devastating than having their edge broken and their spines snapped. From this day forward, their sword hearts would carry a permanent stain. He had crippled the future of the Heavenly Sword Sacred Land's younger generation.
Su Chen mounted his white horse once more, Hu Miaomiao nestled in his arms, and turned to depart.
Just as he glanced back, the void ahead suddenly split open. Through the rift appeared another scene—a sword platform. A young man sat cross-legged atop it, gazing calmly at Su Chen. That single glance sent an icy chill racing through Su Chen's entire body. In that moment, he was reminded of Cao Tianming—the genius who had once been utterly sincere in his sword dao.
The disciples of the Heavenly Sword Sacred Land bowed in unison the instant they saw him.
"Sacred Son!"
The youth gave a slight nod. His eyes remained fixed on Su Chen.
"You and I do not belong to the same era. If I were to act against you now, it would be bullying the weak. Victory would hold no meaning… But know this—the Heavenly Sword Sacred Land has never lacked for someone who has reached the pinnacle of the sword. You alone are not qualified to break our younger generation's sword dao spine. Wang Chen—deliver these words to Wang Yunfei. Ten years from now, I will personally travel to Central Continent and seek him out for a proper duel."
With those words, the spatial rift sealed itself.
The youth never once made a move.