Lord of the Earth

"This is... the righteous man Ximen has made his move!"

Someone gasped in shock, their voice filled with awe and awe.

The light of that sword, like a cold and lonely star in the heavens, carrying the meaning of severing worldly ties and annihilating all things, suddenly fell into this battlefield!
Its power was so great that the calamity-ridden, incredibly powerful demigod-like dragon was completely annihilated before it could offer even the slightest resistance, as if it had never existed.

This earth-shattering sword strike silenced countless people on the battlefield, stirring up a storm of emotions as they marveled at its elegance and power.

"Oh no, the righteous man Ximen actually intervened for this young man?"

However, inside the mysterious inn, the expressions of some people who knew a little about the inside story changed instantly.

Instead of joy, they expressed worry and regret.

"Such a powerful expert, isn't it a good thing that he's willing to help?"

Some people who didn't know the reason were puzzled.

"Alas, you do not know that the righteous man Ximen cultivates a unique 'ruthless sword path'!"

An experienced shopkeeper, familiar with the situation, muttered to himself.

"This sword path requires severing all emotions and desires, with only the sword in one's heart, in order to sever all worldly ties and touch the ultimate true meaning of the sword path... He has endured for many years, and his sword heart has long been close to divine, even having the astonishing feat of slaying a divine incarnation. He himself is only one step away from that true 'divine realm' from tempering, but now..."

"Now that he's acting for his son, his heart is filled with affection and attachment... Isn't this destroying his own foundation and wasting all his previous efforts?!"

A person next to him chimed in, his tone filled with shock and regret.

In their view, this sword, though powerful, was like a fleeting flower in full bloom, its brilliance followed by eternal decay, signifying the severance of a path to the heavens!
"Finally, you couldn't resist and intervened to save him..." Temple Bishop Kevin muttered to himself, a complex smile playing on his lips, a mixture of pleasure, resentment, and a hint of jealousy. "It seems my prediction was entirely correct... This boy is indeed related to you by blood!"

What most people don't know is that Kevin and Simon Chuixue had a very unpleasant experience together. Years ago, the two happened to be on the same battlefield. After working together to slay a powerful calamity creature, the creature left behind a strange sword imbued with the power of a "dragon soul"!

Both being masters of swordsmanship, they naturally refused to yield to each other and began to compete.

Ultimately, Kevin's "Holy Light Secret Technique" was suppressed by Ximen Chuixue's "Sword Heart Clarity". In fact, because he tried to forcibly subdue it, he suffered a "Dragon Soul Backlash", which not only caused him serious injuries, but also made him lose face in front of many powerful figures from the East and West.

Kevin considered this a great humiliation, and it also made him remember that man who was as cold as a sword and as ruthless as snow.

Therefore, when Ximen Wuhen appeared, displaying an appearance and swordplay style that were identical to Ximen Chuixue's, Kevin already had doubts.

He threw out the Cheng Ying Sword as a wager, not only to demoralize the Eastern forces, but also to force Ximen Chuixue to break his vow by using a scenario similar to the past!
He firmly believed that once someone who had cultivated the ruthless sword path to such a level was troubled by family ties, their sword heart would inevitably develop an irreparable flaw, making it difficult to achieve perfection again!

As for Kevin, his "broken sword heart" back then was nothing. He only needed to keep collecting faith for the "master" and one day he would be promoted to "god"!
"You walk the ultimate sword path that cuts through everything, solely to ascend to that ethereal 'divine realm'..."

Kevin sneered inwardly, filled with a twisted sense of superiority.

"But now, your sword heart, like mine, has been shattered, and you have no hope of reaching the divine realm! From this day forward, I will finally be bathed in divine grace and become a noble subordinate god! From now on, the gap between you and me will be as insurmountable as an insurmountable chasm!"

He even stepped forward and changed the subject.

"Furthermore! The annihilation of that seventh-level Transcendent being by Ximen Wuhen just now should also not be counted in the bet results!"

Kevin's voice was sharp, pointing to the lingering aftershocks of the sword energy in the air.

"This is a serious violation because he received external assistance! According to the agreement, he must have completed the kill independently! Therefore, his current record is still seven kills, not eight!"

These words immediately caused an uproar!
This blatant double standard has truly shown everyone what "species diversity" means!
Even though it was his temple that used the "Holy Power Conduction" group support secret technique first, why is he now demanding that the other party be absolutely "independent"?
Moreover, when Ximen Chuixue made his move, Ximen Wuhen was already exhausted and on the verge of death. This sword strike was more of a rescue than a simple assist.

"Shameless!"

"Double standards are indeed a deeply ingrained tradition among these Westerners!"

Countless scornful and angry gazes were cast upon Kevin, which would have almost provoked public outrage if not for the formidable enemy at hand.

But Kevin didn't care; he only needed to control the other side by sticking to the rules. He secretly gave the chosen Templar Knight a wink.

The Templar Knight understood immediately. With the support of the surging holy power transmitted from his companion, he suddenly drew back the light-forged war bow. A dazzling arrow of light instantly condensed and locked onto a Saint Realm Chiwen that was entangled in battle with a Chinese cultivator.

Once this arrow is fired, he will achieve his ninth kill, and victory will be just one step away!
However, just as that arrow of light was about to leave the bowstring!

call out--!
A sword light, faster, colder, and more decisive than before, struck first despite being slower than before!

It was so fast that even the demigod-level two-winged angel in charge of guarding it didn't have time to react, and didn't even see where the sword light came from. The sword light swept past the holy-level Chiwen with perfect accuracy, and before it was hit by the light arrow, it had completely extinguished its life force!

The next moment, Ximen Chuixue's figure appeared silently in the sky above the battlefield like a ghost, still dressed in white as snow, with a cold expression.

He didn't even glance at the "black-clad youth" whose face showed surprise. He simply appeared on this battlefield, and the incredibly dense, almost tangible, chilling sword energy emanating from him completely enveloped the entire area.

The terrifying pressure emanating from a peak demigod was like countless invisible swords hanging overhead, turning the Templar Knights pale and making them feel as if they were carrying mountains.

Forget about "infusing" holy power into each other; even lifting a finger became extremely difficult. The once-brilliant "Holy Light War Bow" in the hand of the Templar Knight who was about to shoot an arrow suddenly shattered, and the backlash even caused cracks to appear on his armor.

I let out a muffled groan, staggered backward, and fell to my knees!

"Be bold!"

In the sky, a floating demigod-level "two-winged angel" revealed a mixture of shock and anger on his face for the first time. He was no longer aloof and superior, but attacked without hesitation—pure and blazing holy light gathered from all directions, condensing into a spear of judgment burning with holy flames, tearing through the sky with demigod pressure, and piercing straight at Ximen Chuixue!
However, all that returned the favor was a single sword strike.

This sword strike was devoid of any fancy techniques, its trajectory was even undetectable, and its speed surpassed the limits of divine sense.

The sword light flashed like a bolt of cold lightning, then vanished in an instant.

The mighty spear of holy light, meant for judgment, shattered silently, disintegrating into countless points of light. Yet, the annihilating sword energy continued its trajectory, slicing directly through the angel's body—

"Hey!"

With a strange sound as if the energy structure had been forcibly torn apart, the angel's entire right arm, along with half of his body formed from holy light, separated and quickly dissipated into the purest light elements, vanishing into the air!

If it weren't for the fact that its essence was an energy-based body, lacking the fatal weaknesses of ordinary creatures, this sword strike would not have been described as merely a "severe injury," but rather utter annihilation!
Even so, the face formed by the angelic light was distorted, its body flickered violently, and the holy light was unstable.

Clearly, under Ximen Chuixue's sword intent that "annihilates everything," his mental and spiritual injuries were far more severe than his physical injuries.

In fact, these "angels" are not born gods, but are combat weapons formed by the temple using secret methods to connect the souls of devout believers into specially made "war mechs". They are servants and agents of the gods, and are capable of competing with the most top races in all the worlds!

The fact that a demigod-level "angel" has been maimed by a single sword strike is undoubtedly a tremendous humiliation and a loss of life.

"you……!"

Bishop Kevin trembled with rage, pointing at Simon Chuixue, but was horrified and speechless. His opponent had given him the most resounding response with just one sword strike.

What alarmed him even more was that the charm contained in this sword was far beyond what he had experienced before—it was not the dissipation caused by damage to the foundation of the Dao, but a kind of harmony and clarity after breaking out of the cocoon and becoming a butterfly. The sword intent not only did not weaken, but became more refined and vast, carrying a suffocating sense of oppression!

"How is that possible? His ruthless Dao Heart has been shattered; he should have fallen from the Sword Realm..."

Kevin was overwhelmed with shock. This sword strike even reminded him of the time when he was vying for the "Dragon Soul Sword," when his opponent used the Supreme Heart Sword to sever the Dragon Soul and forcibly take the sword into his possession.

"Arrogant! How dare a mere mortal demigod blaspheme against divine might!"

In the Western camp, several other demigod-level two-winged angels high in the sky were thoroughly enraged. After exchanging glances, they all unfurled their radiant wings.

Holy light surged, transforming into several enormous holy light-forged war bows in the air. The bowstrings drew back on their own, condensing into blazing arrows powerful enough to kill demigods, their chilling killing intent firmly locking onto Ximen Chuixue!
However, at this critical moment——

"How could I, Qian Xia, only have two swords?"

A peaceful yet vast voice, like a sea of ​​stars, rang out from the Chinese camp.

A figure gracefully entered the arena, dressed in simple blue robes with a serene expression. It was none other than the guest elder of the Qianxia Hall of Righteousness—"Heavenly Sword" Nameless. He held no sword, yet the very place he stood transformed into an invisible sword intent, as if he were the very center of the sword.

Wuming glanced at Chengying in Kevin's hand and said calmly, "I, Qianxia, ​​may not have much else, but I have enough 'swords' to slay evil and protect all living beings."

Before he finished speaking, his spiritual power surged, and thousands of light swords, each emanating a different sword intent, suddenly condensed in the void!
Thousands of swords hung in the air, their tips all pointing westward. The chilling pressure of the swords even dimmed the holy light in the sky—it was the legendary near-divine sword technique, Ten Thousand Swords Return to the Source!

At the same time, Zhan Zhao, the master of the Hall of Righteousness, laughed loudly, and the Giant Sword was unsheathed. The sword energy as heavy as a mountain rose from the ground, and the brilliant sword light was like a dragon soaring through the sky, pointing directly at Kevin, the temple bishop!
"The mighty weapon of China, the Great Sword, is ready to be tested today against your Western holy arts!"

Zhan Zhao's voice was as loud as a bell, and his swordplay was powerful and majestic, its might not be inferior to Cheng Ying's!

In an instant, sword light soared into the sky from the east, and several powerful sword intents emerged from nowhere, some aloof and proud, some vast and natural, and some as steady as a mountain...

They echoed each other, simultaneously pressing down on the holy light and the evil aura of calamity in the west, becoming the most eye-catching focus on the battlefield!
"Oops……"

The two-winged angel, severely wounded by Ximen Chuixue, paled drastically. Having personally received that sword strike, he knew all too well that without the protection of his companions, he would have no chance of facing Ximen Chuixue's sharp edge alone.

In desperation, He suddenly expanded His domain, and holy light surged toward the heavily injured Ximen Wuhen who was recuperating, intending to capture him as a hostage and use him to control Ximen Chuixue!

However, just as the holy light was about to touch Ximen Wuhen—

"You lowly, weak mortal! How dare you destroy the creation of my Lord!"

Above the higher heavens, the faint phantom of the Holy Light Kingdom suddenly fluctuated, and a figure far more terrifying than the two-winged angel descended with boundless pressure—it was a true four-winged angel, a god-level being!
The light sword in His hand radiated boundless divine power; its mere existence caused the space to tremble. In His rage, He directly drew upon the power of the entire divine kingdom, transforming it into a torrent of holy sword energy that annihilated everything, pouring down upon Ximen Chuixue!

This attack far exceeded the realm of demigods, instantly plunging Ximen Chuixue into an extremely dangerous situation!

Ximen Wuhen was in danger, but his father came to his rescue. At this moment, Ximen Chuixue himself was deeply under divine power, and even powerful figures like Yue Fei and Zhang Juzheng were too late to intervene!
"Om-!"

However, facing this divine punishment that could be described as a fatal blow, Ximen Chuixue's sword intent not only did not subside but instead burst forth, soaring into the sky!

The sword intent, refined to its utmost, transformed into an invisible yet real tower of swordsmanship, forcefully resisting the destructive torrent of holy light and preventing it from advancing an inch!
Even more terrifying, a tiny yet extremely sharp sword aura flowed upstream, tracing the source of the holy light torrent, and in an instant, it swept past the tip of one of the four-winged angel's wings!
"laugh!"

A small section of the dazzling golden wing snapped off and fell to the ground.

Divine blood spilled like molten gold, scorching the ground with countless craters and radiating a suffocating divine power and intense heat.

At this moment, the faces of all the Western believers were filled with disbelief and horror. The four-winged archangel, who was high above them and possessed divine power, was actually injured by the sword of a "mortal"!

"No, that's not right! This isn't a mortal! This is... the aura of a god!"

Beside Kevin, a senior temple elder spoke with a hoarse voice and a face full of horror.

"Not only was his foundation undamaged, but he also broke free from the shackles of his long-standing limitations... and has already stepped into the legendary... realm of the Sword God!" (End of Chapter)