Lord of the Earth

"What a pity. I originally planned to make you all submit... After all, you might all become my priests and generals in the future. Dying here will only weaken the power of my future 'High Heaven Divine Court'!"

"But since it's impossible to persuade someone who deserves to die with kind words... then so be it."

Faced with the raging anger and condemnation from the Qianxia side, which was almost boiling the ocean, this self-proclaimed "Emperor" spoke indifferently, without any emotion, as if he were merely stating a given fact.

He didn't even linger his gaze on these "ants" for long, but instead focused on Qi Jiguang, who possessed the power of a "quasi-god"!
"Once I personally pluck your 'Dao Fruit' and drain the national fortune of your dynasty, your noisy loyal dogs will understand what it means to be...unpredictable by the will of Heaven."

Clang——! ! !
The moment his words fell, the Kusanagi Sword, which had been hovering in his palm, exhaling clouds of calamity, appeared.

Suddenly, a mournful sword cry, seemingly emanating from the deepest hell, rang out!

The sword itself drew three inches from its sheath!

Just three inches in, and the world suddenly went dark!
A sword light, whose color is indescribable, burst forth from that three-inch blade!

It is neither black nor white, neither blue nor red; it seems to be the embodiment of the concept of "severing" itself, and the condensation of the will to "ferocity" and "conquest"!

The sword light was initially as thin as a spider's thread, yet it seemed to disregard the laws of time and space.

Upon its appearance, it simultaneously appeared between Qi Jiguang's eyebrows, in front of his heart, and above his head in front of the newly formed "Demon-Slaying" Dao Fruit, which was still emitting profound light!
fast!
Indescribably fast!

It transcends the reach of divine sense and distorts the order of cause and effect!
profit!
Its sharpness cuts through everything! Wherever the sword light passes, the "continuity" of space is severed, and the "lines" of the rules of the Eternal Land are stripped away, emitting a subtle yet soul-chilling cracking sound!

Even more terrifying was that within this sword light, there was the endless venomous curse of the Yamata no Orochi when its marrow was extracted and its soul refined, as well as a vast, distorted, dark red "national fortune" that seemed to be composed of countless snake shadows—that was the part of the fortune of the Heavenly Demon Dynasty and even the more ancient Sakura Kingdom that belonged to "military conquest" and "calamity and evil spirits".

At this moment, it was forcibly extracted by this "Emperor" with supreme authority and turned into firewood and blades for the sword light!
General Qi, be careful!

Gan Ning and Zhang Shun, the generals of the "Xuanwu Legion," were greatly alarmed.

The sword strike was so fast that they didn't even have time to fully shout a warning.

"Black Tortoise True Qi, Suppressing the Seas and Subduing the Waves!"

Qi Jiguang was, after all, a war god who had fought countless battles, and he had even condensed the rudimentary form of a "quasi-true god". The sense of crisis made him react almost instinctively.

With his eyes wide open in anger, he pushed the power of the "prototype of the Dao Fruit" to its limit!

The True Martial Emperor's Dharma Image above his head let out a deep roar, and the giant Xuan Turtle phantom carrying the Hetu Luoshu on its back suddenly expanded. The ancient runes on the turtle shell flashed wildly, drawing on the essence of the Gui Water from the vast sea, transforming it into a three-thousand-mile-long Xuan Water Area that was as deep as the starry sky and as heavy as the earth, attempting to resist, delay, and eliminate this sure-kill sword!
This vast expanse of water is enough to easily suppress ordinary, supreme deities and eliminate the great supernatural power of "burning mountains and boiling seas".

however--

"laugh……"

A soft sound, as slight as a needle piercing rice paper.

That strange sword light, condensed to its extreme, regarded the three thousand miles of water containing the power of Zhenwu's Sea Suppression as nothing, and pierced straight through it! The water didn't even ripple much, as if what was pierced was just a painting!

The sword light did not slow down at all. On the contrary, its sharpness "cut off" and "plundered" a portion of the essence of Gui water and even some of the laws along the way during the penetration process, turning them into its own use, making it more and more solid and terrifying!
"What? This is a true divine artifact that unleashes its full power!"

Qi Jiguang was deeply shaken, and a look of horror finally flashed across his eyes.

This "sword light" is too "fierce". Once it hits the "prototype of the Dao Fruit" that represents Qi Jiguang's life path and foundation, it will be too dangerous!
If one's cultivation is shattered, at best one's cultivation will be completely destroyed, and at worst one's body and soul will be annihilated!

Everyone in Qianxia suffered a sudden cardiac arrest, and all the color drained from their faces!
Clang!
At this critical moment...

A clear, resounding dragon's roar and sword cry, seemingly emanating from the primordial era and carrying the majestic imperial might of the creation of the world, rang out!
Ripples appeared in the void beside Xia Tian, ​​and a divine sword leaped out on its own!
On the blade, seven points of starlight flowed endlessly in the direction of the Big Dipper, and the purple-gold imperial dragon energy coiled and rose like living things. At the hilt, nine dragons were faintly coiled around it—it was the sword that had been cultivated with the life of the Xia Dynasty, carried the imperial fortune of the Qianxia Dynasty, and been tempered by countless battles and national fortunes.

The Seven Star Dragon Abyss Sword has already been promoted to a "quasi-divine" weapon!

At the tip of the sword, a point of purple-gold star power, which condensed the power of the stars in the heavens, the essence of the Qianxia nation's fortune, and the imperial will of Xia Tian himself, suddenly lit up.

The light was not intense, yet it seemed to be able to stabilize the earth, fire, wind, and water, illuminating the eternal night!

This point of starlight, arriving first despite being late, precisely and without the slightest error, struck the very tip of the strange sword light that was about to touch Qi Jiguang's Dao Fruit—the point where its power was most concentrated!

Ding--

There was no earth-shattering explosion as imagined.

A crisp, long sound, seemingly capable of cleansing the soul, yet containing the infinite mysteries of destruction and rebirth, suddenly erupted!
Centered on the point where the two swords intersected, visible spatial ripples, mixed with purple-gold stardust and eerie colored light spots, spread outwards like the surface of an ancient well with a boulder thrown in!
Wherever the ripples passed, the scenery became bizarre and fantastical!
Below, the inky sea surface silently sank into a huge bowl-shaped pit with a diameter of over ten thousand miles and a depth of a hundred miles, as if an invisible giant spoon had scooped out a piece of it!
The pit walls were as smooth as a mirror, and the seawater didn't even have time to back up.

The thick clouds above were instantly emptied and torn apart, revealing a vacuum zone so clear it was eerily transparent that distant stars could be seen directly.

Even the void itself groaned under the strain, fine, dark spatial cracks spreading out like a spiderweb, unable to heal for a long time, emanating a dangerous aura that seemed to suck everything in its path...

The aftermath of just one clash has already changed the world!
Ang, ang, ang!

The Seven Star Dragon Abyss Sword trembled, its blade radiating a burst of purple-gold light. Nine lifelike imperial dragon shadows rose into the air, baring their fangs and claws, uttering silent roars!
It actually blocked this deadly sword strike from a true divine artifact, which embodied the will of this exceptionally powerful "Emperor"!
However, Xia Tian stood still, her brows furrowing slightly.

He could clearly feel the feedback from the Dragon Abyss Sword in his hand—the stellar rules condensed within the sword's blade were trembling rapidly, and the purple-gold dragon energy was being constantly consumed and eroded in the clash with the strange sword light. Although he had blocked it, it was extremely "laborious," like a highly skilled warrior using a fine steel longsword to parry an incomparably heavy black iron hammer; each collision made his hand go numb, and the sword groaned!
"Oh?"

Beneath the black and gold mask, a clear look of surprise flashed across the Emperor's usually calm eyes for the first time, like a pebble thrown into a still lake.

"You actually managed to block it? A junior who is not even a hundred years old has already touched the realm of 'subtle rules' in his understanding and control of the sword... In terms of talent alone, even in ancient times, it would be rare. More than a handful of quasi-true gods have died under this sword, but you are an exception."

His tone remained calm, but the words sent chills down one's spine. The Heavenly Cloud Sword had already drunk the blood of more than ten quasi-true gods!

"but……"

The Emperor's tone suddenly shifted, his voice revealing a chilling coldness, and even a hint of... disgust.
"The grand and righteous, domineering yet subtly sharp edge in your sword intent... reminds me of an 'old friend,' an 'old friend' who makes me very... unhappy."

He seemed to be recalling something, his gaze piercing through the summer and looking towards a more distant past.

"A guy who has always been one step ahead of me in terms of cultivation, aptitude, and even that disgusting 'righteous' sword intent... Could it be that you obtained some of his meager inheritance in those ruined 'Heavenly Court Ruins'?"

Before he could finish speaking, a cold glint flashed in the Emperor's eyes.

The Kusanagi sword, which had been hovering in his palm, was finally drawn completely!
“Clang!”

The complete sword blade was exposed to the air. It was about four feet long, with a beautiful curve but exuding endless ferocity. The blade seemed to be pieced together from countless fine black scales, and it breathed out grayish-white clouds of calamity.

The hilt of the sword is inlaid with eight strange gems of different colors, corresponding to the eight attributes of the Yamata no Orochi.

The moment this sword was drawn, the heavens and earth changed color.

The celestial phenomena within a range of 100,000 li were blatantly altered!

"Whoosh—whoosh—"

Boundless, heavy clouds, imbued with an aura of curse, decay, and despair, emerged from the void like a black tsunami, instantly engulfing the sky that had just been cleared.

The light of the stars was completely obscured, the sun and moon were without light, as if we had instantly fallen from daylight into an eternal night of calamity!

Even the space itself became viscous and heavy, filled with a suffocating sense of oppression.

This is one of the powers of the Kusanagi Sword – the Cloud Top Canopy, which can strip away light and suppress all power, laws, and intelligence related to "stars," "sun," and "moon"!

The purple-gold starlight of the Seven Star Dragon Abyss Sword in Xia Tian's hand.

Instantly, it was like a candle in the wind, its light dimmed and its power greatly weakened!
"cut."

The Emperor uttered a single word.

He casually slashed the Kusanagi Sword in his hand towards Xia Tian.

A gray-white sword aura, several times more solid than before, stretching across the sky and seemingly about to split the entire world in two, fell silently!
This sword strike no longer pursues ultimate speed and surprise attacks, but carries the overwhelming "national destiny curse" and "Yamata no Yuki's resentment," using absolute power and status to carry out a crushing judgment.

Before the sword energy even arrived, the space around Xia Tian had already begun to collapse and disintegrate, and the "rules" protecting him were severed!
"All the stars in the heavens, heed my command! Ziwei resides in the center, with all the other stars surrounding her!"

Summer's expression was extremely solemn.

With his command, the Zhou Tian Star Array, which had been set up beforehand, was instantly activated to an unprecedented degree on the majestic "Mirage" behind him!
Om-!
Three hundred and sixty-five top-level god-level and god-level main array flags and fourteen thousand eight hundred demigod-level auxiliary array flags shone brightly at the same time!

Countless dazzling pillars of starlight shot into the sky, forcefully tearing open cracks in the "cloud curtain" and drawing down the immense stellar power from the Ziwei Enclosure, Taiwei Enclosure, and Tianshi Enclosure in the distant starry sky!
Starlight fell, intertwining and evolving behind Xia Tian, ​​forming a vast and boundless celestial map!

Within the Dao diagram, the phantom images of the Big Dipper, the Twenty-Eight Mansions, and the 365 main stars are lit up in sequence.

At the very center of the Dao diagram, a phantom of the Ziwei Emperor, wearing an imperial crown, a star-studded robe, and standing on the Milky Way, slowly materialized. Although blurry, it exuded an aura of supreme majesty that ruled over the heavens!

"The Zhou Tian Star Array? And... the aura of Ziwei?!"

The Emperor, who had been indifferent all along, could no longer remain completely calm. His voice revealed a clear sense of fear and suspicion.
Even among the true gods, the Ziwei Emperor is a top-tier being who controls the stars and rules over a region of the heavens. His status and power are far beyond those of ordinary native gods!
"Hmph! It's nothing but the afterglow of the dead! Once I establish the High Heavens pantheon and recreate order, I will be the true Lord of the Celestial Court and the Emperor of All Gods!"

The Emperor snorted coldly.

He suppressed the turmoil in his heart, but his expression became noticeably more serious.

Wow!

Beside the trevally, two more items suddenly appeared.

A simple and elegant "Yata no Kagami" with eight magatama (ornamental stones) inlaid on the edge, its mirror surface seemingly able to reflect the human heart and the past and future; and a "Yasakani no Magatama" with a body of emerald green, a crescent shape, and countless fine golden threads wrapped around and pulling it!
These are the three sacred treasures of the Sakura Kingdom's mythology—the sword, the mirror, and the seal!

The sword represents conquest, the mirror represents truth and sacrifice, and the magatama represents authority and rule. The unity of these three symbolizes, in a sense, their "orthodox" and "supreme" dominion over the concept of "Sakura Country" in terms of mysticism and destiny! (End of Chapter)