My enemies became my companions

Chapter 723 Severing the Connection Between Heaven and Earth (Part 2)

The sword is as powerful as a rainbow.

From the palace gates, the overwhelming sword intent, carrying with it boundless resentment, surged forth, sweeping past the glazed pillars of light and the ever-burning flames, until it shattered the throne of light.

The aura around the Pure Saintess trembled violently, but in that instant, it was too late to stop it.

The entire Ming Palace shook violently.

The glass began to peel away, and the light began to wane. When the majestic throne of light was struck by the sword intent, there was no earth-shattering roar, but rather a chilling silence.

The massive glass pillars supporting the hall were the first to be hit. The liquid light that had been flowing slowly inside the pillars instantly became violent and chaotic. Then, spiderweb-like cracks began to appear on the smooth glass surface, and large pieces of shimmering glass fragments, like lifeless scales, peeled off and fell from the pillars.

The dome began to twist and collapse violently, the light thinned at a visible speed, and ignorance and resentment, like leeches and dragons, devoured everything in their path.

The light flickered and struggled, and after several violent flashes, the countless flames went out completely with a "poof," turning into a wisp of smoke and dissipating.

The entire Ming Palace resembled a celestial being in the midst of the five signs of decay, with darkness increasing rather than decreasing, and light decreasing rather than increasing.

In this earth-shattering scene, the radiance surrounding the Pure Saintess flickered violently amidst the collapse of the Bright Palace, like a lone boat in a raging storm. She looked at Chen Yi, and for the first time, an indescribable emotion clearly appeared on her face, which was a reflection of the light source. It was neither anger nor fear, but a profound compassion and understanding.

Dragging this extraterrestrial demon into this place was nothing more than a desperate struggle to seize the last glimmer of hope.

"Why did it have to come to this... a lose-lose situation?"

The serene saint sighed softly, her face devoid of sorrow or joy. She had already abandoned the ten emotions and eight sufferings of mortals, and having long since attained Nirvana, she could only let out a low sigh at this moment.

She hadn't said everything she wanted to say. When the time it takes for an incense stick to burn was up, she would be willing to share the throne in the Ming Palace with him to jointly resist Xu Qi. She should know that after the True Celestial killed her, the next one would be Chen Yi. With the two of them joining forces, along with the Lord of Resentment, they would be able to force Xu Qi to retreat.

However, he was too short-sighted; all he could see was what was in front of him.

The Ming Palace was already on the verge of collapse, and there was no longer any need for her to stay there. The Pure Saintess wanted to turn around and leave the Ming Palace, taking advantage of the fact that the River of Time was still open, and go against the flow of time.

But she suddenly stopped in her tracks.

Chen Yi stood with his sword in hand, his body swirling with an unseen resentment. The entire Ming Palace was ablaze with crimson, as if engulfed in flames and rapidly fading away. Under the refraction of light, a halo of flickering golden light appeared above his head. He looked at the collapsed Ming throne and the decaying palace. At this moment, he stood facing the palace, as if waiting.

The Ming Palace, neither brick nor tile, neither place nor location, transcends the mortal world, is omnipotent, unparalleled in the world, and eternal. At this moment, he surveys this residence of the Ming Venerable, seemingly pondering this matter.

A moment later, when the Ming Palace was on the verge of complete collapse, he slowly raised his sword.

The sword intent slowly spread outwards, enveloping the collapsed and shattered glazed tiles and the raging fire that burned the palace. It squeezed into the cracks in every brick and tile. The Ming Palace, which was already in a state of decay, could no longer resist the repulsion. Its flickering light was a powerless struggle.

His sword intent completely enveloped the entire Ming Palace, and the entire Ming Palace slowly shattered in the heavens and earth, turning into endless radiance, disappearing into the sky, transforming into countless stars, and then a round sun shone in the sky.

The Holy Maiden of Purity was already horrified.

He is...embracing the splendor of the Ming Palace within it.

He is not becoming a sage, but rather...

Create the enlightened one.

..............................

Xu Qi stood outside the long river of time, waiting quietly.

This man in blue robes, revered as a true celestial being, always strives for the perfect balance in everything he does.

In a world where everyone is vying for fame and fortune, and where life and death are intertwined with love and hate, stories of "today you wipe out my entire family, thirty years later I will wipe out your entire family" play out repeatedly. In the end, Xu Qi, who knows when to stop, seems to be unaware of the concept of going too far.

Having been stationed at Mount Tian for sixty years, his martial arts cultivation remained unfathomable. Unlike Wu Buyu, who became famous and was known for his sharp and unassuming nature, even capable of slaying immortals, or Wei Gang, who climbed the mountain three times with unwavering determination to reach the next level, Xu Qi never had the thought of looking down upon all the martial artists in the world, nor did he ever have the thought of stepping down from his position as the number one martial artist in the world.

Compared to those heroes of the martial arts world who stir up trouble at the drop of a hat, Xu Qi is undoubtedly a transcendent being.

Back then, no one could have imagined that the man in blue who once knocked Wu Buyu and his sword off the altar with a single punch from the top of the clouds would become as steadfast as a mountain, no longer venturing into the mortal world, and having no lingering attachment to the martial arts world. It should be noted that even Wei Gang, who was the second strongest in the world, had a significant connection with the Western Jin royal family.

Many years ago, among the top ten on the martial arts list, countless people placed their hopes on those nine people. Just as Lou Jiangao hoped for its collapse, Ren Fugui hoped for his family's ruin. Everyone imagined who could destroy them. However, after sharing the spotlight with the Bodhisattva Sword, and until he was revered as a true celestial being, no one could ever catch up with Xu Qi.

This lean and slender man stood alone atop the Great Tianshan Mountain, calmly observing the world. Wei Gang asked him about fist techniques, Zhou Yitang about martial arts, and Duan Jianke about swordsmanship. Seven of the top ten on the martial arts list had visited the Great Tianshan Mountain, but without exception, their fates were all the same. Not to mention those martial arts geniuses who were lucky enough to climb the mountain. In the end, no one came to fight him. They were like devout believers on a pilgrimage. If they were lucky enough to have a brief discussion with him, that would be an immense blessing.

Xu Qi had no opinion on this, but felt a little lonely.

At this moment, he stood on the banks of the rushing river of time, his clothes motionless amidst the turbulent current.

He could have easily forced his way through the river and dragged out the serene saintess, but he didn't. He was like a patient fisherman, knowing when to haul in his net. Since the unknown extraterrestrial demon had already chased after them, he was happy to observe the situation.

A gentle breeze swept across the world, and Xu Qi turned his head slightly.

A white sacrificial robe fell beside him; it was Gongsun Guan.

Among the top ten on the martial arts ranking, Gongsun Guan is one of the few who has never visited the Great Tianshan Mountain. This leader of the Demonic Sect is always elusive in the martial arts world, and no one knows where he comes from or where he is going.

However, this does not mean that Xu Qi does not know him. On the contrary, the two had met many times before Xu Qi became the number one martial arts master.

"It's been a long time," Gongsun Guan said first.

"How have you been?" Xu Qi said.

The two figures stood facing each other, yet their auras seemed to be separated by an entire world.

In the distance, the Demon Lord of Resentment, whose aura of the Venerable One could no longer be found, slowly became dazed, blindly and foolishly wandering in the world of ignorance based on instinct, like a drifting island.

Gongsun Guan, dressed in a white robe, stood solemnly, like the moon reflected in a deep pool. Despite not having seen him for many years, Gongsun Guan remained unchanged, always shrouded in mystery. However, Xu Qi felt no ripples in his heart.

When the Ming Palace appeared, its energy stirred the heavens and earth. He could naturally see the extraordinary origin of the palace, which had transcended time. He also knew that the Pure Saintess, by taking charge of the Ming Palace, had already usurped the position of "Ming Venerable".

The one he was going to kill on his way down the mountain was this great demon called Mingzun.

The Bright Lord is precisely the supreme deity worshipped by the Cult of Light and Darkness. To eliminate this fiend would undoubtedly be to make an enemy of the entire Cult of Light and Darkness, and even more so, to make an enemy of the demonic cult leader before us.

Xu Qixin is not bound by material things, nor is he constrained by emotions, so he naturally does not feel restricted or hesitant. He prefers to avoid trouble.

However, considering the past ties that could hardly be called friendship, if this Gongsun official insists on stopping them and kills him as well, it would ultimately be... a bit of a pity.

"You've come to kill the Mingzun?" Gongsun Guan suddenly spoke, his voice calm and indifferent.

Xu Qi had nothing to hide, nor was there any need to hide anything. He nodded slightly, his gaze still fixed on the ever-flowing river of time ahead: "The rules cannot be broken."

Upon hearing this, Gongsun Guan remained silent, only slowly shaking his head. His white robe fluttered gently in the turbulent flow of time, and his expression revealed neither regret, opposition, nor any other emotion.

Xu Qi finally turned his head, a hint of emotion appearing on his gaunt face for the first time. He raised an eyebrow, seemingly puzzled yet amused. Gongsun Guan's appearance at this moment was self-evident; he was there to stop them.

What puzzled him was that when the Holy Maiden of Purity, wielding the power of the Bright Palace, was at her most arrogant and undoubtedly became the "Bright Venerable," this sect leader was nowhere to be seen. He only appeared now that the Bright Palace had collapsed and its energy was in disarray.

"Times have changed," Gongsun Guanru said as if to himself, his deep eyes turning to gaze into the depths of the long river.

Xu Qi followed his gaze, and the faint smile on his lips gradually faded.

Unusual ripples suddenly appeared on the river's surface, and the once stable fragments of time began to distort and disintegrate.

"interesting."

He spoke softly, and the calm aura around him began to rise like a tide.

The river of time suddenly trembled violently, and a crack appeared out of nowhere.

A sword was suddenly drawn.

Xu Qi responded with a punch.

The slender figure remained motionless, simply raising his right fist and extending it forward.

There was no howling wind, no blinding light. Wherever the fist passed, the boiling river of time seemed to freeze for a moment. The flowing water, the splashing waves, and the twisted fragments all seemed to stand still.

Fist and sword collide fiercely on the surface of the long river of time.

Boom!
Xu Qi's body trembled slightly, but he did not back down at all. In fact, a hint of indescribable joy flashed in his eyes.

Centered on the fist and sword, a sudden storm arose, as if the entire vast river of time had been forcibly cut off. The upstream waters piled up wildly, creating towering waves; the downstream riverbed dried up instantly, revealing the riverbed covered with the marks of time.

Gongsun Guan's white robe fluttered in the terrifying shockwave. He stared into the depths of the collision, and for the first time, a clear emotion flickered in his deep eyes, as if in amazement or some kind of confirmation.

"Ah……"

A slight smile appeared on Xu Qi's lips.

He couldn't remember the last time he had experienced such a thunderous shock.

The previous one, perhaps Wei Gang?

In the long river of time, where the storms have not yet subsided, a figure slowly emerges.

Just then, the Lord of Resentment, who had been wandering aimlessly in the world of ignorance like a drifting island, seemed to be enraged by something in the dark and let out a roar that shook the universe.

Xu Qi lowered his eyes slightly, unsure whether he should kill the Lord of Resentment first and then become enemies with that person, or fight two against one.

"Are you the Venerable One, Gongsun Guan and the others?"

The man slowly replied, "Yes and no."

Xu Qi looked up and gazed at him. Seeing the radiance around him slowly receding, he had a slight understanding and couldn't help but savor the fleeting sword strike.

After a while, seeing the radiance slowly dim and the roaring and howling Demon Lord of Resentment gradually return to calm, becoming blind and foolish again, Xu Qi understood and slowly said, "You have incorporated the Bright Venerable... into your sword intent?"

"The Pure Saintess is dead."

The man whose sword intent hadn't dissipated smiled; the Hou Kang sword in his hand was still humming, its blade faintly shimmering with light before slowly receding.

"The great demon you were meant to eliminate is no longer here."

Xu Qi looked him up and down, then suddenly smiled:

"Interesting, interesting."

Chen Yi couldn't help but sneer, "I heard from the Shenxiao Sect that a great figure would be coming. I didn't expect it to be a celestial being descending to earth. But no one visits the Three Treasures Hall without a reason, and a celestial being wouldn't descend to earth without a reason either. I wonder which deity instructed you?"

Perhaps it was the admiration he had accumulated from their previous encounters, but Xu Qi slowly said, "I was asked to do this, and I set the rules. As for that sword, it seems you are... a disciple of Sword Armor?"

Chen Yi glanced at the Hou Kang sword in his hand, nodded slightly, and asked with amusement, "I thought someone like you wouldn't be controlled by others."

Xu Qi slowly said, "Only someone like me can achieve the perfect connection between heaven and earth."

Chen Yi remained silent for a moment.

Those words would have been half-understood by others, like a fog, but Chen Yi had already sorted out the clues before stepping out of the river of time.

The true essence of the top ten martial artists lies in their harmony with the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth. For example, Zhou Yitang communicates with Heaven and Earth; Wu Buyu achieves nirvana through swordsmanship, his body as insignificant as grass; and the Broken Swordsman and the Blind Arrow...

There are countless gods and immortals in heaven, and the distinction between celestial beings and humans is a principle that has existed throughout history.

The True Celestial Being, who resides in the Great Heavenly Mountain, is not only the number one in the world, but also the one who has severed the connection between heaven and earth in this mortal realm.

(End of this chapter)