Helping each other with countless me.

Chapter 579 Severing Karma
The mountain wind was biting, carrying a chilling sword intent, as it swept across the steep stone steps.

Chu Qingqiu, or rather, Mo Qingqiu, the Holy Maiden of the Northern Underworld Devouring Heaven Sect and Mo Yuan's only daughter, looked at Li Zhongren's back, which suddenly stiffened for a moment, and the sweet smile on her lips was mixed with more cold smugness.

'Father's plans were indeed flawless.'

She sneered inwardly, her thoughts racing.

'Li Zhongren's extreme caution and meticulousness over the past two months, without leaving a trace, has only reinforced my father's belief that he got this far through "luck" and "genius," rather than a trap set by the Secret Service. The more cautious he is, the more afraid he is of exposing his background in practicing evil arts!'

"Sword Blade Mountain is the only opportunity to bypass the Secret Service's tight surveillance and still get close to him legitimately. With the secret techniques I taught him, plus my father's backup, we can be teleported to the pre-arranged ambush point! Then, my father can personally take action, capturing a 'container' who is hesitant and dares not fully resist—it will be a piece of cake."

'And the crux of all this is his fear of losing everything he has now! This weakness is enough to completely control him!'

Looking at the ever-changing expression on Li Zhongren's profile, the clear struggle and doubt made her even more certain that the plan was progressing smoothly.

She's got him wrapped around her little finger.

Li Zhongren remained silent for a few seconds, and the surrounding sword intent seemed to become even more agitated due to the fluctuation of his emotions.

He slowly turned his head to look at Chu Qingqiu, his eyes filled with complex emotions. Finally, as if resigned, he exhaled, his voice somewhat hoarse: "What do you want?"

Not so great. A genius like you should naturally join my cult.

Chu Qingqiu was secretly delighted, but she maintained her calm, all-knowing smile.

Don't worry, we won't do anything to you. In fact, we'll give you a lot of support and guidance.

"Perfect."

Li Zhongren changed the subject and looked towards the mountaintop shrouded in clouds and mist.

"Since we're here, let's get to the top first. I don't want to miss this opportunity."

This is natural.

Chu Qingqiu smiled and nodded. The process of climbing the mountain was also a test of her will, and this opportunity was extremely important to her and could not be missed.

"Okay, then...see you at the top of the mountain."

She smiled, said no more, and began to focus on resisting the increasingly strong pressure of the sword intent as she climbed upwards.

On the steep stone steps of Sword Blade Mountain, seven small figures struggled to ascend amidst the vast mountain scenery and the pervasive mist of sword intent.

In the initial stage, the seven players were not far apart in skill level.

However, as time goes by and the altitude increases, the invisible pressure on the soul grows exponentially.

The gap widened quickly.

The one leading the way was surprisingly Li Zhongren, who came from an ordinary school!
He walked steadily, his speed not slowing down at all, as if the pressure of the sword intent around him, which was enough to make the souls of ordinary Qi Refining Level 3 cultivators suffer and make it difficult for them to walk, did not exist at all.

Following closely behind was Chu Qingqiu.

Sweat beaded on her forehead, and her breathing became slightly rapid, but her eyes remained firm. With a tenacious spirit and the special adaptability brought about by the quiet operation of the Northern Darkness Secret Technique within her body, she kept close behind Li Zhongren.

The five people behind them were noticeably slower, struggling to climb each step.

The most pathetic of them all was Zhou Peng, who had previously mocked Li Zhongren. He was pale and lagged behind, practically climbing on his hands and feet. His previous arrogance had vanished completely.

For Li Zhongren, this so-called pressure was almost non-existent.

His spiritual essence far surpasses the level of the remaining sword intent here. If he so desired, even a single thought would be enough to plunge this mountain of sword intent into silence.

His primary purpose for this trip was not to hone his skills, but to "learn."

Like a peerless master with immense internal strength but lacking exquisite techniques, he needs to fill the gaps in his skills. And this Blade Mountain is the best library.

He appeared to be strolling upwards, but his mind was already immersed in the entire mountain peak.

Countless fragments of lingering sword intent, shattered battle scenes, and persistent thoughts of cultivation surged toward him like a tide.

Under his powerful perception, these fragments were no longer chaotic pressures, but vivid scenes from ancient times.

He seemed to see a swordsman in green robes practicing his sword in the downpour, the tip of his sword piercing through the raindrops, each broken droplet reflecting a miniature sword light...

It's as if I see an old man facing a stubborn rock, sitting there for ten years, just to achieve that ultimate sharpness when he cleaves it with a single sword strike...

There were also scenes of a brutal battlefield, with countless sword cultivators roaring and swinging their swords, their sword light weaving into a net, burning their lives to bloom in a final burst of brilliance...

Like a calm observer, he strolled through the corridors of history, watching the "movies" left behind by countless sword cultivators, absorbing their understanding and artistic conception of "sword".

When he finally stepped onto the mountaintop platform, his aura seemed to become more restrained, yet it also possessed an indescribable sharpness.

He stood there with his eyes closed, as if resonating with the lingering essence of the entire Sword Blade Mountain, and instantly entered a deep meditative state.

Chu Qingqiu, who followed closely behind and reached the summit, let out a long sigh of relief.

She was drenched in sweat, her hair damp with perspiration, but her eyes were unusually bright.

This climb yielded far more rewards than she had expected!

The powerful and pure sword intent of Sword Blade Mountain completely washed away the dark hidden dangers and aura that remained from her cultivation of the Northern Darkness Devouring Heaven Technique!

At this moment, her mind and soul are clear and her aura is pure. Even if she were to enter the most rigorous academy in the empire for testing in the future, there would be absolutely no way to detect her background as an evil cultivator!

Moreover, during the climb, she endured immense pressure while observing certain sword marks on the mountain wall, and unexpectedly comprehended the prototype of an extremely profound sword move!

With continuous improvement, it can definitely become a powerful and superior sword technique!

'Unfortunately... I still couldn't sense the true sword intent.'

She felt a little regretful, but she also knew that this was perfectly normal. If sword intent were so easy to comprehend, the Rift Cloud Sword Sect would not have been lost to the annals of history.

Then, she saw Li Zhongren, who was already in deep meditation, with an invisible sword-like sound emanating from his body.

A strong sense of curiosity and an irrepressible envy flashed in Chu Qingqiu's eyes.

'He...he actually gained some insight? Could he have touched upon the essence of swordsmanship? How is that possible?'

Looking at Li Zhongren's profile as he was lost in thought, Chu Qingqiu's eyes were momentarily dazed.

She remembered her past.

Forced to change her name, forced to cultivate the Northern Darkness Devouring Technique which devours living beings to strengthen herself but also torments her soul, forced to infiltrate the First High School, living behind a mask and constantly on edge, how could she not want to enjoy glory openly and honestly like an ordinary genius?

But she had no choice.

Her true talent is not outstanding. Her current cultivation and status are almost entirely due to the "resources" piled up by her father, Mo Yuan.

She was already inextricably linked to the Northern Underworld Sect; without her father and the Holy Sect, she might be nothing.

A faint bitterness and a sense of resignation swept through her heart.

But this emotion was quickly suppressed.

She took a deep breath of the crisp, sword-infused air atop the mountain, her gaze hardening and turning cold once more. The mission was paramount.

My father is still waiting at the foot of the mountain.

This Li Zhongren will be the key "sacred vessel" for the rise of the Holy Church.

She stood quietly to the side, consolidating her gains while waiting for Li Zhongren to awaken from his meditation and for the planned teleportation moment to arrive.

The mountain wind howled, fluttering the sleeves of the two. At the summit, all was silent, except for the whispers of countless ancient sword intents echoing through the air.

Li Zhongren was immersed in the depths of his own consciousness.

There, at this very moment, a massive, silent project is underway.

Countless fragments of sword intent drawn from Sword Blade Mountain.
The fierceness of rain, the extreme power to shatter rocks, the brutality of war, and the unwavering resilience of protection.
Like a vast star, it floats within his boundless divine soul universe.

They originally belonged to different owners, each carrying completely different feelings and imprints.

But in the face of Li Zhongren's soul power, which transcends the comprehension of this world, these unruly sword intents, imbued with the strong personal imprints of sword cultivators from past generations, became as docile as soldiers awaiting inspection.

His divine sense, like the most precise carving knife and the most efficient computing core, began to manipulate these sword intents in an unprecedented way.

First, he perfectly imprinted the most original and authentic state of every strand of sword intent, ensuring that nothing was missed.

Next, he began to deconstruct, like disassembling a sophisticated instrument into its most basic parts. He broke down these complex sword intents into the most fundamental units of "intent" and the concept of "sword".

Then comes the most crucial step: using his own understanding of heaven and earth, energy, and rules as a blueprint, he arranges, combines, tries, and optimizes these basic "units" countless times, like building blocks.

In this process, his understanding of the essence of "sword intent" improved rapidly, clearing away layers of confusion and pointing directly to the core.

'I see……'

Li Zhongren understood immediately.

Sword intent, in essence, is a highly condensed "meme," a tiny fragment of "rules" formed by the distortion of reality by an individual's will.

It uses the widely recognized concept of the "sword" as its most stable and sharpest weapon, adding the user's unique understanding of the world, the Tao, and emotions, thus forming a unique attack pattern that is ever-changing yet always fundamentally consistent.

He clearly saw the source of the sword intent's power.

First, there is the rule-based attack, which operates at a higher dimension. Most physical or psionic defenses are rendered useless in its presence, almost like a dimensional reduction attack.

Secondly, the essence of consumption is entropy increase. The driving force of sword intent mainly relies on the radiation of the soul itself. Its consumption is actually accelerating the entropy increase process of the soul. Moderate use is almost infinite, but overloading will lead to the accelerated decay and even annihilation of the soul. Spiritual energy is just the "ammunition" to launch it, not the "gunpowder".

Third, persistence and residual effect: once a powerful sword intent is released, it can remain in the world for a long time, continuously causing damage to the enemy or forming a domain-like suppression.

Having understood all this, Li Zhongren's "project" entered its final stage.

He was no longer satisfied with simply learning and imitating.

He wanted to create, to create a sword intent that belonged only to him!

First, the medium remains the sword.

Secondly, regarding the characteristics, the concept of poison manipulation in that original poison technique was modified and optimized by the Northern Darkness Qi Absorption Technique's ability to devour and transform poison.

Finally, and most importantly.

meaning.

will.

idea.

Thought.

You can say whatever you want, but you need to have this concept: what is the purpose of your sword?
After a moment's hesitation, Li Zhongren made his choice.

Just as he thought when he came into this world.

That's right, protecting the world.

Give your soul a place to rest.

He didn't want to experience that emptiness of billions of years again.
Countless units of consciousness collided, combined, and evolved wildly within his soul...

Ultimately, all the brilliance subsided, coalescing into a unique and obscure rudimentary form of sword intent.

Unlike other sword intents that are overtly sharp, it carries an aura of judgment and contemplation, with faint traces of karmic fire and the profound depths of the Northern Darkness.

A completely new sword technique was born!
Li Zhongren named it
The Karma-Slaying Sword Technique!

His core philosophy is precisely his most sincere wish when he first came to this world: to kill in order to protect life, and to sever karma, not to kill people!

In terms of swordsmanship, he has reached the realm of returning to simplicity, simplifying complexity. Every move and every stance contains the essence of swordsmanship accumulated by Sword Mountain over thousands of years, yet transcends it, being concise, efficient, and getting straight to the essence.

In terms of sword intent, this sword intent does not harm the physical body, but specifically cuts through karma! For those burdened with sins and harboring evil thoughts, this sword intent is infinitely powerful. The deeper the karma, the greater the damage. It strikes directly at the source, and the pain far exceeds the suffering of the physical body. However, for those with pure hearts and accumulated merits, this sword intent has little effect, or may even be completely ineffective.

'Those burdened by karma will be judged by this sword. Those whose hearts are turned towards the light will find peace.'

Li Zhongren silently recited the mantra and slowly opened his eyes.

A fleeting, indescribable light flashed in the depths of his eyes, and the subtle sharpness around him vanished completely, leaving him like a deep, ancient well, ordinary yet unfathomable.

Only when his gaze swept over Chu Qingqiu beside him could he seem to penetrate her flesh and vaguely see traces of karma on her body, which, although diluted by the sword intent, still had their roots. That was a person's past. No matter how she tried to make up for it or repair it, what was done was done, and this world would remember every action of hers.

Behind Chu Qingqiu's beautiful face and stunning figure...

What does Li Zhongre see with those eyes?

Countless wailing and howling spirits, like wronged ghosts, moved in and out of her body.
That is the karma she created.
Chu Qingqiu felt a jolt in her heart as she looked into his calm and unwavering gaze, as if the deepest, most hidden filth in her heart had been instantly exposed.

She forced down her discomfort and managed a smile.

"Is Li finished reflecting? It seems he has gained a lot."

Li Zhongren smiled faintly, neither confirming nor denying.

"You've gained something, and I'm sure you've also made a significant contribution, Chu."

"Not bad, not bad."

Chu Qingqiu took a deep breath, walked to Li Zhongren's side, and continued to wait.

Not long after, a clear and melodious bell rang out.

The voice of the person in charge of this mountain climbing mission reached everyone's ears.

"This training session is now over. Everyone, please prepare yourselves; the teleportation is about to begin."

Then, ignoring the cries of those who hadn't yet reached the summit, they activated the teleportation array.
"Whoosh~~"

Three breaths later, Chu Qingqiu, who was standing right next to Li Zhongren, suddenly grabbed Li Zhongren's shoulder and disappeared with him from Sword Blade Mountain.
(End of this chapter)