The Song Dynasty was the king for thirteen years before he knew that he was Tianlong.

Chapter 462 Breaking the Formation
Zhao Ti gazed intently at the magnificent sword gate, which was square in shape, divided into four sides, and painted in a blue-green color. It was engraved with countless runes and patterns, exuding an ancient and chilling aura.

Above the Sword Gate, amidst swirling clouds and mist, a crimson light flickered in the center, as if a sword were suspended within it. The crimson sword light burst forth in all directions, drawing upon the energy of heaven and earth, generating intense killing intent, causing the other swords within the formation to unleash their chilling sword energy, slashing in all directions.

Is this the Immortal Execution Sword? Zhao Ti raised his eyebrows. Although it was a replica, its aura was quite astonishing. If one did not know that it was a fake, it would be extremely difficult to distinguish between the real and the fake. It truly lived up to the name of the Immortal Sword.

"Sage, this sword looks too murderous; it's not wise to confront its edge lightly." The white jade unicorn's eyes shone with literary brilliance, but as soon as it reached the edge of the clouds, it was slashed by the scarlet sword energy of the Immortal Execution Sword and immediately vanished without a trace.

"How powerful! This is an unparalleled weapon of destruction. Please be careful, Your Majesty!" the Qilin hurriedly said again.

Zhao Ti nodded. He knew how powerful the Zhuxian Sword was. Although it wasn't the original sword he was using, he wasn't some Golden Immortal or Grand Luo Immortal. He was just a newly entered Immortal in the Dao Palace.

He said, "Although this sword is fierce, we can simply block it and immobilize it. Once we take it down, the eastern formation will be broken, and we can charge towards the palace together."

The white jade unicorn responded with a "good," raised its head, and sprayed out a large painting—a scroll of immortals by Wu Daozi of the Tang Dynasty.

This scroll, also known as the Eighty-Eight Immortals Scroll, depicts eighty-eight immortals, including the Eastern Emperor, the Southern Emperor, the Fusang Emperor, divine generals and attendants, real people and sorcerers, and golden boys and jade maidens.

As soon as the scroll was displayed, the gods on it came to life, each breathing out white light and magical power to fight against the rampaging sword energy in the sky.

Zhao Ti waved his hand again, unleashing thunder and fire to disrupt the trajectory of the sword energy, and the man and the qilin charged towards the sword gate.

Halfway through its journey, the sword energy already contained a scarlet glow, clearly not emitted by an ordinary sword, but rather originating from the Immortal Execution Sword itself hanging above the Sword Gate.

Zhao Ti sat on the back of the white jade unicorn, his robes billowing in the fierce wind swirling with sword energy. He raised an eyebrow and said, "We've covered half the distance. Be careful of this sword energy exploding."

He quietly formed a hand seal. As he approached the Eastern Sword Gate, the crimson sword energy emanating from the pseudo-Immortal Execution Sword became increasingly intense. The sword energy of the ordinary swords that were affected also became extremely violent, densely shooting down from the dome above, weaving an all-pervasive sword net.

With a clear and melodious cry, the white jade unicorn suddenly burst forth with a dazzling aura of literary brilliance, soaring straight into the sky and making crisp clanging sounds as it blocked the sword net.

However, the crimson sword energy of the fake Immortal Execution Sword was different. Each strike brought a sharp sound that tore through space, and the halo was even slightly dented by the pressure. The space under the four hooves of the Qilin began to distort, clearly indicating that it was under considerable pressure.

Upon seeing this, Zhao Ti frowned slightly, and with a flick of his finger, a golden talisman appeared out of thin air, transforming into a golden light wall that formed a double barrier with the Qilin's aura of literary brilliance.

With a "whoosh," several scarlet sword energies from above simultaneously struck the golden light wall. The golden light wall trembled violently, and fine cracks appeared on its surface. Zhao Ti flipped his wrist, and three more talismans were quickly drawn, forming a string in the air, instantly repairing the cracks in the light wall.

The killing intent within the formation intensified, and a clanging sound came from the sword gate. The scarlet light of the Immortal Execution Sword, which was hidden in the clouds, seemed to communicate with the runes on the gate. As the runes rotated, they also turned the same color. Instantly, streams of sword energy surged out, intertwining with ordinary sword energy, and poured down like a torrential rain.

The white jade unicorn stomped its four hooves on the ground, accelerating its movement. The aura of its culture surged once more, and the flames spewing from its mouth and nostrils transformed into two long tongues of fire, scorching the incoming sword energy in patches. However, the scarlet sword energy could penetrate the flames, and although its power was weakened, it still carried a fierce offensive.

"We can't just passively defend; we have to break through this sword energy blockade." Zhao Ti shouted in a low voice, his left hand forming a hand seal, his right hand clenching in the air, and thirty-six tiny arcs of lightning leaped from his fingertips, condensing into a lightning sword in the air: "Thirty-Six Lightning Slashes!"

The Thunder Sword, crackling with electricity, slashed towards the densest cluster of sword energy overhead. With a deafening roar, the Thunder Sword exploded, scattering countless lightning fragments that collided with the sword energy. Large swathes of sword energy dissolved in the lightning, but the crimson sword energy of the Immortal Execution Sword only paused briefly before continuing to surge forth.

Taking advantage of the opening, the white jade unicorn leaped forward, stepping on the shattered sword energy afterimages. However, just as it leaped a few feet, a crack suddenly appeared in the void beneath its feet, and several hidden sword energies shot out from the crack, heading straight for the unicorn's abdomen.

Zhao Ti reacted extremely quickly. A flash of golden light appeared at his fingertips, and dozens of golden beans were scattered. The beans instantly transformed into soldiers clad in golden armor upon landing, holding shields to block the Qilin. With a few clangs, the sword energy struck the shields, and the golden-armored soldiers swayed. Although they did not collapse, they were shaken and forced to retreat.

The white jade unicorn was startled. It opened its mouth and spat out three writing brushes, the brush handles swirling with rich literary energy, which wrote three large characters in front of it.

The first character, "山" (mountain), took root and transformed into a ten-foot-high, elegant mountain wall, blocking the sword energy shooting from the side.

The second strike, shaped like the character "water," transformed into a babbling brook, softening the crimson sword energy that was attacking head-on.

The third strike transformed into the character "风" (wind), causing turbulence in the airflow within the formation and making the trajectory of the sword energy in the air chaotic and disordered.

Then, taking advantage of this brief respite, the white jade unicorn trod forward like an arrow released from a bow, its four hooves treading on fire.

But at that moment, the Zhuxian Sword on the Que Shang trembled violently, and a scarlet sword aura several times thicker than before crashed down, its target Zhao Ti and the white jade unicorn.

Wherever this sword energy passed, the void was dyed crimson, and the surrounding ordinary sword energy was devoured by it, making it even more powerful.

"Seventy-two Thunder Techniques, Thunder Marsh Rain!" Zhao Ti dared not be negligent. He quickly formed hand seals, and seventy-two lightning arcs gathered in the air to form a thundercloud. As the thundercloud rolled, countless lightning raindrops poured down, colliding with the thick, scarlet sword energy.

The violent explosion shook the entire sword formation. Zhao Ti felt his blood surging, but fortunately, the Qi from the Qilin's back cushioned his movements, allowing him to stabilize himself. The scarlet sword energy was weakened by the lightning, but it still did not dissipate and shot towards the Qilin's head.

"Cultural Divine Light!" The white light in the Jade Qilin's eyes surged, and a condensed cultivar of cultural divine light shot out from its eyes, colliding head-on with the scarlet sword energy. The divine light and the sword energy were locked in a stalemate in mid-air, eroding each other and emitting a sizzling sound.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Zhao Ti took out a stack of yellow paper from his bosom, and lightning and fire ignited at his fingertips. The yellow paper transformed into countless paper soldiers in the fire, and he attacked the scarlet sword aura from both sides with his long sword. Under the restraint of the paper soldiers, the Wenhua Divine Light finally suppressed the scarlet sword aura and slowly disappeared it.

At this moment, the two were less than a hundred feet away from the Sword Gate, but the sword energy within the formation became increasingly violent. The Immortal Execution Sword seemed to be enraged, and the red light on its body was almost solidified. The void around the Sword Gate began to distort, and countless tiny sword shadows emerged from the distortion, forming a sword domain.

Faint cracks have appeared on the aura of the white jade unicorn, and the flames spewing from its mouth and nostrils are not as intense as before, clearly indicating that it has consumed a great deal of energy.

As countless sword energies attacked from all directions, Zhao Ti scattered a large number of golden beans, which transformed into golden-armored soldiers to form the front line. However, it was not long before these golden-armored soldiers could not withstand the attack.

Zhao Ti silently chanted an incantation, and the Treasure Elephant King, wielding a giant axe and clad in golden armor, stepped out from the void. He had an elephant's head and a human body, with piercing eyes, a curled trunk, and long tusks. His body, which changed from four to twelve arms, was filled with boundless power.

Then the God of War appeared, a six-headed, valiant youth riding a peacock burning with green flames and wielding a divine spear radiating boundless light.

Then the Wrathful King reappeared, a beautiful but eerie and terrifying woman with black skin, multiple arms, an extended tongue, wielding a weapon, wearing a long necklace of human skulls, and a belt made of human hands around her waist. She stood on the back of an unknown deity, her body shimmering with black flames, seemingly containing boundless magical power.

Then the Mighty King reappeared, also a woman, equally beautiful, but not as terrifying as the Wrathful King. She was lively and graceful, with captivating eyes. She switched between three bodies, with eight arms, ten arms, and eighteen arms, wielding weapons such as tridents, spears, bows and arrows, and shields. She rode lions and tigers, surrounded by raging flames, as if she could burn everything in the world.

With the protection of the four divine kings on all sides, the giant axe of the Treasure Elephant King cleaved through the air, sword energy flying everywhere. The War God King moved with agility, accurately shattering the hidden sword energy. The Fiery King and the Mighty King swung their arms, dissolving the surrounding sword energy one by one. With the help of the four divine kings, Zhao Ti's pressure was greatly reduced. He immediately guided the white jade unicorn to accelerate and rush towards the Sword Gate.

At this moment, he looked up at the Zhuxian Sword in the Sword Gate. He saw that the sword's crimson light was still blazing brightly, and the white jade unicorn beneath it let out a low and clear hiss. The soft, literary aura that had been swirling around them began to shrink and condense inward, becoming more solid, as if a layer of crystal-clear white jade armor covered their bodies. "Go!" Zhao Ti shouted in a low voice.

The white jade unicorn suddenly accelerated, transforming into a pure white streak of light, rushing towards the area beneath the sword gate where the sword energy was most intense and the scarlet light was almost solidified!

The moment they stepped into this core area, a deep, resonant boom seemed to come from the depths of the netherworld, or like millions of flying swords vibrating in their ears at the same time.

The Immortal Execution Sword, hanging atop the Sword Gate, shone with a dazzling crimson light, as if it had opened a tyrannical, blood-red demonic eye! An extremely condensed sword aura, as thick as a palace pillar, carrying a terrifying will to tear through the void and slaughter immortals and gods, crashed down from above, pointing directly at Zhao Ti on the Qilin!
Before the sword energy even arrived, the overwhelming killing intent had already descended. Zhao Ti felt a tightness all over his body, as if he were sinking into an invisible swamp. The air became viscous and full of resistance. Every breath was accompanied by enormous pressure. His vision was filled with the rapidly expanding crimson, and his ears were filled with the shrill whistling of the sword energy cutting through the air.

"Roar!" The white jade unicorn roared, its sound waves transforming into visible white ripples that surged upwards, attempting to weaken the blood-red sword energy. At the same time, two condensed white beams of light shot out from its star-like eyes. These were not flames, but "civilized radiance," containing a powerful literary energy that could dispel illusions, suppress evil, and enlighten the mind, directly meeting the attack head-on!

"laugh--!"

The white light and the scarlet sword energy collided violently in mid-air. There was no earth-shattering explosion, but instead, a tooth-grinding, intense friction and erosion sound was produced.

The radiant light of civilization continuously diminished the ferocity and killing intent of the sword energy, while the blood-red sword energy, with its unparalleled sharpness, tore through and pierced the white light inch by inch. After a brief stalemate, the blood-red sword energy crushed the white light and continued to fall, though its brilliance and momentum were noticeably dimmed and weakened.

This is the opportunity that has been weakened! Zhao Ti's mind raced, and he immediately commanded the four divine kings to rush forward to meet them. Then, he made a sweeping motion with his hands in front of him, and wherever his fingertips passed, brilliant golden traces flowed out. In an instant, a complex "Void Vajra Talisman" containing profound Daoist rhymes was formed. The golden light surged and transformed into a thick golden light shield above his head.

"boom!"

The crimson sword energy shattered the four divine kings and then landed on the golden light shield. This time, it was a real collision of immense force. The light shield trembled violently, golden light flashed wildly, and countless fine cracks appeared on its surface. It made a sound of being unable to bear the burden. It could only withstand the pressure for less than a breath before the light shield formed by the Vajra Talisman exploded and dissipated into countless golden light spots.

Zhao Ti's body trembled violently, his blood and qi surged, and even the flow of his magic power became slightly sluggish. The blood-red sword energy above had already disappeared.

But this was only the beginning. It seemed to have touched the Achilles' heel of the Zhuxian Sword. It trembled slightly above the sword's edge, no longer unleashing sword energy one by one, but instead flashing crimson light. In an instant, seven or eight blood-red sword energies, slightly thinner than before but faster and more cunning in angle, shot down like a storm! These sword energies intertwined into a net, sealing off all of Zhao Ti and the white jade unicorn's escape routes.

At the same time, the ancient runes engraved on the sword itself were fully activated. The flowing light detached from the surface of the sword and transformed into countless translucent, tiny sword blades. Like a swarm of living locusts, they swept densely from all directions toward the person and the Qilin in the center! A large net covered the sky, and flying blades swept all around.

The pressure suddenly increased several times! Zhao Ti's pupils shrank slightly, and he felt a chill in his heart. Although this fake Immortal Slaughtering Sword Formation was far inferior to the original, its power was by no means ordinary, thanks to the fierce aura accumulated by the imitation sword and the sword gate.

"Thunder magic, thirty-six heavenly generals, seventy-two earthly fiends, one hundred and eight thunder gods to protect me!" He chanted the mantra, his hands forming hand seals with lightning speed, and his body instantly erupted with dazzling lightning. It was not a single purple or gold color, but rather a mixture of five colors: blue, white, red, black, and yellow, corresponding to the five elements, endlessly generating life.

One hundred and eight thick bolts of lightning, like guardian deities, surrounded him and the white jade unicorn, forming a constantly rotating ball of lightning. The five elements of divine lightning generated each other, and the intense lightning blasted the first incoming rune sword energy blades into dust.

But more flying blades and crimson sword energy from above were already upon them. "Gather Gold to Form a General!" Zhao Ti raised his left hand again, scattering a handful of golden beans into the air.

Several beans joined together, grew when they were exposed to the wind, and transformed into dozens of powerful celestial soldiers, each over 12 feet tall, clad in golden armor and wielding giant axes or halberds. As soon as these celestial soldiers appeared, they fearlessly brandished their weapons to meet the blood-red sword energy and countless flying rune blades.

"Boom! Crack! Splat!"

Although the golden-armored celestial soldiers possessed extraordinary divine power, they still appeared fragile in the face of the terrifying power of the Immortal Slaughtering Sword Qi. A single blood-red sword qi could cut two or three celestial soldiers in half at the waist, causing them to dissipate into golden light once again.

The runic blades, like maggots clinging to bones, relentlessly cut and consumed the heavenly soldiers' golden armor and bodies. The heavenly soldiers were dwindling at a visible rate, but this gave Zhao Ti a chance to catch his breath.

Taking advantage of the gaps in the heavenly soldiers' defenses, Zhao Ti pushed the white jade unicorn to its maximum speed, weaving and maneuvering through the limited gaps. The white jade unicorn never touched the ground, like a white, winding bolt of lightning, dodging the direct strikes of the sword energy at the last second.

"Not enough!" Zhao Ti narrowed his eyes. This passive defense and evasion was not enough to truly reach the Sword Gate. The attacks of the Immortal Execution Sword would only become more and more frequent and stronger.

Upon hearing this, the white jade unicorn raised its head and roared. An ancient rhythm emanated from between the pair of jade-like horns on its head, and literary energy gathered wildly, actually condensing into a huge and ancient phantom of a "civilization pen" out of thin air!
At the same time, Zhao Ti pointed his fingers like a sword, his internal magical power surging, drawing upon the lightning of the heavens. The agile, multicolored lightning bolts, like living serpents, quickly coiled around the illusory "civilization pen" formed from literary energy.

With thunder as its edge and culture as its foundation, the giant writing brush, surrounded by 108 destructive lightning bolts, exuded a breathtaking and majestic aura, as well as an aura of civilization. It aimed directly at the several thick, blood-red sword energies that were about to fall from above and suddenly pointed out!

This stroke is not a stab in the magic, but a kind of expression, critique, and conclusion at the level of rules!
"Tsk-!"

The void seemed to be torn apart by an invisible force. The illusory image of the Civilization Pen, wrapped with 108 bolts of lightning, swept across. Those terrifying blood-red sword energies were like stains wiped away, or like false history judged as "false" by the historian's iron pen. The fierce will at its core was impacted and cleansed by the powerful literary energy, and its energy carrier was eroded and disintegrated by the 108 bolts of lightning. It twisted and flickered violently in the air, and finally collapsed with a bang, turning into a chaotic flow of energy that could no longer form an effective attack!
This further enraged the Immortal Execution Sword atop the Sword Gate. It trembled violently, its light surging, turning the entire massive Sword Gate crimson as if it were about to bleed. An even more terrifying and oppressive aura rapidly condensed, and the space around the Sword Gate began to distort slightly.

Zhao Ti could even see that countless fine blood-red runes were lighting up on the Zhuxian Sword, and a world-destroying power was brewing. The next attack would surely be earth-shattering!

But he and the white jade unicorn finally seized the moment they had gained in their previous fierce attack and broke through the last stretch of distance!
"boom!"

As if breaking through an invisible barrier, the sticky, glue-like resistance around them suddenly lightened, but in its place came an almost suffocating, extremely concentrated, terrifying sword pressure!
They had truly entered the area beneath the Sword Gate, the region where the crimson light was most intense, directly beneath the Immortal Execution Sword!

Here, however, there were no more sword energies shooting everywhere, nor were there any dense, interwoven webs of blood-red sword energy.

All the attacks seemed to have stopped, but Zhao Ti and Bai Yu Qilin felt as if they were trapped in a time freeze, making it extremely difficult to move. Every inch of movement required a huge amount of magic power and physical strength.

Looking up, the fake Immortal Execution Sword hung less than a hundred feet above his head, its tip pointing straight down. It no longer emitted light, and all the crimson suddenly became restrained, the sword body becoming dark, like a piece of amber blood crystal that had been dormant for ten thousand years.

But this restrained stance, like an extreme killing intent locking onto the soul, is ten or even a hundred times more terrifying than any previous attack!
It seemed to be gathering its final and strongest attack, ready to completely destroy and annihilate the uninvited guest who had intruded into its absolute domain!

Zhao Ti's forehead was covered in sweat, his breathing became heavier, the white jade unicorn's four hooves trembled slightly, and the light of its literary aura flickered, as it endured unimaginable pressure, as if it were moving forward against a towering mountain, or struggling against a destructive torrent.

The man and the Qilin stopped below the Sword Gate, only a dozen steps away from the vertical projection of the Immortal Execution Sword. But those last dozen steps were like an insurmountable chasm.

Zhao Ti could clearly feel the faint sword energy emanating from the Zhuxian Sword, like a cold venomous snake, cutting through the skin, invading the meridians, attempting to freeze magic power and disintegrate will.

The white jade unicorn roared continuously, and the cultural essence it exhaled from its mouth and nose formed rings of light, striving to resist and purify this corrosive force.

Although they were not injured, the two had exhausted their magical power and were under immense mental strain in order to reach this point, and they were already feeling tired. The final blow of the Immortal Execution Sword was clearly about to strike.

(End of this chapter)