Lao Tzu is Ji Gong

A large group of people knelt on the ground, leaving only the experts from the eight major sects in the hall to make their statements.

Upon seeing this, Li Xiuyuan coldly said, "You are unwilling to join my Demonic Sect, do you look down on me?"

As he spoke, he stood up, and a chilling killing intent enveloped everyone. Those who were standing felt a chill run down their spines, and goosebumps rose all over their bodies.

Huijing of Kuxin Temple said, "Demon Lord, our sect is our foundation. How can we betray our ancestors?"

The meaning behind those words was crystal clear: no!

laugh!

A sword aura condensed from Li Xiuyuan's fingertips and pierced through Huijing's head before anyone could react.

With a 'thud', Huijing's head was ripped open like a watermelon, and blood splattered everywhere in an instant.

Li Xiuyuan said calmly, "Does anyone have any objections?"

As he spoke, his cold gaze swept over the crowd, and none of those he looked at dared to confront him.

At this moment, a little Shakya came running out from behind Huijing, crying out, "Master!"

Holding Huijing's body, he roared, "You devil, you devil! My Kuxin Temple will never submit to you!"

laugh!

A powerful finger strike came from the side of the gate. It was Xiong Ba who made the move. He said, "Those who insult the Demon Lord shall die!"

Everyone was shocked. Xiong Ba was once a powerful and influential ruler. When did he become so obedient?

Li Xiuyuan said calmly, "Does anyone have any objections?"

hum!

Torn between life and sect, everyone finally made a choice. Qingmu Daoist of the Qingcheng Sect said, "My Qingcheng Sect is willing to join the Demonic Sect and pay homage to the Demon Lord."

The Qingcheng Sect members knelt down without any shame.

When the other sects saw the Qingcheng Sect members kneeling on the ground, they were all stunned. What happened to their promise to stand together?

"I, Xiong Ba, have arrived."

Outside the No. 1 Building Under Heaven, a figure soared through the air. Xiong Ba was so agitated that he turned around without hesitation.

The old man was tall and imposing, with a square face, a straight nose, and a sharp, red, angular mark between his eyebrows, resembling the eyes of Erlang Shen. It was clear that he must have been a handsome and dashing man in his youth.

This person soared through the air, and Xiong Ba exclaimed in surprise, "Sword Saint!"

As he spoke, his expression changed drastically. The Sword Saint's lifespan was nearing its end, yet his spirit and energy were so abundant.

The Sword Saint coldly replied, "Indeed, it is I. Our duel should now be concluded."

A month ago, the Sword Saint sent Duan Lang to Mount Tian to issue a challenge, which would take place in half a month. Now, he has come to keep his promise.

At this moment, Li Xiuyuan walked out and was surprised when he saw the state of the Sword Saint.

At this moment, the Sword Saint was not an old man nearing the end of his life; he was in the best of health, looking radiant and showing no signs of discomfort.

Li Xiuyuan thought of the Holy Spirit Sword Technique, Sword Twenty-Three, which was performed in a soul state, meaning that the Sword Saint at this moment was just a soul entity.

He remembered that in the original story, when Xiong Ba faced the Sword Saint, he had no strength to resist at all. If Bu Jingyun hadn't suddenly made a move and killed the Sword Saint, Xiong Ba would probably have already died under the sword.

Li Xiuyuan still needed Xiong Ba to stabilize the situation of the Demonic Sect, so naturally he didn't want him to die.

Moreover, compared to Sword Twenty-Three, Li Xiuyuan also wanted to see how his Deadly Sixteen Swords were.

Li Xiuyuan flew out into the air, staring intently at the Sword Saint in front of him, and said calmly, "Xiong Ba is my subordinate. He is no match for you. Let me fight you instead!"

In an instant, a terrifying killing sword aura enveloped the entire summit of Tianshan Mountain.

"My God, flying through the air."

"Control the sword with your inner energy!"

"Internal and external harmony, a realm of heaven and man!"

When everyone saw Li Xiuyuan display his astonishing sword energy, they secretly thought to themselves that it was fortunate they hadn't been the first to stick their necks out, otherwise they would have been killed outright. Such cultivation was probably no weaker than the martial arts legend, Wuming.

The Sword Saint comprehended the Twenty-Three Sword Technique at the brink of his death.

He wants to prove to the world the power of my sword!

He was unwilling to die just like that, even if it was only for a little while.

The Sword Saint's cold eyes were piercing and sharp, like a ray of sunlight breaking through the thick, dark clouds, illuminating the path ahead!

The Sword Saint coldly asked, "Who are you?"

After issuing the challenge, he focused on his training and prepared for battle, unaware of the current situation in the martial arts world.

Li Xiuyuan was not angered by this. His gaze remained fixed on the Sword Saint, and he said calmly, "I am the Demon Lord Wutian. Rather than wasting time fighting a lamb waiting to be slaughtered, you might as well fight me."

As he spoke, he waved his hand, and the Peerless Sword, which had been standing beside the throne, was summoned and flew to the Sword Saint's side.

Li Xiuyuan stared at the Sword Saint. At this moment, the Sword Saint had comprehended the Twenty-Three Sword Techniques and was qualified to fight him. In his opinion, there were only two ways of swordsmanship in martial arts: one was to go from complex to simple, and the other was to go from simple to complex.

The former embodies the ultimate principles of swordsmanship in every move, easily dismantling and neutralizing the opponent's sword techniques. The latter, however, evolves into countless techniques, exhausting all variations and employing layer upon layer of calculation, leaving the opponent exhausted and unable to escape or break through.

Chapter 73 Holy Spirit Sword Twenty-Three

It is further divided into three levels:

The first level: No sword in the heart, but a sword in the hand; no sword in the hand, but a sword in the heart.

The second level: not bound by physical objects, but using flowers, trees, and all things as my sword.

The third realm: the sword is me, and I am the sword; I have forgotten both the sword and myself.

At this moment, the Sword Saint entered the third realm. Even if he had not broken through in other areas, he was qualified to fight against people in the Golden Core realm.

Upon hearing this, the Sword Saint smiled but remained silent. Indeed! Rather than fighting a piece of trash, it would be better to fight Li Xiuyuan. Just by looking at how he flies through the air, his skill is far superior to that of Xiong Ba.

Furthermore, as Li Xiuyuan just mentioned, Xiong Ba was merely his subordinate.

The Sword Saint slowly raised his finger and drew his sword:

The moment this sword was drawn, the brilliance of the sun, moon, and stars was completely obscured.

The moment this sword was drawn, blood congealed and the sky darkened, revealing its killing intent.

Once this sword is drawn, the soul is severed and the spirit is scattered beyond redemption;

Once this sword is drawn, the earth and sky are turned upside down, and it cannot be stopped!

Sword Twenty-Three!

What power can freeze a fleeting moment of brilliance and hold back the passing time?

What power can transcend the boundaries of life and death, turning the impossible into the possible?

What power can pierce the sky and slay the earth, be invincible and unstoppable?

What power can extinguish all life and unleash the sword's merciless and deadly nature?

This sword strike is the answer!

Strange phenomena suddenly occurred; the sky grew darker and darker, as if thick, boundless leaden clouds were pressing down on the ground from the sky; the sun, moon, and stars lost their brilliance; heaven and earth were without light, and all things were dim.

The Sword Saint's sword, Twenty-Three, uses the primordial spirit as its means of attack. In addition, it requires the user to be in a state that is neither dead nor alive, which makes the Sword Saint's primordial spirit almost invincible.

However, his physical body was extremely fragile because he had not reached the point of true death. Therefore, his physical body had to survive for his primordial spirit to exist, and vice versa.

With Bu Jingyun's interference gone, the power of Sword Twenty-Three will definitely be greater than in the original story, and it will be unstoppable.

This sword strike, formless and without force, merged with space and time, transcending the realm of humanity, and began to infinitely approach the ethereal and elusive Dao of Heaven.

Under the overwhelming power of this all-encompassing sword, all life begins to lose control of its own mind.

Not a sound was heard. All sounds were contained within the invisible barrier formed by the terrifying sword aura. The rumbling thunder in the clouds and the chilling wind sweeping through the mountains were all rendered as silent subtitles, completely silenced.

Even the invisible sunlight could not escape this sword strike. Countless rays of light could be faintly seen crisscrossing in the air, illuminating the tiny dust particles that were frozen in the air, but they were also frozen in the air, and then faded irreversibly in the fleeting light and shadow.

Time and space stand still, all sounds are silent; the greatest sound is the least heard, the greatest form is the most formless!

As if even the heavens were unwilling, this extraordinary and otherworldly sword move could only be fleeting, so they held back the reins of time, freezing this moment of splendor, allowing people to see clearly everything that had happened.

Everything was frozen in mid-air, turning into a scene that was oppressive, suffocating, eerie, and terrifying!

When Li Xiuyuan faced the Sword Saint's swordsmanship, he had already entered the Golden Core realm. In terms of realm alone, he was even higher than the Sword Saint. In his eyes, the Holy Spirit Sword Technique and the things he considered were much more than those of the others on the field.

Sword Twenty-Three: This is a belief that transcends life and death, an obsession with creating miracles.

Even as his life was nearing its end, the Sword Saint never relinquished his unwavering pursuit of the sword, nor did he extinguish the burning flames of desire for battle and glory deep within his soul. Instead, they burned ever brighter due to intense anger and resentment.

Ultimately, it transcended the physical body and the cycle of life and death, transforming into a magnificent and boundless sword aura that filled the void.

In this small world, space has been forcibly frozen, and with the abnormality of time, the power supporting this space has become chaotic and volatile.

In the realm of perception beyond the ordinary, various invisible forces begin to surge and churn.

As the cracks passed, all matter was silently cut and separated.

Faced with the power of space, the solidity of all material structures is meaningless. In an instant, the ground, air, light, and everything tangible and intangible were cut, shattered, and disintegrated!

The Sword Saint's sword intent: powerful, resolute, ruthless, devoid of emotion and nature, unwavering in its strikes, and never backing down.

All human morality, compassion, and even the laws of heaven and earth crumbled like bubbles in the face of this powerful, absolute will.

Even the likes of Shi Wuzun from Wushuang City, and even his blood relative Dugu Ming, he paid no attention to them, only indifference.