The First Venerable of All Paths

"Buzzing!"

The void trembled, and azure light filled the sky.

Above the horizon, one blue lotus flower after another appeared and bloomed.

It is as green as jade and as pure as a flawless gem.

At first glance, it is absolutely beautiful.

However, within this beauty lies a chilling danger.

Because from within the blooming lotus flower, chilling sword energy was being released.

In an instant, countless sword energies filled the sky.

A single sword brings forth a lotus, its power filling the heavens and earth.

"this......"

He Zhongtian and the others below were all stunned and speechless as they watched Fang Xuan casually unleash this sword strike.

"That's an exaggeration."

He Yun said with undisguised envy, "Sword cultivators are terrifying."

Sword cultivators wield their swords, roaming freely across the world.

Such power with a casual sword strike—who wouldn't envy that?

But along with envy, there is also worry.

Can this sword strike truly compare to the sword strike of the boy wielding the sword?

"Snap!"

As soon as the cyan sword energy appeared, the giant sword energy crashed down, instantly shattering countless cyan sword beams.

Seeing that the cyan sword light was no match for Nangong Xingyu, who had lost both legs, he was overjoyed.

Fang Xuan, even if I can't get your natal flying sword, I absolutely cannot let you live!

He knew very well how terrifying a swordsman could be when he sought revenge.

This is how Tianbaolou was originally.

He once offended a sword cultivator, who then single-handedly killed countless core clan members and eventually stormed into the clan.

That patriarch of the Lu family was said to have profound cultivation.

He was also nailed to death on the treasured Tianbao Tower with a single halberd strike, and for a hundred years no one dared to collect his body.

Even after the Lan family took over, the severely damaged Tianbao Tower, despite countless materials and time spent, has still not been able to be restored.

The Lan family should heed the lessons learned from the past.

You can't afford to offend a sword cultivator.

But as time goes by, these things have been forgotten by most people.

Furthermore, relying on the profound foundation of the Lan family, they continuously cultivated their own sword cultivators, which indeed greatly enhanced the strength and status of the Lan family.

Sword cultivators are gaining an increasingly higher status in Tianbao Tower.

This also led some members of the Lan family who were unable to become sword cultivators to gradually develop other ideas.

Sword cultivators are born that way.

But they used an unconventional method to forcibly become sword cultivators.

This type of swordsman is also known as a pseudo-swordsman.

Although their true strength is inferior to that of a true swordsman, they can indeed cultivate the way of the sword.

Even a pseudo-sword cultivator is still a sword cultivator!

Nangong Xingyu learned of these clan secrets unintentionally.

Knowing his own limited talent, he had to find another way, so he set his sights on this, hoping to obtain a sword cultivator's natal flying sword and become a pseudo-sword cultivator.

Now that he knows he can no longer obtain Fang Xuan's natal flying sword, he can only hope that the other party is dead.

"It still didn't work out."

As the cyan sword light continued to shatter, the Crimson Scale Demon Emperor's gaze grew increasingly solemn.

"Fang Xuan's cultivation is still too weak. Even though his swordsmanship is extraordinary, he is still no match for him."

The Crimson Scale Demon Emperor's body swirled with demonic energy, ready to strike at any moment.

It had already signed a contract with Fang Xuan.

If Fang Xuan dies, he won't survive either.

In mid-air, Fang Xuan stood on a green lotus, his body radiating sword intent.

Although the cyan sword light was no match for the giant sword energy, Fang Xuan showed no sign of worry.

in contrast.

After the previous probing, Fang Xuan already knew how to counter the sword.

The "Ten Thousand Swords Return to the Void Technique" was activated, and the sword bones resonated.

Fang Xuan's hands moved continuously.

A series of cyan sword beams constantly changed direction and position.

In the blink of an eye, a chilling sword formation appeared in mid-air.

"Buzz!"

The void trembled, and the azure sword formation erupted with a soaring sword aura that swept upwards.

The massive sword energy was enveloped within the sword formation.

"Snap!"

The sound of shattering continued, and when the sword formation dissipated, the giant sword energy also disappeared.

"It's broken?"

Seeing the giant sword energy disappear, Nangong Xingyu's eyes widened in shock.

The stronger Fang Xuan became, the more uneasy he became.

Fortunately.

The sword in the sword-wielding boy's hand is the natal flying sword of the swordsman.

If that doesn't work, they can easily kill Fang Xuan by waiting for the swordsman to take action himself.

"good."

The attack was neutralized, and the expression on the sword-wielding boy's face became slightly more varied.

He looked at Fang Xuan and said in a completely emotionless tone, "From now on, I will... be serious."

That's all.

He closed his eyes, and the power within his body continuously flowed out and into the longsword.

"Hiss hiss hiss!"

Palm-sized sword energies continuously shot out, hovering around the boy.

"Please, sword!"

The boy suddenly opened his eyes, and his eyes, which had been normal before, had turned a ghastly white, looking extremely eerie.

Immediately afterwards, he reached out and grasped the hilt of the sword.

The body's vitality is rapidly fading away.

"Click click click!"

A black longsword was slowly drawn from its scabbard.

As soon as a section of the sword was revealed, an even more chilling and fierce sword aura instantly filled the heavens and earth, sweeping across all directions.

"Azure!"

A sword's cry suddenly rang out, and a sword aura like a black hurricane slashed directly towards Fang Xuan.

Everyone who witnessed this sword immediately had their pupils locked.

That sword strike was incredibly powerful!

The scales on the Crimson Scale Demon Emperor's body all stood up.

It sensed an immense life-or-death crisis from this sword strike.

If it were it, it would only have a 50% chance of catching that sword.

Fang Xuan also looked solemn, feeling immense pressure.

This is just the sword-wielding boy.

If the swordsman were to personally take action, with his current strength, he would definitely perish under this sword.

A black hurricane swept in with lightning speed.

Fang Xuan dared not hesitate, and his internal energy circulated rapidly.

"Come!"

Fang Xuan grabbed with his five fingers, and a cyan longsword flew into his hand.

Holding a long sword, Fang Xuan's sword energy surged to its maximum.

"One sword can cleave the river!"

Without hesitation, Fang Xuan unleashed a sword strike.

"Boom!"

In an instant, a thick, rainbow-like sword aura burst forth from the Azure Lotus Sword, transforming into a blue fire dragon that fiercely slashed towards the black hurricane.

The Azure Lotus Sword carries the power of Azure Lotus Karmic Fire.

This made Fang Xuan's sword strike incredibly powerful.

Above the sky, two sword energies of completely different colors and auras collided with a thunderous roar amidst the tense anticipation of the crowd.

It's like two worlds clashing with each other.

The scene was so shocking that it was beyond words.

Silently, the two sword energies gradually weakened and diminished.

"Um?"

Suddenly, the Crimson Scale Demon Emperor seemed to realize something and roared, "Everyone, retreat!"

As he spoke, the Crimson Scale Demon Emperor had already retreated hundreds of meters away.

Given its nature, it simply doesn't care about the life or death of others.

But Xiao Jinyu and the others were all Fang Xuan's friends, so the Crimson Scale Demon Emperor considered it a good deed.

Reminded by the Crimson Scale Demon Emperor, Xiao Jinyu, He Zhongtian, and the others also used their movement techniques to quickly move away.

Poor Nangong Xingyu and Pang Long.

One person lost both legs and was unable to move; another was unconscious and completely unaware of the danger.

"Snap!"

A deafening crashing sound came from the horizon.

The entire sky looked as if it had been split apart by a sword.

A vast and terrifying sword aura surged forth from the crack, sweeping out in all directions.

One sword can cleave the heavens!

"Boom!"

In an instant, the sky collapsed and the earth caved in.

The entire Valley of Children was devastated by the destruction of all vegetation.

The raised mountain peaks were also leveled.

When the smoke and dust cleared, the vast Hai'er Valley, spanning hundreds of meters in circumference, had been completely stripped of a layer.

All life vanished completely.

"Gulp!"

After an unknown amount of time, He Zhongtian, who happened to be standing at the edge of the flat ground, swallowed hard and felt his legs go weak.

So close, so very close.

He, the dignified patriarch of the He family and a powerful expert in the Divine Realm, was killed by the aftershocks of a sword strike from another battle.

Looking at the ground, which was completely bare, not even a single pebble the size of a grain of rice remained, He Zhongtian could no longer hold on and collapsed to the ground.

"Father, are you alright?"

He Yaoyao patted He Zhongtian's back tenderly and asked, "Were you frightened?"

"Ahem, what nonsense are you talking about?"

He Zhongtian immediately sat cross-legged, trying to save face: "Father's injuries have just relapsed, and he's feeling a bit weak."

"Father, you don't need to explain."

He Yun added, "Even the hilltops were razed to the ground. It's not shameful to be scared to the point of weakness."

"The traitor!"

He Zhongtian slapped He Yun on the head and shouted angrily, "I'll deal with you when we get back!"

He looked up at the sky, where the two sword energies had already dissipated.

Fang Xuan and the sword-wielding boy stood in mid-air.

"Pfft!"

Suddenly, Fang Xuan's body trembled, and he spat out a mouthful of blood, his body immediately falling downwards.

Just before landing, Fang Xuan took several quick steps, hovering on his sword to steady himself.

The black longsword in the sword-wielding boy's hand had been returned to its sheath, and his ferocious sword aura had also returned to his body.

Blood trickled down from that pale white right eye.

The two clashed swords, and both were severely injured.

"The Swordsman is injured?"

Protected by a layer of light, Nangong Xingyu looked at the sword-wielding boy whose eyes were bleeding, and his face immediately turned extremely ugly.

Even with the sword-wielding boy injured, he was unable to kill Fang Xuan.

Just how strong is this guy?

Xiao Jinyu was equally shocked.

Fang Xuan actually caught the swordsman's sword.

And it also injured the other party.

This guy always manages to surprise us like this.

only......

Fang Xuan was also severely injured. Could he withstand the second sword strike?

Feeling the weakened power within his body, Fang Xuan sighed softly.

Catching the opponent's sword was already Fang Xuan's limit.

One more sword, and he will die.

So now, instead of trying to take the opponent's attack head-on, we need to find a way to escape.

He wouldn't be foolish enough to actually fight to the death with the other side.

The only thing that worried him was that the swordsman who had not yet appeared was so far that even he could not sense his location.

If the other party takes action personally, it will be difficult for us to even escape today.

"You are very strong."

The sword-wielding boy, with only one eye, looked at Fang Xuan and mechanically said, "Your sword is also extraordinary."

He acknowledged Fang Xuan's strength and greatly admired Fang Xuan's Azure Lotus Sword.

"But it's not over yet."

Just as the sword-wielding boy was about to draw out more life force and unleash his second sword, the longsword in his hand transformed into a streak of light and flew away into the distance.

In the blink of an eye, it disappeared.

"???"

Everyone was stunned as they stared at the vanished longsword.

The swordsman's sword has flown away?

What's going on?

"No!"

Knowing what had happened, Nangong Xingyu said in a shrill voice, "Swordholder, are you really going to let this villain Fang Xuan go? He is..."

"presumptuous!"

The sword-wielding attendant interrupted Nangong Xingyu, rebuking him: "How my master acts is none of your business! Say another word, and you'll die!"

He spoke these words with remarkable fluency.

Nangong Xingyu trembled, staring incredulously at the sword-wielding boy, but dared not utter another word.

The sword-wielding boy looked at Fang Xuan and said, "My master asked me to convey a message: once you enter the Divine Realm, he will personally come to test your sword skills with you."

To question the sword is to decide life and death.

Testing swords means exchanging sword skills.

Fang Xuan was taken aback, then nodded and said, "Please tell your master that I, Fang, will accept the sword!"

The sword-wielding boy nodded and turned to look at Xiao Jinyu.

"Mingyang County is now under your command."

After saying that, the sword-wielding boy turned and left, ignoring Nangong Xingyu's ashen face.

Xiao Jinyu belatedly realized what was happening and bowed to the other person's back.

"Thank you, Swordholder!"

Then, she turned to look at Nangong Xingyu, her phoenix eyes flashing with a cold light.

"Now, it's time to settle our scores."