Chapter 12 The Sword's Edge

Watching helplessly as the sword qi dissipated and his comrades were instantly slain, transforming into the purest turbid qi to return to the primal cycle of all things, the rest of the remaining demon gods' previously monstrous auras stagnated as if in disbelief. The sword in the white-haired swordsman's hand hummed softly.

He became one with the sword, the sword became one with him, and he instantly stepped forward.

The sword in his hand had already pierced the throat of a demon god, its sword qi densely permeating the god's spirit. Then, with a spin and a slash, the chilling arc of sword qi swept out like a round moon. The many demon gods could no longer restrain themselves. As if unaware of fear, unaware of dread, they roared and charged forward. For the second time in his life, Wei Yuan entered a state of absolute selflessness, forgetting even the sword.

It wasn't the so-called "forgetting the sword" state of worldly martial artists.

It was a complete and utter forgetting.

Besides – where was there any sword?

The Dao that Lao Tzu spoke of was merely a name he reluctantly gave to that thing.

Then, the sword was nothing more than a form and restraint forcibly imposed by worldly commoners.

It was just a name.

Wei Yuan circulated his qi. As he gradually began to forget, with the true spirit within him becoming complete and perfect, even the power of karma began to reject him latently. He raised his hand and unleashed his sword, all in one fluid motion. The ten thousand li of Kunlun transformed into sword qi, instantly sweeping across all things. Ahead, there was a rain of blood. No one knew how many he had killed. Finally, even the demon gods halted their advance.

Whether it was fear, worry, terror, or that the area ahead was one where even arrogant, fearless demon gods dared not tread, the white-haired swordsman held his sword in his right hand, clenched his left hand into a fist, and somehow pulled out a wine gourd. He tilted his head back and took a large gulp, the wine spilling onto his sleeves, wetting his clothes, and stinging his wounds.

It landed on the tangible yet intangible long sword, its energy blazing.

Ahead was the place where the Grand Master of the Turbid World resided.

Behind him were demon gods who wished nothing more than for the white-haired swordsman to die. Therefore, he drank this pot of wine with increasing comfort and relish. Being watched as he drank was actually so enjoyable. Wei Yuan tilted his head back and drained the pot of Chang'an wine. He wiped his mouth with his sleeve, glanced askance at the demon gods who were gnashing their teeth, enraged but unable to take a step forward, and smiled lazily.

"Been killing for too long."

"My mouth is a little dry."

"Just having some wine, don't mind me."

"You…!"

A demon god rose in anger, wielding a giant axe, his aura vast, but he dared not cross the boundary.

The swordsman's eyes stared at him coldly, causing him to subconsciously take a step back.

"Who is making such a ruckus outside?"

In the heart of the Turbid World, a man draped in long robes spoke with a calm and gentle tone, as if just awakening from a dream. "It's awfully noisy."

Surrounding him were the core members of the Turbid World. One of them, a tall, imposing man, as if the most ancient and massive being in the world, opened his eyes. His gaze was calm, vast, and profound. He glanced outside and said slowly, "...It's a cultivator from the Clear World. He's barged in again. The commotion at Kunlun Ruins earlier should have been his doing."

"...The Clear World?"

The Grand Master of the Turbid World, as if just awakening from a dream but still carrying a hint of sleepiness, said, "Interesting. Is it some god from the Great Wilderness, or from Kunlun? Let me guess. Although the Heavenly Emperor of the Clear World comes often, she has never taken that step to see me. She's probably worried about the consequences after an all-out battle."

"To say she'd be defeated by my hand, with her arrogance and self-esteem, she'd never have such an idea."

"It's either victory or mutual destruction. And even if she wins, easily defeating me, she wouldn't have such an absurd thought. So even if she wins, it's a pyrrhic victory. The Heavenly Emperor herself would be injured, severely wounded, even to the point of falling into slumber. Therefore, unless she's certain that the Clear World would remain stable after her slumber or demise, she won't come looking for me."

The Grand Master of the Turbid World yawned. "Then is it that little girl from West Kunlun?" The tall, imposing man said slowly, "The Western Queen."

The Western Queen of Kunlun, the Heavenly Calamity of Five Remnants, a long spear, a short sword, was once a powerful figure who dominated an era.

"It's not her. The Western Queen is strong, but she doesn't have the temperament to fight to the death with a powerful enemy."

"However, it's not impossible for her to change her nature."

The Grand Master of the Turbid World said with interest.

The tall man was silent for a moment, then said, "It's not her either."

"Then is it from the Four Seas region?"

The Grand Master of the Turbid World became slightly more interested. "The overseas lands of the Divine Era are vast and boundless, with passages to the myriad worlds, the splendor of countless worlds, representing countless possibilities, countless collisions, and the best opportunity to nurture the strong. So, has a strong figure emerged from Guixu or the Four Seas? Perhaps the blood of the Four Spirits?"

The tall, steady man shook his head. "No."

Not the Heavenly Emperor, not the Western Queen.

Not the bloodline of the gods.

"Not the Way of Heaven's physique, the Four Spirits, the Four Fiends..." He paused. "Perhaps you might think I'm joking, but... it's a human."

"A human?"

"Yes, a human."

"The race created by Nüwa?"

"Yes, the race created by Wa Huang."

"Then forget it." The Grand Master of the Turbid World lowered his eyes, seemingly becoming bored again. The tall man didn't say much, because the Grand Master of the Turbid World was the strongest in the Turbid World.

Previously, Fuxi had gone mad and come here, rampaging all the way, acting invincible, slaughtering many demon gods.

In the end, he encountered the Grand Master, who stopped the Fuxi who had gone insane for some reason.

But he didn't expect that even though Fuxi had suffered injuries and losses along the way, even to the point of depleting his foundation and falling into madness, he still had a backup plan. In a severely wounded state, he tore through the void and time, directly reversing yin and yang, annihilating all laws, recklessly charging into the Land of Annihilation.

Otherwise, he would have been killed here by the Grand Master. But Fuxi at this moment was no different from dead.

As long as he emerged from the Land of Annihilation, his踪迹 would be immediately detected.

As for Hun Tian.

The last period of that Great Emperor's life was also ended by the Grand Master. Therefore, Fuxi was no match for the Grand Master, let alone Nüwa, who was not good at fighting, and was the weakest at attacking among the Ten Peaks? Not to mention, it was just a member of the human race created by Nüwa.

Falling down layer by layer, it was like the child raised by the sister of your defeated opponent who isn't good at fighting.

How could there still be the desire and interest to fight?

If he was in a good mood, he would just take out a candy and tell the child to go away and not bother him. If he was in a bad mood, he would kick him over.

No wonder the Grand Master lost interest in an instant and became bored.

"Humans... they are an interesting race. Their collective resilience is somewhat impressive, but fighting is out of the question. Go take care of him." The Grand Master of the Turbid World rubbed his brow. There was a mysterious pattern between his brows, and his face was gentle, but he seemed to be an existence that was difficult to define with conventional appearances.

"Yes."

The tall man nodded slowly.

Then he stood up. When he was sitting, he already gave people an unimaginable sense of oppression, and when he stood up, this oppressiveness was further enhanced and exploded. The pillar of the Clear World was Buzhou Mountain, which travels through the six voids, while the Turbid World was the foundation of the world. It didn't have Buzhou Mountain supporting the heavens and the earth, but it also had a god who existed as the foundation.

Lightning flashed beside him, and a woman with sharp qi stood with her hands behind her back.

The Thunder God of the Turbid World. The Thunder God of the Clear World had already fallen, or rather, that Thunder Mist had reached its limit. The existence close to the Dao Fruit had been killed, and in exchange, the Thunder God of the Turbid World's strength had skyrocketed. The Thunder God still protected the Grand Master of the Turbid World, who was not easily able to go out at this moment. As for that incomparably tall foundation of the Turbid World, he had already summoned a full ten thousand demon god generals of the Turbid World with a wave of his sleeve.

"To deal with a mere human, you have to be so careful."

"Even Huang is no match for you in a fight. Can the little toy she made out of mud hurt you?"

The Thunder God couldn't help but mock with a hint of cold laughter.

The tall man said indifferently, "Do your job."

Holding a double-edged long sword, with blades on both sides and only a handle in the middle, it exuded a majestic aura of clear and turbid currents, wind and thunder, terrifying to the extreme. His body was covered in armor, and ten thousand demon gods behind him, like a wave, formed a formation from the heights where the Grand Master was, descending with a terrifying momentum, while the eyes of the cold-eyed Foundation of the Turbid World were indifferent.

The weapon in his hand emitted a vast flow of great dao light, shaking the laws of heaven and earth.

"Kill!!!"

The white-haired Daoist waved his sleeves slightly, and the sword in his hand hummed softly. Facing this treatment that had only been shown to the two Heavenly Emperors in the past, he closed his eyes slightly. Although he was oblivious to self and object, his expression was gentle, as if talking to himself: "When I was young, I wasn't qualified to hold a sword at all. Back then, I used pottery carving knives, but in the end, I liked this thing, and I would also break off a branch and wave it around randomly, and I was envious of Yu's Shadow-Trailing Sword in my heart."

"Later, the Master told me about the Six Arts of a Gentleman, and that I should cultivate swordsmanship. At that time, my sword instructor personally forged it. Senior Brother Zilu sharpened it, saying that it was most compatible with my nature. Bamboo from the Southern Mountain, unified with one principle. Therefore, the sword is named 'Unified With One Principle'." (Yi Yi Guan Zhi)

"Later, when I was in the Great Qin, I used the iron eagle sword of the Great Qin. The elite soldiers of the Great Qin, who could compete with them?"

"In the years of the Three Kingdoms, that fellow Liu Bei forged a lot of swords, wanting to give me one, but I didn't want it. At that time,"

"I used a bamboo stick as a sword, using the sword to support the ground. Later, during the Great Tang, an iron bar and two pieces of wood were a sword."

"Later, along the way, Xuanzang helped me recast the sword, the Chang'an Sword, the Great Tang Chang'an, a thousand li of moonlight; a friend gave me the Jieri Sword."

"Then, the Eight-Sided Han Sword."

"And finally, the new Chang'an Sword."

"Kunlun is the sword, but I suddenly have a question. Swordsman, swordsman, is this sword important after all?"

"What is a sword?"

"What am I?"

Did the sword make me, or did I make the sword."

"And if the sword is not me, then where does me come from? If I am not the sword, where does the sword come from? Or perhaps, there was no sword in the first place."

"Since there is no sword, then where does swordsmanship come from, what need is there for the Dao Fruit?"

"It's just the word 'I'."

He held the long sword horizontally, a smile and loneliness on his face: "I'm probably going to fall asleep, going to forget a lot of things."

"I would like to ask everyone to help me think about this question."

Clearly there were ten thousand demon gods, but countless attacks, many divine abilities, myriad wonderful techniques, were unable to harm this person.

The Foundation of the Turbid World scolded in a deep voice:

"Impudent!"

"This Daoist has always been impudent!"

Their auras had already clashed. In an instant, the white-haired swordsman laughed loudly, his toes tapping, charging against the front, his aura vast, asking what the sword was for, his heroic spirit soaring to the sky. In an instant, the sword qi tore apart the heavens and the earth, like a cold ray of silver light, going straight to the front. The Foundation of the Turbid World held the weapon in his hand horizontally, his pupils shrinking.

The sword qi erupted, the sword intent was like a prison!

His body froze for a moment.

The surrounding demon gods were shattered. His sleeves stained with blood, the white-haired swordsman stepped out, fiercely stomping on the head of the Foundation of the Turbid World, his body slightly bent, his long sleeves fluttering, his white hair scattered, with the bearing of a swaying immortal.

His unparalleled swordsman's bones burst through the limit. The more serious the injury, the more enjoyable it seemed to be. He laughed loudly, holding his sword and stepping forward. On this day, the many demon gods heard those words:

"Grand Master of the Turbid World, this humble Daoist's name is Yuan. This sword is from Chang'an of the Great Tang, please take a look!"

The sword qi was vast for ten thousand li.

The mountain peak in front of the Grand Master's throne was completely shattered, the corpses of demon gods like withered bones.

Only the sword qi remained long.