Chapter 802: Magic Sword Tournament (Three)

The Sea God Platform was utterly silent. The four Holy Masters had arrived, their combined presence overwhelming, an awe-inspiring force that blanketed the land and struck fear across all nine provinces.

Sea Emperor Qu Fengyi gazed skyward at the round sun, now slowly marred by a black mark. "The thirteen-star alignment is about to manifest," he declared solemnly. "We have prepared for months for this very moment. All the world's heroes have converged at my Supreme Sea Palace, not only to behold the Devil Sword but also to collectively unravel its mysteries. If the secrets of the Devil Sword can be revealed as we hope, it will undoubtedly be a momentous occasion for our Profound Sky Continent."

Sea Emperor Qu Fengyi then turned to Huangji Wuyu. "Although this is the Sea Palace, the Devil Sword Assembly is not solely for our Sea Palace; rather, it is a grand event for the entire Profound Sky profound way. Brother Huangji, among the four of us, you hold the highest seniority and the greatest prestige. It would be far more appropriate for you to preside over this Devil Sword Assembly."

"Heh heh," Huangji Wuyu chuckled softly. "The Devil Sword was obtained by Sword Master Xuanyuan, and he naturally possesses the deepest knowledge of it. It would be far more fitting for him to preside over this grand event."

"Excellent!" Xuanyuan Wentian accepted without a moment's hesitation, letting out a hearty laugh. "In that case, I, Xuanyuan Wentian, shall respectfully comply."

As he finished speaking, Xuanyuan Wentian raised his right palm, and a pale sword gleam shot forth from its center, piercing directly towards the heavens.

In mere moments, the sword gleam extended to a hundred zhang, transforming into a towering hundred-zhang profound sword in Xuanyuan Wentian's grasp. Then, with a soft cry, he abruptly brought it down, slicing towards the Sea God Platform below.

*Clang!*

The massive light barrier enveloping the Sea God Platform was instantly cleaved by the profound sword. Like shattering ice, the barrier fragmented into countless pieces that dispersed into the air, vanishing into the void in a blink, revealing the Sea God Platform that had long been hidden.

All eyes fell upon the Sea God Platform. With the disappearance of the light barrier, the platform's complete form was finally revealed.

The Sea God Platform, spanning several miles in width, now clearly featured a massive circular profound formation embedded within it. The profound light emanating from the formation was not intense; it would sometimes brighten, sometimes dim, with an exceptionally slow alternation frequency. Its edges extended directly to the perimeter of the Sea God Platform, encompassing the entire structure.

At the very center of the profound formation, which also marked the center of the Sea God Platform, a jet-black sword floated upright. Its blade, as dark as ink, measured six and a half feet in length and one foot in width. The hilt was square, and on the half of the blade nearest to the hilt, there were two irregular engravings. Upon closer inspection, these were unmistakably two halves of a blood-red crescent moon!

Other than these details, the sword emitted no aura and showed no signs of power, giving off an impression of complete lifelessness.

"Is that the legendary Heaven's Might Divine Sword?" Xia Yuanba exclaimed involuntarily, then mumbled under his breath, "But it doesn't look particularly extraordinary."

Yun Che's gaze, too, was fixed on the sword. His eyes swept over the blade, eventually settling on the blood-red broken crescent mark etched into its surface.

The Moon Slaughter Devil Monarch had said that the sword's true name was "Moon Slaughter Devil Sword"!

And this blood-red broken crescent mark undoubtedly corresponded to the name "Moon Slaughter"!

While the world knew this sword as the "Heaven's Might Divine Sword," only Yun Che understood that it was, in fact, an ancient devil sword through and through!

He just wondered if the devil soul within it still existed!

The devil soul of the Moon Slaughter Devil Monarch's son!

"What is that profound formation down there?" Yun Che asked quietly.

"It's likely used to gather profound energy," Xia Yuanba replied. "Preparations for this profound formation began half a year ago. Lord Saint Emperor has spent most of the last six months here at the Supreme Sea Palace specifically for this, and I presume the other Holy Masters did likewise."

Yun Che remained silent.

Yun Che's brow furrowed slightly, and he fell into a long contemplation. According to the memories Jasmine had extracted from Feng Juechen, the Heaven's Might Divine Sword had been sealed by the Eternal Night Royal Clan for generations, becoming a clan-wide taboo; no one was allowed to approach or touch it. Furthermore, the seal was periodically reinforced with full power. The current Devil Sword Assembly's purpose was to unseal the Heaven's Might Divine Sword. However, if it were merely the Eternal Night Royal Clan's seal, the Heaven's Might Sword Region wouldn't have been unable to unseal it for over a thousand years, eventually resorting to this Devil Sword Assembly to harness the power of all the world's strongest cultivators. Could it be that the Evil God's seal still lingered on the Heaven's Might Divine Sword? No, that didn't seem right. Although the Moon Slaughter Devil Monarch's life soul was incomplete, he had clearly broken free from the Evil God's seal. Since the Heaven's Might Divine Sword was the Moon Slaughter Devil Monarch's sword, it naturally remained bound to him, forming a single entity. If the Moon Slaughter Devil Monarch had escaped the seal, there was no logical reason for the Heaven's Might Divine Sword to still bear one.

As Yun Che pondered, a thought suddenly struck him. The Moon Slaughter Devil Monarch had mentioned that he personally cast the Moon Slaughter Devil Sword—also known as the Heaven's Might Divine Sword—onto the Profound Sky Continent, intending to use it to gather information about the mortal realm. However, afterward, the Heaven's Might Divine Sword had unilaterally severed its soul connection with the Moon Slaughter Devil Monarch. Yet, once a sword becomes bound to a master, it's impossible for it to actively sever a soul connection! This implied that, at that time, the Heaven's Might Divine Sword existed independently, and the Moon Slaughter Devil Monarch was not its true master! Could it be that the Evil God's sealing power, which had endured for millions of years, had somehow consumed their soul contract?

Xuanyuan Wentian then announced in a clear voice, "This sword is the Devil Sword, also known as the 'Heaven's Might Divine Sword'!"

"And the name 'Heaven's Might Divine Sword' originates from the 'Eternal Night Royal Clan,' which was annihilated a millennium ago."

Everyone present displayed expressions of astonishment. The name "Eternal Night Royal Clan" had always been a taboo, particularly in the presence of the Four Holy Lands. The Heaven's Might Sword Region was, in fact, the primary force behind the Eternal Night Royal Clan's destruction. It was truly unexpected that Xuanyuan Wentian would voluntarily bring up the "Eternal Night Royal Clan."

"A millennium has passed, and few now know the name 'Eternal Night Royal Clan.' However, all of you are paramount figures of the Profound Sky, so I presume you have at least heard of it."

Those who were aware of the Eternal Night Royal Clan also, for the most part, knew the truth behind its downfall. Yet, under the gaze of the entire assembly, Xuanyuan Wentian's voice rang out like a clear bell, his expression unchanged, as if speaking a name utterly unrelated to himself. "The Eternal Night Royal Clan was initially just a medium-sized force, but after acquiring this sword ten thousand years ago, it rapidly ascended. Within a mere thousand years, it became supreme throughout the Profound Sky, rising to prominence alongside our Four Holy Lands. At that time, it was widely known that the Heaven's Might Divine Sword surely concealed a world-shaking secret."

"The Eternal Night Royal Clan's profound art was known as the 'Eternal Night Illusion God Record.' When activated, its profound energy manifested as jet-black, exuding a shocking baleful aura, much like the legendary power of demonic fiends. However, profound art is merely a technique; whether it is righteous or evil depends not on the art itself, but on the wielder. Thus, no one ever questioned whether the Eternal Night Royal Clan had strayed into the demonic path. Nevertheless, a millennium ago, the Eternal Night Royal Clan repeatedly committed grave transgressions, actions utterly intolerable by heaven and earth. As our Four Holy Lands are tasked with guarding the Profound Sky for generations, we had no alternative but to unite and mete out punishment, eradicating the Eternal Night Royal Clan's existence."

Who truly committed evil, who had fallen into the demonic path, and who had committed grave errors intolerable by heaven and earth—the other three Holy Lands were already well aware, and many outside the Holy Lands also knew the truth. Yet, Xuanyuan Wentian spoke with fluent confidence, displaying no shame on his face; instead, his expression was one of absolute righteousness.

Yun Che observed Xuanyuan Wentian's demeanor but felt no inclination to scorn him. Instead, a sudden chill arose in his heart.

This was an exceptionally terrifying individual, more so than anyone Yun Che had ever encountered.

"Back then, the King of Eternal Night was named Ye Mufeng. Though his profound strength was formidable, it was slightly inferior to any one of the Four Holy Masters. However, upon finally revealing the Heaven's Might Divine Sword, his power surged dramatically, making him seemingly invincible. Ultimately, it required the combined might of the Four Holy Masters, augmented by nineteen top-tier elders from the Holy Lands, to barely defeat Ye Mufeng. This victory, however, came at an exceedingly brutal cost: all Four Holy Masters suffered severe injuries, and among the nineteen elders, nine out of ten were either dead or gravely wounded."

Xuanyuan Wentian's revelation visibly shocked many in the audience. While most people had some knowledge of the Eternal Night Royal Clan's name and knew it had been destroyed by the combined might of the Four Holy Lands, almost no one, even within the Holy Lands themselves, knew the details of how the King of Eternal Night met his end.

They could never have imagined that the King of Eternal Night had been so incredibly powerful back then, requiring the combined efforts of the four world-renowned Holy Masters *and* nineteen top-tier Holy Land elders just to barely defeat him!

The profound strength of the Four Holy Masters had already reached the peak of the tenth level of the Sovereign Profound Realm; it was said that within the Sovereign Profound Realm, they had no equals!

If the King of Eternal Night a millennium ago was so terrifying, could it be that he had reached the legendary Divine Profound Realm?

Yun Che's brow arched slightly as he listened coldly to Xuanyuan Wentian's words. At that moment, he suddenly detected a fleeting, bone-chilling, yet somewhat familiar, killing intent. Although the source was trying intensely to conceal it, Yun Che's heightened sensitivity to such auras meant it did not escape his spiritual perception.

Yun Che's gaze swept across the Sea God Platform, swiftly pinpointing the source of the killing intent. There, he spotted a familiar figure.

Feng Juechen!

Dressed in black, he sat silently in an inconspicuous corner at the very edge. His face was dark and cold, and his gaze alone was enough to make one's heart palpitate.

"Feng Juechen truly came!" Yun Che murmured to himself. He had been so preoccupied with observing the Four Holy Lands and contemplating his precarious situation, coupled with Feng Juechen's obvious efforts to suppress his presence, that he hadn't noticed him until now.

Feng Juechen's objective in coming was, of course, the Heaven's Might Divine Sword, but Yun Che had no idea what he planned to do next. Although Feng Juechen's current strength was formidable, against four ancient powers that had flourished for millennia, his individual might remained too meager.

Furthermore, what Yun Che had been more concerned about was why the Heaven's Might Sword Region had specifically invited Feng Juechen to participate in the Devil Sword Assembly. Was it merely because his strength met the required standards?

Feng Juechen's senses were exceedingly keen. The moment Yun Che looked his way, his gaze reflected back almost instantly, a pair of wolf-like eyes locking onto Yun Che, filled with a chilling, condensed hatred.

Staring directly into Feng Juechen's eyes, Yun Che's brow twitched, and he felt a surge of surprise.

He sensed Feng Juechen's hatred toward him was as intense as it had been every time they'd met before, without the slightest diminution. Yet, surprisingly, beyond the hatred, there was no killing intent!

What was happening? Yun Che was puzzled. Feng Juechen's killing intent towards him had always been utterly intense; indeed, one of the reasons he now lived in such agony was to exact revenge. Moreover, in Yun Che's presence, he had never once masked his murderous intent. But this time, there was only hatred, and no killing intent?!

What exactly was happening? Or was it merely a misjudgment of his senses?

As Yun Che pondered in surprise, Feng Juechen had already withdrawn his cold gaze, his eyes narrowing as he fixated intently on the jet-black sword at the center of the Sea God Platform. He avoided looking at Xuanyuan Wentian or any of the Four Holy Masters, fearing he might lose control and expose his overwhelming hatred and murderous intent.

Xuanyuan Wentian continued, "The King of Eternal Night's strength after revealing the Heaven's Might Divine Sword was truly extraordinary, absolutely surpassing the Sovereign Profound Realm. Although he was eventually defeated and died, his soul persisted for a prolonged period. To die and yet have one's soul remain unextinguished is a power of the legendary Divine Way, far beyond what any Emperor can achieve."

"Therefore, the King of Eternal Night, Ye Mufeng, who wielded the Heaven's Might Divine Sword, must have indeed surpassed the Sovereign Profound Realm, entering the legendary Divine Profound Realm!"

Below the Sea God Platform, a clamor instantly arose, and every face was etched with shock and longing. To fight alone against four Holy Masters and nineteen Holy Land elders, and to die yet have one's soul remain unextinguished—all these signs unequivocally indicated that the King of Eternal Night's strength had absolutely surpassed the Sovereign Profound Realm!

And these claims came directly from the Heaven's Might Sword Master, Xuanyuan Wentian, with the other three Holy Masters present to corroborate. How could they be false?

It seemed that the phrase "Secret of Divine Profound" was by no means an empty boast!

"The rise of the Eternal Night Royal Clan was entirely due to their acquisition of the Heaven's Might Divine General. Similarly, Ye Mufeng's dramatic transformation occurred only after he revealed the Heaven's Might Divine Sword. Therefore, all hidden secrets are surely contained within the Heaven's Might Divine Sword."

"A millennium ago, after we disciplined Ye Mufeng, we sought to acquire the Heaven's Might Divine Sword, hoping to uncover the secret behind his explosive surge in power. Alas, the Heaven's Might Divine Sword vanished somewhere during that brutal battle and remained lost for a thousand years. But, fortunately, just one year ago, my Heaven's Might Sword Region fortuitously discovered the Heaven's Might Divine Sword in a desolate area…"

"This Xuanyuan Wentian is clearly spouting nonsense, yet he maintains such a calm and blameless demeanor—his brazenness is truly astounding!" Xia Yuanba gritted his teeth and whispered. "My master told me that a thousand years ago, they already suspected the vanished Heaven's Might Divine Sword had fallen into the hands of the Heaven's Might Sword Region. Xuanyuan Wentian used despicable and vicious methods to eradicate the Eternal Night Royal Clan back then, purely for the sake of that very sword!"

"Let him continue," Yun Che said quietly. "He has clearly put much thought into today's performance." The deep cunning, terrifying machinations, and malicious methods, combined with profound strength and the influential power behind him—all at the pinnacle of the current age—made Yun Che feel an increasingly heavy sense of oppression emanating from Xuanyuan Wentian.

The sky was gradually darkening at a slow pace. Yun Che looked up and saw that nearly one-tenth of the scorching sun was now obscured by the black mark.