Chapter 1459: The Mansions of Kings, Nobles, Generals, and Ministers Have Fallen, While Pillars and Beams Emerge from the Humble Room

Is this Mei Lao Shen Xian?

Cao Er Zhu was so shocked that his mouth hung open wide enough to fit a whole baby wild boar!

Against the backdrop of that immense and ferocious sword image, Mei Lao Shen Xian looked nothing like his previous kindly and benevolent self.

He was like a sword drawn from its sheath, sharp and unyielding.

Cao Er Zhu wouldn't be surprised if he went on to slash right through the sky with a single strike.

But what amazed him wasn't just the stark contrast in Mei Lao Shen Xian; it was also the sword image itself!

It seemed mysterious, unbeatable, and utterly out of reach...

Yet, it felt like he understood the essence of its power structure?

The answer was right in his mind?

"Isn't this exactly one of the six great transformations of Che Shen Nian—the release type?"

At that thought, Cao Er Zhu froze completely.

He carefully analyzed the sword image's power construction from top to bottom and realized it really matched what he was thinking...

It was simply Che Shen Nian!

His old man was right—everyone in the Ling Lian Realm was a master.

Cao Er Zhu hadn't even entered the Ling Lian Realm yet, and he'd already seen Che Shen Nian twice in Qing Yuan Shan: once from the old man and once from Ba Yue.

Both of theirs were release-type Che Shen Nian, manifesting as "sword thoughts" with high separation, penetration, and cutting power.

This was an extreme offensive expression of release-type Che Shen Nian.

Mei Lao Shen Xian used it differently, though.

He focused on all-around development, materializing the nine great sword arts of the ancient sword path, balancing aspects like attack, defense, speed, change, trickery... and more.

This kind of release-type Che Shen Nian, which materializes an image and then releases it, had virtually no weaknesses.

It could advance to attack or retreat to defend, all about playing it safe—just like Mei Lao Shen Xian.

Naturally, in terms of raw attack at the same level, it wasn't as extreme as sword thoughts.

But why bother with a futile clash, pitting weakness against strength?

When the sword image combined as a whole, sword thoughts couldn't gain any advantage from it.

Yet, conversely, the sword image didn't become stronger because of that; whether it could break through sword thoughts' attacks depended on the wielder's own skill and cultivation.

Overall, it was an even match!

Of course, that was just Cao Er Zhu's opinion.

His old man, the founder of Che Shen Nian, had given this evaluation:

"Release-type Che Shen Nian that materializes an image is harder to execute in practice because it requires a solid foundation."

"But in concept, it's superior, with a higher upper limit than the extremely refined attack-focused release type."

"However, that also means it's tougher to cultivate, so if you have to decide a winner under the same time constraints, it comes down to the cultivator themselves."

Cao Er Zhu, of course, learned both types.

Time?

Che Shen Nian had only been around for a few decades.

What Cao Er Zhu had in spades was time—his age pretty much equaled how many years Che Shen Nian had been rapidly developing.

He had even tried to comprehend sword thoughts under the old man's guidance.

But without a foundation in ancient sword arts, he just couldn't grasp it.

No problem—Cao Er Zhu had Fa Shen Xing Jie.

His release-type Che Shen Nian could basically simulate sword thoughts' effects.

Mei Lao Shen Xian's sword image was even closer to another steady, victory-seeking release-type Fa Shen Xing Jie that his old man had taught him, called "Shen Xiao Kui Shou"!

The same idea of materializing an image and then releasing it...

His old man had said it could be used as a trump card because no one in the world had seen this kind of Che Shen Nian yet.

Today, Cao Er Zhu was seeing an alternative to the unborn "Shen Xiao Kui Shou"!

He fell silent.

His old man had been too conservative after all.

The Ling Lian Realm? It was more than just a place where dragons and phoenixes vied for supremacy.

They hadn't even left Qing Yuan Shan, and here was the third Che Shen Nian user.

If they set foot in the Ling Lian Realm, wouldn't it be waves upon waves of Che Shen Nian smacking him in the face, leaving him bruised, swollen, and scrambling on the ground?

High above the nine heavens.

The one equally startled by Mei Si Ren's sudden fury and the erupting sword image was Dao Qiong Cang himself.

He had no intention of fighting this old sword saint head-on in a life-or-death battle—that went against a Tian Ji master’s principle of scheming from the shadows.

His original plan was just to reason with him and suppress his momentum first.

Little did he know, Mei Si Ren didn't bother with reason; he went straight for the physical.

—Might makes right!

"No words to say?"

Mei Si Ren unleashed his sword image without even giving Dao Qiong Cang time to speak, slashing down fiercely with the Tai Cheng Sword in his hand. "Then there's nothing more to discuss!"

Boom! Boom!

The void split apart as the sword image's Qing Wu Er Sword, identical in form and state, cleaved downward, as if to bisect the entire Qing Yuan Shan.

"Wait..."

Dao Qiong Cang's hand trembled on the Tian Ji Si Nan, but Mei Si Ren showed no sign of stopping.

He was here to vent!

He was here to make a statement!

Xu Xiao Shou had people behind him: his master Sang Lao, the guiding Ba Zun An, and further up, the holy emperor of the Void Island...

In short, he had plenty of support.

But without exception, all of them were hard-pressed to step forward, hemmed in at every turn.

The Sheng Shen Palace faction was exploiting that, targeting him relentlessly.

Mei Si Ren, however, was different.

He was alone, a solitary figure who could wander the world as he pleased or draw his sword in anger whenever he wanted!

The barefoot fear no shod.

Mei Si Ren had come to Qing Yuan Shan tonight with sword in hand, and all the other reasons were just excuses. Mainly, it was to tell the Sheng Shen Palace, to tell Dao Qiong Cang...

His old student's bullying days were over!

He had this backer behind him—not strong, but not weak either, right at that perfect stage—just strong enough to be a thorn in the eye, a stab in the flesh. Anyone who touched it would get hurt; a head-on clash would mean death!

He wasn't foolish either. He wouldn't let the tragedy of Ba Zun An and You Tu repeat in this era, dragging the world back thirty years!

"Kill—"

The majestic double swords slashed down from the azure depths.

The sword image's hoarse roar seemed to manifest as this single word, perfectly aligned with the killing intent.

Dao Qiong Cang hadn't even met the swords yet, but he felt the sky collapsing and the earth shattering.

Not only was the space and Dao principles around him completely shattered, but even the elements of heaven and earth were swept clean by this strike.

The entire Qing Yuan Shan shook violently!

—This was Qing Yuan Shan under the Thirty-Three Heavens Spinning Star Pattern Array, where every flower, stone, blade of grass, and tree could become part of the array's changes, even its core.

If they were all cracked and shattered, it would mean the array was being brute-forced and broken.

And that seemed far beyond Dao Qiong Cang's original intent in setting up the array.

"Ancient sword cultivators, ancient sword saints..."

Dao Qiong Cang realized he had underestimated these madmen's pursuit of ultimate attack power.

Heart Sword Arts, in terms of combat strength, weren't much superior to the Emotion Sword Arts that emphasized Dao comprehension.

And Mei Si Ren was already like this.

He couldn't deny that Che Shen Nian played a role in it.

So, if ancient sword cultivators who specialized in Wan Jian Arts or Mo Jian Arts achieved sainthood and added Che Shen Nian, how explosive would their combat power be?

"Imperial Heaven Dao!"

Without hesitation, Dao Qiong Cang activated the Qing Yuan Shan array.

With a single seal command, the night in the mountains lit up instantly. The snow, leaves, and sand lifted by the sword intent all revealed Tian Ji Dao patterns.

"Buzz!"

In a light tremor,

Everything in Qing Yuan Shan, from the heavens and earth to all living beings, exhaled essence and formed a thin, clear glow that covered the nine heavens.

This layer acted as a membrane, supported by the Qing Yuan Shan array below and driven by the heavenly Dao above, borrowing the power of rules. It was as faint as mist but could bear immense weight.

"Clang—"

The sword image's Qing Wu Double Sword struck this "Imperial Heaven Dao" barrier, instantly causing spiritual energy mist to explode and the sound of weapons to echo for miles.

Cao Er Zhu looked up, his eyes flashing like stars.

He saw a layer of green air waves rippling across the sky, spreading endlessly in the night, magnificent as a painting and overwhelmingly powerful.

"This is the Ling Lian Realm..."

Cao Er Zhu was entranced, his blood boiling.

No matter how flowery the words in story books, they couldn't capture even a billionth of what he was seeing with his own eyes.

That scalp-tingling thrill was an intense emotional experience that couldn't be conveyed through mere words.

"Crack—"

In his vision, the sky shattered like a mirror under the peerless double swords.

Cao Er Zhu felt as if his own world was breaking apart. His whole body trembled, his pores opened wide, and his hairs stood on end.

"Zzz..."

Blue-purple electricity swirled around him.

In Cao Er Zhu's gaze, the most intense desire shot forth.

This was the real world!

This was a man's pursuit!

For twenty-six years, Cao Er Zhu's life had been nothing but slaughtering pigs, forging blades, cooking, and buying groceries...

Apart from cultivation and a touch of the Ling Lian Realm, that was it.

He had honed his skills, yet his old man had confined him to that small, rundown blacksmith shop, unable to use them anywhere.

He was like the most elastic ball in the world, pressed down into the ground to the point of near destruction and maximum rebound—then suddenly, the hand that had held him for twenty-six years vanished!

"Hah..."

Cao Er Zhu stared wide-eyed, a deep, rumbling sound escaping his throat like a beast's growl.

He hunched his back, hands dangling, but his head lifted as high as it could go, eyes bulging, fists clenched tight.

He didn't know what state he was in because he'd never experienced it before.

He couldn't describe how he felt like he was losing control, yet enjoying this wild frenzy.

Cao Er Zhu knew deep down...

He wanted to become that powerful Mei Lao Shen Xian!

He wanted to become even that eccentric uncle!

He even wanted to become that brilliant, fleeting "big explosion"—the most dazzling thing in the night sky right now!

"Hah hah..."

Cao Er Zhu trembled all over, purple electricity flashing, his eyes blood-red as he growled.

But his old man hadn't taught him how to "become," and he didn't dare just "become" on his own.

Dreams and the unknown.

Desire and reason.

Between these, there seemed to be an invisible threshold.

Cao Er Zhu couldn't cross it and didn't know if he should lift his foot or not.

Just then, a calm voice reached his ears:

"If you can't hold back, just shout it out."

"You're not that important, and no one's watching you every second."

Cao Er Zhu felt like he was hearing a devil's whisper in his mind.

But it made so much sense, hitting right at his core.

With a battle raging overhead and no one around, who would notice if he shouted? Who would care?

Even if his old man came back from the dead, what if he shouted in excitement? He couldn't get beaten for it, could he?

Thinking that, Cao Er Zhu swung his arm, hunched over, looked at the ground, and let out a small shout:

"Hah!"

With a "bang," the sound of a tree blasted aside by the battle's aftermath in the nearby woods was louder than his cry.

"Are you some kind of wimp?!"

That voice returned, laced with shock and thick disbelief:

"Your body is trembling! Your soul is quaking! Your emotions are boiling! Your blood is raging!"

"Everything about you shows you're excited!"

"But you're hunched over, head down, and even shouting has all these hang-ups? All these burdens?"

"Who do you think you are? More important than Si Ren mister or that flashy old Daoist?"

Cao Er Zhu got angry—this was mocking him!

He straightened up, chest out, letting the wild emotions drive his body as he stomped forward heavily.

"Yah!"

He swung his right hand, smashing through the air.

At the same time, he crushed the big rock under his foot, showing his manly spirit.

"Are you kidding me?"

Jin Ren could hardly believe it.

He probably saw something in the blue-purple electricity on this big guy's body.

But he never imagined that the intel about "a bit slow in the head" was actually true!

"Are you useless? You don't even dare vent your emotions?"

"If you're excited, shout! If you're unhappy, fight! It's that simple—don't you get it?"

"Are you under some ban on fighting or being controlled? How could Kui Lei Han produce such a coward?"

Cao Er Zhu exploded with anger and roared: "I'm not useless!"

He suddenly realized the voice wasn't in his mind—it was coming from around him.

The word "ban on fighting" woke him up; it was someone who knew about the iron ring token on his old man's neck—a real person!

Glancing around, Cao Er Zhu quickly spotted the only spiritual remnant lingering in a pile of scrap metal.

He demanded loudly and indignantly: "Who are you? Why are you calling me useless? I'm not useless!"

"Good!" The voice from the scrap metal boomed even louder. "That's the spirit—look around, does anyone care?"

Cao Er Zhu was stunned by the retort and glanced around.

His voice had been loud enough to startle snow and leaves flying, but no one noticed.

Looking up, the battle in the nine heavens raged on.

Mei Lao Shen Xian's sword image double swords couldn't break that barrier membrane, but he didn't stop.

He raised his hands, lightly tracing his fingertips over the Tai Cheng Sword.

"Nine Sword Arts, Infinite Variations!"

The sword image went berserk, manifesting nine swords around it that multiplied endlessly, slashing down relentlessly at one point on the barrier membrane.

"Clang clang clang clang clang..."

"Boom boom boom boom boom..."

Explosions filled the nine heavens, roars unending.

Waves of air rippled out, creating dazzling, splendid halos like nonstop fireworks over Yu Jing City.

All of this was far more direct, more satisfying for venting grudges than his own way.

"No one's watching me... I'm not that important..."

Cao Er Zhu's heart surged, but he felt a bit disappointed.

He was destined not to be the protagonist in those stories; even shouting this loud hadn't drawn any attention.

The voice from the scrap metal returned, thick with frustration:

"You still say you're not useless?"

"You're only directing all that spirit at me, a mere remnant— isn't that bullying the weak and fearing the strong?"

"I'm not..." Cao Er Zhu waved his hands and backed away quickly. How could he be someone who bullied the weak?

He just didn't know this was a real remnant in the scrap metal; he was just caught up in his emotions and meant no insult.

"You're not? Then why did you come up the mountain? Just to watch the show?"

"I was because..."

"Does it matter? I'm asking, does it matter!"

The person in the scrap metal was even more explosive than Mei Lao Shen Xian's sword image:

"Since you're here with Si Ren mister, you're not on that flashy old Daoist's side!"

"If you're not here to watch, and Si Ren mister is fighting up there, you won't even shout or cheer for him!"

"You're not useless—who is?"

"I'm not useless!!!" Cao Er Zhu hunched over and roared, purple electricity surging around him, his sound waves blasting the scrap metal in front of him away.

"My business is important! Very important! Very important!"

"I want revenge!!!"

Revenge?

What revenge?

In the Tian Ji puppet remnants, Jin Ren was briefly stunned, then roared back even louder:

"Take your revenge on me—big deal, do I have a grudge with you?"

"If you've got guts, shout it at the heavens! Yell at Dao Qiong Cang! Do you dare vent at him?!"

Cao Er Zhu's momentum faltered as he glanced at the sky. "But they're still fighting..."

"Is their fight more important than yours?"

"Are you going to wait because they're fighting? What nonsense!"

The voice in the scrap metal was furious. "If I were you, I'd shout when I wanted to—screw waiting, who cares what's happening!"

"I don't know how to shout..." Cao Er Zhu said weakly, poking his fingers together.

This line and action suddenly deflated Jin Ren completely.

Good grief.

"I can only say good grief."

"Damn it, I'll teach you! Grass!"

"Mei Si Ren, are you really going to side with the holy slaves?"

High above, the battle continued, and Dao Qiong Cang was reeling from the old sword saint's assault.

He felt the Thirty-Three Heavens Spinning Star Pattern Array might not hold up against Mei Si Ren's output.

"Our palace didn't cripple Xu Xiao Shou—what you saw of the Tian Ji puppet remnants was just from him himself..."

Before he could finish explaining, a purple electricity shot up dazzlingly from below.

"Boom!"

A massive rumble echoed as endless purple seas surged, like a holy tribulation gathering instantly.

Bathed in Fa Shen Xing Jie, with purple electricity at his feet, Cao Er Zhu spread his hands wide, his tiger eyes blazing red, and shouted at the top of his lungs:

"Everyone stop!!!"

Er Zhu?

Mei Si Ren was shocked.

How did Cao Er Zhu get up here?

This was Dao Qiong Cang—if he jumped into the fight, the Tian Ji array could cripple him badly.

"Kid, get down quick." Mei Si Ren hurriedly controlled the sword image to halt its attack.

But Cao Er Zhu didn't listen; he kept his broad, determined back to him and stared angrily at Dao Qiong Cang.

Cao Er Zhu...

Dao Qiong Cang knew he had come with Mei Si Ren, but he had no idea why the kid harbored such hostility toward him.

Still, he was sure he'd seen Cao Er Zhu before.

During their first encounter at the blacksmith shop, he had determined this boy was no ordinary person and could become one of his allies.

As long as they removed Kui Lei Han's influence...

"Er Zhu, do you remember your uncle?"

Dao Qiong Cang stopped manipulating the Qing Yuan Shan array and extended his hand in a friendly gesture, like offering a handshake.

He remembered Cao Er Zhu's interest in Tian Ji arts!

But the moment Cao Er Zhu saw that handshake, his eyes nearly split with rage. He yanked his hands back fiercely.

"Fa Shen Xing Jie!"

Without any explanation, he struck!

In an instant, the sea of thunder turned into endless threads, crossing time and space to pierce straight into Dao Qiong Cang's body acupuncture points.

For that moment, Dao Qiong Cang's entire sacred power was briefly halted!

Even his control of the Qing Yuan Shan array lagged.

The numbing sensation from Fa Shen Xing Jie Che Shen Nian made his thoughts slower than usual.

When he snapped back, Dao Qiong Cang was shocked to find...

Cao Er Zhu yanked back hard, and the thunder lines in his body formed a massive hand, pulling him right in front of Cao Er Zhu.

"Yah!!!"

Cao Er Zhu bared his teeth like a raging beast, grabbing Dao Qiong Cang's neck with one claw and slamming a violent punch with his right fist.

As the punch built momentum, Fa Shen Xing Jie seeped bit by bit into his right arm muscles.

"Zzz..."

Dao principles cracked, space was destroyed by lightning.

Even the skin on Cao Er Zhu's hand dried and cracked from the immense power compressed within.

Finally, his entire arm swelled grotesquely, like the last thunder pillar of a holy tribulation, hurtling straight for Dao Qiong Cang's head.

Attachment-type Che Shen Nian!

Thunder God Fist!

"Bang!"

One punch!

Dao Qiong Cang's neck and body were still in Cao Er Zhu's grip, but his head flew off from the strike.

Lightning drew a brilliant purple streak in the night, and at the end, as Dao Qiong Cang's head embedded in space...

"Bang!"

It shattered completely!

In that instant, as the lightning lit up the night,

Cao Er Zhu felt that surging blood, that pounding heart, that furious rage, all released to the fullest!

In his mind, the image of his old man's head in a wine barrel appeared...

Tears in his eyes, Cao Er Zhu flung away the severed body in his left hand, like slaughtering a wild boar, filled with a victor's thrill!

The world fell silent, waiting.

It was as if Qing Yuan Shan itself was anticipating something.

Cao Er Zhu felt this was the moment to say something.

And just right, that person in the scrap metal had taught him...

"Ah!!!"

He let out a roar, a man's roar.

Under the shocked gaze of Mei Lao Shen Xian in the night, he pounded his chest like a mighty gorilla in the mountains.

He hunched down, hands dangling, and when he straightened up and lifted his head, he had transformed from the ordinary on the ground to the brilliant in the night sky.

With all his heart-wrenching strength, he roared out his farewell to the mundane life of the past twenty-six years:

"Princes and generals, what makes them noble by birth?!"