Chapter 1766: Ending Emotions Merge and This Path Opens; Crown Broken, Inevitably Summon the Sword

The momentum is complete!

Whether it was the people of the Five Regions, or Ai Cangsen, one of the combatants on the Ancient Battle God Platform, Xu Xiaoshou, as seen in that moment, possessed an aura that pierced the clouds, exuding a presence that declared, "Under heaven, I alone am supreme."

"He did it..."

Just as Bazun An had said previously.

From the moment Xu Xiaoshou ascended Mount Guizhe; from the entire process of uprooting the Ancestral Tree, entering the Dead Sea, battling a Half-Saint, comprehending the Grand Dao, saving Elder Sang, and defying the Sacred Emperor—right up until this moment! The momentum he had cultivated along his path, for both battle and the Dao, now, at last, after finding his true self within the Emotion Sword Art and clearly defining his life's path, that momentum was fully realized!

However...

"Two-Life Manifestation, Reincarnation Confirmation—what exactly is this?"

To the masses across the Five Regions, ancient sword cultivators were still a rare group. Most people didn't understand swordsmanship, only knowing the Seven Sword Immortals. They merely witnessed Master Shou's inexplicable enlightenment and heard Feng Zhongzui's startled cry. However, only a few truly understood what he meant by "manifestation" and "confirmation."

Nevertheless, despite their scarcity, ancient sword cultivators had not yet become extinct. Soon, knowledge regarding the "manifestation," "confirmation," and "gate" aspects of Emotion Sword Art, one of the Nine Great Sword Arts, spread rapidly.

"Emotion Sword Art is the only ancient sword art with three realms: Red Dust Sword, Emotionless Sword, and Peerless Sword."

"These three swords represent the path the Sword God took to reach the peak, becoming deified and known as an Ancestor."

"Among these three swords, there are also three supreme techniques: the 'Myriad Forms Manifestation' of the Red Dust Sword, practiced by the late Rao Yaoyao; the 'Mountains and Seas Confirmation' of the Emotionless Sword; and the 'Mystical Gate,' which she couldn't unlock but was later forcefully opened by Gu Yu with a single sword strike."

This constituted the basic knowledge most ancient sword cultivators could master. The remaining advanced details were learned after some individuals sought advice from Mei Siren of the Central Region, the Sword Tomb of the Eastern Region, and the Feng family of the Southern Region:

"However, within the world of ancient sword cultivators, there exists another 'mystical theory,' which postulates that one can theoretically surpass the Red Dust Sword and Mountains and Seas Confirmation, thereby opening a 'Mystical Gate' with a meaning distinct from that of the Sword Ancestor."

"'Red Dust Manifestation' only encompasses one lifetime. Living merely one life as a human, one cannot truly experience life and death, and therefore cannot fully grasp what 'Supreme Emotionlessness' entails—that death is the root of life, and life is the root of death."

"Expressed in terms of the Spirit Refining Dao, this means one can only ever achieve ninety percent, or even ninety-nine percent, but never a full hundred percent... Even the Sword Ancestor was like this; that final fraction had to be supplemented by the Ancestral God's Mandate."

"However, if a person lives two lives, then even if the Red Dust Sword cultivates the strongest 'Myriad Forms Manifestation,' it cannot compare to a 'Two-Life Manifestation' that has truly experienced life and death across two human existences."

"One, or one point something, can never be greater than two."

This was simple and easy to grasp. Two lives are simply more than one, regardless of whether the ancient sword cultivator cultivated the Leaf-Stone, Teacher-Student, or Myriad Forms Manifestation in a single lifetime. This explains the concept of "manifestation."

As for "confirmation," that was even simpler.

"The 'Mountains and Seas Confirmation' of the Emotionless Sword uses the presumed emotionlessness of mountains and seas and the lack of spirit in inanimate objects as its basis. But are mountains and seas truly emotionless? Are inanimate objects truly devoid of spirit?"

"No, if people died and could not be resurrected, then there would be no path of reincarnation, no Ghost Sword Fengdu, no Death God Ghost Ancestor."

"Thus, the 'mystical theory' of Reincarnation Confirmation emerged."

"If a person experiences two lives, having gone through both life and death, then they use their previous existence to confirm their present self, and their present existence to confirm the imperishability of their past."

"Compared to confirming oneself through mountains and seas—mountains and seas can be shattered, but can a past life be shattered?"

The Sword Tomb of the Eastern Region and the Feng family of the Southern Region described the elements within the ancient sword cultivators' "mystical theory" vaguely, largely because they didn't fully grasp them either. But when the Emotion Sword Art, specifically the new manifestation and confirmation of his student's Emotion Sword Art, was articulated by Mei Siren—it was not only easy to understand but also far more convincing.

Such news, upon its emergence, swiftly spread across the Five Regions, crossing oceans. For those who hadn't heard or understood, Feng Zhongzui's subsequent simplified explanation provided the most direct comprehension:

"What?"

"From the looks of it, Master Shou has lived two lives?"

"His Two-Life Manifestation means his previous life was solitary, while this one is communal; his previous life was death, this one is life; his previous life was still, this one is active..."

"His Two-Life Manifestation can also be interpreted as a Life-Death Manifestation, or a Yin-Yang Manifestation. Then his confirmation... once the Reincarnation Confirmation is activated, who could possibly break through the defenses of this Emotion Sword Art?" Feng Zhongzui interpreted this while listening to the old patriarch's voice.

What truly defines the First Sword Immortal? This is it! With the unwavering sharpness of an ancient sword cultivator, he comprehended the Grand Dao of Sword God Gu Louying, truly pushing the "old" aside to bring forth the "new."

There were eight Sword Immortals in the previous generation, and even the most astonishingly talented Eighth Sword Immortal, whose sword-self had now returned, showed emotion on his face after sensing the power of this manifestation and confirmation from afar.

"Xu Xiaoshou..."

The Supreme One states: One is all, all returns to void. Renowned to break ancient, three paths aligned.

When Xu Xiaoshou broke through to the Taixu realm, his three paths—ancient sword Dao, ancient martial arts, and spirit refining—merged into one, earning him the highest praise from Bazun An. This was something Bazun An hadn't even considered doing back then, and later, even when he wanted to, he found it impossible to achieve. On Void Island, when Xu Xiaoshou broke through to the King Seat realm, Bazun An saw hope and offered a few more words of persuasion and affirmation. He never thought... It would happen! And so quickly!

Now that the three paths had merged, Bazun An merely handed Sacred Emperor Zipeng over to him to deal with, and this kid, while cursing, actually manifested his own Dao? Was it truly an ultra-Dao-transformed verbal swordplay? Was it really as Feng Zhongzui had said, that amidst threats exchanged, he suddenly found himself? With such talent, feats like "innate in three breaths, Sword Immortal in three years" and "meditating to comprehend the Dao, achieving divine perception" seemed to pale in comparison.

"This child..."

This child is certainly not to be trifled with!

At the Sacred Mountain Ruins, upon witnessing Xu Xiaoshou's Two-Life Reincarnation materialize and solidify behind him, and seeing him use this to confirm both himself and the Grand Dao—the people of the Five Regions, who didn't grasp its meaning, merely gathered to witness the spectacle. Even the ancient sword cultivator Feng Zhongzui didn't fully comprehend its true implications. How could Sacred Emperor Zipeng not know?

"Ancient Sword Dao, eight arts discarded, emotion also deified."

These were the Sword Ancestor's original words at the time, uttered after comprehending the other eight great sword arts and deciding to integrate everything into the Emotion Sword Art before releasing it to the world. By employing the Myriad Forms Manifestation and Mountains and Seas Confirmation, supplemented by the Ancestral God's Mandate, one could open the Mystical Gate and thus become deified and recognized as an Ancestor. So then, by using the Two-Life Manifestation and Reincarnation Confirmation—which might surpass the former—to open the Mystical Gate, what if there was no Ancestral God's Mandate...?

"Could he succeed?"

Sacred Emperor Zipeng repeatedly told herself, *not necessarily!* A Two-Life Manifestation wasn't necessarily superior to a Red Dust Manifestation. Reincarnation Confirmation wasn't necessarily stronger than Mountains and Seas Confirmation. These were all "mystical theories" within ancient sword art circles—mere theories, not proven realities. Therefore, it was even less certain that by using this sword to open the Mystical Gate, Xu Xiaoshou would surpass the Sword Ancestor, becoming an Ancestral God—a true "Heavenly Realm Deity"—with "zero" Ancestral God's Mandate!

Yet... ancient sword cultivators were all lunatics! Sword Immortal Gu Yu could even open the Mystical Gate with his sword!

"Xu Xiaoshou is already like this; he completed the full comprehension of Emotion Sword Art in an instant."

"Then the distance to opening the Mystical Gate with his sword—the outcome of life or death is a separate matter—but 'opening' or 'not opening' is merely a question of 'wanting' or 'not wanting'!"

Zipeng was in a quandary. Just a moment ago, he seemed like an easy target, but how had he suddenly become so formidable? True, after Gu Yu opened the Mystical Gate with his sword, he couldn't even unleash a single attack, leaving only a lesson for future generations. Yet Xu Xiaoshou, with this prior lesson, had elevated his sword Dao to profound mysteries, even potentially transcending the Dao. If he were to forcefully open the Mystical Gate, would he be unable to unleash even a single attack?

Or perhaps...

"Could he kill me?"

At this thought, Zipeng's face turned ashen. A mere Sacred Emperor... What had been a jest then, now seemed undeniably true! Whether he could kill or not was one thing, but his threat, his talk of the "Holy Palace buried with him," was no longer a castle in the air; it now carried tangible weight!

So her punch... Gaze lowered, Zipeng stared at her clenched fist, unable to unleash it. She felt as though the world was a cage, the Holy Palace a cage, and Xu Xiaoshou an even greater one. Layer upon layer of cages, layer upon layer of shackles. A Sacred Emperor in perfect form, on her own territory within the Five Regions, was utterly unable to unleash even a single punch!

An easy target? A desperado!

"Care to reconsider?"

Xu Xiaoshou retracted his Emotion Sword Art insights, gathering the Two-Life Manifestation and Reincarnation Confirmation back into himself, carefully concealing them using a sword concealment technique. He turned back to face Zipeng, calm and gentle as jade, as if nothing had just transpired.

But at this moment! The true worth of the First Sword Immortal had now utterly eclipsed the other six on the new generation's Seven Sword Immortals list, placing him directly on par with Sacred Emperors and Ancestral Gods.

Under the Mirror of Dao Transmission, when the scene of Sacred Emperor Zipeng's hesitation was broadcast and witnessed by the people of the Five Regions—Xu Xiaoshou knew... that from now on, whenever a Sacred Emperor intended to deal with him, they wouldn't just be thinking of a mere Xu Xiaoshou, but rather of the "mere Sacred Emperor" as Xu Xiaoshou had referred to them!

Anyone whose cultivation realm was lower than Sacred Emperor Zipeng's, anyone whose attachments were stronger than those of the Holy Palace's younger generation, if they wished to lay a hand on him again, they would first have to consider the consequences if their initial strike failed and he vanished. Could that individual, and the prominent family behind them, withstand the retaliation of this "desperado"?

And what defines a true desperado? Others haven't died. Xu Xiaoshou has.

From his current vantage point, Xu Xiaoshou no longer feared anyone knowing he possessed a past life and a present one.

"Two lives, what of it?"

"In the current Five Regions, who can touch me?"

Moreover, on the Holy Divine Continent, while a two-life manifestation was difficult, two lives were certainly not illusory, much less a delusion. Soul transference could also result in two lives. Hosting another spirit also counted as two lives.

Down to Rao Yaoyao, who could cultivate the Red Dust Myriad Forms Manifestation. One could only imagine the resources consumed and the myriad lives experienced behind her cultivation, yet it remained disparate and unsustainable. In the middle, Bei Huai relied on the path of ghost beasts. He cultivated ghost beasts, guiding the Red Cloak King Seat with the power of Taixu. Catching a glimpse was enough to see the whole, implying he must have considered comprehending ghost beasts, merging life and death, and grasping reincarnation. Up to Ancestral Gods, up to Medicine Ghost Shengmie. In fact, it could be said that the path Bei Huai is currently treading is likely one where he gleaned insights from Medicine Ghost Shengmie, seeking to reduce the Ancestral God's Mandate count from "two" to "one," or even "zero."

"All things can have two lives, so why should I, Xu Xiaoshou, be the exception?"

Strength brought confidence. When Zipeng first arrived, Xu Xiaoshou regarded her like a distant star in the sky—vaguely seen, yet utterly out of reach. Once Mind Deprivation was activated, Xu Xiaoshou viewed her like fire in a cage; though separated by a thin veil, she was already within his control. With the comprehension of Two-Life Manifestation and Reincarnation Confirmation, Xu Xiaoshou regarded her as an object in his palm: "You cannot kill me, yet I have the chance to crush you and all that you cherish."

Though it was merely a threat, the balance of offense and defense had shifted!

Xu Xiaoshou looked at Zipeng, no longer showing any reverence, speaking in a casual, ordinary tone:

"Elder Sang is my master."

"Out of love for my master, I'm giving him face, and therefore, the Holy Palace face... But remember, this isn't because you're a Sacred Emperor, or because your name is Zipeng."

"If you leave now, the Saint Slaves and I can pretend nothing ever happened."

No, don't say that... Ye Xiaotian was torn, desperate to stop Xu Xiaoshou with a look, urging him not to be so provocative. You're giving Elder Sang and the Holy Palace so much face, but what about giving me, Ye Xiaotian, some? Is it just because I'm insignificant? Just because my influence is small? So, I'm not important enough for you to grant me face?

Xu Xiaoshou truly didn't give Ye Xiaotian face. Instead, out of a 'hate the house, hate the crow' sentiment, he despised Zipeng's mannerisms and simply ignored the Dean's pleading gaze:

"However, if you insist on lingering here and joining my battle with Ai Cangsen, very well. I can offer you a choice, a wager."

Sacred Emperor Zipeng had trapped herself. She was firmly bound by her own high-and-mighty past self, unable to retreat gracefully. And Xu Xiaoshou steadfastly refused to offer her an exit, so her expression grew increasingly grim as she spoke: "What choice? What wager?"

"Just bet!" Xu Xiaoshou waved a hand and smiled. "There are no stakes, or rather, the stake is 'life and death.' Wager that I will die by the hand of Emperor Cangsen, and your Holy Palace will live."

Who said the Eight Clans were the most arrogant? They couldn't hold a candle to Master Shou!

Feng Zhongzui was awestruck by Master Shou's arrogant demeanor after achieving his Dao, and even Sacred Emperor Zipeng grimaced as she listened. What did that mean? The implication was nothing less than...

"If you live, you intend to destroy my Holy Palace?"

Zipeng was barely able to maintain her composure. Today, she felt more choked up than if she had swallowed ten thousand mosquitoes! Xu Xiaoshou was amused by her reaction and shook his head noncommittally. He was about to say more, then chuckled again, feeling a nostalgic longing for sharp minds like Dao Qiongcang. In comparison, he couldn't be bothered to entertain this "little darling" Sacred Emperor:

"Utterly foolish."

What? Are you insulting me to my face?

Sacred Emperor Zipeng reached her limit. Just as she was about to erupt, Ye Xiaotian grabbed her sleeve, shaking his head furiously and transmitting his voice frantically:

"He said it, there's still a choice!"

"Let's go. As long as we leave, the Saint Slaves won't attack the Holy Palace. His and Bazun An's enemies were never us!"

Zipeng was momentarily stunned. Wasn't this precisely the advice Ye Xiaotian had given before they set out, when she declared her intention to meet Bazun An? And now she was here. The situation had unfolded. She had been humiliated. And the best possible outcome she could achieve was the same as Ye Xiaotian's original suggestion not to depart at all?

What, then, was the point of her having come? Pure humiliation? To help Xu Xiaoshou cultivate his Dao, to comprehend Two-Life Manifestation and Reincarnation Confirmation?

"Ah—"

Sacred Emperor Zipeng truly wanted to scream at the top of her lungs. If she had known this, why hadn't she just let Yu'er come instead? Even if Bazun An... no, even if Xu Xiaoshou's trump card had been the Demon Emperor Black Dragon, at least it wouldn't have been *her* losing face right now.

"Aaaaaah—"

Zipeng had no idea what expression she was currently making. She only knew that the Mirror of Dao Transmission seemed to be subtly turning towards her. Yet, at the Sacred Emperor realm, she couldn't grasp how others perceived her, or what her current state was.

Ye Xiaotian saw the humiliated Sacred Emperor Zipeng, gritted his teeth, and without a word, took it upon himself to unleash spatial profoundness, enveloping Sacred Emperor Zipeng. Of the Thirty-Six Stratagems, the best was to flee.

"Farewell!"

"Zipeng, Zipeng, a mere crowd-pleaser." There's no need to kick a man when he's down. Ultimately, Xu Xiaoshou did not unleash this final, heart-piercing killing blow. He knew that if he had truly uttered those words, the Holy Palace would genuinely become his enemy. Bazun An might not fear them, but dealing with the five great Sacred Emperor families was already troublesome, and outside, several Ancestral Gods still watched them with predatory eyes. Needlessly gaining another Sacred Emperor, Zipeng, and a Sacred Emperor White Dragon as enemies would be a thankless and arduous task. He could threaten, he could deter. But moderation was the Dao.

After all, his true formidable enemy had never been the Holy Palace, but...

Ai Cangsen!

With Guizhe Sword formed, his momentum soared, pulling up the sinful earth. Xu Xiaoshou's ambition soared to the heavens, and he laughed heartily:

"Ai Cangsen, my Dao is now complete! I can cut you down as a sacrifice for my sword!"

He raised a hand, reaching into the nameless void, towards the Divine Ruins, towards the one sharp object still missing after his Dao fusion, and declared loudly:

"Sword, come!"