Chapter 1768: The Sky Rift Valley Spans the Central South, Holding the Sword to Ascend to Immortality in One Step

“Little Shou brother, the sword is only one step away from completion... Blood sacrifice!”

A black rainbow pierced the sun as Cao Erzhu, his emotions surging, roared vigorously in mid-air.

Hidden Bitter!

Xu Xiaoshou knew, of course, that it was Hidden Bitter. He also knew that Cao Erzhu had actually completed his work a few days earlier than himself. By suppressing the Hidden Bitter Sword Spirit with the Sealing Stone until this moment, they were waiting for this wave of blood sacrifice when the sword was handed over.

But...

“What kind of blood sacrifice?”

Xu Xiaoshou wasn't completely ignorant about artifact crafting. However, his limited knowledge clearly wasn't enough for him to make the best judgment regarding Erzhu's words at this moment.

Body blood? Spirit blood? Or fingertip blood, palm blood from other specified parts? There were many types of blood, and naturally, many types of blood sacrifices. Xu Xiaoshou couldn't distinguish between good and bad.

In response, Cao Erzhu merely shook his head slightly: “The sword will tell you.”

*Whizz—*

The sword arrived!

Hidden Bitter, which had streaked defyingly across the sky, drawing a black rainbow, galloped outside the heavens for a while. After its wild revelry, it seemed to finally remember the important task.

The hilt rotated. The tip reversed its direction. Hidden Bitter, carrying intense fiery light, swiftly darted down from beneath the firmament.

“Boom, boom, boom...”

The void echoed with bursts of explosions. What was hurtling towards him with such extreme speed seemed not like a sword, but an enormous meteor.

“Wait, why does this scene feel familiar?”

Xu Xiaoshou was momentarily dazed, as if seeing the moment in the Spirit Palace when he first comprehended “Reverse Sword Style.”

At that time, he was fighting Chao Qingteng. Hidden Bitter inherently possessed spirituality, though not high. At the very end, with a flash of insight, he threw the sword far away. Hidden Bitter became sentient, its will connected to its wielder, understanding his thoughts. When Xu Xiaoshou was controlled, Hidden Bitter performed an "Immortal Flying from Beyond the Heavens" move, reversing its path to pierce Chao Qingteng straight through.

That was the first time the sword had become sentient, and the first time he felt Hidden Bitter possessed a true self-awareness. Later, during his night cultivation, Xu Xiaoshou finally realized. It seemed it wasn't that the Reverse Sword Style was perfected, but rather that Hidden Bitter's characteristic was "master-devouring"—that strike didn't seem to aim at Chao Qingteng at all, but was rushing towards himself!

“Master-devouring?”

Yesterday's cause, today's effect! Xu Xiaoshou never imagined that this broken sword, upon its completion, would still harbor a persistent, sinister desire for this "master-devouring" delusion.

“Rebellious son!”

“Rebellious sword!”

“How dare you?!”

He grabbed at the sword in the void, but Hidden Bitter simply wouldn't obey. Xu Xiaoshou roared in anger, yet Hidden Bitter was relentless, aiming directly for his chest.

It was too fast! It was so fast that it surpassed the speed of sound, piercing through space and time. One moment it was far on the horizon, the next, in a blink, it was right at his chest. Even so, Xu Xiaoshou's reaction speed was no longer what it was in the Spirit Palace era. Although greatly startled, he could still evade it if he wanted to.

But...

“Blood sacrifice?”

In the instant Hidden Bitter shrieked towards him, it was then that Xu Xiaoshou finally understood what it truly desired with its consistent "master-devouring" nature.

“Sacrifice Hidden Bitter with my heart's blood?”

*Whizz—*

A sharp, piercing cry echoed.

The Image Transmission Mirror screen shook. The people of the Five Regions could see that Grandmaster Shou suddenly shifted from a defensive stance to an embracing one. But Hidden Bitter truly wasn't acting human! It didn't hesitate for a moment, piercing Grandmaster Shou's chest with lightning speed...

“The heart!”

Drunken in the Wind roared, his eyes filled with disbelief. Hidden Bitter had pierced Grandmaster Shou's heart with such immense force that it even pushed him back a full half-step.

—Even the Half-Saint Pei Yuan hadn't made Grandmaster Shou retreat a single half-step before his death!

“What's going on?”

“Is this how a blood sacrifice is done?”

“Isn't it supposed to be done by sprinkling fingertip blood on the sword to awaken its spirit and forge a contract?”

“This blood sacrifice is just too... too... too...”

Too primitive! Too brutal! Too demanding for the wielder!

Drunken in the Wind was momentarily speechless. Ancient Sword Cultivators were inherently fragile; only Grandmaster Shou was the exception. If every one of them performed a blood sacrifice this way, the already dwindling population of Ancient Sword Cultivators would be even more devastated. But their method of blood sacrifice...

“It seems... to have a miraculous effect?”

The Image Transmission Mirror zoomed in. That Hidden Bitter, after reaching First Grade, could actually pierce Grandmaster Shou's physical body—this was the most terrifying aspect. Furthermore, this sword seemed hardly affected by Grandmaster Shou's immense power. After piercing his heart, its tip, protruding from his back, was still twisting wildly in excitement. It was like an old wolf that had coveted the delicious taste of lamb for years and finally succeeded, drinking blood while howling uncontrollably.

“Gurgle...”

“Gurgle...”

The clear, transparent sound of thirsting for blood. Drunken in the Wind found the right angle and could clearly see large waves of blood from Grandmaster Shou's chest pouring into Hidden Bitter's blade.

“It's really drinking blood!”

This was too exaggerated. Was Hidden Bitter a hippopotamus? With such a drinking capacity, probably no one in the Ancient Sword Cultivation world, except Grandmaster Shou, could provide it.

Grandmaster Shou's Life Arcane Diagram had long since activated. Far from showing weakness, his complexion became even more ruddy as blood flowed out and the sword energy from Hidden Bitter poured back into his body.

“Sword Will!”

Drunken in the Wind keenly observed. Between the outflow of blood and the inflow of power, a faint silvery-white glow was visible—that was Sword Will. Grandmaster Shou's Sword Observation Technique, Hidden Bitter's transformation after reaching First Grade... Grandmaster Shou's name, Hidden Bitter's name...

“Perfect fusion!”

“Splendid!”

Xu Xiaoshou felt so good he wanted to roar aloud. The sword piercing his heart brought only a momentary pain; afterward, Sword Will poured in in torrents...

Xu Xiaoshou had never experienced such a massive amount of feedback! He had nurtured Hidden Bitter for a very long time. Hidden Bitter was nameless, and so was his self. Hidden Bitter was weak, and so was his self. Normally, it was good if he could cultivate even a faint wisp of Sword Will in a few days.

But now! Under the gaze of the Five Regions. After its name had spread far and wide, celebrated across the Five Regions. With Hidden Bitter piercing him like this, the power of Sword Will transferred with each "Sword Observation" was thousands, tens of thousands of times greater than before.

“This is what True Divine Will truly means!”

Xu Xiaoshou had always envied the sheer volume of Cao Erzhu's Divine Punishment and Tribulation. Quality aside, his quantity could actually cover his entire body, even spread outwards to form a sea of thunder, and even transform and shift! How terrifying was that?

In comparison, his own Sword Will could only be unleashed through abilities like "Four" or "Blaze Serpent," which Hidden Bitter could barely withstand, and only a single, too-thin wisp could be unleashed at a time. Now, with the blood sacrifice, the tiny ball of Sword Will that had only been nurtured above his Qi Sea surged in volume! Hidden Bitter's first transfer alone filled his Qi Sea. Another transfer caused it to overflow, seeping into his body, bringing an electrifyingly refreshing sensation. This was just the beginning.

As more and more Sword Will continuously poured in, Xu Xiaoshou felt that his internal organs, meridians, skin, flesh, and bones were completely saturated with Sword Will. What was accumulation leading to explosive growth? This was accumulation leading to explosive growth!

“Sword Man!”

“Sword Body!”

At that moment, Xu Xiaoshou realized how terrifying Eight Trigrams, with his Indestructible Sword Body, truly was. He himself now felt as if he might explode. Eight Trigrams had carried that name for so many years and nurtured that Will for so long; a mere "person" surely couldn't contain it all, could they? So how could he still contain so much?!

So... Could Sword Will also be compressed? This might involve advanced applications of the second generation True Divine Will. Xu Xiaoshou pondered fruitlessly for a short while and simply gave up.

When the Sword Will was about to completely fill his body, he could no longer bear it. He gripped Hidden Bitter's hilt firmly and, despite the sword's fierce resistance, pulled the heart-piercing Reverse Sword out, splattering blood.

*Whizz—*

The sword's hum resonated. It seemed that everyone in the Five Regions heard this sound.

“I am the sheath, the sword is me.”

“Hidden Bitter out of its sheath, my will defies the heavens!”

Defy the heavens? Wasn't the current "heaven" of the Five Regions none other than Emperor Aicangsheng, who had long been waiting in the Southern Region's Sinful Land?

The moment Hidden Bitter's blood sacrifice was complete and it was drawn from its sheath, in the Southern Region's Sinful Land, Emperor Aicangsheng's slightly narrowed eyes suddenly snapped open: “Excellent timing!”

On Xu Xiaoshou's side, Sword Will furiously erupted, streaming from his body and dyeing the surrounding Realm-of-Proximity force field into a Sword Will Realm-of-Proximity force field. He hadn't even drawn his sword yet. From a distant remove, Aicangsheng already sensed the surging battle intent. He saw his waist and knees sink, and the Evil Sin Bow was nocked, he knew not when.

“Forbidden Evil Divine Arrow!”

In that instant, not only the people of the Five Regions, but even Drunken in the Wind felt his eyes blur. At the moment the arrow was fired, a ring of bizarre purple Dao pattern light waves spread out from beneath Emperor Aicangsheng's feet? Though it was only a fleeting glimpse...

“Arcane Diagram?”

There was no time to verify! After a moment of silence across the Nine Heavens, the Five Regions' Image Transmission Mirrors exploded with the renewed sound of an arrow being loosed.

“Thwack!!!”

That arrow, carrying the power of Evil Sin and the power of the Evil God, was fired from the Southern Region's Sinful Land, piercing through the clouds in an instant and landing on Mount Gui'zhe.

It was still unknown how Grandmaster Shou would respond. Then, something that horrified the Five Regions occurred. After the twang of the bowstring, spanning the Central and Southern Regions, the firmament suddenly ripped open a massive maw, swallowing all wind and clouds.

That black rift spanned mountains and rivers, crossed lakes and seas... It traversed everything; clearly, it was caused by the aftershocks of the Evil Sin Bow's arrow tearing through a spatial rift, affecting the Holy Divine Continent.

“What a Heavenly River Rift Valley...” Drunken in the Wind muttered in a daze, watching the rift quickly repair itself. He wondered, if it weren't for the protection of the Ancient War God Platform, wouldn't a single arrow have already turned the Central and Southern Regions into a desolate wasteland?

“Grandmaster Shou!”

The Image Transmission Mirror had never dared to leave Grandmaster Shou. Drunken in the Wind might have moved far away, but that didn't mean the people of the Five Regions couldn't see clearly. On the contrary, after zooming in, they could even discern Grandmaster Shou's expression.

“Not avoiding?”

“Grandmaster Shou, he's actually not avoiding!”

When the Forbidden Evil Divine Arrow was directly upon him, Grandmaster Shou, with a bloodthirsty posture amidst the bursting Sword Will, sharply raised his sword. From that stance, it was clear he intended to...

“He... he wants to cleave it?”

Exactly! That brutal!

For the first time, when facing the Evil Sin Bow's attack, Xu Xiaoshou didn't consider evasive maneuvers like dodging or teleporting. He gripped Hidden Bitter once more. His will was in perfect communion with Hidden Bitter's. He could feel that his current desire to fight was exactly the same as Hidden Bitter's!

Neither of them wanted to avoid it. This sword was a gentleman's sword. This person was a barbarian. Xu Xiaoshou raised Hidden Bitter, just like the Extreme Giant lifting the Dragon-Painting Halberd, and after gripping it with both hands, he chopped downwards with full force.

“Shatter, you bastard!”

*Boom—*

Mount Gui'zhe exploded on impact. This small, remaining part of the rubble mountain, which had stood as ruins, could finally be utterly obliterated into dust, allowing the world to breathe a sigh of relief. But Mount Gui'zhe was no longer important! Everyone's attention was solely on Grandmaster Shou, the First Sword Immortal, and on Hidden Bitter, the First Companion Sword.

Hidden Bitter cleaved downwards. A black rainbow pierced the heavens. The sword tip met the arrow, Sword Will met the Ancestral God's power, locked in a two-way standoff, resisting each other.

“Just... brute force?”

Drunken in the Wind was in disbelief. With merely brute force, the newly promoted First-Grade Hidden Bitter could actually withstand the sharp edge of the Nine Supreme Artifacts, the Evil Sin Bow—even though it wasn't the bow itself, it was a powerful arrow from it! How terrifying was that? This was clearly just the first layer.

Soon, Drunken in the Wind detected something amiss.

“No!”

“It's not brute force! I smell the scent of Mo Sword Technique!”

The Image Transmission Mirror never presented a mere flat image to the people of the Five Regions; it always provided a highly three-dimensional battle scene. At the same moment, Ancient Sword Cultivators across the Five Regions collectively saw the Sword Dao Arcane Diagram flash briefly beneath Grandmaster Shou's feet as well.

“Mo Sword Technique...”

“Azure River Sword Realm?”

That strange Sword Will force field suddenly appeared around Grandmaster Shou. Could it be that he intended to use this Sword Will force field to expand and form the Azure River Sword Realm, thereby countering Emperor Aicangsheng's exceptional arrow? But anyone with discerning eyes could see... The Azure River Sword Realm was an area attack. Aicangsheng had already used a pinpoint attack. If Grandmaster Shou were to use the Azure River Sword Realm as a defense, wouldn't that be like throwing an egg at a rock?

Sky blue, a fleeting glimpse. Drunken in the Wind's brow shot up, his ear twitched, and his expression instantly became horrified as he shrieked: “The Second Realm, Sword of Reckless Abandon!”

What is Reckless Abandon? No rules, wanton action. It is unaffected by any factors, disregards the Great Dao's rules, and interprets the ultimate meaning of "Mo" (meaningless/unconventional) true damage to the extreme. But...

“When did Grandmaster Shou comprehend the second realm of Mo Sword Technique?”

“Even if he did, how could he unleash the Sword of Reckless Abandon in an instant, without even a hint of a starting move?”

“His actions...” Drunken in the Wind was aghast, but dared not speak recklessly. Grandmaster Shou's move, where would it leave Sword Immortal Gou Wuyue's reputation? Even Gou Wuyue's current Sword of Reckless Abandon couldn't be unleashed so spontaneously and swiftly, could it?

“Shatter!”

The azure light of the Mo Sword, utilizing the Transcendent Path of the Three Thousand Great Dao, passed precisely through the center of the Forbidden Evil Divine Arrow as it traversed space. The arrow, like a shattered spear, suddenly disintegrated. The power of Evil Sin and Evil God, which could have somewhat resisted the Sword Will, was directly and forcefully dismantled.

“How dare the light of Evil Sin compete with Hidden Bitter?”

Grandmaster Shou was quite adept. After a single cleave, he flicked the sword, tucked Hidden Bitter under his elbow, leaving the world only with an arrogant, cold profile. And Hidden Bitter, buzzing wildly and wanting to wriggle out for a shot, after being hidden away.

Drunken in the Wind didn't even have time to exclaim or comment on this pair of living treasures.

“Thwack, thwack, thwack, thwack, thwack, thwack—”

After the Evil Divine Arrow shattered, it actually exploded with booming sounds in all directions, both above and below, forming arrowheads in the starry sky.

Drunken in the Wind's eyes widened: “Arrows within arrows?”

He couldn't even determine if these arrows were hidden within the Forbidden Evil Divine Arrow, or if they had silently tailed the first arrow from behind under its cover. It didn't matter. Few people, inside or outside the battle, could react in time.

Meanwhile, in the Southern Region, Aicangsheng, whose arrow had been cleaved, maintained his Seed of Art Imprisonment Release, sliding his finger down to form a hand seal: “Forbidden Hex Weight Technique.”

Eighty-one arrows! Only the arrowheads were visible, not the shafts. As if eighty-one bizarre purple 'Hex Yin' eyes unfolded around the heavens, the arrows coalesced into a formation, staring intently at Grandmaster Shou.

“Arrow formation!”

“Art!”

“And Hex Yin Evil Arts!”

“Emperor Aicangsheng truly possesses these skills; it's just that no one before could force him to use his arts.”

“But facing Grandmaster Shou, his very first arrow was already cunning, not only featuring arrows within arrows but also concealing forbidden arts!”

His speech was incredibly fast, yet Drunken in the Wind's articulation was exceptionally clear. He had been training for this for a month, reciting many tongue twisters daily. He knew that once the grand battle between Xu and Ai truly began, his reaction time and commentary speed would likely be unable to keep up with the pace of the battlefield. And if even his verbal speed couldn't keep up, then things would get serious.

“So, how will Grandmaster Shou respond?”

The arrow formation materialized. The last commentary had just concluded. Drunken in the Wind then understood what it meant for a battlefield to change in an instant.

Control of the main Image Transmission Mirror was immediately reclaimed by the Old Patriarch, and what the people of the Five Regions saw was no longer Grandmaster Shou's side of the battlefield, but Aicangsheng!

“What happened to Emperor Aicangsheng?”

Even Drunken in the Wind himself was bewildered, but if the Old Patriarch personally intervened to control the mirror, there had to be a reason. He dared not say another word.

Sure enough, just as this question arose, in the Southern Region's Sinful Land, the ground beneath Emperor Aicangsheng's feet began to writhe...

“Boom!”

Emperor Aicangsheng, startled, immediately flew into the air.

The next instant, from the spot he had just occupied, a sky-rending azure sword energy violently burst forth from underground.

“Sword of Reckless Abandon?!”

Drunken in the Wind's eyes nearly popped out. “When did this sword energy strike the Southern Region... No, the Sword of Reckless Abandon just appeared directly in the Southern Region!”

He hadn't even finished speaking. Aicangsheng's position seemed to have been completely anticipated. From the void above his head, where he had just leaped, a rift appeared, and another azure sword energy slashed out.

“Sword of Reckless Abandon!”

Three! Including the one that shattered the Evil Divine Arrow, Grandmaster Shou had unleashed three instances of the Sword of Reckless Abandon all at once. Others fought using spiritual essence, using Sword Will, but Grandmaster Shou started by using his lifespan? Openly dealing with the Evil Divine Arrow, secretly targeting Aicangsheng?

“No...”

“It seems there's more?”

Drunken in the Wind quickly realized his own ignorance. Not just him, but the people of the Five Regions were once again shocked by the sheer quantity Grandmaster Shou could unleash at once.

Because after sword energy appeared beneath Aicangsheng's feet and above his head, the space in all four directions around him quickly cracked open, and four streaks of azure light slashed forth. This summed up to six instances of the Sword of Reckless Abandon!

—Grandmaster Shou was also a dirty fighter; from the very beginning, he hadn't considered testing, but was going all out?

There were clearly still gaps in the six sword energies. Yet Aicangsheng seemed to be confined to the spot, unable to escape through the gaps in the sword energy.

“What's happening?”

Drunken in the Wind had completely transformed from a commentator to a mere spectator. He utterly failed to comprehend the situation until the Image Transmission Mirror's display was manipulated by the Old Patriarch, changing...

“What is this?”

“Grandmaster Shou!”

At the ruins of Mount Gui'zhe, under the gaze of the eighty-one Hex Yin Eyes, Grandmaster Shou, surprisingly unconcerned, had activated the Ancient Martial Asura Path? In short, he transformed into a three-headed, six-armed being, lounging lazily upon a massive ethereal throne.

“Art?”

He seemed to be napping, cheek resting on hand, yet a faint, wicked smile played on his lips. Suddenly, he raised a hand, positioned it directly in the Image Transmission Mirror's focus, and before the world, performed a hand seal strikingly similar to the one Aicangsheng had made earlier for his forbidden art, but with more specific movements. He raised his middle finger, placed his index finger against its back, and gently slid it down. The three Asura heads, seeing through the gap between his fingers, perceived the heavens and earth as tiny specks of dust:

“Forbidden Dust Seal Gate!”