Chapter 1865: Swan Song

Chapter 1848

“How young Hua Changdeng is!”

Compared to Uncle Hua of Lingyushan, who appeared seasoned and mature, this Hua Changdeng in the Second World was practically a naive young man.

In his early twenties, in the prime of his youth, and listening to his murmuring, at this stage, he hadn't yet begun his self-imprisonment in the Pingfeng Zhudi?

“Winning without honor…”

“Could it be that at this stage, Hua Changdeng had just finished fighting Ba Zun’an? I knew there was something fishy about that battle; the Eighth Sword Immortal couldn’t have lost!”

“How is a loss defined, how is a win defined? But then again, wasn't Hua Changdeng forced to seal himself in the Pingfeng Zhudi because Yu Tu ascended the Sacred Mountain and broke all the osmanthus flowers on the mountain?”

“Didn’t Grandpa Yu Tu use the Tianqi Sword to cut off the head of the former Holy Divine Temple Master, which led to the subsequent emergence of the Dao Master? Am I wrong?”

“What I heard was that Elder Yu and the Ghost Sword Immortal also fought, battling until the world spun, and even Shen Bailiu became a broken stump. The two eventually signed a contract: the Ghost Sword Immortal couldn't leave the mountain for thirty years, and Elder Yu would never again appear in the world…”

“Hiss, which one is true?”

After all, it concerned the dignity of the Holy Divine Temple. This past, like the battle between Hua and Ba, was a secret on the continent, known to few.

Someone broke away from the previous discussions, astonished that they, as spectators in the Second World, could be unaffected by the Illusionary Sword Technique and even communicate with each other.

Xiao Kongdong’s control over the Second World could be said to be flawless. The power of his sword must have been fully infused into Hua Changdeng, not a single bit wasted.

So, could the Saint Emperor Hua Changdeng withstand the full power of the Senior Brother of Canyue Xiancheng’s sword, “Zhan Nianshao”?

“Chii.”

In the dim environment, candle wax sputtered, and the candlelight flickered.

After getting drunk, Hua Changdeng leaned against the broken willow, sitting with his head bowed, appearing to be in a deep sleep.

Everyone had already understood the intention of Xiao Kongdong’s sword, which was undeniably insidious:

“If one wanted to strike down Hua Changdeng in his infancy, placing him on the Heavenly Ladder would mean confronting the Five Great Saint Emperor Families, which is too risky.”

“If he were even younger, Hua Changdeng might not be as strong as he is now, but he would remain constantly clear-headed and might communicate with his future self, realizing something.”

“Only at this moment, in his drunken state after self-pity, with his attention fully on the previous Hua-Ba battle before falling asleep, completely unprepared for unknown dangers—this period is Hua Changdeng’s weakest!”

However…

Was this already his weakest?

Many people realized that since Xiao Kongdong had drawn his sword, it was impossible for him to randomly choose a so-called “weakest period”; there must have been a plan.

And the Second World, “Zhan Nianshao,” after careful selection, chose Hua Changdeng’s weakest period, which was still this powerful…

Was this the true worth of the previous generation of Seven Sword Immortals?

“Buzz!”

In the dim place, a sword hum suddenly arose.

A silver light appeared from beyond the void, out of place with this world. Everyone instantly realized that Xiao Kongdong’s sword must have struck from the future.

“It’s here!”

Everyone looked forward eagerly.

But Hua Changdeng in the Pingfeng Zhudi remained completely oblivious, groggy and unable to wake up.

“Look, it’s the Kongdong Wuxiang Sword!”

The silver light pierced through the flowing current, a moment like an eternity.

The Kongdong Wuxiang Sword, which slowly emerged from the crack inch by inch, had the external form of a sword, but its internal form was like a transparent, sharp spine.

This sword gathered Xiao Kongdong’s decades of cultivated sword intent, its power solidified into substance, and its sword intent flowed like liquid.

Since the establishment of Canyue Xiancheng, it had only appeared twice: once in the battle against Yan Wuse on Void Island, and later when defending Canyue Xiancheng.

It had few rivals in the world; Xiao Kongdong simply had no opportunity to use it at other times. Now, he was unleashing it with full force, showing great respect to his senior.

The sword body swept through the air. With every inch it extended, a sonic boom resounded for a thousand miles, causing the snapped osmanthus to create deep black holes in the sky.

Its speed, however, was faster than sound, arriving in an instant!

Everyone had only a fleeting moment of distraction, seeing the Kongdong Wuxiang Sword, which had been a thousand miles away, now fiercely impaled, striking the head of Hua Changdeng, who sat with his head bowed under the broken willow!

“It’s going to succeed!”

Drops of silver sword intent liquid splashed into the void as the sword moved.

However, once detached from the guidance of the Kongdong Wuxiang Sword, a single splashed drop of sword intent liquid, its residual power spreading, could already shatter Dao principles.

One could imagine that if the Kongdong Wuxiang Sword, carrying all its sword intent power, truly struck Hua Changdeng, even a Saint Emperor would find it difficult to resist.

“Hoo…”

But at this moment, the flickering candle on the ancient table swayed with the wind.

Hua Changdeng, who had been sitting with his head bowed under the broken willow, suddenly looked up, his eyes wide open—it was too late; the Kongdong Wuxiang Sword had just touched his glabella!

“Die!”

Among the spectators, someone’s face flushed red, excitedly shouting this.

But Hua Changdeng, struck by the Kongdong Wuxiang Sword, merely had a slight indentation in the skin between his eyebrows…

The momentum of the sword was stopped!

“How is that possible?”

The strength of Xiao Kongdong’s sword was evident from various subtle details.

Did Hua Changdeng cultivate his physical body?

But even a Saint Emperor’s physical body surely couldn’t stop such a fierce and soul-penetrating sword!

“Xue…”

In the Pingfeng Zhudi, a soft sound accompanied it.

At that moment, a formless wave of force spread across the vast sky of Guihe Sacred Mountain, seemingly caused by the confrontation of two extremely strong and fierce powers.

One was the Kongdong Wuxiang Sword, which everyone knew.

But what about the other power? Where did it come from?

It was utterly invisible; only when the force wave brushed by, the entire world cracked with spiderweb-like fissures!

“The Second World, is it going to be shattered?”

The spectators from Lingyushan, who had been brought here, all felt sharp pain in their faces, as if they were being cut by a thousand knives, clearly suffering from the residual force.

Xiao Kongdong’s figure finally solidified. His eyes were wide with rage, both hands gripping the Kongdong Wuxiang Sword, pressing it against Hua Changdeng’s glabella, pushing down with all his might.

“Chii…”

Blood splattered.

Someone saw a dark green blood being forced out from the sword tip, splashing high into the air, then shredded by the silver light of the sword intent.

“It drew blood!”

But there was no time to celebrate.

It was the appearance of this drop of soul blood that seemed to sober Hua Changdeng. A faint light illuminated his eyes, converging at his glabella.

In an instant, the pierced spot turned a vivid, blood-like crimson!

“It’s not blood…”

Among the spectators, there were quite a few ancient sword cultivators.

With just a glance, most realized that this was part of the Ghost Sword Art's soul manipulation technique, the Red Character Ghost Talisman!

“Through-Dao: Power Penetrating Time and Space!”

Xiao Kongdong roared, pressing down with both hands with all his might.

Behind him, and around his sword, space suddenly twisted, then exploded.

However…

“The power is sufficient, and the judgment is precise.”

“Unfortunately, the foundation is a bit lacking after all.”

Hua Changdeng, now sober, was clearly no longer a youth, seeming to have completely connected with his future self.

At the location of the Red Character Ghost Talisman on his glabella, accompanying his voice, a faint, dark green sharpness slowly emerged, pushing against the tip of the Kongdong Wuxiang Sword.

A sword!

A nameless sword!

Pushing against the surging immense power of the sword intent, against Xiao Kongdong’s thirty years of accumulated foundation, it slowly advanced inch by inch. The Kongdong Wuxiang Sword’s body twisted, retreating little by little.

“Hiss! This…”

Everyone’s scalp tingled.

They could all see that Xiao Kongdong had given his all.

But Hua Changdeng hadn’t even used Hunting Ghost; Hunting Ghost was clearly still on the table beside him, accompanying the bronze lamp!

So what kind of sword was this?

“Sword Ghost?!”

Xiao Kongdong’s heart sank to rock bottom. He knew of the Three Sword Ghosts, but had never personally seen what a Sword Ghost was. He never imagined that one of the Three Sword Ghosts could emerge from the Red Character Ghost Talisman?

“The sword intent is vast, and the foundation is profound.”

“In fact, your strength is already above that of contemporary sword immortals.”

“It’s a pity, after my Sword Ghost was perfected, the Thought Ghost protects the body, protecting not just the present, but also the past and future… Sneak attacks are destined to be futile.”

Hua Changdeng’s lips moved, his figure perfectly still.

He still leaned back against the broken willow, his left elbow casually resting on his knee, his posture relaxed, not changing an iota.

And the Kongdong Wuxiang Sword, with his voice, was completely pushed away by a Thought Ghost from his Red Character Ghost Talisman, unable to advance another inch.

The three-foot-long Thought Ghost fully displayed its sharpness. Its sword body was identical to Hunting Ghost, not differing by half a point, yet it was entwined with countless resentful souls, representing the mortal lives of who knows how many.

If Xiao Kongdong’s thirty years of sword intent foundation was built on Ba Zun’an’s shoulders, slowly accumulating like sand into a tower during peaceful times,

Then Hua Changdeng’s Three Sword Ghosts, despite having the same age of sword, were a new Dao that pioneered heaven and earth. They were not only cultivated but also involved killing, and they had accumulated all the insights into the soul Dao and ancient sword arts throughout his journey to the Saint Emperor realm.

“The profound mysteries of the sword’s opening, you won’t get to see.”

“But to be able to witness the Thought Ghost, among the younger generation of ancient sword cultivators, you can already be called preeminent.”

After Hua Changdeng finished speaking, he slowly closed his eyes.

The entire cracked Second World nearly shattered.

The spectators were struck by lightning, in great pain, yet found themselves not being ejected from Guihe Sacred Mountain. Instead, they entered another illusion?

“No…”

“It’s not the Illusionary Sword Art!”

Guihe Sacred Mountain collapsed, and Pingfeng Zhudi shattered.

The sky light was covered by night, a ghostly eye tore open in the clear sky, and dim light spread across the earth. This world was now, astonishingly, Fengdu!

All over the mountains and plains, jagged strange rock mountains rose, withered, ugly trees grew, and the earth split in two: one half burning with rolling lava, the other crackling with frozen ice.

Under the hell of ice and fire, Hua Changdeng seemed to lean against the broken willow, but his intent had escaped into the Qingming Ghost Eye, overlooking everything from a commanding position.

“By this decree: Fengdu Thought Ghost, Hell of Ice and Fire, command the Ten Yama Lords to suppress Kongdong Wuxiang.”

With a single decree, Xiao Kongdong’s knees suddenly buckled, and his bones cracked all over. Just the force of the suppression nearly made him fall.

Blood streamed from his seven orifices. He struggled to raise his head, looking up at the sky in disbelief.

He saw the vast Qingming, and suddenly, from the ethereal sky above, ten majestic and ancient infernal palaces descended, encircling him.

On top of the palaces, or wielding great sabers, or holding great swords, or brandishing giant spears, or wrapped in ghostly chains… ten ghost kings, clad in soul helmets, towering a hundred zhang tall, riding bone dragons, and cloaked in red mantles, descended fiercely.

“The Ten Yama Lords, by your command!”

Ten voices merged into one, deafeningly loud.

The spectators’ eyes bulged, their eardrums nearly burst, and as goosebumps rose all over their bodies, they felt that just looking at them would bring forth thoughts of death.

In the next breath, the hell of ice and fire collapsed inward, contracting, then violently clamped down on the space-time plane where Xiao Kongdong was, banishing him to that spot, making escape impossible.

“Suppress!”

The Ten Yama Lords raised their weapons high, and the bone dragons beneath them roared.

Encircling Xiao Kongdong, the ten ancient infernal palaces, comparable to mountains, also collapsed inward, contracting, and directly slammed into Xiao Kongdong.

“Pfft!”

Even though the Kongdong Wuxiang Sword had struck first, creating a protective barrier and attempting to resist the encirclement of the ten palaces,

Through the sword intent barrier, the ten palaces were like ten swords. Xiao Kongdong, within them, felt the power of Mohjian Arts, Through-Dao, and other forces. He was sent flying backward, spitting blood, dizzy and disoriented.

After a moment of blurred consciousness, he realized it was wartime and he couldn't faint, so he forced himself to regain lucidity.

But the Ten Yama Lords, riding their bone dragons, brandished their weapons, clearly having closed in!

“Hiss, hiss, hiss…”

“Jie, jie, jie…”

“Ga, ga, ga…”

Amidst various grim laughter, soul chains were flung out, binding Xiao Kongdong’s soul and pulling it fiercely upwards, tearing his spirit and flesh apart with a ripping sound.

A great hammer was thrown, hitting his uncontrolled body, pulverizing his chest and bones, passing through his body, staining the sky with blood, a truly gruesome sight.

Long knives chopped, giant swords struck his neck…

Heavy spears were thrown, twin axes were brought down…

“Hahahaha!”

Xiao Kongdong cried out in pain, yet he burst into uncontrolled laughter, a sound that sent shivers down the spines of the spectators.

Desperation!

Absolute desperation!

Was this a final surge of energy before death?

Amidst the chaotic Lingyushan and Pingfeng Zhudi, Xiao Kongdong completely let himself go, dedicating himself to the ancient sword Dao.

“The glorious sun rises, the sword starts; the biting cold wind sings my will.”

“Rather than sleeping buried here, it’s better to perform a spiritual play in lucidity.”

A ethereal song descended from the nine heavens. Amidst the shocked gaze of the multitude, they heard the sound of sword verses, and the Kongdong Wuxiang Sword also shone with brilliant silver light, a final swan song:

“Heavenly Release: Kongdong Wuxiang!”

With a sudden swoosh, Xiao Kongdong vanished.

The Kongdong Wuxiang Sword, however, hummed and vibrated, its sword intent spreading like ripples, breaking through the banishment of the hell of ice and fire, and bursting the shackles of the ten infernal palaces.

A silver moon hung high over Fengdu.

Then, the clear sky cracked open, and the slightly ethereal yet real Canyue Xiancheng descended with a boom.

The immortal city stood on the clouds, with misty clouds forming its path.

The city was divided into nine sections, and these nine sections transformed into nine swords. The nine swords combined to form a formation, which was consecrated to form a Dao, and this Dao served as the sword’s bone.

“Who can fight me?!”

Xiao Kongdong roared to the world, transforming into a thousand-zhang giant, stepping on the immortal city, towering over Fengdu. He raised his hands above his head, gathering power, and with a pull from the top of his skull,

The imagery of Canyue Xiancheng shattered in response, transforming into endless sword light, crisscrossing and interweaving, silver light like snakes streaking across the night sky, flowing into the giant figure’s body with divine stealth.

The giant Xiao Kongdong pulled out his spine, extracting a greatly enlarged Kongdong Wuxiang Sword, and fiercely chopped it down.

“Bang, bang, bang…”

The hell of ice and fire shattered.

He swung his sword horizontally again.

“Boom, boom, boom…”

The ten infernal palaces exploded.

At this moment, the Ten Yama Lords were trembling. This mad ancient sword cultivator, after his Heavenly Release, was this terrifying?

But before they could escape, the giant Xiao Kongdong sent out his sword, and the Kongdong Wuxiang Sword transformed from tangible to intangible, entering the Great Dao.

“Kill, kill, kill!”

No sword body was seen, only sword light scattering in all directions.

The Ten Yama Lords’ armor shattered, falling apart, and they were cut into countless pieces amidst their wails.

“Suppress!”

The giant Xiao Kongdong brought his hands together, re-gripped the Kongdong Wuxiang Sword, and violently plunged it downwards.

Dong—

This sword seemed to strike the hearts of the spectators, shaking their souls and painting terror on their faces.

This sword sought to suppress Fengdu.

But at this point, Xiao Kongdong seemed to be exhausted.

This sword, unleashed with all his lifelong power, had to be plunged three times to finally pierce through and shatter the Fengdu image that enveloped the Second World.

“Hua… Chang… Deng…”

The giant Xiao Kongdong, holding his sword, stared at the ghostly eye in the void. With a flick of his wrist, the Kongdong Wuxiang Sword was about to tear the sky again.

In this battle, he wanted to fulfill his dream!

A soft sound, echoing in the spectators’ ears.

The chaos, explosion, and tremor subsided, gradually fading with this sound.

The Thought Ghost’s sword, a step ahead of the giant Xiao Kongdong, pierced through his chest, forcefully shattering his Heavenly Release form.

“Pfft!”

Xiao Kongdong spat out a mouthful of blood.

Thanks to the Dao’s enhancement after the Heavenly Release, his broken body barely managed to reconnect.

Now that the Heavenly Release was broken and he was forced back to his human form, his entire body was just a bloody mess. His hands and feet trembled, making it difficult to even lift his sword; he was at the end of his rope.

Another unusual sound appeared.

It was still the Thought Ghost’s sword, breaking through from afar, striking the Kongdong Wuxiang Sword without any delay, and passing through Xiao Kongdong’s original body.

“Pfft!”

Blood stained the air.

Time seemed to slow. Xiao Kongdong saw the sky through the curtain of blood. So vast, so boundless, so unreachable…

The Thought Ghost’s sword, having flung away the Kongdong Wuxiang Sword and pierced through Xiao Kongdong, then penetrated the chaotic flow of time and space, returning to its starting point.

At this point, to onlookers, Xiao Kongdong was like a kite with a broken string, his shattered body flung away. The Kongdong Wuxiang Sword, powerless and separated from him, let out an unwilling roar.

But there was a third soft sound.

It was still the Thought Ghost’s sword, enlarging in the pupils of countless spectators, passing through Xiao Kongdong from front to back, without question, splitting his skull.

The world finally returned to silence.

The Fengdu image vanished, and the ghostly eye receded.

In front of Pingfeng Zhudi, there was an ancient table, a bronze lamp, Hunting Ghost stood still, and Hua Changdeng remained with his left elbow resting on his knee, leaning against the broken willow, his relaxed posture unchanged.

His face showed no joy or sorrow as he watched Xiao Kongdong fall from Guihe Sacred Mountain into the bottomless black abyss, watching the Kongdong Wuxiang Sword roar unwillingly as it followed, yet unable to turn the tide.

Thirty years of sword intent finally could not be contained, dispersing into the void, and thus the clear sky rained tears.

Hua Changdeng closed his eyes again, lowered his head, returning time to the past, and bringing an end to his beautiful dream.

Flowers in the mirror, the moon in the water—the past here was all like a bubble illusion. Everything seemed as if it had never happened, only what the observers saw and heard appeared real:

“The Thought Ghost you wished to see, you have seen.”

“The person you wanted, you won’t get back a single one.”

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