Chapter 1896: Proclaiming Emperor

Whether you look or not, neither is a reason for you to take my treasured sword.

Everyone knows, and Hua Changdeng certainly knows, that Ba Zun'an cultivates Guanjian Art, which allows him to nourish his spiritual sword with the power of its name.

Even if it's his own sword, held for too long, it might inevitably betray him.

"Shougui!" Hua Changdeng's eyes narrowed slightly, and he reached out to summon.

Shougui immediately broke free from Ba Zun'an's grasp and flew towards its original owner.

"Hahahaha!" Ba Zun'an burst into laughter, grabbed Shougui's tail, and with a flash of sword-intent in his eyes, surveyed Shougui's entire blade.

Silver light gleamed brightly.

Shougui's blade trembled violently, letting out an involuntary moan in the void, clearly in extreme pleasure.

"Brother Hua, please calm down."

"I'm just borrowing it; I'm not trying to take your sword."

Ba Zun'an no longer seemed fully sober or half-drunk.

He didn't even bother to notice Hua Changdeng's ashen face, turning to look around the Spiritual Lake, his voice echoing in all directions:

"In the Ancient Sword Dao, the Sword Ancestor is revered as the first. Now, the Sword Ancestor has reincarnated, leaving behind only twenty-one famous swords scattered across the land."

"There were once rumors that collecting the twenty-one famous swords could summon the Sword Ancestor's inheritance, obtain the Ancestral God's divine fate, and reach profound mysteries."

"Whether the Ancient Sword Dao is illusory or real, I, Ba Zun'an, do not know, but the Sword Ancestor knows, and the twenty-one famous swords know."

"Coincidentally, this Sacred Slave has been collecting swords for thirty years and has made some progress. Perhaps today, we can verify one or two things."

"Brother Hua," Ba Zun'an said, looking back at Hua Changdeng, "Give me some face?"

The spectators from the Five Domains immediately burst into an uproar.

Everyone knew that gathering the twenty-one famous swords could bring about unknown miracles.

However, summoning the Sword Ancestor's inheritance and even the Ancestral God's divine fate was something no one knew until Ba Zun'an mentioned it.

Now, everyone's appetite was whetted, and they all stared at Hua Changdeng with burning eyes:

"Hurry up and give it!"

"He already said he's just borrowing it, not taking it."

"Hua Changdeng, what are you afraid of? If Ba Zun'an wants it, just give it to him. What's there to fear? He's not going to kill you, is he?"

"Wait, twenty-one famous swords... How can there be so many famous swords here right now?"

Some calm individuals meticulously counted the ancient sword cultivators present who wore famous swords. At most, there were only about a dozen, clearly missing more than half.

Where were the other famous swords?

Surely, half of the famous swords wouldn't be enough to summon the Sword Ancestor's inheritance and the Ancestral God's divine fate, would they?

"Impossible!" Hua Changdeng's expression was resolute, and he hooked his finger.

Shougui's blade broke free from the sword-intent, regained its autonomy, and once again soared into the sky, flying towards its original owner, who grasped it firmly.

Borrowing?

It sounded easy, but who knew if he had ulterior motives?

However, as Ba Zun'an's drunken madness surged, his eyes narrowed upon seeing this, and the hint of gentle persuasion vanished from his face. He clearly couldn't be bothered to speak anymore and intended to simply seize it by force!

"I already gave you face."

Seeing him tap his toe, ripples gently spread across the Spiritual Lake.

Under the gaze of countless eyes, Ba Zun'an, clad in white, leaped into the air, soaring to a great height. His aura, accompanied by his flowing sleeves, suddenly shattered the cosmos.

"Boom!"

Thunder rumbled in the Nine Heavens, and golden light scattered.

A magnificent aura broke through the black and white colors of the Spiritual Lake, through the scene of Fengdu and the sunrise, and spilled onto the black-haired, white-robed figure in the void, as if crowning him in the high heavens for all to see.

Ba Zun'an lifted his chin slightly, his gaze contemptuous, and declared in a loud voice:

"All swords are considered servants."

"All sword-wielders are considered sword masters."

Upon hearing this, everyone's expression changed, even Gou Wuyue's.

While the principle was true, and the Myriad Sword Art was even based on it, over the years, in the era of Spirit Refinement, the concepts of sword master and sword servant had long faded.

Even those who cultivated the Myriad Sword Art held respect for swords.

More often than not, sword-wielders and their swords interacted as friends, growing together side by side. Only then could an unspoken understanding be fostered, giving a chance for Heavenly Resolution and Unity.

Ba Zun'an, drinking and acting mad, had reached this point?

"What does he want to do?"

"What Eighth Sword Immortal? He's gone mad!"

"After just a few pots of wine, he's so disrespectful to swords? He even wants to forcefully take Shougui from Saint Emperor Hua? Can he even do that?"

It wasn't just the ancient sword cultivators who felt uncomfortable.

The numerous famous swords around, even more so, stirred and hummed in anger, eager to unleash themselves.

Gu Qingyi's Yue Lian, Gu Qing'er's Jue Se Yao Ji, Su Qianqian's Wan Bing Mo Zu, Lei Shuangxing's Chou Shen Zhang...

Humans live for a breath, Buddhas fight for an incense stick, and so do famous swords.

Moreover, in this world, the status of famous swords was highly elevated.

Even if the underlying truth was as Ba Zun'an stated, sword-wielders, when using swords and arts, would at least show respect on the surface.

Ba Zun'an's words undoubtedly tore open the wounds of all famous swords!

"Liiii!"

Hejian Tingchen, likewise, angrily surged forth, eager to escape.

Feng Tingchen hurriedly pressed down on the famous sword in his hand, looking up at Ba Zun'an, who was bathed in golden light in the sky, his face moved.

"Myriad Sword Art..."

He knew what Ba Zun'an was going to do.

Coercion by force, this was Myriad Sword Art, this was Absolute Imperial Rule!

Perhaps the young people of this era were accustomed to an equal and respectful relationship between swords and people, but the previous generation of the Seven Sword Immortals all knew...

In the past, the Eighth Sword Immortal could grasp a sword with a single glance, and with a grasped sword, he achieved Heavenly Resolution. It was truly astonishing!

The master-servant relationship was difficult to establish for others, which is why it gradually faded and evolved into equal respect.

When these words came from Ba Zun'an's mouth, they were golden pronouncements, and his command became law.

Indeed, Ba Zun'an stood tall with his chest out. After tearing open the wounds of the famous swords, his aura was no longer restrained, advancing with full force.

"Twelve ceremonial strings adorned with profound pearls and jade, with a dragon pattern, I am crowned supreme!"

"Imperial decree: Myriad Swords Return to Origin!"

A thunderous roar exploded across the Five Domains, piercing through clouds and moon, shaking eardrums.

In a daze, everyone only saw that below Ba Zun'an's feet in the high sky, an extremely brilliant sword dao profound array diagram suddenly unfurled.

He formed hand seals and raised his fingers.

Not only was it power and the Myriad Sword Art, but it also seemed to carry some ancient sword technique essence?

In an instant, that profound array diagram rose from bottom to top, from large to small, and after lifting itself up, it converged into a single golden point above Ba Zun'an's head, then violently exploded outward, pushing out endless golden light waves in the high sky.

"Om!!!"

A vast pressure descended from the sky.

Behind Ba Zun'an, a massive and ethereal black-crowned, black-robed emperor's figure slowly emerged. It resembled both the divine Buddha imagery of the Heart Sword Art and the accumulated power of the Myriad Sword Art.

This figure held an imperial sword in one hand and an imperial seal in the other, radiating majesty across the Four Seas, impossible to gaze upon directly. Following Ba Zun'an's voice, the emperor's figure held the sword horizontally and then pressed the imperial seal into the void, its majestic voice overwhelming the Five Domains:

"By this decree: Myriad Swords Return to Origin."

In the city of Si Futu.

Beibei looked up dazedly at the towering black-crowned, black-robed emperor's figure far in the distance, completely lost in thought.

"Ancient Sword Technique: Emperor Sovereign Seal?"

"The 'Sword Ancestor's Legacy' states: All swords under heaven revere the Sword Ancestor, bound by the 'Emperor Sovereign Seal'. When the seal appears, swords follow, unable to defy."

"Regardless of the twenty-one famous swords, the five great chaotic divine artifacts, including the Shangxuan Sword among the nine supreme divine artifacts, and all spiritual swords from the Sword God Era on the Yiwen Stele, all had the 'Emperor Sovereign Seal' planted on them by the Sword God."

"'Absolute Imperial Rule,' 'Emperor Sovereign Seal,' and 'Imperial Sword Sole Supremacy,' these three combined truly represent 'absolute' and cannot be defied."

"But hasn't this Emperor Sovereign Seal been lost?"

"Ancient sword techniques are all lost, except for the Sword Steps Fifty-Four Kills that Liu Fuyu brought from the Sword Pagoda..."

Beibei's thoughts froze at this point.

She was already stunned; she was certain that the ancient sword technique, Emperor Sovereign Seal, was lost.

Either Ba Zun'an had been to the Sword Pagoda, but whether the Sword Pagoda had the Emperor Sovereign Seal and whether it would be passed on are both uncertain.

The only remaining possibility was:

"A master of the Myriad Sword Art, reaching its peak, can deduce the 'Emperor Sovereign Seal' from the profound array diagram..."

"But isn't that just a legend?"

"Doesn't legend just mean impossible to achieve?"

"The Feng family of the Southern Domain has cultivated the Myriad Sword Art for so many years, even with the Sword Pavilion, they couldn't deduce the 'Emperor Sovereign Seal' of the Myriad Sword Art!"

Beibei stared down blankly at the sword in her hand.

The sword in the hand of the black-crowned, black-robed emperor's figure behind Ba Zun'an was a scaled-up version of her own Imperial Sword Sole Supremacy.

But her real Imperial Sword was clearly still in her hand, yet he had already unleashed the Emperor Sovereign Seal?

"Myriad Swords Return to Origin!"

And when the emperor's figure in the distance uttered this command, the Imperial Sword in his hand flew up from nothing, breaking free from its own restraints, and flew away into the distance.

"Hey!" Beibei panicked and quickly reached out to grab it.

However, the Imperial Sword Sole Supremacy was swept into a temporal碎流 by an unknown force, completely vanishing.

A question mark first popped up on Beibei's small head, then she suddenly realized: "The Way of Time? Use it first, then replace it later, just borrow and don't return?"

With a cry, Beibei ran out of the city of Si Futu with her short legs, charging towards the direction of Lingyu Mountain:

"Thief! Ya ya ya!"

"Damn Ba Zun'an, the Imperial Sword is mine! Mine! Give it back!"

In the Eastern Domain, Canyue Immortal City.

Previously, when Hua Changdeng descended upon the Five Domains, the Myriad Swords that were suspended in the air had already quieted down and returned to their respective wielder.

But when Ba Zun'an's emperor's figure roared his command in Lingyu Mountain, Central Domain.

"Myriad Swords Return to Origin!"

With a single command, an even more terrifying anomaly than before appeared.

Ten thousand swords stretched across the sky, forming a current of swords, surging uniformly westward, crossing mountains and rivers, rushing towards the Lingyu direction in the Central Domain.

"Ah! My sword!"

"I'm not on the front line! I don't revere you, Ba Zun'an! Don't confiscate my sword!"

"No, do you want my Tenth-Grade spiritual sword that I bought for 1,562 spirit crystals too, Ba Zun'an? Are you crazy from poverty?"

"Myriad Swords Return to Origin!"

In the Buried Sword Mound, thousands of sword seekers watched as the sword current surged and rushed towards the Central Domain, powerless to stop it.

Not only the swords of the sword seekers, but even the famous swords and near-famous swords of the past in the Sword Washing Pond of the Buried Sword Mound all rushed towards Ba Zun'an.

"The Eighth Sword Immortal..."

At this moment, everyone stared at the emperor's figure in the distance, their mouths agape, feeling as if they had witnessed a miracle.

The Eastern Domain had been silent for thirty years, and now the scene of "Myriad Swords Return to Ba" had reappeared!

"It's over, it's over!"

Inside the Buried Sword Mound, beside the Sword Washing Pond, Wen Ting clapped his thighs and laughed while stomping his feet and dancing:

"All the Myriad Swords are gone, you're left behind!"

"It's over, it's over, everything's over, explode, Qingju!"

"Reduced to a common sword, and after breaking, it won't even be a Tenth-Grade. You've even missed your last chance to see him!"

"Ah, hahahahaha..."

Qingju said nothing.

Qingju wept in anger.

"Gone, all gone!"

At the Feng family city, the sword sea instantly covered the sky, then instantly emptied, all rushing north, a truly spectacular sight.

In the Feng family mansion, all the Feng family members heard an ancient bell ring from outside the Sword Pavilion, and the pavilion gates swung open, with more than ten treasured swords surging out.

"Dragon Pattern, Star Plucker, Heavenly Fiend, Black Curse..."

"My heavens, even the swords in the Sword Pavilion that no one has been able to invite or contract for hundreds of years have all been summoned?"

"No! Not just summoned, they've gone! The swords of the Sword Pavilion couldn't withstand the summoning power, they've all been called by Ba Zun'an... Wait, is that?"

"Chasing Moon!!!"

The Feng family members were almost driven mad.

Everyone looked at the three-foot-long sword that emerged last from the Sword Pavilion. As the sword appeared, it was accompanied by moonlight, reversing Yin and Yang. They clutched their heads in disbelief.

"Our ancestor Feng Wuchen's treasured sword, Chasing Moon!"

"Chasing Moon has also appeared? Hasn't Chasing Moon been absent for tens of thousands of years?"

"Everyone, don't panic. Chasing Moon is our ancestor's treasured sword; it hasn't been bound by the 'Emperor Sovereign Seal,' so it shouldn't obey Ba Zun'an's summons... Ah?"

"It's over! Ancestor Chasing Moon is excited! Chasing Moon has also gone to join the fun!"

"Old family head, come back quickly, something big has happened!"

"All of them came."

Spiritual swords from various parts of the Five Domains, like a swarm of locusts, flew from all directions.

Upon reaching Ba Zun'an and the black-crowned, black-robed emperor's figure behind him, they simultaneously paused, lowered their heads in respect and submission, and spread out in a fan shape in the high sky, in perfect sequence.

The fan shape became a circle...

The circle became a sphere...

A sea of swords!

A true sea of swords!

In just a brief moment, the Lingyu Mountain Lake was filled with an overwhelming sea of swords, with countless more spiritual swords still rushing in from behind.

From Tenth-Grade to First-Grade, from spiritual swords to soul swords...

Double-edged, hexagonal, pointed, slanted, long swords, short swords, heavy swords, broadswords...

Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet, black and white, illusory and ethereal—everything imaginable was present, nothing was missing.

At the peak of the Spiritual Lake, beneath the emperor's figure, it was as if the highest-level sword exhibition had been opened for the people of the Five Domains, with diverse colors, various designs, dazzling and overwhelming.

All swords with sentience, at Ba Zun'an's command, without exception, rushed to the gathering and prostrated themselves.

"This, is the Myriad Sword Art?"

"This, is the first realm, Absolute Imperial Rule?"

With the sea of swords in the sky, this scene was no longer just shocking; it sent chills down people's spines.

"No, I also know Absolute Imperial Rule!"

"Why is Ba Zun'an's Absolute Imperial Rule a little different from mine? Am I cultivating a fake Myriad Sword Art?"

"...A little?"

The spectators from the Five Domains were completely in an uproar.

Compared to the previous discussions on strategy and dao, which were dry and boring to ordinary ears due to a lack of understanding.

Ba Zun'an's single phrase, "Twelve ceremonial strings adorned with profound pearls and jade, with a dragon pattern, I am crowned supreme," instantly stirred everyone's thoughts and made their blood surge.

And his declaration of supremacy and command of swords clearly had more than one purpose.

At the edge of the Spiritual Lake, a famous sword wielder finally couldn't hold back their sword and was forced to let go.

"Yue Lian!"

Famous Sword Ranking One, Evil Sword Yue Lian.

Its body was tightly bound with sealing ribbons, making it impenetrable.

Now, it soared out of its sheath, humming violently, and its gray bindings loosened on their own during its flight.

"Wuwu——"

At that moment, the sky grew dim, and evil energy encroached upon half the sky.

Hundreds of thousands of swords in the sea of swords trembled in fear, retreating continuously, making way for the evil sword Yue Lian at the front, daring not to overstep.

"Hoo..." Gu Qingyi exhaled deeply, his face filled with shock, staring in disbelief at the evil sword Yue Lian flying away from him.

Compared to his anger when Ba Zun'an first introduced the "master-servant" concept, Gu Qingyi, at this moment, felt a profound sense of dread and trembling through his spiritual connection with Yue Lian.

"This is Ba Zun'an's persuasive power?"

His second junior brother's sword also took flight.

The Blood Sword, Jue Se Yao Ji, once this sword ascended, blood qi filled the sky, turning the wild expanse crimson. The sea of swords retreated again, in fearful unease.

Gu Qing'er, who was one of the Seven Sword Immortals, wailed behind him.

Gu Qingyi felt his voice was so distant that he couldn't hear the content, only his thoughts swaying in the storm:

"Sword Immortal..."

"Also a Sword Immortal... No! Ba Zun'an isn't even a Sword Immortal..."

Famous Sword Ranking Four, Demonic Sword Wan Bing Mo Zu, ascended.

This sword was extremely domineering; at that moment, demonic qi overflowed, suppressing the sea of swords, attempting to compete with Yue Lian and Jue Se Yao Ji for glory.

"Not among the Sword Immortals, yet forcefully ranking eighth..."

Famous Sword Ranking Nine, Demonic Sword Nulan, ascended upon command.

"In an era of dazzling heroes, his brilliance was so overwhelming that even Master Wen Ting couldn't lift his head. Only a handful among the Ten Seats could perhaps be compared to him..."

Famous Sword Twelve, Staff Sword Chou Shen Zhang, ascended upon command.

"For thirty years, revered by countless ancient sword cultivators in the Eastern Domain, not honoring the true Seven Sword Immortals, but instead wishing to venerate him as a new god, almost to the point of madness..."

Famous Sword Thirteen, Crane Sword Tingchen, ascended upon command.

"This, is the Eighth Sword Immortal?"

Buzz...

Buzz buzz buzz...

Gu Qingyi's head buzzed, and dizzy spells exploded in his skull one after another.

The higher the famous swords flew, the further the sea of swords retreated.

Ba Zun'an, standing with his hands behind his back in the void, and the black-crowned, black-robed emperor's figure behind him, became more intimidating, and the distance felt further away.

"I..."

Gu Qingyi reached out, touching the sky, as if wanting to reach for something.

At this moment, he couldn't even feel anger anymore; deep in his heart, there was only a profound sense of powerlessness—how much effort had he expended to obtain Yue Lian back then, yet with just one word from Ba Zun'an, all famous swords rushed to him?

Gu Qingyi was in a trance.

He envied the talent of his second and third junior brothers.

He also accepted the philosophy of "diligence can compensate for dullness, the slow bird flies first."

For so many years, with Master Wen Ting's encouragement, he had relied on his tenacious will to always be half a step ahead of his junior brothers, firmly holding the position of the senior disciple of the Buried Sword Mound.

"Effort?"

"Talent?"

Gu Qingyi always believed that as long as one worked hard enough, one could achieve talent through sheer willpower... Man can conquer nature!

"Is that truly the case?"

When legends are no longer legends, and can be witnessed firsthand.

When the talent that surpasses talent is realized before one's eyes, the dream is broken.

"Unreachable..."

Gu Qingyi looked up.

Amidst the circling sea of swords, Ba Zun'an and the black-crowned, black-robed emperor's figure behind him were almost one.

They were, inherently, one!

Gu Qingyi finally understood why, after the War of the Ten Seats, his Master Wen Ting, despite being one of the Seven Sword Immortals, returned to the Buried Sword Mound and remained secluded for thirty years, not even wanting his name.

Why emerge?

With what to emerge?

"Dao?"

"What is Dao?"

"Where is Dao? Is it on a high mountain, above the azure sky? There is simply no end in sight..."

This one-word legend.

Gu Qingyi had heard it countless times in his cultivation journey, his ears almost calloused from it.

In a haze and blur, amidst confusion and bewilderment, when he looked up again, he could barely distinguish what was him and what was himself...

He almost lost his true self.

So much so that he couldn't see anything in his eyes.

The vast sea of swords was the sky, and the unreachable was the Dao.

And within that "sword" and "Dao," the white-robed sword-wielder adorned with golden scales, soaring above the clouds, higher than the firmament, seemed not of this world, but a banished immortal from the heavens.

"No wonder in that era, they dared to call him that..."

"The sky is a foot high..."