Chapter 1938: Peak

It never rains but it pours. Hua Changdeng's battle wasn't over yet, and the Scythe of the Death God, as mentioned by Xu Xiaoshou, still hadn't been thrown.

At the old Gui Zhe site, Bei Huai suddenly intervened, rushing in to bite Ghost Buddha. Although Cao Yihan promptly hammered away the crazed attacker, Baxun An, however, could clearly see that the situation had spiraled out of control, becoming incredibly difficult. The Five Domains were on the verge of falling!

That bite wasn't merely aimed at the sleeveless bald figure. Ghost Buddha's injury, which was severe, signified the complete collapse of the "barrier" established half a year ago. All the time and space nodes across the Holy Divine Continent, previously sealed and hidden, were now exposed. Originally, the Three Ancestors from outside the realm had only two ways to enter: forcefully breaching the old Heavenly Ladder site or climbing the dimensional rift. With the barrier broken, they could now enter the East, West, South, North, or Central Domains from anywhere, using various methods, either openly or covertly. Both preventable and unpreventable entries were now possible. If they truly wished, they could even appear directly in the City of Dead Buddha, enter the Crossroads, concentrate their firepower, and fiercely attack a single point. Even a powerful being like Shen Yi might not be able to withstand the combined assault of the Demonic, Medicinal, and Malevolent Ancestors long enough for reinforcements to arrive. At this moment, the only advantage Saint Slave could find in this uncontrollable game was that the Three Ancestors were not truly allied, but each harbored their own ulterior motives.

"Xu Xiaoshou, you're about to be very busy." With a sigh, Baxun An dared not think further. That was a matter for later, a confrontation between chess players, and irrelevant to him. His immediate priority, the one thing and one person he had to deal with, was not the Three Ancestors from outside the realm, nor Bei Huai, nor anyone else, but... Hua Changdeng!

"Just a little more." "Almost there!" The sword light closed in, the surging figure already reflected in his eyes, yet Baxun An didn't move an inch. His mind was like a tranquil lake, its underlying tumultuous waves unseen by anyone.

"Die!" Mysterious multi-colored light bloomed brilliantly in the Northern Domain. Yet, dazzling Ancestor God's radiance spread from the peak of Lingyu Mountain in the Central Domain. Bei Huai's sudden entry and Kulei Han's masked hammer strike shocked everyone outside the fray, causing widespread confusion and uncertainty about where the true main battlefield was. But such commotions, not even a trace of them, could shake Hua Changdeng's persistent resolve! He held the Ghost Hunter, powerfully charging with the Three Swords of Sword Ghost. With a single sword, he advanced, voluntarily dropping from the Ancestor God realm to the Saint Emperor realm in the Northern Domain, yet his spirit burned brighter than ever, like a raging flame in the Central Domain. His realm had indeed dropped. Hua Changdeng's combat power hadn't fallen; instead, he forcibly pushed it even higher with the power of Necromantic Reincarnation. It wasn't over yet!

"Three Luo Ghost Formation..." The sword was at his face, power exhausted. At the last moment, the Three Swords of Sword Ghost transformed into patterns, imprinting themselves onto the Ghost Hunter's blade, elevating this penetrating sword attack to another level. "Soul Crossing!"

A tearing sound exploded high above Lingyu Mountain. Countless spectators, previously knocked down by Kulei Han's oppressive divine sense, turned their heads back in shock. The two individuals in the battle were far from evenly matched; it was a complete one-sided crushing. Baxun An, with his depleted spiritual essence... Hua Changdeng, who had burned himself out... This was truly like a firefly's glow compared to the bright moon's radiance!

Most critically, after facing such an absolute attack, Baxun An was so weak that he couldn't even summon the Myriad Swords of the Sword Sea or the Twenty-One Famous Swords for a simple defense. Once his Indestructible Sword Body was broken, the myriad swords within him scattered across Lingyu Mountain. His spiritual essence was like a flickering candle in the wind, barely alive, seemingly struggling even to think or move, let alone fight again.

"Hiss..." Under the gaze of countless eyes, the powerful strike from Ghost Hunter, emblazoned with the Three Swords of Sword Ghost patterns, pierced through Baxun An's spiritual body without any resistance. From tip to blade, it sank in inch by inch. There was no pain of flesh being cut, but the pain of piercing the soul, as the Ghost Hunter slowly plunged in, was felt by all cultivators in the Five Domains.

"No power to resist?" "Had Baxun An lost his mind?" "Or had he completely given up the struggle, unable to stir any ripples with only his spiritual essence remaining?" This was completely different from the anticipated scene. Having even revealed two profound sword moves earlier, people's expectations for the Eighth Sword Immortal had been raised to their peak. But now... He stood motionless, choosing to accept death?

"Bang!" Hua Changdeng gave no quarter. The Ghost Hunter, having pierced Baxun An's spiritual body, was violently ripped sideways. Instantly, a violent, eerie blue wave of power erupted, shattering all spiritual life force in the surrounding area. Baxun An... After his "body" was destroyed, his "spirit" was also severed!

"Little Ba..." Beneath Fusang City, Yue Gongnu staggered slightly, her mind a blank. Of course, she could see that Baxun An wasn't dazed or powerless; he simply didn't want to defend. Was his aim to break before rebuilding? But after his body, spirit, and will were all shattered, was there anything left to rebuild? Even if he risked it and succeeded, what about his foundation, his lifespan, his future? Even if he eventually became a god and ancestor, and Baxun An won this battle, it would be written into history and praised by future generations. "Win?" So what if he won? Was winning that important? Everyone was waiting for a battle outcome, but Yue Gongnu had never considered winning or losing. What she wanted to see was an intact Baxun An, whether he lost or won. He could be a mess. He could be covered in wounds. He could be struck by ten thousand swords, but not left with incurable injuries after the battle!

"He can't be saved..." But as a former Saint Emperor's inheritor, Yue Gongnu could easily see that injuries which could originally be mended by refining an Infant Concoction Sacred Plant would be difficult to recover from once his "spirit" was also severed. If even his "will" was sacrificed, even if he could still live and win this battle... How much would be left of Baxun An? Yue Gongnu parted her lips, stepping half a pace forward, trying to call a halt. She couldn't utter a sound. What clinked to the ground before her was the yellow copper coin that Dao Qiongcang had thrown that night. That coin, representing fate and variables, she had guessed three times, but failed to guess correctly. And the unchangeable result, facing away from her, always read... "Out."

"Hahahaha!" As the Ghost Hunter was pulled out, Hua Changdeng laughed manically. He licked the delicious spiritual blood from the blade, surveying his surroundings. He was certain Baxun An's remaining consciousness was still there, but instead of immediately moving his sword, he roared loudly: "Too late!" "All too late!" "Baxun An, I know what you're trying to do... Break and rebuild? Rebirth from ashes? Useless! All useless!"

Was Hua Changdeng irrational? Yes, he was. After being beaten from the Ancestor God realm to the Saint Emperor realm, who could remain rational? Hua Changdeng had gone mad! But had he completely lost consciousness? No, he still harbored a persistent obsession. With his Dao Integration state interrupted, he no longer needed to be cautious, no longer needed to hold back, and could act without restraint. Was being surrounded by Ancestor Gods too dangerous? Now that he was no longer an Ancestor God, he didn't care about the future; he only sought to live, to carve out a path to survival within the grand scheme. So, fight it was! A wholehearted battle, giving himself a final accounting, that was it! Everyone wanted to wrestle a wolf with bare hands, to emerge unscathed, but no one could achieve a perfect victory, so paying a price was inevitable. Hua Changdeng paid the price. He abandoned his future, his Great Dao, everything. He knew Baxun An was like him, unwilling to give up, and surely had a backup plan, but... "Too late!" "You have no chance!"

The Ghost Hunter flipped in his hand, held aloft before his chest, and surging power furiously gushed forth. Hua Changdeng's eyes were bloodshot, and a ghost eye appeared on his back, yet he could still speak steadily, his sword moves undisturbed: "'Three-Day Heart Eye, illuminating all consciousness.'" The sword-path profound array diagram beneath his feet rippled, then vanished in an instant. That magnificent soul power instantly engulfed an area of ten thousand li, "illuminating" the remaining consciousness within the domain using the Heart Sword Art.

"This is..." The surrounding spectators were instantly shocked. Turning the ethereal into the real, the uniqueness of the Heart Sword Art had already been demonstrated too many times by Mr. Si Ren, Master Shou, and others to the Spirit Refiners of the Five Domains. But each time it was used, it mostly revealed residual will after a battle, with not much left. For example, when Master Shou severed Sword Immortal Rao Yaoyao, a single sword of Prajna Anatta pursued only a trace of residual thought. But what Hua Changdeng's Heart Eye illuminated at this moment, within a radius of ten thousand li, was densely packed with countless silver sword thoughts!

"Baxun An's body and spirit were completely destroyed, yet his will was utterly unharmed?" "This quality, this quantity..." "Heavens, with just this will, if he struck again, who in this world, besides Master Shou, could withstand a single sword strike from Baxun An... no, from one-third of Baxun An?" Hua Changdeng could!

The Ghost Hunter, inverted before his chest, gently stabbed downwards. Ripples spread across the mind-lake, instantly affecting all silver sword thoughts within the domain, causing them to tremble in alarm. "'Pull it out!'" Hua Changdeng roared in his heart. With this Prajna Anatta sword pulled out and struck, he had absolute confidence in clearing out all of Baxun An's remaining consciousness within the banished domain. Even the strongest person, if only sword thoughts remained, would be vulnerable. To outsiders, it was a terrifying force that could cause one's body and spirit to perish. But to Hua Changdeng, who possessed Ancestor God level combat power, these were nothing, especially since Baxun An had shown no intention of resisting from beginning to end.

But! Pull it out? One breath... Two breaths... Three breaths... A full ten breaths passed. Hua Changdeng's sword was plunged into the mind-lake, aimed at all the residual sword thoughts within the area, yet he was slow to draw the sword. "'Too late!'" Hua Changdeng suddenly raised his head, hissing, "'You are impossible!'" Ancestor Hua hesitated... Everyone saw his hesitation. What was he hesitating about?

The sword thoughts, locked by Prajna Anatta's terrifying aura, also buzzed and trembled, seemingly terrified, yet they converged and intertwined, forming a vivid human face. Baxun An smiled lightly, his eyes carrying a hint of playfulness: "'Brother Hua, you're afraid.'" Hua Changdeng's hand, gripping the Ghost Hunter, trembled violently. "'Afraid?'" "Hahahaha!" He laughed wildly, tears almost falling from his eyes, but after his laughter subsided, he couldn't utter another word. Around Lingyu Mountain, falling snow blanketed the area. The atmosphere became incredibly solidified and awkward.

The human face formed by Baxun An's residual will then lost all expression, its tone becoming flat: "'Brother Hua, like you, I have no time left. To place myself in a death trap and then find life is my only choice.'" He changed tack, his words now imbued with an arrogance Hua Changdeng currently lacked: "'But Brother Hua, you're like a frog at the bottom of a well, unaware of the vastness of the sky or the depth of the ocean. You cannot imagine how strong I will be after breaking and rebuilding, just as you couldn't have predicted that before the Way of Sword-Self, the Three Realms of Profundity are merely the most basic of foundations. His mountain is my threshold. Knocking on the door to the Dao, and the world will be renewed.'"

That human face uttered arrogant words, yet it stunned the ancient sword cultivators of the Five Domains, filling them with unbearable shame. He actually said that the Three Realms of Profundity were just stepping stones for Baxun An's pursuit of the Dao, merely a threshold he could easily cross? What about us? What are we? Even if we're nothing, what about Ancestor Hua? Hua Changdeng burned with rage, his brow etched with humiliation, yet the sword in his hand remained stubbornly unlifted.

Baxun An's gaze fell upon the trembling Ghost Hunter blade, seeing weakness, incompetence, and predetermined failure. He spoke slowly, with absolute certainty: "'Therefore, this sword, this last sword, Brother Hua, you dare not pull out, and you dare not strike me down. After the two profound swords, 'Baxun An' has become a god to you, the greatest obsession and nightmare of your life. One sword of Prajna Anatta can eradicate my will. But the nightmare in your heart will also awaken right there. To strike me down, or to strike down 'me'? Two paths...'" Baxun An enunciated each word: "'Hua Changdeng, you dare not!'"

A provocation? A complete provocation! But after two profound swords, facing Baxun An who was only left with residual will yet still brimming with arrogance, who could guarantee that everything he said was false? If a sword of Prajna Anatta were truly struck, and Baxun An broke and rebuilt, became a god and ancestor on the spot, merged into one, or even returned to zero, what then?

"Drip." In his mind-lake, a drop of sweat fell. The ripples of an unyielding sword chant arose from Lingyu, instantly echoing across the Five Domains. "'Baxun An!'" "'You! Are! Impossible!'" Hua Changdeng roared, and the Ghost Hunter in his hand was pulled out from the mind-lake. Sword intent tore through space, and the ten-thousand-li banished world was ripped apart like a tablecloth, its power merging into the Ghost Hunter's blade. "'Heart Sword Art: Prajna Anatta.'" Hua Changdeng swept his sword, a ghostly blue sword light cutting forth from his front, affecting ten thousand li. High above Lingyu, the falling snow was completely cleared. Baxun An's human face, devoid of even a trace of resistance, exploded into scattered silver flowers after the sword light swept through, falling across the sky.

"No..." Yue Gongnu covered her red lips, her eyes filled with tears. Whether breaking and rebuilding succeeded or not, she couldn't see. What she saw was only an unchangeable outcome: it couldn't be salvaged...

"Hahahaha!" With a single sword, Baxun An was eradicated. His body, spirit, and will were all gone, leaving no chance for a comeback. With Hua Changdeng's inner demon removed, mysterious multi-colored light permeated his entire body. Without a moment's hesitation, he twisted the Ghost Hunter back, slowly inserting it into the scabbard at his waist, then immediately closed his eyes.

"Buzz!" Surging Dao charm rippled out. Around Hua Changdeng, countless scenes flashed by. There was the Cloud Mountain Emperor Realm from his childhood pursuit of the Dao, all the opponents he had defeated after descending the mountain with his sword, the Hua-Ba battle beneath Mount Guizhe, and his weary self-reflection by candlelight behind a screen... In a sudden instant, he opened his eyes, a sharp light bursting forth, his Dao Heart clear and bright. He stood up. He took a step forward. The Ghost Hunter shot from its scabbard, floated above his head, and reformed the Three Flowers. Around him, the Three Swords of Sword Ghost swirled: one ascended to the sky, one plunged into the earth, one tore through the void, then returned like swallows, piercing his throat and merging with his body.

"Hiding the sword for over thirty years..." Hua Changdeng took another step, and the sword-path profound array diagram unfolded beneath his feet. Not just Ghost Sword Art; every module within it shone with brilliant Dao patterns. Clearly, all Nine Great Sword Arts advanced together, with Ghost Sword Art being the strongest, rather than him specializing solely in Ghost Sword Art! At that moment, the Three Swords' radiance—Heaven, Earth, and Human—shone in harmony with the sword-path profound array diagram beneath his feet. The Dao became one, merging with the self. Hua Changdeng's robes fluttered, and he shouted loudly: "'With desireless action, one returns to the One-Heart Sword; exhausting the path of myriad nine (Dao), one combines the Three Talents Formation's name; in the Rootless Ghost Domain, one seeks the illusory and real Dharma-form.' This sword, its will returns to Heaven, its spirit to Earth, its body to Man; the Three Paths become One, and Sword Ghost opens fully." He extended a hand. The Ghost Hunter flew down from above into his palm. The famous sword was no longer tarnished; it became crystal clear. "'Ghost Hunter: Heavenly Resolution!'" With a resounding sword hum, Hua Changdeng stood with his sword angled. Ancestor God's power regenerated around him, instantly encompassing the Five Domains, locking and banishing the entire world, placing it within his newly formed Divine Court. "The Dao is complete!" With a rumble, the sound of tribulation roared overhead, yet no tribulation lightning descended. Virtualizing the Holy Divine Continent, merging with the Divine Court Underworld, nourishing the Rootless Ghost Realm—as his self-Divine Court, the "Rootless Ghost Realm," emerged, Hua Changdeng re-entered the Ancestor God realm!

And at this moment... Baxun An indeed still had a breath remaining. In the place where his residual will was purged, a Sword-Self spontaneously materialized. It was like a past figure walking out of the river of time, clad in white as before, in his prime, with arrogance in his brows yet untamed by time, like an eagle soaring high, his eyes filled with wild defiance. But... The Rootless Ghost Realm sealed off the Five Domains. The Three Swords of Sword Ghost severed all escape routes. Under Ancestor Hua's gaze, Baxun An's Sword-Self was clearly as tiny as an ant!