Chapter 857: Today, No One Can Stop My Steps

A fierce roar, laden with overwhelming killing intent, descended upon them. Instantly, sand swirled across the entire area, and sword marks appeared, cutting into the ground.

"This aura..."

Everyone felt a chill run down their spine and turned their heads to look. High in the sky, an unfamiliar male figure rapidly approached. This figure was completely unknown. Almost no one, whether from the Central or Eastern regions, recognized his face. Yet, his overwhelming aura declared his extraordinary cultivation.

"A Sword Dao Sovereign?"

Jiang Xian looked over abruptly, his face contorted in shock. With just one glance, he recognized the newcomer as the person he had inadvertently provoked previously, the one they had barely managed to repel after losing most of their team. Duo Er reacted similarly. She, too, found this man familiar; he was the one who had confronted her from a distance with his aura that day. Although they hadn't fought, he had left her feeling a sense of powerlessness.

"Who is this guy?" Tang Zheng stared blankly at the approaching figure. He didn't recognize this person at all. However, this person called the Sword Sect girl "junior sister." Did that mean they shared the same master? Both were sword cultivators. The senior brother was a Sword Dao Sovereign. The junior sister was from the Sword Sect. Where did they come from? They must be disciples of the same major sect.

"Buried Sword Mound, Gu Qingsan!" Jiang Xian stated firmly.

Upon hearing this, everyone was stunned. Hadn't it been said that all three of the Buried Sword Mound's itinerants were male? How was it that there was also a junior sister among them? Or perhaps the rumors were false to begin with, and there truly was a female among the three itinerants?

"Is she really his junior sister, or is he just addressing her casually based on seniority?" Tang Zheng, with his great saber resting on his shoulder, paused his sneaky points-earning activity, full of suspicion.

"Regardless of whether it's true or not, this woman cannot be touched now." Someone panicked, having already lost their will to fight, wishing to retreat from this battlefield.

Jiang Xian hesitated. The person behind him stepped forward and said, "Young Master Jiang, this is the guy who trapped and killed hundreds of people from our team..."

Jiang Xian stopped. He did want revenge, but fighting a Sword Dao Sovereign would be a thankless and difficult task.

"Are you scared already?" At that moment, Duo Er, as if enjoying the spectacle and not minding making things worse, began to laugh. "The Buried Sword Mound's strength lies in the sword intent of their Eastern Mountain. That place gathers spiritual swords from all over the world, and its sword intent is so powerful that even half-sages dare not easily set foot there."

"But ultimately, Sword Immortal Wen Ting has not yet become a Sword Saint! If the Sword Immortal were to become a half-sage, he might be the strongest among half-sages. But the distance to becoming a half-sage, even if it's just half a step, is still a tangible distance. Such a force, compared to true half-sage aristocratic families, might not necessarily be stronger."

Duo Er spoke ambiguously, yet with a single sentence, she calmed everyone present. Some looked tempted and somewhat doubtful, but on second thought, it seemed plausible.

Jiang Xian, however, scoffed, not believing a word of this nonsense. In the Eastern Region, the formidable reputation of the Buried Sword Mound surpassed even that of the Canyue Immortal City. One was an ancient force, with a legacy spanning countless millennia, while the Canyue Immortal City had only emerged in recent decades. Nevertheless, the fame of these two major powers was many times greater than that of the half-sage aristocratic families. This was because half-sage forces were reclusive. As recluses, they would never emerge unless the sky itself collapsed. However, the Buried Sword Mound, Canyue Immortal City, and similar powers were active in the public eye. Their strength was clearly visible. The fate of any itinerant who offended such powers was easily imaginable.

Jiang Xian himself might not fear Gu Qingsan, as their statuses were comparable. But his subordinates, if they dared to act recklessly after a single word from Gu Qingsan, might die without even knowing how. Many of the trial participants, however, did not think that way. They simply made a comparison... Wen Ting, the Seven Sword Immortal, was, to put it plainly, merely a Sword Immortal, not a half-sage. A half-sage force, on the other hand, meant that there was truly a half-sage within their clan! Comparing the two, Gu Qingsan's background was significant, but he was still slightly weaker than the two half-sage inheritors already present. Therefore, seeing Miss Duo Er seemingly supporting them, the trial participants' fighting spirit suddenly surged again.

"Who cares about Gu Qingsan or Gu Qingsi? As the younger generation vying for spatial origin stones, must we still act according to the whims of the older generation? Being inferior in skill is one thing, but if we don't even dare to fight, how can we pursue the Grand Dao in the future? Besides, we are only taking spatial origin stones, not killing anyone. Could the Seven Sword Immortal Wen Ting really stoop so low as to deal with us?"

The unwritten rule of the continent was that the older generation, especially those with greater renown, were less likely to attack the younger generation. For someone of the Seven Sword Immortal's caliber, his disciples could die. But if they died in a legitimate battle, how could he possibly retaliate?

"Kill!" Everyone shouted, once again eager to charge forward.

"Let's see who dares!"

Gu Qingsan approached empty-handed. Though seemingly far on the horizon, his figure rapidly closed the distance within a few breaths. His face was furious, like a dragon whose reverse scale had been touched, his killing intent utterly unrestrained.

Their junior sister, Su Qianqian, was someone they had met in the White Cavern. At that time, they were delighted by their discovery and wanted to accept her as a disciple on behalf of their master. Whether their master agreed or not was irrelevant; the main reason was that all three of them, as senior brothers, were very fond of this little girl. They were not yet old enough to take disciples themselves, so they could only accept her on their master's behalf, making her their junior sister. Later, after hearing about the girl's background, they were moved to tears, and their desire to accept her as a disciple on their master's behalf grew even stronger. However, Su Qianqian, out of consideration for the relationship between the Eighth Sword Immortal and their master, had always refused. Despite their numerous explanations that their lineage wouldn't hinder her future revenge, and that their master's lifelong wish was also to eliminate Ba Zun'an with a single sword stroke. Despite their elaborate arguments that a wild ancient sword cultivator, without proper tutelage, would face an incredibly arduous path in the future. Yet, Su Qianqian simply would not agree.

This time, in the Eastern Heaven Imperial City, they encountered Su Qianqian once more. Gu Qingsan had originally lost most hope, but his senior brother said it was worth a try. So Gu Qingsan asked her again, merely as a formality, and unexpectedly, this time Su Qianqian said she would consider it. Gu Qingsan was amazed; could his senior brother truly foresee everything? He asked for the reason. His senior brother simply replied, "We are too far from her to exert pressure, but Su Qianqian will naturally grow anxious once she sees the progress of those around her."

Gu Qingsan paused for a moment before realizing who his senior brother was referring to: the Saint Servant, Xu Xiaoshou! Gu Qingsan had even fought against that person back in Tiansang City. Although he was slightly defeated, Gu Qingsan believed it was due to his insufficient preparation and an element of underestimating his opponent. Now that he had ascended to the Sword Dao Sovereign realm, he harbored a subtle intention when coming to the Eastern Heaven Imperial City: to regain his lost prestige. Yet, upon arriving at the Imperial City, he heard that the Saint Servant Xu Xiaoshou was already capable of causing an Imperial City explosion right under the eyes of the Seven Sword Immortal Rao Yaoyao. Such a person, such intellect, such rapid cultivation progress... Even Gu Qingsan himself felt the pressure. How could Su Qianqian, without any formal tutelage, not feel anxious?

After confirming Su Qianqian was agreeable, the three Gu brothers even specifically visited Dean Ye Xiaotian of the Tiansang Spirit Palace for this matter. The Dean agreed. This matter was essentially settled. Although a formal apprenticeship ceremony was still pending, for Gu Qingsan, he was no longer merely a junior disciple; he was now someone with a junior sister.

And now! This group of scoundrels in the Yunlun Mountain Range wanted to harm his delicate and lovely junior sister. Who could tolerate that?

"Die!"

Gu Qingsan stepped through the air, clenching his hand in the void. With his Formless Sword Art, where 'nothing' became 'everything' and 'everything' became 'nothing', the hundreds of Grandmasters had already become dead men in his eyes.

"Sword Burst!" Gu Qingsan roared, and with a 'bang', terrifying sword energy simultaneously erupted from the bodies of hundreds of Grandmasters, including Jiang Xian, Duo Er, and Tang Zheng. The surging wave of sword energy, seemingly capable of devouring everything, created a monstrous tempest in the barren mountains. In an instant, it engulfed everyone's vision.

"Ugh..."

A drowning sense of helplessness washed over them. Jiang Xian and Duo Er were equally horrified. This ability... It seemed that Gu Qingsan had merely toyed with them during their last encounter. When a Sword Dao Sovereign unleashed his furious power, they couldn't even react, finding themselves remotely controlled from a distance.

Gu Qingsan's face was grim. He spread his hand open, then clenched it violently: "All of you... shatter!" The pervasive sword energy receded. In an instant, it all retracted back into the bodies of the trial participants. Across the mountainous terrain, hundreds of bodies suddenly swelled up like balloons.

Xiao Wanfeng stared in utter disbelief. He had thought his own reinforcements had arrived. But he hadn't expected this suddenly appearing Sword Dao Sovereign to have methods that seemed even more brutal than Young Master Xu's! Su Qianqian's person? No wonder... No wonder Miss Su had just said that if a Sword Dao Sovereign arrived, it might only mean one more helper...

"You've gone too far, sir."

In that critical moment, a black-robed figure abruptly appeared in the sky. As soon as the figure appeared, it reached out and gripped Gu Qingsan's fist. With a 'whoosh', the hundreds of human balloons deflated as sword energy immediately shot out from their pores, forcibly defusing the crisis.

However, while the crisis was averted, the Sovereign-level sword energy still left everyone severely wounded, turning them into living blood-soaked figures.

"Who are you?" Gu Qingsan calmly regained his composure, realizing that the ability he had just used seemed to have exceeded certain limits.

"A trial official," the black-robed man replied. His cultivation was clearly exceptional, and he paid no mind to Gu Qingsan's sword intent, stating calmly, "The trial in the Yunlun Mountain Range only permits participants up to the Grandmaster level. Allowing you Sword Dao Sovereigns in, you should have some understanding; some things, perhaps, we don't need to explicitly state."

"Oh?" On a normal day, Gu Qingsan was quite reasonable and not one to have a short temper. But in a flash, he saw that Su Qianqian could barely stand. If his junior sister was harmed to such an extent, and he couldn't personally eliminate her assailants on the spot, what was the point of being her senior brother?

"Since you didn't say, I'll assume the Grandmaster restriction only applies to Spirit Refiners. My Sovereign-level sword intent is merely a byproduct; in terms of true cultivation, I'm only at the Innate level. Why are you, a trial official, stopping me?" Gu Qingsan said, narrowing his eyes.

The trial official shook his head, saying, "Calm down. I'm not targeting you. You can use Sovereign-level sword intent, but your last move clearly reached the Sovereign level..."

"My move was too strong, is that my fault?" Gu Qingsan retorted, unconcerned.

The trial official was speechless. For a moment, he genuinely had no words to retort. However, this round's mission had been personally issued by Sword Immortal Rao. The spatial origin stones were not truly meant to be given to the trial participants; their primary purpose was to draw out the person who was meant to make a move. If that person didn't make a move, this spatial origin stone would truly be a waste. For the trial participants, the Yunlun Mountain Range trial was an opportunity. But for Sword Immortal Rao, the Cloud Realm World was merely part of a larger scheme; her grander plan was entirely focused on the Sky City. The priorities were obvious upon comparison.

Just then, "Beep." A trial jade pendant chimed. Everyone pulled theirs out to look.

"New rules for the Yunlun Mountain Range: Any Sovereign-level trial participant (including Sword Dao Sovereigns) must not display abilities exceeding the Grandmaster level during the trial. The Cloud Realm World has limited capacity; all trial participants are asked for their understanding."

Gu Qingsan's face immediately darkened. This new rule was clearly issued specifically to restrict him!

The trial official smiled, "As you can see, these are newly updated rules. We are merely following orders."

Gu Qingsan directly closed his eyes. "My apologies, but from the moment I saw you in that black robe, I went blind. I can't see anything."

The trial official's mouth twitched. This guy was clearly determined to pick a fight with him, wasn't he?

"You can try breaking the rules..." The trial official continued to smile.

Before he could finish, Gu Qingsan suddenly thrust his single hand forward like a sword, shattering the black-robed man's chest before anyone could react.

"Pfft!" Blood splattered. Everyone present was dumbfounded. He attacked? He *really* attacked? Gu Qingsan, he really attacked the trial official?! Even the trial official himself probably hadn't anticipated this happening!

"Today, I'm putting it out there: no one will stop me." Gu Qingsan's gaze returned to cold indifference. He glanced at his junior sister, his heart twisting with concern. It was just a Sovereign. What right did this trial official have to stand in his way? The Buried Sword Mound didn't need to give face to everyone on the continent. If his senior brother were to say what he did, he truly wouldn't dare to act. This guy was just asking for death, wasn't he?

"You..." The trial official barely opened his mouth before spitting out a mouthful of blood. He truly hadn't reacted at all. Or rather, he hadn't yet snapped out of the mindset conditioned by previous trial participants, who would freeze in fear upon seeing a black-robed figure and hearing the title "trial official." But this person in front of him truly wasn't afraid! The way he looked at him was as if he were looking at a corpse!

"You're finished." The trial official swiftly retreated. That sword thrust had genuinely wounded him, but... His own injury didn't matter. This guy was about to stir up a hornet's nest and was purely asking for trouble. It must be known that the Yunlun Mountain Range was not the territory of the Buried Sword Mound!

"It's over, it's over..." Xiao Wanfeng, who had been full of anticipation below, felt his heart chill at this sight. He had thought this person was someone who could stand shoulder to shoulder with Young Master Xu. He hadn't expected this guy's single move to completely shatter his worldview.

Xiao Wanfeng turned to Su Qianqian. "Your senior brother has strength but lacks common sense. How could he attack a trial official? The consequences..."

His words trailed off.

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh..." From all directions, over a dozen black-robed figures suddenly flew in, standing in mid-air, poised for battle. Among them, the weakest was also a Sovereign, and the four leading them were all Dao Slayers!