Chapter 1200: Morning Cloud Divine Artifact

"How utterly insignificant you are, Jian Yunqing. Is this all the power you possess? Quickly abandon your aspiration to be a Sword Saint, or you will be the greatest insult to that title. Not only would you admit your own worthlessness, but you would also bring shame upon the successive Sect Masters of the Sword Sect. That outcome is not what I desire. I merely want you to understand that, from today, the Sword Sect will cease to have any reason to exist."

"You bastard! You may insult me, but you absolutely cannot insult the venerable ancestors of my Sword Sect. Even if it costs me this old life today, I will make you witness the true power of my Sword Sect!" As expected, Jian Yunqing was utterly enraged by Xu Yang's recent words. Without hesitation, he released his innate divine weapon, the Morning Cloud Sword!

Good heavens, the mere appearance of this top-tier divine artifact, and the sharpness of the sword energy it released, startled all the surrounding swordsmen. It also elevated the manifested sword might of Jian Yunqing's true form to an entirely new level. One could say that this was the true form Jian Yunqing should always possess.

"I've long heard that this Morning Cloud Sword is the strongest among the top-tier divine artifacts produced by the Sword Sect throughout its history. And specifically for this sword, Sect Master Jian Yunqing has even deliberately developed a set of 'Ten Forms of Morning Cloud.' This is a brilliant and dazzling sword art routine he only created in recent years. No one in the world has yet witnessed the power of this sword art, so it seems we are fortunate enough to behold it today." Many top swordsmen nearby exclaimed this, all greatly anticipating Jian Yunqing demonstrating his formidable deterrent power in the coming round to win due glory for the title of Sword Saint.

However, only the few top powerhouses present could discern that the power gap between Jian Yunqing and Xu Yang, who stood in the middle of the blood pool, could not be compensated for by a mere sword, or a set of cultivation methods or sword moves. The disparity between them was like heaven and earth, fundamentally not on the same level or concept. Jian Yunqing adopting such a posture was merely a pretense, an attempt to stall for time.

"Heh, it seems this Morning Cloud Sword has given you a considerable amount of confidence, hasn't it? But I must say, your sword has not yet cultivated a sufficiently powerful sword soul. Compared to the seven or eight swords before it – the personal swords of the successive Sword Sect Masters – there is still an unbridgeable gap. Let alone what power it would possess before my Limitless Sword Dao. If you don't believe me, I can reluctantly make a move just once, to let you witness how vast the gap is between you and a true Sword Dao Grandmaster."

Xu Yang's words clearly indicated his intention to take the initiative and teach this arrogant Jian Yunqing a lesson. Originally, this old fellow always believed himself to be a figure who could command wind and rain with a mere stomp of his foot in the Central Region cultivation world. Xu Yang's goal was to help him see himself clearly: that before a true King of the Sword Dao, he was nothing.

As expected, in the very next instant, Xu Yang gently extended a finger. Simply because of this casual movement, the endless sword energy within the entire blood pool simultaneously began to surge wildly. He was like an emperor of swords, ruling over all; with just one command, the million-strong army of sword energy behind him let out earth-shattering roars. With just this single movement, the sword might displayed by Xu Yang completely crushed Jian Yunqing's sword momentum a hundredfold. The victory and defeat between the two were settled in an instant, with no suspense whatsoever. With just this casual move, Xu Yang proved the heaven-and-earth difference between himself and Jian Yunqing.

"Oh my god, they're not even on the same level! Our boss, with a simple movement, has already trampled this so-called high-and-mighty Sword Saint into the dust. Is there even a need to compare anymore?" Unbeknownst to them, others present shared the same sentiment, gazing at Jian Yunqing's utterly awkward face with mocking expressions.

Of course, once the arrow is shot, there is no turning back. Since both had already drawn their battle lines, this confrontation was simply inevitable. Jian Yunqing could only brace himself and unleash his most powerful, decisive sword strike. He also released the formidable edge of the Morning Cloud Sword artifact in his hand to an unprecedented extreme state. A massive, brilliant red light condensed and flew towards Xu Yang, who was in the center of the blood pool below.

In the very next moment, Xu Yang pointed two fingers towards the incoming Morning Cloud Sword. With just one movement, countless sword dao energies, numbering in the tens of thousands, rapidly transformed into materialized sword qi, furiously converging into a single point along the trajectory outlined by Xu Yang's aura. One could imagine the magnificent and grand spectacle of tens of thousands of sword qi converging into a single point simultaneously. And this golden light, propelled by Xu Yang's aura, continuously struck towards the Morning Cloud Sword in front of him.

The moment that golden point of light, condensing tens of thousands of heaven-and-earth sword gleams, grandly collided with the sword, the Morning Cloud Sword seemed to encounter the crushing force of an endless, terrifying power. From the blade to the hilt, every detail melted and collapsed frantically as this power descended. Eventually, it was little by little devoured into nothingness. Just moments before, it had been a complete top-tier divine weapon of the Yingzhou Continent, but in the blink of an eye, only a solitary hilt remained.

"Hahahaha, I'm dying of laughter! An entire sword was thrust forth, and only a hilt returned to his hand. Is there anything more embarrassing than this? What's even more embarrassing, of course, is that this person from the Sword Sect is none other than Jian Yunqing, the current Sect Master of the Sword Sect, renowned as a Sword Saint, yet he was utterly humiliated by our boss in this battle, becoming a pitiful joke!""One can imagine that if everything that happened in the Sword Lodge today gets out, Jian Yunqing will truly lose all his prestige in his later years. Not only that, but the reputation of the Sword Sect will be completely shattered after today."

With the end of this clash, everything had settled. Sect Master Jian Yunqing, who represented all the majesty of the Sword Sect, was utterly crushed into an insignificant small character by Xu Yang, this god-like existence who appeared out of nowhere. Even his innate divine artifact was destroyed as well.

With the situation having progressed to this point, no one knew how the Sword Sect and the Fourth Prince would resolve this. At the same time, Xu Yang had completed everything he set out to do. Bearing the glory of his newly awakened Limitless Sword Dao, he once again departed from the blood pool's confines beneath the void. He retracted all the sharp sword energy around him and returned to his original serene state, like an ancient well without ripples.