Chapter 125: Daxia Destiny Pattern

"Impossible! The Ten Elders' Sword Immortal is the Sacred Land's ultimate foundation. How could a mere Qi Refinement practitioner like you..." Before the elder could finish speaking, Lingyao's mind stirred. An invisible sword aura descended without warning directly above the elder's head. Under the terrifying suppression of the sword energy, the elder felt all the sword qi within his body spiral completely out of control. A feeling akin to a son facing his father instantly overwhelmed him.

*Thud!* The Thirteenth Elder's legs gave out, and he instinctively collapsed to his knees.

"Thirteenth Elder of the Sacred Land, I prostrate myself before the Holy Lord!"

All the surrounding elders and elite disciples were stunned, staring blankly at the sword aura hovering above the Thirteenth Elder's head.

"Heavens, this truly is the pinnacle of swordsmanship! Lingyao has become a true Sword Immortal! We prostrate ourselves before the Holy Lord!" "We prostrate ourselves before the Holy Lord!"

In an instant, thousands of disciples throughout the Sacred Land fell to their knees, bowing their heads in profound reverence and prostrating themselves before Lingyao in the air.

Lingyao, however, showed little emotional fluctuation. Instead, her gaze fell upon Xu Yang and Bai Lianxue.

To Lingyao, the esteemed position of Holy Lord of the Sacred Land was far less important than her bond with Xu Yang and his disciple.

"Since you acknowledge me as your superior, from this day forward, everyone in the Heavenly Sword Sacred Land shall swear to defend the honor of the Heavenly Azure Sect lineage and forge an alliance with the Great Xia Dynasty. First Elder, heed my command!"

"I am here, my lord!" The First Elder responded subserviently, not daring to show the slightest disrespect towards Lingyao, who had reached the pinnacle of swordsmanship.

"You are my esteemed teacher. From today, in my absence, you shall be solely responsible for all matters, great and small, within the Sacred Land."

"I obey your command!" The First Elder secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He had previously harbored thoughts of eliminating Lingyao, but now that she had ascended to such a powerful position, far surpassing her former self, and hadn't sought retribution, he felt immensely relieved.

"Sixth Elder!"

"I am here, my lord!"

Lingyao held a relatively favorable impression of the Sixth Elder. When she first joined the sect as a child, half of her cultivation techniques were personally taught by him, making him akin to a partial mentor.

"I command you to lead one thousand Golden Core Realm disciples and a hundred-person Cave Heaven Realm sword corps. You are to swiftly leave the mountain to rendezvous with the Third Prince's army of the Great Xia Dynasty. In the shortest possible time, you must eliminate all cultivation sects in the Northern Wasteland that are affiliated with Xiong Rui's faction. From now on, in the entire Northern Wasteland, I wish to hear only one voice."

The Sixth Elder immediately brightened. "I obey your order!" With Lingyao's deployment, the three thousand Golden Armored Warriors were also overjoyed, their previous anxieties rendered meaningless. Frankly, if they had truly been forced into a life-or-death battle with the Heavenly Sword Sacred Land, their mere three thousand Golden Armored Warriors would have been utterly annihilated.

"Fellow disciples. The calamity of the Ten Elders has been resolved, and the Heavenly Sword has returned to my body, achieving the pinnacle of swordsmanship. From today onwards, the Heavenly Sword Sacred Land will enter a new phase. I shall let bygones be bygones regarding all past matters. I hope that, from now on, we can work together with one heart and one mind to create a new glory for the Sacred Land."

Lingyao also managed to mimic a few polite phrases, finally calming the thousands of cultivators in the Heavenly Sword Sacred Land.

Thus, Xu Yang's visit to the Sacred Land concluded successfully. The three of them first returned to the main hall atop the Sacred Land's peaks to help Lingyao unlock the secrets within the precious jade.

Meanwhile, the fated showdown between the Fifth Prince and the Eighth Prince had become the absolute most captivating battle at the Heavenly Sword Sacred Land.

Elders from all factions were present to observe the battle, eager to see who would become the new emperor of Great Xia.

*Boom!* A terrifying fluctuation of sword power erupted from within the Fifth Prince. In terms of understanding the "Cloud-Gazing Sword Intent," his comprehension was already superior to the Eighth Prince's. Furthermore, since childhood, the Fifth Prince's cultivation foundation had been deeper than his younger brother's.

Without a doubt, after more than five hundred rounds of intense battle, the Fifth Prince finally achieved a complete victory, shattering the precious sword in the Eighth Prince's hand and placing his own sword against the Eighth Prince's neck.

"Eighth Brother, you've lost. You, of all people, should know the consequences of failure."

The Eighth Prince laughed coldly, looking at the Fifth Prince. "Fifth Brother, I don't believe you dare to kill me."

"Why wouldn't I dare? Don't you understand Father Emperor's intention in sending you to participate in this battle? Only one of us can return alive, and the one who returns victorious will be the candidate for the new emperor."

The Eighth Prince burst into laughter. "So that's what you think... I'm afraid I must disappoint you. This battle wasn't arranged by Father Emperor. I myself requested Sir Xu Yang to petition Father Emperor for this opportunity to fight. Sir Xu Yang has been protecting me throughout. If anything were to happen to me, how would he explain it to my mother concubine?"

The Fifth Prince's expression shifted to one of sudden realization. Yet, it was precisely at that moment that the Eighth Prince made a decisive move, drawing a sharp blade he had concealed and piercing the Fifth Prince's heart with a single thrust.

"Fifth Brother, born into the royal family, this is our destiny. I will treat your mother empress well."

A hint of softness entered the Eighth Prince's eyes, though it was unclear if it was genuine or feigned. As he saw his brother's chest bleeding, a flicker of pity and sympathy seemed to appear. But there was no alternative; for the throne, he had no other choice.

*Pfft!* Suddenly, at that very same moment, a long sword pierced the Eighth Prince's chest.

No one knew who had unleashed that sword. Its power was akin to a startling flash of light descending from the nine heavens, shattering the Eighth Prince's grand ambition...

"No, why is this happening? Why?!" The Eighth Prince roared in indignant disbelief, while the Fifth Prince began to laugh maniacally.

"Perhaps, for the position of heir, Father Emperor already had someone in mind—not me, not you, but our Third Brother, who has no powerful backing but is the most capable!"

The two princes looked at each other and burst into loud laughter. They simultaneously pulled out the daggers from each other's bodies, finally embracing and bidding farewell to this world together.

A grand dream had come to nothing. Those who cannot let go of their inner obsessions are unworthy of wielding the destined power over the realm.

Xu Yang stood proudly atop the Heavenly Sword Main Peak, witnessing everything with his own eyes. His gaze calmly rested on the golden imperial decree in his hand.

Engraved upon it was the Great Xia Emperor's command: should either brother truly harbor murderous intent, Xu Yang was to personally intervene and simultaneously end the life of the other.

Xu Yang naturally understood that the Great Xia Emperor's actions were to stabilize his dominion. With one brother backed by the Empress and the other by the Imperial Consort, the Emperor would have difficulty explaining the death of either to their respective mothers. Only by preserving both, or by having both perish, could the best outcome be achieved.

Seven days later, the Third Prince's army finally won the most difficult battle, quelling the Northern Wasteland rebellion. Upon their triumphant return, the Emperor immediately conferred upon him the title of Golden Dragon Crown Prince, destined to succeed the Emperor and inherit the throne of Great Xia in ten years.

Xu Yang fulfilled his promise, and naturally, he also received the Great Xia Emperor's pledge of eternal protection for the Heavenly Azure Sect.