Chapter 166: Heavenly Sword Awakens

“Since I have cultivated to the pinnacle in this lifetime, I shall recreate the universe!”

Xu Yang’s bright eyes glared furiously at the sky, as thunder and lightning roared incessantly. Ascending into the air within the illusion, Xu Yang transformed yin and yang with his left hand, and the universe with his right, merging all creation into his grasp. The final door, which had plagued him for millennia, was finally opened.

From then on, Xu Yang could control the very essence of all things in the world with a single thought. In his path, all laws and phenomena could converge into one, losing all distinction.

In a trance, the luminous portal finally opened. Xu Yang looked inward and discovered that his body had undergone a dramatic transformation. All the scenes from his illusionary dream, that virtual small world, had become a real inner space, merging into his sea of consciousness.

“It’s over. Beyond this portal lies a new beginning!”

***

In contrast, Bai Lianxue’s illusionary dream was far from as serene as Xu Yang’s. Countless battle corpses, illuminated by Bai Lianxue’s Buddhist radiance, gradually dissolved into golden specks of light and vanished into the sky. As her spiritual energy continuously overflowed, the aura of slaughter and the scent of blood in the space gradually dissipated.

She remained seated for an unknown duration, so long that Bai Lianxue herself didn't realize how perfectly the Sacred Lotus within her body harmonized with her Buddhist cultivation technique. Once all the corpse souls in the entire space were purified, an incredibly brilliant golden lotus slowly materialized behind her. Known as the Sacred Heart Buddhist Lotus, it emanated an immensely powerful life force.

Having comprehended this supreme Buddhist cultivation technique, Bai Lianxue slowly opened her eyes, and the portal to the end of the illusionary dream simultaneously opened.

***

Each member of the group faced a unique trial, serving as the sole test arranged by the mysterious old woman of the Library Pavilion for Xu Yang’s team. In fact, these trials were immense opportunities for each of them.

Ling Yao’s illusionary dream space replicated a profoundly familiar scene from the Celestial Sword Sacred Land. At the center of a massive circular platform, thick chains hung down. This time, however, the chains bound not the Celestial Sword, but Ling Yao’s soul.

With no companions present, Ling Yao indifferently observed this familiar world until the spiritual projections of the Ten Elders coalesced once more.

“Ling Yao, you sinner of this Sacred Land, have you returned to atone for your crimes?”

“You killed all of us and seized the Celestial Sword inheritance. Today, you will lose everything!”

The voices of the Ten Elders' souls echoed madly in Ling Yao's mind, causing her immense pain but leaving her powerless to break free.

Until the storm-like, biting sword energy began to appear one by one, Ling Yao suddenly opened her eyes. Her peak swordsmanship allowed her to awaken her sword-controlling instinct in the face of danger. Countless sword beams simultaneously coalesced around her, ready to counter the sword energy unleashed by the Ten Elders.

Rumble!

Terrifying sword beams continuously flew and raged. Ling Yao, perhaps due to her soul being confined by the iron chains in the center, was unable to unleash her true strength. Under the pressure of the Ten Elders' sword energy, she quickly fell into a passive state.

“Damn it!” Ling Yao gritted her teeth. At that moment, she instinctively recalled all her experiences with Xu Yang, memories like comprehending the Cloud-Viewing Sword Intent in the waterfall cave vividly flashing before her eyes.

“Hahaha! Ling Yao, give up your resistance. You have no help left. Only death awaits you!”

Ling Yao chuckled coldly, “No, you are mistaken. I am no longer the one who was manipulated before! Now, I am the Celestial Sword Sacred Land's sole Sacred Master, the inheritor of the Celestial Sword. All of you shall prostrate yourselves at my feet!”

Rumble!

An incredibly powerful surge of sword energy erupted, and Ling Yao let out a roar, shattering all the iron chains binding her. A layer of incomparably brilliant sword light shone forth from her body.

“That is… the aura of the Celestial Sword!”

The spiritual projections of the Ten Elders were utterly stunned. No one had expected Ling Yao to truly achieve resonance with the Celestial Sword!

In an instant, all the shattered sword beams in the surroundings reformed and gathered around Ling Yao. Even the sword energy conjured by each of the Ten Elders trembled for a long time before breaking free from their control, instinctively drawn to Ling Yao.

“The Celestial Sword awakens, and ten thousand swords pay homage!”

Clang… clang…

All the sword beams simultaneously burst forth with dazzling brilliance, eventually merging behind Ling Yao to form the outline of a colossal Celestial Sword. The true sword light of the Celestial Sword converged behind her. It was at this exact moment that the aura of the Celestial Sword perfectly fused with Ling Yao's sword intent, becoming an integral part of her being.

“World-shattering Sword!”

Rumble!

An immensely vast Celestial Sword strike cleaved through the air. The battle platform of the Celestial Sword Sacred Land was split into two by a single stroke, and the residual souls of the Ten Elders turned to ash once more… but this time, it was not Xu Yang's team who defeated them, but Ling Yao herself!

***

Ling Qingshu's dream was chaotic. After being guided into the dream by the mysterious old woman, the girl instinctively walked towards the end of the darkness, clutching the Blank Heavenly Tome in her hand, until the first ray of light entered her dream space.

It was a ray of incredibly pure moonlight!

Once her vision cleared, Ling Qingshu stepped into an unfamiliar world, yet it was so pure and beautiful. It was so beautiful that she wished she could transform into a celestial herb, remaining forever beneath the moonlight, awaiting the one in her heart…

Ling Qingshu did not know that this illusionary dream space she was in was the small world woven by Xu Yang, residing deep within his sea of consciousness. Moonlight spilled onto the blank book in her hand, and the glistening, pearly white transformed into ancient inscriptions, flowing into her eyes.

“Is this a cultivation technique? A technique from the blank book?”

Ling Qingshu immediately sat cross-legged, meditating in this incredibly pure small world until an exceptionally luminous, pure moon phenomenon materialized behind her. Protected by rings of moonlight around her body, she found herself seemingly merging with this world. From then on, everything around her became an indelible imprint, etched deep within Ling Qingshu's heart.

When she opened her eyes again and looked at the book in her hand, the first page of the Blank Tome finally revealed five exquisite characters: “Boundless Bright Moon Art!”

***

Long Kun’s illusionary dream experience was largely similar to Ling Qingshu’s, but he did not see the beautiful night scene. Instead, he revisited memories of his childhood, when the old woman took him in by the river.

Long Kun had been an orphan since childhood, begging with the street beggars in Yuanyang Imperial City. By chance, the mysterious old woman found him by the river and brought him back to Sacred Soul Academy. He had never mentioned these experiences to anyone else. The old woman was not only his master but also like a parent to him.

“Master… there are so many cultivation techniques here. Which one should I learn?”

In the illusionary dream, Long Kun posed the same question again, but this time, the old woman did not appear before him. Instead, an exquisitely beautiful and majestic phoenix, enveloped in flames, flew above his head.

“Follow your true heart and find the cultivation technique most suitable for you. Your future will be boundless!”