Chapter 1677: Named Across

"Oh my god, look! The Boss is inside that long rainbow. What exactly is happening to him?" Long Kun and the others involuntarily looked up, only then discovering an incredible sight. The dazzling long rainbow was not merely a regular natural wonder as they had thought; it was actually the cosmic law protecting the Dragon's Head Peak of the Winding Dragon Mountain Range.

"I must admit, the power within this Winding Dragon Mountain Range is truly extraordinary," Xiao Xiang and Jiu'er exclaimed, exchanging glances. "It's unbelievable that it can condense the source of a cosmic law, independent of the heavens and earth, right here in the dome. Our worldview has been completely shattered."

Even Xiaohua, the usually knowledgeable girl, had misjudged this time and let out a soft sigh. "I originally thought there was no protective or concealing law power at the Dragon's Head Peak," Demon Saint Qitian said slowly, a look of lingering fear on his face. "Now it seems my judgment was wrong; there's actually a law's protective force appearing above the clouds. Fortunately, the Boss discovered this power immediately. Otherwise, if the aura of this rainbow had completely enveloped the Dragon's Head fulcrum, then it wouldn't be Boss Xu Yang facing the endless torrent of sword energy, but our hundreds of thousands of beast warriors."

Everyone clearly understood that Xu Yang, standing proudly in the sky and using his physical body to withstand the endless sword energy, was forming an incredibly powerful barrier. Without him, and if these sword energies had been allowed to sweep over the hundreds of thousands of beast warriors, the power of this single cosmic law alone would likely have caused over 20% casualties in the army. It was hard to imagine how terrifying these sword energies hidden in the sky truly were. At this moment, Xu Yang, standing in the very center of the long rainbow, was entirely covered in golden light.

However, Xu Yang's spiritual power and soul essence seemed to have entered an extremely ethereal state. He wasn't approaching the situation with the seriousness of facing a formidable enemy; instead, he appeared to be basking in the splendor of the astonishing rainbow, allowing the countless sword energies within it to envelop his body, tempering and refining himself again and again. Already possessing formidable mastery in swordsmanship, Xu Yang was undoubtedly seizing this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to push his sword mastery further.

At the same time, he quickly discovered that the terrifying sword energy condensed within the rainbow was exerting pressure on his body from two distinctly different directions. The most central surge of sword intent was formed by endless sharp blades piercing vertically downwards, possessing supreme offensive power capable of destroying all defensive forces in the world. This focused sword light, like a mighty river converging into a single point, seemed to be the path to the strongest cultivation method Xu Yang had always been seeking. The other surge of sword energy, however, was like a horizontally moving mountain, pressing down from above his head. While it lacked the unstoppable killing momentum of the first, its oppressive aura, which suppressed his very soul, interpreted the grandeur and profundity of sword mastery from an entirely different perspective.

The two surges of sword energy intersected, coming from two completely different directions, completely blocking any possible movement or evasion for Xu Yang. He was forced to endure this immensely powerful sword energy baptism with his physical body. Xu Yang had to admit that within his own team, no one else could have withstood hundreds of rounds of this baptism under the crushing force of these two intersecting sword intents that blocked all escape. Yet, Xu Yang himself had already endured thousands of rounds of this baptism within the rainbow, relying on his incredibly powerful physical body. During this process, he also repeatedly tested and simulated with his spiritual power, refining the most essential parts of these two intersecting sword intents. Unconsciously, amidst the overwhelming waves of sword energy from the sky-covering rainbow, Xu Yang completed a new tempering and elevation of his own sword intent.

More importantly, during this period, relying on the powerful artifact spirit of his Imperial Cauldron, Xu Yang had integrated countless sword intents that crisscrossed and pervaded the surroundings, perfectly blending them with the cosmic law hidden within the rainbow.

"Master, it's time to reel it in," the Imperial Cauldron's artifact spirit declared in Xu Yang's mind. The moment the voice appeared, Xu Yang stopped the sword energy's tempering of his body. He abruptly opened his eyes within the rainbow, a satisfied smile gracing his lips.

"I have found the ninth sword soul I most desired. Its name is 'Vertical and Horizontal'," Xu Yang declared, directly issuing a firm command to the Imperial Cauldron. "Let us work together to complete the creation of this ninth strongest sword artifact spirit." Simultaneously, a dark golden halo quickly gathered in his palms, guided by his spiritual power.

Following Xu Yang's actions, two dark golden lights merged in front of him, condensing into the outline of an incredibly dazzling golden giant cauldron. Relying on the powerful devouring force released by the manifested complete artifact spirit of the Imperial Cauldron, the surrounding endless sword energies were frantically swallowed into the cauldron. Even the cosmic law and its power source, hidden within the rainbow, were completely absorbed by the Imperial Cauldron.

When the dazzling long rainbow above the void no longer showed any sharp brilliance, Xu Yang finally revealed a satisfied smile. "Excellent," he murmured, "it's done."

The ninth artifact spirit, 'Vertical and Horizontal,' which released immensely powerful sword energy from within the Imperial Cauldron, finally took perfect shape at this moment. This sword was truly a masterpiece of nature: vertically, it was like a startling flash of light, invincible; horizontally, it resembled a coiling dragon, stretching endlessly. Through the path of 'Vertical and Horizontal,' it perfectly embodied the strongest principles of swordsmanship born from the sword energy between heaven and earth. Though a single sword, it could act both vertically and horizontally, serving both offensive and defensive purposes.

The moment Xu Yang saw this most perfect ninth artifact spirit appear in the Imperial Cauldron, a great weight was finally lifted from his heart. When his physical body once again landed on the highest peak of the Winding Dragon Mountain Range, the aura emanating from him seemed to have undergone subtle changes, carrying a deeper, inscrutable sense of mystery.

Precisely at the moment Xu Yang landed steadily, the astonishing long rainbow above the dome slowly dissipated its light, perhaps never to appear again. This penetrating rainbow itself was an anomaly manifested by the cosmic law belonging to the 'Vertical and Horizontal' sword soul. Now that the corresponding law's power source had been completely quantified by Xu Yang, there was no longer any need for the rainbow to appear.

However, no one, including Xu Yang, had expected that as the sun-piercing rainbow gradually dissipated, the sky above them would also quietly undergo some changes. The once clear sky soon began to show signs of gloom, patch after patch. And this aura, by all appearances, seemed to be heading straight for Xu Yang.