Bombarding Cultivators with Cluster Artillery
Chapter 771 - 752: The Slumbering Immortals of Nascent Soul Begin to Awaken

Farewell?

Jiang Ding pondered for a moment, then used his Qingfeng University Adult Swordsmanship Department teacher's authority to log into the official Qingfeng University website, to check on this issue.

The doctoral program at Qingfeng University lasted two hundred years; Yu Qianzi should not have completed it yet, at most she would be in her third hundredth year.

Soon, a line of information was retrieved.

'On June 24 of the year 11340, Yu Qianzi, a third-year doctoral student at Qingfeng University, applied for an early exit examination. Her examination results were satisfactory, and Yu Qianzi was awarded the Sword Dao Doctoral Degree and the Qingfeng University Doctoral Diploma.'

In the record, there was also a picture of Immortal Dinghai awarding her the degree and diploma.

"This doesn't follow procedure."

Jiang Ding complained, "I'm the professor of the Sword Dao Department. It should have been me who awarded you your diploma. Immortal Dinghai overstepped his bounds."

He knew this wasn't as simple as a student graduating early due to exceptional talent.

It must be the fruit of the Green Wood Immortal Sect's diplomatic activities—a promise made, and the belief instilled in Xianmen Sect for them to agree to Yu Qianzi's early graduation.

Of course, this was definitely not a cost that could affect the grand scheme of things. A Taiyin Swordsman isn't worth that much.

Even if all the Taoist disciples of the Eight Great Immortal Sects of this generation were to perish, the sects could still appoint new disciples, and the remaining lifespan of the Masters of Refining Nothingness was wholly sufficient to let the disciples grow.

If resources were abundant, multiple disciples could grow in time.

A vast Immortal Sect would not pin their hopes for survival on a cultivator who had not yet risen to power.

This is what many seniors in Immortal Sects used to say: A Taoist disciple is important, but also not.

"Heavenly Monarch?"

"Shameless."

Yu Qianzi showed a look of disdain.

Actually, the process for her to obtain the Sword Dao Doctoral Degree should have been overseen by the youth clad in green standing before her. But she had strongly protested, and only then was the responsibility passed to Immortal Dinghai.

"This is for you,"

Yu Qianzi handed over a jade slip, "Here are some thoughts about your Sword Escaping, particularly the fourth-grade Electromagnetic Sword Escape. I've noted them inside, hoping they can serve as a reference for you."

"It's likely we won't see each other again, so I wish you a smooth path on your Dao."

"And... if we become enemies, I hope you will fight with all your might, because I will do the same."

"If I have spare strength, I'll leave your complete corpse and bury it in the ancestral lands of the Great Sun Sword Pavilion, erecting an unnamed tablet in your memory."

Her voice was calm, as if a commonplace schoolmate was saying farewell.

"Why an unnamed tablet? I thought you might inscribe it with 'Here lies Jiang Ding, the last Dari Swordsman.'"

Jiang Ding asked curiously.

"A traitor,"

"deserves such an end!"

Yu Qianzi's expression changed, and she spoke bitterly, "The Great Sun Sword Pavilion is full of traitors, and their history should be completely erased—they don't deserve to exist in this world."

"One day, the Daymoon Sword Pavilion will reign supreme over the domains once again and achieve glory."

"Ah, yes, indeed, that makes sense."

Jiang Ding wholeheartedly agreed, receiving the jade slip from her hand.

"Hmph!"

Her attitude infuriated Yu Qianzi. She had intended to say something else, but now she had no desire to do so. Snorting coldly, she tore through space and vanished.

"You just keep laughing, one day you'll regret it!"

Clang!

From within the clouds, a crisp sound of a sword cry pierced into Jiang Ding's Divine Soul.

Cold, freezing, hallucinatory.

Upon contact, vast areas of his Sea of Consciousness were frozen, thoughts solidified, and even an Immortal of Nascent Soul would fall into a cold dream, unable to resist.

"You've already reached the late Golden Pill stage..."

Jiang Ding muttered to himself.

In his Sea of Consciousness, the Sword Intent of Destruction resonated, dispelling the invading sword intent that brought a frozen thunderous sound. Instinctively following the direction it came from, it locked onto the girl in the Moon-White Fairy Skirt who was tearing through space in the distance.

The Sword Intent roared mightily!

He descended into a frigid expanse of Divine Sense, where the scorching, brutal killing intent amassed from years of sword-refining surged in like a tide and exploded, invading like fire and instantaneously shattering a large tract of the icy snow Divine Sense world, striking towards its core.

"The extreme Great Sun..."

The girl in the Moon-White Fairy Skirt turned pale.

Even among equal Sword Intents, the extreme Great Sun would be stronger than hers, not to mention that the opponent's Flying Sword far outclassed hers, as did their Sword Intent. Furthermore, with the pressure of the extreme Great Sun, the clash of levels of Sword Intent was simply a rout.

"Slash!"

Faced with such a situation, Yu Qianzi made her decision.

She swung her sword!

The Supreme Taiyin Sword Intent was contained within, producing myriad deceiving sword-shadows, indistinguishable between real and false. Following the shortest path through the mysterious space, the Sword-light twisted into silk, shining brightly and dazzlingly, its speed almost matching the Taiqing Flying Sword, surpassing her own limits.

Under this twisted and bright Sword-light, space, shadows, and will were instantly sliced apart, honed to the utmost sharpness.

The third realm of the Sword Dao,

Refining Sword into Silk!

"You, well done."

Jiang Ding's previously indifferent expression immediately turned solemn as he held the Taiqing Flying Sword and thunderously slashed down.

There was no refinement into silk, and the Sword Qi was not condensed enough, but with one slash, the area for tens of kilometers around suddenly brightened. The hot and destructive will filled the space, cleaving through the channel of Sword Qi Thunder Sound towards the twisted silk of the Moon-White Fairy Sword.

No matter how the opponent maneuvered, it was futile; she was firmly locked on.

As the two Flying Swords clashed.

Boom!

A terrifying detonation occurred. Layers of scorching heat and chilling Sword Qi overflowed, destroying the space layer by layer, which took a long while to recover.

Clang!

The dust and shattered Spiritual Light dissipated to reveal the figure of the Taiqing Flying Sword.

She let out a soft hum towards the intact Moon-White Fairy Sword in front of her, as if saying farewell.

The next moment, she turned and shot away, without any hesitation or reluctance.

The Moon-White Fairy Sword stood upright in its original place.

After a long time, she came to her senses and returned in the direction from which she had struck. For a long time, she did not reappear.

"Refining Sword into Silk..."

Jiang Ding gazed at the Taiqing Flying Sword before him.

This represented the third realm of the Sword Dao. Sword Qi and Sword Intent were highly concentrated, bringing more sharpness, more penetration, granting absolute dominance over junior sword cultivators and the ability to defeat those of higher levels.

At present, he was at the second realm of the Sword Dao, the pinnacle of Sword Qi Thunder Sound.

Again, it was a lack of heritage.

Each realm of the Sword Dao requires a deep foundation. The Xianmen Sect was not particularly adept in this area, forcing him to grind and explore bit by bit.

Though his learning ability surpassed Yu Qianzi, the swordsmanship he displayed was inferior, helpless to do otherwise.

Yu Qianzi, having broken through Refining Sword into Silk, was no longer someone he could defeat with ease—an opponent worthy of the title 'Taoist disciple.'

"Strength, not bad, I suppose."

Jiang Ding tucked the Taiqing Flying Sword into his brow and entered his dormitory on Silver Sky Island, closing his eyes.

With each breath, he inhaled the Heavenly Earth Spiritual Qi and Great Sun Essence within nearly a hundred kilometers, merging into the Zhou Tian meridians, continuously refining, transforming into droplets of subtle Mana falling into the Elixir Field.

Another thirty-seven years of accumulation, and he could break through the later stages of the Golden Pill.

...

Meanwhile,

At the entrance to the Sleeping Hidden Realm of the Xianmen Sect, celestial signs had been emerging in recent years.

Immortals of Nascent Soul who had been slumbering for a thousand, or even several thousand years, began to awaken.

They called their old forces to arms, nourished their meridians, refined the Air-Space Motherships, and formed new Air-Space Troops, practicing with the constantly evolved Army Formations that had been in use for thousands of years.

No one spoke, no one needed to command; they efficiently followed the contingency plans issued thousands of years ago to make all manner of preparations.

In this silent profundity, an invisible killing intent pervaded the airspace above the Xianmen Sect.