Dao Equaling the Heavens
Chapter 141 - 114: Ordinary are the Many, How to Pity the Talented

Chapter 141: Chapter 114: Ordinary are the Many, How to Pity the Talented

Boom!

The sudden sound of an explosion rang in the ears, as Chi Yu Zi and Jun Yan charged out almost simultaneously.

The Sword Pond was circular, with deep blue waters from which strands of pure Sword Qi dispersed.

As the three of them rushed in, they stirred up a sky full of Sword Qi, which was of no concern to them; their real worry was the several competitors by their side.

Chi Yu Zi furrowed her brows as if enduring immense pain, raising her hand as a flood of spiritual swords surged out like a tidal wave, and with the tips of her toes touching a Taoist Sword, she rode the waves, racing to the forefront.

A faint glow flew towards her, only to be blocked by the protective spiritual sword with a clang, followed by the shattering of dozens of spiritual swords, their fragments bursting and scattering.

The faint glow stopped and revealed itself to be a diamond-shaped crystal.

This object was also made of Sword Qi, except this Sword Qi had solidified into matter.

"Chi Yu Zi, you shouldn’t have touched that."

Jun Yan surrounded himself with the faint glow by pointing with his fingers; his Devil Sword Skill condensed the Sword Qi into a solid form, an example unique within the entire Cultivation World.

"Those who block my way shall die!"

With no hesitation, Chi Yu Zi condensed a Thousand Swords Dharma Form, gathering a thousand spiritual swords into one. With both hands, she swung a giant sword a hundred times her size with all her might, cutting down with a murderous intent.

The dark Sword Qi turned into threads, wrapping around the giant sword, bringing it to a halt mid-air.

Typical swordsmanship stresses the triple principles of the spell, strength, and finesse: the knowledge of Sword Technique, the grip of the sword, and the mastery of sword use. Ultimately, a sword is something visible, but the magic of the Buddha, Tao, and Demon Sword lies in its complete detachment from the physical form of a sword.

A crystal can be a sword, a thread can be a sword, even a glance can be a sword.

As long as the Sword Qi is sufficiently solidified, it can take countless forms.

Jun Yan controlled the threads with one hand while condensing an exceptionally dazzling Sword Qi with the other, pointing with a flick of his finger.

Before the sword arrived, an endless aura of killing intent was already present.

Chi Yu Zi wanted to dodge but suddenly realized she was unable to move; looking down, she saw a wisp of faint purple light wrapping around her leg, slowly burrowing into her flesh and blood.

Everything happened too fast. By the time Gu Wen had snapped back to reality, he hadn’t expected Chi Yu Zi and Jun Yan to strike with full force, using lethal moves right from the start.

A fight between equaled contenders could be over quickly or slowly; without any probing, a full-force assault usually decided the victor in just a few moments. But usually, nobody would fight like this, especially when the opponents were closely matched.

Because the defending side always has more leeway, once the details are understood or one has expended too much power, certain death is inevitable.

There was no probing process between Chi Yu Zi and Jun Yan.

Gu Wen condensed a trace of Sword Qi in his hands, naturally inclined to help the one closer to him, Chi Yu Zi, rather than the estranged.

And since he might have to kill Jun Yan later, doing it now was essentially the same.

"You don’t need to step in."

Yu Hua suddenly stopped Gu Wen. However, the half moment’s delay meant it was already too late for rescue.

The purple light shattered the Thousand Swords Dharma Form and struck Chi Yu Zi with the force of rending the decayed, leaving a dazzling trail of light in the void.

Jun Yan, however, showed no sign of surprise; instead, his expression grew more solemn. Amid the countless fragments of the spiritual swords, a dazzling glint of golden light appeared.

"Is that all you’ve got?"

Chi Yu Zi’s white teeth clenched around the crystallized Sword Qi of the Demon Sword, crunching it with a sound and swallowing it into his belly, where golden light spread throughout.

A majestic voice echoed through the Grotto Heaven, the profound and mysterious essence of the Dao pervading, as the golden light gradually enveloped the Sword Box girl.

"Heaven and earth are profound and mysterious, the origin of all quintessence. Vastly cultivating through myriad calamities to demonstrate my divine skills."

Boom!

A golden figure flew out of the Thousand Swords’ dharma form and arrived in front of Jun Yan in an instant, breaking the tens of thousands of Demon Sword Sword Qi threads laid out in the void.

Jun Yan wanted to retreat, but the punch from Chi Yu Zi, like a Divine Mountain, came roaring towards him with incomparable force, and despite his defense, he was still sent flying.

"Within and beyond the Three Realms, only the Dao is revered. With a body of golden light, I am enveloped."

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The naked eye could no longer catch their movements; Jun Yan was sent flying again and again, yet by relying on the tenacity of the Demon Sword, he somehow remained unyielding.

Gu Wen almost held his breath watching, not expecting the spell battle to be this spectacular.

Without relying on any superfluous spells or divine skills, just the method of the Demon Sword and a magic akin to the Golden Light Spell were enough to fight against heaven and earth.

Moreover, this was the Immortal Land, where restraints were in place. If they were fighting outside the heavens, they might be moving mountains and filling seas.

Gu Wen turned and asked, "What is that golden light spell?"

"It’s not a spell, but a divine skill, the first among divine skills. She is the only one who has mastered it in a thousand years," Yu Hua responded with a rare hint of praise for someone other than Gu Wen.

He continued to explain, "Among the Thirty-Six Immortal Skills, the Golden Core Skill and the Nine Revolutions Golden Pill’s Divine Golden Light Spell. To perfect the Nine Revolutions Golden Pill, one must first refine the body to the level of ’Vajra’ indestructibility, and this alone could place one in the top ten of the earth rankings."

"So is that enough to create the Nine Revolutions Golden Pill?"

"That’s just barely enough to qualify for the cultivation of the Nine Revolutions Golden Pill. Completing the Six Transitions of the Golden Pill is the limit. Further beyond, each Transition and Level are comparable to your previous Four Levels of Dao foundation."

If it was equivalent to the sum of the previous Four Levels of Dao foundation, it would require about three hundred years of Heavenly Marrow, which didn’t seem particularly difficult. In fact, it was lower than expected and even lower than the True Sword Dao.

After all, the Nine Revolutions Golden Pill itself comes with an immense amount of mana, and mana is the source of all magic. Without it, no matter how skilled you are, you can’t harness the power.

And the ’Indestructible Dao Body’ mentioned by the Old Demon who had just possessed Jun Yan might be that very indestructible state.

Mana, defense, physical strength—all were there.

Gu Wen’s mental calculations began to rapidly tick over, as he was about to reach the Fifth Level of Dao foundation. Once the event at Heavenly Spring Mountain concluded, he was likely to reach perfect Fourth Level Dao Foundation perfection and then take a step further into condensing the Golden Core.

The only problem now was how to obtain the Golden Core Skill, which was one of the Immortal Skills and presumably not easy to come by.

Chi Yu Zi, this seemingly simpleminded drunkard, often had a sense of hidden depth and wisdom.

Yu Hua, attentive to divine insights, understood Gu Wen’s inner desire for the Golden Core Skill. She did not discourage or encourage him, for she did not possess it herself, and achieving Immortal Skills required immense fortune, not just strength. Just like the True Sword Dao, even if Xiao Yunyi was hailed as the foremost expert of Sword Dao in his era, if he could not grasp the essence, he was not worthy.

Mediocre people would find many excuses, but in reality, the issue was simple: if you can’t grasp it, you don’t deserve it.

Even Qingcang Master, as strong as he was, sought other Immortal Skills, but he too was unable to master a certain peak skill. This was unrelated to the subsequent creation of the Dao of Human Immortal from the Yuqing Daoji; the Human Immortal of the Yuqing Daoji is not a Golden Pill.

Leave it to fate; where there is destiny, there is attainment, and without it, there is none.

Suddenly, a mysterious gale erupted before him, as if something had flown past his eyes, followed by deafening sounds that poured into his left ear and rushed out of the right.

Boom!

Jun Yan was crushed directly into the wall; around him, a radius of a hundred meters caved in, and he spat out a mouthful of fresh blood.

He looked at the golden figure clutching his throat and said, "Vajra indestructibility... Nine Revolutions Golden Pill... Golden Light Spell cough cough, I underestimated you before. I didn’t expect you, with your Heavenly Defect, to reach this step."

Heavenly Defect was not an insult but a fact.

Gu Wen wore a curious expression; beside him, Xiao Yunyi provided the answer, "Humans have three souls and seven spirits, but Chi Yu Zi only has one soul and one spirit, the Human Soul and Spiritual Wisdom. This is a secret known only to the high ranks of the sects. She was originally the twin of a Demi Immortal birth, from whom two souls and six spirits were extracted..."

"Shut up!"

Chi Yu Zi, infuriated and ashamed, turned and roared like a primeval beast.

"Xiao Yunyi, if you dare to utter one more word, I will kill you!"

"Hehe... You’re angry and embarrassed, just like a little girl. Who here has it easier than you?"

Jun Yan’s body began to emanate an endless stream of black qi; a withered hand covered in white hair stretched out from the blackness and lightly flicked Chi Yu Zi’s forehead.

Bang!

Like countless chains pulling her back, Chi Yu Zi was instantly smashed against a wall thousands of meters away.

"Heavenly Corpse, Drought Leader, Yaksha, Ba."

As Jun Yan recited each name, the black qi contorted into various indistinct forms. Unable to see their complete figures, the mere vibe evoked an irrefutable disgust in one’s heart.

These were creatures despised by the heavens, each a Great Demon and evil spirit within the Cultivation World that could provoke a joint crusade by The Three Religions.

For the most part, Great Demons and evil spirits were irrational and uncommunicative; leaving them alive was but a nuisance—better to slay them on sight.

Yet, here, Jun Yan commanded four Great Demons himself. He descended the steps of the Sword Pond surrounded by the swirling black qi and the horde of evil spirits.

Chi Yu Zi, like a flash of golden light, instantly appeared above the surface of the Sword Pond, causing ripples to spread in all directions.

She declared, "I will use the Immortal Sword to sustain this flickering Divine Soul, then twist off the head of my Demi Immortal sister."

"I just want to live, to live honorably!"

"How coincidental, so do I."

Jun Yan, touching his bloodied face—where only a fierce visage remained—said, "I’ve had enough of this plight. I will use the Immortal Sword to chop down all evil miasma and ascend to immortality to seek the Dao."

"Strike with all your might, for we have no sentiment between us, only the will to survive. Come kill me without feeling! Crush my head into pulp! Shatter my body, hehe hahaha!"

He laughed maniacally towards the heavens.

"Otherwise, today you will die here."

The ripples on the water’s surface gradually calmed, and in that moment of stillness,

Boom!

Two figures, like gods and demons, clashed together; waves from the Sword Pond rose a hundred feet high and touched the ceiling before breaking into a huge surge in all directions.

A golden and a black figure blinked dozens of times in an instant; the waves hadn’t finished falling before they were sliced into countless pieces.

Suddenly, Jade Sword Buddha moved towards the central sword sheath.

Almost as soon as she stepped within, two different attacks flew toward the young nun.

A Buddha’s Light appeared; a wrathful Vajra stood in the void, six arms wielding swords slicing towards the two, momentarily matching both in battle.

Jun Yan said, "You dead nun, what’s the rush? I’ll take the Immortal Sword, and the first one I’ll kill will be you."

A flicker of vitality emerged in the vacant gaze of the Jade Sword Buddha as she found rebirth and purpose.

She announced with her palm together, "Amitabha Buddha, this monk seeks deliverance, not death. Now my sins remain uncleaned, and dying will not absolve me of them."

"Ignorance upon ignorance, what sin do you speak of?"

"The Buddha speaks of sin, so there is sin."

"That’s why I say you’re a dead nun; it’s no different from being dead."

The three fought chaotically, each at times facing two opponents, at times battling each other, none able to get close to the sword sheath.

Bang!

Chi Yu Zi brushed past him and violently collided with the wall dozens of steps away from Gu Wen; he turned to see an eye streaked with blood tears through the golden cracks.

She limped back toward the battlefield, still silently chanting the Golden Light Spell.

"...Repeating ten thousand times, one’s body will have brightness... Swift appearance of the golden light, envelope and protect me..."

She sustained her spells, recovered her mana, and healed her wounds.

Gu Wen simply watched, feeling none of the intensity of fighting for profit, seeing neither the fervor of contending for fame, nor the excitement of meeting a worthy opponent.

Like cornered beasts, they fought viciously against each other just to survive.

Each struck in silence, yet seemed to be roaring with rage at every moment.

To live, to live, to live.

"Do you pity them?"

Yu Hua suddenly asked; before Gu Wen could answer, she said, "Half a year ago, when I met you, you were the same. You were just a plaything for the Zhao family, constantly having your life drained by Zhao Feng."

"Do you pity your former self?"

Gu Wen paused for a moment, then replied with an easy smile, "Back then, among millions in Daqian, few could stand shoulder to shoulder with me. Why would I need the pity of others?"

As a beggar, he became a Dragon Bridge magnate, one of the leading merchants in all of Daqian, without staining his hands with misdeeds.

How many in the world could achieve this? Pitying him would be ludicrous; even the scions of great sects wouldn’t stand a chance if thrown into the same circumstances.

And they, too, were formidable. Chi Yu Zi, with a single soul and spirit, controlled a thousand spiritual swords. The Heavenly Defect allowed the creation of the Nine Revolutions Golden Pill. Jun Yan, possessed by Ten Thousand Demons, maintained his sanity and accepted training from the Demon Sect. Jade Sword Buddha, with the strength of a mortal, stood against Buddha and Demon, not practicing Great Vehicle nor Lesser Vehicle, only the Sword Dao.

People thought they had noble identities: he was the Guardian, the Taoist Heavenly Girl, Chi Yu Zi the Saint Daughter of the Sword Control Sect, Jun Yan the scion of the Demon Sect, and Jade Sword Buddha the heir of the Buddhist Sect. But what about before all that?

No one knows, but even if they did, what would it change?

When men are all mediocre, how can they appreciate talent?