Dao Equaling the Heavens
Chapter 145 - 116: The Might of the Immortal Sword!_2

Chapter 145: Chapter 116: The Might of the Immortal Sword!_2

Gu Wen and others noticed that the scabbard’s aura was connected to the entire Grotto Heaven, just as an Array entrenched into the earth’s veins, using the environment to stabilize itself.

In such a case, the scabbard could not be directly lifted, requiring specific methods to handle, methods that involved the Array.

Chi Yu Zi seemed not to know how to handle Arrays. She didn’t plan to use any underhanded tactics; she just kept exerting force, as blood began to seep from her arms, extraordinarily vivid under the golden light.

She sneered faintly,

"Embracing heaven and earth, nurturing all beings. After myriad recitations, my body is bright...Rise for me!!!"

The scabbard trembled slightly, an inch, a foot, a meter... Chi Yu Zi lifted the deep black scabbard high, and everyone around stared blankly, even Yu Hua could not remain composed at this moment.

Lifting the sheath of the Immortal Sword with mortal strength.

Chi Yu Zi turned into a golden light and rushed ahead on the Sword Dao, gripping the scabbard as she took the first step, the second, the third.

The Sword Dao beneath her feet was like spiky lava, and the scabbard in her hand was like an ancient Divine Mountain. Chi Yu Zi’s eyelids drooped, ready to close at any moment; she had to bite down hard, unknowingly biting through her own tongue.

"Three Realms... guards, Five Emperors summon... all gods pay homage, wielding the thunder... ghosts and demons cower, specters vanish..."

Step by step, she pursued Gu Wen’s silhouette, instinctively stretching her hand forward.

Just a month ago, she shamelessly called herself his senior, and half a month ago, she changed to calling him Fellow Daoist. Yet now, he appeared so unreachable.

"...golden light, appear swiftly, protect my body! You bastard, stop!!!"

Chi Yu Zi rapidly advanced several steps. She felt she had reached her limit, striving desperately to catch the hem of Gu Wen’s robe. Finally, grasping a significantly scorched corner, the fabric tore.

Gu Wen stepped upward once more, but this seemingly trivial step created a vast chasm between them.

Snap!

Chi Yu Zi’s face hit the Sword Dao, and her hand could only tightly cling to a piece of charred fabric, her eyes dimming in that instant, and she could not get up again.

"Senior Chi Yu Zi."

A gentle voice came, and Gu Wen regained his composure, turned around, and saw Chi Yu Zi lying on the Sword Dao. He then stepped back one step, leaving only a stair’s distance between them.

This one step shattered Chi Yu Zi’s last illusion.

He still had the strength to look back.

Gu Wen had not only mastered the True Sword Dao but had advanced it to the Third Level, and here, only the Sword Dao mattered.

"You should step down now; your level allows you only this far, but you can be proud of it. As for the matter of the Immortal Sword, as long as you don’t intend to monopolize it, I can borrow it if I manage to obtain it."

With a force unrelated to the Sword Dao, resisting the Immortal Sword’s oppression, she climbed fifty steps, effectively half the journey. Chi Yu Zi, possessing only a single soul, faced even greater pressure than Gu Wen.

She was not much less capable than Gu Wen; it was just that without the True Sword Dao, it wouldn’t work.

Chi Yu Zi did not reply, burying her head down. Asking her to speak now seemed somewhat cruel, but confirming she was not in mortal danger was enough.

And this bit of consolation was enough to save her life, just like Lan Yongning sometimes needing a little external push and reason to pull back from a cliff.

For these peers who were like friends and foes, Gu Wen had other plans, but those would wait until everything settled. He hadn’t yet obtained the Immortal Sword, nor was it certain he would.

-----------------

Gu Wen climbed all the way to the top of the nine-level Heavenly Spring Mountain Grotto Heaven, surrounded only by space as pure as frost and snow.

Gu Wen was ten steps away from the Immortal Sword, step by step he approached, finally standing before the unique Immortal Sword in this world.

The sword was like flying snow, pure as ice.

He reached out, his palm passing directly through the Immortal Sword, which then disappeared along with it.

"Hmm?"

Before Gu Wen could understand the change in front of him, his vision was suddenly pulled back, and in an instant, he fell into a pure white and vast world.

An old Taoist sat cross-legged in the distance, his white hair like snow, his body thin, his face like a sword carving, carrying endless sharpness.

The old Taoist opened his eyes, glanced faintly at Gu Wen, and in an instant, it felt like the sky was collapsing!

Gu Wen suddenly came back to his senses, sweat already soaking his clothes. Unbeknownst to him, a black scabbard had appeared in his hand, its aura in the Qi Sea intertwined with that of the True Sword Dao, forming some connection.

He had refined the scabbard, but the Immortal Sword seemed gone? The Taoist’s Immortal Sword was gone?

Looking inward at the Qi Sea, Gu Wen’s tumultuous emotions settled somewhat, and the formless True Sword Dao within the Qi Sea formed a shape.

The sword was like snow, cold as ice, the sword’s form engraved with an Immortal character.

The divine marrow faintly reacted, and a stream of messages fell.

[The Remnants of the Immortal Sword, traces of the Immortal Sword’s essence left behind, the Divine Nectar can conceive and materialize]

Gu Wen’s eyes widened slightly, his mind filled with myriad thoughts, countless ideas and known information flashing by.

There is good news and bad news at the moment, the bad news is that the Immortal Sword is long gone, only a remnant image remains here.

The good news is that the Divine Nectar can be cultivated anew, but it’s uncertain whether it will foster a new Immortal Sword or an essence of Sword Intent.

And there are many pools of Divine Nectar below.

The scabbard trembled slightly, a feeling akin to a sudden rush of blood made Gu Wen vaguely sense something in the southeast, in an extremely distant and unlocatable place.

This is the second piece of good news, it appears that the Immortal Sword still has a connection with its scabbard.

[The remnant image of the Immortal Sword enters the body, True Sword Dao reaches the Fourth Level]

[Jade Sword Buddha naturally progresses to the Fourth Level]

[Demon Sword naturally progresses to the Fourth Level]

This is the third piece of good news, about a hundred Heavenly Marrows are left, the power of the Fourth Level has increased twentyfold, and consumption has escalated to a new level.

Gu Wen feared that if this continued, he would no longer be able to use the True Sword Dao.

Returning to the entrance of the Nine Levels of Heavenly Spring Mountain, Gu Wen looked down at the people by the Sword Pond, his right hand faintly grasping a swath of snow-white, and the remnant of the Immortal Sword entered his hand, the sword momentum plummeting down.

It seems with my current realm, there’s no difference between the remnant and the body of the Immortal Sword, the latter might not even recognize me.

What you can hold in your hand is the real treasure.

Everyone, except for Yu Hua, was as if facing a great enemy. Even the calm nun showed a bit more emotion, now everything was reversed in attack and defense.

"Fellow Daoist Xiao, do you still want to take this sword?"

Gu Wen’s gaze shifted towards Xiao Yunyi, who comprehended and stepped forward, gripping his sword, his eyes filled with awe and excitement.

An awe for the Immortal Sword, and excitement facing the pinnacle of the Sword Dao.

Gu Wen still remembered their previous agreement, but the situation was slightly different now.

He sincerely said, "With this strike of mine, if you don’t have any life-saving means besides your sword, you might die."

It wasn’t that Gu Wen had completely surpassed Xiao Yunyi, but the True Sword Dao held an overwhelming advantage on all sword-related aspects, making all swordsmanship seem trivial before it.

If this sword comes chopping down and Xiao Yunyi uses his sword to block, it would be like stretching his head out for Gu Wen to chop. Even if their strength differs greatly, one shouldn’t stretch their head out for someone else to chop, especially since Gu Wen’s forte is a strong attack.

Xiao Yunyi replied without hesitation, "If I die by the sword, Xiao has no regrets."

Truly a sword maniac.

Gu Wen swung his sword, but he aimed for the arm.

Exerting full force was something he only reserved for enemies, for non-enemies Gu Wen was still quite tactful.

Just chop off an arm and reattach it right away.

The snow-white Sword Qi, like frost, fell down. Though appearing slow, it was indeed fast. Xiao Yunyi exerted all his strength to swing at the sword light, in that instant he could clearly feel his own sword hesitate.

What was supposed to be lifeless Sword Qi began dodging. What was supposed to be a solid Sword Heart began fearing.

Pff!

An arm flew high up into the air, Xiao Yunyi’s expression stunned, his aura began ascending slowly, his Dao foundation reaching the Seventh Level fulfillment.

And around him, all was dead silent, no one concerned with his trivial breakthrough—all were reminiscing about that recent sword strike.

None could discern why that sword strike triumphed, merely some traces of aura made their Sword Intent wilt, and the swung Sword Qi seemed as frail as paper mache.

At this moment, Gu Wen, helping Chi Yu Zi down, saw Xiao Yunyi’s breakthrough, tugged at the corner of his mouth, unsure what to reply.

Xiao Moutou truly confronting True Sword Dao with mere swordsmanship, and yet he broke through.

Jun Yan suddenly erupted with black Qi from his seven apertures, a seemingly endless demonic shadow poised to emerge, he approached Gu Wen shouting, "Chop me with one sword, quickly!"

Before Gu Wen could react, the body temperature of Chi Yu Zi beside him rose, akin to a furnace, emitting painful groans.

"Bring me wine, I need wine!"

Jade Sword Buddha’s eyes regained purity, found a corner to crouch down holding his knees, drifting back into autism.

Not far away, Xiao Yunyi fetched his severed arm, sniffing faintly at the residual scent on the cut and laughed.

Just as it ever was, a gathering of heroes.