The Purgatory Calamity
Chapter 582 - 550: The Rise of Sword Tower!_1

Chapter 582: Chapter 550: The Rise of Sword Tower!_1

After a long while.

"What do you all think?"

Li Wang set down his teacup and put away the tea set as well.

He waved his sleeve, and the lake that had appeared on the dome of the Observatory vanished in an instant.

It was another evening, and the sky above the Observatory was filled with red clouds.

The blood-red radiance, like that of the sunset, shone through the dome, casting a slight crimson hue on every stone pillar.

In the midst of the stone pillars, most of the True Gods from the Purgatory World were pondering over the image of Li Chu’s "Divine Dharma Aspect" being pierced by a sword and the hole that had not healed promptly.

This scene would be eternally branded in the depths of their souls.

In the Pure Land, another True God, Lin Qiyang, Jiang Fan from the Bright Heaven Divine Kingdom, and Dong Shangqing from the Ancient Law Sect were roughly equal in rank to Li Chu.

They were also ranked at the bottom.

They thought in silence, considering if they were Li Chu and had sacrificed their "Divine Dharma Aspect" to withstand Pang Jian’s sword, could they have kept their bodies from being pierced?

As they reflected, a bitter sentiment spread from within their stone pillars.

Without relying on a Divine Artifact, depending solely on the blood-flesh body merged with Godhood in the "Divine Dharma Aspect" could not stop that sword!

"Li Chu lacks a certain Wood Divine Artifact."

Pei Yishan, the Powerhouse of the Desolated Terrains, did not show much turmoil in his eyes. He knew that this sword would not truly harm the foundation of Li Chu’s Great Tao.

"It is said that descendants of the Wood Tribe who still eke out a living in the Fifth Realm, as well as within the inner sanctum of the Black Wood Sect, possess an item that could be called a Divine Artifact."

"Regrettably, I was unable to find it for him."

"The Great Tao counters each other; the indestructible Origin Demon Sword is precisely a Divine Artifact of Gold. And this intricate and emerging talent of the Sword Tower has clearly dabbled in the Power of Gold."

"However..."

Pei Yishan tried to explain there were other reasons why Li Chu’s abdomen was pierced by the sword.

Yet he had to admit that Pang Jian, the newly emerged god of mankind, truly possessed astounding combat power.

"However, this newly born True God is also worthy of our trust."

"We can believe that he will rise again in the name of the Sword Tower, and as the New Sword God of this era, he will aid us in annihilating the mightiest and Alien Gods of the Fifth Realm."

Having said his piece, Pei Yishan’s divine shadow was the first to vanish.

The Alien Tribes of the Fifth Realm, the Alien Gods from Outer Space, and the Dragon Cave with their unknown intentions were highly likely to take action during this time.

And since Li Chu was his True God of the Desolated Terrains and was clearly wounded now, he needed to ensure that during this phase, Li Chu would not be disturbed by any external forces.

"After this battle, there shouldn’t be any objections to the Sword Tower’s move to the First Realm, right?" Su Wenrou from the Pure Land said indifferently.

Having devoted all her efforts to cultivate Pang Lin and intending to use her to quash the old Thunder Dragon’s momentum, she naturally was a staunch defender of Pang Jian.

Her power, alongside that of Lin Qiyang, barely matched that of the Dragon Cave.

In her Pure Land, the old Thunder Dragon would not gain any advantage, and the same would apply if she were to go to the Saint Spirit Continent.

Being the blood brother of Pang Lin and the Realm God of his generation who now successfully achieved Divine Enthronement in the Immortal Realm, Pang Jian undoubtedly provided her with another formidable support.

Out of love for her own family, she would naturally make every effort to secure benefits for Pang Jian and the Sword Tower.

"It seems that there are no objections."

Seeing that none of the remaining gods spoke up against it, she knew that the matter was settled and there would no longer be any twists or incidents.

Thus, she and Lin Qiyang from the Pure Land disappeared together.

"Whoosh! Whoosh whoosh! Whoosh whoosh!"

Li Yuanli, Dong Shangqing, the reclusive figures of Celestial City, Yin Ji, Jiang Fan, and several other True Gods did not even express any opinions and also withdrew their Divine Souls in succession.

Eventually, in the Observatory, aside from Li Wang, only two True Gods remained among the stone pillars.

The Ghost Mother and Zhu Ji from the Bright Heaven Divine Kingdom.

Zhu Ji, short and stocky in appearance, and inconspicuous without a visible bodily form, was always a steadfast supporter behind Li Wang.

He, alongside the Ghost Mother and Su Wenrou, were recognized as the top three among the gods in terms of combat power.

It was because Zhu Ji and the Ghost Mother, two of the mightiest True Gods, consistently agreed with Li Wang’s planning and disposition for the trends of this world that Li Wang’s titular leadership position was established.

He was usually a man of few words, not speaking much.

In most True God councils convened by Li Wang, he was the silent participant.

Often, he would silently retract his Divine Soul halfway through the meeting, and occasionally, he would listen from start to end and then depart without saying a word.

But this time, after the gods had left, he unusually stayed behind.

It was for this reason that both Li Wang and the Ghost Mother looked at the stone pillar housing his Divine Soul with a hint of surprise, waiting for him to initiate the conversation.

"Aside from being the first to achieve Divine Enthronement in the Immortal Realm, he is also the first to successfully forge the Divine Tao using the Great Tao of Chaos."

"His Divine Soul, detached from the fleshly body, has become tangible like ours. The difference is that after we leave our bodies, our Divine Souls find it difficult to directly extract power from the outside. "

"Our Divine Souls carry power when leaving the body and must return to the body to replenish once depleted from our bodily reserves."

"He does not need to do this; his Divine Soul can exist independently and truly forsake the flesh."

"He is the first to be self-sufficient solely with his Divine Soul."

""

Having said that, Zhu Ji’s divine shadow also disappeared from the stone pillar.

The facts revealed in these words were exactly what the True Gods had overlooked.

The lake created by Li Wang could only reflect the scenes from that area; the gods could not simply perceive the external forces continually infiltrating Pang Jian’s Immortal Primordial Spirit through the images alone.

Zhu Ji, however, saw through even this.

"Self-sufficient, existing independently, completely abandoning flesh and blood," mused the Ghost Mother with her voice cold and secluded. "The ultimate Tao pursued by the Gui Sacrificial Sect’s Soul Spell also aims for this form, yet I have not achieved it to this day."

"Those who can solidify their Soul Body and completely discard their physical form are either Ghost Cultivators or gods of the Ghost Clan."

"But Ghost Cultivators have ethereal Spiritual Bodies, and gods of the Ghost Clan do not belong to the Purgatory World. Whether a Ghost Cultivator can use an ethereal Spiritual Body to attract Godhood, thus forging a new Divine Tao, has always been a mystery."

"No, this is not the way—it should not be like this..."

The Ghost Mother muttered to herself, seemingly driven somewhat mad.

After a moment of silence, Li Wang suddenly stood up and went to the stone pillar representing Fan Ao, starting to re-engrave the Array, preparing to soon welcome Pang Jian’s Spiritual Soul.

This move also indicated that he had come to recognize that Pang Jian deserved to sit as an equal among them.

...

Sword Tower.

In the great hall of Sharpen Blade Peak, Pu Zhaotian devoured the delicacies laid out before him, like a storm sweeping through leaves.

He didn’t use chopsticks but instead used his hands, gnawing wildly at the roasted, juicy beast leg, leaving his mouth greasy.

Among a pile of bones, his Sword Command sat neglected.

On either side of him stood Chen Weihuang and Hu, with Guanghe, Xu Yu, Cai Xin, Lu Xiaolin, and Shi Bingyun, the Immortal Realm Elders, seated before him.

Zhou Wenhao was also among them.

Except for him, everyone clutched their Sword Commands, keeping in contact with Yao Junhong and Wang Ce, awaiting the latest battle updates from these two elders.

This battle wasn’t just about Pang Jian; it was about the honor of Sword Tower!

When Sword Tower stated clearly to those True Gods that since Pang Jian had succeeded in his Divine Enthronement, they could officially move into the ancestral land of the First Realm according to the rules, Li Wang gave no specific response.

Li Wang, as a leader recognized by the Ghost Mother and Zhu Ji, had many True Gods who believed in him. His attitude could determine Sword Tower’s direction.

Without his stance, Sword Tower could not act openly and boldly.

The arrival of Li Chu at Panshi Fragment Land, under the pretext of helping Pang Jian temper his realm, felt to many elders of the Sword Tower like a deliberate knockdown.

They thought he still harbored resentment from the past, thus resorting to the same tactics of bullying the weak with his strength as before.

That’s how he treated Pu Zhaotian back then.

Just as they were about to protest to those True Gods in the Observatory, Pu Zhaotian held them back with a single sentence.

"Li Chu is nothing. I, who had my ascension to True God interrupted by an accident, still have the confidence to defeat him, let alone Pang Jian, who is even fiercer than me."

This incredibly arrogant statement calmed down those Sword Tower elders, making them willing to watch and wait.

But their anxiety, concern, and frustration fermented continuously within.

They feared that Pang Jian, the Sword God of the Immortal Realm, would suffer a crushing defeat at the hands of Li Chu.

After Pu Zhaotian failed to become a True God, the morale of Sword Tower plummeted. They could not withstand such a blow again and again.

The most powerful sects of the First Realm and some of the newer generation Cultivators viewed the once formidable reputation of Sword Tower as an exaggeration, doubting the power of the Sword God.

The Sword God had not emerged for far too long, existing only in legends and myths.

And in most cases, legends and myths can’t be completely trusted—they contain too much exaggeration.

Some people thought the Sword God and Sword Tower were like this as well.

The elders urgently needed this battle to reestablish Sword Tower’s reputation!

They secretly hoped that Pang Jian and Li Chu would fight to an equal stand, firmly asserting his identity as the new generation Sword God.

Only then could Sword Tower rise again.

As they all sat tense and anxious, the chubby man continued to gorge himself, the Sword Command tossed aside, which filled them with infinite resentment.

But, out of respect for the chubby man’s status as Tower Master and his power, they dared not show their displeasure.

Thus, they could only wait, waiting for messages from Yao Junhong and Wang Ce.

After a long and torturous wait, the food before Pu Zhaotian was completely devoured.

He burped contentedly and said languidly, "Whether we should move Sword Tower to the First Realm should be our own choice. They might allow it, but we can choose not to go; we can choose to keep fighting here."

"But we must have that choice!"

Pu Zhaotian snorted and declared, "Today, they must give us that choice."

"Buzz! Buzz-buzz! Buzzzzzz!"

The Sword Commands in the hall resonated in unison; everybody’s spirit was shaken as they fumbled to immerse their Divine Senses, eagerly capturing the latest news.

Without even looking at the Sword Command beside him, Pu Zhaotian heard shouts of exclamation from Guanghe, Xu Yu, Cai Xin, and other elders within the hall as he continued his bout of drinking from a barrel of wine: "Unbelievable! It wasn’t a match of equals; that youngster pierced Li Chu’s Divine Dharma Aspect with his sword—it was a clear and fair victory!"

"Haha, Li Chu has proven once again to be the vane of Sword Tower’s rise—just as it was in the past, so it is now!"

...