Chapter 143: A Sword Reduced To Its Hilt, Conjecture
Blade Demon, who is this person?
Twenty years ago, no one knew, but one day he burst onto the scene out of nowhere, suppressing the then Heavenly Human Ranking 3rd Wu Wei Ke, and from then on became famous throughout the world. In that battle, he displayed saber techniques as eerie and demonic as a devil, and with a single saber strike, he cleaved a thousand-zhang mountain peak, thus earning the title of Blade Demon.
Although he ranked third on the Heavenly Human Ranking, in the minds of many swordsmen, the Blade Demon simply had too few battle achievements; otherwise, he might have directly claimed the top spot.
Unfortunately.
After slaying Wu Wei Ke that year, the Blade Demon vanished without a trace once more.
Until recently, when he re-emerged from seclusion.
And right after coming out, he accomplished something major.
Half a month ago.
The Blade Demon appeared in Shi Prefecture and clashed with the Heavenly Human Ranking 31st Ice Soul Sword Maiden. It could not even be called a clash, but rather a one-sided crushing. With merely one saber strike, the Ice Soul Sword Maiden was already gravely wounded and forced to retreat. She paled in horror, unable to face that demonic and cautious saber strike, and a shadow formed in her heart.
Afterward, the Blade Demon drifted away, seemingly somewhat disappointed.
Countless swordsmen were all aboil.
Ever since the saber-sword dispute concluded, swordsmen had been feeling stifled and unable to hold their heads high. Only after the recent internal battle between the Heart-Seeking Sword and Heavenly Sword True Person, two peerless swordsmen, did they feel slightly better. And now, they finally had the qualifications to rise up.
“Senior Blade Demon has emerged, surely for the glory of us swordsmen!”
“These days, the swordsmen have been far too arrogant. It seems even Old Senior Blade Demon could not stand by idly. Could this be an intent to challenge all swordsmen in the world?”
“Tsk tsk tsk, truly thrilling!”
Countless swordsmen eagerly awaited.
But what happened next left all swordsmen dumbfounded.
The Blade Demon appeared in Yunzhou.
He sought out the Heavenly Human Ranking 26th Heart Blade Elder.
Again, one saber strike.
The Heart Blade Elder was gravely wounded and forced to retreat.
But the Heart Blade Elder was already over seven hundred years old. He was a world-renowned Blade Dao old senior, with disciples and grand-disciples filling the world. Even the several peerless swordsmen ranked above him had to give him face. Now treated so mercilessly, he found it hard to accept for a moment and could not help but mock a few words.
Unexpectedly, the Blade Demon showed no mercy whatsoever.
Another saber strike, slaying the Heart Blade Elder, then descending the mountain and departing.
At this point.
The world was in an uproar.
Everyone realized that this Blade Demon indeed harbored profoundly demonic tendencies. The swordsmen were all stunned. They had originally thought the Blade Demon emerged to win glory for the swordsmen, but now it seemed he made no distinction between friend and foe, treating all equally.
The Blade Demon’s challenges continued, almost once every half month, with each challenger’s ranking steadily advancing.
Setting aside the swordsmen’s bias.
Countless people began to study the Blade Demon’s purpose.
After all, from his current actions, this matter absolutely would not stop.
So why was the Blade Demon challenging the world’s peerless experts?
Martial artists everywhere were curious. Many flipped through ancient books seeking answers, while others could not help but investigate the Blade Demon’s origins.
Finally.
Some people discovered clues.
“Have you noticed the saber hilt in the Blade Demon’s hand! Twenty years ago, this was once a broken demonic blade. I was fortunate enough to witness the battle between Wu Wei Ke and the Blade Demon back then; at that time, the demonic blade still had half its length! I don’t know if it’s my illusion, but after these recent challenges, the saber hilt in the Blade Demon’s hand seems to be getting shorter!”
“Could it be that the Blade Demon seeks to test his saber on the world’s experts? Then why not specifically seek out Blade Dao experts?”
“There are rumors that the Blade Demon originally practiced sword cultivation before switching to Blade Dao. Looking at the experts he has challenged now, without exception they are swordsmen or swordsmen. This rumor might be true!”
Countless people discussed heatedly.
This was a protracted major event.
Every half month, there would be a great battle. Even if it was merely the Blade Demon’s one-sided crushing, it was still a grand occasion.
Some busybodies had already calculated his next target based on the Blade Demon’s movement trajectory, lying in wait ahead of time.
The world buzzed with excitement, with the vast majority of attention drawn to this matter.
Even Ning Qi, located in the Seeker’s Courtyard, had heard of it.
It was Luo Wentian who had come specifically to tell him. This matter was somewhat related to Ning Qi.
“A saber reduced to only the hilt?” Ning Qi’s eyes showed some surprise.
He roughly guessed a portion of the Blade Demon’s purpose.
“That saber is his Blade Dao. When one day even the hilt is gone, it will be the supreme realm where everything can be a saber. The Blade Demon seeks to use the world’s experts as whetstones to complete the final step of his Blade Dao?”
“Could it be… he intends to use this to break through the Martial Saint bottleneck?”
Ning Qi’s brows lifted.
A powerhouse like the Blade Demon must already be at Heavenly Human Perfection, perhaps trapped for many years. This was the breakthrough method he devised. But Ning Qi was not optimistic. His own Sword Dao realm had long surpassed the Heavenly Human Realm category. He had already reached the realm where everything can be a sword, but using this to assault the Martial Saint bottleneck was unlikely.
However, he did not jump to conclusions. Perhaps the Blade Demon had other plans.
He was merely curious in his heart. If possible, exchanging insights mutually would be best.
Luo Wentian was somewhat worried:
“Little Nine, judging by the Blade Demon’s route, I’m afraid it won’t be long before he comes to True Martial Mountain to challenge you. Are you confident?”
The world’s attention was drawn to the Blade Demon, but they did not know that dark undercurrents surged in the various prefectures of Great Yan, with clashes between the Imperial Court and the Demonic Sect’s Southern Border occurring everywhere.
Heavenly Sword True Person had never tasted defeat, which was a great deterrent to the Demonic Sect and Southern Border.
If he were defeated by the Blade Demon, that deterrent would greatly diminish. He feared the Demonic Sect and Southern Border would take other actions as a result. After all, in these days, the True Martial Sect had also been secretly assisting the Imperial Court, and the conflict with the Demonic Sect and Southern Border had reached an irreconcilable point.
Ning Qi smiled faintly, reassuring Luo Wentian:
“Senior Brother, no need to worry. We will block the soldiers with generals and the water with earth.”
Two or three months passed.
Ning Qi’s strength had advanced further. He was increasingly close to the Heavenly Human Realm.
Now, he could fully claim to be Heavenly Human Realm Invincible.
As long as the Blade Demon remained in the Heavenly Human Realm, he had no fear.
And if the Blade Demon moved slowly, waiting until he stepped into the Heavenly Human Realm before challenging, there would be even less suspense.
However.
He was somewhat looking forward to encountering this Blade Demon. Perhaps it could provide him some inspiration.
Luo Wentian, upon hearing this.
The worry on his face gradually dissipated. He was astonished deep down, gaining a deeper cognition of Ning Qi’s strength. Since his own ninth junior brother said so, he must be confident.
“In that case, I’m relieved. Next, I will keep close watch on the Blade Demon’s movements and inform you the moment there is news,” Luo Wentian said.
Ning Qi nodded:
“Senior Brother, how effective have the actions against the Demonic Sect and Southern Border been lately?”
Luo Wentian thought for a moment and said:
“In recent times, our True Martial Sect disciples have begun contracting. Most are cultivating on True Martial Mountain, while the remaining small portion of elite disciples are dispatched to participate in the Imperial Court’s actions. In a few months, there have indeed been some gains.”
“Several strongholds in the Southern Border have been secretly destroyed, but with the Demonic Sect’s assistance, the Southern Border has grown vigilant and has not found traces of the Blood King Gu.”
“As for the Demonic Sect side, the Imperial Court followed the clue of exotic beast inner cores, using black market auctions and other channels to trace and find several Demonic Sect strongholds. It is ninety percent certain that the Demonic Sect’s Martial Saint method is related to this, but the Demonic Sect is very cautious. Most exotic beast inner cores have likely already been transferred from the Hundred Thousand Mountains.”
Ning Qi pondered.
The results could only be described as moderate. It had delayed the two forces’ steps to a certain extent, but there were no key gains.
However.
He had also anticipated this.
The Demonic Sect’s millennium-long scheme must be extremely cautious. Moreover, they had entangled with Great Yan for so many years, with you in me and me in you. It would not be easy to deal with.
“The Demonic Sect is tricky. Perhaps we can focus as much as possible on the Southern Border side. If possible, obtain one or two Blood King Gu,” Ning Qi said softly.
He was thinking.
If he could obtain another Blood King Gu, could he use it to sense the locations of other Blood King Gu, tracing them to wipe out the Southern Border in one fell swoop.
Previously, he had obtained two Blood King Gu, but his strength was insufficient then, and he worried about the Southern Border tracking him down, so he chose to refine them quickly. But now, he hoped to find where the Southern Border nurtured the Blood Emperor Gu.
The shift from defense to offense was as such.
The best defense is to attack in place of defense.
But no matter how strong the strength, without finding the enemy’s location, it was just punching air.
Luo Wentian nodded solemnly:
“Alright, I will convey this to Divine Feather Great General and the others.”
He did not ask Ning Qi why. Since Ning Qi said it, it must have its use. He chose to trust.
Without disturbing Ning Qi further, Luo Wentian spoke a bit about the recent situation and then departed.
He knew that everything the True Martial Sect was doing now was merely assisting Ning Qi. The true key lay with Ning Qi.
Ning Qi watched Luo Wentian’s receding figure and shook his head slightly, casting aside this minor interlude.
The Blade Demon matter was indeed lively, but even if he truly came to True Martial Mountain, it would not affect him.
The current pressing matter was still to advance to the Heavenly Human Realm as soon as possible.
Ning Qi circulated the Unity of Heaven and Man Secret Technique. In an instant, he resonated with Heaven and Earth Power, forming a great mill to temper the spirit.
To this day.
The Unity of Heaven and Man Secret Technique was as simple to Ning Qi as breathing or drinking water. After stepping into the Core Elixir Realm and beginning spirit tempering, he had discovered that the stronger his ‘spirit’, the more abundant the Heaven and Earth Power he could mobilize through the Unity of Heaven and Man Secret Technique. This was also the reason his strength kept growing.
While tempering his spirit, Ning Qi contemplated cultivation after the Heavenly Human Realm.
If he wanted to maintain his current level of cross-realm ability even after stepping into the Heavenly Human Realm, it would not be simple and would require painstaking effort.
“The reason my strength now far surpasses the same realm, allowing me to easily trounce Heavenly Humans, is first because my own foundation is excessively solid—both fleshly body and Gang Qi reaching levels ordinary people cannot attain. The second key point lies in the Unity of Heaven and Man Secret Technique, which lets me preemptively control part of the Heavenly Human Realm’s power, partially bridging the Heavenly Human Realm gap.”
“But after I advance to the Heavenly Human Realm, it will be different. The Unity of Heaven and Man Secret Technique will hold no advantage. What I can rely on is my incomparably solid foundation and various powerful secret techniques.”
“But at that time, can I, with a Heavenly Human Realm body, contend against Martial Saints or even slay them?”
Ning Qi placed a question mark in his heart for now.
Undoubtedly, after advancing to the Heavenly Human Realm, with his own foundation, the Heaven and Earth Power he resonates with will be unimaginably vast, allowing his combat power to soar. But whether this can bridge the gap between Heavenly Human Realm and Martial Saint Realm remains unknown.
“Martial Saints refine Heaven and Earth Power for their own use, an absolute leap in power essence. To compensate for the qualitative gap, it must be filled with sheer quantity.”
“So, my approach should be to maximize the quantity of Heaven and Earth Power I control. If I can surpass even a Heavenly Human Realm Perfection by tenfold, a hundredfold, or even a thousandfold, why worry about not overwhelming with quantity?”
Paths of spiritual insight rose in Ning Qi’s mind.
This was his direction of contemplation.
“The Unity of Heaven and Man Secret Technique lets me preemptively control Heaven and Earth Power. After stepping into the Heavenly Human Realm, can I further perfect it, combining my body’s ‘formless bone structure’ and ‘tangible Core Elixir’ to make the quantity of Heaven and Earth Power I control explode?”
This was very feasible.
Ning Qi was already deducing various paths, ready to create a method once he advanced to the Heavenly Human Realm.
And besides the Unity of Heaven and Man Secret Technique.
He was also contemplating Heavenly Human Realm cultivation, continuously perfecting the Myriad Phenomena Secret Record.
“Heavenly Human Realm cultivation is condensing the Three Flowers: Essence Flower, Qi Flower, and Spirit Flower, also known as the Heaven, Earth, and Man Three Flowers. In truth, this is traceable: the Essence Flower corresponds to the Body Tempering Realm, the Qi Flower to the Gang Yuan Realm, and the Spirit Flower to the Heavenly Human Realm.”
“Thus, Three Flowers Perfection is Heavenly Human Realm Perfection. Only by cultivating all three flowers equally is there hope of stepping into the Martial Saint Realm.”
“But in an era without Martial Saints, many Heavenly Human Realm experts, seeking even stronger combat power, abandoned cultivating all three flowers equally, focusing on just one realm. For example, the former Shi Prefecture Wang Clan Old Ancestor Wang Quan specialized in the Essence Flower.”
“In truth, specializing in any one path manifests differently, but the essence is the same: leveraging even more majestic Heaven and Earth Power.”
“For instance, the Essence Flower tempers the fleshly body with Heaven and Earth Power, ultimately resonating Heaven and Earth Power with the fleshly body, granting extremely strong close-combat ability—like the Buddhist Sect’s Arhats and Vajras. Among swordsmen and swordsmen, some martial artists specialize in the Spirit Flower, resonating Heaven and Earth Power with Sword Intent or Saber Intent, exceedingly lethal.”
“Single-realm cultivation is a shortcut, but I naturally cannot do so. Cultivating all three flowers is the orthodox path.”
“However, how to condense the Three Flowers faster also has its intricacies. My fleshly body is powerful, unprecedented in history. Perhaps I can use the Heavenly Thunder Method to condense the Essence Flower…”
As Ning Qi thought.
Countless inspirations emerged in his mind.
Although he had not yet stepped into the Heavenly Human Realm, it held few secrets for him. One reason was the Unity of Heaven and Man Secret Technique; the second was that Ning Qi had obtained many Heavenly Human secret records with detailed accounts for reference.
…
Time slowly passed.
The uproar in the world caused by the Blade Demon grew ever more intense.
Countless gazes converged.
Before Luofu Mountain.
Countless people had arrived early to lie in wait. If the Blade Demon appeared here next, it would mean their prediction of his route was correct.
Luofu Sword Master’s face was exceedingly grim.
The more Heavenly Sword True Person’s fame soared like the midday sun during this time, the more uncomfortable he felt. The matter of borrowing a sword from True Martial Mountain earlier had become Heavenly Sword True Person’s foil, making him seem like a clown every time it was mentioned.
And now.
He was about to face the Blade Demon’s challenge.
Facing this terrifying Blade Demon, to say he was not afraid was impossible. He had even planned to temporarily avoid the sharpness, but now with everyone waiting here, he could no longer entertain that thought. Otherwise, he would be unable to hold his head high in the world henceforth.
He took a deep breath.
He could only hope the Blade Demon would not come.
But unfortunately.
He was destined to be disappointed.
Amid waves of excited exclamations, everyone’s gazes converged on that spot. An elder with disheveled hair walked barefoot, a saber hilt at his waist.
Luofu Sword Master’s face was grim.
He took a deep breath, preparing for battle.
But what met him head-on was an incomparably terrifying saber light, carrying ultimate demonic allure, causing one to sink into it.
…
Without doubt.
Heavenly Human Ranking 21st Luofu Sword Master was defeated. And similarly, defeated miserably, unable to withstand even one saber from the Blade Demon.
Fortunately, he restrained his anger. The Heart Blade Elder’s fate was still fresh before his eyes.
At this point.
The Blade Demon’s aura grew even more terrifying.
The swordsmen were all aboil.
Countless people discussed heatedly.
They all wondered who could block the Blade Demon’s second saber.
Heavenly Human Ranking 19th.
18th.
16th.
Two months passed in the blink of an eye.
One expert after another was toppled.
Still, no one could block that one saber.
But everyone showed no slackening; instead, they grew even more frenzied, with unprecedented anticipation.
Only because.
Judging by the Blade Demon’s route.
The next one was Heavenly Sword True Person!
Previously, Heavenly Sword True Person had slain the Heart-Seeking Sword, thus automatically taking the Heart-Seeking Sword’s ranking, at 14th.
Heavenly Human Ranking 15th was neither swordsman nor swordsman.
So the Blade Demon’s next challenge was naturally unquestionable.
This had been verified multiple times.
Countless people converged toward True Martial Mountain.
