Chapter 335: The War of Immortals

[1]

The cultivators of the Palace of Absolute beginning formed a circle, gazing at the infant at the center of a mystic array. They had all heard of a natural-born Sword Body, but had never seen one before. Naturally, they were filled with curiosity.

In the center of the array, the little infant sat on the ground, gazing up at the blue sky and white clouds above her, and began to ponder about the meaning of life with the utmost seriousness.

From her perspective, she was currently sitting on a green meadow nestled among the mountains. Forests, streams, and towering peaks surrounded her, and an endless clear sky hung overhead. The scenery was unquestionably gorgeous, yet for some reason, she could sense hints of malevolence from all around her. As a result, she was afraid to move even an inch.

“Is this Xu Wenwu’s daughter?”

“Well, her first word after she was born was ‘Daddy’, and she was looking straight at him.”

“I wouldn’t have guessed it. The guy’s quite the player, isn’t he?”

“What do you mean, you wouldn’t have guessed it? Just look at the stuff he wrote! Shameless doesn’t even begin to describe his nature!”

“Say, are natural-born Sword Bodies really that powerful?”

“It is a myth that’s been passed down since the Distant Antiquity Era, so... probably?”

Trueman Chu He, the eldest among them, spoke up, “A natural-born Sword Body is one of the few Dao Bodies passed from the Distant Antiquity Era. One may view it as a natural immortal foundation; one that is particularly suited for practicing the sword. This old Daoist observed that there is something sealed within her sea of consciousness, so she might even possess her own legacy.”

Everyone was speechless for a moment. It was already incredible that she was born with a natural immortal foundation, but to have her own legacy as well? How was this fair?

Sun Yu said, “Her body is unlike that of ordinary humans. For instance, she grows over ten times faster than normal. Thus, we can’t guide her cultivation using common standards.”

Yu Zhizhuo remarked, “Just because it was passed down from ancient times doesn’t necessarily mean that it is better than those of today. Over the past couple centuries, our Palace of Absolute Beginning has innovated and introduced over a hundred unprecedented Dao Foundations, have we not?... Er, the Radiant Devil-Subjugating Sword doesn’t count....

“Among these new Dao Foundations, there are several immortal foundations that could have dominated even the Distant Antiquity Era. Junior Brother Zhang can speak on this matter—he has firsthand experience.”

Zhang Sheng replied, “I’ve never encountered a natural-born Sword Body until today, but I have come across someone with an ancient Dao Body when I left the mountains for training all those years ago. I must admit that it lives up to its reputation—it had taken a fair amount of effort to kill them.”

“Let’s give her a name!” Feng Tingyu suggested.

“What about Xu Shiba[2]?” Wei Yuan blurted out without thinking.

The group fell silent, and surprisingly, no one objected. The name was approved just like that.

What’s going on? The lack of objections was so unusual that Wei Yuan felt a bit uneasy.

Sun Yu gave him a pat on the shoulders and sighed. “A natural-born Sword Body, an extraordinary growth rate, an innate legacy... You’d better cultivate diligently, Realm Lord. After all, she’s probably going to purge you as soon as she grows up and learns that you’re the one who named her.”

“Wait! I was just joking! I can think of another name; just give me some time!”

No one paid him any attention and moved onto the next topic.

“What about those two surviving children?”

Sun Yu replied, “Their aptitudes are quite good. They may attain immortal foundations in the future.”

Trueman Chu He said while stroking his beard, “I don’t know what kind of secret technique this is, but it is clear that the vitality and the fortune of a thousand infants were condensed into the final three. Then, the strongest one was chosen to feed on the other two to nourish their Dao. The aptitudes of these Xu Clan children are already one-in-ten-thousand, but now, the talent of one thousand of their descendants has been condensed into just three. These two boys are also one-in-ten-million geniuses!”

After the commotion was over, the group dispersed and returned to their respective duties.

In reality, an immortal foundation might emerge from every ten million people, but it was absolutely impossible for even one natural-born Dao Body to appear, much less one natural-born Dao Body and two immortal foundations. This outcome was only possible because of two reasons. One, the blood of an Immortal Lord ran in the Xu Clan youngsters’ veins. Two, Wei Yuan suspected that Xu Wenwu had played a role in their conception. Otherwise, the little girl with the natural-born Sword Body would not have called him “daddy” the very first time she saw him. After all, she had even looked at Wei Yuan with utter disdain.

That said, the little girl was a bit of a bully. She was fierce against anyone who was weaker than her, but the moment Wei Yuan and Zhang Sheng had unsheathed their Immortal Swords, she had instantly caved and obediently allowed them to pick her up and pet her.

On the evening of the following day, Xu Wenwu suddenly came to find Wei Yuan. The first thing he said upon meeting him was, “I’ve broken through!”

Wei Yuan examined him closely and discovered that Xu Wenwu’s entire skeletal structure had undergone a complete transformation. It was now a pale blue color with a texture like jade, which had changed his air completely. He was still fat, but he was now an ethereal-looking fatty.

Xu Wenwu had actually mastered the bone-tempering stage and opened his sea of consciousness for the first time. He was now in the spirit-tempering stage.

After the examination—although Wei Yuan didn’t have a Dao Stone or something similar on hand—he could see with the naked eye that Xu Wenwu’s innate foundation had improved dramatically; practically a complete transformation. It most likely had something to do with the cyan lotus the infant girl had plucked and tossed into him. Wei Yuan had anticipated that there would be some changes, but he never would have expected it to have such a remarkable effect.

The most valuable treasures in the world were those that improved one’s aptitude. At the time, no one could have imagined that the cyan lotus that accompanied the infant girl’s birth would turn out to be such a rare and priceless treasure.

Wei Yuan said, “It seems you’ve benefited quite a bit from your daughter. Oh, right—since your aptitude is different, now is the perfect time for you to switch cultivation methods. You should practice this from now on.”

The cultivation method Wei Yuan handed to him was the Jade Toad Full Moon Painting. Holding the jade paper like it was a priceless treasure, Xu Wenwu left in high spirits. He hadn’t even remembered to ask what his daughter’s name was.

After seeing Xu Wenwu off, Wei Yuan went over the entire incident again, this time reflecting on it in detail and scrutinizing every aspect.

This whole affair had been bizarre from start to finish. The vast underground complex, the tens of thousands of young men and women still alive. Even if they were trapped by a soul-binding array and couldn’t leave, even if they had to be left behind, it shouldn’t have been difficult for an Immortal Lord to destroy the underground space completely—just a matter of one technique, really. So, why had he left it intact?

The grotto-heaven fragment had fallen to the ground, and its location wasn’t difficult to find. After all, even Wei Yuan had found it. The Xu Clan had occupied the Shattered Realm for a long time, so they should be able to locate it as well.

Xu Shiqi and Xu Xinyi were formidable foes for sure, but they were hardly invincible. All it would take was a powerful Avatar wielding a mystic treasure containing one attack of an Immortal Lord to annihilate them.

When Wei Yuan entered the grotto-heaven fragment, Xu Shiqi had genuinely intended to kill him. Had it not been for the fact that Wei Yuan possessed Yin Yang, he would likely have perished already. Although the man had passed his sword legacy to him afterward, Wei Yuan was certain that Xu Shiqi had genuinely intended to kill him at that moment.

There had to be some other setup on the Xu Clan youngsters. He just didn’t know what it was or when it would trigger.

The more Wei Yuan thought about it, the more uneasy he became. So, he took out a tortoise shell and pierced it with the Crimson Night Slayer of Immortals. With a crack, the shell shattered into pieces, and for a fleeting moment, Wei Yuan thought he saw fresh blood oozing from the broken edges.

This omen was not recorded in the texts, but his intuition told him that it was not a good sign.

Wei Yuan stepped out of his room and looked up at the sky. It was nearly dusk; the sky was filled with fiery red clouds, and the setting sun was both large and crimson. On the other side, a full moon had already risen into the sky, vying for brilliance against the sun.

Beyond.

In some unknown place, all manner of strange and inexplicable phenomena were constantly unfolding.

Indescribable murmurs echoed through the Void. Though their meaning was unknown, they possessed the power to drive someone mad. If these murmurs persisted for even a short while, the earth would crack, mountains would collapse, and great lakes would mysteriously dry up.

In the Void, countless worlds constantly emerged and intertwined with one another, distorting everything beyond recognition. A giant eagle with ten talons dove from the sky, tearing a colossal serpent on the ground into pieces, but immediately afterward, a headless giant swung a massive axe and severed its wings.

A mountain suddenly materialized in the sky, crushing everything into a thin sheet. Then, the rocks rolled back and coalesced into a colossal stone beast, swaying as it rose into the heavens.

These bizarre and fantastical scenes kept unfolding everywhere. Immortals and monsters clashed against each other in a chaotic melee while voids appeared at every moment like drifting black silk ribbons, sweeping away anything in their path and causing them to vanish into thin air.

Countless worlds were born and destroyed. Innumerable beings fought to the death without regard for their own lives.

At either end of this Heaven and Earth stood two towering figures, so immense that they defied description—even a mountain range that spanned 10,000 zhang still wouldn’t be longer than a single finger of theirs. They sat facing each other as countless worlds were born in one moment only to be annihilated in another.

Everything—whether tangible or intangible—was distorted and ever-changing. It was impossible to say when they would be destroyed. Some had existed for a long time, such as the headless giant; while others could survive only for an instant, like the giant serpent that had been ripped to shreds.

All manners of strange and inexplicable entities were being born from the Void. Formless and insubstantial, they were nonetheless extremely dangerous—so much so that even the two immortals had been forced to shift their positions several times.

This was the war of immortals—a clash between countless races, and a confrontation between innumerable worlds.

One immortal possessed an ancient, dignified countenance, yet the aura surrounding him carried an unmistakable air of decay and ruin. The worlds he summoned were mostly desolate wastelands plagued by poison or filled with thunder and fire. The creatures born within these worlds were all ferocious, vicious, twisted, and grotesque.

The other immortal, however, was enveloped in pure qi. Wave after wave of crimson suns rose ceaselessly around him, and countless ancient races—long since extinct—kept surging forth from the Void to engage his opponent in battle.

Though the number of worlds under his command lagged far behind, each one was teeming with seemingly boundless vitality. For instance, the headless giant wielding an axe had already shattered countless desolate realms.

The younger immortal spoke up, “Brother Wangu, the outcome has already been decided. Why do you still persist?”

His voice shook Heaven and Earth. With just one sentence, dozens of desolate wastelands were shattered and reduced into nothingness.

The older immortal seemed to be in a deep slumber. It took him a moment to open his somewhat clouded eyes and said slowly, “This body is already in a shattered state anyway. What’s the point of clinging to life for a couple more years? I’d rather trade it for something valuable... such as your life, Brother Pei!”

At that last sentence, his voice suddenly became world-shattering!

A crack split open between the older immortal’s eyebrows, and an indescribable beam of sword light streaked across an unimaginable distance. Stretching from one end of the starry sky to the other, it struck directly at the immortal opposite him!

With a single strike, more than half of the great suns surrounding the younger immortal was extinguished, and half of his worlds were reduced to ashes.

The younger immortal raised his eyebrows and sighed. “Why go to such lengths? If we fight to the death, it will only benefit the foreign races in the end.”

Countless cracks appeared on the older immortal’s body, and a ferocious snarl split across his features. “Like I care if the world is swept away by a flood after my death!”

Another beam of sword light burst forth across the sky, instantly obliterating all of the great suns. The headless giant fought back with all his might, but he ultimately vanished in the torrent of sword light.

The younger immortal’s form grew slightly more transparent, and immediately, several bizarre existences slithered out of the Void, winding their way toward him.

The older immortal’s body shattered into pieces, turning into a pile of rocks.

Suddenly, all of the rocks burst into flames and transformed into pillars of fire powerful enough to consume the world. From the raging inferno emerged a youth wielding a giant sword with eyes shining like the stars. A massive crystal was embedded between his eyebrows.

The youth let out a loud, booming laugh and declared, “Didn’t see this coming, did you? This old man has pulled off a masterstroke! I am reborn, and my lifespan continues!”

Another flash of sword light obliterated all of the worlds. The space between the two immortals was now completely empty, and the young immortal’s body had already dissipated by more than half.

With the giant sword slung over his shoulder, the youth roared, his voice shaking the cosmos. “Pei Tinghai, you have chosen your own demise by blocking my path! Today you shall perish right here!”

Just as the giant sword reached its highest point, it came to a sudden halt. However, its sword intent continued to surge boundlessly, drawing even those strange and inexplicable entities into the sword and transforming them into part of the sword intent!

At that moment, all directions of this boundless cosmos revolved around this sword as their axis!

Immortal Tinghai remained utterly unafraid, though. Countless great suns rose around him as he declared, “I may perish, but there will still be those in the Palace of Absolute Beginning who will embark on the path to immortality and pass down our legacy for eternity! You, on the other hand, have set aside the great cause of the human race for your own selfish gains. You do not deserve to be called an immortal! Are you not afraid that you would be reviled and shamed by future generations for all eternity?”

The youth burst into laughter. “History is written by the living!”

“Heaven and Earth bear witness to it all!”

“That is something I’ll have to worry about in the future, but your path to immortality ends today! Behold this sword—The Three Armies Grow Weary!” Xu Wangu, having gathered all of his power, brought his sword down in a single strike!

Just as the sword was about to strike, all the memories, true intent, and legacy contained within that strike suddenly began to vanish bit by bit. It was as if an invisible hand were wiping them away from the youthful immortal’s primordial spirit!

A crack suddenly appeared in the crystal on his forehead, and the giant sword in his hand became stained with rust. The sword energy he had gathered rebounded, instantly inflicting severe injuries upon himself!

Xu Wangu was both shocked and enraged, but no matter how hard he tried, the strike ultimately vanished into thin air, as if it had ever existed at all. The half-volume of the Myriad Vicissitudes Sword Canon originally contained four sword techniques. Now, only three remained.

1. It’s literally been going on since what, chapter 100? Lol. ☜

2. Eighteen. Xu Shiqi was Seventeen, so... you get the idea. :D ☜