Chapter 346 ·No Sect, No Master — A Sword Dao Madman

When Zhou Linghuan and the Sword Demon were still in shock at their own Dharma Manifestation Domains, Li Qingqiu remained calm. Although it was his first time fighting a great cultivator of the Heaven-Connecting Radiance Realm, he was not surprised by such a result.

Li Qingqiu raised the Supreme Sword and pointed it toward the Sword Demon.

With that single gesture, the five towering Dharma Manifestations at the edge of the earth all moved in unison—one held a sword, one raised a hand, one lifted a fist, one spread its arms wide, and one leaned forward.

As the five heaven-reaching Dharma Manifestations stirred, a terrifying pressure between heaven and earth surged toward the Sword Demon.

Standing behind Li Qingqiu, Zhou Linghuan also felt the oppressive force, even experiencing a suffocating sensation.

She was not even the target, yet she felt this way—let alone the Sword Demon.

At the instant that world-destroying pressure engulfed him, the Sword Demon’s Vital Energy and Sword Intent froze completely. He could not move. His eyes widened, his pupils trembling violently.

Within his vision, three hands and two fists expanded rapidly, filling his sight. For the first time in a long while, fear surged in his heart.

Boom—

The world in the Sword Demon’s eyes exploded, and his consciousness fell into a brief void.

Like waking from a nightmare, he suddenly opened his eyes. His legs went weak, and he dropped to his knees. One hand supported him on the ground as he gasped heavily. Beads of cold sweat rolled down his forehead, and his eyes were bloodshot.

At this moment, he was no longer the cold and arrogant figure from before. He looked utterly disheveled.

A sudden chill and slight sting came from his forehead. He instinctively raised his eyes and saw the tip of the Supreme Sword pressed against the center of his brow. Blood slid down along the blade’s tip, splitting into several streaks that made his originally handsome and pale face look tragic.

Li Qingqiu’s figure appeared in his eyes, his expression extremely complex.

He had lost—and completely so.

The opponent had defeated him effortlessly using only the Dharma Manifestation Domain.

As a sword cultivator, although his strongest method was not his Dharma Manifestation Domain, the fact that Li Qingqiu could shatter his domain using his own showed the overwhelming gap between them.

The Sword Demon opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but no words came out.

He was far too proud. Even in defeat, he refused to show weakness.

At this moment, anything he said would only seem laughable.

Thus, he simply stared at Li Qingqiu, waiting for death to arrive.

Li Qingqiu looked down at him, feeling that this man was different from Shen Yue. Though both were arrogant sword cultivators, Shen Yue merely liked to put on airs, while this man’s arrogance came from his very bones.

Behind them, Zhou Linghuan snapped back to her senses. When she saw the Sword Demon kneeling before Li Qingqiu, her mouth fell open.

It was already unbelievable that Li Qingqiu could win.

But the key was—he had won so easily. In just a single exchange, the Sword Demon was defeated.

Could he be an existence beyond the Heaven-Connecting Radiance Realm?

Zhou Linghuan looked at Li Qingqiu with admiration. The Sword Demon was no ordinary figure—within the Heaven-Connecting Radiance Realm, very few could match him. At least, she had never heard of him losing to anyone.

“Do you want to live?”

Li Qingqiu asked expressionlessly. The Clear Sky Sect was currently engaged in war with the Myriad Yin Sect. If they could gain another Heaven-Connecting Radiance Realm combatant, it would be a good thing.

Of course, subduing the Sword Demon would not be easy.

Faced with the question, the Sword Demon remained silent.

Li Qingqiu continued, “I’ll give you two choices. One, die now. Two, serve me. In the future, I’ll give you a chance to challenge me again.”

He still appreciated the Sword Demon. This man had not attacked sneakily; he had approached openly. Though he was the first to activate his Dharma Manifestation Domain, he had deliberately left time for Li Qingqiu to react.

At the very least, he acted with integrity.

Hearing this, the Sword Demon frowned. He did not fear death, but the thought of challenging Li Qingqiu again stirred his heart.

What he could not accept most was defeat.

His Sword Dao was not pure—he only wanted to win, to become the strongest.

“If you remain silent, I’ll take it as choosing the second path.”

Li Qingqiu withdrew his sword, flicked the blade, and sheathed it.

He did not treat the Sword Demon’s injuries. He believed the Sword Demon still had the ability to move.

He removed the scabbard and tossed it to him, saying, “From now on, carry my sword.”

The Sword Demon subconsciously caught the Supreme Sword and its scabbard. After gripping it, his expression turned stunned as he looked at Li Qingqiu in disbelief.

Li Qingqiu, however, turned and walked toward Zhou Linghuan.

When he reached her, she couldn’t help but ask, “Aren’t you afraid he’ll ambush you? Why give him your sword?”

She could tell that the Supreme Sword was far from ordinary—it contained extremely terrifying power.

Li Qingqiu smiled. “He’s not that kind of person.”

Although they were more than ten zhang away from the Sword Demon, he heard their conversation clearly.

He felt humiliated, yet he understood that if he dared to act, he would die instantly.

He did not fear death—but he truly wanted to challenge Li Qingqiu again. Not now, but in a stronger state.

He slowly stood up, holding the scabbard of the Supreme Sword.

“Rest for half an hour before we set off.”

Li Qingqiu glanced back at him with a smile. Having someone carry the Supreme Sword for him was quite convenient, after all—it was not small.

Ordinary people could hardly gain the recognition of the Supreme Sword, but the Sword Demon was different. The sword did not reject him or show disdain.

Of course, if Li Qingqiu developed killing intent, the Supreme Sword would instantly unleash terrifying Sword Intent and shred the Sword Demon to pieces.

The stronger Li Qingqiu became, the stronger the Supreme Sword became. The two were already bound as one—even in another’s hands, he could still control it.

“You saved me from the Sword Demon. When we reach the Great Xia Dynasty, I will repay you with ten million high-grade spirit stones.”

Zhou Linghuan said seriously.

Li Qingqiu was secretly astonished. Was the Heavenly Clear Immortal Sect really this wealthy?

Back in the Nine Provinces, he had not understood why that land was considered barren. Only after leaving did he realize—it truly lacked resources compared to the outside world.

The number of spirit stones Zhou Linghuan casually offered even surprised him as the Sect Master of the Clear Sky Sect.

Although the Sword Demon had not come specifically for Zhou Linghuan, Li Qingqiu still accepted her reward.

For the sake of the sect’s development, being a bit shameless didn’t matter.

“Alright.”

Li Qingqiu responded, then went to sit down and meditate.

Zhou Linghuan also found a place to sit, but her gaze would occasionally drift toward the Sword Demon in the distance as he healed.

Witnessing the Sword Demon being subdued by Li Qingqiu with her own eyes felt surreal. She even began to suspect whether this was a fake Sword Demon.

But the Dharma Manifestation Domain earlier had already proven otherwise. The terrifying Sword Intent still sent chills down her spine when she recalled it.

It could only be said—Li Qingqiu was too strong.

Looking at him, Zhou Linghuan felt full of curiosity.

Just what was the origin of this wandering cultivator?

…

After taking in the Sword Demon, Li Qingqiu and Zhou Linghuan encountered no further trouble along the way. They successfully escorted her to a city within the Great Xia Dynasty.

In the city, Zhou Linghuan found a stronghold of the Heavenly Clear Immortal Sect—it was a merchant’s residence. The master of the residence was extremely deferential upon seeing her.

That very day, Zhou Linghuan handed Li Qingqiu a Storage Pouch. After checking it, he confirmed there were indeed over ten million high-grade spirit stones inside—actually even more.

Truly outrageous.

Even such a residence could store such an enormous amount of high-grade spirit stones. His Spiritual Sense had already detected that the hidden cultivators within were roughly at Zhou Linghuan’s level.

Were they not afraid of being robbed?

Perhaps he had underestimated the strength of the Heavenly Clear Immortal Sect.

“Miss Zhou, let us part here. If fate allows, we will meet again.”

Li Qingqiu said with a smile, then turned to leave.

The Sword Demon, holding the Supreme Sword’s scabbard, turned as well and followed behind him.

Zhou Linghuan hurriedly asked, “Li Bai, will we really meet again in the future?”

The moment she said it, she regretted it. She had clearly decided to draw a clear line between them—why did she ask such a question?

The residence master beside her wore a strange expression.

Li Qingqiu simply waved his right hand without answering and walked out of the courtyard. The Sword Demon followed closely, glancing back as well.

Zhou Linghuan stood there, feeling a sense of loss.

Li Qingqiu did not linger. He quickly left the city and flew eastward.

The Sword Demon had already recovered some Vital Energy—enough to keep up with his flight speed.

Seeing that the number of disciples on the Dao Lineage Panel had not decreased abnormally, Li Qingqiu decided to spend two days searching for Shen Yue and Jiang Zhaoxia.

Unfortunately, this land was too vast—whether heading north or south, it was far larger than the Nine Provinces.

Two days later, finding nothing, Li Qingqiu gave up and returned toward the Clear Sky Sect.

He glanced at the Sword Demon flying beside him and said, “Actually, my name isn’t Li Bai. It’s Li Qingqiu, Sect Master of the Clear Sky Sect. Would you like to join the Clear Sky Sect?”

Holding the Supreme Sword, the Sword Demon asked indifferently, “What if I join? What if I don’t?”

“Then join.”

“…Mm.”

The Sword Demon agreed. He had no interest in Li Qingqiu’s background.

Li Qingqiu brought up the Dao Lineage Panel and found the Sword Demon’s profile.

【Name: Sword Demon】

【Gender: Male】

【Age: 298】

【Loyalty (to Sect Master / Sect): 12 / 0 (Max: 100)】

【Cultivation Aptitude: Outstanding】

【Comprehension: Transcendent】

【Fate Traits: Sword Dao Madman, Fond of Teaching, Proud and Unyielding】

【Sword Dao Madman: For the sake of his Sword Dao, he can pay any price and will always comprehend unique sword techniques of his own】

【Fond of Teaching: When encountering promising talent, he will offer guidance】

【Proud and Unyielding: Possesses overwhelming pride; when facing stronger enemies, he can unleash even greater strength】

…

What a luxurious panel!

Outstanding cultivation aptitude and transcendent comprehension—this was already comparable to Yuan Li.

Most importantly, he actually possessed the “Fond of Teaching” fate trait—Li Qingqiu had not noticed this at all.

This was an unexpected delight. If the Sword Demon were kept in the Sword Sect Hall, there might be pleasant surprises.

However, his loyalty was too low—he would still need to be won over.

Li Qingqiu couldn’t help but ask, “You’re just called Sword Demon? No real name?”

The Sword Demon replied indifferently, “No father, no mother, no sect, no master. No one gave me a name. I encountered a fortuitous opportunity and comprehended the Dao on my own. The world calls me Sword Demon, so that is what I am called.”

Self-comprehension of the Dao?

No wonder, even at nearly three hundred years old, he was still in the Heaven-Connecting Radiance Realm.

Li Qingqiu thought to himself that when the time was right, he could pass the Primordial Unity Scripture to the Sword Demon and see if it could accelerate his cultivation speed.