Chapter 623: Blossoming and Bearing Fruit

The Sword Intent inherited from the jade wall was not a mere interpretation of celestial phenomena.

Instead, it worked by changing the seasons of the world, guiding the circumstances to use a sliver of power to create a grand and miraculous celestial spectacle.

This kind of True Intent was a branch of the Time Path, involving the application of the Power of Time.

Had it been any other Sword Cultivator, no matter how long they trained, they would have likely been going in the completely wrong direction, failing to grasp this sword’s True Intent.

Only Bai Zichen, who had already stepped onto the Time Path himself, could be so perceptive and discover the true essence of the Sword Intent.

He gently unleashed Splendid Youth. A warm spring breeze swept by, and a scorching white light blazed in the sky.

The season shifted from the Spring Equinox to the height of summer. The temperature on Qii Mountain soared, and chunks of ancient ice that had not melted for millennia shattered and fell from the cliffs.

After so many years of cultivating the Sword Dao, learning all kinds of Swordsmanship, and engaging in countless instances of Combat and sword duels, Bai Zichen had already formed his own Sword Dao.

However, it had all been crammed into the broad framework of the True Enlightenment Sword Techniques, never systematically codified.

After he switched to cultivating the Cave Profound Godslaying Sword Scripture, the greatest difference compared to his old Fire Dragon Returning Essence Scripture—aside from the efficiency of Refining Spiritual Energy—was that his Sword Dao path now felt as if a celestial gate had opened, providing him with clear guidance.

He felt a deep urge, a desire to express his own Sword Dao through an entirely new style of Swordsmanship.

This battle against Qu Yang was the perfect opportunity.

The Ten Thousand Years Snow Lotus had turned the tables, taking over Qu Yang’s body. The immense power it could now wield was virtually indistinguishable from that of a Late-Stage Nascent Soul Cultivator.

And yet, without the augmentation of a Grotto Heaven Prototype, it was still a considerable distance from becoming a true Great True Monarch.

Such an opponent was the perfect target for testing his sword, allowing the Swordsmanship that existed only in his imagination to be forged in the crucible of real combat.

The summit of Qii Mountain trembled. The sound of countless vines tearing like silk could be faintly heard as the Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi swirled madly around the peak. A massive dark figure rose from the mountain.

The sky went dark, plunging everything into the deepest night. Huge hailstones began to fall violently, their sharp whistling the only sound as they tore through the air.

Even with their Defensive Arrays active, the three Floating Battleships were battered by the hailstones, and large holes were quickly punched through their protective light shields.

A few unlucky disciples lost their footing and fell screaming from the Floating Battleships.

Just as they prepared to retrieve their Flying Magical Artifacts or cast Sky-Controlling Techniques, they discovered in terror that their Magical Power had been sealed, rendering them unable to activate either.

Worse still, a powerful suction force emanated from Qii Mountain, pulling the three Floating Battleships uncontrollably toward it.

“This is bad! That Demonized Spirit Plant severed its own Spiritual Root to unleash its Ten Thousand Years of Spirit Power all at once! It’s creating an effect similar to Grotto Heaven Power!”

Shi Chengdong cried out anxiously as an Eight Trigrams Diagram appeared in his hand, arresting the fall of one of the Floating Battleships.

He then flew out, his Realm manifesting behind him. It took the form of mountains of books, from which the clear, resonant sound of recitation echoed.

Specks of milky white light drifted from the book mountains, causing Shi Chengdong’s figure to grow tall and imposing as he thrust his palms upward.

The second Floating Battleship shuddered violently, emitting a harsh, scraping sound. A large number of War Magical Artifacts tumbled from its deck, plummeting like kites with severed strings.

The book mountains shattered one after another until a final, golden scripture managed to withstand the immense force, sparing the Floating Battleship the same fate as the War Magical Artifacts.

“The mind’s regulation of righteousness is measure; its illumination of all directions is clarity… The teachings of the Saint are what this disciple relies upon.”

Le Zheng was no slower to act than Shi Chengdong. As he murmured the words, a jade-green flame shot out from his chest.

It moved unhurriedly, possessing neither scorching heat nor the tyrannical power of a blazing sun. Yet, it cast a swathe of light across the dark world, radiating a gentle, heart-warming power.

The jade-green flame shone upon the third Floating Battleship, and the suction force from Qii Mountain unexpectedly vanished. The vessel stabilized, resuming normal operations in the sky.

‘Thank goodness we left this troublesome opponent to Bai Zichen. Otherwise, the Celestial Principle Sect would have suffered another disastrous defeat at Qii Mountain!’

Shi Chengdong and Le Zheng exchanged a look, a similar thought occurring to both of them.

‘Given the power displayed by the Ten Thousand Years Snow Lotus, if the Celestial Principle Sect had underestimated it and advanced rashly, they would most likely have been ensnared. It was debatable whether the two Nascent Soul True Monarchs could have escaped, but as for the Cultivators aboard the three Floating Battleships, it was certain that none would have survived.’

“When Bai Zichen makes his move, we’ll use the opportunity to fall back another hundred miles… That Snow Lotus right now is as strong, if not stronger, than a Great True Monarch. We can’t afford to be careless.”

While Shi Chengdong was relieved to have dodged a bullet, he immediately began to worry whether Bai Zichen could handle the situation.

Hailing from the Central Domain, he knew the power of a Great True Monarch like the back of his hand; it was, after all, the very goal he was striving for.

The Sword Intent Bai Zichen had displayed earlier was stunning, to be sure, and it just so happened to perfectly counter the Snow Lotus’s Innate Divine Ability.

But that didn’t prove that the Flying Sword in his hand could reliably defeat a Great True Monarch.

…

‘Darkness, extreme cold, and the gravitational pull of the earth.’

Bai Zichen felt the Swordsmanship in his heart crystallizing, growing so clear that it felt like an irrepressible, surging power about to burst forth.

He slowly raised the Ziwei Dazzling Thunder Sword and swung a silent, traceless strike into the oppressive darkness.

A pillar of thunderous light shattered the darkness, allowing outside light to pour in. Bathed in the mix of sunlight and Thunder Radiance, the dark figure on the mountain was revealed: a gigantic Snow Lotus.

“White Dew. Autumn Equinox. A time for harvest, a day for fruition.”

With another strike of his sword, the world shifted from absolute darkness to brilliant light in just a few breaths.

Bai Zichen’s sword carried a Sword Intent of thriving life—of growth, of flowering and fruition—that instantly dispersed all the lingering gloom.

The Snow Lotus could not withstand the blow. The darkness lost its power to shroud the world, shattering like glass to reveal a new world behind its broken fragments.

A furious roar erupted from the dark figure. The Snow Lotus’s blossoms bloomed and wilted in an instant, its petals folding and curling inward as its roots and stem withered. The entire plant, whose tendrils had once covered a whole mountain peak, condensed in a fraction of a second into a single, gray lotus seed.