Cultivation: When you take things to the extreme

“Heavenly Thunder Double Swords?”

“Excellent Sword Artifact!”

“But alas… casting pearls before swine!”

Xiao Zhang smiled faintly, and with his sword, winds and thunder ensued, revealing a medium-grade Immortal Sword to face the Sky Strike Thunder Flame directly.

Even within the Immortal Sect Holy Land, Superior Immortal Implements were treasures, possessed only by Mahayana True Immortal or the Saint Lord.

Although he was of noble birth and wealth, he had not yet succeeded as the Sword Master, hence his sword was still a Medium-Grade Immortal Artifact, which seemed slightly inferior to the Heavenly Thunder Double Swords.

Yet the man was not inferior to his tool; Xiao Zhang drew his sword and with a flick, the Wind Thunder Sword Momentum exploded, affecting the Heavenly Earth Prime Spirit, enhancing the sharpness of his sword momentum, stealing the radiance of all ten directions.

It was indeed the method of the Heavenly Sword!

What is the Heavenly Sword?

Ordinary people only know that to dual practice Thunder Series and Swordsmanship, combined with the art of Formation, is to follow the Mana Point of the Heavenly Sword, but that is a rudimentary understanding.

Heavenly Sword, Heavenly Sword, the Heavenly Dao turns into a sword, the Sword Dao becomes the heavens!

The Heaven Sword Cultivator must replace the will of the heavens with their own heart, their intent with the will of the heavens, such that when the sword is drawn, heaven and earth are moved; when the sword is drawn, the Great Dao responds!

What wind thunder, what sword momentum, those are merely superficial, they’re just skillful means. The true core of the Righteous Way of Cultivation of the Heavenly Sword lies in the control and dominion over heaven and earth.

Xiao Zhang, too, is a Heaven Sword Cultivator, and at this moment his sword momentum is displayed, seizing the power of heaven and earth, transforming it into his own strength.

With such a sword momentum unleashed, the balance swiftly shifted!

Both being Heaven Sword Cultivators, when the opponent seized the power of heaven and earth, adding the Prime Spirit of heaven and earth to himself, Li Cangwu was greatly weakened.

In response, Li Cangwu remained silent, simply clashed the Heavenly Thunder together, the two swords unified, turned into a dazzling ray of sword light, and slashed towards Xiao Zhang.

With such a sword strike, the opponent’s sword momentum was also affected; part of the power of heaven and earth was captured and added to the Sky Strike Thunder Flame.

This is the critical point of battle for Heaven Sword Cultivators, with the control and seizure of the scepter of heaven and earth; whoever has superior Swordsmanship, commands the power of heaven and earth, will have the upper hand.

Now, with the power of the Heavenly Thunder Double Swords, Li Cangwu slightly gained an upper hand and fiercely slashed towards Xiao Zhang.

Xiao Zhang, however, did not care. With a flick of his sword fingers, winds and thunder stirred anew, the sword momentum surged once again, clashing with the Sky Strike Thunder Flame.

“Boom!!!”

A loud blast sounded, metal clashed resoundingly, exploding with a thunderous roar.

The two paths of sword light met as if thunderclaps collided, causing shockwaves that rippled towards all corners of the realm.

“Rumble!”

With such a strike, the seas turned to thunder pools, and the wastelands to purgatories.

Although not witnessed up close by anyone, all observing the battle from afar would say this one strike could cause widespread destruction and innumerable casualties.

“This…”

“Is this the might of the Heavenly Sword?”

“Terrifying, so utterly terrifying!”

Everyone was startled, overwhelmed with shock.

Back in the arena, the two paths of sword light fought fiercely, like entangling Jiao Dragons, once again summoning the winds and thunder of heaven and earth.

Heavenly Sword versus Heavenly Sword!

Utilizing the power of his Sword Artifact, the Sky Strike Thunder Flame, Li Cangwu summoned the power of heaven and earth, originally holding a slight edge.

But Xiao Zhang achieved the unification of man and sword, surpassing even that, to regain control over the power of heaven and earth, forcing Li Cangwu back on the defensive.

This was the advantage of his Cultivation technique!

Although the Great Dao is manifold and all paths ultimately converge, before convergence, there are still differences, such are the dissimilarities in paths.

The Heavenly Sword technique is no different; although at its core lies the sovereign command over heaven and earth with a sword, there are many methods to achieve this, each varying in levels of superiority and effectiveness.

As a Nine Heavens Sword Disciple, a Heaven Sword Cultivator born into a Righteous Path lineage, Xiao Zhang’s Heavenly Sword technique was undoubtedly among the stronger ones.

His Swordsmanship, named Nine Heavens Imperial Thunder True Sword Skill, started with the mastery of Swordsmanship, then to the Thunder Series. Using the person to control the sword, the sword to command thunder, thunder to summon the heavens, thus attaining the authority of the Heavenly Sword, with the highest realm being where the human heart replaces the will of the heavens, ascending the Nine Heavens, with Divine Thunder under sword command!

That is the true Orthodox Heavenly Sword technique!

In contrast, Li Cangwu…

His Cultivation from the Southern Sea had no true Heavenly Sword heritage; his technique was cobbled together from various scattered Swordsmanship, Thunder Series, and Formations, lacking a coherent system.

As a result, it had taken him ten thousand years of arduous Cultivation to achieve some level of proficiency with the Heavenly Sword.

In comparison, Xiao Zhang, relying on the true Orthodox technique, had already reached an advanced level and was just one step away from the great achievement of the Heavenly Sword, a whole realm higher than Li Cangwu in Swordsmanship.

This one realm of difference…

“Rumble!”

As Xiao Zhang unified man and sword, his sword commanded the winds and thunder, and in the vast sky, only a dazzling sword light was seen, striking at his opponent relentlessly, all offense and no defense, no turning back, each move extremely fierce, pushing the enemy to the brink of death.

“Bang! Bang! Bang!”

The sound of clashing rang out, the Sky Strike Thunder Flame was forced back repeatedly, and Li Cangwu struggled to control his sword, his face pale.

The situation was clearly unfavorable.

Relying on the Righteous Way of Cultivation, Xiao Zhang, the Nine Heavens true Heavenly Sword, had seized control over the battlefield, commanding the majority of the scepter of this realm, using the Prime Spirit of heaven and earth for his purpose, dominating the momentum of heaven and earth.

Li Cangwu, with his impure technique and lower realm, could not compete for the scepter of heaven and earth, and had to compensate with his own Cultivation to ward off Xiao Zhang’s aggressive onslaught.

In such a predicament, at a severe disadvantage, he was caught in the rhythm of “the Orthodox technique defeating the heretical paths.”

How to reverse this? How to achieve victory?

No one knew, only gasps of astonishment were heard.

“This is…”

“The true Heavenly Sword?”

“The Ninth Heaven Sword Pavilion is indeed extraordinary!”

“Helped by heaven and earth, wind and thunder in unison.”

“True Monarch Cangwu…!”

“Even with the Heavenly Thunder Double Swords in hand, the advantage of the Sword Artifact cannot make up for the lack in your technique?”

The crowd exclaimed, their voices filled with fear and anxiety.

The Righteous Path and the orthodox schools, as distinct from the side paths and heretical schools, are as different as the heavens are from the abyss, as clouds are from mud.

Even someone as strong as Li Cangwu, the number one figure of the Southern Sea Unity, seems to dim before the Nine Heavens Sword Disciple, doesn’t he?

“Senior Brother!”

The people of the South Sea Sect stand together, yet their presence is sparse and insignificant, devoid of the grandeur of the number one sect of the Southern Sea.

In today’s battle, not only did the South Sea Sect fail to gather all its members, but most were absent, with only a few arriving to support Li Cangwu.

The reason behind this, of course, is…

Internal strife within the sect!

The same rice raises a hundred different kinds of people: some are generous and tragic, others are servile and obsequious.

The South Sea Sect is no exception; not everyone is willing to stand with Li Cangwu against the Ninth Heaven Sword Pavilion.

Therefore, such is the current situation: the sect leader fights for the sect, yet there is division within, with only a few willing to come forward to watch and cheer.

With such a situation, the sword’s momentum is unmatched, the people’s hearts are not united…

Is the outcome of this battle already decided?

“Boom!”

The sword fighting battlefield has turned into a prison of thunder.

The Nine Heavens Divine Thunder shines bright, while the Heavenly Sword’s edge sweeps across the battlefield.

Li Cangwu’s complexion is pale as he retreats steadily, and at this moment, his mind wanders far away, hearing the voices of those around him.

“The Ninth Heaven Sword Pavilion is truly extraordinary!”

“The sacred grounds of the Immortal Sect are shocking and astounding!”

“The Righteous Path and orthodox schools, as distinct from the side paths and heretical schools, are as different as the heavens from the abyss, as clouds from mud.”

“The South Sea Sect… has lost!”

“Senior Brother!”

“Cangwu…”

As his mind wanders, he sees inexplicable scenes: past loves and hatreds, tangles of affection, deep obligations to his master, and his own ambitions—all these past events suddenly emerge and coalesce into words.

“The Heavenly Sword Law, is indeed the Holy Tao!”

“To command the heavens and the earth, to control the hearts of people!”

“The heavens and earth are impartial, supremely just, devoid of self and selfishness, only the heart can control!”

“When the heart becomes the sword, it remains unyielding and unbending, connecting with the great momentum, and gaining the right to enter the Heavenly Dao!”

“Thus, the Sacred Emperor controls the hearts of people and commands the heavens and the earth…”

“The Way of Heaven, the Earth Path, the Human Sword, the Sword Heart, my heart, the public heart!”

“The Nine Rituals, the Three Talents, Xuanyuan Sword Control!”

Each word, like a dream, like dew, like lightning, like light.

In an instant, they appear, and in an instant, enlightenment!

If he fights for the Southern Sea, how can he bear the burden alone?

Can he garner the feeling of the heavens and earth, the hearts of the people?

“Bang!!!”

Li Cangwu suddenly pauses, his Thunderflame returns to his grasp, and he holds it aloft.

“Master, your disciple… understands now!”

With that proclamation of gratitude and understanding towards his master, his sword realm breaks through, and he gains enlightenment about the heavens, the earth, and human hearts.

Li Cangwu takes a deep breath; with Thunderflame in his hand, his intention disperses in all directions.

Suddenly…

“Buzz!”

The spectators feel a jolt in their hearts, an inexplicable tremor.

Then, the sound of sword chants resonate, and the clang of Sword Artifacts reverberates in all directions.

“This…”

“How can this be!?”

Everyone is astonished, feeling their swords and even the magical treasures stored within their bags trembling, almost flying out of their grasp.

“What is happening?”

The crowd is shocked and unsure of what to do.

Under the high sky, beneath the grand vessel, the members of the Ninth Heaven Sword Pavilion also change their expressions.

“A breakthrough in the sword realm?”

“How is that possible?”

“Sword Disciple…!”

Their complexions change, and they cry out in urgency.

In the midst of the battlefield, under the vast sky, Xiao Zhang also senses the change. Without a word, he unleashes the sword light.

He commands the Nine Heavens Divine Thunder, his Heavenly Sword threatening life.

However…

“Whoosh!!!”

As the wind arises, ten thousand swords come to life, responding to the hearts of the people.

The Prime Spirit of heaven and earth, the roaring waves of the vast ocean, the anger in people’s hearts…

All amalgamated into swords, instantly, ten thousand swords flow like a river, surging up to form a cold and imposing Heavenly Sword.

Nine Heavens Divine Thunder, the orthodoxy of the Heavenly Sword? Who isn’t orthodox!

The Xuanyuan Sacred Method, where human hearts merge into the Way, commanding heaven and earth.

With a breakthrough in the sword realm, there’s no longer any difference in cultivation.

As the gap in cultivation is bridged, the Sky Strike Thunder Flame reveals its might once more, joining the momentum of heaven and earth, and surging towards the Nine Heavens.

“Not good!!!”

Sensing the force of heaven and earth, a voice of alarm rises from the void, as the power of the Mahayana Immortal Spirit takes action in an instant, intending to intervene in the battlefield.

“Hmph!!!”

At the same time, from the sidelines, a cold snort resonates, a piercing sword light shoots up, boldly intervening in the fray.

In the high heavens, out of the void, another person cries out in alarm, suddenly revealing their presence: “Zhang Er!!!”

In an instant, movements burst from all directions, each entering the fray.

“Boom!!!”

Around the battlefield, from all sides, actions take place, while at the center, a climax of confrontation ensues.

The Sword of Divine Thunder ascends against the Nine Heavens, striking upwards.

Instantly, the Nine Heavens Divine Thunder shatters, the orthodox laws of the Heavenly Sword collapse, forcing out the figure of a person with a face full of panic.

At this critical moment, when victory and loss, life and death hang in the balance…

The Sword of Divine Thunder swerves aside!