Chapter 459: A Sword Beyond Life or Death, a Dao That Reaches the Heavens

The Demon Suppression Great Daoist raised his sword once again.

His tall figure stood beneath the blood red heavens, his white hair fluttering in the wind as his tattered robes swayed around him.

His body was already approaching its limits.

His life essence was almost entirely depleted, his Nascent Soul had become exceedingly dim, and the principles of the Dao he had spent hundreds of thousands of years comprehending were on the verge of complete disintegration.

Yet, he continued to stand tall in the sky.

Countless gazes were fixed upon that solitary figure.

Among them were the surviving cultivators of the Lower Realm, the ancient powerhouses who had once stood at the summit of their respective eras, and the younger generation who had only recently begun their journeys towards immortality.

Most of those gazes were blank, but some of them contained complex emotions indescribable in words.

Tian Yun watched in silence.

His expression was calm, but his eyes contained emotions that even he found difficult to describe.

He had entered Kunlun Divine Mountain more than a hundred thousand years ago in his present life.

At that time, the Demon Suppression Great Daoist had already been an established Half Immortal, an existence whose reputation had spread throughout the Second Great Mortal World.

For countless generations, the old man had guarded Kunlun Divine Mountain, watching over its disciples and protecting the peace of the Mortal World.

And now, after more than five hundred thousand years of cultivation, he was burning away the final remnants of his life to resist the Upper Realm.

Perhaps, in the eyes of those Immortals, his efforts were meaningless, and even if he managed to kill his opponent, another Upper Realm powerhouse would immediately step forward to replace him.

But the Demon Suppression Great Daoist did not seem to care.

Li Daoming stood among the surviving cultivators, his hands clenched tightly.

He had seen too many deaths during the Cleansing.

He had witnessed the fall of ancient powerhouses, the destruction of sects, and the slaughter of countless beings who didn’t even possess the strength to understand what the Upper Realm truly was.

By now, even grief had become something distant.

Yet, watching the Demon Suppression Great Daoist continue to fight, he felt a faint ache deep within his heart.

Was this what it meant to be a cultivator of the Lower Realm?

To stand against an enemy who could crush you with a casual gesture, knowing full well that you would probably die, yet refusing to retreat because there was no one else left to stand in your place?

The Demon Suppression Great Daoist’s sword flashed once again.

His opponent retreated several steps, a fresh wound appearing across his chest.

The Upper Realm Perfect Half Immortal’s expression darkened.

He had already exchanged hundreds of blows with the old man.

At the beginning, he had treated the battle as little more than an amusing diversion.

A dying Half Immortal of the Lower Realm?

What threat could such a person possibly pose?

Yet, as time passed, his initial amusement gradually disappeared.

The old man’s movements were becoming slower, his aura was growing weaker, his hair had turned completely white, and the light in his eyes had begun to fade.

Everything indicated that he was approaching death, and yet, every time the Upper Realm cultivator believed the battle was about to end, the old man would raise his sword once again.

Every time he was knocked backwards, he would struggle to his feet, and every time blood spilled from his mouth, he would wipe it away and continue advancing.

It was as though the concept of surrender simply did not exist within his mind.

The Upper Realm cultivator’s expression grew increasingly ugly.

Why?

Why was this old man still standing?

Why would he not just accept his death?

What meaning was there in fighting when the outcome had already been decided?

The Upper Realm possessed superior cultivation techniques, superior resources, and countless prodigies who could easily crush the younger generation of the Lower Realm.

The difference between their worlds was enormous.

The Cleansing had already demonstrated that difference through the countless corpses scattered across the battlefield.

Yet, this old man continued to resist.

With every passing moment, the Upper Realm cultivator felt a growing sense of humiliation.

He was a Perfect Half Immortal!

Even in the Upper Realm, he was considered a formidable powerhouse among beings of the same realm under the Immortals!

How could he allow himself to be dragged into such a desperate battle by a dying old man of the Lower Realm?

His movements became increasingly erratic, his attacks grew more violent, and the Spiritual Energy surrounding him surged uncontrollably.

However, the Demon Suppression Great Daoist continued to raise his sword.

His swordsmanship was no longer as graceful as it had once been.

His movements were sluggish, and his body could barely withstand the recoil of his own attacks.

Yet, the Sword Intent within his blade remained unchanged.

The Upper Realm cultivator finally lost his composure.

"Why... won’t you just die?!"

His furious roar reverberated across the battlefield.

He raised both hands, gathering an overwhelming amount of Spiritual Energy before unleashing a devastating attack.

The surrounding space collapsed inch by inch as countless strands of Spiritual Energy converged into a gigantic palm that descended towards the Demon Suppression Great Daoist, threatening to obliterate everything in its path.

The surviving cultivators of the Lower Realm watched with widened eyes.

However, just as the enormous palm was about to engulf him, the Demon Suppression Great Daoist suddenly raised his head, a faint brilliance flashing through his eyes.

It was not the radiance of vitality returning to his body, nor was it the manifestation of some secret technique that could reverse his deteriorating condition.

It was something else entirely, something far more profound, something that made Jian Qi in the distance feel an uncontrollable tremor in his heart.

The Demon Suppression Great Daoist looked at the descending attack, slowly lowering his gaze towards the sword in his hand.

For an instant, his expression became strangely peaceful.

He was the Demon Suppression Great Daoist, and he had spent his entire life cultivating the Sword Dao.

If his life had to end, then let it end with his sword.

The old man’s eyes flashed, a terrifying Sword Qi suddenly erupting from the Dharma Artifact in his hand.

It was not particularly brilliant, and it did not contain the boundless Spiritual Energy that characterized the attacks of the Upper Realm cultivator.

However, it possessed a sharpness that seemed to transcend the distinction between life and death.

The descending palm shattered beneath that terrifying Sword Qi, causing the Upper Realm cultivator’s expression to freeze.

Before he could react, the Sword Qi surged towards him.

His pupils contracted violently as he attempted to retreat, but it was already too late.

The Sword Qi passed through his body and continued forward, cutting through his Nascent Soul and annihilating the very foundations of his existence, obliterating it into nothingness.

The Upper Realm cultivator stood motionless for an instant, his expression still frozen in disbelief.

The next moment, his body split apart.

His Nascent Soul disintegrated, and his aura vanished completely.

Countless gazes widened in disbelief, and even the Vagrant Immortals of the Upper Realm could not help but turn their attention towards the battlefield.

For a moment, none of them spoke.

They could clearly sense it.

The Demon Suppression Great Daoist was already dead.

His life essence had been exhausted, his Nascent Soul had perished, and the principles of his Dao had completely disintegrated.

There was no vitality left within his body.

Yet, that final sword was still unleashed.

It was a sword strike that no longer belonged to the realm of life or death, a Sword Dao that reached the heavens.