First Immortal of the Sword

Chapter 2397 – What It Means to Be a Saber Cultivator

The Angler’s brow was tightly furrowed. He could tell that if he didn’t make a decision quickly, the Butcher was sure to attack.

“Sometimes, I wonder if it’s been too long since I last attacked. It seems people have started taking me for a pushover!” murmured the Angler.

Boom!

The Butcher attacked again without hesitation, saber swinging.

Heaven and earth shook violently, and countless cracks appeared in the sky; it was shattering like glass.

As the Butcher’s attack flew forth, visions of carnage, warfare, and bloodshed appeared once more, enveloping heaven and earth. It was as if all of creation had transformed into purgatory, like a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood.

Madam Mei and the other divine ancient wraiths didn’t dare to hesitate. They immediately moved further away.

“I’ll give it to you!” The Angler’s pupils constricted, and he immediately tossed the sealed Blade of Heaven’s Loathing.

The Butcher laughed coldly, but his attack didn’t change in the slightest. It was still aimed directly at the Angler.

Clang!!

A blue fishing rod appeared in the Angler’s hands, but although it managed to block the Butcher’s strike, the impact forced him backward.

The Butcher reached for the Blade of Heaven’s Loathing, but before he could grab it, it slipped out of his grasp and vanished, like a fish yanked out of the water.

The Butcher’s eyelids twitched, and he retreated explosively.

Kcch!

A coin-sized, translucent hook silently shot through the place the Butcher had been standing in just moments prior, leaving a startling rift in the air. If the Butcher hadn’t dodged in time, that mysterious hook might well have ripped his throat open!

“I was just teasing you. You didn’t take it seriously, did you?” the Angler laughed coldly.

It was unclear when he’d done it, but he’d sealed the Blade of Heaven’s Loathing once more!

“Teasing?” the Butcher repeated expressionlessly.

The Angler smiled. “Of course, I hate nothing more than people who try to loot a burning house. You, Butcher, are no exception!”

“Then let’s play!” said the Butcher, attacking once more. His aura transformed, and his saber struck like lightning, flashing through the air.

Bang!!!

The Angler was sent flying.

His expression darkened, and without hesitation, he flung Mu Bai away.

Even his aura shifted, becoming deep and inscrutable. Countless contorted markings of the Grand Dao appeared around him.

This was the power of karma!

“You want to seize this saber? Go ahead and try it! Let’s see what you’re capable of!” said the Angler, his aura terrifying. He waved his fishing rod and took the initiative to attack the Butcher.

The Butcher laughed coldly, swung his saber, and met him head on.

Both were peak Undying Realm Master Gods. Each was more terrifying than the one before.

When the two of them clashed, it was sure to have an impact.

But, much to the onlookers’ astonishment, the Angler’s attack hit nothing but air.

Because the Butcher didn’t clash with him directly. Instead, he flashed over to Mu Bai’s side, then picked him up.

Madam Mei and the other ancient divine wraiths were flabbergasted.

The Angler was caught off guard. His brow furrowed. “What’s the meaning of this? Are you trying to trade that kid’s life for the Blade of Heaven’s Loathing? If so, all I can say is, you’re jumping to conclusions!

The Butcher said calmly, “You’re the one jumping to conclusions. His life matters more to me than the Blade of Heaven’s Loathing.”

“???” The Angler suddenly got the sense that he’d been tricked. The Butcher had most likely come to save Mu Bai right from the start; it had nothing to do with the Blade of Heaven’s Loathing!

This development left Madam Mei and the others stunned, too.

“What’s the meaning of this?” The Angler glowered. “Don’t tell me that you and Su Yi have long since been colluding, and that you’re here to save that kid on Su Yi’s orders?”

The Butcher’s eyes flashed with mockery. “Do you really think I’d collude with the man who severed my arm and destroyed two of my three souls?”

“But if you’re not here on Su Yi’s orders, why are you here?” frowned the Angler.

“You wouldn’t understand,” said the Butcher.

“…” The Angler was so furious that he almost launched into a slew of expletives, but in the end, he held back. “Does that mean that now that you have that kid, you don’t need the Blade of Heaven’s Loathing anymore?”

“No!” the Butcher said coldly. “Only that boy is qualified to wield the Blade of Heaven’s Loathing. I can’t let a contemptible old man like you get his grubby hands on it!”

With that, he tossed Mu Bai to the divine wraiths. “Take good care of him!”

The wraiths were instantly excited. They finally understood that the Butcher, as terrifying as he was, had come here to help them!

Off in the distance, the Angler’s expression was as dark as could you. “Do you realize that you’ve ruined my plans?”

The Butcher said with cold indifference, “I don’t know what you’re planning, or how you intend to use that kid. All I know is that if you don’t give up the Blade of Heaven’s Loathing today, you’ll suffer badly for it, and that’s assuming you even make it out alive!”

Boom!

He leaped through the air, saber swinging, as quick as lightning!

Immeasurably tyrannical saber qi seemed intent on cleaving through heaven and earth. It shook the heavens, its hums reverberating for ninety thousand miles!

The Angler was furious. He waved his fishing rod and attacked.

Both were among the mightiest existences in the God Domain. Even though they fought high in the sky, the aftershock was apocalyptic. It threatened to destroy entire swaths of landscape.

Over the course of the battle, the Angler tried to reclaim Mu Bai on multiple occasions, only for the Butcher to stand in his way each and every time.

The Butcher, meanwhile, had a heart as steady as iron, and his murderous intent practically boiled. He fought with all his might, giving no regard for his own life.

His valiance, courage, and unsurpassed divine majesty left Madam Mei and the others feeling almost suffocated.

But the Angler was no ordinary Nine-Tribulation Master God either. He neutralized the Butcher’s killer moves time and time again.

“The Angler cannot possibly defeat Senior Butcher!” Mu Bai said suddenly.

Madam Mei was stunned. “What makes you say that?”

Mu Bai said solemnly, “Senior Butcher’s saber gall is unequaled, and he has no fear of death, so he fights without reservations. That lets him unleash the full extent of his cultivation base.

“Old Man Providence isn’t actually weaker than Senior Butcher, and he has no lack of trump cards, but his heart is full of misgivings, and he doesn’t dare to fight without concern for his own wellbeing. In terms of momentum, he’s already lost.”

His words left Madam Mei and the other ancient divine wraiths stunned. They truly couldn’t imagine that they’d come from the mouth of a little fellow of the Immortal Dao.

They solemnly surveyed the battle, then discovered that it was indeed as Mu Bai said. Old Man Providence could contend with the Butcher, but his opponent had long since suppressed his momentum!

“Hahaha! Good kid! You’re quite perceptive. I really didn’t misjudge you!” The Butcher burst into laughter. He seemed incomparably delighted. “We saber cultivators cultivate our saber galls! Only then can you temper your saber force and saber majesty!

“But this is easier said than done. How many of the world’s so-called saber cultivators can truly maintain their fearless saber gall in the face of true peril? You can count them on their fingers!

“Those like you, who’ve learned equanimity in the face of death as early as the Immortal Dao, and who live without fear of anything at all, are even rarer! Not bad! Truly not bad!”

The Butcher’s expression was always cold and unyielding. He seldom spoke or smiled.

But when he heard Mu Bai’s analysis, he seemed to become a completely different person. There was no disguising the delight on his face!

The Angler’s expression was unsightly. He felt deeply humiliated. The Butcher is fighting me, but he’s still in the mood to compliment a junior!

But before long, he could no longer concern himself with such things. The Angler’s attacks were increasingly fierce and tyrannical. It seemed he was getting fired up, as he erupted with indescribable formless majesty, as if he’d gone insane.

“‘Saber’ and ‘Dao’ aren’t just homonyms. The saber is the ‘Dao!’

“Temper a fearless Dao Heart, fight violence with violence, and break through in the midst of combat. Your soul will remain even in death, and your spirit remains even in defeat!”

As the Butcher fought, he threw back his head and said contemptuously, “If a powerful foe stands before you, kill! If there’s a mental blockage in your heart, kill! If something blocks your path, kill! If your heart is full of indignation, kill!

“Who cares of the fucking skies fall or the earth caves in? Who cares what floods and disasters befall the world? You just have to maintain your saber gall, clean your blade regularly, cleave through all dangers before you, and prove your Dao!

“Without this kind of aspiration, how can you temper your edge or develop fearless courage?”

He spoke every word slowly and clearly, each syllable going off like a thunderclap and echoing throughout the night sky.

The Butcher’s momentum blazed like a furnace. It seemed he could refine the nine heavens and the ten earths. He was tyrannical, unfettered, and maddened!

As for the Angler? He was suppressed at every turn, his unsightliness on full display.

Everyone was astonished, and all of them were intimidated.

Mu Bai looked thoughtful. The Butcher’s words echoed through his heart, and a long time passed before he managed to calm himself.

When he looked at the Butcher, he felt as if he could see the dim outline of the very path he was striving for!

It was as if a flood of revelations watched over him, granting him instant enlightenment. He stood there in a daze, saying nothing at all.

Boom!!

Beneath the dome of heaven, the Angler retreated explosively. A muffled grunt escaped his lips.

A saber wound appeared on his chest. His flesh was torn open and gushing blood.

But at the same time, a bloody wound appeared on the Butcher’s back. This was the work of the Angler’s fishing rod.

But the Butcher didn’t care. He just attacked once more.

His momentum was just too powerful and too domineering. He bore down on heaven and earth, throwing everything into upheaval. The sky itself split and collapsed.

There was blazing saber qi and shocking murderous intent all over the place.

Even the Blade of Heaven’s Loathing, which the Angler gripped and sealed, seemed agitated. It rumbled and clanged in the Angler’s grip, struggling with all its might to break free.

It was, after all, one of the Nine Mysteries of Chaos. It was the second of the nine, and the most terrifyingly murderous among them.

The sixth of the Nine Mysteries of Chaos, the Book of Karma, had been strong enough to make the Dipankara Buddha’s avatar of will suffer a major setback. How could the Blade of Heaven’s Loathing have been any weaker?

When it struggled, the Angler had no choice but to divert his attention to suppress it.

But diverting your attention in the middle of fierce combat was unquestionably a major taboo.

The Butcher was a terrifying existence who’d fought countless times in his life. He immediately seized the opening, leaped into the fray, and dealt the Angler a heavy blow with his fist!

Clang!!!

A deafening impact rang out, and the Angler’s fishing rod almost flew from his grip.

His expression finally shifted. He extracted himself from battle and tried to retreat.

But how could the Butcher possibly let him escape? He didn’t hesitate to give chase, attacking in a mad flurry, like an avalanche or tidal wave!

The Angler was repeatedly forced back. He almost couldn’t fight back!

“You just wanted this blasted saber, right? Here, take it!” roared the Angler as he flung the Blade of Heaven’s Loathing.

The Butcher caught it, and was just about to give chase, when….

Kcch!

That mysterious, crystalline hook appeared once more, ripping through the sky and flashing with lethal light.

The Butcher’s pupils constricted, and he swung the saber furiously.

In the earlier battle, the Angler had used this treasure to block many of his killer moves. It was extraordinarily terrifying.

“Butcher! You’ve ruined my plans. You’ll pay for this another day!!” the Angler spat, then turned to leave. It would have been obvious to anyone that the founder of the Divine Court of Providence was furious and unwilling to accept this.

The Butcher furrowed his brow, then paused in place and didn’t give chase.

He didn’t need to, as it was then that a tall, upright figure appeared soundlessly out of nowhere to intercept the Angler’s path!