Chapter 742: Heaven-Soaring Sword Dao

“The sword is the gentleman among weapons, but it is also their overlord!”

‘The Dao of the Sword is like the sea embracing all rivers. It contains the Aurora Sword Dao, which specializes in speed. It’s said that when some masters of the Aurora Sword Dao strike, their opponents die without ever seeing a trace of the blade. Then there is the most peculiar Life Sword Dao. Those who cultivate this path will never take a life. If they ever kill any living thing, their Heart of Swordsmanship will shatter!’

‘The Yin Yang Sword Dao emphasizes defense above all else. With Yin and Yang fused, blending hard and soft, its defenses are nearly impossible for an ordinary person to breach!’

‘But… none of these are the Sword Dao I want…’

Jiang Chen firmly seized the flash of insight that had just flickered through his mind.

Following this thread of inspiration, he began to develop the Sword Dao that was most suited for him.

‘Focus on speed? Defense? Or perhaps the path of trickery? No. If I am to cultivate the Sword Dao, I must walk the path of the absolute strongest.’

Strands of Sword Qi slowly began to dance uncontrollably around Jiang Chen’s body.

They moved like lively, vivid sprites.

If I am to walk a path, it will be the strongest one!

The Strongest Sword Dao!

The Black Emperor had once told Jiang Chen that the Strongest Sword Dao required the fusion of nine great Mystical Techniques—Earth, Fire, Water, and Wind; Light; Darkness; Life and Death; Time; and Space—to forge the ultimate path.

Jiang Chen had wondered at the time, if the goal was to fuse numerous principles, why not the more the better? Why specifically these nine?

The Black Emperor’s answer was the difficulty of fusion.

Throughout the ages…

From the primordial past when true gods walked the earth, to the ancient era of Demigods, and even into the present day.

Countless geniuses of the Sword Dao have attempted to fuse even more principles.

But they ultimately discovered…

Only these nine principles could be successfully fused together.

Attempting to fuse any other principles would only make one’s Sword Dao convoluted and impure, leading to a disordered Sword Heart. Thus, the Strongest Sword Dao—the fusion of the nine Sword Dao Secrets of Earth, Fire, Water, and Wind; Light; Darkness; Life and Death; Time; and Space—was a path forged through the research and practice of countless predecessors.

‘True strength isn’t found by simply following a path laid out by others. Every ultimate path is one you must pioneer for yourself, walk with your own two feet. It must be the Sword Dao that is most suited for you!’

Jiang Chen took a deep breath, feeling himself slowly approaching the gate to his own Strongest Sword Dao. ‘I possess the Chaos Bloodline, capable of forging any Mysterious Technique. For others, the Dao of Laws of these nine principles is an immense shackle they can never transcend. But for me, it is different. The Sword Dao I will walk shall be the most comprehensive, a Sea of All Rivers, the Strongest Sword Dao!’

His eyes snapped open.

Two terrifying beams of light erupted from within his pupils.

The path to the Strongest Sword Dao had already materialized in his mind. ‘The Celestial Dao is powerful and revered—so much so that not even Demigods dare to profane it. This is because all Daos in the world fall under its domain; the Celestial Dao encompasses all. My Dao, then, must be a Dao that rivals the heavens. I will even transcend the omnipotent Celestial Dao itself.’

BOOM!

An incredibly terrifying Sword Qi erupted from his body. The Mystical Lights of eight great principles—Earth, Fire, Water, and Wind; Darkness; Light; Yin and Yang; and Time—materialized around him.

It coalesced into a Sword Qi Storm.

The Sword Qi Storm grew larger and more terrifying, surging outward in all directions.

It scattered the experts who were meditating on the Sword Bone. Some were sent tumbling, others had their meditation violently interrupted and coughed up blood. A few cultivators sitting by the lake were blown directly into the water, emerging like drowned rats.

For a moment…

All the experts in the garden glared with fury.

Icy, predatory glares fell upon Jiang Chen. The cultivators gritted their teeth, wishing they could tear him limb from limb. However, Yiluo and Beitang Fengyun immediately moved to shield him. Remembering the lesson learned from Ximen Yu’s previous encounter, no one dared to act rashly.

From the seat of honor, Princess Luohua’s eyes shone as she stared intently at Jiang Chen, a peculiar expression on her face. ‘What a bizarre Sword Dao… Could he truly be comprehending a Supreme Sword Dao from the Sword Bone?’

“Good heavens, it’s this guy again? Just what Sword Technique is he trying to comprehend?”

“Don’t tell me he actually managed to comprehend the Ancient Sword Dragon’s Dragon Sword Dao?”

“That should be impossible. Only the five Six Extremes Geniuses would have any hope of comprehending the Dragon Sword Dao…”

Seeing no way to retaliate against Jiang Chen, the crowd could only watch from the sidelines.

「At the same time…」

The commotion also attracted the attention of the five individuals in the Lake Heart Pavilion.

Ximen Jinlian’s eyes flashed, her gaze on Jiang Chen filled with astonishment. ‘That brief wisp of Sword Dao aura actually made my heart tremble. What in the world is he comprehending?’

Nangong Weiwo said nonchalantly, “No matter what he’s doing, he’s no match for the Young City Lord and Beitang Jian.”

“Agreed.”

Dongfang Qinglong crossed his arms and nodded.

As the top prodigies of Coastal City, they were well aware of how terrifying Sima Lingkong and Beitang Jian were. Both specialized in the Sword Dao, one following the Dao of Sword Control, the other the path of Human-Sword Unity. Their combat strength was on par with, if not greater than, some experts from the older generation!

「Time flowed on.」

Within the entire garden, only three people remained meditating on the Sword Dao: Jiang Chen, Sima Lingkong, and Beitang Jian.

A surging Sword Intent rose from each of the three men.

Each of the three Sword Intents was unique.

Sima Lingkong followed the Dao of Sword Control. His Sword Intent contained innumerable sword phantoms, like the myriad stars in the Celestial Vault, twinkling brilliantly in a dazzling, dreamlike display.

These countless sword phantoms formed a pillar of light that shot into the sky.

The pillar of light was hundreds of yards tall!

But soon, the light of Sima Lingkong’s Sword Dao was forcefully suppressed by Beitang Jian.

Beitang Jian walked the path of Human-Sword Unity. He himself was the sword, nurturing a blade within his own flesh, blood, and soul.

His Sword Intent soared into the sky, transforming into a supreme Sword Demon!

Its terrifying sword might assailed the Nine Heavens.

The light of his Sword Dao stretched nearly a thousand yards high, rivaling that of Sima Lingkong and even subtly suppressing it.

The terrifying sword might made the very heavens and earth tremble. Within the garden, every flower, blade of grass, and tree bowed low. Though there was no wind, they shivered as if in reverence.

The water in the lake began to sizzle as if it were boiling.

Fish in the lake went belly-up, floating lifelessly on the surface.

Everyone was utterly shocked.

If simply meditating on the Sword Dao could create such a terrifying display, how powerful would Sima Lingkong and Beitang Jian be in a real fight?

Some of Beitang Jian’s admirers exclaimed, “Beitang Jian is definitely the number one Sword Dao genius in Coastal City!”

“You could even call him the number one Sword Emperor!”

The experts from the Beitang Clan looked on with immense pride.

However, that pride didn’t last long.

“My Sword Dao shall be unparalleled in this world. It will be called the Heaven-Soaring Sword Dao—a sword that soars through the heavens!” A calm yet resonant voice spoke. It was as if a taboo had been broken; the heavens and earth trembled, and a terrifying mass of clouds instantly formed, obscuring the entire sky above Coastal City.

BOOM!

An incomparably terrifying Sword Intent solidified into the phantom of a Holy Sword. Had Jiang Chen opened his eyes, he would have seen that this phantom was identical to the God-slaying Sword!

RUMBLE!

One hundred yards!

One thousand yards!

Ten thousand yards…

The light of the Sword Dao emanating from Jiang Chen shot up a full ten thousand yards. The phantom of the Holy Sword, which looked just like the God-slaying Sword, stood suspended in the air, piercing straight into the clouds, as if challenging the Celestial Vault itself for supremacy!

The moment this pillar of Sword Dao light appeared, both Sima Lingkong’s Dao of Sword Control and Beitang Jian’s Human-Sword Unity shattered instantly, utterly suppressed.

At that moment, all of Coastal City trembled!