Chapter 314: Towering Sword Dao

[In the Western Desert Domain, following the retreat of the Human Race's Heavenly Monarchs, numerous cultivators withdrew.]

[Terrifying Demon Race entities galloped across the vast expanse of the Western Desert.]

["Kill, kill, kill!"]

[Like a tidal wave, the Demon Race scattered to every corner of the Western Desert. Whenever they encountered mortals who had not managed to retreat, they swallowed them whole. Whenever they came across un-detonated spirit veins, they devoured those in a single gulp as well.]

[In the center of the Western Desert, a Tier 5 Consummation demon monarch as massive as a mountain stood holding a Gray Giant Bow. Overlooking the living beings of the Human Realm, a cruel smile surfaced on his face.]

["My children, go destroy. Go slaughter."]

[This Tier 5 Consummation demon monarch was the descendant of a Demon Venerable. Possessing terrifying strength and wielding a Void Return level giant bow, his combat prowess could be considered among the strongest below the Demon Venerable realm.]

["Sword Lord, I just wonder if you can block an arrow of mine..."]

[As if thinking of something, the Tier 5 Consummation demon monarch turned his head toward the Soul Capital.]

[However.]

[The very next moment.]

[The Tier 5 Consummation demon monarch's expression changed drastically.]

[But before he could make a single move...]

[A Heavenly Sword descended from the sky, piercing him straight through from head to toe. His massive demonic body was torn apart, and his soul and consciousness were entirely obliterated. The colossal corpse crashed heavily to the ground, while the Gray Giant Bow was pinned down by the Heavenly Sword, rendered completely immobile.]

[The other nearby demon monarchs immediately looked at the Heavenly Sword embedded in the earth, the blood of that Tier 5 Consummation demon monarch still spilling beside it.]

[Whoosh—]

[Streaks of sword qi condensed upon the Heavenly Sword's blade. One streak gave birth to two, two to three, and three to infinity. In an instant, a storm of sword qi formed around the Heavenly Sword, rapidly sweeping out in all directions.]

[Facing the incoming storm of sword qi, the Demon Race experts were torn to shreds with basically no time to react. The demon monarchs could resist for a moment, but it was meaningless. With every few breaths, the range of the sword qi storm expanded by dozens of times, its power skyrocketing along with it.]

[In merely a few hundred breaths, more than half of the Western Desert Domain was engulfed by the sword qi storm. Countless demonic creatures and demon monarchs who had charged into the Human Realm were reduced to ash beneath its sweep.]

["What is this?"]

["I want to go back!"]

["Demon Venerable, save me!"]

[Countless Demon Race experts wailed in despair. Yet, swept up in the overwhelming storm of sword qi, they were inevitably crushed to dust.]

[The situation in the Northern Plains was exactly the same.]

[Just as countless demonic creatures were galloping in excitement, a Sword Sheath descended from the heavens. Following that, a mighty storm of sword qi formed with the Sword Sheath at its center, sweeping over every Demon Race entity across the Northern Plains.]

["Slash!"]

[A gigantic demon monarch wielding a massive axe stared at the approaching storm of sword qi and unleashed a full-force chop.]

[This axe strike indeed annihilated tens, even hundreds of streaks of sword qi. However, thousands upon tens of thousands of streaks immediately followed in an endless wave. They pierced right through this Tier 5 Consummation demon monarch—the very same one who had nearly severely injured Heavenly Monarch Three Saints. His mountain-like demonic body collapsed, and his soul and will were completely extinguished within the storm of sword qi.]

["What is that?"]

[Heavenly Monarch Yangfa, Heavenly Monarch Three Saints, and the others, who had already retreated to the Central Continent Territory, suddenly saw boundless sword qi crisscrossing through the Western Desert and Northern Plains, lands that had been left to the trampling of demonic creatures.]

[The terrifying sword qi continued to expand. Even from outside the Western Desert and Northern Plains, these two Deity Transformation Late Stage Heavenly Monarchs could feel a sharpness that pierced right into their souls. In a daze, they could also hear the tragic wails of countless demonic creatures.]

["Did the Sword Lord take action? Appearing in the Northern Plains and the Western Desert at the same time?"]

[Startled, Heavenly Monarch Yangfa and Heavenly Monarch Three Saints immediately looked toward the Soul Capital.]

[If the Sword Lord went to the Northern Plains or the Western Desert, what about the Soul Capital?]

[Compared to the Northern Plains and the Western Desert, the Soul Capital was far more important because it was located within the Central Continent.]

[If the Soul Capital were to fall for even a day, it would affect the entire situation. In the worst-case scenario, it might even sever the Human Realm's very last route of retreat.]

[Yet, when the two Late Stage Heavenly Monarchs looked at the Soul Capital, they found it incredibly peaceful. They couldn't sense the slightest trace of demonic aura.]

["Did the Sword Lord not leave the Soul Capital?"]

[Heavenly Monarch Three Saints and Heavenly Monarch Yangfa exchanged a glance, then looked back at the Western Desert and Northern Plains, which had already become slaughterhouses for demonic creatures. Confusion filled their hearts.]

[Even for a Deity Transformation Late Stage Heavenly Monarch, their divine sense could cover a radius of a million miles at most. However, the Soul Capital was located in the southern part of the Central Continent, hundreds of millions of miles away from the two Late Stage Heavenly Monarchs. Relying purely on a Heavenly Monarch's vague perception of the world, it was impossible to determine exactly what had happened over at the Soul Capital.]

[Moreover, the space of the Human Realm was heavily distorted wherever the dual-realm passages were located, making a Heavenly Monarch's perception easily obscured and deceived.]

["Hurry back to Ethereal Peak."]

[Heavenly Monarch Yangfa immediately took a step forward, rushing toward Ethereal Peak.]

[Ethereal Peak was situated in the center of the Human Realm; from there, they could monitor movements across the entire world.]

[In the sky above the Soul Capital.]

[You stood level with the dual-realm passage, locking eyes with Demon Venerable Guixu.]

[In the vast Demon Abyss Realm, the expressions of the various Demon Venerables looked extremely ugly. They had clearly discovered the situation in the Western Desert and Northern Plains as well. The continuously expanding storm of sword qi was carrying out an unprecedented massacre upon nearly all the demonic creatures, including the demon monarchs.]

["The Sword Lord... how could he..."]

[Almost all the Demon Venerables fixed their gazes on the dual-realm passage above the Soul Capital, looking from afar at you, who stood level with the passage.]

["How could such a being be born in a mere plane like this?"]

["Impossible. I refuse to believe that a Rank 5 lifeform could possess this kind of strength."]

[A Demon Venerable spoke in a low voice, his tone filled with disbelief. A Demon Venerable's perspective was far broader; they knew that the source of the sword qi storms sweeping the Western Desert and Northern Plains was nothing more than your Heavenly Sword and Sword Sheath.]

[But the more this was the case, the harder it was for the Demon Venerables to believe.]

[To unleash such methods relying solely on a sword blade and a sheath?]

["What should we do now? A direct assault won't do anything to this Sword Lord."]

[A Demon Venerable with a bull's head and a snake's body spoke with a heavy tone. In their plan, no matter how strong you were, they could wear you to death using a massive number of Demon Race experts. At the very least, they could stall you and slowly torture you once the rest of the Human Realm was dealt with.]

[But now? The demonic creatures and demon monarchs that had invaded the Human Realm were about to be completely slaughtered by you. What was there left to torture?]

[And without the demonic creatures and demon monarchs occupying the Human Realm to reverse the fundamental laws of its heaven and earth using the Demon Abyss Banner, it was fundamentally difficult for Demon Venerables like them to attack from across the realms.]

[Right as the Demon Venerables were arguing.]

[Demon Venerable Guixu's expression changed slightly. He had been observing you this entire time. At this moment, your attention wasn't on the Demon Abyss Realm behind the dual-realm passage, but on the dual-realm passage itself.]

["Could it be..."]

[Demon Venerable Guixu felt a shock in his heart, faintly deducing a certain possibility.]

[The next moment.]

[You raised your right hand, formed your fingers into a sword, and gently slashed toward the dual-realm passage.]

[A flash of sword light swept past, landing gently upon the dual-realm passage.]

[Buzz—the dual-realm passage trembled slightly.]

[The dual-realm passage had been torn open from the Demon Abyss Realm by the personal efforts of the Demon Venerables, and it possessed the blessing of their power.]

[Even if it suffered partial degradation upon reaching the Human Realm, it was still the power of Demon Venerables. On top of that, it contained the Demon Venerables' understanding of the essence of space.]

[The latter was the true key; it was a power that only true Void Return Stage Venerables could master.]

[Without reaching the Void Return Stage, let alone shaking the dual-realm passage, one wouldn't even be able to touch it.]

[For the many years since the first dual-realm passage appeared, One Law One Body and various other factions hadn't lacked attempts to erase it from the source, but it had all been useless.]

[However, the sword strike you just unleashed, although it failed to sever the dual-realm passage, genuinely and undeniably touched it.]

[For a time, the arguing Demon Venerables instantly fell dead silent.]

[Even with the countless demonic creatures in the Western Desert and Northern Plains currently being slaughtered by you, proving that their so-called insect-sea tactics were useless, the Demon Venerables weren't completely out of options. It was merely a question of how great a price they needed to pay.]

[Yet, no matter how many methods they had, they all needed to be executed through the dual-realm passage.]

[If the dual-realm passage was gone, no matter how strong the Demon Venerables were or how many means they possessed, it would all be meaningless. They couldn't just directly suppress the Human Realm; that wasn't something Demon Venerables could accomplish.]

[Clang!]

[Following the finger-sword strike that touched the dual-realm passage, you slashed out once again.]

[After reaching the Deity Transformation Late Stage, the embryonic form of your Sword Dao Primordial Spirit's inner heaven and earth had taken shape. Every one of your actions was empowered by the force of that inner heaven and earth.]

[The sword qi you slashed out carried the intent to exterminate everything, which was why it could touch the dual-realm passage.]

[The reason other Heavenly Monarchs couldn't touch the dual-realm passage was because their methods weren't thorough enough to crush the deeper spatial layers. But your current sword light could manage to sever the very spatial layer where the dual-realm passage resided.]

[Whoosh—]

[You relaxed your right hand, then gently clenched it into a fist.]

[In an instant, streaks of sword light condensed in every direction around you.]

[Then, they all slashed toward the dual-realm passage.]

[The dual-realm passage shook continuously, teetering on the verge of collapse.]

["We can't let him sever the dual-realm passage!"]

[Great Desolation Demon Sovereign roared. For Demon Venerables like them to tear open a dual-realm passage, they had to wait one or two centuries. The few dual-realm passages currently connecting to the Human Realm were the result of hundreds of years of effort by the twelve Demon Venerables.]

[If they were all severed by you, wouldn't their centuries of hard work be ruined in a single day?]

[Great Desolation Demon Sovereign couldn't accept this.]

[Demon Venerable Guixu immediately made his move. Taking a step forward with his towering demonic body, he arrived before the dual-realm passage, extended his hands, and supported the passage.]

[However.]

[As streak after streak of sword light crashed down, Demon Venerable Guixu's support proved to be of no significant use. What you were slashing at was the section of the dual-realm passage located in the Human Realm, while what Demon Venerable Guixu was holding up was the section in the Demon Abyss Realm.]

[It was like a bridge connecting two shores. No matter how much the people on one side protected their half of the bridge, as long as the people on the other side destroyed their half, the bridge would still snap and crumble.]

[Dozens of breaths later, Demon Venerable Guixu withdrew his hands and stepped back.]

[The other eleven Demon Venerables also responded with silence, watching the dual-realm passage torn open above the Soul Capital rapidly disintegrate before finally vanishing entirely.]

[The twelve Demon Venerables looked at one another. Losing a single dual-realm passage was actually something they could accept. But given the Sword Lord's strength, how could he possibly sever just one?]

[In the Central Continent Territory.]

[Heavenly Monarch Yangfa, Heavenly Monarch Three Saints, and the other Heavenly Monarchs appeared at the summit of Ethereal Peak.]

["Xingmang, what exactly happened?"]

[Heavenly Monarch Yangfa looked at Heavenly Monarch Xingmang and immediately asked.]

[As a Fifth Tier High Grade Divination Heavenly Master who watched over Ethereal Peak to monitor the Human Realm, Heavenly Monarch Xingmang would definitely know what was happening in the Western Desert and Northern Plains.]

["Everyone."]

[Heavenly Monarch Xingmang looked invigorated. This kind of excitement hadn't been seen since the Demon Abyss Realm tore open the first dual-realm passage hundreds of years ago.]

["It's the Sword Lord taking action in the Western Desert and Northern Plains."]

[Heavenly Monarch Xingmang said directly, waving his right hand to conjure scenes before them.]

[They were scenes of the Northern Plains and the Western Desert. In the center of the projections were continuously sweeping storms of sword qi. And standing tall in the middle of each storm was a Heavenly Sword and a Sword Sheath, respectively.]

["It's the Sword Lord's Heavenly Sword."]

[Heavenly Monarch Yangfa immediately recognized it, his face full of disbelief. He had long deduced that the sword qi storms sweeping the Northern Plains and Western Desert were absolutely related to the Sword Lord, but to think they originated merely from the Sword Lord's flying sword?]

[If his flying sword alone possessed such power, just how strong was the Sword Lord himself?]

["That Void Return level giant bow..."]

[Heavenly Monarch Yangfa's heart trembled when he saw the Gray Giant Bow being pinned down by the tip of the Heavenly Sword.]

[The Upper Realm heritage Black Scimitar he wielded had nearly been pushed back by the gray arrow shot from this Gray Giant Bow. Yet now, this Gray Giant Bow was behaving completely obediently beneath the Heavenly Sword's edge.]

[And if the Gray Giant Bow was in such a state, the fate of the Tier 5 Consummation demon monarch who had previously wielded it could well be imagined.]

["The Northern Plains..."]

[Heavenly Monarch Three Saints looked at the scene of the Northern Plains instead. The two Tier 5 Consummation demon monarchs who had beaten him until he was forced to retreat were surprisingly as fragile as thin paper under the sweep of the sword qi storm formed by a mere Sword Sheath.]

["The Sword Lord... is too strong..."]

[Heavenly Monarch Yangfa and Heavenly Monarch Three Saints felt genuine awe from the bottom of their hearts. Relying solely on the blade and the Sword Sheath, he had battered the powerful Demon Race of the Demon Abyss Realm into such a state.]

[If they hadn't seen it with their own eyes, the two Late Stage Heavenly Monarchs never would have believed it.]

["Do you know what the Sword Lord is doing right now?"]

[Heavenly Monarch Xingmang's tone trembled faintly.]

["What is the Sword Lord doing?"]

[These words made Heavenly Monarch Three Saints and Heavenly Monarch Yangfa immediately realize the implication.]

[Right.]

[What was the Sword Lord doing?]

[His personal Heavenly Sword was suppressing and slaughtering countless Demon Race experts across the Western Desert and the Northern Plains.]

[So what was the Sword Lord himself doing?]

[Was he still holding down the Soul Capital, guarding that dual-realm passage?]

["The Sword Lord is... severing the dual-realm passage..."]

[Heavenly Monarch Xingmang swallowed hard, his tone still thick with disbelief and excitement. At the same time, he waved his hand, and a new image surfaced. It showed the airspace above the Soul Capital, where the Sword Lord was casually unleashing wave after wave of sword light. Each streak of sword light crashed into the dual-realm passage beneath the firmament.]

[Every strike caused the dual-realm passage to tremble.]

[Faintly, through the image, the Heavenly Monarchs could see twelve boundlessly towering and vast demonic figures on the other side of the passage. These were the twelve Demon Venerables capable of looking down upon the Human Realm.]

[But at this very moment, facing the waves of sword light unleashed by the Sword Lord, these twelve Demon Venerables could only meet them with silence.]

["Sword Lord..."]

[Heavenly Monarch Yangfa and Heavenly Monarch Three Saints only felt their states of mind beginning to waver.]