Chapter 578: Celestial River

Chapter 578: Chapter 578: Celestial River

’So you want to fight up close?’

A cold, mocking sneer appeared on the Sword Cultivator’s face.

’A Sword Cultivator of the Wansheng Sword Sect is adept at both long-range and close-quarters combat. Our mastery of the Sword Dao is divine. Why would I fear a melee?’

He instinctively twisted his wrist, changing his attack. The Flying Sword Inverse Scale in his hand—thin as a cicada’s wing and radiating a cold light—flicked out like a striking viper. He abandoned his original killing thrust and instead slashed toward Xu Yunfan’s neck.

The blade’s edge cut through the air with a sharp, piercing shriek.

However, it was too late.

Xu Yunfan’s fist had already been thrown.

The Sword Cultivator’s expression changed drastically. He truly hadn’t expected Xu Yunfan to be so fast.

The punch was silent, yet it carried boundless force and a violent thunderbolt power contained to its absolute limit.

It was simple, straight, and forward.

His fist’s skin shimmered with a sheen unlike flesh and blood, as if it were forged from refined gold and Divine Iron.

Before the fist, the air was compressed to its limit, letting out a dull, heart-stopping boom.

There was no brilliant magical light, only pure, terrifying physical force and the minuscule arcs of Purple Gold Thunder that were forcibly constrained to the surface of his fist, spinning and screaming.

Fist met sword.

TING!

CRACK!!

An ear-piercing crack of shattering metal exploded outward.

The Spirit Sword Inverse Scale—thin as a cicada’s wing and sharp enough to cleave gold and jade—felt as if it had struck the center of gravity of the entire world the instant it touched Xu Yunfan’s fist.

The powerful Sword Intent condensed on the blade’s edge and the sharp Spiritual Power infused within it were forcibly shattered and disintegrated from the point of contact by an unreasonably tyrannical and immense force, together with that layer of minuscule yet destruction-filled Purple Gold Thunder Gang.

The Sword Cultivator felt an indescribable, primordial force surge through the body of the sword and into his arm.

POP! POP! POP!

His condensed Body-Protecting Sword Gang burst like soap bubbles.

A clear crack of bone came from his sword-wielding wrist. Just as the searing pain began, the immense force had already surged on with unstoppable ease, reaching his shoulder and torso.

"Blarggh!"

He violently spewed a mouthful of blood mixed with fragments of his internal organs.

The last image in his eyes was the fist that had shattered his flying sword and crushed all his defenses, continuing unabated as it barreled toward his chest like a storm of destruction.

BOOM!!

The fist landed squarely on the Sword Cultivator’s chest.

There were no frills, only an overwhelming release of pure power.

The Cloud Pattern Sword Robe on the Sword Cultivator’s back suddenly exploded, and the clear outline of a fist bulged out from his spine.

His entire body, like a ragged sack, was blasted into the air, arching backward as he crashed through a massive, half-burning Bronze Pill Furnace behind him.

The furnace shattered, scattering fire and embers.

The Sword Cultivator was embedded amidst the scorching fragments of the furnace and scattered medicinal ash, his chest completely caved in, tendons snapped and bones broken. Blood poured from his seven orifices, and the light in his eyes instantly dissipated.

The Sword Seed in his Dantian let out a mournful cry, its Spiritual Light dimmed, and it shattered inch by inch.

His Vitality, like a candle guttering in the wind, was extinguished in an instant.

Xu Yunfan withdrew his fist, his breathing steady. The violent power around him instantly receded, leaving only the faint afterglow of the Thunder Gang flowing beneath his skin.

"You’re the first person I’ve fought in close quarters since I’ve made significant progress in my cultivation. Consider it your good fortune."

Hearing Xu Yunfan’s words, the dying Sword Cultivator’s eyes widened. His trembling lips tried to form words, but when he opened his mouth, he only coughed up mouthful after mouthful of crimson blood.

That single punch had all but annihilated his Vitality, shattering both his Magical Power and Sword Intent.

"An excellent piece of uncarved jade. You’ll make a fine addition as a Star Monarch for my All Heaven Star Spirit Banner."

He beckoned with his hand, and an invisible suction force pulled the Sword Cultivator’s corpse, along with his shattered Spirit Sword, before him.

A light flashed in his hand, and the All Heaven Star Spirit Banner materialized.

The surface of the banner was deep and profound, dotted with countless stars.

He channeled his Magical Power, and the banner’s surface opened like a giant maw. A powerful, soul-capturing suction enveloped the Sword Cultivator’s corpse.

In that instant, the remaining Essence Blood in the Sword Cultivator’s body, the dissipating fragments of his spiritual consciousness, and even the residual, sharp Sword Intent within his shattered Spirit Sword were all forcibly stripped away. They transformed into a streak of light shimmering with an azure-gold luster, which was dragged into the banner with a miserable, wailing shriek.

On the banner’s surface, a new star appeared. It shone with the color of a cold, wintry star, a shadow of a sword swirling within, its malevolent aura yet to dissipate.

The Wansheng Sword Sect Foundation Establishment True Cultivator’s foundation in the Sword Dao and his Divine Soul had become a new sacrifice for the All Heaven Star Spirit Banner.

Watching the Sword Cultivator appear within the banner and kowtow reverently, Xu Yunfan asked, "I clearly had three layers of concealment active. How did you discover me?"

The Sword Cultivator’s name was Ferren. Hearing Xu Yunfan’s question, now a Banner Spirit, he naturally did not dare to hesitate and answered immediately.

"Reporting to Your Eminence, I used the Wansheng Sword Technique to achieve Sword Heart Clarity. I then used that clarity to refine my consciousness through the Sword Dao, allowing me to perceive True Sword Intent and condense the Celestial Sword Seat. This makes me extremely sensitive to Celestial Secrets and causality, so I was able to feel a slight fluctuation."

Ferren now wore a look of shame. "I apologize for having disturbed Your Eminence."

"It’s of no consequence."

A smile played on Xu Yunfan’s lips. ’This Ten Thousand Souls Banner truly is a divine brainwashing tool. Even someone who hated me to the bone becomes a fanatical believer the moment they enter.’

’At this rate, it won’t be long before I’ve gathered all three hundred and sixty-five Star Monarchs.’

’When that time comes, I’ll be able to form the All Heaven Star Formation. This All Heaven Star Spirit Banner could then be called the All Heaven Star Monarch Banner, and it might even reach the quality of a Spirit Treasure.’

’After all, a Ten Thousand Souls Banner is one of the Demon Path’s Ultimate Treasures. Once forged, it’s a Growth-type Magical Treasure that can be continuously advanced, so long as one keeps refining it and feeding it all sorts of Heavenly and Earthly Treasures.’

He immediately put away the Soul Banner, his figure not pausing for a moment.

High in the sky outside the hall, the barrier of clear light representing the Celestial Emperor’s last vestiges of power was twisting violently, letting out a teeth-grinding groan that shook the heavens.

True Monarch Pu Du’s Dao Realm projection almost completely covered that patch of sky, where True Monarch Qing Yuan’s Judgement Sword and the Grotto Void True Monarch’s Colorless Sword Light intertwined and flashed.

The Celestial Emperor of this World Heaven was at the end of his rope.

’I have to hurry.’

’The Dao Fruit of this world is right before me. While the True Monarchs might look down on these Heavenly and Earthly Treasures...’

’...once they’ve finished devouring and carving up the Dao Fruit, some of them, full and satisfied, might just decide to take a stroll.’

Xu Yunfan delayed no longer. He got his bearings and plunged deeper into the Celestial Court.

His figure weaved through the endless ruins and collapsing Immortal Palaces like a phantom in the shadows.

Along the way, he sensed the aura fluctuations of a few treasures, but they were mostly Middle-grade Magical Artifacts or Consumable Spiritual Materials, which he no longer cared for. His target was the forbidden grounds deep behind the Celestial Emperor’s palace.

That was the place that connected to the Origin of the Celestial Realm, where the Celestial River was born.

After speeding along, the terrain suddenly opened up, but it was a scene of utter devastation.

What should have been a place of jade pavilions and marble halls surrounding a vast river of stars was now a field of shattered palaces. Even the Immortal Jade underfoot was cracked and upturned.

In the void ahead, a river composed of endless, faint starlight and some kind of esoteric water vapor churned and flowed. But the edges of this Celestial River were trembling violently and collapsing. Streams of Star Sand continuously fell into void rifts, creating destructive spatial ripples.

And there, on a shoal formed by accumulated Star Sand in a relatively calm section of the Celestial River, Xu Yunfan’s gaze suddenly froze.

A figure lay upon the shattered Star Sand, their aura faint and weak.

It was a woman, dressed in palace robes that were torn and soaked through with dark gold Divine Blood.