Sword Tower Appears, Heaven-Burning Sparrow

A certain high ground in the Demon Suppression Abyss was a barren expanse.

Several craters of varying depths were scattered irregularly across it.

The trees that once stood on the ground lay fallen in heaps, and the soil was stained with blood.

Clearly, a fierce battle had taken place here not long ago.

The morning mist was thick, and the faint smoke of battle still lingered.

After the demon beasts suddenly retreated, Xu Xian did not take advantage of the chaos to pursue them.

After all, with the sky now bright, he feared a trap. As the old saying goes, 'Do not pursue a desperate foe.'

It was just as well.

After fighting all night, it was time to rest and reorganize.

Thus, he led the group of seventh-stage experts from the Wendao Sword Sect to this spot with the best vantage point for a brief respite.

A spiritual fire was lit, and a sixth-grade beast king was produced, skinned, and roasted. Everyone used their swords as chopsticks, each carving off a portion and eating right then and there.

They even took a few swigs of strong liquor to bolster their courage.

The taste...

One had to admit, it was quite enjoyable.

Everyone ate with gusto, sitting on the ground in small groups and chatting with one another.

Xu Xian was surrounded by a group of elders who couldn't help but flatter and compliment him incessantly.

Having fought alongside Xu Xian all night and sent the demon beasts fleeing in terror, they were naturally in high spirits.

They all asked why he was so powerful. Xu Xian replied that it might just be a matter of talent.

When they asked what he planned to do next, Xu Xian said they would talk after they had eaten and drunk their fill.

Suddenly, the roar of beasts shook the heavens.

Then, a tide of beasts could be seen surging toward them like a flood.

The cultivators of the Wendao Sword Sect immediately stopped their laughing and chatting. One by one, they stood up and gazed into the distance.

By the faint morning light, they could see clearly through the thick gray mist.

A massive demon tide was galloping toward them with an overwhelming momentum, and alarm bells instantly rang in their minds.

The meat in their hands was no longer fragrant, and the wine in their mouths lost its flavor.

"What's all this racket? What's going on?"

"Not good, it's a beast tide!"

Everyone gripped their swords tightly, staying alert and on guard. Their throats bobbed as they swallowed hard, their expressions exceptionally solemn.

A beast tide.

There were records of such things in the historical chronicles of the Wendao Sword Sect.

To put it simply, it was a charge by a massive swarm of demon beasts. When the numbers were extremely high, such a collective charge was called a beast tide.

However...

What was recorded in the books happened ten thousand years ago.

Back then, before the Sword Ancestor had founded the Wendao Sword Sect, he had led the cultivators of the Central Plains in a decisive battle against the demon beasts in the Northern Borders. At that time, the demon beasts had launched a beast tide.

According to the records, the largest one consisted of a million demons. Its momentum blotted out the sun, and wherever it passed, mountains and rivers were shattered.

But for ten thousand years, since the covenant was established, it had never happened again.

Even though the mutual hunting and conflict between humans and demons had never ceased within the Demon Suppression Abyss for thousands of years, a large-scale struggle and charge had never broken out.

What they saw today, though not as exaggerated in scale as the descriptions in the books, was a genuine beast tide.

And it was the first one in ten thousand years.

They knew exactly who it was coming for.

After all, they had dealt the other side a truly miserable beating last night.

This was a comeback, a quest for vengeance.

It was unexpected, yet within the realm of reason.

Though the cultivators of the Wendao Sword Sect grew up amidst slaughter—especially these seventh-stage cultivators, each of whom was a veteran of a hundred battles—they had seen many things. Fighting demon beasts was like a daily meal to them.

But the scene before them...

They had to admit it was their first time seeing it.

They couldn't deny the tension and panic in their hearts, nor the inevitable sense of being at a loss.

After a brief moment of daze and shock, they exerted their utmost to restrain their fear and, as if by unspoken agreement, turned their gazes toward Xu Xian.

The youth stood against the wind, his long hair fluttering slightly in the autumn breeze.

He held his sword in one hand, resting it on his shoulder, while the other held a piece of beast meat. He tore off a large chunk with his teeth, chewed slowly, and said indistinctly, "Gotta say, this is quite the spectacle."

Upon hearing this, everyone sighed emotionally. At a time like this, he still had the heart to joke?

Specifically, they couldn't see even a trace of trepidation in Xu Xian's eyes.

It even gave them an illusion.

Facing the beast tide, he wasn't afraid; on the contrary, he seemed somewhat excited. It was the kind of excitement a hunter felt when seeing his prey.

They couldn't help but murmur in their hearts.

As expected of the Little Grand-Uncle. This kind of courage to remain calm in the face of danger and this audacity to look down on everything was truly beyond them.

Wen Qingxue's gaze was like frost, as calm as ever. She said faintly, "They are here for the Little Grand-Uncle. In their chants, they are shouting the Little Grand-Uncle's name."

Xu Xian lowered his brows and asked curiously, "You can understand their beast language too?"

Wen Qingxue shrugged. "A little!"

Yao Zhijian took a swig of wine and interjected, "It seems you've really driven them to desperation, Little Grand-Uncle."

Xu Xian pursed his lips and didn't respond, continuing to chew the beast meat in his mouth.

He acted as if it had nothing to do with him.

Bu Yining, the number one person below the eighth stage in the Wendao Sword Sect, asked in a low voice, "Little Grand-Uncle, what should we do? Please, give us a plan."

Xu Xian swallowed all the meat in his mouth and didn't forget to let out a burp. He turned his head, his gaze slowly scanning the crowd. Curling his lips, he answered with a question, "Everyone, are you afraid?"

Everyone first looked into the distance, then lowered their eyes, and finally looked back at Xu Xian. They subconsciously shook their heads and said sparsely:

"Not afraid!"

"Not afraid!!"

Xu Xian looked at a female sword cultivator nearby who was at the early seventh stage and asked with a smile, "What about you, girl? Are you afraid?"

The female sword cultivator looked back at Xu Xian and said seriously, "I will follow the Little Grand-Uncle's lead."

She didn't say she wasn't afraid because she didn't want to lie, much less deceive Xu Xian.

But she was still fearless.

So she said she would follow Xu Xian's lead.

If Xu Xian said to fight, then they would fight.

If Xu Xian said to retreat, then they would retreat.

The youth smiled slightly and threw away the leftover beast meat. He walked slowly forward, and the disciples instinctively made a path for him. When he reached the top of the slope, the heavy sword fell from his shoulder and embedded itself into the ground.

Xu Xian leaned on the sword with one hand and wiped the grease from the corners of his mouth with the other. His eyes narrowed slightly, carrying a hint of wild defiance as he spoke:

"Good!"

"Since they want to fight, then let's fight."

"Today, I will kill as many as come."

Pausing for a moment, Xu Xian tapped the ground with his foot and continued, "Those who are not afraid, follow me. Right here, we shall stack a towering mountain of beasts."

There were nearly a hundred of them, all at the seventh stage.

The opposing side numbered nearly ten thousand, but most were at the beast king stage or sapient beast stage.

Seventh-grade beast emperors were only a few hundred.

If they retreated now, the beast tide would surely be like a hot knife through butter, charging all the way through. Then, the Demon-Slaying City would be in danger.

It was better to wait here comfortably and fight them.

He had the Pupil of Insight and could control the battlefield within a one-mile radius.

He had the two-story Sword Tower and two divine swords. What was there to fear?

Last night, he could charge in and out seven times. Today, there was no reason he couldn't beat the opposition into a total rout.

He wanted to beat them until they were terrified.

As for the matter of the auspicious beast, let's see how they would fight for it then.

He wanted to slaughter them all.

He would sever the fortune of a generation of the East Desolation demon race, causing a gap in the demons' strength so that they would have no successors.

Ultimately, they had to fight anyway.

Rather than letting these fellows grow restless, sneak across the Boundary Mountain, and bring chaos to the Northern Borders, it was better to beat them until they were terrified and submissive this once. It was a good deal to trade this for decades of peace in the Northern Borders.

Everyone from the Wendao Sword Sect present was a seventh-stage expert, and they were all older than Xu Xian.

Although Xu Xian didn't say it explicitly, they knew his intentions clearly.

The conflict sparked by the auspicious beast had developed into the current situation. War was already unavoidable. Even if the auspicious beast were truly killed, the conflict would still continue.

This battle had to be fought.

And this battle could only be fought by the Wendao Sword Sect.

Over the past ten days, many disciples of the Wendao Sword Sect had died. If this continued, even more would die.

Even if they retreated now, they could only retreat to the Demon-Slaying City. At that time, more people would inevitably be dragged into the battlefield.

They didn't believe that broken wall could stop the impulses of these beast emperors and beast kings.

The Wendao Sword Sect guarded the Northern Borders and could not possibly retreat beyond the Boundary Mountain, tacitly allowing the Demon-Slaying City to be reduced to ruins. This concerned a kind of glory and dignity they could not put into words.

No matter what, regardless of the cost, they had to fight the demon race for victory within these three thousand miles of the Demon Suppression Abyss.

Either the Eight Tribes of the demon race retreated, or they all died here.

To live in dishonor was not the way of a sword cultivator, and retreating in the face of battle was not the style of the Wendao Sword Sect.

One should naturally draw their sword and fight; one should go against the current.

They understood Xu Xian's intentions.

They knew Xu Xian was right.

Someone had to fight this battle. Why couldn't it be them?

If someone had to sacrifice themselves for this, why couldn't it be them?

They had this realization. Or rather, from the moment they stepped into the Demon Suppression Abyss, they were already prepared to die for this battle.

Their home was behind them.

They would not retreat even half a step.

The enemy was in front.

Even if faced by thousands of troops, even if they were alone, they would still go.

Moreover, they were not alone.

Moreover, the Little Grand-Uncle was still there.

They walked to the top of the slope together, standing to Xu Xian's left and right, and behind him...

One after another, they summoned their life-bound swords and gripped them tightly. The sword edges were cold, and their gazes were determined.

Some curled their lips, others narrowed their eyes.

"Then let's fight!"

"Kill them all!"

"My sword has long been thirsty."

"If we live, see you at the victory feast..."

"If we die, see you at Guidao Slope..."

Yao Zhijian shook his head and said, "I think we've all gone mad."

Wen Qingxue pursed her lips and said, "If one isn't mad, they've wasted their youth."

Bu Yining pointed out at an inopportune moment, "We're already hundreds or even thousands of years old. We're hardly youths anymore."

Everyone smiled faintly, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

Xu Xian raised his eyebrows slightly and said with full confidence, "Do not fear, everyone. I am here."

The beast tide approached in an instant, like a violent flood. The ground shook, and roars filled the air.

"They're there."

"Jie jie jie! Kill them all."

"You little brats of the Wendao Sword Sect, today we settle all old and new debts together."

The members of the Wendao Sword Sect stood with their swords, their expressions icy. As they watched the beast tide press toward the top of the slope, the sunny sky suddenly darkened. Xu Xian lowered his brows slightly, abandoned his sword, and walked forward.

With one step, he reappeared a hundred meters away. With another step into the air, he was a thousand meters high.

The youth hung alone in the sky as ten thousand beasts swarmed before him.

"It's him! He's Xu Xian!"

"He actually didn't run."

"Nobody snatch him from me! This top merit is mine!"

One emperor-grade beast after another, like mountains, revealed sharp claws and sinister fangs, pouncing madly toward where the youth in the sky was.

It was as if they were scrambling for some incredible treasure.

Before the members of the Wendao Sword Sect could even draw their swords to protect their ancestor...

Xu Xian, high in the sky, parted his lips slightly, as if chanting an ancient incantation. He reached out into the void with his large hand.

He chanted in a low voice.

Then he shouted loudly.

"Sword Tower."

"Rise!!"

With a buzzing sound, an ancient energy wave rippled out with Xu Xian as the center. Wherever it passed, space rippled, and the long wind tore through the firmament.

The surging beast swarm was affected, and every single one of them slowed down slightly, a sense of trepidation growing within them.

Before they could adapt or recover, a white light erupted behind the youth, filling the sky. In the blink of an eye, the phantom of a tall tower stood brightly in the center of the battlefield.

The tower was hundreds of feet high and entirely pure white.

A single tower of twelve stories burst forth with a piercing white light. For a moment, its light outshone the sun in the sky. Its momentum was like a reversed waterfall, erupting vigorously and instantly overwhelming the dark beast tide.

In that instant, the sword intent of the tall tower was like a deity swinging a sword, ravaging the mountains and rivers.

Humans were stunned.

Beasts were terrified.

Staring at that towering building, the humans and demons of the world were in an uproar.

"What is that thing?"

"What on earth is this?"

"Such a strong aura!"

"What overbearing sword intent!"

The group from the Wendao Sword Sect was momentarily lost, bathed in the sword light. Looking up at the twelve-story Sword Tower that connected to the sky, their eyes were filled with blank shock.

"Good heavens."

"My god..."

"What kind of divine ability is the Little Grand-Uncle practicing?"

The swarm of demons instinctively stopped in the sky and on the mountains. One by one, they stared warily at the Sword Tower that had manifested out of thin air.

They stared fixedly at the slender youth as if facing a great enemy.

The tower appeared because of the youth.

The youth was named Xu Xian.

What was this tower? No one recognized it, but within that white jade tower, there seemed to be some kind of great horror they couldn't describe.

It felt as if the moment they approached, it would be awakened and they would be torn apart alive.

An ancient aura. An overbearing sword intent.

This caused the Eight Tribes of demon beasts, who had been charging like a hot knife through butter, to instinctively stop their charge. they confronted him from a distance, scanning with their divine sense, intending to see through his depth.

Xu Xian stood before the Sword Tower, looking down at the thousands of mountain-like great demons. His eyes were full of contempt as he looked down upon heaven and earth and said:

"I consider that Heaven values life. If you wicked creatures retreat immediately, this venerable one can be merciful and spare your lives."

"If not..."

"West of the Wild River, for those not of my race, not a single one shall remain!"

Overbearing...

Provocative...

Contemptuous...

This was a warning and a demand for surrender. In the eyes of the Wendao Sword Sect disciples, the Little Grand-Uncle was fully displaying his kingly dominance.

But in the eyes of the demon race, this was blatant mockery and disdain.

Their anger flared up, stronger than ever before.

"Playing tricks!"

"A mere soul transformation stage dares to call himself 'venerable.' What big words!"

"Xu Xian, you're acting so grand, aren't you afraid of overreaching?"

"Why waste words with him? Kill him!"

"Let's go together!"

"Let this king come and test you..."

The demon beasts didn't hesitate. From all directions, they charged toward Xu Xian, unleashing all their divine abilities. Multi-colored divine arts and secret techniques fell like a torrential rain.

The youth did not speak, slowly closing his eyes.

The youth made no sound, slowly opening his eyes.

The youth knit his brows and uttered a single word.

"Open!"

As the word fell, of the twelve stories of the tower, the first floor opened wide.

Within the white light, intense flames leaked out. Xu Xian reached into the flames and suddenly gripped something. A sword was slowly pulled out from the tower.

When the sword was drawn one foot...

Flames filled the sky, burning the firmament as waves of heat rolled out.

When the sword was drawn two feet...

Sword intent surged, and for miles around, the area became a sea of fire.

When the sword was drawn three feet...

The mountains and rivers changed color, and the demons were in an uproar, unable to move forward even an inch.

The sword was drawn four feet!

Its sharpness was fully revealed. A streak of sword intent soared into the sky. As it moved forward, it transformed into a fire bird that violently flapped its wings, which covered the sky.

The Heaven-Burning Sparrow emerged, the Sword Tower vanished, and for ten miles, the sky was filled with churning flames.

The youth stood with his sword, his entire body bathed in fire. Above his head, before the ten thousand beasts, that fire bird spread its wings and hovered, letting out a cry toward the East Desolation.

"Screech!"

The sound was like thunder, deafening.

The sound was like fire, burning everything.

The sound traveled forward. Wherever it passed, it was unstoppable. One by one, the beast emperors pouncing toward Xu Xian were either sent flying or knocked out of the sky.

Others gathered all their strength just to barely hold on, yet they still couldn't move forward an inch.

That sword had not yet struck, but the kingly beast's might displayed by a single stroke of sword intent suppressed the mountain full of great demons until they couldn't move.

That was an absolute bloodline suppression, the kind of suppression that only a superior in the demon race could exert over an inferior.

For a moment, they couldn't even produce a single thought of resistance.

"Damn it!"

"What on earth is that?"

"Such strong bloodline power!"

"Curses!"

The youth's eyes were icy, surrounded by flames. He flicked his sword edge. Without a single word of nonsense, and carrying the sky full of flames, he charged forward to kill.

"Not leaving?"

"Then none of you shall leave!"