Was it a transfer of power?
Or the cycle of fate?
No!
It was simply a youth taking the burden from a girl's shoulders, as was only right.
Only this year, the youth was thirty, and the girl was thousands of years old.
One had just transcended his tribulation;
The other was a saint.
It was quite abrupt.
The whole process consisted of nothing more than eight words.
"You’re here?"
"I’m late."
"You’re doing this?"
"I’m doing this!"
It was that simple.
In the eyes of the world's saints, it seemed a bit like child's play.
But this youth was Xu Xian.
In Fanzhou,
He was one of a kind.
Even in the eyes of the Water Qilin—a being from beyond the heavens who had reigned supreme since the Era of Primal Chaos—a thirty-year-old at the tribulation transcendence stage was a rare sight.
It had to be taken seriously.
It had to be approached with caution.
They scrutinized him, their gazes sharp and their expressions grim.
On that day,
The youth in green robes stood before them all!
Upon closer inspection, the childishness had faded from his brow. He was neither happy nor angry, neither humble nor afraid.
He was as warm as jade, yet as seasoned and profound as an old master.
Though only a few months had passed since they last saw him, he seemed like a completely different person.
He was in high spirits,
And he stunned the saints.
The Water Qilin spoke, its voice laced with mockery and ridicule. "Kid, so you're Xu Xian?"
"Yes," Xu Xian replied simply.
"Not bad." The Water Qilin’s gaze was brazen as it laughed. "Do you think you can stop us?"
"Heh..." Xu Xian shook his head and smiled. A deep sense of disdain flickered across his calm, young face.
He stood with his hands behind his back, ignoring the Water Qilin as he turned his gaze toward the area outside the mountain gate.
His eyes slowly swept over every invading enemy.
He spoke, his voice steady and powerful, each word carrying a heavy weight:
"You all have come today, a world united in crusade."
"There is no need to speak further of old grudges."
"It's a hassle!"
"Today, I, Xu Xian, am here."
"I challenge the world with my sword!"
"This has nothing to do with right or wrong!"
"All karma will be settled together at once."
"Those with the courage, come and fight!"
As he spoke,
A collective gasp rippled through the mountains and valleys.
With the strength of one man, he challenged the world.
How many in this world could be so arrogant?
To use the gentlest tone to speak the most insolent words.
If he wasn't a madman, then who was?
Arrogant.
He was far too arrogant.
For the first time, the Water Qilin had met someone who could show off even better than itself.
And he was actually pulling it off.
How infuriating!
It narrowed its sinister, giant eyes and said coldly, "Kid, do you even know what you're saying?"
Xu Xian remained silent, his gaze deep.
A voice rang out from among the mountains.
"Good! A fine Xu Xian indeed. A fine 'challenging the world,' and a fine 'settling everything at once.'"
Then, an old Daoist appeared before the cliff, a peach wood sword in his hand as he announced himself:
"I, Fang Xiaoyao, have come to seek your guidance."
Fang Xiaoyao, the ancestor of the Daoist Sect, known as the Daoist Ancestor.
The Buddha and the Confucian Immortal also spoke up.
"Count this old man in."
"This old monk shall come as well."
The Heaven-Swallowing Sparrow asked sinisterly, "Kid, with so many of us fighting just you, you won't complain that we're bullying the young or using numbers to overwhelm you, will you?"
Many powerhouses wore mocking expressions,
While some others hesitated.
It was true that in the world of cultivation, strength was respected and the winner took all.
But while the boy being arrogant was one thing, all of them attacking him together was another.
If word got out, it would be somewhat embarrassing.
Xu Xian responded indifferently, "I said it already. I, Xu Xian, alone, challenge the world. You can all come at once."
More than one sneer erupted from outside the mountain.
Xu Xian sighed, his voice continuing with a touch of melancholy, "Even if you don't kill me, I will eventually kill all of you anyway. If you come together, it saves me some time."
The smiles on many faces stiffened.
The killing intent in their eyes was no longer hidden in the slightest.
It was true that Xu Xian was arrogant,
And it was true that he talked big,
But he was absolutely right about one thing: if they didn't kill him, he would surely kill them.
Whether it was today or not.
As long as he lived, based on what they knew of this youth, Xu Xian would definitely find a way to kill every last one of them in the future.
When he did things, he either didn't do them at all or he did them to the absolute end.
A thirty-year-old at the ninth stage... today was very likely their last chance to kill him.
If they missed it,
And he reached the saint stage in the future,
Who would be able to oppose him?
Therefore,
Xu Xian had to die today.
It didn't matter whose hand he died by.
"Fine, as you wish."
"Then you cannot blame us."
The Water Qilin said, "Kid, don't blame me. Blame yourself for offending people you shouldn't have."
Humans,
Demons,
Spirits,
Monsters.
Dozens of them,
Hundreds of them,
Thousands of them,
Densely packed, scattered across the vast sky outside the Wendao Sword Sect's mountain gate.
Surging killing intent radiated from their bodies.
Demon qi,
Spirit qi,
And malice qi,
All soared into the sky.
Daoist charms resonated within the mortal realm.
No one dared to underestimate the youth before them, not just because of his reputation, but because he had just swept away a lightning tribulation with a single sword strike.
The old Daoist swung his wooden sword, his golden spirit energy flowing long and steady. He smiled and said, "I heard that young friend Xu has a sword tower called the Heavenly White Jade Capital. Bring it out!"
After all, they were attacking a junior,
And it was a group assault.
They couldn't possibly take another advantage by being the ones to strike first, could they?
Xu Xian refused, saying calmly, "There's no need."
"What do you mean?"
"To fight you lot, I don't need the sword tower."
"Then..."
Xu Xian took a step out of the Seven Star Sword Array. His tribulation transcendence aura leaked into the world, resisting the chaotic and overlapping pressures before him.
He said, "If you run now, there might still be time..."
Bluffing?
The crowd laughed.
However, the people of the Wendao Sword Sect held their breath.
Especially those close to Xu Xian.
He loved to show off,
Just like Li Qingshan.
So they really didn't feel very confident.
The Water Qilin was extremely amused. It teased, "Come, come, come! Hurry up and strike! Hurry and kill us all!"
The crowd took pleasure in his perceived misfortune, the mockery in their eyes intensifying.
Xu Xian stopped talking. Some battles had to be fought, and some people had to be killed.
Just as some matters had to be brought to an end.
For himself.
For the sect.
For Fanzhou.
Even for the entire starry sky...
He lowered his gaze, his face solemn, as he spoke softly,
"I have a sword called Settling Scores."
So pretentious!
How boring!
The powerhouses rubbed their hands together, each eager to give it a try.
The youth looked up, his right hand pointing his fingers like a sword toward the sky. His voice grew heavy as he shouted.
"Sword, come!"
His voice was thunderous, echoing far like a tolling bell.
On Forging Peak,
The Sword Gate suddenly erupted with a pillar of light that shot into the sky. Countless sword intents surged within it.
Then,
Sword after sword, like a bursting dam, came charging through the boundaries of space.
Immortal swords,
Heaven swords,
Earth swords,
Spirit swords...
One, two, three, ten, a hundred, a thousand, ten thousand, a hundred thousand, a million...
The humming of swords rang out,
Converging into a river.
With a single cry of 'Sword, come,' swords were born atop the green clouds.
The river of swords roared forth, their shadows obscuring the firmament!
The sword momentum rose to the heavens, and the sword intent ravaged the mortal world!
All living beings were horrified,
Fear welling up in their eyes.
Where did the swords come from?
The Sword Mound.
Why did the swords come out?
Xu Xian.
Everyone knew the answer.
Setting aside the disciples within the mountain gate, the old monsters outside watched this scene with frozen expressions, their smiles vanishing instantly.
There was no longer any trace of the mockery and contempt from moments ago.
They had considered the possibility of Xu Xian summoning swords,
Divine swords,
And more than one,
But they had never imagined this boy could summon an entire river of swords. Those were the swords of the entire Sword Mound, and among them were nearly a hundred immortal swords.
Furthermore,
All of Fanzhou knew.
The swords in the Wendao Sword Sect's Sword Mound—even the spirit swords—each possessed a spirit.
They were far beyond ordinary blades.
Watching the rain of swords fill the sky like a hanging celestial river rolling toward them, the swords within it crossing through the world.
The saints' complexions changed.
The great demons bared their teeth.
The Water Qilin even broke out in curses. "Dammit, you call this one sword?"
How was this one sword?
This was hundreds of millions of swords.
Xu Xian remained silent. He pointed his sword-fingers forward and spoke a single word.
"Go!"
The sky-blotting river of swords, carrying endless sword intent, charged toward the world...
The challenge...
Had begun!
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