The Creation of the Heavens and All Realms

Chapter 31: Astonishing Sword Qi

Even without Chen Xiangrong’s report, Zhou Tianci knew they were approaching Shepan Mountain. Though he could not see the mountain, he could sense the powerful military aura ahead. Before Zhou Tianci could order them to pick up the pace, a messenger from the direction of Shepan Mountain had already arrived. “The Commander orders the First Brigade to proceed immediately to the Seventh Pass!” After the messenger left, Chen Xiangrong’s expression darkened. Zhou Tianci found this somewhat puzzling, but he immediately surmised it had something to do with the Seventh Pass. Chen Xiangrong’s reply confirmed his suspicion. Chen Xiangrong said, “Commander, Shepan Mountain has nine major mountain passes. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, our mission is to garrison these passes to prevent ferocious beasts and other intruders from entering Shepan Mountain. Among these nine passes, the further down the list they are, the more dangerous the guard duty becomes—especially the last three passes, which are all located at the southernmost tip of Shepan Mountain, directly facing the depths of the Wild Forest…” As soon as Chen Xiangrong finished speaking, Qi Shan and the others all paled. It went without saying that there were far more ferocious beasts south of Shepan Mountain than to the north. If they were unlucky, they might even encounter a demon beast. For a newly formed squad like theirs, a single demon beast would be enough to wipe them out completely! Zhou Tianci knew this mission would be difficult to complete, but he had no choice—unless he led his men to flee. “The entire force, pick up the pace! Chen Xiangrong, you lead the way!” Zhou Tianci ordered. “Father, the beast tide is entering its final stage. The Yuan Jing in the valley will form in another three or four days. By then, I’m afraid there will be another bloody battle.” Outside the first mountain pass of Shepan Mountain, at the Huang family’s encampment, Huang Jue sipped his tea while watching the martial artists coming and going nearby, speaking in a calm tone. Huang Shuyi wore a stern expression: “Have all the clan members arrived?” Huang Jue set down his teacup. “As of now, only Huang Bai has yet to arrive. I’ve already sent someone to meet him; he should be here today.” Just as he spoke, a man walked in—none other than Huang Congdao, a direct descendant of the Huang family. “Uncle Dao, you’re back so soon. Where are Huang Bai and the others?” Huang Jue asked as he stood up. Huang Congdao held a high position within the Huang clan, and although Huang Jue was the young master of the family, he did not dare to treat him with disrespect. Huang Congdao had short hair and no beard; his narrow, slanted eyes gave him a sinister appearance. Upon hearing Huang Jue’s question, his high-pitched voice rang out: “Something has happened to Huang Bai.” Huang Shuyi sat up slightly straighter. “Tell me the details.” Huang Congdao clasped his hands in a bow before sitting down. “I found the party led by Huang Bai this morning, but Huang Bai himself was nowhere to be seen. According to Huang Bai’s nephew, Huang Can, they ran into the Giant Bear Adventurers’ Guild yesterday. A fight broke out, and everyone else in the guild was killed. Only the guild leader, Gu Dali, managed to escape. Huang Bai went after him—and never returned.” “The Giant Bear Adventurers’ Guild, Gu Dali…” Huang Shuyi mused, “Gu Dali is only at the early stage of the Innate Realm and possesses no powerful martial arts secrets; only the *Flying Bear Leaning on the Mountain Force* has any real value. Huang Bo likely set his sights on that technique. Given Gu Dali’s strength, he certainly wouldn’t have been a match for Huang Bai. Since Huang Bai hasn’t returned, could he have encountered another Innate Realm expert?” Huang Jue said with a look of disdain, “That Huang Bai is utterly useless—he actually let a mere Gu Dali get away.” The Huang family had been rooted in the City of Tears and Blood for over a hundred years, spanning eight generations. Though they all shared the same ancestor and surname, internal strife still existed—primarily a conflict between the legitimate and collateral branches. Huang Shuyi and his group belonged to the legitimate line, while Huang Bai and his group were from the collateral line. Huang Shuyi shot Huang Jue a glance, and the latter immediately fell silent. “Congdao, go investigate this further. No matter what, Huang Bai is still a Xiantian of the Huang family. We must find him—alive or dead.” Huang Shuyi stood up and said, “Now that the secret of Shepan Mountain has spread, most of the Xiantian practitioners in Jiangzhou have arrived. This treasure hunt will be even more complicated than before. Everyone must be extremely careful.” “Yes, sir!” Huang Congdao replied respectfully. “Jue’er, go invite the heads of the Zhang, Wang, and Zhao families,” Huang Shuyi instructed Huang Jue. A flicker of excitement crossed Huang Jue’s eyes. “Yes, Father. Father, are we going to take action against Liu Yuntao?” “Don’t be so nosy,” Huang Shuyi scolded. To the east of Shepan Mountain, Zhou Tianci paid special attention to the situation there. “Brother Gu, things are really heating up at Shepan Mountain right now. On our way here alone, we’ve seen no fewer than 100 Innate-level cultivators. By that count, at least 200 Innate-level cultivators have gathered at Shepan Mountain this time,” Zhou Tianci remarked as he discussed the situation with Gu Dali. Although his cultivation was stronger than Gu Dali’s, his experience paled in comparison. Gu Dali sneered, “News of the Yuan Jing has long been circulating among the Innate-level cultivators in Jiangzhou. What Innate-level cultivator wouldn’t covet a treasure capable of helping Post-Heaven cultivators advance to the Innate realm and even enhance the strength of those already at the Innate level? Even if some Innate-level cultivators have no use for them themselves, they still have descendants. Therefore, I wouldn’t be surprised if every single Innate-level cultivator in Jiangzhou showed up.” “Lord Gu, just how many Xiantian practitioners are there in Jiangzhou?” Li Feng couldn’t help but ask. He had never been part of the Xiantian circle and knew little about the Xiantian tier. Even within the Hou Tian martial artist community, there were many legends about the Xiantian tier. Li Feng had previously heard that there were fewer than 100 Xiantian experts in Jiangzhou, but judging by what Zhou Tianci and Gu Dali were saying, the number of Xiantian experts in Jiangzhou should far exceed that figure. Gu Dali replied, “I’m afraid no one knows exactly how many Innate-level experts there are in Jiangzhou. Innate-level experts have lifespans of several hundred years; some dominate the scene, while others choose to live in seclusion. Officially, Jiangzhou should have over 200 Innate-level practitioners, with the City of Tears and Blood alone accounting for more than half of that number. Each of the four major families in the City of Tears and Blood has at least 20 Innate-level practitioners, and the number of Innate-level practitioners in the Northwest Legion should also exceed 60. As for the number of Innate-level practitioners operating in secret, no one can say for certain, but it likely isn’t much fewer than the official count—it might even be higher.” Upon hearing this, Zhou Tianci couldn’t help but look at the Four Great Families with newfound respect, while also feeling ashamed of his previous narrow-mindedness. Come to think of it, with such abundant cultivation resources in this world, Innate-level experts were certainly not few in number. Li Feng, on the other hand, felt deflated by Gu Dali’s words. He had always considered himself quite talented and a notable figure in Jiangzhou, but now it seemed he had been nothing more than a frog at the bottom of a well. “With so many Innate cultivators gathered here, it seems we don’t need to worry about the threat of ferocious beasts and demon beasts,” Zhou Tianci thought, focusing on the bright side. “Beasts and demon beasts have never posed a threat to humans,” Gu Dali sneered. “Without the demon beasts, this battle will actually be even fiercer! Over ten Yuan Jing up for grabs, with more than 200 people competing for them… heh heh heh…” Zhou Tianci had also considered this possibility. Thinking of the great battle about to erupt here, he actually felt a sense of eager anticipation. “Brother Gu, interested in joining in?” Zhou Tianci whispered. Gu Dali was equally restless by nature. With his Early Innate-stage cultivation, he could have established a martial arts clan under the protection of the Great State of Yu, but in the end, he chose to join an adventurers’ guild—a decision driven precisely by his temperament. “How could Old Gu possibly miss such a grand event! Don’t let me get the chance—otherwise, I’ll definitely give the Huang family a big ‘gift’!” Gu Dali could not forget his grudge against the Huang family. Before nightfall, Zhou Tianci led his men to the Seventh Mountain Pass. Compared to the previous passes, this one was noticeably bloodier. “So many ferocious beasts!” Zhou Tianci couldn’t help but exclaim in astonishment. There were at least 100,000 of them gathered before the Seventh Mountain Pass, charging toward it in wave after wave, desperate to enter the valley. “First Battalion, form ranks!” Zhou Tianci bellowed. With the exception of Gu Dali and his men, the 205 soldiers swiftly formed a battle formation, then condensed their military aura, channeling it toward Zhou Tianci. As the military aura enveloped him, Zhou Tianci felt as if he’d been infused with boundless vitality, and his strength increased by at least ten percent! “The essence of military energy lies in formations. The legend that formations can harness the power of heaven and earth certainly holds some truth,” Zhou Tianci mused, sensing his increased strength. Don’t underestimate this ten percent boost. Keep in mind that Zhou Tianci’s current strength was already on par with the late Xiantian Gangqi Realm. The fact that just 205 Hou Tian martial artists could enhance his strength by ten percent was truly staggering. “If more than 5,000 people were to channel the military aura, just how much would my strength increase?” Zhou Tianci couldn’t help but wonder, while his resolve to train his subordinates grew even stronger. The appearance of Zhou Tianci and his group caused a stir among the pack of ferocious beasts, and before long, a large number of them began to close in on them. Zhou Tianci drew the Qianjun Sword; amplified by the military qi, a sword energy tens of zhang long swept across the area, slicing hundreds of beasts into mincemeat. “A sword aura spanning dozens of zhang!” Gu Dali was startled. At the early stage of the Innate Realm (True Qi Realm), one could condense at most three chi of true qi; at the True Essence Realm, one could condense one zhang. A sword aura spanning dozens of zhang—even a late-stage Innate Realm practitioner at the Gāng Qi Realm wouldn’t be able to achieve that, would they? At the Seventh Mountain Pass, Tang Shaokong, commander of the Black Tiger Corps within the Northwest Legion, was engaged in a fierce battle with the ferocious beasts alongside his men. Clad in black battle armor and wielding a two-meter-long mountain-splitting axe, he sliced more than twenty beasts in half as the blade flashed. “Who is that? How can anyone possess such terrifying sword energy!” Tang Shaokong spotted Zhou Tianci several hundred meters away and was utterly startled. He couldn’t help but notice—the sword energy, stretching dozens of zhang, was too dazzling; it was simply mind-boggling! Zhou Tianci didn’t realize just how astonishing his display was. Driven by a fierce killing intent, he unleashed his sword energy without restraint. In just half a minute, he had slain over 3,000 ferocious beasts with his sword. “What a thrill! Zhou Tianci shouted. With Zhou Tianci’s support, the troops stationed at the Seventh Mountain Pass were able to slaughter the ferocious beasts much more efficiently. In half a shichen, over 100,000 of them were completely wiped out, and the air within several li was thick with the stench of blood. “Brother Zhou, what’s the story with that sword energy?” As soon as the battle ended, Gu Dali hurriedly asked, “A sword energy this long—even someone at the late Innate Realm couldn’t unleash something like that!” Zhou Tianci sheathed the Thousand Jun Sword and said with a smile, “Brother Gu, you’ve misunderstood. My sword energy isn’t condensed from true qi. It may look terrifying, but its power isn’t actually that great. It’s effective against ferocious beasts and Post-Heaven martial artists, but it poses no threat whatsoever to Innate martial artists.”