The Blazing Sun of Sword Force

Mount Five Treasures stood ancient and profound, its cliffs bearing the complete First Sword Art of the Three Realms—the ‘Five Treasures Sword Art’. The mountain itself emanated a presence that felt even more towering than the Heavenly Dao itself.

Silence.

Not a sound.

The sheer aura radiating from Mount Five Treasures made it impossible for birds or insects to survive. The forty-plus Empyrean Gods and True Immortals who counted as living beings were utterly insignificant within the mountain's vastness, which spanned over ten thousand li.

“It truly is rare to find a place this quiet.” Ji Ning descended, landing upon the wilderness. He raised his head to gaze at the crisscrossing sword techniques etched into the distant cliff face.

Whoosh.

Ji Ning’s heart tightened.

A series of sword techniques surged into his mind—ancient, profound arts that transcended the Heavenly Dao.

“Incredible. Such a miraculous sword art exists in the world.” Ji Ning came to his senses only after a long moment. He then manifested a cloud beneath his feet and began to fly slowly upwards. The first peak towered a thousand li high, naturally piercing into the clouds. The first volume of the Five Treasures Sword Art covered a large portion of the cliff face of this very mountain.

As he flew, Ji Ning continued to observe.

Sword techniques began to flow through his eyes. Ji Ning studied slowly; it took him a full half hour to finish reviewing the first volume.

“The first volume is truly vast.” Ji Ning sighed in amazement. It was unquestionably the most complex sword art he had ever seen. The first volume alone contained three thousand seven hundred and twenty-nine stances, each one profound beyond measure.

“Alright.”

With a thought, Ji Ning transformed into a streak of light, diving downwards. As he landed, he pointed into the distance. The power of Heaven and Earth surged, and a simple thatched cottage soon coalesced. Ji Ning stepped inside, sat down cross-legged facing Mount Five Treasures, and closed his eyes to begin his contemplation.

The sword stances appeared within his mind, and he proceeded to ponder and digest them.

Ji Ning was well aware of his own strengths and weaknesses.

He had been quite fortunate in his encounters, thus learning divine abilities like the Eight-Nine Arcane Art and the Starseizing Hand. These two abilities alone had already placed him at the pinnacle of Empyrean Gods! But his goal was not to be an Empyrean God; it was to become a True God or Daofather. In the final decisive battle of the great calamity, only True God or Daofather-level power could truly make a difference.

What’s more, he needed to be at the apex of True Gods and Daofathers, even striving to reach the level of the leaders of the Buddhist and Daoist sects, or even that of Nuwa and Pangu.

But how could he achieve this?

Ji Ning knew very well that, compared to other major powers, his greatest weakness was his short cultivation time. The calamity was already pressing in, and the final explosion could not be far off. The time left for him was not plentiful. If he were to take the steady path—first comprehending the Grand Dao of Rainwater, then advancing to the higher ‘Heavenly Dao of Water’, and then cultivating the Five Elements one by one, seeking to master them all to reach the level of the sect leaders—just thinking about it made it clear that it would require endless time.

There wasn’t enough time.

What could he do?

He had to take a different path!

His highest talent was in Heartforce, which was intangible and ethereal. That path was more likely to yield a breakthrough. He was already at the fourth stage of Heartforce! As long as he reached the fifth stage, he would immediately be at the top-tier Daofather level. In the ancient past, Houyi had comprehended the fifth stage of Heartforce while still an Empyrean God, allowing him to kill Daofathers as an Empyrean God!

His master, Subhuti, believed that his sword talent was even higher. If his Sword Force could reach the fifth stage, it would be no less than the fifth stage of Heartforce. But how could he achieve this?

The premier sword art of the Three Realms, the Five Treasures Sword Art, was the best path! Furthermore, the Five Treasures Sword Art would allow his sword’s speed to surpass the limits of the Heavenly Dao, making him absolute strongest at the same level. If two cultivators both reached the fifth stage of Sword Force, the one who had mastered the Five Treasures Sword Art would be vastly superior.

“Two paths, walked simultaneously.”

“As long as one succeeds.”

“I, Ji Ning, will stand at the apex of the Three Realms!”

Ji Ning understood clearly that both paths were extremely arduous. But how could one reach the pinnacle of the Three Realms without hardship? Others didn’t even have the chance. He had the opportunity and the talent; of course, he had to fight for it.

It wasn’t just for himself. It was for his family as well. If he didn’t have sufficient strength, not only would he be finished, but Brightmoon and the others would not be able to live on safely either.

…

Ji Ning was completely immersed in his cultivation. From time to time, he would leave the cottage to review the first volume of the Five Treasures Sword Art once more. Although he had memorized it, the sword techniques on the cliff face had been personally left by Daofather Fuju, infused with his sword-intent. Ji Ning could memorize the stances, but he could not capture this sword-intent.

This was also why, during times of peace, thousands of Empyrean Gods and True Immortals would go into seclusion here, cultivating for millions of years or even longer.

Days passed one by one.

The entire Mount Five Treasures remained silent and still. The Empyrean Gods and True Immortals sat like withered trees, utterly immersed in the sword art.

“The Dao… is being forgotten…”

Ji Ning opened his eyes.

The Dao was disappearing, thread by thread. He tried desperately to recall it, but could not retrieve these memories. They were truly gone.

“Continue…”

Ji Ning closed his eyes and resumed his comprehension.

The loss of other Daos was a worthy sacrifice for the sword.

The erosion of other Daos also signified that Ji Ning was continuously advancing in the Five Treasures Sword Art. Moreover, Ji Ning also had the ‘Ninefold Chaos Seal’ for reference. As his cultivation deepened, he realized that the Ninefold Chaos Seal was far more profound and more taxing to comprehend. In contrast, the Five Treasures Sword Art, especially its first volume with its three thousand seven hundred and twenty-nine stances, was essentially a system meant to acclimate him to another system—one that transcended the Heavenly Dao.

The Five Treasures Sword Art was more detailed but slightly weaker in power.

This made sense when he thought about it.

The Ninefold Chaos Seal… was something that even Daofathers as supreme as the Three Purities and Lady Nuwa (before the Primordial Dawn War) could not fully comprehend. The Five Treasures Sword Art, on the other hand, was created by Daofather Fuju. A comparison of the two immediately showed their difference. However, both were existences that transcended the Heavenly Dao and could be used as references for each other.

“Finally… the Grand Dao of Rainwater is gone.” Sensing, midway through his cultivation, that his Grand Dao of Rainwater was no longer complete, Ji Ning paused for a moment, then calmly continued his contemplation.

…

Threads of insight into the Dao were flowing away.

His mastery of the Five Treasures Sword Art grew ever deeper.

“Five Treasures. Five Treasures.” Ji Ning rose and left the cottage. He looked up at the distant first peak and sighed softly. “A true treasure indeed. Only through earnest cultivation do I realize its vastness and wonder. How did Daofather Fuju ever create such an inconceivable sword art? How could a great power like him have died so silently?”

The death of Daofather Fuju was a mystery.

How had he died?

Why had he deliberately left a legacy on the fifth peak before venturing into the Chaos, as if he had known he was in danger of dying?

“Did he encounter a Chaos alien race and fight them to the death? Or did he discover a dangerous, mysterious place in the endless Chaos and recklessly go to explore it?” Ji Ning guessed, but he soon set the thought aside. The Chaos was far too mysterious; even the Ninefold Chaos Seal had been discovered within it.

“Having merely mastered the first volume, my sword is already much faster than before.” Ji Ning had already mastered the first volume of the Five Treasures Sword Art.

This first volume was not overly difficult. Most cultivators with true resolve and the prerequisite of first-stage Sword Force could master it.

“Out.”

A Northsea sword appeared in Ji Ning’s hand, and he began to execute the sword art.

He did not use the slightest bit of Ki or Divine Power, wielding the blade as if he were an ordinary mortal.

He sliced. He thrust. He lifted. He chopped. These were merely the most basic of sword strikes, but in Ji Ning’s hands, they carried an effortless, flowing grace. As he continued to practice, a layer of dazzling, platinum-white light began to naturally coalesce around the sword. The resplendent platinum-white light imbued the divine sword with incredible power.

The sword became faster, sharper. Space itself began to hiss and crack wherever it passed.

This was the second stage of Sword Force: the ‘Blazing Sun Stage’.

The first stage of Sword Force was the ‘Silver Moon Stage’, whose external sign was a layer of silvery-white light naturally condensing around the blade.

“So, I have unknowingly reached the second stage of Sword Force.” Ji Ning smiled.

…

Mount Innerheart. A Daoist temple.

Patriarch Subhuti was sitting there with his eyes closed, observing the Three Realms. With the chaos spreading throughout the realms, Subhuti, as the one with the highest achievement in spacetime on Lady Nuwa’s side, naturally had to monitor everything.

“Hmm?” Subhuti opened his eyes, a trace of a smile appearing on his face. “This disciple of mine has reached the second stage of Sword Force. Good. His heart should be calm enough now. It’s time to let him engage the Seamless Gate.”

With his abilities, Subhuti had long ago discovered the locations of some Seamless Gate strongholds suitable for Ji Ning to handle.

But if he always let Ji Ning fight with reckless abandon, it might cause him to perish in his madness. So Subhuti also controlled the general timing, ensuring Ji Ning did not fight too frequently, while still allowing his disciple to achieve his goal—forcing the Seamless Gate to finally capitulate. Subhuti had to manage this delicate balance.