The Dao of the Sword, Forged in Madness

Within the Heaven Realm of the Three Realms, the Eastern Daoist Palace was bustling with unprecedented liveliness.

Great powers had gathered here. Even Tathagata Buddha and Amitabha of the Buddhist faith had arrived to offer their congratulations.

“Congratulations, Dao-friend.”

“Donghua, you have finally taken this step.”

“Congratulations.”

“Haha, Donghua, you have broken through as well. I have been waiting for this day since the Primordial Era.”

The Dao Palace was a scene of clamorous festivity.

The protagonist of today’s gathering was not Daoist Three Purities, but rather Patriarch Lü, ‘Lü Dongbin,’ who had always carried the great hopes of the Daoist faith. For it was just a few days prior that Lü Dongbin had been wandering the primordial chaos, and upon his return from that boundless expanse, he had unexpectedly broken through to the ‘Daofather’ level. Moreover, his return had caused quite a stir; nearly all the great powers of the Three Realms were aware of it.

“Fuxi.”

“Fuxi, it has been a long time.”

These great powers conversed in small groups. Some had come in person, while others had only sent incarnations.

“Bodhi.”

“Fuxi.”

Within the Dao Palace, Fuxi and Bodhi encountered each other. Bodhi had come in person, while Fuxi had only sent an incarnation.

“Donghua’s return from the chaos stirred up quite a commotion; it seems he had some significant fortune,” Fuxi said with a smile. “And from the signs of that disturbance… it appears Donghua has also trained his ‘Taiyi Force’ to the fifth level. Impressive, truly impressive.”

“He has absorbed the achievements of both the Daoist and Buddhist paths into himself. Donghua’s ambition is vast,” Bodhi sighed in admiration. “But it is precisely this vast ambition that has held him back. In his past life as Donghua, and his present life as Lü Dongbin, his realms have always been extremely high. Yet he was never able to make the breakthrough. This opportunity in the chaos allowed him to break through in one fell swoop, merging Buddhism and Daoism, empowered by the Taiyi. Now that he has broken through, among True Gods and Daofathers, he will be considered top-tier. No wonder Sanqing and Xiaoyao valued him so highly.”

Fuxi nodded in agreement.

They both sighed in admiration.

The strength of True Gods and Daofathers was roughly divided into three tiers.

The first tier was the ordinary Daofather level. Most Daofathers were at this level, and without a fundamental breakthrough, it was nearly impossible to improve further.

The second tier was the top-tier level. The Five Emperors of the ancient human race, Daofather Xiaoyao, the War God Xingtian, and other exceptionally powerful figures belonged to this tier.

The third tier was the leader level. This included the leaders of the Daoist and Buddhist faiths and the Three Human Sovereigns.

In truth, the power level of figures like Bodhi, Old Man Yuan, and Houyi was somewhat ambiguous. They were all far stronger than Xingtian and the others, and were generally considered to be very close to the leaders of the Daoist and Buddhist faiths. Whether they could be considered truly equal was hard to say.

Lü Dongbin, having merged the Daoist and Buddhist paths and pushing his Taiyi Force to the fifth level, was absolutely at the ‘top-tier Daofather’ level.

Throughout history, there were those who had become incredibly powerful immediately after their breakthrough.

Xingtian was one example.

Houyi was an even more extreme example.

And Youdu was another. When he was an Empyrean God, he had trained the ‘Twelve Capital Heavens Divinefiend Art’ to the second level, making his twelve avatars comparable to his true body. After his breakthrough to become a True God, by combining his twelve avatars, he also reached the top-tier Daofather level.

Nuwa’s camp had such figures.

The Seamless Gate had them as well.

“That disciple of yours has formidable Heartforce,” Fuxi said. “If he could break through to the fifth level of Heartforce, he would instantly become a top-tier Daofather as well.”

“It’s not so easy to break through,” Bodhi shook his head. “Donghua’s accumulation was immense. If he hadn’t cultivated too many paths simultaneously, each influencing the other, he probably would have become a Daofather long ago. His ambition was simply too great, which is why he only broke through today. Ji Ning has been cultivating for far too short a time. Reaching the fifth level of Heartforce is far too difficult. In truth, I have always believed his talent lies more in the sword. I still believe this, for compared to the Dao of the Sword, the Heartforce path is too illusory and ethereal.”

Fuxi nodded in agreement. “How is his sword-art now?”

“He is still accumulating,” Bodhi said.

“Ah, right. These are the formation notes I promised Ji Ning.” Fuxi produced a bamboo scroll. “Since I was coming here anyway, I thought I’d give them to you.”

……

The news of Patriarch Lü’s breakthrough naturally reached the Seamless Gate.

They, too, were bitterly resentful.

Nuwa’s camp had gained another powerful ally! They had long wanted to eliminate Lü Dongbin, but he was the Celestial Immortal the Daoist faith valued most. Everyone knew that with Lü Dongbin’s style of cultivation, his breakthrough would be extraordinary. He had long been treated as a precious treasure. Unlike Ji Ning, who seemed to court death, Lü Dongbin was cautious. The Seamless Gate had never had a chance.

“To break through just as the great calamity descends… Lü Dongbin is indeed a threat. But in the end, life and death will be decided in the final battle.” The Godking was furious, yet still calm.

After all, it was a war between two factions.

The addition of one top-tier Daofather was still within controllable limits. If it had been a leader-level figure, he would have been truly enraged and frantic.

As for Ji Ning?

The Godking had already dismissed Ji Ning from his thoughts. Given Ji Ning’s current activities, he seemed wholly focused on practicing his sword-art, no longer ambushing the Seamless Gate. “It seems Ji Ning has finally learned to be sensible.”

The birth of a new Daofather was mainly a topic among the great powers. Very few of the Empyrean Gods and True Immortals knew about it. Because Ji Ning was completely focused on his sword practice, Bodhi didn’t tell him, nor did he rush to give him the grand formation Fuxi had created. “Learning such a grand formation is quick. Right now, my disciple is wandering the Three Realms, dueling all under heaven, like a man possessed. I shouldn’t disturb him. I can teach him after he has achieved something.”

Bodhi’s judgment was accurate.

Ji Ning had indeed entered a state of madness.

He had achieved great success in his sword-art. The first level of Sword Force was only the beginning.

The second level of Sword Force was where one truly entered a new realm. Ji Ning was beginning to grasp the true foundation of the sword… As he journeyed across the Three Realms, constantly practicing and dueling, his own path became increasingly clear. He eventually refined all the mysteries of his sword techniques into five stances. In his mind…

“All the sword techniques in the world, including the Five Treasures Sword Art, can be broken down and refined into these five stances.”

“The sword-art I, Ji Ning, am creating shall be called the ‘Brightmoon Sword-Art.’ In the endless ages to come, I will constantly work to perfect these five stances.”

In Ji Ning’s conception.

These five sword-stances could encompass all the mysteries of swordsmanship within the Three Realms.

In truth, swordsmanship is simple at its core. The most basic sword moves are only a handful: chop, thrust, flick, sweep, slash, dot, twist, collapse, lift, parry, hook, and intercept. But it is also incredibly complex. One can give birth to two, two can give birth to three, and three can give birth to all things. These thirteen basic moves can be endlessly衍生 into countless techniques.

Ji Ning had his own method of division, splitting them into five stances.

Though they were called stances, they were more precisely five sword-intents. The emphasis was on the intent, not the move.

In the fifteenth year of Ji Ning’s sword practice.

“Be careful!”

A Primal-level Fiendgod growled as he charged at Ji Ning.

Using only the power of a Zifu Disciple, Ji Ning held a sword in each hand. As his blade moved, it was as if a black hole had formed, wildly weakening the surging power of his opponent. No matter how fast the enemy attacked, it was difficult to break free.

“Boom.”

The Fiendgod, pulled off balance by the force of his own attack, stumbled involuntarily.

“Of the Brightmoon Five Stances, I never expected this one to take form first. I shall call this stance… ‘Soleheart’.” Ji Ning nodded to himself.

The Brightmoon Sword-Art.

Named after his daughter, it represented the most important thing Ji Ning was sworn to protect in his heart!

The Soleheart Stance of the Brightmoon Five was a one-on-one defensive sword technique. It represented the ultimate expression of Ji Ning’s defensive sword-intent. With one stroke, the sword was like a black hole, trapping the enemy’s attack within it. For now, this sword stance was still crude, but it was already the most powerful technique Ji Ning had developed.

At this moment…

Ji Ning had silently reached the third level of Sword Force. But he paid this no mind. His heart was filled only with the Brightmoon Sword-Art. This was his true life’s work, the foundation of all his sword techniques.

He would not stop until he had created all five stances.

“Mm. So I’ve finally taken down that Dongjun True Immortal.” A grin spread across Ji Ning’s face.

……

Deep within an icy, mist-shrouded star in the endless chaos, inside a sealed stele at the bottom of a canyon.

The World Prison.

A lotus with eight petals hung high in the air, suspended above a huge, bowl-shaped magic treasure. Eight great true fires blazed down from above, completely covering the bowl, continuously burning it.

A white-robed youth sat outside the formation’s restrictions, eyes closed, contemplating his sword-art, maintaining only the slightest trickle of magic power into the formation.

Although his opponent was only a Pure Yang True Immortal, he was a first-rate Pure Yang True Immortal, whose strength was comparable to a Daofather of the Three Realms! Hiding within the bowl-shaped treasure, he continuously channeled his magic power to resist the burning of the eight great true fires… and had stubbornly held out for fifteen years.

“I… I concede.” From within the bowl-shaped treasure came Dongjun True Immortal’s unwilling and humiliated voice. His magic power and medicinal pills were all but exhausted. At most, he could hold out for another three days.