The Heart-Sword and the Return of the Demon Ancestor

The black-robed Ji Ning extended a finger, condensing a seven-colored divine sword before beginning to practice his sword-art.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...

Sword-shadows flowed like dreams and illusions, as if rain were appearing everywhere, occasionally revealing a flicker of sharpness.

Ji Ning’s face initially held an expression of confusion and ignorance, but as he trained, joy gradually spread across his features, and he even let out a long, resonant cry.

“Whoosh.”

The sword-light flashed once, then vanished as if it had hidden itself into the void.

“What a fine ‘hidden edge’,” Ji Ning said, stopping. Delight was hard to hide in his eyes. “World God Northrest went to tremendous lengths to guide me along the path. Ninety-eight sword-art stelae, step by step, guiding me forward… making my insights into the sword more and more suited to training in the Nameless Sword Art.”

“These two stelae both contained the meaning of ‘concealing the edge’. I have now grasped it.”

“All ninety-eight sword-art stelae… I have no further confusion!”

Ji Ning waved his hand.

The Verdant Jade Temple immediately appeared beside him. He entered it at once. On the temple’s walls, countless patterns and sword-moves were revealed, recording the true, supreme technique of World God Northrest—the Nameless Sword Art. Even at World God Northrest’s level of enlightenment, the sword-moves he had recorded were only those he himself had managed to train in.

Being able to record them did not mean one could train in them all.

It was just as Daoist Three Purities could record the Ninefold Chaos Seal, yet when he had forged the ‘Slaughtering Immortal Sword Diagram’, he had only managed to comprehend seven layers of it!

“The Nameless Sword Art points directly to the source,” Ji Ning said softly. “According to what World God Northrest said, training in this sword-art grants one hope of reaching the Sixth Stage of Sword Force.”

The Sixth Stage of Sword Force was the ‘Sword World’ stage, a state of supreme perfection.

If one could truly reach this level, a Fiendgod Body Refiner could completely restructure their body using the ‘Sword World’ as its core, thereby becoming a World God!

A Ki Refiner could use the ‘Sword World’ as its core to return their golden core space to chaos, stepping into the Chaos Immortal realm!

The ‘Sword World’ stage was, in terms of level, on par with the Heavenly Dao of Chaos!

The Heavenly Dao of Chaos was the most common type. According to World God Northrest’s records, over ninety-nine percent of cultivators relied on the ‘Heavenly Dao of Chaos’ to become World Gods or Chaos Immortals! This was because chaos was omnipresent. No matter which Heavenly Dao one comprehended—even Water, for example—once fully enlightened, one could immediately begin comprehending the Heavenly Dao of Chaos.

Chaos had evolved Yin and Yang, Life and Destruction, Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth…

Once any of the other nine Heavenly Daos were fully understood, one could comprehend chaos! Thus, all Daofathers could draw power from chaos! They could all comprehend chaos! This was why a great many cultivators became World Gods and Chaos Immortals by comprehending the ‘Heavenly Dao of Chaos’.

In contrast, those who reached the ‘Sword World’ stage by comprehending the ‘Origin of the Sword’ to become World Gods or Chaos Immortals were exceedingly rare.

Every World God or Chaos Immortal who reached the ‘Sword World’ stage was an incredibly fearsome existence. Their offensive power was extraordinary! They could not be compared to ordinary Chaos Immortals or World Gods.

However—

The difficulty of advancing each layer of Sword Force increased by a factor of ten or even a hundred.

Going from the first stage to the second stage was relatively easy. Reaching the third was not too difficult either. But the fourth stage was already extremely hard.

Stepping into the fifth stage, the ‘Sword God’ stage—one could count the number of people who had achieved this in the Three Realms on one’s fingers. There were fewer of them than there were leaders of major powers!

Stepping into the sixth stage, the ‘Sword World’ stage, was even more difficult! It was far harder than becoming a World God or Chaos Immortal!

“And the Nameless Sword Art is a peerless sword-art that points directly to the source, allowing one to train to the ‘Sword World’ stage.” Ji Ning looked at the sword-art recorded on the walls of the Verdant Jade Temple before him.

The Nameless Sword Art recorded here consisted of seven moves! And this was only a fragment. World God Northrest did not even know the name of this sword-art.

He himself had only trained in five moves! However, training in just the third move… would allow one to step into the ‘Sword World’ stage.

“Never mind the third move. Even this first move… if I can train in it, my chances in the final battle will be greatly increased.” Ji Ning looked at the temple walls.

The first move of the Nameless Sword Art—the ‘Heart-Sword’ move.

Once this single move was mastered! Below the World God and Chaos Immortal levels… in terms of pure sword-art, one would almost be without peer. Among tens of thousands of Ancestral Immortals and Elder Gods, it would be hard to find one whose sword-art could compare.

The black-robed Ji Ning carefully observed the temple walls, contemplating this first move.

The ninety-eight sword-art stelae before this had all been preparation for comprehending the first move. Without those ninety-eight stelae, simply looking at this first move would probably be enough to make one feel like vomiting blood. Having comprehended the previous ninety-eight, Ji Ning could now begin to contemplate it, yet he still found it unbearably difficult.

“The Heart-Sword move… the very first move of this Nameless Sword Art is already so ethereal, so unfathomable.” Ji Ning stared at the densely packed sword-moves on the wall in disbelief. Those sword-moves were only there for reference.

The Heart-Sword move…

There were no sword-moves at all, only the heart-sword.

In all his years of cultivation, Ji Ning had always relied on the sword in his hand to fight. The ‘Soleheart’, ‘Blood Drop’, ‘Heavenbreaker’, ‘Shadowless’, and ‘Yin-Yang’ stances of the Brightmoon Sword-Art were all visible, tangible sword-moves. But the ‘Heart-Sword’ move of the Nameless Sword Art had no sword-moves at all… This made it very difficult for Ji Ning to comprehend.

He could faintly glimpse that realm, but still, he found it excruciatingly difficult to grasp.

He also understood that once he mastered it, he would enter a completely new realm of the sword.

After practicing the sword for three or five years, Ji Ning would stop and devote himself to contemplating the ‘Heavenly Dao of Water’.

Practicing the sword. Comprehending the Dao.

Alternating between the two… Although the final battle was imminent, Ji Ning continued to train and contemplate in stillness.

The Three Realms were already a surging undercurrent of dark tides. Both major camps were preparing, preparing for that final decisive battle.

Even supremely powerful figures like Buddha Jueming, who had been hiding their true strength, were ready at any moment.

Within the All-Demon Realm.

“We fought for nine years in that Realm War in the Shennong Major World, but in the end, we still lost.” Daofather Ink Bamboo’s voice was filled with anxiety as he sat there. “Demon Lord, you said we had an army of insect-beasts? In that Realm War in the Shennong Major World… why, in the end, did this insect-beast army never appear?”

The Lord of All Demons sat above, smiling at Daofather Ink Bamboo. “Ink Bamboo, there is no need to be impatient. We must cast our eyes to a broader horizon. Losing this battle is not a big deal. At the very least, we preserved our strength, and our losses are not too severe. As for the insect-beast army… of course we have it. However, let it not appear until the final struggle for the fate of the world.”

“Windfiend, do we truly have an insect-beast army?” Daofather Magic Hand, who was sitting nearby, pressed for an answer.

“We do,” the Lord of All Demons nodded.

“Why were we never told of this before, with you only revealing it now?” Daofather Magic Hand asked, puzzled.

“It was kept secret until now, that’s all.” The Lord of All Demons swept his gaze across the room. “Today, a great power of our Seamless Gate has returned. Everyone, please wait a moment.”

“A great power has returned?” Everyone present was confused.

“Don’t all of our great powers reside within the Three Realms?” The black-robed Godking was even more puzzled. Those powerful Elder Gods who had been formidable in ages past had all died in the ancient primordial war. The few who survived and were still powerful—Daofather Magic Hand, Master Stonerule—were also in the Three Realms. What great power was there left to return?

“You will know soon enough.” The Lord of All Demons wore a slight smile. Although the Shennong Major World had just been lost, his mood was still quite good.

The other ten-plus great powers present could only wait in confusion.

After roughly the time it takes to burn an incense stick.

A figure suddenly appeared at the entrance of the hall, stepping inside. The top of his head was half-bald, and his eyes carried a natural, fierce, and ruthlessly cruel aura. As soon as he entered, he was so excited that he immediately knelt with reverence. “Your disciple pays respects to you, Master.”

“There is no need.” The Lord of All Demons extended a hand, and an overwhelming divine power held the newcomer’s knees in place. The Lord of All Demons laughed, “My disciple, you have toiled in solitude for endless ages. It is I who should thank you. Moreover, your current strength is comparable to the Elder God level. There is even less need for you to kneel.”

“Without you, Master, your disciple would have died when he was still a mortal.” The bald-headed man, whose aura exuded boundless savagery, spoke with respect. “No matter when, you will always be my master.”

The Lord of All Demons smiled.

This was his favorite disciple, the one he trusted the most.

“Xue Gu!” The black-robed Godking stood up, staring in disbelief at this ferocious, bald-headed man. “You… you didn’t die?”

“Bu Xiu, if you didn’t die, how could I die?” the bald-headed man sneered coldly.

“Windfiend, you say that Xue Gu is comparable to an Elder God? He has reached the Leader level?” Daofather Magic Hand asked in shock.

The Lord of All Demons nodded. “Yes.”

“Hahaha…” Master Stonerule laughed instead. “Back then, Windfiend, after you rescued us and roamed the chaos alone, you only released us after returning to the Three Realms. You also said that your disciple, the ‘Demon Ancestor Xue Gu’, had died in the chaos… It seems you deliberately deceived us.”