Twenty-Four War Swords

The counting system had changed from today onward. For readers, this was a welcome development, as a chapter that once would have been displayed as six thousand words now cost less.

"Paradise Lost World?" Xiao Chen was astonished. Hearing that name again stirred something in his chest, like a soft wind drifting through the sea of his heart.

"Mm, it's real! Tongtian has already come to the underworld," Keke said, nodding earnestly. Her long lashes fluttered, and her big eyes sparkled with light. Her soft, tender voice carried excitement: "I want to get Paradise Lost. I think it was always meant to be mine."

Xiao Chen laughed at her words. The little snow-white beast's logic was far too childish—because she loved heavenly spirit herbs, all the herbs in every garden were hers; because she wanted Paradise Lost, the world behind the passage Tongtian had guarded for endless ages was also hers.

"You little scatterbrain, don't cause trouble. Come back soon," Xiao Chen admonished.

"Mm, once I get Paradise Lost, I'll come right back. No more troubling Uncle King Chu Jiang." With those words, Keke slipped into the Reincarnation Gate and vanished.

Standing nearby, the monk Yizhen felt a shiver. "Troubling King Chu Jiang"… this little beast was truly heaven-defying.

Far off, twenty-four sword beams, each as thick as a mountain, grew ever stronger, dimming the sun itself. They seemed about to sunder heaven and earth, their dazzling light shooting into the starry space beyond the sky.

The palm-sized delicate sword hovered briefly in the sky, then plunged downward once more. Around the twenty-four colossal, radiant beams of sword qi, it began to slash horizontally and vertically, carving deep grooves into the Demon Plain and tracing a complex, unfathomable ancient formation.

Then, the translucent, nearly transparent little sword made a single rotary slash in the sky, tore through space, and vanished without a trace. Throughout it all, the wielder of the sword never revealed himself.

The Demon Plain was choked with murderous aura. The air was thick with surging qi force. All the white bones scattered on the ground began to creak and groan. Every skeleton seemed to have regained intelligence, slowly rising to its feet.

An endless sea of skeletal soldiers converged from all directions toward the twenty-four beams of sword qi. The scene was appallingly grand.

Looking down from the sky, the Demon Plain resembled a ghost kingdom—a vast expanse of white.

"He withdrew," Yizhen said in surprise, unable to fathom the intention of the small sword's master.

Xiao Chen was also puzzled. Could that man truly not be anxious to retrieve the twenty-four War Swords? Was he not afraid others would compete with him?

They retreated to a safe distance, far enough that the fluctuation of the twenty-four beams barely reached them, and watched quietly from the distant sky. They waited until deep night, but the master of the small sword never returned to take any action. They only saw the sword beams grow increasingly intense, gradually showing signs of solidifying.

Could it be that the Otherworld's ultimate treasure, the twenty-four swords, would condense from qi into physical bodies?

That was the question in Xiao Chen's and Yizhen's minds. As they waited, they spoke of their experiences over the past few years, holding nothing back.

Four years apart could change many things. Their life paths had taken unexpected turns: they had gained much, and also lost much, as they jointly lamented.

This was a balanced world: always when you gained, you lost; when you lost, you gained.

When dawn arrived, the twenty-four sword beams pierced through the heavens. One by one, morning stars cast down brilliant rays that merged with the beams, making them look like celestial pillars.

The army of skeletons on the Demon Plain had all assembled there, a boundless forest of bone. Every skeleton stood upright, utterly still, all facing the twenty-four sky-piercing sword beams.

Xiao Chen took a deep breath. "We should leave too. The twenty-four War Swords will not appear for a short while—otherwise, that man would not have left so confidently."

Yizhen nodded. They understood that in the coming days, this place would become a fierce battlefield, and many great figures would likely pass through.

"Friend Daoist, please stay." The abrupt voice came from behind Xiao Chen and Yizhen.

In that instant, Xiao Chen felt a wave of ill fortune wash over him. It seemed he had once again encountered that God of Misfortune.

Yizhen turned in surprise. A Taoist with a thoroughly luckless face was flying in from the distance, intoning, "Measure the heavens! Friend Daoist, please stay." It was none other than Shen Xibao, the self-proclaimed descendant of the absolute God of Misfortune, Shen Gongbao.

His face was a picture of misery, and a faint aura of ill luck could be seen swirling around him.

Without a word, Xiao Chen put away the Seven-Colored Sacred Tree, grabbed Yizhen and the Jade Dragon King, and shot into the sky. He strongly suspected that Shen Xibao was actually Shen Gongbao himself. If that were the case, even a Deathless Longevity cultivator could not withstand him—the phrase "Friend Daoist, please stay" had, in the ancient times, tricked and killed countless powerful figures from both the Chan and Jie sects.

"Friend Daoist, please stay!" Seeing them flee, the God of Misfortune intoned again, his voice eerily compelling, making one want to stop despite oneself. However, both Xiao Chen and Yizhen were no ordinary men; their resolve was firm, and they sped away like shooting stars.

Yizhen, still somewhat confused, asked, "Who is that man? Why do we flee?"

"He calls himself Shen Xibao."

"The God of Misfortune?" Now it was Yizhen who pulled Xiao Chen to run faster. "I've heard of this man. One of my grand-uncles once said that this man is born with a boundless calamitous aura…"

Over the next three days, the Demon Plain became dotted with figures as many cultivators arrived.

On the same day, a world-shaking announcement was made: the Grand Marshal of the Fan Kingdom, a prince, would set up the Nine Heavens, Ten Earths, God-Slaying Demon-Exterminating Annihilation Formation on the Demon Plain, blocking the nearly ten million troops of the Roman Empire and the Great Shang Empire.

All garrisons of the Fan Kingdom and the Great Zhou Kingdom on the Mountain River Pass and surrounding boundless mountain ranges withdrew and entered the Demon Plain, hiding within the peerless killing formation.

At this point, Xiao Chen suddenly felt that this war… might be a conspiracy connected to the twenty-four War Swords and Paradise Lost.

Could it really be so?

Otherwise, why was the final battlefield chosen on the Demon Plain? The deeper he thought, the more horrifying it became: could millions of lives be sacrificed only for the twenty-four War Swords and the Paradise Lost World?

If this were true, it would not just be Lord Tongtian involved; there had to be several beings of half-Ancestor level!

In those days, more cultivators hastened toward the Demon Plain. The impending war could not stop their steps; the twenty-four War Swords seemed to hold an irresistible allure for them.

For several days, Xiao Chen also hovered around the Demon Plain, observing the area near the twenty-four War Swords to see what might happen.

"X-X-Xiao Chen, y-y-you're here too! I-I-I, handsome and extraordinarily c-c-charming, am also here!"

The lecherous Jin Sanyi rode his little white donkey over the Demon Plain, greeting Xiao Chen from a distance.

"Lecher, did you hear something? What exactly is going to happen on the Demon Plain?" Xiao Chen asked.

The lecher urged his little white donkey forward, flew close, and mysteriously leaned near Xiao Chen's ear, looking around furtively. "I-I-I've heard that t-t-the ancestor of the W-W-White Tiger is coming, and the ancestor of our assassin lineage is also coming. T-T-This place is about to produce a a a peerless treasure that has been w-w-awaited for endless ages!"

Xiao Chen inhaled sharply. The Demon Plain was an extraordinary place indeed: the original Kunlun Mountains had once crashed here, the Buddha's previous incarnation had been nailed to death here, Laozi's previous incarnation had been smashed into pulp here.

Now, a peerless divine treasure was about to emerge, drawing the oldest and most powerful figures to gather. Would Tongtian, Primordial, Laozi, and the Buddha all appear together? And would Allah and the Sun Divine Lord also manifest?

"Y-Y-You wait here. I-I-I'm off—g-g-going to look at beautiful women." Jin Sanyi galloped away.

On the tenth day, the twenty-four beams of sword qi had condensed into solid forms, like real giant swords standing as tall as twenty-four mountains piercing the clouds—majestic and vast.

The murderous aura sealed the space around them; ordinary folk could not even approach.

Xiao Chen made several attempts and sensed extreme danger. The terrifying energy fluctuations ahead made his heart tremble. He had no intention of truly risking his life.

"Hee hee… passionate man, are you thinking of taking the twenty-four War Swords?" The peerless enchantress of the Demon Heaven Palace had arrived. Her black dress moved with the wind, setting off her snow-white jade-like skin to even greater radiance. She treated the void as a warm bed, reclining in midair with one stunning white arm pillowed beneath her head, hair floating, the black gauze dress cinched at her slender waist, her supple curves rising and falling, her long, snow-white legs faintly visible through the sheer fabric.

The enchantress lay sideways in the void, her smile seductive, her peerless beauty enough to overturn all living beings. Her delicate brows curved, and her eyes shimmered with watery light, indescribably alluring.

Most of all, her snow-white jade feet, sparkling and translucent, kicked lazily in the sky, adding a thousand charms to her already bewitching form.

"Unshod woman, did you come here alone to try to kill me? That might be a bit difficult," Xiao Chen said, circling her and openly appraising her tempting body. He added a wry comment: "Does the Demon Heaven Palace have some secret recipe? How did they raise a peerless fiend like you? You're pure disaster."

"Are you praising me or scolding me?" The Demon Heaven Palace enchantress rolled her eyes at him, then laughed coquettishly. "How would I bear to kill you? I'm not as cold-hearted as you are. Such a good man as you—if you died, it would truly break my heart. Hee hee…" Her laughter was like silver bells, wanton and seductive.

Xiao Chen couldn't possibly believe her. He only smiled and said, "Do you have business with me?"

"Can't I come to you without business?" The peerless enchantress's big, watery eyes sparkled with cunning light, both seductive and lively—an indescribably captivating combination.

"Of course you can. We could have a candlelit talk, share a bed, communicate more deeply…"

The enchantress smiled brilliantly, her allure enough to dim even the brightest flowers. She shot him a glance and said, "I thought you, my passionate man, only knew how to kill and understood nothing else. I never expected you aren't a good man either."

"I… am a good man."

"Good man, come over here. I have something to discuss with you." Her voice was honey-sweet enough to make anyone melt.

"Speak, then. What do you want to discuss?" Xiao Chen took a step and lay down beside her in the void, facing the peerless enchantress boldly, less than half a foot away. He could clearly smell her intoxicating fragrance and feel the luster flowing from her creamy jade-like skin.

"Your gaze is very aggressive."

"Because I am a normal man, an upright and open man. What I think and what I do are consistent; I don't conceal."

The enchantress laughed. "So you're not a block of wood after all." Then she dropped the seductive air, lightly spun up like a nimble jade butterfly, and said, "Our founder—the first palace master of the Demon Heaven Palace—will be coming here."

Though this news surprised Xiao Chen a little, after learning that the White Tiger Saint Emperor and the Assassin Supreme were coming, he was not particularly shaken. "The Great Demon Heaven is also coming? Heh, this is truly a convergence of powers." Xiao Chen spun and stood upright in the void.

"Don't give me that nonchalant chatter. Let me put it plainly—I want to cooperate with you." The peerless enchantress twisted her supple body and took a few steps closer, her voice full of enticement. "What do you say?"

"Your founder is coming. Do you still need to cooperate with me? Are you joking?"

The enchantress shook her head. "How could my founder need my help?"

"I advise you not to get your hopes up. Even if a divine treasure is unearthed this time, it will be a feast for the great powers. Lord Tongtian himself has been disturbed. Even if your founder comes, she might not have a part, let alone you."

"Hehe… if there were no chance, why would I risk it?" The enchantress smiled. "Let me tell you something: I heard it directly from my founder's mouth. She said that this time, the greatest beneficiary might not be the one with the highest cultivation. Perhaps a heaven-defying opportunity will fall upon an ordinary person."

"Oh?"

Xiao Chen's curiosity was piqued, but the enchantress gave a sly smile and stopped there, instead raising the topic of alliance. "If you are willing, let us put aside past grievances and join forces among the younger generation. How about it?"

Xiao Chen nodded. "That's fine."

"It's settled then. I will go back and organize Absolute Blade, little Xuanxuan, and Samo, one of the top ten young experts of the Roman Empire."

"Who is little Xuanxuan?" Xiao Chen asked curiously.

"The celestial maiden of the Compassionate Navigation Sword Pavilion—also my mortal enemy. Of course, this time we are allies. Hee hee…"

"And what is your name?" Xiao Chen still didn't know the enchantress's name.

"Your servant's name is Yao Yao."

"You truly are an enchanting fiend. But I don't quite understand—why do you want to ally with me? Not long ago, we were fighting to the death."

"There's nothing to hide. You have that heaven-defying little beast in the underworld. They say this divine treasure is not only connected to the Demon Plain but may also be connected to the underworld. I think your little snow-white beast will be of great use when the time comes."

Xiao Chen nodded. "I have such resources. What do you bring?"

"We have combat strength and crucial intelligence. With me, the most outstanding successor in the history of the Demon Heaven Palace, directing operations, we are sure to reap a great harvest."

"But I feel I'm at a disadvantage."

The enchantress laughed brilliantly, with a hint of malice. Her limpid eyes blinked. "You won't lose out at all. In the end, I'll give you a big gift. Guess what it is?"

"Is it yourself?" Xiao Chen grinned.

"Not far off, but not quite. When the time comes, I'll send you the peerless celestial maiden of the Compassionate Navigation Sword Pavilion. What do you think of that? She is a jade-like woman who embodies the spiritual wisdom of heaven and earth—a beauty to rival mine. Hee hee…" The enchantress giggled, her eyes shimmering with seductive light.

"You truly are an enchantress!" Xiao Chen gazed at her with an aggressive look. "But I prefer your type."

"That's easy to handle. When the time comes, your servant will help train her for you," Yao Yao teased with a provocative smile.

A catastrophic war erupted!

The armies of four nations confronted each other. The Nine Heavens, Ten Earths, God-Slaying Demon-Exterminating Annihilation Formation had been completed, blocking the nearly ten million soldiers of the Roman Empire and the Great Shang Empire before the formation.

The Roman Empire and the Great Shang Empire summoned wise experts to ponder the formation for days before beginning their assault.

This was no battle for a single city or territory. The Demon Plain, covering a thousand li of land, was enshrouded by the peerless killing formation. A total of over ten million troops from the four empires engaged in a brutal war.

Wailing souls were countless. Every day on the Demon Plain, ghosts howled and spirits wept. In just five short days, millions of people perished. Black mist rolled; demonic flames surged within the peerless killing formation. Though incomplete, the formation—said to slay gods and immortals—was more than enough to kill mortals.

The Great Shang and Roman empires suffered heavy losses, but by the sixth day, the Fan and Great Zhou empires also began to sustain massive casualties.

The peerless formation seemed to be coming alive. It made no distinction between sides—all life within the formation had its soul force drained. The formation had completely lost control. The elite troops of the Fan and Great Zhou empires, who had been hiding in safe zones, began to suffer backlash from the formation.

A ferocious murderous aura soared into the sky, echoing the murderous qi of the twenty-four War Swords hundreds of li away.

Black clouds rolled, demonic qi towered, and blood rain drizzled. For a full half month, the peerless killing formation resounded with the wails of ghosts and the cries of spirits. This was a slaughter, an annihilation of the cosmos, a world-shaking atrocity.

When the black clouds finally dissipated, twelve million corpses lay silently on the Demon Plain. Ninety percent of the troops on both sides had died in the killing formation.

For three days, the gods wept and fierce ghosts howled here.

Then, on the third night, this place suddenly turned deathly still. Overnight, the souls of over ten million soldiers vanished without a trace—an unfathomable force had taken them.

On a divine island beyond the heavens, a strikingly beautiful young man with long hair flying gazed at the endless stars and murmured to himself, "Who was it? Could it be that some undying old monsters haven't died out? Hmph, no matter what. I, Tongtian, must still go there once. I have waited for endless ages."

Four days after the great war ended, a five-colored divine light slashed across the sky. The legendary great sage Kong Xuan had arrived at the Demon Plain. In the ancient war, he had swept through the world; his five-colored divine light, once unleashed, could not be stopped by anything.

Moments later, a seven-colored radiance flashed. The Seven Treasures Wonderful Tree swayed, shedding brilliant light, and flew to this place.

At the same time, four colossal divine swords descended from the sky, each over a thousand zhang tall. They were sharp beyond compare, with dazzling brilliance, and planted themselves upright on the Demon Plain like four sword-mountains—tall and imposing. They were none other than Lord Tongtian's four swords. Their shape was remarkably similar to the solid forms condensed from the twenty-four War Swords' sword qi.

By now, countless cultivators had already appeared on the Demon Plain. After the tragic four-nation war, many cultivators rushed into the plain, gathering around the twenty-four War Swords.

"It is said the White Tiger Saint Emperor has already come."

"The first palace master of the Demon Heaven Palace has also come."

"What is that? It's said that even the Buddha will come, along with many other peerless experts unknown to the world."

The twenty-four colossal sword beams had materialized. Surrounding them was an endless forest of bones, and beyond that, countless cultivators.

Xiao Chen watched from afar. He vaguely sensed the presence of a Heavenly Stele.

Just then, petals wafted down from the horizon. Celestial music played, and a rain of flowers scattered through the sky.

"Primordial… actually Primordial has arrived!" someone exclaimed.

From another part of the sky, Buddha's light shone everywhere. Lotuses bloomed in the air, and sutra spread across the void like carved inscriptions, their sacred radiance illuminating the Demon Plain.

"Heavens! The legendary Buddha has not died! He… has appeared!"