Chapter 123: The World's Number One!

Chapter 123: The World's Number One!

In the

Outer Sect City

, the

Heavenly Sword Daoist

stood atop his massive white-glowing sword, unmoving. The autumn wind rustled his white robes, hair, and beard, giving him an ethereal presence—he looked as though he might ascend to immortality at any moment.

Every rooftop in the city was packed with onlookers—

Taixuan Sect

disciples, cultivators from other sects, and nobles from powerful families—all gathered to witness who truly deserved the title of the greatest sword cultivator of this era.

Dark clouds billowed from the horizon, quickly swallowing the sky, plunging the city into an oppressive gloom. A suffocating tension settled over the crowd, and conversations were reduced to hushed whispers.

Wu Jue stood on a rooftop, facing the wind.

The wind grew stronger, forcing him to circulate his spiritual energy to keep his hair from obstructing his vision.

"What overwhelming presence… he truly looks like an immortal."

"Why hasn’t the Sword Sovereign of the Righteous Path appeared yet?"

"He must fight! Even the Tianwei prince has come to provoke us!"

"Relax, the Sword Sovereign will definitely come. Even the Da Yu Sword Maniac had to wait before seeing him."

"No need to rush—great battles must be savored!"

As he listened to the murmurs around him, Wu Jue’s eyes gleamed with longing. Someday, he too wished to stand in a battle of this magnitude, watched by the world.

His chosen opponent? The

Sword Sovereign of the Righteous Path

.

—

BOOM!

The dark clouds above suddenly churned violently as deafening thunderclaps shook the heavens. A divine aura descended, blanketing the

Outer Sect City

.

"He’s here."

The

Xuanquan Ancestor

spoke softly, prompting all eyes to turn skyward. An Hao clenched his fists in excitement.

The

Heavenly Sword Daoist

, still standing atop his massive sword, opened his eyes and gazed at the turbulent sky.

The storm clouds now engulfed the entire sky, and bolts of lightning twisted like celestial dragons, sending waves of oppressive energy crashing down. Countless cultivators felt their breath hitch, as if an impending catastrophe loomed.

The

Heavenly Sword Daoist

remained firm, his white robes billowing like blazing flames.

"Why does the Sword Sovereign of the Righteous Path refuse to show himself? Is this how the Taixuan Sect treats its guests?"

His cold voice resonated across the city.

On

Heavenly Mending Platform

,

Han Ming

sneered.

You think you deserve to see him? Just wait until you lose.

In the distance, Shen Zhen continued sketching. She had already captured the

Heavenly Sword Daoist’s

form and now moved on to depict the oppressive storm clouds, immortalizing the scene in ink.

—

"Use your strongest swordsmanship to face your demise."

A hoarse yet boundless voice suddenly filled the city.

Li Ya and An Hao trembled in excitement.

It was their ancestor’s voice!

Their master’s voice!

The entire city fell silent. This was the first time anyone had heard the

Sword Sovereign of the Righteous Path

speak, and his words carried absolute confidence and dominance.

The

Heavenly Sword Daoist’s

eyes sharpened, and a vast sword intent erupted from his body.

A dazzling

ocean of swords

materialized above the city, each blade suspended like a shining star, illuminating every face below.

At first glance, it seemed like an entire galaxy had descended upon the

Outer Sect City

.

Within the sword ocean, countless sword projections formed, each with its tip pointed toward the sky, radiating overwhelming sharpness.

At the same time, the storm clouds above churned even more violently, coalescing into a colossal, featureless face. It had only eyes, a nose, and a mouth—no clear details—yet it exuded the divine majesty of an immortal deity gazing down upon the mortal world.

Before this massive face, all beings seemed insignificant—even the

Heavenly Sword Daoist’s

sword galaxy paled in comparison.

A sense of reverence inexplicably bloomed in the hearts of all who beheld it.

The

Heavenly Sword Daoist

furrowed his brows and brought his fingers to his lips, gathering his spiritual energy. His sword intent surged, forming a white aura around him.

The very foundations of the city trembled. Even the protective grand formation was activated, generating a towering light barrier that enveloped the city, with the

Heavenly Sword Daoist

hovering at its very edge.

—

Far away, in

Xuan Valley

, the disturbance reached even the lowest-ranking errand disciples, who turned to look toward the sky.

On a distant mountaintop,

Chu Jingfeng

stood, staring at the turbulent horizon.

In

Horizon Valley

, thousands of miles away, Yi Liuyun, seated in meditation, clenched his hands tightly within his sleeves. As a sword cultivator, he had never felt so insignificant before.

—

On

Heavenly Mending Platform

, the

Tianwei

prince,

Si Zhe

, grew visibly tense.

Even though the

Sword Sovereign of the Righteous Path

had yet to appear, the celestial face alone was enough to instill fear. He couldn’t fathom what kind of power could suppress such an overwhelming presence.

"Sword, rise!"

A quiet yet commanding voice rang through the heavens, like the first glimmer of light in a chaotic void.

The

Heavenly Sword Daoist

thrust his right hand skyward.

The countless sword projections within the celestial sword ocean instantly shot upward, converging into a single, colossal sword. The spectacle was breathtaking.

At that moment, the massive face in the clouds abruptly opened its third eye.

A blinding sword beam shot forth.

It was no ordinary light—this was the

Sword of Heaven’s Judgment

, infused with boundless divine might.

BOOM!

The two monstrous sword intents clashed midair, shaking heaven and earth. A deafening explosion erupted, sending shockwaves through the city. Cultivators recoiled as their vision blurred and their spiritual senses burned, forcing them to withdraw their consciousnesses into their bodies.

—

"Profound Mind…"

Lü Baitian muttered as he watched the battle unfold.

His face was illuminated by two contrasting lights—one silver-white below, the other darker above.

But the darker light was rapidly consuming the silver-white glow.

The

Heavenly Sword Daoist’s

expression changed dramatically.

His opponent’s sword intent far surpassed his expectations.

"Impossible… Is he not just at the Profound Mind Realm?"

For the first time in centuries, the

Heavenly Sword Daoist

felt doubt.

Suddenly, the divine light from the celestial third eye intensified.

The sword beam shattered his sword ocean in an instant, hurtling toward him at speeds far surpassing lightning.

BOOM!

The impact sent his white hair and robes billowing outward. His eyes widened as his entire body went rigid.

In his pupils, he saw a towering figure looking down at him from above—like an immortal gazing upon an ant.

To the stunned audience, the

Heavenly Sword Daoist’s

magnificent sword intent had lasted only two breaths before being completely obliterated.

The shattered fragments of his sword ocean rained down, turning the sky into a silver-streaked spectacle.

It was the most breathtaking sight they had ever witnessed.

Even the most powerful cultivators couldn’t suppress their awe.

The

Xuanquan Ancestor

was visibly shaken. As the highest cultivation expert present, he saw everything with complete clarity.

The gap between the

Sword Sovereign of the Righteous Path

and the

Heavenly Sword Daoist

was immeasurable.

Even from the very beginning, the

Sword Sovereign

had held back.

Had he used his full power, he could have obliterated the

Heavenly Sword Daoist

in an instant.

The

Heavenly Sword Daoist

had merely been allowed to display his might—to make the final defeat all the more devastating.

Si Zhe

stood frozen, eyes wide in disbelief.

His world had just been shattered.

There was no doubt.

The

Sword Sovereign of the Righteous Path

was truly the world’s number one.

Before the

Sword Sovereign of the Righteous Path

took action, the

Heavenly Sword Daoist

had been hailed as the greatest swordsman in the world.

Yet this so-called

Number One

had been utterly defeated—without even the chance to fight back.

—

The

Da Yu Sword Maniac

, Han Ming, stood in a daze.

The

Sword Sovereign’s

overwhelming power left him feeling deeply humbled. Looking back at his own past challenge, he now realized how laughably overconfident he had been.

An Hao struggled to suppress the urge to cheer, though his face was already beaming with pride.

Li Ya, still perched on the rooftop, stared in stunned silence, his mouth slightly open.

Shen Zhen, ever the artist, quickly regained her focus and swiftly captured the

Heavenly Sword Daoist’s

defeat with her brushstrokes.

—

A gust of wind howled through the city.

The

Heavenly Sword Daoist’s

body tilted backward, his

Profound Mind

utterly shattered, his

Nascent Soul

crumbling beyond salvation. He was already beyond saving—he could not even muster the strength to speak.

And yet, a satisfied smile formed on his lips.

"The number one sword... I have seen it..."

His eyelids grew heavier. Even as he closed them, his gaze remained locked onto the massive celestial face above. The smile on his lips lingered, as if he had achieved his life’s greatest fulfillment.

Thud!

His lifeless body plummeted, crashing down before the

South Gate

, sending dust billowing into the air.

The divine pressure that had enveloped the world dissipated, and with it, the massive face in the clouds vanished.

BOOM!

The entire city erupted into chaos.

The sudden uproar of voices exploded like thunder—cheers, shouts, and exclamations all blending into a deafening roar.

"My god! It was over in a single move?!"

"Hahaha! I told you—the Sword Sovereign of the Righteous Path would never lose!"

"The gap between them was just too immense..."

"Honestly, the Heavenly Sword Daoist was incredibly strong. Before the Sword Sovereign took action, I truly believed he was the number one sword cultivator..."

"Yeah! That vast sword intent—it made my sword tremble in its sheath!"

—

Wu Jue listened to the voices from all around him, his heart racing with excitement.

But Gu An wasn’t there—and that dampened his enthusiasm. It felt strange celebrating alone.

Just then, he spotted Gu An leaping over from the street below, sprinting towards him.

A bright smile broke across Wu Jue’s face.

"My god, did you see that?! That was unbelievable!"

Gu An exclaimed as he reached Wu Jue, his eyes gleaming with exhilaration.

Wu Jue’s excitement flared.

"I saw it! I saw it!"

He grabbed Gu An’s arm, gushing over the battle like the rest of the city.

—

Lü Baitian turned to Gu Zong and ordered,

"Increase the publicity for the Golden Ranking Tournament! The champion will receive a secret Taixuan Sect divine technique scroll!"

Gu Zong nodded, unable to contain his growing smile.

Lü Baitian then turned to another elder.

"Begin preparations for the World's Number One Sword Tournament. Spread the word—the top ten participants will have the chance to witness the Sword Sovereign’s sword intent and receive his sword inheritance."

The elder nodded but hesitated slightly as if he wanted to speak further. However, with so many people present, some words were best left unsaid.

—

The

Outer Sect City

was more lively than a Spring Festival—in fact, it had never been this lively before.

—

The

Xuanquan Ancestor

gazed at the sky, stroking his beard with deep admiration.

"The Taixuan Sect shall flourish."

—

An Hao closed his eyes, replaying the

Sword Sovereign’s

strike in his mind.

Something stirred within him.

He felt as though he had grasped onto something profound, something that pulled him into a deep state of enlightenment.

The

Xuanquan Ancestor

suddenly snapped his head toward him. Others quickly followed suit.

When they saw An Hao’s state, their expressions changed.

This boy...