Chapter 239 : Clash of Swords and Sun

"BOOM—"

For a fleeting moment, the heavens and earth seemed to freeze solid.

The sword radiance struck the blazing sun directly. Time itself appeared to congeal in an instant, only to resume its flow in the next.

A dazzling brilliance illuminated the firmament. An unparalleled shockwave swept across the celestial dome, piercing through everything in the sky.

Every cultivator within a radius of one hundred Li-length [one Li-length equals five hundred meters] was thrown to the ground. Gazing up at the spectacle in the heavens, they felt their very souls tremble with awe.

When all finally settled into silence, that crimson sun which had repelled foes from all directions ultimately dimmed and fell still.

Patriarch Liu had driven the Crimson Sun Void-Burning Furnace to battle several cultivators at the Violet Sanctum Late Stage. Having then endured the full-force combined strike of the Celestial Abyss Twin Swords, his reserves of spiritual power and vital essence were ultimately insufficient, his primordial energy exhausted unto death.

"Drip…"

Eldrin Chen, his white robes stained with blood, stood quietly in the void. His expression was calm as he watched this scene unfold.

After merging, the power of the Celestial Abyss Twin Swords had crossed into the domain of the Golden Core. Even with his cultivation base and spiritual sense, it was difficult for him to fully control the might of that single sword strike. For the best reading experience, visit @udio-novel.com.

The united swords, once unleashed, were a strike of no return, sweeping aside all before them with peerless might.

The Sword Path [the Dao of the sword] inherently values an unstoppable forward momentum, a principle that aligns with the most profound sword arts.

To execute that single strike, Eldrin Chen expended a full nine-tenths of his spiritual power, and his meridians suffered minor damage. Had it not been for the Positive Water Verdant Lotus Throne [a spiritual artifact that rapidly restores the user's energy] replenishing his reserves, he would likely be severely weakened now.

Furthermore, the power of the Celestial Abyss Twin Swords had been slightly diminished. Unless Eldrin Chen was willing to risk the swords' destruction, he would need to nurture them for a full decade before attempting another Sky-Severance Sword Union [the ultimate union strike of the twin swords].

Though the backlash from this strike had injured Eldrin Chen, its results were equally significant.

Had the united Celestial Abyss Twin Swords not blocked the might of the Crimson Sun Void-Burning Furnace [a powerful furnace-type magical treasure], Patriarch Liu's final, desperate assault would likely have taken at least two Violet Sanctum Late Stage [the late stage of the Violet Sanctum realm] cultivators with him to the grave.

*Clang—*

Meanwhile, the battle atop the Heavenly Vault [a towering, sacred mountain peak] was finally drawing to a close.

Exquisite Jiang had forged a Great Encompassing Golden Core [the highest grade of Golden Core, signifying vast spiritual power], her spiritual reserves far surpassing those of an ordinary Golden Core Cultivator. Her combat prowess was, therefore, extraordinary.

Although Patriarch Xu was at the Golden Core 3rd Tier [the third tier of the Golden Core realm], his foundation was the lowest-grade, inferior Golden Core. He was no match for Exquisite Jiang in terms of raw power.

Although he possessed the Fourth Rank Superior Grade defensive magical treasure Green Sun Demon-Suppressing Pagoda [a pagoda-shaped artifact that radiates a verdant light to ward off demonic forces], his depleted spiritual energy reserves prevented him from unleashing its full might.

He had barely managed to hold his ground for several dozen exchanges by relying on his defensive treasure, but in the end, Exquisite Jiang cleaved through its protective aura with a single, decisive sword stroke.

"Exquisite Jiang!"

Patriarch Xu crashed onto Heavenly Ruins Mountain [a mountain peak shrouded in ancient, desolate energy], grievously wounded.

Bloodied and with his hair in wild disarray, he glared at Exquisite Jiang, his expression icy. "Do you truly wish for us both to perish?" he hissed.

"The fish will die," came the calm reply. "The net will not tear."

Exquisite Jiang was serenity incarnate, her sword held steady as she advanced through the air.

Patriarch Xu's pupils contracted, a flicker of cold calculation in his gaze before he erupted into three bursts of maniacal laughter.

"Hahaha…"

"You will regret this!"

His expression was grave, his face etched with solemnity as he raised his voice and declared, "We beseech the Patriarch to emerge from seclusion and safeguard the legacy of our Verdant Sun Path."

The moment his words faded, a profound stillness descended upon the void, and then the very heavens and earth for hundreds of Li-lengths [one Li-length equals five hundred meters] began to tremble.

"Hmmmm—"

A soft resonance echoed forth. Before its wielder even appeared, boundless, ethereal white light erupted, illuminating the land for thousands of Li-lengths [one Li-length equals five hundred meters].

Eldrin Chen looked up. At the peak of Green Sun Mountain, a white, illusory treasure mirror soared into the sky. It cast down a magnificent, dreamlike radiance that bathed the entire landscape of mountains and rivers.

"It's the Heaven's Vault Mirror [a legendary demon-subduing treasure of immense power]!" This chapter is provided by https://audio-novel.com. Support the original.

The complexions of everyone present shifted dramatically, their hearts quaking with profound awe.

The might of a Demon-Subduing Supreme Treasure [a pinnacle-grade artifact specifically forged to vanquish demons and evil spirits] was renowned throughout the world. This Heaven's Vault Mirror had existed for millennia, a mythos far more ancient than the Verdant Sun Sect itself.

For thousands of years, this treasure had subdued demons, expelled evil, and guarded the peace of Chu Nation for countless ages, fighting in the name of the Human Race for untold stretches of time.

Only the emergence of a powerful demonic entity at the Golden Core Late Stage [the advanced phase of the Golden Core cultivation realm] was deemed worthy of provoking this treasure's full awakening—a testament to the formidable power of the Heaven's Vault Mirror.

At this moment, the Heaven's Vault Mirror hovered amidst the Nine Heavens Above, its power condensed to an unparalleled degree even before it had been unleashed.

Eldrin Chen's spirit was profoundly shaken. He sensed the energy contained within it was like a boundless ocean, capable of sinking a thousand Li-lengths [one Li-length equals five hundred meters] of land should it erupt.

"Is this the might of a Demon-Subduing Supreme Treasure?" he wondered, awe-struck.

The hearts of all present trembled with reverence. Even Violet Sanctum Cultivator [cultivators who have opened their Violet Palace, a mid-level cultivation stage] felt their will to fight evaporate before such power, their thoughts of resistance utterly extinguished.

Perhaps only a powerful cultivator at the Golden Core Late Stage [the advanced phase of the Golden Core realm, where one's spiritual core is highly refined] might barely have a chance of surviving its unleashed fury.

The Heaven's Vault Mirror hung between heaven and earth, its gentle yet vast radiance bathing the mountains and rivers. To everyone's astonishment, it spoke.

"I once made a pact with Patriarch Verdant Sun," its voice resonated, ancient and profound. "The Verdant Sun Sect would sustain me, and I, in turn, would offer the Verdant Sun Sect my protection."

"You are not a demon or monster. I have no desire to act against you. Withdraw of your own accord."

Exquisite Jiang's expression remained serene as she gazed calmly at the Heaven's Vault Mirror.

Her eyes shifted to Patriarch Xu, and she spoke with tranquil certainty. "The character of Patriarch Xu requires no elaboration from me. You understand it well enough yourself."

"If you aid him, you aid a tyrant, bringing calamity upon the hundreds of millions of common folk of Chu Nation."

"Hmm—"

A resonant hum echoed, causing the void to subtly congeal.

The Heaven's Vault Mirror remained silent, floating silently above the Heavenly Vault as if deep in contemplation.

At that very moment, from the far reaches of the Heavenly Vault, a violet radiance dyed the clouds and came sweeping forth.

All looked up to see a Treasure Furnace [a vessel for refining treasures and elixirs], cast entirely of violet-gilded metal and engraved with divine patterns of mystical birds, hovering majestically between heaven and earth.

Upon seeing the violet Treasure Furnace, the Heaven's Vault Mirror trembled faintly. It soared up from the Heavenly Vault to confront the Purple Abyss Furnace high in the sky.

The voice emanating from the Heaven's Vault Mirror was majestic, yet tinged with unmistakable anger.

"Purple Abyss Furnace, have you come to hinder me?"

"Do you seek battle with me?"

In that instant, heaven and earth trembled violently. Two invisible forces clashed, splitting the entire sky into hues of violet and white.

Silence reigned in the sky for a long while. It was impossible to tell how long the standoff lasted before the Purple Abyss Furnace finally spoke.

"I have come to persuade you."

The Purple Abyss Furnace hovered silently. The engraved patterns of the Mysterious Bird Divine Runes seemed like a living divine bird awakening. For a fleeting moment, it was as if a Infant Soul Demon Emperor was sealed within it, spreading its wings in furious defiance, its cries shaking the heavens and earth.

It hovered there silently, finally speaking again: "During the Demonic Abyss Cataclysm over two hundred years ago, both you and I expended far too much of our power."

"If we waste the power we have painstakingly accumulated now on internal strife, I fear both of us will face unforeseen calamity in the future."

"It would be better to enter a state of dormancy, temporarily recover our own strength, in order to survive the next Demonic Abyss Cataclysm."

Upon hearing this, the Heaven's Vault Mirror fell silent.

When the Demonic Abyss Cataclysm arrives, not even a peerless Path Lord can claim with certainty they will survive, and no one can stand apart from it.

Every time the thousand-year cataclysm descends, all forces with Golden Core cultivators or above are compelled to join the battle. Over two hundred years ago, Chu Nation had over a dozen Golden Core Cultivator. Now, only five or six remain. This starkly illustrates the terrifying nature of the Demonic Abyss Cataclysm.

Although it was a Demon-Subduing Supreme Treasure [a treasure of the highest order, specifically designed to suppress and vanquish demonic beings] and possessed a certain degree of Karma [the cosmic principle of cause and effect governing all actions] within its origins, it ultimately could not escape the boundless, all-consuming cataclysm. Continue reading this story at audio-novel[dot]com.