Chapter 66: The Sword That Descended from the Heavens


    On the Heavenly Mending tform, tens of thousands of disciples knelt, unable to rise. The blood-red patterns beneath their feet pulsed and transformed into streams of blood energy, coiling around their bodies.


    "Elder, I’m not a demonic spy!"


    "You’re the real demon! You vile wretch, may you die a miserable death!"


    "Hah! So many demonic spies—what a cosmic joke! Who would’ve thought the Taixuan Sect was so rotten? And they call themselves the greatest righteous faction of Taicang? Ha! The Taicang Empire will fall soon enough!"


    "Chu Xian, even if I die, I’ll haunt you as a ghost!"


    "Such vile acts—aren’t you afraid of divine retribution?"


    Cries, pleas, and curses filled the Outer Sect City, merging into a chaotic cacophony.


    At the center of the Heavenly Mending tform, the grooves on the towering stone pir began to fill with blood, surging upward like veins, grotesque and eerie.Dark clouds rolled in from every direction, rapidly nketing the sky above the city and plunging it into darkness.


    The faint golden barrier emitted by the Demon-Suppressing Umbre became fully visible, sealing the city. Those disciples who weren’t on the tform tried to flee, but the barrier thwarted any attempt to escape.


    Ye Lan trembled violently, struggling to stand. Her spiritual energy was being drained away, leaving her filled with terror and despair.


    Beside her, Su Han and Zhen Qin were in a simr state, their bodies immobilized and their voices silenced. They could only await the grim descent of death.


    Far Away, in the Pavilion


    The hunchbacked elder gazed solemnly at Chu Xian''s figure in the distance. "I didn’t expect him to be this powerful. The prodigies of the Taixuan Sect are truly extraordinary. It’s only been a few years..."


    Jiang Qiong’s expression also betrayed fear. Just the oppressive aura emanating from Chu Xian made her hesitant to act—the gulf between their strengths was insurmountable.


    "So this is the legendary Heaven and Earth Nirvana Array..." she muttered.


    Her words caught the elder’s attention. "Miss, this array poses a serious threat to us. We should retreat immediately."


    Jiang Qiong nodded. Her objective had never been Chu Xian, and his sudden appearance had taken her by surprise—especially the Heaven and Earth Nirvana Array, which had left her deeply shaken.


    The two turned and quickly prepared to leave the Outer Sect City.


    Boom!


    Thunder rumbled through the clouds above, as if the heavens themselves were roaring in fury. The oppressive sound echoed loudly.


    Chu Xian lifted his head to observe the stormy sky. His expression remained calm, and after a brief nce, his gaze returned to the struggling disciples below. ?


    Watching the tens of thousands beneath him, his eyes filled with a fleeting hint ofpassion.


    "For the Taixuan Sect’s eternal legacy, your sacrifices will not have been in vain," he murmured, as if trying to console himself.


    Thepassion in his eyes faded quickly, reced by an indifferent coldness. He raised his hand and gripped the Demon-Suppressing Umbre, preparing to intensify its power and drain the cultivation of all the disciples on the tform in one fell swoop.


    Ye Lany prone on the ground, her body utterly spent. She managed to lift her eyes with great effort and look toward the heavens. Beneath the roiling thunderclouds, Chu Xian’s figure loomed ominously.


    But she wasn’t looking at Chu Xian—her mind was filled with worry for Gu An, fearing he wouldn’t escape this cmity.


    Regret filled her heart. She should have gone to Gu An yesterday and urged him to leave the Taixuan Sect.


    Today’s events were an atrocity against both humanity and morality. Chu Xian would surely ughter all the servant disciples affiliated with this Outer Sect City.


    Blood-red sigils wrapped tighter around her body like chains, threatening to drag her into the depths. Overwhelming exhaustion washed over her like a tidal wave, and her eyelids trembled as they began to close.


    The White Spirit Sword at her waist continued to tremble, seemingly anxious on her behalf.


    At that moment, a sudden sensation jolted Ye Lan. She instinctively opened her eyes, feeling the warmth of sunlight on her face. She wasn’t the only one. The other tormented disciples also opened their eyes, startled by the sudden brightness in the sky.


    Lu Jiu Jia, his body a bloody mess, could only glimpse the scene through the corner of his eye. To his astonishment, the thunderclouds above had been dispersed. Judging by the residual currents in the sky, they had been forcefully scattered by an immense power.


    Jiang Qiong and the hunchbacked elder, who had been hurrying down the streets, saw it clearly. They stopped in their tracks, turning their heads to look back.


    Above the Demon-Suppressing Umbre, outside the faint golden barrier, a sword hovered in the air. Enveloped in swirling sword energy, the de was obscured from view, but its slender silhouette was unmistakable.


    Chu Xian lifted his gaze, shifting the Demon-Suppressing Umbre aside. His brows furrowed deeply.


    "Who?"


    His voice rang out, tinged with a rare hint of tension.


    That single word reignited hope in the hearts of everyone in the city. On the tform, the disciples who had resigned themselves to death now looked up with newfound anticipation.


    Boom!


    A terrifying surge of sword intent erupted from the floating sword, shattering the golden barrier enveloping the city in an instant.


    Chu Xian’s expression changed dramatically. He hastily channeled his spiritual energy into the Demon-Suppressing Umbre, which trembled violently as it unleashed a massive wave of power to block the descending sword energy.


    "Merge—"


    Chu Xian’s eyes widened as he began to shout, but before he could finish the word, the sword fell with overwhelming dominance.


    It obliterated the vast energy emanating from the Demon-Suppressing Umbre, shattered the artifact itself, and pierced straight through Chu Xian’s body.


    The sword descended like a meteor crashing to the earth.


    The sword shadow descended and embedded itself into the center of the Heavenly Mending tform, its de sinking deep into the stone and resonating with a continuous hum. A surge of powerful sword intent erupted, obliterating all the blood-red sigils on the tform and reducing the towering stone pir to rubble.


    The sword’s intent swept across Ye Lan, causing her robes to billow as if she had been jolted awake from a nightmare.


    Su Han and Zhen Qin experienced the same awakening and quickly stood up.


    More and more disciples broke free from the binding blood sigils and scrambled to their feet, all turning to look at the sword shadow in the center of the tform. In their eyes, this sword wasn’t terrifying—it was their savior.


    Some looked up and saw Chu Xian still hovering in the sky. He held the Demon-Suppressing Umbre’s handle, his body trembling as blood poured uncontrobly from his seven orifices.


    "Why..." Chu Xian’s voice quivered, but before he could finish, beams of sword light erupted from his body. His form disintegrated into ashes, his very soul unable to escape annihtion.


    The sky above dimmed with an ominous yellow glow, as though dusk had fallen early.


    "Impossible… He was in the Void Transformation Stage…" The hunchbacked elder’s eyes widened in sheer terror, his voice trembling.


    Jiang Qiong also struggled to maintain herposure. Chu Xian had been a cultivator beyond the Transformation Stage. What level of mastery could y someone like him with a single strike?


    Following her gaze, they saw a massive pir of energy descend from the heavens, connecting to the Heavenly Mending tform and splitting the sky itself.


    It was pure sword energy.


    For such a swordmaster to exist in this world…


    At that moment, Jiang Qiong felt insignificantly small and overwhelmingly ordinary. Her century of wounds and setbacks seemed to havepletely cast her out of the cultivation world.


    Meanwhile, in the Third Medicine Valley


    Under a massive tree, Elder Tian gazed toward the Outer Sect City. Though far away, he could clearly see the towering column of sword energy above the Heavenly Mending tform.


    "Integration Stage…" he murmured to himself, his voice audible only to him.


    On a mountaintop at the valley’s edge, Ye Yan stood against the wind. A powerful gust swept past, pulling his robes backward, yet his grip on his spear remained steady as a pine tree.


    Squinting at the distant sword energy column, his heart filled with wonder.


    Dozens of miles away


    On a cliff, Shen Zhen stood in front of her cave residence. The wind carried waves that rustled her ck robes and veil, revealing glimpses of her lower face.


    Her pupils mirrored the sword energy column, her eyes brimming with curiosity.


    "So the Taixuan Sect hid such a swordmaster…"


    Her thoughts drifted to the legendary Flying Leaf Sword Immortal, who could y Nascent Soul cultivators with a single leaf. What was the extent of his cultivation? No one knew, nor did anyone know his true identity.


    On the edge of the Heavenly Mending tform, Ye Lan stood amid tens of thousands of disciples. Though she couldn’t see the sword shadow surrounded by the sea of people, her gaze instinctively fell to the White Spirit Sword at her waist.


    It was still trembling faintly.


    Her expression grewplicated.


    Suddenly, a sharp, grating sound pierced the air—a sword grinding against stone.


    Drawn by the sound, Ye Lan leaped into the air, stepping onto her flying sword. She wasn’t alone; tens of thousands of disciples also took to the skies, creating an awe-inspiring spectacle.


    Everyone who rose into the air widened their eyes in astonishment.


    The sword shadow that had in Chu Xian was moving. Its de remained embedded in the stone, dragging along the tform and sending sparks flying in all directions. Sword intent radiated wildly.


    Elder Liu Chang from the Library Hall furrowed his brows tightly and muttered, "Righteous… path…"


    The sword shadow inscribed its final stroke before soaring into the air. It streaked past the disciples’ heads and vanished into the horizon in the blink of an eye.


    Everyone turned to look at the Heavenly Mending tform.


    At the tform’s center, tworge characters were carved into the stone:


    <em>Righteous Path</em>


    The strokes were bold and full of fierce energy, exuding an unparalleled sharpness and an overwhelming sense of justice and ughter.


    Jiang Qiong and the hunchbacked elder also floated in the air, staring at the two characters. Even the two demonic cultivators from the Thousand Autumn Pavilion were left utterly shaken by the sight.


    The mysterious swordmaster''s intervention, leaving behind the words "Righteous Path", reveals a profound truth:


    While the Taixuan Sect may have its shadows and corruption, it is not devoid of cultivators who hold justice and righteousness at heart.


    For Jiang Qiong, who had always scoffed at the Taixuan Sect''s im to righteousness, dismissing it as mere deception, this event prompted a shift in perspective. Perhaps the sect wasn''t entirely despicable—there were still those upholding its ideals.


    In Xuan Valley, within the Pavilion


    Gu An sat at his desk, a faint frown on his face.


    Someone had locked onto his Qinghong Sword, making it difficult for him to directly recall it. Instead, he was manipting the sword remotely with his sword intent.


    That earlier strike was no ordinary attack; it was a technique of the Taicang Frightening God Sword, executed at the Integration Level of Mastery.


    "If you''re so eager to pursue it, then fine. Let the world know there’s a sword hanging over the heads of those in the Taixuan Sect," Gu An thought silently. He then picked up his writing brush, deciding to test whether he could multitask.


    The Qinghong Sword was already more than six thousand miles away and still gaining distance rapidly.


    Above the sea of clouds, the sword, surrounded by sword energy, streaked across the sky. It left a long trail of turbulence in its wake, stretching to the horizon.


    Suddenly, the Qinghong Sword halted, hovering in the clouds.


    In less than three breaths, a streak of golden light raced from the distant sky, arriving swiftly and stopping within a hundred feet of the Qinghong Sword.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    The golden light dissipated, revealing a man d in a blue Daoist robe. His celestial aura exuded elegance and wisdom, though his expression was grave.


    Holding a whisk in his hand, the man spoke with a stern tone:


    "Who are you, exactly? A sword cultivator of the Integration Stage is unheard of in the Taicang Empire."