Chapter 10

The Huashan Sect's representative martial arts are the Twenty-Four Hands Plum Blossom Sword Technique and the Xiantian Heart Method. However, at some point, they changed completely.

One day, a mysterious martial art called Zixia Divine Skill (紫霞神功) suddenly appeared on Huashan. It was an extremely tyrannical internal skill that could never be considered part of a righteous sect.

Originally, the Plum Blossom Sword Technique was fast, agile, and graceful, a sword that could use softness to overcome hardness. However, when combined with the Zixia Divine Skill, it also contained an extremely tyrannical aura within its softness.

All the swordsmen of Huashan rejoiced. It seemed as if the legendary Hidden Fragrance Plum Blossom had been completed.

Due to this incredible internal skill, which immediately became one of the Five Great Divine Skills of the martial world, Huashan gained the reputation of being the best in the world.

However, a strange rumor began to spread among the knowledgeable scholars of the martial world. The rumor was that "Zixia Divine Skill is a demonic skill."

The first god, the Demon God (魔神), in the history of the martial world. He was the first leader of the Heavenly Demon Sect, a symbol of absolute evil, an object of fear and reverence.

The issue was that he was also known as Zixia Demon God.

The demon sect disciples referred to his demonic skill as the Demon God Skill (魔神功) and praised it, while the righteous sect disciples called it the Zixia Demon Skill (紫霞魔功) and cursed it out of fear.

His entire body was always burning with a purple ghost fire whenever he appeared on the battlefield.

The martial world still vividly remembered the legendary demonic skill of this Demon God.

However, the internal skill that suddenly appeared on Huashan seemed strangely similar to that Zixia Demon Skill.

Zixia Divine Skill.

Its tyrannical nature and boundless internal power, even the purple ghost fire, were so similar.

In response to such rumors, Huashan boldly sought out the righteous sects of the martial world to have the Zixia Divine Skill verified.

At that time, the most respected elder of the martial world, Yiyang Zhenren, declared with confidence at the Taiqing Palace of Wudang:

"The Zixia Divine Skill of Huashan is undoubtedly a righteous internal skill!"

He found no trace of the demonic aura, which is the reverse of the natural order, in the Zixia Divine Skill he examined.

Thus, all the controversies ended, and at this point, Zha Hui brought up the matter again.

Purple ghost fire flickered in Qingyun Xiao's eyes.

"To bring up a matter that was settled a hundred years ago, you must have quite a bit of nerve."

Qingyun Xiao's expression was filled with a deep killing intent. Even if Huashan represented the righteous sects, they could not tolerate their honor being tarnished.

The atmosphere in the hall became as cold as ice.

Zha Hui, with a troubled expression, shouted:

"Move aside!"

Move aside? What are you talking about? It's my body!

How can I be responsible for the mess you create in a crowded place!

Zhuge Yun quickly mediated.

"Ha ha! Why are you all doing this on a good day? There will be plenty of opportunities to test your skills in the future."

Despite this, Qingyun Xiao did not easily calm down.

However, he could not draw his sword in such a public place.

"State your name."

Nangong Zhanghuo answered.

"This is our guest, Zha Hui. He is still inexperienced, so please bear with him."

Zha Hui sighed deeply and bowed his head.

In an instant, he had become an inexperienced person.

Yes, yes. This is all thanks to Sword God.

Stop getting angry.

I'll give you a chance when no one is watching.

Now, I also find this guy annoying.

Zhuge Yun turned around and waved his hand.

"Come on, let's finish the formalities and unpack our luggage."

With his words, the young talents of the Five Great Families dispersed to their respective guest rooms.

The sun was already setting.

The afterglow that announced the long night of Huashan.

* * *

In the silent reception hall.

Zha Hui was quietly examining his body.

He was none other than the ancestor of the sword, Sword God, who had taken over Zha Hui's body.

"Quite usable."

Sword God, satisfied with the body he had transformed.

Of course, due to the low level of the Sword Immortal Skill, it was still insufficient to perform all the sword techniques.

However, his realm was the level of will, where the world bows to his intention.

The Sword of Form, which belongs to the realm of mental cultivation, had already transcended the limitations of the physical body.

Sword God's eyes turned toward the mountain.

Two purple ghost fires could be felt.

One was large, and the other was still small in comparison.

Sword God moved his feet without hesitation.

Bang!

The floor of the reception hall was crushed, and he disappeared in an instant.

A pavilion viewed from the air.

He was floating in the air over Huashan as if it were nothing, slowly descending.

The legendary Lingkong Tiantang Ladder (凌空天上梯).

Anyone who saw this would have fallen backward in shock.

Sword God gathered a vast and boundless killing intent into a single point.

Suddenly, a white-robed young man burst out of the training hall with a rough movement.

Qingyun Xiao, the top disciple of Huashan, was staring at Sword God with eyes that could hardly believe what he was seeing.

His body was trembling slightly, as if he were shivering.

"Who... are you?"

He was the same person he had seen earlier, the one who had spoken of demons regarding Huashan's martial arts.

"Such a killing intent... how can it be..."

Suddenly, Sword God's eyes emitted a seven-colored aura.

A light mental command.

Then, a practice sword that was stuck in the rack in the training ground slowly pulled itself out and cut through the air, landing in Sword God's hand.

"Object Manipulation?"

Qingyun Xiao's face was frozen in shock.

The sword flew in a graceful parabola, covering a distance of about ten zhang.

At this distance?

He had never heard of or seen anything like this.

Even his master would find it impossible.

He was staring at Sword God with eyes that could hardly believe what he was seeing.

"Prove that your skill is a divine skill."

Qingyun Xiao bit his lips fiercely.

It was utterly frustrating.

Sword God had only revealed a cold, indifferent gaze.

Yet, a deep sense of defeat weighed heavily on his entire body.

He had only heard of such a realm in legends.

A divine power he had never seen in his life as a swordsman of Huashan.

He was, without a doubt, the greatest being in history.

However, how could he call himself a righteous martial artist if he did not step forward when his honor was defiled?

Clang!

"If you insist, I'll show you!"

Qingyun Xiao, the top disciple of Huashan, finally began to reveal his true martial prowess.

As his eyes turned completely purple with ghost fire,

Whoosh!

A powerful aura surged through his entire body.

Sword God sneered.

"Indeed, you have hidden the demonic flower with a living skill, deceiving the world."

Sword God instantly saw through the essence of the Zixia Divine Skill.

He immediately recognized that it was a combination of the highly inclusive Plum Blossom Living Skill and the Demon God Skill.

"However, can hiding the demonic flower change its essence? Your realm is undoubtedly the Fourth Realm of the Demon God Realm, the Second Fire True Body."

At that moment, a chill ran through Qingyun Xiao's heart.

'How does this person know about the Second Fire True Body?'

Although the last word was incorrect, how did this person know the stages of the Zixia Divine Skill?

His realm was undoubtedly the Second Fire True Body of the Zixia Divine Skill.

"You cannot block my sword with the Second Fire True Body."

As Sword God's sword slowly pointed forward,

Whoosh!

At first, small points appeared, distorting the space in the air.

Then, dozens of transparent swords tore through the space.

A famous technique that had reappeared in the martial world after a long time.

It was the sword technique of the ancestor of the sword, known as the God of the Sword.

Tianjian Liu (天劒流).

Tianxia Liuxing Jian (天下流星劒).

Qingyun Xiao stood frozen like a statue at the sight of the dazzling sword qi.

Waves of sword light shot out.

They were neither overwhelmingly powerful nor threatening, but rather soft, as if embracing the world.

However, only Qingyun Xiao, who faced him, could feel the immense power contained within.

Qingyun Xiao gripped the Plum Blossom Sword tightly, as if his hands would tear apart.

He then faced Huashan's renowned Illusory Sword technique.

When the plum blossoms bloom, they emit a thousand fragrances.

Twenty-Four Hands Plum Blossom Sword (二十四手梅花劒).

Thousand Fragrances, Dense and Close (千香密密).

Whoosh!

In an instant, the air was dyed red with plum blossom petals.

Each petal was a sword flower created by sword qi.

It was a realm that seemed impossible for a young talent who had just left his youth.

A genius among geniuses, already beyond the realm of a young talent.

However, none of the sword flowers he created could touch the meteoric sword.

The plum blossom petals faded like melting snow.

Sword God's swords only drew soft, gentle arcs, unimpeded in the world.

'...This!'

It was not an attack that was out of his field of vision, and he thought he could easily dodge the slow movements, so he initiated his footwork.

However, all of them hit his body.

Without a single sound of impact.

Qingyun Xiao, barely maintaining his torn body, roughly stabbed his sword into the ground.

"...Ugh!"

Sword God looked at the bloodied Qingyun Xiao with a cold, indifferent gaze.

"Since I have extinguished both fires, what will you do? Will you now have the intention to bring out the true demon within you?"

Qingyun Xiao bit his lips until they bled, adjusted his grip on the sword, and shouted in a fit of rage.

"The swords of Huashan are not demonic swords!"

"Is that so?"

Sword God slowly raised his sword and pointed it at Qingyun Xiao.

At that moment, Qingyun Xiao lost control of his body. A phenomenon that could only be understood by those who did not know the mental command.

Qingyun Xiao was greatly flustered by this strange restraint.

"What... what are you doing! My... body!"

At that moment, Sword God's sword tip lightly trembled.

Thud! Thud!

Qingyun Xiao let out a terrible scream.

He could not recognize that this was the highest level of sword technique, the Formless Sword Qi (無形劒氣).

"Can you hide the reverse of the natural order with a living skill? Look. This is the true nature of the demonic skill you call a divine skill."

Thud!

Thud!

Sword God stimulated Qingyun Xiao's vital points with the Formless Sword Qi.

"Ugh! Ahhh!"

All demonic skills are based on the reverse of the natural