In less than a quarter of an hour, the Sword Sect’s Sect Master had in fact come to understand a principle on behalf of all cultivators in the world.

Which was that among all cultivators in the world today, every single one of them, as long as it were a battle at the same cultivation realm, within a range of ten feet, they would all lose.

And it would definitely be a crushing defeat.

The toughness of the young man’s body before him had already reached a height that cultivators of this world could hardly hope to match.

He had once struck Chen Chao in the lower abdomen with a sword at such close range. As a grandmaster of sword dao, his sword was destined to be incomparably sharp. By all logic, that strike should have sliced clean across Chen Chao’s body, leaving behind a deep wound down to the bone. But the result left him astonished. When that sword swept across, it only left a faint blood mark on Chen Chao’s body. And judging from the trajectory of the sword qi when he delivered that strike, the Sword Sect’s Sect Master’s sword qi had not been able to penetrate Chen Chao’s body at all, but had been blocked outside by a special aura spread across his entire body.

That should be the secret technique Chen Chao had obtained from the ruins of the Rongshan Sect.

At this moment, the Sword Sect’s Sect Master also became somewhat curious about the flow of qi within this young martial artist.

What Chen Chao had said earlier was in fact not wrong, this should have been a mutually beneficial exchange.

Taking a deep breath, the Sword Sect’s Sect Master held his sword horizontally before him, blocking Chen Chao’s unreasonable punch.

That flying sword formed purely from a single strand of sword qi bent and sank backward under Chen Chao’s punch, yet did not break. Instead, it directly wrapped around Chen Chao’s fist, while sword qi from all directions continuously invaded Chen Chao’s body.

Seizing the moment when Chen Chao was momentarily distracted, the Sword Sect’s Sect Master grasped that fleeting opportunity and retreated several dozen feet. Then this foremost figure in sword dao under heaven stood with hands behind his back, as strands of cloud qi gathered once more before him, forming an ordinary flying sword.

The Sword Sect’s Sect Master extended a finger and brushed it across the blade, then flicked the tip with a bent finger. A sword hum resounded through the clouds.

The Sword Sect's Sect Master then grasped that flying sword condensed from cloud qi, though he still felt a trace of regret.

He had trained in the sword for many years. From the moment he first stepped into sword dao until now, when he had become the foremost figure in sword dao under heaven, so many years had passed. From once needing a sword to now where all things could serve as a sword, along this path, the Sword Sect’s Sect Master still had a regret.

That was that he had never possessed a renowned sword in the true sense.

He had always believed that sword dao itself had little to do with the sword. So when sword cultivators of his generation sought their elders to take them to Sword Qi Mountain to obtain a flying sword, he had only practiced the sword.

Later, when his name shook the world and he began to travel it, his fellow disciples of the same generation said that a sword immortal should have a fine sword, yet the Sword Sect’s Sect Master still shook his head.

Now, no one could offer him guidance in sword dao anymore, and he no longer needed any so-called renowned sword.

Yet suddenly, he wanted a sword.

It did not have to be a renowned sword, so long as it was a sword that suited him, that would be enough.

With a sword in hand, the Sword Sect’s Sect Master’s aura rose again and again. Strike after strike was delivered, and those strands of sword qi were like long dragons bursting from his sleeves, roaming beneath the heavens.

Meanwhile, on Chen Chao’s side, he gripped the hilt of Cloud Mud and slashed again and again at those sword dragons that seemed to roam freely through the cloud sea.

As saber and sword collided, a terrifying aura spread here, tearing the space around them to pieces in an instant.

Chen Chao dodged the lingering aftermath of those strands of sword qi while observing their trajectories.

“It is still too early to see.”

The Sword Sect’s Sect Master’s voice suddenly rang out. Looking at Chen Chao before him, he said calmly, “If you want to see what you wish to see, you must first defeat me.”

A contest at the same cultivation realm, no matter how many times one looked at it, was meaningless. What Chen Chao wanted to see was what lay beyond the Nepenthe Realm. Such scenery, only when one defeated the Sword Sect’s Sect Master within this realm would there even be a chance for him to strike out that sword. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

Chen Chao smiled and said, “Sect Master, don’t be so impatient.”

......

......

Sword Sect.

Although it was destined that they could not see that battle, who knew how many sword cultivators were currently looking up at the sky, using the occasional scattered strands of sword qi to infer the situation of the fight.

“No matter what, for that young Lord Warden Commander to have held on until now without defeat is already remarkable. After all, Sect Master is famously cold and unyielding. Even if he suppresses his cultivation realm, he absolutely will not show any mercy.”

“Don’t underestimate that young Lord Warden Commander so easily. You must know, Yu Xiyi once fought the Sect Master in the Nepenthe Realm. What was the result?”

“That young Lord Warden Commander will definitely not be weaker than Yu Xiyi. Among this generation’s young cultivators, he is already firmly seated at the very top.”

“The title of number one martial artist in the world is probably not wrong. It’s just unknown whether he can withstand the Sect Master’s sword. But I’m not trying to boost others’ prestige, he is simply too young. Even if the Sect Master wins this time, given a few more years, next time he likely won’t lose...”

The sword cultivators spoke all at once. Their judgment was still relatively objective, and they did not blindly favor the Sword Sect’s Sect Master simply because they were sword cultivators.

The old sword cultivator looked at his disciple and smiled. “A'Xun, do you know there is a saying from that Lord Warden Commander that has spread throughout the world?”

Song Xun shook his head and asked curiously, “Master, what saying?”

The old sword cultivator smiled faintly. “Back then in the Northern Lands, that Lord Warden Commander said, if the demon race breaks through the Northern Frontier Great Wall, then he will be the first to die in that war.”

Song Xun froze for a moment and said uncertainly, “Wasn’t that just boasting?”

The old sword cultivator shook his head. “It was said in front of countless cultivators. If it doesn’t count, then he can forget about showing his face to the world again.”

Song Xun swallowed nervously and asked carefully, “Master, can I change my idol now? From now on I like him instead, is that okay?”

The old sword cultivator laughed heartily. “Why wouldn’t it be? Right now in this Sword Sect alone, how many already regard him as their idol?”

......

......

Mount Xi.

Myriad Heaven Palace.

In that cave dwelling, as a wild flower by the entrance bloomed, the woman who had been unconscious for a long time finally opened her eyes.

Her face was pale, somewhat weak, and she looked around. She did not see the figure she wanted to see. Instead, she saw a dark red figure sitting cross-legged at the entrance of the cave.

The man heard the movement, opened his eyes, stood up, and walked to the depths of the cave dwelling, smiling as he looked at Zhu Xia, “Awake?”

Zhu Xia looked at this young temple master of the Infatuation Daoist Temple and softly asked, “Where is he?”

Yun Jianyue smiled. He had likely guessed that Zhu Xia would ask about Chen Chao right after she woke up, so he was not surprised. He simply said, “At a time like this, he is the busiest. He rushed all the way to Mount Xi, and after saving you, he naturally had to leave just as quickly. He definitely couldn't stay o

Mount Xi.”

Zhu Xia’s eyes carried some disappointment. Although she knew he indeed had many things to do right now, disappointment is like that, no matter how many proper reasons there are, it does not affect the feeling of disappointment.

That is why those who abandon everything just so another person will not be disappointed are so unforgettable.

Yun Jianyue smiled and said, “Not being able to see the person you want to see, disappointment is normal. But that person already came when you needed him most, so there is no reason to blame him.”

Zhu Xia shook her head and said softly, “Whether he came or not, I will not blame him.”

“Moreover, since he came, it means he has me in his heart. Once he heard the news, he rushed here without stopping. I am very happy.”

Zhu Xia softly spoke, forcing herself up and stepping out of the giant cauldron.

Yun Jianyue looked at Zhu Xia and thought that what she was thinking and what he was thinking were probably not the same, but since she insisted on thinking this way, there was no need to break it.

“Where is he now, has he returned to the Divine Capital?”

Zhu Xia sat down at the entrance of the cave dwelling and looked at Yun Jianyue.

Yun Jianyue understood her meaning, so he also came over and sat beside her, taking out some food from his robe.

Zhu Xia was pleasantly surprised, two dimples appearing on her cheeks, and asked, “How do you know I am hungry?”

Yun Jianyue said calmly, “Would you not be hungry?”

“He left Mount Xi and after some wandering, he should have gone to Sword Sect.”

Yun Jianyue took half a piece of pastry from Zhu Xia’s hand, tasted it, and smiled, “No wonder you like eating so much. Turns out you're a stalk of immortal medicine. Eating more is just for growth.”

Zhu Xia said rather angrily, “But why don’t I know this myself?”

Yun Jianyue thought for a moment and said, “It should be that old sage who used some kind of technique to seal your memories. After all, with your temperament, if you knew you were an immortal medicine, it would be very troublesome. You cannot hide it, and it would be dangerous.”

Mentioning her master, Zhu Xia became a little sad again. Before Chen Chao and Yun Jianyue, she felt only her master was truly good to her.

“And if you knew you were an immortal medicine, when that old sage was near the end of his life, you might have let him eat you.”

Yun Jianyue looked at Zhu Xia, he understood her kindness very well.

Zhu Xia asked, “What is he going to Sword Sect for?”

Her thoughts jumped quickly, and in the end, she only cared most about him, nothing else.

Yun Jianyue said, “In this world, on the surface there are only two people above the Nepenthe realm. One is someone he will have to kill later, so now he can only go find the other one to ask for guidance.”

Zhu Xia thought for a moment and asked, “Weren’t you saying before that eating me would allow him to break through?”

Yun Jianyue did not answer this question.

Zhu Xia asked, “Why doesn’t he eat me?” “If I am eaten by him, I would not be angry. I would be very happy.”

If I am eaten, you can break through and do what you need to do. Then why not eat me?

This was Zhu Xia’s question.

Yun Jianyue thought for a moment and said very seriously, looking at Zhu Xia with a smile, “Because we all want to see there is a Zhu Xia in this world. She does not need to do anything, as long as she exists.”

Yes, at that time, when Chen Chao first met Zhu Xia in the Divine Capital and later went to buy honey dates together, he had also sighed that having Zhu Xia in the world was a very good thing.

Zhu Xia ate the food and said with some confusion, “What use is there in having me?”

Yun Jianyue thought about it very seriously again and said, “With you here, it makes people feel that protecting this human world is meaningful.”

The human world is right here. With Zhu Xia in it, this world becomes better, and becomes more worth protecting. Without Zhu Xia, it feels like something is missing.

“So you must live well, and live without worries.”

Yun Jianyue said, “Clearly, he thinks the same way.”