Nine Nether Dragon Emperor-Chapter 36: Big Brother Above, Please Accept My Bow!
Si Lanyi’s expression was solemn as she slowly breathed out a single word, "Domain!"
Ning Xuan immediately relaxed. This was the power of the Sword Domain. In this place, the only one capable of evolving the Six Realms of the Sword Dao to this state was Old Wang.
But Si Lanyi took action directly. Ning Xuan didn’t even see her perform the Seal Formation before the distant void shook. It turned a deep, mysterious, and eerie blue, like the eye of a demon. Soon, pairs of demonic eyes began to appear one after another in the void above.
"Formless and Impermanent... This is the Impermanence Sword Domain! Old Wang has comprehended Impermanence Swordsmanship!" Ning Xuan exclaimed.
"Hmm?" Si Lanyi turned her head, and the demonic eyes in the void vanished.
"It’s Old Wang," Ning Xuan sighed, feeling the pressure on him mount. "His talent is terrifying!"
Immediately, he asked Si Lanyi, "Can you let me experience your Dao Xuan Technique?"
As Si Lanyi nodded, the void around Ning Xuan twisted, and he felt as though he were sinking into a quagmire. Then, it was as if he had arrived in a boundless ocean. The surging, majestic force made Ning Xuan feel as insignificant as dust. Pressure assaulted him from all directions.
Yet Ning Xuan was not alarmed but delighted.
Just now, when Qin Fang had unleashed his Element Force, the immense pressure had significantly slowed his blade. Otherwise, how could Qin Fang have ever blocked his sword? Fortunately, he possessed Divine Veins and had activated both. Otherwise, relying solely on Impermanence Swordsmanship, he never would have been able to kill him.
And now, after witnessing Old Wang’s Impermanence Sword Domain, Ning Xuan finally understood. It wasn’t that Impermanence Swordsmanship wasn’t powerful enough; it was that *he* wasn’t strong enough!
Si Lanyi’s Dao Xuan Technique made him feel like he was adrift in a vast sea. Training in such an environment would allow him to break his limits and become faster.
With the Soft Sword in hand, Ning Xuan held his breath and focused. A flash of brilliance lit his eyes, and he charged forward.
Si Lanyi’s beautiful eyes shone brightly. She knew what Ning Xuan was about to do.
WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!
Time and again, Ning Xuan burst forth, his speed increasing with each attempt. Eventually, the pressure could no longer affect him. Si Lanyi immediately increased it, pushing him until he once again shattered his top speed.
In this manner, the two of them, oblivious to their surroundings, gradually entered a state of self-forgetful focus. Unknowingly, the sky began to lighten with the first hint of dawn.
"Again!" Ning Xuan said in a deep voice, no longer feeling any pressure.
Si Lanyi shook her head. "I’ve already raised the pressure and resistance to my absolute limit."
"Oh," Ning Xuan nodded. Just as he was about to put away his sword, he froze. "Where’s my sword?"
Si Lanyi smiled. "You put it away a long time ago."
"Big Brother, what kind of monster are you? You’ve unconsciously entered the Third Realm of the Sword, the Sword Self Realm! At this rate, it won’t be long before you comprehend the Sword Heart Realm!" Old Wang exclaimed, popping up from nowhere. His gaze toward Ning Xuan was a complicated mix of admiration and envy.
The Sword Self Realm: the sword is me, and I am the sword! He was already an old man, and he had only just grasped the Impermanence Sword Domain last night. Yet this young man had already reached the Third Realm without even realizing it! The comparison was infuriating!
"The Sword Self Realm? I’ve reached it already? The Sword Heart Realm... no sword in hand, for the sword resides in the heart!" Ning Xuan murmured. At that moment, he felt as if his entire being embodied an unrivaled sharpness, capable of splitting heaven and earth.
Si Lanyi’s beautiful eyes shone brightly once more.
Old Wang was completely flabbergasted. You mean to tell me you reached this Sword Realm without even knowing what it was? How is anyone else supposed to keep up? 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦
"No, this isn’t the Sword Dao I seek," Ning Xuan muttered, immersed in a profound state. "A hand empty of the sword... and a heart empty of the sword as well! The sword is a physical form, a shackle!
"Having no set moves is called Impermanence, and Impermanence means invincibility! No, that’s completely wrong. Having no moves is not enough to achieve Impermanence. One must have no moves *and* no form to break free from the shackles. Only by breaking free can one be truly Impermanent!"
Old Wang was utterly numb. When Ning Xuan spoke of having a sword in his heart but not in his hand, Old Wang had been about to point out that this was not the Fourth Realm of the Sword Dao. Before he could even speak, however, Ning Xuan had figured it out on his own. What was even more terrifying was that, in doing so, he had also discovered a flaw in Impermanence Swordsmanship itself.
This was simply outrageous! It was only last night that he, Old Wang, had comprehended the Impermanence Sword Domain thanks to Ning Xuan’s reminder. And now, Ning Xuan was telling him he had it all wrong. This... Old Wang felt his world turning upside down.
But he immediately grew excited. The previous Impermanence Swordsmanship was just that—Impermanence Swordsmanship. But what Ning Xuan had just grasped was not only Impermanence Swordsmanship but true Flawless Swordsmanship! And only that which is flawless can be truly invincible!
Seeing Ning Xuan look over at him, Old Wang burst into laughter. "No moves and no form means Impermanence; Impermanence without flaws means invincibility! Hahaha, brilliant! Brilliant! This realization calls for a toast! Big Brother, watch my sword!"
With his laughter still echoing, Old Wang pointed a finger. A peerless sharpness shot forth, intending to suppress everything! He wasn’t using his Martial Arts Realm, but the Sword Realm itself.
However, Ning Xuan simply ignored it.
Just as the terrifying Finger Sword was about to reach Ning Xuan’s eyes, it stopped dead. At first, Si Lanyi thought Old Wang had held back. But she quickly realized something was wrong, for Old Wang’s expression had turned grave. The next moment, she saw his hand twist at an impossible angle. Then, his wrist bent, turning the Finger Sword back toward himself!
"What... What’s happening?" Si Lanyi gasped in astonishment.
Ning Xuan’s gaze flickered, and the pressure on Old Wang vanished. Just a moment ago, I was almost forced to use the Sword Domain Realm!
"There are three realms of seeing a mountain," Ning Xuan said calmly. "In the First Realm, you see a mountain as a mountain and water as water. In the Second Realm, you see the mountain as not a mountain and the water as not water. In the Third Realm, the mountain is once again a mountain, and the water is once again water."
Si Lanyi blinked. "What does that have to do with the sword?"
"The mountain I see is the mountain I will it to be. The water I see is the water I will it to be. The sword I see is the sword I will it to be."
Si Lanyi’s eyes widened in sudden understanding.
Old Wang’s face turned ashen. No sword in hand, but a sword in the heart. No sword in hand, and no sword in the heart. No sword in hand, but all that the heart wills becomes my sword! This... this is the true Sword Heart Realm! And this is a realm I have yet to reach!
"Calling you Big Brother was my presumption! In that case, Big Brother, please accept a bow from your little brother!"
Having stayed up all night sewing a robe for Ning Xuan, Meng Luo stepped outside just in time to see the old man with a full head of gray hair bowing deeply to him.
"Please, get up. Your Sword Domain yesterday was a great help to me as well," Ning Xuan said, quickly helping Old Wang to his feet. An old man like him bowing to me... If anyone saw, they would surely accuse me of abusing my elders.
"Young Master, please try on this robe," Meng Luo said, approaching them.
Ning Xuan shook his head. "Not now. We’ll talk when I get back."
Si Lanyi looked puzzled. "Where are you going?"
A murderous glint flashed in Ning Xuan’s eyes. "You lay low for six years because of me, and Sister Meng Luo has lived in constant fear. While I can’t claim full justice for you both right away, I can certainly collect some interest."
Si Lanyi immediately understood and hurried to say, "I’ll go with you."
Ning Xuan shook his head. "No need. You all still have to help me collect the Element Crystals from the Changle Gambling House."
With that, Ning Xuan strode away.
"Wait!" Si Lanyi called out. "The Chen Family is in that direction."
Meng Luo’s face paled. "Sister Si, that’s the Chen Family!"
Si Lanyi shook her head. "If he can’t even handle the insignificant Chen Family, how will he ever contend with Ning Yang in the future?"
Old Wang looked on with concern. "I hope he takes it easy. And, well, kills fewer people."
However, his worries seemed to be unfounded, because before Ning Xuan had even set foot inside the Chen Family residence, several people had already slit their own throats.
At the main gate of the Chen Family estate, those who came rushing out all wore the same expression: they looked as if they had just seen a ghost.
