Chapter 2977: One-Word Sword Dao
In the boundless wild secret realm of the Kunlun Realm, there was a lifeless forbidden zone where not even a blade of grass grew.
Looking out, yellow sand covered the ground, and wisps of black mist floated in the air.
Chi Xingtian and Mu Lingxi stood in the desert, both receiving Zhang Ruochen's divine thought at the same time.
Mu Lingxi's eyes lit up with joy. "Godfather, Zhang Ruochen has come to the Kunlun Realm. Let's go to the Liangyi Sect to find him."
Chi Xingtian snorted lightly, clasped his hands behind his back, and gazed into the distance. "Go? Have you forgotten what you should be doing most right now?"
"I know, of course I know—cultivation, nothing but cultivation. But Zhang Ruochen said he's going to activate the Sundial. With the Sundial's help, wouldn't I be able to cultivate the second Divine Source faster?"
Then, Mu Lingxi giggled and added, "He sent you a message too, didn't he? If you could cultivate under the Sundial, wouldn't your injuries heal faster and return to their peak state?"
Chi Xingtian sneered dismissively. "I've heard that the Sundial can only support gods at the Heaven-Mending Realm for now. Zhang Ruochen doesn't have any good intentions. Luring me over is probably because he thinks the deal on Xinghuantian was a loss and wants the 'Heavenly Demon Stone Inscription' back. His little tricks can only fool a naive girl like you."
Mu Lingxi was about to retort.
Chi Xingtian's tone turned stern. "At your current cultivation level, closed-door training is meaningless. If you want to advance further below the divine realm, you must push yourself to the brink of death and unleash greater potential."
"Beneath this desert lies the ruins of the Jiuli Divine Temple. It's full of dangers, but also accompanied by great opportunities. I'll wait for you at the edge of this desert. Go alone and explore from the northwest entrance."
"Whatever you gain depends on your ability."
Mu Lingxi looked at Chi Xingtian with pitiful eyes. "Godfather, it's very dangerous. I think cultivating at the Liangyi Sect is a good choice too. How about considering it?"
"With this mindset, how will you ever become a top-tier powerhouse?"
Chi Xingtian waved his arm, and divine qi surged out, turning into a hurricane that sent Mu Lingxi straight into the depths of the desert.
"I have to push you. The Jiuli Divine Temple is right in front of you, and you still want to borrow the Sundial to cultivate? Putting the cart before the horse."
He muttered to himself, his tone full of disdain.
...
After receiving Zhang Ruochen's divine thought, everyone arrived one after another.
The Sundial was activated, and time imprint light points enveloped all seven layers of the Ancient God Mountain, drastically slowing the flow of time.
After a round of greetings, everyone entered a cultivation state one by one. They had all brought divine stones and elixirs, and a thousand years of seclusion meant a great deal to them—they didn't want to waste time.
Only Zhang Ruochen, Zhang Hongchen, and Chi Kongle remained standing at the foot of the Ancient God Mountain, continuing to wait for other cultivators.
"It seems your mother isn't coming." Zhang Ruochen said, somewhat disappointed.
Zhang Hongchen released her spiritual power to probe but didn't sense her mother Ling Feiyu's aura. "She will definitely come. Maybe something delayed her in the Heavenly Court."
Chi Kongle said, "She won't come. Because she knows my mother is at the Liangyi Sect. How would she dare to come?"
Zhang Hongchen gritted her pearly white teeth and glared at Chi Kongle. "What did you say?"
"Kongle!"
Zhang Ruochen's expression turned serious. "Have you forgotten what I told you before? She is your sister. You should treat her well. As the elder sister, since your cultivation has advanced ahead, you should protect her, not say things like that."
In recent days, Zhang Ruochen had been spending time with Zhang Hongchen, teaching her the Sword Dao and the Way of Truth. This made Chi Kongle very unhappy, and she grew more and more displeased with Zhang Hongchen.
Even after being scolded by Zhang Ruochen, she showed no intention of admitting fault and simply left the Liangyi Sect alone.
This time, Zhang Ruochen didn't stop her or chase after her.
Given Chi Kongle's current cultivation level, closed-door training wouldn't mean much. Besides, in the Kunlun Realm, she wasn't likely to encounter danger.
Most importantly, the Kunlun Realm was her homeland—a vibrant, living world, vastly different from the environment, culture, and survival philosophy of the Hell Realm.
Letting her go out alone to see the warmth and cold of the mortal world and the lives of ordinary people was actually a good thing.
Zhang Hongchen clasped her hands together, her eyes reddening, but she didn't let her tears fall.
Zhang Ruochen guessed what she was thinking and felt deeply guilty. He said softly, "How about coming with me to Xinghuantian?"
"And mother?" she asked quickly.
"Her?"
Zhang Ruochen looked up at the sky. "I'm afraid she won't be willing to come with me."
"If you ask, she will definitely be willing. Mother has told me many things about you, and I can tell she loves you deeply. I often see her practicing swordsmanship alone late at night, then staring blankly at the Yellow Spring Star River in the universe. Sometimes, she even sheds tears." Zhang Hongchen said.
Zhang Ruochen could almost picture the scene Zhang Hongchen described, and a pang of pain struck his heart. "I asked her back then, but she refused me."
"You must not have been forceful enough!" Zhang Hongchen said.
Zhang Ruochen said, "What did you say?"
Zhang Hongchen said, "Mother has extremely high pride and acts more decisively than any man. If you weren't firm enough, if you weren't more forceful than her, why would she go with you? You shouldn't even have asked if she was willing to go. With your cultivation, if you forcibly took her away, what could she do?"
"Sometimes, when a woman says 'no,' she actually means 'yes' deep down. She's just waiting for you to show a more determined attitude. The more resolute and unwavering you are, the more she can convince herself to abandon everything and leave with you."
"If you aren't firm enough, she'll only think you're asking casually, not that you truly want to take her away."
Zhang Ruochen looked at Zhang Hongchen with new eyes, staring at her for a long time. "Maybe you're right. Back then, I truly wasn't firm or forceful enough, and I couldn't give her enough security."
Back then, Zhang Ruochen wasn't a god, nor did he have figures like Heavenly Mother and Nine Heavens backing him. How could he dare to take Ling Feiyu to the Hell Realm?
Only now did he have some confidence, a place in this universe, and a voice of his own.
"I will give your mother an explanation. For this thousand years, cultivate well. If you have any doubts about cultivation, you can ask me anytime." Zhang Ruochen said.
Zhang Hongchen said, "I will definitely cultivate hard. I want to catch up to Chi Kongle. A thousand years should be enough."
Zhang Ruochen sighed inwardly. No wonder the children of emperors and kings couldn't get along and often fought to the death.
With so many consorts, conflicts were inevitable.
Those conflicts would directly pass to the next generation.
Fortunately, Zhang Ruochen had no throne for them to inherit, or things would have been even worse.
To avoid future tragedies, it seemed he really needed a "first wife" who could keep everyone in line. Zhang Ruochen didn't have the energy to waste on resolving family disputes.
If word got out, it would only invite ridicule.
"Who would be more suitable?"
Zhang Ruochen muttered this to himself and walked toward the Sundial.
Once he entered the cultivation state, Zhang Ruochen stopped thinking about these trivial matters and focused all his energy.
He not only studied the fragments of the "Innate Dao Method" but also brought over all the Daoist classics from the Liangyi Sect, flipping through and studying them one by one.
In addition, Zhang Ruochen retrieved the "Wordless Sword Manual" from the seventh layer of the Sword Pavilion, intending to use this opportunity to transform the One-Word Third-Rank Sacred Intent into the One-Word Sword Dao.
To cultivate his own Sword Dao.
The "Wordless Sword Manual" stood on the ground like a sword mountain, allowing everyone to observe and cultivate.
Days passed...
After three hundred years, Zhang Ruochen mastered Sword Twelve, his sword soul grew several times stronger, the number of Sword Dao rules increased significantly, and his Sword Dao attainment advanced further.
Seven hundred years later.
Hundreds of millions of sword lights surged from Zhang Ruochen's head, turning into thick beams that flew into the sky.
Within the Liangyi Sect, ten thousand swords sang in unison.
Across the entire Eastern Domain, the swords of all sword cultivators uncontrollably flew out of their sheaths, their hilts bowing like human heads toward the horizon.
Blood Lingxian, who was also cultivating under the Sundial, glanced at him and muttered to himself, "Sword Thirteen mastered so quickly? Does a Third-Rank Sword Dao Sacred Intent really help that much with sword comprehension?"
In truth, Blood Lingxian had already been able to execute Sword Thirteen at the Great Saint realm.
But how many years had he cultivated?
The first time he reached the divine realm, he had even comprehended Sword Fourteen from the "Wordless Sword Manual."
As for Zhang Ruochen, from mastering Sword Twelve to mastering Sword Thirteen, it only took four hundred years. And during those four hundred years, he had spent more energy studying Daoist classics.
Such a fast sword comprehension speed—how could Blood Lingxian not be astonished?
"Only one step remains until the One-Word Sword Dao is complete."
With the mastery of Sword Thirteen, Zhang Ruochen clearly felt his Sword Dao improving again. Sword Dao Sacred Intent, sword soul, sword intent, Sword Dao rules, and sword spirit were about to merge completely.
Of course, the sword spirit mentioned here wasn't the seven spirit swords left by the Sword Ancestor, but the sword spirit Zhang Ruochen had cultivated himself.
Once the Sword Dao was complete, every swing of the sword would be a Sword Dao divine ability, automatically mobilizing the sword soul, sword spirit, sword intent, and Sword Dao rules.
With a single thought, a sword technique could be created.
If he also possessed the Sword Dao Essence, then Zhang Ruochen could truly be considered a Sword God.
However, Essence didn't mean much to Zhang Ruochen, because with the Taiji circle, he could also mobilize the rules of heaven and earth for his use. Taiji contained everything, naturally including the Sword Dao, so he could naturally mobilize the Sword Dao rules of heaven and earth.
The One-Word Sword Dao could exist independently of the Wuji Divine Dao while also being integrated within it.
The Sword Dao was the offensive means of Biluozi and Xumi Saint Monk, with the latter even creating his own sword technique—the Time Sword Art.
The One-Word Sword Dao was Zhang Ruochen's offensive means.
All sword techniques in the world were reduced to a single word: "One."
"Since only one step remains, I will go all out and cultivate the One-Word Sword Dao."
Countless divine thoughts flew out from Zhang Ruochen's body, turning into figures filling the sky. Some continued to observe the "Wordless Sword Manual," some danced with swords in the void, some cultivated the Time Sword Art, and some absorbed the divine qi of heaven and earth to strengthen the sword soul.