Chapter 3192: The Strange Change of the Sword Pavilion
Inside the hall, resplendent with gold and jade, candlelight shone brightly.
Zhang Ruochen naturally noticed Zhang Hongchen’s expression, as if she had suffered a great grievance. Thus, he said with a smile, “Hongchen, you said you want all of them—that is an extremely high pursuit in the Sword Dao, very good. Your father has decided to teach you the cultivation method of the Soul Sword, allowing you to cultivate all seven swords simultaneously. What do you think?”
“Thank you, Father!”
Zhang Hongchen’s face showed no joy.
What was the point of cultivating all seven swords together? In truth, it meant nothing, far from being comparable to the Sword Ancestor’s Soul Sword.
Legend had it that her father had severely wounded the Grand Void Great God using the Sword Ancestor’s Soul Sword.
Such a supreme treasure, even a single one, would be coveted by Great Gods.
If there were only two Soul Swords, and they were divided between Chi Kunlun and Chi Kongle, she would have accepted it. But with a full five Soul Swords, not a single one belonged to her.
How could she not feel resentment? How could she not hold a grudge?
Chi Yao, Chi Kunlun, Chi Kongle, and Zhang Yuyan successively withdrew.
Zhang Ruochen gazed at Ling Feiyu, stepped down from the divine throne, and said with a slight smile, “Feiyu, do you think I have been partial?”
Ling Feiyu, dressed in red robes, stood proud like a red plum in the snow, and said, “Hongchen has been doted on since childhood, rarely leaving the Kunlun Realm, unaware of the dangers in the universe. This has fostered an arrogant and disdainful personality. Giving her too much is definitely not a good thing. I have no objection to your approach!”
Zhang Hongchen, standing nearby, was very unconvinced and several times tried to argue, but was stopped by Ling Feiyu’s gaze.
Zhang Ruochen shook his head and said, “Although Hongchen is a bit proud, she is kind-hearted and by no means arrogant. The reason I did not pass on the Sword Ancestor’s Soul Sword to her is that I truly believe her talent in the Sword Dao is extraordinary, and she should cultivate her own sword soul.”
“Hongchen, wait for me at the Sword Pavilion tomorrow morning. You may withdraw now!”
After Zhang Hongchen left, Ling Feiyu finally showed her displeasure and said, “In front of her, there are many things I cannot say. But your actions today have stirred resentment in my heart. Why? Is Hongchen not your daughter?”
“Don’t be angry. I have a supreme treasure to pass on to her. How about you stay tonight? It has been a long time since we had a proper heart-to-heart talk!”
Zhang Ruochen’s eyes were full of tenderness as he reached out and pulled Ling Feiyu into his embrace.
The next day, Zhang Ruochen stepped down from the wide and soft golden couch, took the long robe hanging on the screen, and draped it over himself. He turned back to glance at Ling Feiyu lying on the white fox fur blanket. Her delicate body was as smooth and beautiful as porcelain.
She was awake, her phoenix eyes fixed on the ceiling of the hall.
A man’s words truly could not be trusted. He had said they would only talk. Now, after a night of exertion, she found it difficult even to rise.
The dignified leader of the Moon-Worshiping Demon Sect, revered and bowed to by all demonic figures under heaven, was nothing more than a weak lamb before a Great God-level powerhouse.
“Rest well! I will be staying in the Violet Micro Palace for some time. I will personally teach Hongchen’s Sword Dao.”
Zhang Ruochen walked out, stood on the high white jade steps, and faced the first rays of sunlight from the eastern sky.
In the morning sun, the glazed tiles of the imperial city reflected golden light.
Taking a deep breath of the fresh morning air and listening to the birdsong, Zhang Ruochen felt an unprecedented tranquility.
Being framed as a Quantities Agent by Xue Changjin had made him an enemy of the world, but it had also allowed him to break free, completely hide in the shadows, and stay far away from the vortex of conflict between the Heavenly Court and Hell.
This way, he had time to spend with his family.
The Liangyi Sect, Four Symbols Sect, Eight Trigrams Sect, Taiji Dao, including the Seven Sects and Eighteen Ancient Clans, and other sects had all established their dojos in the First Central Imperial City.
As the number one Sword Dao sacred land under heaven, the Sword Pavilion had naturally been relocated to the city, situated on the north side of the imperial city.
The Sword Pavilion’s tower was massive, magnificent, and towering into the clouds. After transforming into a divine artifact, it seemed almost alive, able to inhale and exhale the divine Qi of heaven and earth, radiating a shimmering glow.
Last night, Zhang Hongchen had left in a huff, but today she still arrived early at the foot of the Sword Pavilion to wait.
She had long heard that once an emperor became angry, he would even kill his own son. Her father, a Great God who shook the Heavenly Court and Hell, a fearsome existence who had slain countless gods, was far more formidable than those emperors!
What if she angered him? Who knew if he would kill his own daughter?
The sword cultivators cleaning the courtyard at the foot of the Sword Pavilion all recognized this living ancestor of the Kunlun Realm. After a few quick sweeps, they immediately retreated, eager to avoid her.
“Greetings, Father!”
Seeing Zhang Ruochen, Zhang Hongchen immediately bowed.
Today, Zhang Hongchen wore a tight white martial arts outfit, her hair tied in a ponytail, holding a sacred sword, looking quite spirited.
Zhang Ruochen said, “Still angry?”
“Daughter would not dare. Daughter only wishes to wholeheartedly follow Father in cultivating the Sword Dao and attain the position of Sword God,” Zhang Hongchen said.
Zhang Ruochen smiled and said, “Did you go back last night to consult the strategists of the Moon-Worshiping Demon Sect?”
Zhang Hongchen did not dare to hide it and said, “I only had a few casual words with my maternal grandfather.”
Zhang Ruochen nodded and said, “You not only have exceptional talent in the Sword Dao but are also a master of the Way of Truth. Have you considered combining the strengths of both paths to cultivate a Truth Sword Technique?”
When it came to cultivation, Zhang Hongchen immediately became interested and said, “Daughter has tried to create a Truth Sword Technique, but having not yet reached the Divine Realm, the sword techniques I created are merely superficial, with mediocre power.”
“What if I give you enough Truth Esoterica?” Zhang Ruochen said.
Zhang Hongchen’s eyes lit up.
Zhang Ruochen struck out with a palm, sending her flying backward.
In the courtyard at the foot of the Sword Pavilion, starlight sparkled and divine energy surged.
After a moment, Zhang Hongchen landed lightly on the ground. Her pupils flowed with the radiance of Truth, allowing her to directly see the Truth Rules of heaven and earth. A look of surprise appeared on her face, and she immediately bowed to Zhang Ruochen, saying, “Thank you, Father. Hongchen has wronged you.”
She knew that she was now a Truth Envoy, wielding over one percent of the Truth Esoterica of heaven and earth.
“Let’s go!”
Zhang Ruochen was the first to step through the Sword Pavilion’s main gate. On the seventh floor, he met Haitang Granny, who had already stepped into the Divine Realm.
“Grandmother, Ruochen has come to return the Wordless Sword Manual.”
Zhang Ruochen took out the manual and presented it with both hands.
Haitang Granny was very fond of Zhang Ruochen. Even though he was now a top-tier existence among Great Gods, he still regarded her as an elder and treated her with great respect.
“Ruochen, what level has your Sword Dao reached?” Haitang Granny asked.
Zhang Ruochen said, “I have already mastered Sword Seventeen to great perfection.”
A look of surprise appeared in Haitang Granny’s eyes, but knowing that Zhang Ruochen’s talent was rare in ancient and modern times, she quickly calmed down. After a moment of thought, she said, “After the Sword Pavilion transformed into a divine artifact, some changes occurred.”
Seeing how serious Haitang Granny was, Zhang Ruochen became curious and asked, “What kind of changes?”
“Before, even as the artifact spirit, I could only reach the ninth floor of the Sword Pavilion. I could see the door to the tenth floor, but I could never enter it. This included some extraordinary figures from the Kunlun Realm a hundred thousand years ago, who were also blocked outside.”
Haitang Granny continued, “But now, that door has turned from illusory to real. As long as one’s Sword Dao attainment is high enough, they can enter.”
“What is on the tenth floor?” Zhang Ruochen asked.
“A ruin, like an apocalyptic land!”
Chi Yao descended to the seventh floor of the Sword Pavilion, walked over, and said, “The method to enter the tenth floor is Sword Ten. The method to enter the eleventh floor is Sword Eleven. I was blocked outside the door to the fifteenth floor and cannot know the situation on the four floors above.”
Zhang Ruochen, Chi Yao, and Haitang Granny ascended to the ninth floor and arrived at the door to the tenth floor.
Zhang Ruochen did not rush to break in. He reached out and touched the door. Immediately, a network of patterns appeared, radiating dazzling light.
Looking closely, Zhang Ruochen was shocked to find that each strand of the network was a river formed by billions of swords. Each sword was a Sword Dao rule.
Even the Rule Divine Patterns cultivated by the Heavenly Venerables were not this terrifying.
Could this be the legendary Ancestor Divine Pattern?
“Whoosh!”
With a single sword strike, Sword Ten was unleashed.
Sword Ten seemed to be a kind of key, perfectly matching the patterns on the door, and the stone door opened.
Entering the door, the space before him was vast, far exceeding the ninth floor, stretching for over a hundred thousand miles.
But the ground was only yellow mud and blue stone, with dust hanging in the air.
There was no sign of life!
“The time has changed!” Zhang Ruochen said.
Chi Yao said, “On the lower nine floors, each time you go up a floor, the time flow ratio increases. One day outside equals two days on the first floor, three days on the second floor, and so on, up to ten days on the ninth floor.”
“But on the upper nine floors, the time flow becomes even slower. One day outside equals twenty days on the tenth floor, thirty days on the eleventh floor... It can be estimated that on the topmost eighteenth floor, the time ratio will reach an astonishing one to ninety.”
Zhang Ruochen sighed, “The Sword Pavilion is not just a Sword Dao sacred land; isn’t it also a time-space divine artifact? It’s hard to imagine how prosperous and glorious the eighteen layers of space and heaven within the Sword Pavilion were before the upper nine heavens were destroyed.”
Haitang Granny said, “Now the Sword Pavilion inhales and exhales the divine Qi of heaven and earth every day. In the future, the barren world spaces of the upper nine floors may not transform into vibrant cultivation divine realms.”
The higher they went, the larger the space within the Sword Pavilion became.
Haitang Granny and Chi Yao stopped at the fourteenth floor, blocked by the door to the fifteenth floor.
Without cultivating Sword Fifteen, they could not enter.
Zhang Ruochen continued upward and arrived at the seventeenth floor.
The spatial territory here had already exceeded a hundred million miles, not inferior to some major worlds.
Arriving at the stone door leading to the eighteenth floor, Zhang Ruochen was surprised to find that the door was covered with emerald-green jade-like vines.
On the vines grew jade-white fruits.
The fruits were about the size of a thumb, emitting a refreshing fragrance.
Zhang Ruochen observed carefully and found that the vines grew from inside the stone door. Ripples stirred in his heart—could it be that the world inside the eighteenth floor had not been destroyed?
What kind of world would that be?
He had not cultivated Sword Eighteen, but he still wanted to give it a try.
Sword Dao rules condensed in his hand into a three-foot divine sword, manifesting the sword light image of Sword Seventeen, and he thrust it forward.
This strike was aimed at the crack in the stone door forced open by the vines.
He did not hold much hope, but something strange happened.
Zhang Ruochen’s sword soul, through the Rule Divine Sword, was pulled by a powerful force into the crack of the stone door, penetrating inside.
...
In the following days, only one chapter per day will be possible.
I now owe eleven chapters. Everyone, remember this. The count increases daily. May is the month for repaying debts! For this month’s monthly votes, don’t vote for me—I am not worthy!
(Chapter End)