Chapter 1145: Welcoming the Demon Sovereign!

Xiao Dongxu's expression shifted slightly. He had never expected the qi of the Five Elements to fail against this strange weak water.

His gaze remained fixed on the figure standing behind Wang He—the so-called 'Ancestral Master's Dharma Manifestation.' It gave him a vague sense of dread, yet beneath that apprehension lay an unsettling familiarity.

It was as if he had seen or even knew the figure.

This made no sense!

Xiao Dongxu never believed in illusions.

He was always the type to get to the bottom of things.

This Dharma Manifestation was feeding demonic qi to Wang He. Xiao Dongxu suspected that this figure might actually be the Demon-Summoning Divine Lord, the demonic cultivator who had plunged the world into chaos thousands of years ago. He had to tread even more carefully now.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the battlefield.

Dongqing Sword Immortal and Jian Shenghua were locked in fierce combat.

What did it mean to be the Ghost Sword Immortal? As the only cultivator in thousands of years to attain the status of Sword Immortal through ghost cultivation, Jian Shenghua wielded sword techniques that were endlessly shifting and utterly bizarre. Surging yin energy coiled around him in myriad transformations, rivaling the qi of the Righteous Path.

Dongqing Sword Immortal unleashed seven strikes in total, yet Jian Shenghua neutralized every single one without a change in expression. Dongqing Sword Immortal, on the other hand, found himself struggling to keep up with his opponent's swordplay.

This man was truly extraordinary!

His comprehension of the sword far surpassed his own!

It was inevitable. While the two possessed roughly equal talent in the way of the sword, the difference lay in centuries of accumulation. How could a Sword Cultivator from an era of declining Divine Abilities and Arts and Techniques possibly defeat Jian Shenghua, who had existed for thousands of years?

Forming his fingers into a sword, Jian Shenghua lifted his blade and said, "Isn't the Sword Mountain Sword Control Art renowned throughout the world? Let me show you what true sword control looks like."

Jian Shenghua raised his fingers and pointed from afar. Demonic qi surged around him as he spoke. "One Sword Becomes Three Thousand!"

Dongqing Sword Immortal paused, his brow furrowing.

Wasn't this one of the Divine Abilities passed down in Sword Mountain?

He could accept that this demonic cultivator was a master of sword control, but how could the man possess such a deep understanding of Sword Mountain's inner sect Arts and Techniques?

There was no time to dwell on it. Dongqing Sword Immortal raised his sword. His Sword Intent swept out, forming a massive sword array.

"One Sword Becomes Three Thousand! Array, advance!"

The two identical Divine Abilities clashed head-on.

Jian Shenghua simply shook his head. He spread his arms wide and said, "Arrays are nothing but petty tricks. Let me show you the true Great Dao!"

As his voice fell, Jian Shenghua flicked his fingers.

The three thousand manifested Immortal Swords suddenly seemed to spring to life. They moved without pattern or uniformity, tearing forward with the chaotic, bloodthirsty momentum of a charging army.

In a single breath, Dongqing Sword Immortal's array was shattered.

In the next breath, his Protective Dharma Barrier shattered.

By the third breath, the three thousand swords were already closing in on him.

The shadow of death loomed!

Deeply shaken, Dongqing Sword Immortal swung his Immortal Sword, throwing it forward to block the three thousand Flying Swords.

Horror gripped his heart; he simply couldn't believe it.

How could any one person possess the mental energy to control three thousand swords at once?

It wasn't a mere handful, or even a few dozen or a hundred. It was three thousand individual blades...

Even the founding ancestor of Sword Mountain couldn't have pulled this off. 'One Sword Becomes Three Thousand' was inherently a rigid, wide-area suppression Divine Ability. No one had ever imagined someone actually controlling three thousand distinct swords with their mind.

Just how in the world did he do it?!

His Immortal Sword trembled violently.

"Boom!"

Dongqing Sword Immortal tasted copper in his throat and instantly coughed up a mouthful of blood.

"Master!"

Jiang Chengxiu, who had been locked in combat with a demonic cultivator, was horrified by the sight.

He stepped forward, riding the wind into the air.

In his desperation, he unleashed a sword strike.

A strike like a dream!

Ethereal wind and rain swept upward alongside that dream-like Sword Qi.

His Sword Intent rippled outward, carrying a deep, desolate solitude.

In an instant, the three thousand controlled Flying Swords ground to a halt. The moment the Sword Qi crashed into them, all three thousand manifestations shattered into nothingness.

Jian Shenghua was extraordinary to be able to control three thousand Flying Swords, but this method had a fatal flaw. The immense mental strain rendered the individual swords incredibly fragile. If an outsider managed to break into the formation while he was distracted, those three thousand blades would become as brittle as paper, completely unable to mount a defense.

Three thousand returning to one, Jian Shenghua raised his hand and recalled his Immortal Sword.

Jiang Chengxiu hurriedly rushed over to support Dongqing Sword Immortal. "Master! Master, how are you?!"

Dongqing Sword Immortal gasped, his eyes wide. "Watch out!"

Jiang Chengxiu suddenly felt a chill at his back. He hastily dragged his master away as he spun around.

Squelch.

Even as he dodged, a blade tore through his shoulder.

Blood poured freely from the wound.

He snapped his head around to see Jian Shenghua charging toward them, sword in hand.

"That sword strike of yours—he taught you that too, didn't he!"

Jian Shenghua let out a cold scoff as thick killing intent erupted from him.

Left with no other choice, Jiang Chengxiu raised his own blade to block, shielding Dongqing Sword Immortal with his body.

"Chengxiu, leave me!" Dongqing Sword Immortal cried out. "Go quickly, you are no match for him!"

But Jiang Chengxiu was in a state of panic. His master was severely injured and had nearly lost his life—how could he possibly abandon him?

As a result, his sword techniques quickly became sloppy and uncoordinated.

Seeing that he couldn't be persuaded, Dongqing Sword Immortal shouted, "Chengxiu! Chengxiu! True calm in the face of peril—that is the path of a Sword Immortal!"

Those words seemed to jolt Jiang Chengxiu awake.

"Clang!"

His Immortal Sword was knocked from his grasp.

But in that same split second, Jiang Chengxiu formed a hand seal.

"Sword, rise!"

The tumbling Immortal Sword shot back toward him like a streak of lightning, violently striking Jian Shenghua's blade and knocking it back.

Jian Shenghua faltered, forced half a step back.

He stared at Jiang Chengxiu and murmured, "The younger generation is formidable indeed."

Given a momentary reprieve, Jiang Chengxiu snapped back to reality. A delayed wave of fear washed over him. Had he slipped up for even a fraction of a second just now, he would have lost his life. If not for his master's timely reminder, he would be a corpse by now.

It was a stroke of immense luck amidst the disaster.

"No wonder the man surnamed Chen was so willing to teach you his swordplay," Jian Shenghua said. "If that's the case, I definitely can't let you live."

Jiang Chengxiu's expression hardened. He raised his sword and said, "Why should I fear you?"

Sword Qi crisscrossed as the two clashed fiercely once again.

Jiang Chengxiu rapidly shifted between sword styles, catching his opponent off guard several times.

Dongqing Sword Immortal watched in stunned silence. Only now did he realize just how much he had underestimated his disciple.

Dongqing Sword Immortal cast his gaze over the surrounding battlefield.

The chaotic melee raged on. Cultivators were already falling. Scattered throughout the mountain forest lay countless corpses from both the Righteous Path and the demonic faction. Neither side seemed to hold the upper hand.

His hand gave a slight tremor before he sat down to circulate his qi and heal his wounds.

But right at that moment, an abrupt change occurred.

"Hum!"

A massive pillar of blood-red light shot from the Altar, piercing straight into the heavens.

Cultivators from both factions ground to a sudden halt. Jian Shenghua stayed his blade and turned his head to look.

Instantly, a look of sheer ecstasy spread across his face.

"We welcome the Demon Sovereign back to the world!"

Wang He stared upward as the Ancestral Master's Dharma Manifestation behind him slowly dissipated.

"We welcome the Ancestral Master's return!"

Xiao Dongxu froze. A sudden, uncanny shift had rippled through the fabric of heaven and earth. It felt as if a new presence had materialized in the world, though he couldn't quite put it into words.

In that moment, he realized that it was too late.

That fiend had truly returned to the Mortal World!