Chapter 526 - 499: Reviving the Sword Dao

Chapter 526: Chapter 499: Reviving the Sword Dao

"Sword of Time!"

Ma Youx slammed his hand on the table and shot to his feet, his composure completely shattered. His gaze burned like a torch, fixed on the Sword Light outside the Array that had left everyone stunned.

"We were all wrong. Both Madman Li and I completely misjudged him... His Heaven-Defying Sword Technique isn’t powered by a Time Spiritual Object or some special Divine Power Secret Technique. He has actually grasped Time True Intent!"

When news of Bai Zichen defeating True Monarch Jiulian spread back then, the Cultivators of the Northern Domain were utterly astounded and kept a wide berth.

The Super Major Sects of the Central Domain, especially the handful of Sword Cultivation Sects, regarded the matter with the utmost importance, secretly dispatching numerous disciples to the Northern Domain to investigate.

These investigators were frequently seen visiting the Celestial Principle Sect and the Ice Soul Palace, the home Sects of the two Nascent Soul True Monarchs who had been present at the time.

Ultimately, based on the two True Monarchs’ accounts, the clues left at the scene, and even an Inference performed by a Nascent Soul Cultivator skilled in the Destiny Path, they reached a consensus.

Bai Zichen had used a Time Spiritual Object or an Overdraft Secret Technique to activate his Time Divine Power; there was absolutely no way he could use it a second time.

No one would believe that a Core Formation Cultivator could possibly grasp Time True Intent, the most mysterious and unfathomable power in the Cultivation Realm.

But the scene unfolding before them—the Power of Time so dense it seemed to take physical form, a long, black-and-white river that froze everything solid wherever it flowed, bringing all things to a standstill.

Every detail proved that Bai Zichen had truly mastered Time True Intent and that his legendary Nascent Soul Reversal Cut was not a feat he couldn’t replicate.

"Not since the Taibai Sword Sect mastered Space Sword Intent has a Sword Cultivator managed to grasp a Great Dao True Intent of this caliber... So it isn’t exclusive to the Divinity Transformation realm after all. It’s just that our own talent has been insufficient to set foot on that path!"

Ma Youx murmured, speaking as much to himself as to those around him.

"The greatest Sword Dao Talent since the Near Ancient era—he truly lives up to the name. Even during the age of the Taibai Sword Sect, this young man would be no less brilliant than those legendary Sword Monarchs. He would still stand out from the crowd!"

"But can he withstand Xiang Banshan?"

Han Chaoran narrowed his eyes, staring at the Sword Light being fueled by the churning black-and-white river. He didn’t even realize his voice had lost all emotional inflection, as if a Puppet were speaking stiffly.

It wasn’t just him. The faces of all the True Monarchs on the high platform were reflecting the black and white light, their movements growing sluggish.

The Cultivators below the Nascent Soul realm down from the high platform were in an even worse state. They had all become marionettes, their movements slowed a thousandfold.

"Hah!"

Ma Youx let out a sharp cry. He unleashed his Qiankun Sword Intent, and it swept across all of White Python Mountain.

Every Cultivator shuddered, breaking free from the influence of the Time True Intent.

"The Sword of Time... is this terrifying..."

Han Chaoran snapped out of his stupor as if waking from a dream, only then realizing that he, too, had been unconsciously affected by the Power of Time.

The Nascent Soul Cultivators were one thing, but if no one had awakened those Foundation Establishment and Core Formation Cultivators, they might have been trapped inside it and lived out their entire lives in an instant.

"Even a Tier Four Grand Array couldn’t block the encroachment of the Time True Intent? And we were only hit by the aftershocks, not the main target of the attack."

Han Chaoran didn’t dare to imagine what would happen if he were the one on the field. Faced with that one sword strike, wouldn’t he be utterly helpless, a lamb to the slaughter?

"The Time Path is the most unpredictable of all; a Tier Four Array is useless against it... It all depends on Fellow Daoist Xiang’s mastery of Earth Power True Intent and how much of the Power of Time he can neutralize."

Two Sword Lights with diametrically opposed auras flew out from Ma Youx’s sleeves. One was clear and ethereal, the other thick and murky, their differences as clear as night and day.

It was these two Sword Lights that shielded White Python Mountain, keeping the Power of Time at bay.

Only Ma Youx, who was experiencing it firsthand, knew that it took at least ten times the amount of his own Great Dao True Intent to neutralize a single wisp of the Power of Time.

Even he wasn’t one hundred percent confident that he could block the Sword of Time if he were its target.

’Am I about to witness the fall of a Great True Monarch today?!’

The possibility sent a chill down Ma Youx’s spine. How many years had it been since a Great True Monarch had died an unnatural death in the Cultivation Realm? They all passed away peacefully at the end of their lifespans.

Was he about to witness history in the making?

The Sun and Moon Qiankun Dual Swords had already flown from his sleeves, transforming into two small serpents that coiled around him. They were the most famous pair of heirloom Flying Swords from the Five Phoenix Sword Sect.

Both were Tier Four, but after performing Dual Swords Unification, their power was boosted, briefly making them comparable to a Tier Five Flying Sword.

’If he can slay Xiang Banshan today, he can slay another Great True Monarch tomorrow... Once this boy reaches Late-Stage Nascent Soul Cultivation, who in the Cultivation Realm will be able to keep him in check? I fear even a Divinity Transformation Great Power wouldn’t be able to take him down in the short term. They can’t possibly risk a Primordial Qi backlash and throw away their lives just to capture him.’

The Divinity Transformation Great Powers of this era were all recluses in their Grotto Heavens, doing everything possible to extend their lifespans.

The most ancient among them would probably face the Celestial Five Declines and die of old age the moment they stepped out of their Grotto Heaven Secret Realms.

And their opponent would be a Sword Cultivator who had mastered Time True Intent. Even a Divinity Transformation Great Power with a bit of lifespan left would give Bai Zichen a wide berth. Who would think their life was too long and charge forward to meet him?

Weren’t they afraid that a single sweep of the Sword of Time would drain their lifespan and cause them to die of old age prematurely?

Thinking of that terrifying scenario, Ma Youx shuddered, and his eyes gradually turned dangerous.

...

With a single swing, the Sword Light drifted forth, washing across a thousand miles.

All noise, all Magic, all Jade Talismans—everything lost its color, leaving only the most basic shades of black and white.

Aside from the omnipresent Earth Power True Intent between heaven and earth that could offer some slight resistance, everything else was utterly shattered before the Sword of Time.

’Time is like a sword, whittling away one’s life... The withering and flourishing of the ages are like floating clouds and morning dew.’

This was the first time Bai Zichen had activated the Qing Emperor Longevity Sword without using the Hidden Sword technique. Using the river of the Time Ring Body to replace the Hidden Sword process granted him a different kind of insight.

This state—where a casual wave of his hand could create the Sword of Time—was likely the ultimate form of the Great Divine Technique, the Qing Emperor Longevity Sword.