Just as Ximen Yibei's swordsmanship ventured into a unique path within the Sword Dao, Fengyun Wujie's Left Dao also branches into a different aspect of the Blade Dao. The dominance of the blade, which Fengyun Wujie had experienced in the hands of other sword masters before ascension, truly struck him with its full force when he began to practice it himself.
The true qi in his body gradually veered from its usual trajectory and flowed into a meridian running from his left hand to the Yongquan acupoint at the sole of his left foot. The central transition point of this path was the upper dantian, while the lower dantian remained the core of the Sword Dao. After circulating the true qi once through his body, it transformed into blade-type true qi. With just a few more rotations, the power of the blade technique became apparent. The blade aura in his left hand's meridian spun faster and faster, until it resembled an unbridled horse, completely beyond his control. The domineering nature of the Blade Dao caused Fengyun Wujie's left arm to swell up as if it were being stretched.
A deep frustration surged within him; unable to hold back, Fengyun Wujie let out a fierce roar and leaped from his cave. In mid-air, his left hand shaped into a blade-like gesture, slashing diagonally through the void below. A massive blade of energy shot forth like a whip, crashing straight into the mountain across from him.
Boom!
Rocks exploded in all directions, whipping up a fierce wind as the mountain trembled. The stones fell like meteors, piling up into small hills at the mountain's base. When the wind subsided and the dust settled, a massive scar-like crack appeared on the mountain, stretching from top to bottom, with faint light emanating from within the fissure... this slash had actually pierced through the mountain!
Fengyun Wujie stood proudly in the air, his long hair billowing. In his heart, he felt immense pride: "The Left Dao has finally been successfully created!"
"The only thing missing now is a blade!" Fengyun Wujie looked down at his left hand. The back of his palm was covered in a web of blood vessels, stark against his fair skin, which was quite a shocking sight.
When martial arts reach a high level, one can materialize objects out of thin air. Like Fengyun Wujie, who could effortlessly form an ice crystal longsword. However, this was still not comparable to a real sword. The blade, no matter how sharp, hard, or how well it transmitted true qi, simply could not compare to a legendary weapon. Moreover, with a real sword, the speed of flying with it would be much faster. This was why Fengyun Wujie was so fixated on having his own sword.
Taking a deep breath, feeling the cold wind brush his face, Fengyun Wujie looked up at the sky, orienting himself to the east. He was about to head toward the Blade Domain, but suddenly, a commotion reached his ears, the sounds of clashing steel.
Curiosity piqued, Fengyun Wujie followed the direction of the noise. After flying several hundred miles, he saw the faint figure of a mountain peak ahead, with sword energy soaring into the sky. It was a clear sign of a divine weapon being forged.
"Could it be? Such a coincidence!" Fengyun Wujie thought to himself, lowering his body to the ground and stealthily moving toward the back of the mountain.
"Master Xie Yue, help! I can't hold it any longer! This thing is too evil!" A voice from behind the mountain called out. The speaker, a warrior from a free faction, frantically swung his broadsword, releasing bursts of powerful sword energy with each strike, but he was being forced back step by step.
His opponent was a scholar-like figure in a long green robe. He wielded a three-foot-long green blade that shimmered with a bright divine light, attacking from every strange angle.
"Huh!" Fengyun Wujie gasped in surprise. He could only see the back of the green-robed scholar but couldn't make out his face. However, the strange long sword caught his attention—it was clearly a soft sword, capable of flicking, leaping, retracting, and folding... there was no angle from which it couldn't attack. Each time it recoiled, a clear, melodic sound rang out. What stunned Fengyun Wujie even more was that the free faction warrior, despite his evident strength, couldn't harm the scholar with his sword energy. The scholar didn't even bother to dodge; instead, he advanced toward the warrior with the clear intent of risking his life.
"Yue Donglai, retreat! This Fifth Sword's courage has lingered for many years as a vengeful spirit. His malevolent energy has taken control of the Fifth Sword's corpse. We can't possibly defeat him. We've already suffered many casualties, but we need more time to prepare before we strike again!" The elderly Master Xie Yue spoke, his voice calm, resembling that of a wise elder.
Behind Master Xie Yue, several warriors from the free faction looked on in fear. Their arms hung limply at their sides, clearly broken, unable to continue fighting.
"No! I've lived in this Valley of Life and Death for centuries, pouring countless efforts into the Fifth Sword's courage. I'm so close to success—how could I give up now? Xie Yue, whether you help or not, I only need one word from you!" The warrior, still fending off the scholar's relentless attacks, shouted desperately.
"Fine, I'll help!" Master Xie Yue thought for a long moment before nodding. The warrior's face lit up with joy.
The two immediately joined forces to attack the scholar. Although the scholar began to show signs of faltering, several warriors on the side watching the battle cried out in alarm, "Retreat! He's about to use that move again!"
Both attackers were startled and hastily withdrew, but it was too late. The scholar suddenly threw his head back and let out a mournful, high-pitched howl. A surge of black smoke erupted into the sky, and from the scholar's position, hundreds of spatial cracks began to spread outward, like roots, locking the entire area in place. The warriors around him were rendered silent and motionless, as if some unseen force had immobilized them.
A black rainbow shot out from the scholar's hand, moving like lightning through the shattered space, before returning to his grasp and shrinking into an egg-shaped object. The cracks in space gradually healed, and the warriors' figures reappeared. Moments later, a light breeze swept through, and the warriors' bodies disintegrated into chunks of meat, falling to the ground.
The scholar turned, and Fengyun Wujie saw the long hair atop his skull fluttering. It was no longer a person but a long-dead skeleton, still with hair on its head. No wonder it didn't fear any blade energy attacks.
The skeleton seemed to sense something, twitching its forehead before turning toward Fengyun Wujie's hiding place...
Fengyun Wujie sprang from his position, shouting loudly. The Left Dao blade technique was unleashed, and a black whip of blade energy crashed forward, splitting the skeleton in two, sending its halves to the ground.
Taking a deep breath, Fengyun Wujie looked toward the fallen corpse, only to be horrified as the egg-shaped object extended and turned into a sword. A surging black mist poured from the sword, merging with the two halves of the corpse. Then came a loud crack, and the corpse reassembled, standing up and reforming into a complete skeleton.
A cold wind blew, and Fengyun Wujie shivered as the skeleton slowly advanced toward him, its long hair swaying, the black holes in its eyes flickering ominously.