With a single flick, the Heavenly Sword Ancestor sent the Remnant Sword Ancestor flying. His aura then surged wildly, leaping from the Five-Turns Half-Saint realm straight to Seven-Turn Half-Saint in an instant. His pressure completely overwhelmed the Remnant Sword Ancestor.
The attention of all the Evergreen Holy Land disciples instantly shifted from the Cave Heaven World to the Heavenly Sword Ancestor. In their minds, the Remnant Sword Ancestor had always seemed stronger, but it turned out the Heavenly Sword Ancestor was the true powerhouse!
Even Yinghuo, Riyao, and Yueling—the three Sword Venerables of the Reformist Faction—were stunned. A faint unease flickered in their hearts as they realized just how deeply the Heavenly Sword Ancestor had concealed his strength.
The Heavenly Sword Ancestor’s voice rang out loud and clear:
“Supreme Elder Remnant Sword has colluded with Acting Holy Lord Yun Xiu and outsiders to interfere in our Evergreen Holy Land’s Holy Lord selection process. This constitutes outright rebellion against the sect, a crime punishable by death! All disciples, hear my command: follow this old man and seize these traitors to quell this chaos!”
The Reformist Faction disciples reflexively shouted their assent, while those from the Conservative and Neutral Factions hesitated.
It was true that Yan Zhen had intervened in the duel between the Acting Holy Lord and the Holy Son, but the Holy Son’s condition seemed off. The entire Holy Lord selection battle had felt strange from the start.
The Evergreen Holy Son was merely a Five-Star Mystic Venerable, yet he had eagerly challenged the Acting Holy Lord, who was a Second-Grade Supreme. Even with her cultivation suppressed to the Nine-Star Mystic Venerable realm, it was still a massive disadvantage for the Evergreen Holy Son.
The Remnant Sword Ancestor sneered:
“Pot calling the kettle black! Heavenly Sword, you old fool—this old man has finally seen your true colors. It was clearly you who colluded with the Asura Heavenly Monarch to overthrow the Holy Land. How could this old man let you have your way!”
The words “Asura Heavenly Monarch” sent a ripple of shock through all the disciples. They turned as one toward the distant Cave Heaven World, roiling with murderous intent, their hearts pounding.
The Evergreen Seven Swords were especially unable to accept this revelation.
The Asura Heavenly Monarch was the Evergreen Holy Land’s sworn enemy—their feud was one of irreconcilable hatred!
A thousand years ago, upon returning from aiding the Moon God Clan, an Evergreen delegation had been ambushed by the Asura Heavenly Monarch and his forces. Several were gravely wounded, including the Evergreen Holy Lord, whose injuries proved fatal before he could even groom a successor.
That marked the first interruption in the Evergreen Holy Land’s lineage!
Qingping Sword Saint had then taken the throne. She once led an assault all the way to the gates of the Asura Demon Palace, slaying a horde of fiends beneath her blade. Yet she failed to kill the key figure, the Asura Heavenly Monarch himself. Not only did he escape, but he inflicted her with the Life-Slaughtering Devil Curse.
Though Qingping Sword Saint resisted the curse’s lethal power with her mighty cultivation, her body inevitably withered and shrank.
She left the Evergreen Holy Land, wandering the Seven Continents in search of a cure, but her efforts were in vain. In the end, she returned to her homeland on Evergreen Continent and peacefully entered eternal slumber.
That was the second interruption of the Evergreen Holy Land’s lineage!
It was all thanks to that Asura Heavenly Monarch that the Evergreen Holy Land had fallen to its current sorry state.
To collude with him was utterly beastly.
Doubting gazes fell upon the Heavenly Sword Ancestor, all hoping for an explanation.
Yinghuo Sword Venerable asked in heartbroken tones:
“Uncle Master, is this true?”
The Heavenly Sword Ancestor snorted coldly:
“When you want to pin a crime on someone, what excuse do you lack!? That senile cripple is just spouting nonsense to confuse you. Seize him first, and this old man will explain afterward.”
At those words, Yinghuo Sword Venerable’s heart turned to ice:
“Uncle Master…”
It wasn’t just him. Riyao Sword Venerable and Yueling Sword Venerable also stared in disbelief. The Heavenly Sword Ancestor they had revered could be such a person?
A flash of malice crossed the Heavenly Sword Ancestor’s face:
“What’s this? You actually doubt this old man?”
“You think everyone’s blind?” The Remnant Sword Ancestor raised his broken sword high, his empty sleeve deftly wrapping around the hilt like a second hand, gripping it firmly with the poise of two hands: “As Supreme Elder, not only did you collude with the enemy, but you turned the Holy Son into a vessel for a demon’s power, plotting to overthrow the entire Holy Land. Heavenly Sword, you are the one guilty beyond pardon. Today, before all these disciples, this old man will slay you as a warning to others.”
“With your half-baked Six-Turn strength?”
The Heavenly Sword Ancestor didn’t take his old rival seriously at all, but the Remnant Sword Ancestor replied coldly:
“Seven Swords, hear my command! Form the Seven Luminaries Imperial Sword Grand Array!”
Suihua, Chenguang, and Zhenxing Sword Venerables drew their swords without hesitation and took their positions. Taibai Sword Venerable then moved to the array’s center and addressed the remaining three:
“You three, stop making the wrong choices.”
Yinghuo, Riyao, and Yueling Sword Venerables trembled. They gritted their teeth and drew their swords, falling into place.
Seven Sword Venerables and seven supreme swords formed a Ninth-Tier Saint Array. Its peerless might could rival any Six-Turns Half-Saint. With the Remnant Sword Ancestor—a Six-Turns Half-Saint himself—they now held little disadvantage against the Seven-Turn Half-Saint Heavenly Sword Ancestor.
“You… excellent, simply excellent!” The Heavenly Sword Ancestor laughed in fury: “Very well, then this old man has no need to keep pretending… Lord Asura is the true master of the Sword Dao. Under his leadership, our Holy Land will reach unprecedented heights!”
“Silence!” The Remnant Sword Ancestor roared in rage: “Heavenly Sword, you are unworthy to be part of our Evergreen Holy Land!”
Those words erased any lingering hesitation from the Evergreen Seven Swords. Hearts aching with grief and burning with fury, they joined the Remnant Sword Ancestor in attacking the Heavenly Sword Ancestor.
A heaven-shaking battle erupted. The surrounding Evergreen disciples were forced to retreat further, watching the aerial clash in terror.
Amid the crowd, Yun Xiu gripped the Inheritance Sword, silently observing it all.
Huangfu Wenqing huddled behind her, staring at the blood-red Cave Heaven World just like Jiu Youyue, her face etched with worry.
The Heavenly Sword Ancestor handled the combined assault from the Remnant Sword Ancestor and the Seven Swords with ease. He had no intention of winning or fleeing—he was just buying time.
Unable to unleash his full power, the Remnant Sword Ancestor faced imperfect coordination from the Seven Swords due to their inner conflicts. Even together, they couldn’t overpower the Heavenly Sword Ancestor.
The Holy Land did possess sacred artifacts to fend off invaders, but they required the Holy Lord or two Supreme Elders to activate. They were useless against the Heavenly Sword Ancestor.
“Damn it all!”
“Heh heh, no matter how you resist, it’s futile. Once Lord Asura deals with the Jialan Holy Son and emerges from the Cave Heaven, the entire Holy Land will bow at his feet… Stop struggling. Join this old man in serving Lord Asura, cultivate the true unparalleled Sword Dao, and our Evergreen Holy Land will dominate the Seven Continents before long!”
No sooner had the words left his mouth than the distant blood-red Cave Heaven World shuddered violently. Ripples spread through the space around it, drawing everyone’s attention once more.
A massive fissure tore open in the enormous Cave Heaven World. Terrifying multicolored flames shot out from within.
With the impact of the flames, more and more cracks appeared. Beneath the crowd’s horrified gazes, it collapsed outright!
The Cave Heaven World of a Mystic Saint expert had collapsed.
Energy erupted violently, sweeping outward like waves. A series of earth-shattering booms filled their ears.
The crowd retreated all the way to the edge of the Holy Land before halting. They looked up to see the sky above the Holy Land fractured and shattered. A towering figure clad in multicolored golden armor hovered in midair. One hand gripped the broken-horned Asura by the neck, hoisting him up like a convict on the gallows—or a dying old dog.
The Heavenly Sword Ancestor’s eyes slowly widened, his mind going blank:
“This… how is this possible…”
