Chapter 550: The Sword Pavilion Rises

Li Wang set down his teacup and carefully packed away his tea set. The lake projected above the Stargazing Platform vanished with a wave of his sleeve.

"What do all of you think?"

The crimson glow of the setting sun filled the sky above the platform. Blood-red light poured through the roofless dome, casting a faintly scarlet hue over each stone pillar.

Most of the True Gods of the Abyss on the pillars were still dwelling on the sight of a single sword strike piercing through Li Chu's Dharma Idol.

The scene was indelibly etched into their souls.

Lin Qiyang, another True God of the Pure Land Sect, Jiang Fan of the Boundless Sky Divine Kingdom, and Dong Shangqing of the Ancient Law Sect were all near the lower end of the hierarchy and were ranked similarly to Li Chu among the True Gods.

They could not help but wonder if they could have resisted Pang Jian's strike if they had been in Li Chu's place.

A sense of bitterness crept out from their stone pillars as they pondered this.

Without a divine artifact, a Dharma Idol—formed from the fusion of one's physical body and divine seat—could not possibly withstand that sword strike!

Pei Yishan, the sovereign of the Northern Ruin, showed little reaction as he knew the strike would not harm Li Chu's foundation.

"Li Chu lacks a wood-attribute divine artifact.

"It's said that wood-attribute divine artifacts have been hidden away among the remnants of the Wood Race still surviving in the Fifth World, and within the heretical Blackwood Sect.

"Unfortunately, I could not procure one for him.

"That indestructible Abyssal Demon Sword is a divine artifact of the Metal element, which explains the Heavenly Dao's suppression. Moreover, this new Sword God evidently has some expertise with metal energy.

"Still..."

Despite his attempts to explain away Li Chu's defeat, Pei Yishan had to admit that Pang Jian, the newest True God of the Abyss, had astonishing combat prowess.

"It seems he's worthy of our confidence. We can trust him to restore the Sword Pavilion's glory, rise as the new Sword God of this era, and help us slay the Fifth World's mightiest warriors and Outer Gods."

With that, Pei Yishan's projection disappeared.

The foreign races of the Fifth World, the Outer Gods, and the enigmatic Dragon Lair Sect were highly likely to take action during this turbulent time.

Li Chu, a True God of the Forsaken Expanse Sect, had been visibly injured, and Pei Yishan needed to ensure that no external forces would disturb him during this vulnerable time.

"No one objects to the Sword Pavilion relocating to the First World after seeing this battle, right?" Su Wanrou of the Pure Land Sect asked coolly.

She intended to use Pang Lin to suppress the arrogance of the ancient Thunder Dragon, devoting all her efforts to nurturing her and clearing every obstacle in her path. This naturally also made her a staunch supporter of her brother, Pang Jian.

Her and Lin Qiyang's combined strength was barely on par with that of the Dragon Lair Sect. The ancient Thunder Dragon would gain no advantage in the Pure Land Sect, and the same held true if she ventured to the Sacred Soul Continent.

Pang Jian was not only the new World God but had also successfully ascended to an Immortal Realm God. This undoubtedly provided her with an additional source of support.

Her affection for Pang Lin, and by extension Pang Jian, meant she spared no effort to secure benefits for Pang Jian and the Sword Pavilion.

"It seems there are no objections," she concluded when the remaining True Gods stayed silent.

Su Wanrou and Lin Qiyang of the Pure Land Sect then left together.

Li Yuanli, Dong Shangqing, Wanderer Tian Du, Yin Ji, Jiang Fan, and several other True Gods followed suit, quietly withdrawing their divine soul projections one after another.

In the end, only Li Wang of the Nine Tribes Sect, Gui Mu of the Ghost Sacrifice Sect, and Zhu Ji of the Boundless Sky Divine Kingdom remained.

Zhu Ji, squat and unremarkable in appearance, had always been a steadfast supporter of Li Wang.

He, Gui Mu, and Su Wanrou were widely acknowledged as the top three among the True Gods in combat prowess. It was the unwavering support of these two True Gods for Li Wang's strategic vision for the Abyss that cemented Li Wang's status as the de facto leader of the True Gods.

Zhu Ji was reticent and typically kept silent during most of Li Wang's councils. He often quietly disappeared halfway through the council, and even on the rare occasions he stayed until the end, he would leave without uttering a single word.

This time, however, he uncharacteristically chose to stay after the other True Gods had departed. Both Li Wang and Gui Mu glanced at the stone pillar housing his projection with surprise as they waited for him to speak.

"He's not only the first to ascend to godhood from the Nirvana Realm but also the first to achieve godhood through the Dao of Chaos. His divine soul, like ours, has a tangible form, but differs in its unique capabilities.

"When our divine souls leave our bodies, it becomes extraordinarily difficult to draw upon external energies.

"Our divine souls carry a reserve of divine power when it leaves our physical bodies, but once that's exhausted, it has to return to replenish from its stores. He, however, is free from this limitation. His divine soul can exist independent of his physical form.

"He is the first to achieve complete self-sufficiency of the divine soul," Zhu Ji concluded, projection disappearing from the stone pillar.

His words had revealed a truth that the True Gods had overlooked. Li Wang's lake could only reflect the visuals of that region. It did not allow the True Gods to perceive the external forces flowing into Pang Jian's Immortal Divine Soul.

Despite this, Zhu Ji had seen through it all.

"A self-sufficient divine soul that can exist independent of the physical body," Gui Mu murmured. "The ultimate goal of the Ghost Sacrifice Sect's secret techniques is to achieve this state, but even I have failed to attain it.

"To fully solidify one's soul and discard the physical body entirely, one has to either be a ghost cultivator or an Outer God of the Ghost Race.

"Still, ghost cultivators are merely incorporeal spirit forms, and the Outer Gods of the Ghost Race don't belong to the Abyss. Whether a ghost cultivator can use their incorporeal spirit form to claim a divine seat and forge a path to godhood remains a mystery.

"No, this path is wrong. It can't be this way..." Gui Mu mumbled to herself, appearing a little deranged as she became lost in thought.

After a moment of silence, Li Wang abruptly rose and walked to the stone pillar previously representing Fan Ao, re-inscribing the array in preparation to welcome a projection of Pang Jian's divine soul in the future.

This action unmistakably signified his acknowledgment of Pang Jian's ability to stand as an equal among them.

***

In the grand hall atop the Sword Honing Peak in the Sword Pavilion, Li Zhaotian feasted voraciously at a table laden with delicacies, devouring the food with reckless abandon.

He did not bother with chopsticks, instead tearing into a roasted, golden-brown piece of meat with his hands, eating so messily that his face glistened with grease.

His sword token lay among a pile of gnawed bones, completely ignored.

Standing to his left and right were his disciples, Chen Weihuang and Hu Yuanfei, while seated before him were the Immortal Realm elders such as Guang He, Xu Yu, Cai Xin, Lu Xiaolin, and Shi Bingyun. Zhou Wenhao also sat among them.

Unlike Li Zhaotian, everyone else clutched their sword tokens tightly, maintaining contact with Liu Junhong and Wang Ce as they awaited the latest updates on the battle in the Resolute Expanse.

This battle was not just about Pang Jian but the honor of the entire Sword Pavilion.

When the Sword Pavilion formally declared that they intended to relocate to their ancestral home in the First World after Pang Jian's successful ascension, Li Wang had offered no concrete response.

As a leader with the recognition and support of numerous True Gods, Li Wang's stance was pivotal in determining the Sword Pavilion's future. The Sword Pavilion could not act openly or boldly without his explicit approval.

Li Chu's visit to the Resolute Expanse, regardless of his claims of giving Pang Jian pointers, was clearly an attempt to pressure him. The infuriated elders of the Sword Pavilion believed that Li Chu still held grudges from the past and was once again resorting to the same tactic of bullying those below him.

This was exactly how he had treated Li Zhaotian years ago.

The elders were preparing to lodge a protest with the True Gods gathered at the Stargazing Platform when Li Zhaotian stopped them with a single sentence.

"Li Chu? Please. I still have the confidence to beat him even after failing to ascend as a True God. Pang Jian is stronger than me. How could he not handle him?"

This outrageously bold statement calmed the Sword Pavilion elders, convincing them to wait and see. Still, their anxiety, unease, and frustration continued to fester internally.

They feared that Pang Jian, an Immortal Realm God, would suffer a crushing defeat at Li Chu's hands. The morale of the Sword Pavilion had plummeted after Li Zhaotian's failure to ascend to godhood, and they simply could not endure another blow of similar magnitude.

The strongest factions of the First World and many of the new generation of cultivators had dismissed the Sword Pavilion's once-mighty reputation as nothing more than exaggeration.

Doubts about the strength of the Sword God were widespread.

It had been far too long since a Sword God had appeared, leaving their existence to linger only in legend. As was often the case, legends were seen as unreliable and riddled with embellishments. Many believed that the Sword Gods and the Sword Pavilion were no exceptions.

The elders desperately needed Pang Jian to win and reclaim the honor of the Sword Pavilion!

They quietly hoped that Pang Jian and Li Chu would be evenly matched. That alone would be enough to establish Pang Jian as the Sword God of this new era and allow the Sword Pavilion to rise again.

While they sat in restless anxiety, that gluttonous oaf continued to feast without a care, sword token haphazardly tossed aside. Only his status as the Pavilion Master and his undeniable strength stopped them from venting their frustrations.

All they could do was wait impatiently for Liu Junhong and Wang Ce to relay the latest news.

After what felt like an eternity of torment, Li Zhaotian finally devoured food on the table. He let out a satisfied burp, stretched lazily, and remarked, "It's our choice to move the Sword Pavilion to the First World. They can grant us permission, but we can always choose not to go, to stay and continue fighting.

"Still, having that choice is of the utmost importance! And today is the day they will give us that choice."

Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!

The sword tokens in the hall vibrated in unison.

Everyone scrambled to immerse their divine senses, eager to learn the incoming news.

Li Zhaotian did not so much as glance at his own sword token, taking noisy gulps from his jug of wine as the boisterous shouts of elders Guang He, Xu Yu, and Cai Xin echoed through the hall.

"It wasn't even a contest! That kid's sword pierced right through Li Chu's Dharma Idol! He won fair and square!"

"Haha! Li Chu truly is a herald of the Sword Pavilion's resurgence. He was back then, and he is now too!"