Chapter 580: The Might of the Sword Pavilion

Li Zhaotian of the Sword Pavilion stood alone against the Dragon Lair Sect.

Sword cultivators had long since revered the Sword Pavilion as a safe haven. The pagoda itself was home to several divine swords, dozens of sentient sacred swords, and an array of mid-to-high-grade spirit swords.

This nine-story pagoda was a peerless divine artifact, one that only the Pavilion Master of the Sword Pavilion could command.

Li Zhaotian's activation of the Sword Pavilion showed his clear resolve to stake everything against the Dragon Lair Sect.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Sword lights burst forth from the ever-expanding Sword Pavilion, engulfing the entire mountain range where the Dragon Lair Sect lay.

These sword lights came in all shapes and sizes, bearing the marks of time, carrying the chill of wind and frost, or reflecting the shifting cycles of the four seasons.

Some took the form of golden mountains, frozen rivers, lightning spheres, and vast forests, while others symbolized a lifelong pursuit, radiating an imperial majesty beyond mortal comprehension.

Every insight into the Dao of Sword from the moment swords and sword cultivators first appeared in the Abyss had been etched into the Sword Pavilion!

It was both the greatest repository of sword techniques and the ultimate symbol of the sword.

The ultimate Dao of Swords and the grand aspirations that led generations of Sword Gods to ascend to godhood manifested over the Dragon Lair Sect.

The sword lights created a surreal world of frost, twilight, clouds, rain, mountains, rivers, the sun, the moon, and the stars across the mountain range of the Dragon Lair Sect.

It was as though the sword lights had shaped the heavens and the earth.

This world was vast and majestic, its grandeur beyond measure.

"The Dragon Lair Sect of the Sacred Soul Continent." Li Zhaotian scoffed. "Heh, an old dragon of the Fey Race dares to challenge the authority of my Sword Pavilion?

"How many divine beings, powerhouses of the foreign races, and savage Fey Gods have fallen to a sword throughout history? Our Sword Pavilion had never been one to suffer humiliation."

"Fatty Li, you've yet to ascend to godhood, yet you dare to charge into Dragon Lair Sect with the Sword Pavilion," a Fey King spat. "Looks like we weren't wrong about you!"

"Li Zhaotian, every sentient sword within the Sword Pavilion stands as your unwavering support!" the sword souls cried.

One sword after another flew out from the Sword Pavilion.

The spirit form of the sword souls either stood atop their sword's hilts or sat upon their blades.

Some sword souls were lively, soaring through the sky alongside their swords with fierce howls, while others gazed coldly at the True Dragon Hall with eyes brimming with killing intent.

They were of all ages and sexes.

Their former masters had once left behind illustrious names in the annals of the Abyss, and they had accompanied different wielders in slaying demons and vanquishing devils that once stood at the pinnacle of the Abyss.

Each sword soul had their own sense of pride.

Li Zhaotian grinned as he gripped his sword. The colossal Sword Pavilion hovered behind him, its boundless sword light flooding the vast expanse of Dragon Lair Sect.

The sword lights uncovered any young dragons hiding or lurking in the distance. A sword restrained each discovered dragon.

The Sword Pavilion's sword light soon restrained nearly a hundred dragons of varying bloodline ranks.

Li Zhaotian was certain that the old dragon would be forced to release Pang Lin.

He knew that ancient Thunder Dragon well. Likewise, that ancient Thunder Dragon knew Li Zhaotian's unreasonable nature.

Howl!

A dragon's roar erupted from the True Dragon Hall. As expected, it did not take long for the ancient Thunder Dragon to appear in human form, his expression dark.

Standing atop the True Dragon Hall, Long Xiao said coldly, "I know that the Sword Pavilion and the Pure Land Sect have always been close, but I never expected that you, Li Zhaotian, would dare to wield the Sword Pavilion to threaten me for the sake of a mere girl from the Pure Land Sect.

"You haven't even ascended to the True God Realm."

Doubt crept into Long Xiao's heart.

The little girl inside the Thunderclap Paradise had never mattered to him.

He only ever cared about the Nine Heavens Thunder Divine Tree and the bone carrying the Celestial Phoenix's legacy.

He had seen many talents throughout his long life, many naturally attuned to lightning and more extraordinary than that girl inside the Blessed Land.

Regardless of origin and talent, they had all vanished into the ever-flowing river of history.

The ancient Thunder Dragon stood tall in this world, and nobody could force him to leave unless he wanted to.

The favor of the Celestial Phoenix and Su Wanrou of the Pure Land Sect was not enough for one measly little girl to cast him down from the Dao of Lightning.

Thus, he had never taken that little girl seriously. After all, there was no reason for him to fear the challenge of a newcomer with his status and position.

Despite this, before he left the Resolute Expanse, the old black turtle had not hesitated to call out his true name—Long Xiao—even at the cost of exposing his own rebirth, simply to demand the girl's release.

Now, Li Zhaotian had stormed the Dragon Lair Sect with the Sword Pavilion, using his dragons as leverage.

The ancient Thunder Dragon could not help but reevaluate the girl's importance.

While the Sword Pavilion and the Pure Land Sect had always been close, that alone was not enough to drive Li Zhaotian to such extremes.

"Release her, or I will raze your Dragon Lair Sect to the ground." Li Zhaotian's tone was unyielding.

His gaze shifted toward the Fey Kings stepping out of the True Dragon Hall and glaring at him with fury. "Any Fey King who interferes today will be making an eternal enemy of the Sword Pavilion.

"Remember this, a new Sword God walks the Abyss now!

"The records that your ancestors left and the memories within your bloodlines will remind you of the power that a Sword God born of the Sword Pavilion wields."

The Rank Nine Fey Kings—a Golden Elephant, a Nether Serpent, a Qilin, a Vermilion Bird, and others—fell into silence.

"Who exactly is the little girl inside the Thunderclap Paradise?" the Rock Bear asked.

"Her name is Pang Lin. Her brother is my third disciple and the Sword God of this era," Li Zhaotian solemnly addressed the old Rock Bear, without a hint of arrogance in his tone. "I did not come for the Pure Land Sect, nor do I care for Thunderclap Paradise. My priority is bringing that girl back to the Sword Pavilion."

Back in Imperial Dominion City, Pang Jian had told him about how the old Rock Bear had received his assistance in ascending to the rank of a Fey God.

This knowledge was why Li Zhaotian had revealed Pang Lin's relationship with Pang Jian.

"Pang Jian...the Sword God of this era..." The Rock Bear took a slow, deep breath as he considered the situation. "Elder Long, the lives of those young dragons in Dragon Lair Sect are invaluable. They are the future of the Dragon Lair Sect and our Fey Race. For their sake, and the sake of our race, you—"

"Very well!" Long Xiao interrupted with a cold snort.

He had not expected Li Zhaotian to sneak in unnoticed, let alone bring the Sword Pavilion with him and use its sword light to restrain so many young dragons.

Still, the Rock Bear's persuasion gave him an easy way out, so he simply went with it.

Raising a hand, he made a grasping motion toward a valley behind the True Dragon Hall.

Whoosh!

A delicate figure, wrapped in crackling lightning, was yanked out of Thunderclap Paradise and flung toward Li Zhaotian.

The first thing Pang Lin saw upon returning to the outside world was the rotund figure of Li Zhaotian and the towering Sword Pavilion.

She had seen portraits of Li Zhaotian before and was aware of the famous Sword Pavilion.

Her anxious heart calmed at the sight.

"Girl, your brother is my disciple, my proudest disciple!" Li Zhaotian grinned broadly.

As she drifted closer, he swung his sword, splitting apart the lightning that still clung to her. With a flick of his left hand, he pulled her into the lowest level of the Sword Pavilion.

The three divine swords guarded the lowest level of the Sword Pavilion. The Thunder Dragon could not easily seize her from there even if he changed his mind.

Li Zhaotian's tension eased and the grin on his face slowly faded. "Now, let's talk about Mu Aichuan's death."

Long Xiao frowned. "You're still not done?"

"Long Xiao, would you have dared to kill a Sword Pavilion elder in the Resolute Expanse if I had successfully ascended to the True God Realm?" Li Zhaotian asked icily.

"What's the point of bringing this up?" Long Xiao's expression grew impatient, but he had no choice but to hold back his temper as the sword lights still held many of his dragons hostage. "The three Blessed Lands within the Resolute Expanse exist because of the black turtle.

"As the leader of the Fey Race, I saw no issue in claiming Thunderclap Paradise for myself.

"Mu Aichuan spoke to me disrespectfully. I merely taught him a casual lesson. It's not my fault he was too weak to withstand it."

Li Zhaotian chuckled darkly. "So that's how it is."

A crimson sword light slashed through the north of the True Dragon Hall, severing the head of a newly ascended Rank Nine Ice Dragon.

"I merely gave him a casual lesson as well. He was simply too weak to endure it.

"A life for a life. Now, we're even."

With that, Li Zhaotian stepped onto the Sword Pavilion, soaring toward the outer reaches of the Sacred Soul Continent.

As the Sword Pavilion departed, the scattered sword lights in the mountain range, the depths of Dragon Lair Sect, and the sky above started to return one by one.

Many sword souls and sentient swords also drifted back into the Sword Pavilion.

"Long Mu!"

The dragons roared the moment they were freed from the sword lights. Their deafening cries shook the heavens and earth.

The gathered Rank Nine Fey Kings and the Fey God Rock Bear silently gazed at Long Xiao.

Above the True Dragon Hall, Long Xiao, in his human form, slowly raised both hands in a calming gesture, signaling the Fey Kings and the young dragons to remain composed.

He watched calmly as the Sword Pavilion drifted away from the Dragon Lair Sect.

His restraint was only because he knew some young dragons were still being held hostage.

The Sword Pavilion flew farther and farther away, soon to depart from the Sacred Soul Continent entirely.

Only after the final sword light streaked across the eastern sky of the Dragon Lair Sect, chasing after the departing Sword Pavilion, did Long Xiao finally turn to Rock Bear. "From now on, you will watch over the Dragon Lair Sect. Do not allow such an event to happen again."

The Rock Bear had ascended to the rank of Fey God through the Dao of Earth and could encompass the entire Dragon Lair Sect with his divine power, allowing it to fall under his domain.

With proper preparation, no sword light could penetrate the earth.

"Can you promise me this?" Long Xiao asked solemnly.

The Rock Bear pondered it over. Pang Lin had been saved, so he nodded and said, "I promise."

"Then, protect my descendants."

With those words, Long Xiao's body crackled with lightning and he reverted to his terrifying dragon form.

His colossal, sinuous dragon body vanished from the Sacred Soul Continent in a flash of lightning.

"Li Zhaotian!" he snarled.