Chapter 581: The Glory of the Sword Gods

Long Xiao's furious roar reverberated through the heavens and earth.

The Thunder Dragon's true form embodied the Dao of Lightning in the Abyss.

He was the strongest existence among the Fey Race and the Thunder God of the Abyss.

If he could break through the barrier and soar into the vast starry skies, he would undoubtedly stand among the most powerful of all the Thunder Gods.

Even Thunder God Pan Di of the ancient Fey Race would still be no match for him.

Only those deeply versed in the spatial techniques could rival his swiftness at full speed. Few beings in the Abyss could surpass him.

Whoosh!

The ferocious ancient Thunder Dragon left the Sacred Soul Continent in a single breath.

He soon saw Li Zhaotian crossing the skies of the Second World with the Sword Pavilion.

Li Zhaotian had secretly infiltrated the Sacred Soul Continent, appeared above the True Dragon Hall, restrained his offspring in sword light, forced him to hand over Pang Lin, and slain a newly ascended Rank Nine Ice Dragon.

There was no way the ancient Thunder Dragon could simply allow him to leave without consequence.

Allowing Li Zhaotian to walk away unscathed would be equivalent to Long Xiao throwing away his dignity as a supreme dragon.

"Li Zhaotian!" Long Xiao roared, spitting out a searing lightning sphere as massive as a star and sending it hurtling toward the Sword Pavilion.

The lightning sphere exploded halfway through its journey.

Boom!

Cascading lightning bolts, thick as waterfalls, seemed to shatter the skies of the Second World.

This was Long Xiao's declaration of rage. The Thunder God of the Abyss had unleashed his fury.

Long Xiao had called upon the thunder and lightning of the Abyss, harnessing its power to annihilate his opponent.

Thousands of colossal bolts of blinding lightning emerged between him and the Sword Pavilion, as well as millions of li around them.

These bolts were violent, each brimming with divine power capable of obliterating all life.

"Thunder, the sound of world annihilation!"

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Colossal lightning bolts bloomed like trees bearing fruit, coalescing into massive lightning spheres the size of millstones.

These spheres detonated in succession, scattering an immeasurable torrent of lightning and transforming the skies into an ocean of raging thunder.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Nine lightning vortexes emerged from within the vast thunderous sea, linking with the cascading waterfalls of lightning above.

The Sword Pavilion stood amid this terrifying storm like a towering fortress, under the bombardment of the lightning spheres, lightning bolts, and nine lightning vortexes.

A boundless river of sword light swirled around the Sword Pavilion, clashing violently with Long Xiao's divine power.

𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

The lightning bolts and sword lights shattered upon impact.

Whoosh!

The ancient sword scars imprinted upon the walls inside the Sword Pavilion erupted with blinding divine light.

As the shrunken Sword Pavilion grew to a domineering size, it drew upon the power of past generations of Sword Gods and crushed the thunderous assault.

The Sword Pavilion had given rise to many awe-inspiring Sword Gods.

Some of these Sword Gods had not only achieved dominance in the Abyss but had also ascended beyond it to look down upon the divine beings of the boundless starry skies.

Before leaving the Abyss, they had inscribed their insights into their Dao of Swords into the Sword Pavilion and left fragments of their divine power behind. This was the essence of what made the pagoda truly terrifying.

Whoosh!

A pitch-black sacred sword shot out from one of the Sword Pavilion's windows and transformed into a nimble black crow.

Flitting through the cascading lightning waterfalls, it sliced through them one after another as if severing the connections between sky and sea.

This sword was called Spirit Crow and was merely a sacred sword. However, its former master was Sword God Xu Ling.

While in the Abyss, Xu Ling had slain a Fey God and a Rank Ten foreign race warrior of the Fifth World while wielding nothing but Spirit Crow.

If Long Xiao were to ever step into the starry skies, he would learn that Sword God Xu Ling was a name feared even beyond the Abyss.

Before breaking through the barrier and departing, Xu Ling left Spirit Crow in the Sword Pavilion, engraving his Dao of Sword within it for future generations to comprehend.

Though Spirit Crow was not a divine sword and did not qualify for placement in the Pavilion's deepest chamber, its master had been anything but ordinary.

Sword God Xu Ling had left three sword lights behind within Spirit Crow.

Spirit Crow let out a piercing cry as it tore through waterfalls of lightning, and the first of these sword lights plummeted into the raging sea of lightning below.

Whoosh!

It tore apart a lightning vortex, erasing Long Xiao's Dao of Lightning in an overwhelming force.

As Spirit Crow soared up, its second sword light shot toward the colossal dragon's forehead. It struck Long Xiao's horn with a sharp clang, forcing him to a halt.

Three more swords emerged after Spirit Crow.

Sparrow Cry, Golden Jade, and Flowing Flame were also merely sacred swords, but their wielders had all been Sword Gods. Each sword carried remnants of its former master's divine power.

Sparrow Cry transformed into a flock of sparrows, Golden Jade took the form of a radiant golden greatsword, and Flowing Flame erupted into a wave of blazing fire.

The Sword Gods' residual divine power within these swords caused them to transcend their original ranks, each delivering a strike against the sea of lightning and the colossal dragon.

The cries of sparrows from Sparrow Cry drowned out the deafening thunder.

Golden Jade plunged into the sea of lightning and split a lightning vortex apart, disrupting Long Xiao's Nine Thunder Annihilation divine ability.

Flowing Flame slashed down on Long Xiao's spine, destroying his dragon scales, which were as impenetrable as metal shields.

The three swords struck in unison, successfully interrupting Long Xiao's bloodline divine ability and leaving his dragon body suffering from wounds.

This was the immense foundation of the Sword Pavilion. Generations of Sword Gods had left their divine power behind for future generations.

Even when the Sword Pavilion was in decline, with no new Sword Gods emerging for some time, none of the True Gods of the human race had dared to underestimate it.

Li Wang, Zhu Ji, Gui Mu, Su Wanrou, and the other True Gods had unanimously agreed to reserve the final divine seat for Li Zhaotian.

This was because they all knew the Sword Pavilion's legendary battle record!

The confidence of the entire human race would rise to new heights if Li Zhaotian successfully ascended to the True God Realm and wielded this supreme killing artifact.

When Pang Jian was in the Sacred Soul Continent, the Dragon Lair Sect did not dare act recklessly because Li Zhaotian was attempting his ascent to the True God Realm.

Even Long Xiao knew how terrifying Li Zhaotian could be if he wielded the Sword Pavilion as a True God.

Only after news of Li Zhaotian's failure spread did the Dragon Lair Sect dare to act against them, with Long Xiao allowing his dragons to grow more audacious.

"Mu Wentao, you cut off his escape while I wear down the Sword Pavilion's power!" Long Xiao roared.

He shook his dragon scales, scattering drops of dazzling blood. Each drop birthed lightning vortexes, lightning spheres, and cascading lightning waterfalls that were more powerful and violent than before.

Long Xiao rampaged, braving the sword lights and the divine power that generations of Sword Gods had left behind.

As mighty as he was, the relentless assault was still slicing his colossal dragon body apart. His dragon scales cracked, with some even shattering explosively.

Even so, Long Xiao found comfort in the knowledge that the Sword Pavilion's power, accumulated over tens of thousands of years, would be nearly exhausted by the end of this battle.

The Dragon Race was renowned for its nearly indestructible bodies and monstrous regenerative abilities that far exceeded those of all other intelligent beings.

As the strongest Fey God of this era, he was willing to pay the price of injury if it meant depleting the Sword Pavilion's foundation.

He wanted to end all the hidden threats in a single battle!

Li Zhaotian had yet to ascend to the True God Realm, which was why Long Xiao was confident he could endure.

He firmly believed that the Sword Pavilion alone could not kill him without a Sword God in control.

However, if Li Zhaotian wielded the Sword Pavilion as a True God, or if a newly ascended Sword God like Pang Jian were to take control, the remaining ancient divine power within the pagoda could possibly kill him.

Long Xiao would never allow that to happen.

"Understood." Mu Wentao's voice echoed eerily.

This True God of the human race appeared before the Sword Pavilion, clad in silver armor, his face concealed beneath a mask of the same material.

He no longer had the face to meet Li Zhaotian.

All the sword lights erupting from the Sword Pavilion remained focused on attacking the ancient Thunder Dragon behind Mu Wentao.

A ghastly azure palace emerged with a flick of Mu Wentao's hand.

The souls of fallen powerhouses—regardless of race—materialized from its many windows, their ghostly forms lingering in the air.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Dozens of windows swung open to reveal countless faces.

"The ghostly domain of the Court of Shenluo, [1] the eternal passage of all souls," murmured the souls of the Fey Race, the human race, and the foreign races within the azure hall.

Their whispers formed a force that restrained all souls.

The palace, known as the Court of Shenluo, exuded a hazy azure light that stretched toward the Sword Pavilion.

The radiance of many swords with sword souls instantly dimmed.

Mu Wentao's Court of Shenluo also affected sword souls, shackling them with its suppressive force.

The power of divine swords and sacred swords diminished drastically when their sentience was sealed.

"Mu Wentao, you're a True God of the human race! Why are you allowing that old dragon to command you? Is your Ghost Sacrifice Sect truly choosing to stand against the human race?" Li Zhaotian shouted from atop the Sword Pavilion.

"This does not involve the Ghost Sacrifice Sect. It is my decision alone," Mu Wentao said calmly. "I have willingly defected. I have betrayed the human race. I am a disgrace among the True Gods. But this is my own doing. It has nothing to do with the Ghost Sacrifice Sect, nor my senior sister."

"The Ghost Sacrifice Sect raised you! Gui Mu personally secured your divine seat! You cultivate the Ghost Sacrifice Sect techniques!" Li Zhaotian sneered. "And you dare say this has nothing to do with the Ghost Sacrifice Sect? The Ghost Sacrifice Sect would not have been left alone if Gui Mu weren't as powerful as she is."

"At least my senior sister can protect the Ghost Sacrifice Sect. She can ensure that the sect does not suffer because of me."

A soft, ethereal voice suddenly rang out. "But she can't protect you from death."

"It seems the one dying today won't be me, but you, Mu Wentao!" Li Zhaotian said, bursting into mocking laughter.

On the first floor of the Sword Pavilion, the eerie azure light from Mu Wentao's Court of Shenluo had also bound Pang Lin's soul. She felt as if she was being dragged into an ethereal underworld.

When that soft voice echoed, a beam of light pierced through the spectral realm and pulled Pang Lin back into reality.

"Master!" Pang Lin cheered, eyes brimming with joy and relief.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

The sword souls of Lady Feng and two elderly figures—one fat, one thin—had also previously been sluggish, but the arrival of the voice allowed them to regain their agility and move freely once more.

The Court of Shenluo's soul-binding restraints had been erased.

Mu Wentao turned his head sharply.

"Su Wanrou!"

1. Shenluo Hall (森罗殿) is a chamber within Diyu (地狱), the Chinese underworld, where Yanluo Wang (阎罗王), the King of Hell, presides over the judgment of souls. ☜