Nearly twenty thousand Sword Sect disciples stood with their heads held high, facing the one thousand disciples of the Shadow Sect.
Despite the overwhelming difference in numbers, the strength of the Shadow Sect disciples dwarfed even the elders of the Sword Sect. The weakest among them had reached the peak of the Emperor Realm, while most had surpassed that threshold.
Those who could sense the power of the Shadow Sect understood that the Sword Sect was doomed. No one could save them now. Even a few Shadows were enough to wipe out their entire sect in an instant.
The crushing weight of hopelessness began to creep into the hearts of the Sword Sect's disciples, but despite the looming despair, they stood firm. At the forefront, Jian Wu led the disciples, with the elders standing protectively before them. While some senior disciples and elders had reached the Emperor Realm, the majority of the sect's disciples had yet to achieve such heights. Still, not a single one faltered. Each was prepared to lay down their life for the sect.
Yet, despite their readiness, no one made the first move. All eyes were turned skyward, watching the clash between the Sword Sect's strongest cultivator and the Shadow Sect's elder.
With every exchange of blows between the sect master and the Shadow Sect elder, the very fabric of the universe seemed to tremble. Their continuous assaults rattled the heavens, but it was clear to everyone—they were holding back. Neither dared to unleash their full strength, for fear of obliterating the universe itself.
Of course, the universe they could destroy was only this small one, not Eli Shan's vast soul universe. Within his soul, an infinite number of such universes existed. He had no reason to worry.
But there were living beings here— even his parents lived in this small universe. If the Shadows dared to harm it, Eli Shan could erase them with a thought, as easily as breathing.
As the battle raged on, cracks began to appear in the universe. The cultivation of a high-level Great Emperor was not for show. Each strike from their battle sent shockwaves that shattered distant, fragile planets.
Sensing the raw power erupting from their clash, nearly seventy Great Emperors emerged from all over the universe, drawn to the fight. Yet none of them dared to intervene. They knew well that the sect master was fighting a Shadow Sect elder, and in this universe, the Shadows had already killed many Great Emperors, and none of them wanted to share that same fate.
Inside the Sword Sect... disciples and elders alike felt the crushing weight of impending doom. Though they believed in their sect master, their confidence wavered when it came to the Shadows. Besides that, before them stood the army of Shadow Sect disciples, eager to crush them like ants underfoot.
In stark contrast, Eli Shan remained indifferent, calmly moving from place to place, weaving new formations around the sect as though preparing for something far greater.
Suddenly, a Shadow disciple ceased observing the ongoing battle, his attention snapping toward the Sword Sect's great elder. "Your sect master... he's stronger than I expected. Impressive. But it won't change the inevitable—you're all getting annihilated. I've grown bored. Let's begin our fight."
Without warning, the Shadow vanished from his spot and a punch materialized before the great elder's chest, faster than a flash of lightning.
The great elder barely had time to react. His eyes widened as the fist neared, his instincts forcing his hands up to block the strike. But the force behind the punch was monstrous. Despite his efforts, the impact hurled him backward, sending him crashing to the ground at terrifying speed.
Boom!
The elder's body struck the earth with a thunderous sound, and he coughed up blood. Fear flickered in his eyes as he glanced up at the Shadow, his voice trembling. "Y-You... you've surpassed the Emperor Realm!"
The Shadow sneered, looking down on him with cold disdain. "More than half of us have. The rest stand at the peak of the Emperor Realm. How dare you even think you could challenge us?"
The great elder's hands clenched into fists, his jaw tightening. Rage and desperation surged through him as he pushed himself off the ground, refusing to yield. "Everyone, don't hold back! Use every sword technique you've ever learned! We fight to the death!"
The Shadow standing at the forefront waved his hand with casual indifference. In response, the thousands of Shadows behind him surged forward, beginning their massacre as if swatting away insignificant worms.
By the time the battle between the Shadows and Sword Sect disciples erupted, news of the conflict had spread across the world. The top ten sects had gathered from afar, watching the carnage unfold, but none dared join the fray.
Initially, they had planned to strike when the Shadows were preoccupied with the Sword Sect. But upon sensing the Shadows' overwhelming cultivation realms, they were filled with fear. Even approaching the battlefield was out of the question, let alone fighting against them.
Cowards, they all thought but knew in their hearts that no one would judge them. The power of these shadows wasn't something any of them could contend with. At this moment, they all realized one brutal truth: the Sword Sect was beyond saving.
Within the sect's walls, Jian Wu stood tall before his disciples. His gaze, calm and unwavering, locked onto the advancing shadows who had broken the sect's protecting array. His face revealed nothing, but inside, he was ready—ready for bloodshed. The moment the shadows struck, Jian Wu moved with precision and lightning speed.
His sword was unsheathed in a blink, and the following instant, bodies fell. Shadows, who had surpassed even the Emperor realm, didn't even have time to understand how they died. Jian Wu's blade had cut through them so swiftly that their end was almost poetic—silent, but absolute.
The morale of the disciples surged upon seeing their chief disciple's strength. "Let's go, brothers! We outnumber them!" one disciple roared, drawing strength from the sight of Jian's slaughter. "We can kill them all!"
The disciples charged, twenty against one, hoping to overwhelm their enemies with sheer numbers. Yet, their confidence quickly withered. The shadows moved like specters, dodging the chaotic flurry of swords with effortless grace. Before the disciples could react, several of them were cut down, their bodies collapsing in broken heaps.
A wave of helplessness washed over the battlefield, turning the tide of battle into something darker. Jian Wu's eyes darkened, rage flashing like storm clouds. "Y-You..." he growled through gritted teeth, his voice trembling with fury as he watched his comrades fall. He couldn't stand it any longer and rushed toward those who killed his comrades. Then, with a single, precise strike, his sword cleaved through the head of one shadow, then another, their lifeless body crumpling to the ground as blood splattered the air.
"I'll annihilate each one of you!" Jian Wu's voice roared across the battlefield. His fury fueled his movements as he launched himself toward the shadows, his sword gleaming with killing intent.
With every step, his grip tightened around his blade, his knuckles white with wrath. "Banished Reincarnation," he whispered darkly, and suddenly, the air around him thickened, vibrating with a terrifying force. A crimson aura exploded from his body, so thick and intense that even the bravest shadow seemed to falter. This aura, unlike anything before, was not just a weapon—it was a declaration of their doom!
The shadows near him began to disintegrate, their bodies turning to ash as if their very existence was unworthy in the presence of such overwhelming power. In that instant, even the shadows, those creatures of darkness, felt fear.
"What is this?" muttered one of the Shadow leaders, who had been silently observing the battlefield from afar. His eyes narrowed as he focused on Jian Wu. Then, in a blur, he vanished from his position and appeared directly in front of him. "Who are you? You're not like the rest of these ants."
Jian Wu didn't flinch. Unmoved by his imposing presence, he pointed his sword straight at him. "Stop the Shadows, or you'll all die here."
Suddenly, seeing a sword pointed at their leader, the other Shadows stopped fighting, glancing toward their leader. Even the injured elders, barely clinging to consciousness, raised their heads to witness the confrontation. Their eyes were drawn to Jian Wu, a man facing a shadow they were too terrified to even look at.
The shadow leader glanced back at his forces, then waved a hand, signaling them to resume the slaughter. He then turned back to Jian Wu, a strange curiosity flickering in his eyes. "Are you nearly eighteen years old?" he asked abruptly.
Jian Wu blinked, surprised by the bizarre question amidst the chaos. "No," he replied. "I'm not."
The shadow leader's eyes flickered with something akin to disappointment. "Then you are not the one. You may die now."
Jian Wu didn't understand what he meant, but he had no intention of finding out. His grip tightened on his sword, ready to strike.
Without warning, the shadow leader swung his sword at Jian Wu. The pressure from the strike was overwhelming, a force so immense it felt as if the very world would crack beneath it. The ground trembled, and even those watching felt as though the air itself was being torn apart.
Jian Wu's eyes widened in shock as he felt a pressure far greater than anything he had encountered before, even stronger than the elder battling his sect master. "This person... his strength is above the great emperor!" Jian Wu gulped hard, but retreat was not an option. Steeling his resolve, Jian Wu channeled every ounce of his sword intent into his blade and met the shadow's strike head-on.
"Ahh!"
Clang!
Their swords collided with an explosive force, a shockwave tearing through the battlefield, shattering nearby buildings, and sending disciples flying. The sheer pressure of the clash bore down on Jian Wu, but he gritted his teeth, refusing to yield. Yet, despite his effort, he was pushed back to the earth, his feet digging trenches into the ground as he skidded to a stop.
Huff. Huff. Huff.
Jian Wu finally steadied himself, panting as he stared at the shadow leader. But when their eyes met, it wasn't anger or superiority in the shadow's gaze—it was shock.
"You... you actually stopped my sword strike?" the shadow leader muttered, disbelief clouding his features. "I swung to kill you, yet you survived. Even though you're not the one I'm looking for, you are a dangerous existence. Now that we are enemies, I cannot allow to live."
Jian Wu's face was pale, but he managed a faint, strained smile. "I don't know what you're talking about, but it doesn't matter. I'll kill all the shadows, one by one."
The shadow leader's eyes narrowed as he nodded. "Then you will die now."
Without further ado, he raised his sword once more, his killing intent reaching an apex. His blade gleamed with lethal energy as he slashed toward Jian Wu with devastating force.
Looking at the incoming sword strike, instead of backing down, Jian Wu felt a thrill run through his veins. His eyes gleamed with excitement. "You've honed your swordsmanship well... you're better than the others. I will allow you to call yourself a swordsman." Jian Wu said, then without another word, Jian Wu unleashed his true strength. "Everything is my sword," he whispered.
The moment the words left his lips, the incoming strike—one that should have cleaved him in two—suddenly halted, mere inches from his face.
The Shadow leader's eyes widened in disbelief. He tried to move his sword, but it refused to obey. It hung frozen in the air as if even the weapon itself had betrayed him. "Impossible! Who are you really? Not even in higher universes does this happen!" Panic flickered in his eyes.
Ignoring his question, Jian Wu's body surged with sword qi, the energy enveloping him like an impenetrable storm. "There's no need to tell the dead who I am."
With a simple gesture, the very air around them bent to Jian Wu's will, transforming into countless invisible swords that surrounded the shadow leader. And suddenly, before the shadow could react, the blades moved and sliced into him, cutting into his flesh from all angles.
"Aaah!"
The leader's scream pierced the air as blood sprayed from his wounds. Desperately, he tried to summon his cultivation to break free, but before he could react, Jian Wu's sword appeared before him. His eyes widened in shock, but it was too late. He dodged the killing blow just in time, but not before the blade sliced through his ear and shoulder.
Splurt!
"AAAH! I WILL KILL YOU!" The Shadow leader howled in agony, his voice filled with unrestrained fury. "Everyone, kill him! Don't let him die easily!"
With a single command, nearly fifty Shadows rushed forward, encircling Jian Wu in an instant. However, as they approached and saw the Great Elder's wound, their movements faltered, eyes widening in disbelief. "Did he... injure the Great Elder?" one of them muttered in shock.
The realization sent ripples through the group. The one who could wound their great elder... how could he be ordinary? "Is this... could this person be him?" another asked, doubt creeping into his voice.
The Great Elder of the Shadows, clutching his bleeding shoulder, roared, "He's not the one! Kill him now, all of you!"
His words spurred them into action, and the Shadows surged toward Jian Wu with a barrage of attacks, each more lethal than the last. Lightning strikes, fire bolts, and dark energy blades filled the air, converging on him with terrifying speed.
From an outsider's perspective, it seemed impossible for anyone to survive such an onslaught. Yet, Jian Wu stood perfectly still, his gaze calm and unmoved in the face of such overwhelming power.
"Has he already given up on life?" one of the Shadows sneered, confident in their inevitable victory.
But just as the deadly shower of attacks was about to engulf him, they froze in midair, suspended inches from his body. Jian Wu's lips parted as he whispered, "All things are a sword."
With a casual wave of his hand, the attacks that had been aimed to kill him turned in the air, reversing course. The barrage of destruction, once intended for Jian Wu, now hurtled back toward the Shadows who had launched them.
"W-What is this?!" Panic spread among the Shadows as they scrambled to dodge the attacks, but it was too late for some. Screams filled the air as several of them were struck down by their own powers, their bodies collapsing lifelessly to the ground.
The survivors watched in horror as their comrades fell, blood pooling at their feet. Fear gripped them, their hands trembling. But before they could even process the carnage, a blinding flash of silver streaked through the air. It was too fast for any of them to react.
In a blink, the world turned upside down for them. Eyes widened in shock, and their thoughts scattered. In that split second, they saw Jian Wu standing behind them, his sword dripping with blood as he calmly wiped it clean.
For a moment, confusion clouded their minds—what had just happened? Then, reality set in as the cold sensation of death washed over them. Their eyes glazed over, and one by one, their bodies collapsed, heads rolling to the ground with dull thuds.