Cao Erzhu was so shocked that his mouth hung wide open—it could almost fit a small wild boar cub!
Amidst the backdrop of the ferocious sword image, the old immortal Mei no longer bore even a trace of his previously kind demeanor. He was like a sharp sword that had been unsheathed.
Even Cao Erzhu felt that it was highly possible this man would slash through the sky with his sword.
What astonished him even more, however, was not just the stark contrast between the old immortal Mei's before and after appearances, but also the sword image itself!
It looked mysterious, invincible—yet at the same time, seemed distant and unreachable.
Strangely enough, it seemed as though Cao Erzhu knew the nature of its power composition. The answer was in his head.
"Isn't it one of the six Transformations of the Penetrating Divine Senses, the release type?" he wondered, completely stunned.
He analyzed the power structure of the sword image, and to his surprise, it seemed to align with his expectations: a very simple Penetrating Divine Senses!
His father had been right; everyone in the Spiritual Cultivation world was a master. Though Cao Erzhu had not yet stepped into this world, he had already encountered Penetrating Divine Senses twice on Qingyuan Mountain—from the old man and from August.
Their Penetrating Divine Senses also utilized the release type, manifesting as a sword cognition that could leave the body and exhibited extreme penetrating and cutting power.
This was the offensive peak of Penetrating Divine Senses, pushing its attributes to their limits.
Yet, the way the old immortal Mei used it was different. His approach was more well-rounded, balancing attack, defense, speed, transformation, and cunning within his Penetrating Divine Senses. He embodied the Nine Major Sword Techniques of the Ancient Sword Technique, developing each aspect harmoniously.
This form of Penetrating Divine Senses, materializing and then being released, had no real weaknesses. It allowed him to attack when advancing and defend when retreating, maintaining stability at all times.
Although it wasn't as potent as sword cognition in pure offensive force, Mei Siren's sword image excelled in versatility.
But why risk striking stone with an egg, relying on the weak to fight the strong?
When the sword image united, sword cognition found it hard to gain any advantage. However, victory or defeat ultimately depended on the cultivation level of the one wielding the sword cognition.
To Cao Erzhu, they seemed evenly matched.
His father once offered this evaluation:
"The Penetrating Divine Senses, when materialized through imagery, is more difficult to control because it requires a stronger foundation. However, its concept and potential surpass the condensed attack version."
"That said, it's also harder to cultivate. In the same conditions, victory or defeat is determined by the practitioner's skill."
Cao Erzhu had learned both forms.
But time was on his side. The Penetrating Divine Senses had only been around for a few decades, and his age reflected the years it took to develop his abilities so quickly.
Although he attempted to comprehend sword cognition under the guidance of the old man, lacking the necessary foundation in the Ancient Sword Technique left him unable to fully grasp it.
No matter—he had the God Punishment Tribulation. His Penetrating Divine Senses could simulate the effects of sword cognition.
The old immortal Mei's sword image was similar to his father's God Punishment Tribulation technique, called the God Firmament Leader Path—an imagery materialization, then release.
His father once claimed that this would be a trump card, as no one else in the world had seen such a form of Penetrating Divine Senses.
Today, Cao Erzhu witnessed its replacement—the old immortal Mei's sword image.
He fell silent.
His father had been too conservative.
The Spiritual Cultivation world wasn't just about dragon and phoenix contentions. Even before leaving Qingyuan Mountain, the third possessor of Penetrating Divine Senses had already appeared.
If he entered the Spiritual Cultivation world, wouldn't he be outmatched by the all-encompassing Penetrating Divine Senses practitioners, beaten black and blue, and left toothless?
Above the Nine Heavens, Dao Qiongcang was also shocked by Mei Siren's fury and the sword image that emerged.
He hadn't intended to engage in a head-on battle to the death with this old sword saint. That didn't align with the Divine Sorcerer's philosophy of backstabbing.
Originally, his plan was to reason with Mei Siren, to suppress his aura through diplomacy.
Who could have anticipated that Mei Siren would forego reasoning entirely, opting for pure physical force instead?
In this world, the biggest fist spoke the loudest!
"Nothing to say?" Mei Siren's sword image appeared, cutting off any chance for Dao Qiongcang to respond. The Taicheng Sword in Mei's hand slashed down. "Then there's no need to say anything!"
Boom! Boom!
The void itself tore apart. The Azure Mo Swords within the sword image descended in the same form and posture, as if intending to split Qingyuan Mountain in two.
"Wait…"
Dao Qiongcang's hand holding the divine Sinan trembled. But Mei Siren was relentless.
He had come to vent his anger!
He was here to make his stance clear!
Xu Xiaoshou had many people backing him—his master, Elder Sang, his guide Bazhun'an, even the Holy Emperor of Abyss Island. Support was not in short supply.
However, all of these figures were hindered in various ways, unable to appear easily.
The Holy Divine Palace took advantage of this to target them.
But Mei Siren was different.
He was alone. He could wander the world freely, and draw his sword whenever he chose!
He had nothing to lose.
Mei Siren walked to Qingyuan with his sword tonight. Everything else was just an excuse.
His real purpose?
To tell the Holy Divine Palace and Dao Qiongcang...
"You can't bully my former students at will!"
He still had such a backer behind him. He wasn't overwhelmingly strong, but he wasn't weak either. He was just at the right stage—qualified to become a thorn in the side, a thorn in the flesh. Anyone who crossed him would suffer, and if they directly confronted him, they would perish!
He wasn't foolish either. He would never allow the tragedy of Bazhun'an and You Tu to repeat itself in this era, setting the world back 30 years!
"Kill!"
The two swords descended from the dark green sky, slashing with a deadly intent.
The sword image's hoarse roar harmonized perfectly with its murderous will.
Before Dao Qiongcang could be struck, he felt as though the sky and earth were collapsing.
Not only did the surrounding space and Path Principles shatter, but the heaven and earth element was also swept away by the force of the sword. The entire Qingyuan Mountain trembled violently!
This was no ordinary mountain—it was Qingyuan Mountain, fortified by the Thirty-Three Heavens Star Weaving array. Every flower, stone, blade of grass, and tree could become a part of the great array's transformation or its very core. If they were all destroyed, the array would be shattered by sheer force.
It seemed this was far beyond Dao Qiongcang's original plan for the array's purpose.
"Ancient swordsman, ancient sword saint..." Dao Qiongcang muttered, realizing he had underestimated the obsessive pursuit of attack power that these madmen embodied.
In terms of raw combat power, the Heart Sword Technique wasn't necessarily stronger than the emotion-based sword techniques that focused on Dao comprehension. Even Mei Siren followed this path.
But undeniably, there was an amplification from the Penetrating Divine Senses.
What if Mei Siren, an ancient swordsman who had achieved sainthood through the Ten Thousand Sword Technique and Mo Sword Technique as his primary cultivation, also possessed the Penetrating Divine Senses? The sheer potential of his combat strength would be terrifying!
"The Way of the Heavens!"
Without a moment's hesitation, Dao Qiongcang activated the Qingyuan Mountain great array.
As soon as the command was given, the night sky in the mountains lit up. Snowy leaves, sand, and stones were lifted by the Sword Will, revealing a divine pattern along the path.
"Buzz!"
A faint tremor followed.
Everything on Qingyuan Mountain, including all life forms, released shimmering dew-like pearls, transforming into a layer of radiant light that spread across the Nine Heavens.
This veil, supported by the Qingyuan Mountain great array and powered by the Way of the Heavens, appeared as light as mist yet could withstand immense pressure.
"Clang!"
The twin green swords in the sword image struck the Way of the Heavens' barrier. The mist, infused with spiritual energy, exploded with a deafening sound that reverberated for miles.
Cao Erzhu looked up, his eyes gleaming like stars.
A layer of green energy spread across the sky, both beautiful and menacing.
"So this is the Spiritual Cultivation world…" Cao Erzhu whispered in awe, his blood boiling with excitement.
No matter how vivid the descriptions in the storybooks were, they couldn't begin to capture one billionth of what he now witnessed firsthand.
The sensation was overwhelming—an emotional high that words could never fully express.
"Ka!"
In his line of sight, the sky shattered like a mirror beneath the force of the peerless dual swords.
Cao Erzhu felt as though his entire world had crumbled. His body trembled, his pores opened wide, and his hair stood on end.
"Buzz…"
Purple-blue electric currents crackled around him, his gaze burning with intense desire.
This was reality! This was what it meant to be alive!
For 26 years, Cao Erzhu's life had revolved around slaughtering pigs, forging knives, cooking, and buying vegetables…
He had cultivated some skills, but his father had confined him to that small, run-down blacksmith shop. He was never able to fully utilize what he had learned.
He was like a rubber ball with unmatched elasticity, pressed down to the ground—crushed to the point of near destruction and deformation, just before it could bounce back…
And now, suddenly, the hand that had held him down for twenty-six years had vanished!
"Ha…"
Cao Erzhu's eyes widened as a low, guttural growl escaped his throat, like the growl of a wild beast.
His back was hunched, his arms hanging at his sides, yet his head was lifted high, his eyes wide open, and his fists clenched tightly.
He had no idea what kind of state he was in—it was entirely foreign to him.
He couldn't quite describe the overwhelming sense of losing control, but he reveled in the manic energy coursing through him.
No!
Cao Erzhu understood it perfectly.
He wanted to become that powerful, like the old immortal Mei!
He wanted to be like the strange uncle!
He wanted to become the most dazzling explosion in the night sky!
"Hehehe…"
His body trembled violently, purple lightning crackled, and his eyes turned bloodshot as he let out a fierce roar.
But his father never taught him how to "become," so he didn't dare to "become" recklessly.
Dreams and the unknown.
Desire and rationality.
There was an intangible threshold between the two.
Cao Erzhu couldn't take that step forward, unsure if he should even lift his foot.
Just then, a calm voice echoed in his ears.
"If you can't hold it in, just shout."
"You're not that important. No one's paying attention to you."
It was like the devil's whisper.
But what it said made sense. It resonated deeply with him.
With the great battle looming over them, no one was watching him. Even if he screamed, who would care?
Even if his father somehow returned and he screamed in joy, so what? Would he be punished?
With that in mind, Cao Erzhu bent his body, clenched his fists, and let out a soft cry,
"Hah!"
Boom! The nearby trees, already shaken by the aftershocks of the Nine Heavens battle, collapsed with a deafening crash—louder than his shout.
"Are you a sissy?!"
The voice, now bursting with disbelief and anger, echoed louder.
"Your body trembles! Your soul quakes! Your emotions boil, and your blood surges!" it shouted, filled with raw intensity. "Everything about you shows excitement! And yet, you're hunched over, your head lowered, and you're hesitating with so many scruples? Carrying so many burdens?"
"Who do you think you are? Are you more important than Master Siren or Elder Dao the Flamboyant?"
Cao Erzhu's anger flared at these mocking words. His pride was wounded. Was this voice deliberately ridiculing him?
Fueled by primitive emotion, Cao Erzhu straightened his spine, raised his head, and thrust out his chest, stomping a foot forward with power. His voice tore through the air, a defiant roar escaping his throat.
"AHHH!" He hammered the air with his fist, crushing the rocks beneath his feet, showing off his raw strength and anger.
"Are you f*cking kidding me?!" Jin Ren's voice screeched from the pile of scrap metal, almost tearing apart at the realization.
The sight of the blue-purple electric current surrounding Cao Erzhu's body caught Jin Ren off guard. But what shocked him more was how true the intelligence reports had been—'intellectual problem,' they said. And now, here it was, clear as day.
"You really are a loser, aren't you? You don't even know how to release your emotions. When you're excited, you scream! When you're mad, you hit something! It's not complicated. Do you not understand basic human nature?"
Jin Ren's voice grew sharper, taunting. "Are you under some kind of restriction or being controlled? How did Kui Leihan end up fathering a coward like you?"
"I'm not a loser!" Cao Erzhu bellowed, now boiling with fury. Then, realization dawned on him—the voice wasn't some delusion from his mind, but came from his surroundings.
The mention of the 'weapon prohibition order' confirmed that whoever spoke to him knew about his father's situation—the iron command token on his father's neck.
Cao Erzhu's eyes darted around until they landed on the pile of scrap metal harboring the spiritual sense.
"Who are you?" he demanded. "Why did you call me a loser? I'm not a loser!"
"Good!" The voice from the scrap metal grew louder, almost triumphant. "That's the spirit! See? No one's watching you. Does anyone even care?"
Cao Erzhu paused, stunned. He scanned the area around him. His shouting had already been so loud it shook the falling snow from the trees. Yet, no one paid him any attention. He looked up—above, the battle in the Nine Heavens raged on.
Mei Siren's dual swords in the sword image couldn't breach the barrier, but the immortal persisted, undeterred. He lifted his hand and drew a faint line on the Taicheng Sword with a gentle touch of his fingertips.
"Nine Swords Techniques, Infinite Number!"
The sword image went wild. The Nine Swords illusion around its form morphed into countless sword phantoms, each striking the same point on the barrier membrane, slashing and hacking away at it with relentless force.
"Clang, clang..."
"Boom, boom..."
Explosions echoed across the Nine Heavens, sending ripples of air currents bursting outward, forming rings of dazzling light. It was a breathtaking display, like fireworks that could only be seen in the Jade Capital City.
It was a more satisfying, visceral display of raw emotion than anything mere shouting could accomplish.
"No one cares... I'm not important…" Cao Erzhu muttered to himself. His heart surged with conflicting emotions. On one hand, he was exhilarated, but on the other, a deep sense of disappointment gnawed at him.
He wasn't the protagonist in some storybook. Even his loudest roars couldn't command any attention.
The voice from the pile of scrap metal resounded again, this time tinged with regret.
"And yet, you still say you're not a loser?" it sneered. "All you know how to do is gather your aura and bark at a mere remnant thought like me. If that's not bullying the weak, then what is it?"
"I'm not..." Cao Erzhu protested weakly, waving his hands as he stepped back. He didn't want to admit that he had been emotional and lashed out without realizing there was a sentient remnant in the pile of scrap metal.
"If you're not a loser, why are you even here? Did you climb this mountain to watch the show?"
"I came because..."
"Does it even matter?" the voice snapped. "I'm asking you—is it important?" The scrap metal spirit sounded even more frustrated than the roaring swords in the Nine Heavens.
"Master Siren brought you here, didn't he? So, you're clearly not aligned with Elder Dao the Flamboyant. If you're not here just to watch, why can't you even shout and cheer for Master Siren when he's fighting up there?"
"Are you not a loser? If not you, then who?"
"I'M NOT A LOSER!!!" Cao Erzhu roared, bending low as purple lightning surged around his body. His voice grew so powerful that the sound waves sent the pile of scrap metal flying into the air.
"My business is important! It's very important! It's extremely important!"
"I want revenge!"
Revenge?
The sudden declaration stunned Jin Ren's remnant consciousness within the remains of the Divine Puppet. For a brief moment, he hesitated, uncertain.
Then, in a flash of realization, Jin Ren roared even louder.
"You're taking revenge on me? What kind of coward are you? I've done nothing to you!"
"If you have the guts, go and shout at Dao Qiongcang! Do you even dare to vent your rage on him?"
Cao Erzhu's defiant aura momentarily shrank as he glanced nervously at the raging battle above. "But they're still fighting…"
The voice from the scrap metal cut him off, furious.
"Is their fight more important than your revenge? What kind of twisted logic are you even using?"
"They're fighting, and you're just going to sit back and wait? What kind of nonsense is that?"
"If it were me in your place, I would've shouted long ago! Who cares about what happens next?"
"I don't know how to shout…" Cao Erzhu admitted quietly, raising a trembling finger.
At that moment, Jin Ren, inside the remnants of the Divine Puppet, could only sigh internally.
This kid…
"Alright, alright. I'll teach you!"
"Mei Siren, do you really want to join the Saint Servant?"
The fight above continued to rage on, Dao Qiongcang reeling from the sheer force of Mei Siren's relentless attacks. The old sword saint's fluctuating offensive was unyielding.
Dao Qiongcang spoke through gritted teeth, "I didn't cripple Xu Xiaoshou. The remains of the Divine Puppet that you see are merely a reflection of himself…"
Before Dao Qiongcang could finish his explanation, a crack of purple lightning shot up from the earth below.
"Boom!"
A deafening sound reverberated as the sky filled with the purple sea of lightning, like a sudden, vengeful saintly calamity gathering all its power. Amidst the chaos, Cao Erzhu, now enveloped by the God Punishment Tribulation, stood atop the sea of purple lightning, his arms spread wide, his tiger-like red eyes ablaze with fury. His voice thundered across the battlefield.
"STOP!"
Mei Siren, who had been locked in a relentless battle, froze, his heart skipping a beat. Erzhu?
Why had Cao Erzhu come up? This was Dao Qiongcang, the leader of the Divine Secret technique—an entity too dangerous for Cao Erzhu to challenge. If the Divine Secrets Array disabled Cao Erzhu, the consequences could be disastrous.
"Child, go down now!" Mei Siren called, urgently commanding his sword image to stop its assault. But Cao Erzhu didn't budge. His broad back turned to Mei Siren, he glared at Dao Qiongcang with pure, unfiltered hatred.
Dao Qiongcang, upon seeing him, recalled meeting Cao Erzhu before. The child had come with Mei Siren, but his hostility was unexpected. Despite this, Dao recognized something deeper—the first time they met at the blacksmith shop, he had sensed that Cao Erzhu wasn't an ordinary person.
Hadn't this child shown great interest in Divine Secrets?
"Erzhu, do you still remember your Uncle?" Dao Qiongcang's voice softened, extending his hand in a gesture of friendship. He halted his control of the great array, remembering how fascinated Cao Erzhu had been with the secrets of Divine Techniques.
But the hand that reached out in kindness only ignited a fire in Cao Erzhu's heart. His eyes bulged with rage as he retracted his hand, his voice booming with unrestrained fury.
"God Punishment Tribulation!"
Without warning, Cao Erzhu attacked.
The sea of purple lightning turned into countless threads, transcending space and time, piercing directly into Dao Qiongcang's acupuncture points.
Dao Qiongcang's heart skipped a beat. His holy power faltered. Even his control over the Qingyuan Mountain great array was interrupted. The Penetrating Divine Senses and the God Punishment Tribulation numbed his reactions, slowing him down more than he could have ever anticipated.
When he finally regained his senses, he found himself face-to-face with an enraged Cao Erzhu, who had drawn him in with the power of lightning threads.
"Ah!" Cao Erzhu roared like a wild beast, his bloodshot eyes burning with the fires of revenge. He grabbed Dao Qiongcang by the neck with his claw-like hand, his right fist, wrapped in crackling lightning, coiling with destructive power.
The God Punishment Tribulation surged into his arm, growing with terrifying strength as the distance between them closed.
"Buzz…"
The very Path Principles cracked under the sheer electric pressure, space itself warping and bending as the power intensified.
Even Cao Erzhu's own skin couldn't withstand the overwhelming force of the compressed tribulation—it withered, his arm swelling grotesquely, becoming like a final pillar of the saintly calamity itself. He raised it high and aimed it directly at Dao Qiongcang's head.
"Thunder God's Fist!"
"Bang!"
The impact was catastrophic.
In one punch, Dao Qiongcang's neck remained in Cao Erzhu's grip, but his head was sent flying, hurtling through the sky with a bright trail of purple lightning. It embedded into space itself before shattering into a million pieces.
"Bang!"
The night sky was illuminated by the sheer brilliance of the lightning strike.
Cao Erzhu stood in the aftermath, panting heavily, his mind suddenly flooded with memories of his father's severed head submerged in a wine barrel.
Tears welled up in his eyes, raw and uncontrollable. The body of Dao Qiongcang, now lifeless, was flung from Cao Erzhu's grip like the carcass of a wild boar, as though this was the only fitting end for him.
Silence fell over the battlefield, heavy and still. Even Qingyuan Mountain seemed to hold its breath, waiting for something more.
Cao Erzhu knew he had to speak—something significant, something that echoed the gravity of what he had just done.
The scrap metal spirit's earlier words came back to him.
"Ah!"
He released a primal roar, one that reverberated through the night like the cry of a beast claiming its rightful place in the wild. The sound shattered the silence, a cry of freedom and ferocity, belonging to a man who had broken the chains of his past.
Under the night sky, with Mei Siren watching in stunned disbelief, Cao Erzhu's hulking frame pounded his chest with the power of a mountain gorilla, his defiance against the world unmistakable. He stood, transformed, no longer the ordinary man from the earth below, but a figure that radiated the brilliance of the heavens above.
In a voice drenched with raw emotion, he shouted to the universe, his strength and anguish colliding into a single proclamation:
"Are kings, princes, generals, and ministers born better than others?!"