The middle-aged man on the city tower had a rather pale complexion, clearly still injured and not yet fully recovered. This man was none other than the State Preceptor of Yankang. He had sustained severe wounds from his battle with a god. Although Qin Mu and the minor Poison King Fu Yuanqing had healed him together, the injuries inflicted by a deity were not something that could be fully restored in such a short time.
The barbarian Di Kingdom had seized this opportunity to invade Yankang. The Qingmen Pass was of utmost importance. The State Preceptor knew that Yankang had already suffered two major catastrophes, severely depleting its vitality. Moreover, neither he nor Emperor Yanfeng had recovered to their peak states. The Emperor's injuries were even more severe than his own.
Fearing a swift and decisive invasion by the barbarian Di Kingdom, he had deployed troops and generals to defend the Qingmen Pass to the death.
He had even come to the battlefield personally to command this confrontation himself.
The Village Chief's sword strike, which had quelled the battlefield's chaos in a single blow, was deeply impressive and had caught his attention. In fact, it was not merely impressive—it possessed the ability to turn the entire battlefield into a sea of blood, subjugating both armies at once.
All lives on the battlefield were held in his grasp.
This kind of swordplay could not be called mere sword technique. It was a profound approach approaching the Dao, allowing the State Preceptor to glimpse a higher plane—the plane of the Sword Dao.
The Village Chief's single move had unleashed sword light beyond counting, and what was most terrifying was that the trajectory of each ray of sword light was different, suppressing each warrior and cultivator individually. This was almost an impossible feat.
On the battlefield, hundreds of thousands of soldiers clashed and charged in combat. Each person's cultivation level and strength were different, the martial arts and divine abilities they practiced varied, and the battle formations shifted in an instant. To subdue everyone simultaneously required countering all their divine abilities, martial arts, spirit weapons, and formations. The computational load required was already beyond imagination.
To reach such a level could be called divine—the divine of the sword!
"A single sword strike parts the sea of imperial blood. I have seen this kind of swordplay before, in a painting by the Painting Saint."
The State Preceptor's eyes narrowed as he looked toward the dragon qilin. Qin Mu and the others stood on the dragon qilin's back. Although all these people were strong, they did not yet warrant his full attention.
"I saw the ultimate expression of swordplay in that painting. For two hundred years, I have studied the sword techniques of the figure in the painting diligently, gaining new insights each time I observed it, until one day, I could no longer see any new swordplay. I thought I had reached the level of the figure in the painting."
The State Preceptor recalled the painting, his gaze searching for the figure within, but he could not find it. Then his eyes focused and settled on Qin Mu's back.
Qin Mu was carrying a medicinal basket on his back. Inside the basket was a white-haired elder, missing both arms and legs.
This elder did not resemble the figure in the painting from years ago. The figure in the painting had been a Sword God, not so aged, radiating sharpness like a sword that had just drunk blood.
The elder in the basket was a cripple, in his twilight years, his life light ready to be extinguished by the slightest wind. How could he compare to the spirited Sword God of the painting?
Yet the State Preceptor was certain that this disabled elder was indeed the Sword God from back then!
Because his own enlightenment in swordplay had come from the Sword God in that painting.
The State Preceptor's body trembled slightly. He let out a long breath of turbid air and commanded, "Welcome him!"
The city gates opened. The generals in the city lined up on both sides. The dragon qilin strode proudly into the city, belly swaying. Suddenly, all the sword light on the battlefield surged like a tide, whistling as it flowed toward Qin Mu and disappeared into the medicinal basket on his back.
The Village Chief poked his head out from the basket. Then he saw the middle-aged man walking toward him—the man known as the saint who appeared once every five hundred years, the strongest under the divine, hailed as the Sword God of the present era!
Their eyes met, and a subtle wave arose in their hearts.
The Sword God of the previous era and the Sword God of this era had finally met!
From the rear of the battlefield, the sound of bronze gongs being struck echoed from the towers of the two great passes. It was the signal to retreat, ordering the battlefield to withdraw.
On the battlefield, the hundreds of thousands of soldiers and officers felt as if a great burden had been lifted, hastily retreating to their respective sides. Everyone immediately felt drenched, sweat pouring down like rain.
Meanwhile, at the Qingmen Pass, the Village Chief floated out of the medicinal basket. He moved as if he had grown legs and arms, walking directly toward the State Preceptor. The two strongest men of their respective eras were about to meet!
"Do you practice swordplay?" the Village Chief asked.
The State Preceptor adopted the posture of a disciple, his expression respectful: "Your humble disciple studied swordplay in his early years. At the age of one hundred and sixty, he ceased studying the sword."
The Village Chief inquired, "At the age of one hundred and sixty, did you understand the sword?"
The State Preceptor replied solemnly, "At the age of one hundred and sixty, I had studied all the martial arts and ultimate techniques under heaven. I comprehended the Great Thousand Divine Abilities, and thus I understood the sword. I began to create my own sword techniques."
The Village Chief smiled. "Show me your swordplay. Let me see."
The State Preceptor drew his sword. The sword light filled the sky, illuminating the world. The swordplay was ever-changing, shifting through a thousand transformations, as complex as the stars in the heavens, as simple as counting rods. There were horizontal and vertical strokes, twists and turns, seemingly capable of transforming into all other arts of the world, giving people an indescribable feeling.
His swordplay carried an unstoppable momentum, a grand ambition of reform and revolution, like pouring oil on a fire, like blossoming brocade. He aimed to ignite the fire within all living beings, to change the immutable heaven and earth, to alter the unchanging Great Dao, to sweep away all that was decaying and rotten, to tear open the corruption of the old era, revealing its ugly face, its ugly truth!
He wanted to use his sword to change the outdated paths of the world, to create more new paths, to usher the world into a new era!
His swordplay had already transcended technique and become law, infused with his own philosophy. With just one step more, it could directly reach the plane of the Dao!
Philosophy was both the principle of ideas and the principle of reasoning. When swordplay had a philosophy, it gained life. His swordplay had already acquired life. And the Dao preceded philosophy; only by surpassing philosophy could one see the Dao.
His swordplay was just one step away from seeing the Dao.
The State Preceptor sheathed his sword, panting heavily. His injuries were still not healed, and his cultivation was not what it once was. But before the Sword God of the previous era, he felt like a student. He was willing to display his most perfect swordplay, hoping for the other's evaluation.
"Excellent swordplay," the Village Chief praised. "Truly worthy of being called the strongest under the divine, a saint who appears once every five hundred years. Before my death, I have finally met someone with whom I can communicate. The reason I came out this time was to meet you. I wanted to help you see the Dao."
The State Preceptor replied solemnly, "Today, at the Qingmen Pass, a million troops are stationed, many of whom are my students. But I am your student. There are also many scholars from the Imperial Academy who have come to contribute their strength in this national crisis. I humbly request that Teacher impart the Dao and dispel our doubts here!"
The Village Chief laughed. "I wouldn't dare. It is merely an exchange."
The two walked together, with Qin Mu following behind. Xiong Xiyu looked up at the one old and decrepit and the other in the prime of his life, her gaze peculiar. She murmured, "In the True Heaven Palace of the Western Lands, there are no such outstanding men. In our Western Lands, women hold the reins, while men are submissive and obedient. If the men of the Western Lands were all like them, with such grand ambition and great ability, why would we women need to hold the reins?"
They entered the city. Qin Mu saw many scholars from the Imperial Academy sitting cross-legged on the ground, waiting quietly, their expressions unable to hide their excitement.
This national crisis had arrived. The barbarian Di Kingdom was invading in full force, while Yankang had just suffered a great rebellion and a snow disaster, leaving the people destitute, the population severely reduced, and the citizens displaced. The country had not yet stabilized, and food was scarce. Even in the army, provisions were insufficient. Many of the Imperial Academy scholars who had come here were conserving food, not daring to eat their fill.
Qin Mu also saw Wei Yong and Qin Yu, among others. Wei Yong had once been a large man, but now he had been starved thin.
It would not be until the autumn harvest season that this difficult situation might ease.
The Village Chief and the State Preceptor sat down. The Village Chief said in a leisurely manner, "This time I came, not to discuss sword techniques, but to speak of the Dao. To speak of the Sword Dao. As for how much you can gain, that will depend on your comprehension. There was no such thing as the Sword Dao in this world. Since the sword was created as a weapon, the Sword Dao came into being."
Many soldiers who had returned from the front also came over. Some removed their armor and sat on the ground, while others simply stood to listen.
Many people, hearing this elder speak of the Dao, showed expressions of confusion. Some whispered, "Can the Great Dao of heaven and earth be created? Aren't we cultivators practicing the natural Great Dao of heaven and earth?"
Qin Mu felt a subtle stirring in his heart, recalling a conversation he had with the Jade Heaven King, which had touched upon the topics of reform and the changing of the Great Dao of heaven and earth.
Human creativity had added to the world many paths of heaven and earth that originally did not exist. And it was also human creativity that had altered the existing paths between heaven and earth.
When the Great Dao changed, the laws changed with them. That was why it was called reform.
The Jade Heaven King believed that reform might touch upon the interests of gods and demons.
But what the Village Chief spoke of was far more profound than what the Jade Heaven King had said.
The reason everyone was confused was that they were all qi cultivators. Their inherent cognition was to learn the inherited laws and divine abilities, and divine abilities were dependent upon the laws. To expect them to change their long-held beliefs would undoubtedly cause a tremendous shock to their minds!
The State Preceptor asked, "How can the Great Dao be created?"
The Village Chief replied, "When you reach the ultimate limit, it can be created. State Preceptor, has your swordplay reached its ultimate limit?"
The State Preceptor was slightly taken aback. "Just one step away."
The Village Chief smiled. "Let me help you."
He thrust a single sword strike toward the State Preceptor. Instantly, the surrounding scenery transformed. Mountains and rivers rushed toward them, and in an instant, it seemed as though they were no longer at the Qingmen Pass, no longer on a battlefield flowing with rivers of blood, but in a new world, a new heaven and earth. The mountains were lush and green, the vegetation vibrant, the rivers rushing forward, with waves blossoming. Every wave was so clear, so real, and the veins of every leaf were so intricate, so unique.
Everyone stood up. Some climbed the high mountains, others jumped into the river, and still others picked up a flower composed of sword light. Qin Mu reached out his hand and caught a dewdrop falling from a leaf.
Sword Treading Through Mountains and Rivers.
This was the Village Chief's display of Sword Treading Through Mountains and Rivers. Although it was a move of supreme power, in the Village Chief's hands, it carried no destructive force. Instead, it transported them into a strange world.
Here, it seemed as if this were a real world, a world composed of the Sword Dao.
Although this scene brought them great shock, it was the State Preceptor who was most deeply affected. His body trembled, his soul trembled with emotion. He crouched down and touched the earth, then looked up to gaze at the stars. The Village Chief had shown him the face of the Dao, allowing him to touch the Sword Dao.
Suddenly, he felt a gateway burst open, and he stood there in a daze, motionless.
The Village Chief saw this and sighed inwardly to himself: "The saint who appears once every five hundred years is indeed far more talented than little Mu. He comprehended the Dao so quickly."