Chapter 102 - 99 - If I Leave and Never Return, Then I Will Never Return (Fourth Update)_1
The Sword Immortal was strong.
This was an undeniable fact. As a Sword Immortal who had achieved Tribulation Transcendence through the Sword Dao, he primarily cultivated the art of One Sword Breaks Ten Thousand Laws.
No matter the enemy’s tricks.
I will fearlessly shatter them all with a single strike!
Faced with an enemy force hundreds, even thousands, of times his own, the White-Clothed Sword Immortal did not retreat a single step. Instead, the aura he emitted grew even sharper and more oppressive.
CLANG!
The surging sword qi was like a dragon emerging from the sea, spanning a thousand feet as it swept through the enemy army. Wherever the ferocious Sword Dao Gang Qi wreaked havoc, countless Evil Demons wailed and boundless Demonic Qi was annihilated, turning into nothingness. It was a blood-pumping sight.
Alas, compared to the endless demon clouds and the infinite Demon Race, the number the White-Clothed Sword Immortal had slain was barely worth mentioning—a mere drop in the bucket. One slash cleaved open the demon clouds, only for them to be swallowed by an even denser mass. Another slash cut through the Demon Race, only for their ranks to be instantly replenished. Compared to the total number of demons, the reduction was hardly noticeable.
The White-Clothed Sword Immortal was, after all, just one person. No matter how magnificent his sword qi, it was impossible to wipe out the endless Demon Race with his power alone.
Eventually, the endless demon clouds churned, and the sword light within them began to dim. It was no longer as unstoppable and overwhelming as it had been at the beginning.
RUMBLE.
As the Sword Immortal’s offensive waned, the demon clouds instantly became more ferocious. The black clouds rolled in like colossal waves, surging toward the White-Clothed Sword Immortal. They crashed down on him, one after another, giving him no moment of respite.
In the end, the White-Clothed Sword Immortal was wounded. Engulfed by the endless demon clouds, the three-foot-long sword in his hand shattered. His white robes were stained with blood, and his body was covered with countless grievous wounds. The aura that once soared to the heavens had now wilted, clearly from immense exhaustion.
But still, he did not retreat a single step.
Holding his broken sword, he stood proudly atop the clouds, a solitary figure against the endless demon clouds. Behind him were the lights of thousands of homes, filled with living beings oblivious to the bloody battle unfolding.
The sound of the suona gradually subsided, its boisterous and unrestrained tune fading away. Then, the mournful sound of the erhu arose, as if foreseeing the Sword Immortal’s fate and bidding him a heroic farewell.
KILL!!!
The Sword Immortal slowly raised the broken sword in his hand as his body ignited with crimson-gold flames. The aura that had been fading surged exponentially in an instant, growing tenfold. At this moment, he himself had become a sword—a divine sword capable of splitting heaven and earth.
Same Life as Heaven and Earth!
The white figure vanished, transforming into endless flames, into the last meteor in the dark Firmament, into a streak of sword qi that spanned ten thousand miles and tore the sky asunder.
Sword qi blazed across thirty thousand miles!
One sword’s cold light illuminated the Nine Provinces!
The elegance of this strike seemed to illuminate the eons. The despairing, oppressive demon clouds that seemed utterly unstoppable were forcefully pierced through. Through the rift torn by the sword qi, one could see light shining down from the Nine Heavens, bringing a sliver of hope back to the gloomy earth.
Though only for an instant.
...
The Sword Immortal had fallen.
The broken sword plummeted from the Firmament, landing at an angle on a barren mountain. It stood like a tombstone. The blood, not yet dry upon its blade, was like an epitaph recounting a tragic and heroic battle.
The erhu’s tune grew hoarse. The atmosphere was somber as heaven and earth mourned together. The demon clouds grew even more rampant, now shrouding most of the sky and instilling a feeling of deep despair.
Suddenly, a sharper, more sonorous suona cried out, accompanied by the boom of war drums and the deep blast of horns. The battle anthem echoed throughout the Divine Province.
Atop countless mountain peaks, brilliant divine lights shot forth, charging one after another toward the endless demon clouds.
Sword qi, cutting through the Nine Heavens!
Thunder, shattering the darkness!
Talismans, vanquishing evil!
Formations, spanning heaven and earth!
...
「Under the ancient pines that have witnessed millennia.」
Two elderly men sat opposite each other, their game of chess half-finished. With smiles on their faces, they slowly stood, transformed into two streaks of light, and rushed toward the demon clouds.
「By the fragrant flowers.」
A middle-aged man stroked his children’s small heads and took one last look at the woman he loved. He then donned his armor, raised his long saber, and charged into the Nine Heavens.
「In the Thunder Deep Valley.」
A young man, his face still bearing a trace of childishness, resolutely strode out of the valley. Wielding a battle halberd, he charged straight into the Nine Heavens. In an instant, a purple radiance flared, making him seem like a divine lord in command of Thunder.
He was full of high spirits and utterly fearless.
...
The battle was tragic, far more so than anyone could have anticipated.
In the vision, the black demon clouds were scattered time and again, only to reconverge time and again. High in the Firmament, streaks of light vanished one by one as mangled bodies fell, their blood splashing across the vast sky.
Inside Phoenix Perch Building, all discussion had ceased. Everyone stared blankly at the scenes unfolding, their hearts filled with nothing but shock and a profound, tragic heroism. Their eyes had grown moist without them realizing it. They knew that these musical realms often reflected reality; they were often portrayals of what the creator of the musical scripture had once seen and heard.
Therefore, the scenes materializing before their eyes were very likely real wars from a bygone era, not mere fiction. Perhaps there truly was a Sword Immortal who, with longevity within his grasp and the freedom to roam the world, chose to fight for the common people until his sword broke and his life ended.
Perhaps there truly was such a group of people.
They said farewell to their parents and families and rushed to the battlefield, fully prepared to die in combat and be buried in a foreign land. If this was a journey of no return, then so be it!
It was simply because behind them were the lights of thousands of homes. Behind them were countless kinsfolk.
Though thousands upon thousands stand against me, I will go forth!!!
...
「Outside Phoenix Perch Building.」
A growing crowd of pedestrians had stopped in their tracks. As they listened to the music flowing from the building, countless images burst forth in their own minds. Their eyes gradually grew moist, clearly resonating with the mysterious melody and immersing themselves in that ancient war.
「At the street corner.」
A middle-aged man in ragged clothes stood with disheveled hair and a vacant gaze. He emanated an air of utter dejection, like a bedraggled beggar. He walked aimlessly with hesitant steps, as if he had lost his way in life.
Suddenly, he seemed to hear something. His eyes flared with a dazzling light as he looked toward Phoenix Perch Building. The scattered light in his pupils began to slowly coalesce, and his listless, chaotic aura started to stabilize.
"The Tribulation-Passing Immortal Melody!"
"Master, Senior Brothers... all my uncles..."
"You’re back... you’re all back. Everyone has returned."
"I miss you so much!"
"These years, I’ve struggled so hard, so very hard!"
"Being the one left behind... it’s so tiring!"
The middle-aged man mumbled to himself, staring blankly toward Phoenix Perch Building as tears welled up in his eyes. A man does not cry easily, but only because he has not yet been hurt deeply enough.
He slowly closed his eyes, releasing his entire consciousness to merge completely with the melody. The aura around him grew increasingly restrained, and his very presence seemed to diminish, as if he had faded away from the world.
...
The rousing battle anthem continued for a very, very long time.
At last, the sky-blotting demon clouds were dispersed, and clarity returned to the world. The lights of thousands of homes shone once more.
Atop the collapsed mountains, the land was a scene of devastation. Ancient pines were shattered, flowers had withered, and countless graves stood densely packed. The mountain breeze blew past, making the broken flagpoles and tattered war banners rustle in the wind. White ribbons fluttered in the breeze, as if guiding the heroic souls home, leading the lost back from distant lands.
An utter silence descended. Only the faint, intermittent whisper of the mountain wind could be heard, adding a touch of desolation to the vast soundscape.
DONG.
The sound of the Ancient Bronze Bell rang out once more, deep and majestic, resonating for a long, long time.