Seeking the Flying Sword Path

Great Chang world, Grand Dominance City.

Snow drifted across the sky as Qin Yun sat cross-legged by the mirror lake’s bank. There was some frost on his brows, but he did not wipe it off. Instead, he was focused on taking in the natural changes of the world.

The mirror lake ahead of him had frozen into a thin layer of ice.

"Swoosh!"

A wisp of misty rain streaked across the sky, easily slicing apart a lone rift in the void. The void seemed to crack open as the snowflakes drifting around the tear came to an instant halt. Only when the void gradually restored itself did the snowflakes continue their dance.

"It’s been three years."

"Three years have passed since the battle with Fiend Supremacy Black Wing. The fiends have not come again all this while. Did Senior Brother Zhang and I guess wrong?" Qin Yun shook his head gently. "They must have discovered the eight massive arrays set up by Senior Brother Zhang and I! They must be wracking their brains over how to crack the array. They are likely still preparing. Three years is a very short time in the view of an Ancestral Fiend."

"I have created a total of eight moves at the Golden Immortal level to date. When will I be able to attain a Great Dao?" Qin Yun felt a little anxious.

He always felt he was close, but every time, all he managed was to create a sword move at the Golden Immortal level.

A real Great Dao was like the moon’s reflection in water. It could be seen, but not touched!

"I have to accumulate more. Persistent effort can solve any problem. With sufficient accumulation, I will ultimately be able to make a breakthrough." Qin Yun quickly calmed his mind.

"Brother Yun! Brother Yun!" shouted Yi Xiao from a distant pavilion while holding onto a wooden tray.

Qin Yun turned his head to look over as he got up with a smile. He beckoned, causing the Misty Rain Sword to rapidly fly back into his dantian for further nurturing.

He walked towards the pavilion over the piled up snow, and as he walked the snowflakes on his body dissipated, turning him clean once again.

"Xiaoxiao, what is it? Why does it smell so good?" Qin Yun came over.

"Here, have a taste of it."

...

Qin Yun continued to have quiet and leisurely days, while Divine Firmament Chapter’s Ancestral Master Zhang remained in seclusion.

Ancestral Master Zhang sat cross-legged, wearing his tall headdress and Daoist robes in his chamber while twelve Lightning Godfiend avatars sat around him in the same manner.

"My twelve Lightning Godfiend avatars have been cultivated to perfection. I can make a breakthrough at any time. However, the fiends have not come to the Great Chang world since that time... I’m also in no rush to make a breakthrough," thought Ancestral Master Zhang. It would be too late to try making the breakthrough when they came!

"The eight massive arrays are extraordinarily formidable. They can last very long even if the twenty-eight Lunar Mansions were attacking them."

"I have created the Divine Firmament Dharmic formulation and have an eighty percent chance of breaking through to the ninth firmament Skyimmortal realm... However, as long as the fiends do not come, I can slowly perfect it."

"The more perfect it is, the stronger my foundation will be."

Ancestral Master Zhang even dared to hope that the fiends would come as late as possible, giving him time to further ponder over the Dharmic formulation he created.

******

In a particular spot deep in the Tenebrous Fiend Abyss.

A black oval cloud that spanned more than five thousand kilometers hovered in the void.

"Whoosh."

In the deep depths of the black cloud, a red light suddenly glowed. It increased in intensity as the black cloud’s aura turned terrifying.

Suddenly, a faint but gigantic face appeared deep within the black clouds.

"Master." A blood-armored Fiend Soldier stood before the cloud face in an extremely reverent manner.

"Did anyone look for me when I was in seclusion?" the gigantic face asked.

"Master, over the past ten years of your seclusion, Fiend Supremacy Cavedust, Ancestral Fiend Fuyu and Patriarch Bojia came to see you," said the Fiend Soldier respectfully.

"Patriarch Bojia?" The gigantic face deep in the black clouds revealed a look of surprise.

Fiend Supremacy Cavedust was his subordinate.

Ancestral Fiend Fuyu... was a friend he had befriended before the Chaos developed into anything.

"Patriarch Bojia came looking for me? Why would he?" The gigantic face revealed a baffled look. Patriarch Bojia had a high standing in the Three Realms, even a little higher than his own.

The Fiend Soldier added politely, "Master, while you were in seclusion, I learned of a certain event. The Bojia clan’s Fiend Supremacy Black Wing led five half-step Ancestral Fiends to a Small World in the Effulgent dominion named the Great Chang world. They attempted to occupy it and transform it into a fiendish world. However, they were ultimately attacked by the Heavenly troops. As a result, Fiend Supremacy Black Wing was captured to the Heavenly Courts and was executed on Fiend Slaying Platform!"

"Black Wing is good at escaping, but he failed to escape?" asked the face.

"Yes, he failed to escape." The Fiend Soldier shook his head.

"That’s interesting." A smiled suffused the face.

...

Moments later.

Bojia Palace.

The massive black cloud arrived above Bojia Palace. Following that, it rapidly contracted and plummeted. By the time it flew into the hall, it had condensed into a black-robed man. However, the body he condensed resembled black jade.

"Haha, Old Brother Star Destroyer," greeted Patriarch Bojia warmly from his throne.

"Brother Bojia, you haven’t sought me out in a long time. Why did you come looking for me while I was in seclusion?" The black-robed man smiled. "Has it got to do with the Great Chang world?"

"You know about what happened in the Great Chang world?" pressed Patriarch Bojia.

"I investigated a little before coming. Only then did I discover... that the punk Black Wing was killed. What a pity. A pity." The black-robed man shook his head gently.

Patriarch Bojia said, "I won’t lie to you. I went looking for you in the hopes that you would help me occupy the Great Chang world."

The black-robed man asked, "Your sending of Black Wing and company on a mission has already puzzled a few old fogies. They’re probably already underway on a careful investigation of the Great Chang world. If I were to take action, it will only increase the suspicion the Three Realms has towards the Great Chang world. What secret does the Great Chang world hold? Why are you targeting it?"

"Forget it. You don’t have to answer. I won’t be able to tell your sincerity if you randomly give me a reason." The black-robed man shook his head.

"Are you willing to help me?" pressed Patriarch Bojia.

"I only have one condition." The black-robed man stared at Patriarch Bojia. "The Connate Numinous treasure, Grand Yin Disk."

Patriarch Bojia’s pupils constricted as his posterior face revealed a furious look.

"And you have to give it to me before I head to the Great Chang world," said the black-robed man. "I’ll help you if you give me, or else..."

"It’s a Connate Numinous treasure. Furthermore, it’s a Connate Numinous treasure that controls a domain." Bojia was somewhat infuriated. The preciousness of Connate Numinous treasures was disparate. A domain-type Connate Numinous treasure like the Great Yin Disk was naturally extremely precious. It was one of the most precious treasures Bojia had.

The black-robed man smiled. "Before I came, I learned that the Great Chang world has set up eight massive arrays! Perhaps no one but me can crack that formation open! If you agree to my requests, I’ll rush over. If you don’t... think of a solution yourself."

Bojia was seething inside.

"We got to know each other in the Chaos. How many years has it been between us? To you, it’s an easy mission, but you want my Grand Yin Disk?" Bojia tried persuading.

"Brother Bojia, it appears you can’t part with it." The black-robed man smiled as he turned to leave.

Bojia looked at the black-robed man who was walking out before he clenched his teeth and said, "Hold on."

The black-robed man immediately stopped and turned his head. His black jade-like face revealed a smile as he looked at Bojia.

"Our agreement has to be written on a Mental Demon Pact," said Bojia through clenched teeth as he felt the pinch.

"Of course it has to be written on the Mental Demon Pact." The black-robed man nodded.

"Before you set off, I can give you the Great Yin Disk, but it’s only a loan! If you fail, the Great Yin Disk naturally has to be returned to me. If you succeed... the Great Yin Disk will forever be yours."

"That is only natural." The black-robed man nodded. "Don’t worry. Success is guaranteed if I take action. If I fail... no one in the Three Realms can succeed. No one can stop me in a Small World! Not even the combined efforts of the eighteen Arhats or twenty-eight Lunar Mansions!"

He was Supremacy Star Destroyer!

He was the strongest expert in the Three Realms beneath that of mighty figures.

Before Pangu split apart the Heaven and Earth, he was a black cloud in the Chaos. He was born with the strength of a half-step Ancestral Fiend. Later, solar systems appeared after Pangu split apart the Heaven and Earth. He loved devouring solar systems! The black cloud would envelop a planet and slowly devour it. As he was afraid of sin, he could only devour planets without humans. That way, his level of sin would be relatively smaller.

But even so, he was still pursued by the experts from the Three Realms for devouring planets.

He quickly vanished...

He had also fled into the Tenebrous Fiend Abyss!

He had lurked there for a very long time.

Later, Daoist Wen also sought refuge in the Tenebrous Fiend Abyss and became a perfected Ancestral Fiend. He created the spirit-devouring lineage. Supremacy Star Destroyer immediately joined the spirit-devouring lineage and cultivated in the spirit-devouring lineage’s Dharmic formulations.

The spirit-devouring lineage and his actual body, Black Cloud, were a perfect match for his devouring talents.

His strength increased in a very obvious way.

He even figured out a Great Dao, allowing him to break through to become an Ancestral Fiend! However, he chose not to because by staying at the ninth firmament Skyfiend realm, he could freely cast his Spirit Devouring Art. The Heavenly Courts’ twenty-eight Lunar Mansions or the Buddhists’ eighteen Arhats had once pursued him, but in a Small World, none of them could do a thing to him from the beginning. Now, he even held the advantage in a frontal assault!

Supremacy Star Destroyer had fused his Chaos Godfiend talent with the spirit-devouring lineage Dharmic formulations. With his insights into a Great Dao... his strength matched that of a pinnacle Ancestral Fiend!

He was publicly recognized as the strongest in the Three Realms as long as mighty figures were not involved!

By not becoming an Ancestral Fiend... he could freely devour Small Worlds, turning his foundations even more robust. No one in the Three Realms could do a thing about him. The only limitation he had when devouring worlds was whether he could digest them! Clearly, he needed some time to after devouring too many worlds’ sentient beings. Even the Fiend Ancestor recruited him as a disciple as he was highly favored.

"Of course I trust you," said Bojia with a laugh. With that said, he flipped his hand and took out a Mental Demon Pact.

The Mental Demon Pact was a contract written on skin. It was personally refined by the Tenebrous Fiend Abyss’s extremely mysterious Patriarch Mental Demon.

"Swoosh!"

"Swoosh!"

Bojia injected wisps of Dharmic powers into the Mental Demon Pact. The black-robed man took a glance at the pact and also injected a wisp of his Dharmic powers.

"Good." Bojia revealed a look of glee as he laughed out loud. With a flip of his hand, a silver disk appeared in his hand. Unwillingly, he threw it over.

The black-robed man smiled and caught it. "Brother Bojia, don’t worry. I will definitely do the job well after taking your treasure."

The black-robed man could barely hide his excitement as he looked at the Great Yin Disk.

"Can you now tell me the secret of the Great Chang world, Brother Bojia?" pressed the black-robed man.

"You will have to help me if I tell you."

"Alright. If it’s something very troublesome, I won’t help."

Bojia nodded. "The Great Chang world’s secret is that... deep in the Great Chang world, there’s a Connate Wonder, the Stellar Stone, a thousand-foot-long Stellar Stone!"

"A thousand-foot-long Stellar Stone?" The black-robed man was somewhat alarmed. "This..."

Bojia smiled. "It’s already written in the Mental Demon Pact. Anything gained from the Great Chang world will be mine. You can forget about the Stellar Stone. My request for you is to help me retrieve the Stellar Stone after you occupy the Great Chang world."

"Your luck is really good. A thousand-foot-long Stellar Stone?" The black-robed man could not help but shake his head with a sigh. "You have discovered such a treasure, but all I get is a Great Yin Disk. I have really asked for too little. However, since it’s already written in the Mental Demon Pact, I will naturally do my best."

"When will you take action?" pressed Patriarch Bojia.

"With a little preparation, I shall be ready in three days," said the black-robed man.

Patriarch Bojia nodded slightly as his eyes were filled with anticipation.

Soon, the thousand-foot-long Stellar Stone would be in his hands. If Qin Yun was killed, the flying sword would also be his! Perhaps, it was a top-grade Connate Numinous treasure!