"Bai Yun follows the Sword Principle, and Jiang Chen follows the Law of Destruction. Elder Brother, I’m afraid your Law of Fire isn’t a match for them," one of the seven said.
"Then I’ll abandon the Law of Fire," Ancient Sword Spirit declared.
The seven were stunned. His words were utterly unbelievable—abandon the Law of Fire? This was something they had acquired in exchange from Death Queen Delphina, an extremely precious power! To abandon the Law would be tantamount to a decrease in strength. They had painstakingly upgraded their abilities, and now he wanted to give them up?
Ancient Sword Spirit continued, "If we want to break free from Death Queen Delphina’s control, we must abandon the Power of Laws she gave us and create something new. The Law of Fire doesn’t suit me. Everyone has a Law that is uniquely suited to them. I won’t leave this place until I’ve created a new Martial Art."
Can it truly be done? one of them wondered.
Ancient Sword Spirit turned to them. "We are all ancient martial practitioners. Bai Yun himself would have to address us as seniors. Yet, that young man has surpassed us, far exceeding our achievements. Bai Yun’s case is one thing, but the crucial point is that Jiang Chen has also surpassed us! He inscribed all his Cultivation Techniques onto the stele and created new ones.
"Why can’t we do the same? Is our wisdom somehow inferior to Bai Yun’s or Jiang Chen’s? To completely escape Death Queen Delphina’s manipulation, we must be willing to sacrifice something to achieve a breakthrough. Moreover, I am also prepared to give up the Tathagata Palm."
Ancient Sword Spirit’s resolve was firm.
Juniors prevailing over their seniors? This was something Ancient Sword Spirit could not tolerate. He resolved to create a new Cultivation Technique, one that would surpass Heaven Cutting Swordsmanship, surpass Grand River Sword Intent, and surpass all other Wanderers. The stele was inscribed with numerous Martial Arts, complete with extensive annotations. If I can’t even create a new Martial Art with all this, wouldn’t that make me a fool?
Ancient Sword Spirit decided to enter secluded cultivation to integrate new Martial Arts and forge his own path.
Countless Wanderers had gathered in the square.
One Sword, looking at the annotations on the stele, remarked, "Jiang Chen, you truly are formidable, possessing your own Martial Arts. It seems I must abandon my master’s Martial Arts and find my own way."
Siyuan said, "I remember when I first saw him, he was just a Swordsman from the Continent of All-Gods. To think he has now become the renowned Master of Sword Pavilion."
"I heard Qi Sha has already found his own path."
One Sword nodded. "Yes, he is our master’s seventh disciple and the one among us with the highest comprehension. We all followed our master, but unfortunately, we haven’t forged our own paths." One Sword sighed with emotion. To think I’ve been surpassed by my junior brother. As the eldest senior brother, don’t I have any pride?
Qianren Xue gazed at the stele. Master of Sword Pavilion Jiang Chen actually inscribed his signature technique, ’Instant Step,’ onto it...
"How can the Master of Sword Pavilion be so magnanimous?" someone murmured.
"Indeed, he’s different. The stele not only includes Moving Flowers and Trees but also the Heaven Cutting Swords Technique. What is this fellow trying to achieve?"
"He probably wants to establish his own power, one to rival the Continent of All-Gods and the Defiled God Continent."
"The Wanderer Continent is now teeming with powerful experts, especially those who came from below; they’ve spontaneously formed an alliance and joined the Sword Pavilion."
"The Five Alliances are virtually obsolete. Many people have now joined the Sword Pavilion, discussing Martial Arts with each other. It won’t be long before even more experts emerge."
Qianren Xue nodded in agreement. Indeed. With so many peerless Martial Arts available, mastering any single one could make someone a top-tier expert, especially Heaven Cutting Swordsmanship and Grand River Sword Intent, which have already surpassed other Martial Arts. Those with incredible wisdom would surely create their own unique ultimate skills. Even without creating new ones, merely learning these existing Martial Arts would be sufficient.
「Inside the tavern.」
Jiang Chen sat, sipping tea.
TAP. TAP. TAP.
Zhao Yuyan entered the tavern, spotted Jiang Chen, and immediately approached. "Master of Sword Pavilion."
Jiang Chen looked at Zhao Yuyan. "When did you arrive in the Upper Realm?"
"It’s been three days. Those in the land of ice and snow have all joined Sword Pavilion now; our numbers have swelled to tens of thousands."
Jiang Chen smiled. "Joined Sword Pavilion?"
"Yes."
"There’s no need to join the Sword Pavilion."
Zhao Yuyan asked, "Master of Sword Pavilion, didn’t you create the Sword Pavilion to gather the world’s Martial Arts and establish the foremost power of the Wanderers?"
"I’m not interested in that," Jiang Chen replied. "I simply want them to grow. I have no intention of creating a faction."
Zhao Yuyan was bewildered. No such intention?
She pressed, "But Master, by disseminating Martial Arts through these expanded stone tablets in the Upper Realm, aren’t you doing just that?"
Jiang Chen shook his head. "Don’t overthink it. Even if we were to create a faction, now is not the right time. Do you believe that the moment you establish the Sword Pavilion as a faction, it would inevitably be besieged by the Continent of All-Gods and the Defiled God Continent?"
"But we’re in the Land of Sin."
"How can the forces in the Land of Sin compare to theirs? How many Demigods, Divine beings, and Lords are there on the Continent of All-Gods? Wanderers don’t even have a single Divine being. There used to be one, Bai Yun, but unfortunately, he returned to the Continent of All-Gods. What would you use to resist?"
A chill ran down Zhao Yuyan’s spine. "What do you mean, Master?"
"If we want a Wanderer Continent, we must have our own Divine beings—at least Divine beings who are Lords—to even qualify. It’s too early to discuss this now. My goal is simply to let the Wanderers grow; new experts will surely emerge from among them."
Establishing a faction now? That would be a joke! Wouldn’t we just be wiped out by the Continent of All-Gods and the Defiled God Continent? Would they let us establish our own continent? Not a chance! The Land of Sin has three cities in total, and each city has its own Divine beings and Sovereign-level beings. The cities of the Land of Sin are complementary and support each other; neither the Continent of All-Gods nor the Defiled God Continent would attack it. But Wanderers? We don’t have any Divine beings. How is that different from seeking death? It’s like an empire where a bunch of shrimp soldiers and crab generals fantasize about becoming emperors, only to be slaughtered in minutes. We must at least have members who become Divine beings, who become Lords. Only then will we be qualified. Once someone becomes a Lord, they can establish the Wanderer Continent. With a rallying cry, all Wanderers would flock to it. That is my true reason for creating the Sword Pavilion. In my view, with so many people, there will always be one or two with heaven-defying luck who become Wanderer Gods.
Zhao Yuyan nodded slowly. "I understand."
"You’re already a Ninth-Stage Master?" Jiang Chen observed.
"Yes."
"Are you cultivating the Grand River Sword Intent?"
Zhao Yuyan nodded.
Jiang Chen advised, "I follow the path of Destruction. From what I can see, your Grand River Sword Intent isn’t well-suited for the path of Destruction. You should think carefully before merging Laws."
"I know."
"Cultivate diligently. It’s even more difficult in the Upper Realm, especially when it comes to the Power of Laws; it’s not easily obtained."
BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.
Daphne’s voice came through, "Jiang Chen, I know where the Law of Destruction is!"
"Where?" Jiang Chen asked.
"Where are you?"
"This tavern."
"Wait for me..."
Less than ten minutes later, Daphne arrived at the tavern. Seeing Jiang Chen at a table, she walked over quickly, a smile on her face. "I’ve spent the last month gathering information for you. There are a total of ten people who possess the Law of Destruction."
"That many?" Jiang Chen thought, surprised.
"Heh... nonsense," Daphne scoffed playfully. "With so many Demigods around, only ten possess it. You think that’s a lot? The Defiled God Continent has one God of Destruction, and the Continent of All-Gods also has one. Besides those two, there are eight others."