Luojiang City.

The snow drifted in flurries, coating the whole city in a blanket of snow that made the city look like it was dressed in white plain robes.

Large red lanterns were hung proudly over the entire Luojiang City. The Tang Dynasty Emperor’s birthday celebration not only impacted Changan City but its effect spread across the entire Tang Dynasty.

Luojiang City’s main street was unusually lively on this day. Countless people thronged the streets. The Tang Emperor’s birthday was an important day in the Tang Dynasty that happened once a year. It was a day where the people would celebrate to their heart’s content.

Along the lively streets, everything under the heavens was celebrating this special day.

Ducking into a long, deserted alley, the dull sound of clanging metal could be heard.

The hot metal glowed red as sparks constantly flew everywhere.

The old man continued hammering the metal. Suddenly, his movements stopped.

He turned his head to look at the nascent sword ore covered in thick soot. As he looked at the nascent sword ore, it came back to life, emitting a clear sword cry.

The sword cry sounded like it was about to tear apart the entire workshop.

“I still have half a nascent sword ore from making that sword for Wen Ting.”

The old man cocked an eyebrow and sighed.

His cloudy eyes were fixed on a falling snowflake fluttering outside the blacksmith. He recalled the memory from that year in the snowflake.

That year…

A youth tired of life came to his blacksmith led by Cui Cheng. The youth’s sword drive had been crushed, his hopes turned to ash. He spent his days drinking away his sorrows, tugging on his beard, depressed.

The old man could see that the youth had lost his boldness for wielding his sword.

Cui Cheng asked the old man to forge a sword for the youth, to help him regain his heart for sword mastery.

The old man rejected him right on the spot. That was because he could tell Wen Ting was not a match for his swords. A man who had his sword drive crushed, a man whose hopes and dreams for sword-wielding had turned to ash was not qualified to have a sword forged by him.

Even if Cui Cheng was willing to fork out 100,000 gold coins, the old man would still grit his teeth and turn him down.

HIs was not an uncultured man who forged swords just for money!

He did not want to sully his reputation. Cui Cheng took Wen Ting away.

However, a few days later, Wen Ting came to seek the old man on his own. His eyes seemed to be filled with the smashed pieces of his sword drive like the ashes were reigniting.

Wen Ting took out a nascent sword ore and knelt outside the blacksmith’s workshop. He begged him for three days and three nights to forge a new sword for him.

The old man would never forget Wen Ting’s words. He wanted to make a sword that could swallow all the blade energy from his body. It would be a savage and vicious sword.

The old man refused right away.

The old man knew he was no saint. However, he was still a man of principles.

The next day after he refused, the old man saw Xuanyuan Taihua. That peerless beauty renown all over the world.

He agreed then.

Wen Ting was cultivating with the Sword Nurturing Spell he had learned from Xuanyuan Taihua. This was a sword spell that used one’s life as payment.

One lifetime would only be able to cultivate with a single sword. The sword would only be able to kill one person.

This was not a sword disciple’s flight sword. Instead, it would be like treating the sword as a wild beast, feeding it and nurturing it, waiting for the right moment to strike. When it was unleashed, it would be like a deadly beast that could destroy the earth and tear one’s foe apart!

The old man spent a full day and a full night, hammering the nascent sword ore the size of a palm. The more he forged it, the more it drained Wen Ting’s blood. As it did so, the sword became more refined.

Wen Tinghad completely bled out. The sword was as thin as two little fingers.

In the end, Wen Ting dragged his incomparably weak body away with his fine sword.

However, the money for the sword was never paid.

…

The old man came back to his senses. Wen Ting owing him money was a small matter. He did not take it to heart.

He looked at the nascent sword ore. With a pinch of his fingers, the sword intent stopped instantly, allowing the moving nascent sword ore to quiet down.

The old man picked up his hammer and continued to beat it.

However, he shook his head feeling great sorrow.

Wen Ting would have nurtured that horrible sword for ten years. He feared that the man would be facing his foe, spreading his sharp claws and fangs!

The old man sighed. He still did not fully understand.

What was it all for?

…

Ten years nurturing a sword to finally unleash its power!

Once it was unleashed, it was like a rabid, hungry wolf, chasing Wen Ting’s crazy belief until it hit its limit.

The sword pierced through the first prince, Li Tianlin’s arm. After piercing his arm, it slid to stab his palm then his heart. After that, the scene was like the beginning of a nightmare.

The thin sword that Wen Ting had nurtured for ten years was specially constructed for that moment. The sword was sensitive to the smell of blood and targeted the vital organs!

Countless stab wounds appeared all over Li Tianlin’s body. Multiple spurts of blood poured out of his body from his back.

Golden blood gushed out of his body.

The entire place instantly became silent. Everyone’s eyes went as large as saucers as they watched the shocking scene before them!

A single stab from Wen Ting possessed this amount of explosive power!

This was an unimaginable power!

The first prince was of royal blood. His status was high and noble. His ability was equal to some of the peak ninth-class cultivators.

For Wen Ting, who had the power of fourth-class sword intent, to kill Li Tianlin, it was like an ordinary person hoping to kill the Sky God!

This was an unnatural order of events!

However, Huang Ying, Fang Lang, Jiang Linglong and the others were silent.

This attack might be Wen Ting’s last shining moment in his life, an unbeatable shining moment!

The most amazingly stunning moment that a sword cultivator could ever experience in their lifetime!

The heavy rain that had been sent back up into the sky instantly fell to the ground at that moment!

As soon as Li Tianlin’s blood began to spill, the rain that had been temporarily paused fell all of a sudden! The pitter-patter of the rain rang out.

Wen Ting was instantly drenched, looking like a drowned rat. However, his smile was brilliant because of his attack.

Even though this attack had drained all the force in his body, even though this attack had extinguished his life’s light, turning him into an ordinary person, Wen Ting had no regrets!

The high and mighty first prince, Li Tianlin, was also soaked by the rain. The rainwater mixed with his golden blood, making him look sickly.

Swish, swish!

The thin sword was like a hungry jackal—it continued to snap and tear frenziedly, piercing through Li Tianlin’s vital organs!

Even if Li Tianlin was extremely powerful, in the face of this sword that was nurtured for ten years, it was like facing a hellish demonic sword.

Li Tianlin was unable to summon any strength to retaliate!

He was completely devastated and annihilated.

The lofty and arrogant first prince was now lying in the mud like a common python, looking as wretched as a mud snake!

Wen Ting, the desperate person without any hope, whose sword drive was crushed by the first prince, had finally managed to exact his revenge after ten years!

The Scholarly Sword Master!

Ten years was not too long a wait for the Scholarly Sword Master!

White-haired Wen Ting looked at the thin sword that was moving in and out of the first prince’s body with a genial expression. The first prince smiled weakly, looking frightfully pale. His body was empty and hollow to the most extreme level.

His vital organs were utterly broken, filled with as many holes as a pincushion.

“So the great royal prince only amounts to this? Li Tianlin, you’re… unimpressive.”

Wen Ting fell to the ground in the rain. He started chuckling loudly.

It felt like a blessed relief. He was fully satisfied.

Wen Ting had not known if he really could kill Li Tianlin with his sword. However, he had done his best. The force of the Tang Code that was about to come…

Wen Ting would not be able to face it, neither did he have the desire or will to do so. After all, before the Tang Code came, he had endured much suffering and attacks. His heart was glad!

Since it took an entire lifetime’s worth of cultivation, he deserved to be happy this once!

“Hahahaha…”

Wen Ting started laughing in the midst of the heavy storm. The scene from ten years ago appeared before his eyes.

On that rainy night, his spirits were completely crushed. He stumbled and fell on the streets, with the strong stench of alcohol on him as he was drenched by the rain.

An indescribably beautiful woman walked up to him and leaned close to his ear. Both time and the rainwater seemed to stop for her.

That woman knew what the base desire of his cultivation was. She taught him the Sword Nurturing Spell and gave him a chance to rip off the evil, dark cloud that was hanging over his head. It was an opportunity for him to personally kill the first prince, Li Tianlin!

This would give him the chance to use the body of an ordinary person to kill the god-like!

Li Tianlin felt a torturous pain as if he was in hell! How could he suffer such indignity when his plans were infallible!?

He had been too careless. He knew Wen Ting had been nurturing a sword. However, he never imagined Wen Ting’s sword would turn out to be more like a wild beast than a sword!

That mad man!

“Zhou Yiyuan!”

The first prince called out for Zhou Yiyuan, hoping the minister would help him subdue this crazy sword!

He, Li Tianlin, was the man who would ascend the throne of the Tang Dynasty in the future. How could he die here!?

How could he be killed by a man whose sword drive he had completely crushed ten years ago!?

As long as Zhou Yiyuan could subdue this sword that was eating away at his body, he would be able to rip the shackles and regain control over his body. When that happened, he would tear Wen Ting apart, limb by limb!

…

At that exact moment when the first prince began to bleed, there seemed to be some movement within the Youzhou Demon Portal. It was as though a formless ripple was moving through the demon portal, to the extent that the closed slit on the earth was starting to move.

A nameless connection arrived at the ancient city walls in Changan City.

Numerous ancient monasteries outside Changan City began to sound the bells. The ringing bells broke through the peace, disrupting the deathly silence of the land.

Above the ancient city walls floated the Tang Code. It was being revived.

An immeasurable majestic brilliance enveloped Changan City.

In the center of White Jade Square.

The various civil and military officials and the various sect leaders were all staring at the Tang Code in astonishment.

There were two things in the entire Tang Dynasty that commanded utmost respect. The first was the Tang Emperor, the second was the Tang Code.

This Tang Code had been around for countless centuries. It had been there since the establishment of the Tang Dynasty, enduring the ages.

The Tang Code had changed hands multiple times and had been through the Wei Dynasty of the Eight Dynasties. It was even there during the ancient Zhou and Xia Dynasty that dated back several millennia!

Of course, many dynasties have met their fall. However, the ironclad laws continued to endure!

Countless royal families of the various dynasties used blood to douse the unbreakable ironclad laws!

This was a truly magical item in this human realm!

In the skies, Chao Xiaojian and Nan Yehuo were in the midst of a huge battle. Meanwhile, at the summit of the Royal City, the Tang Code was descending!

The silence within the Taiji Palace was frightening. The Tang Emperor who was referred to as the most powerful Emperor among all the dynasties, King of all Kings, was seated high up in his throne. His eyes seemed to be glowing with an indescribably deep light as he stared at the Tang Code.

Boom…

A tremble could be felt.

The Tang Code instantly disappeared!

The space where it had stood instantly collapsed!

It did not rely on space manipulation prepared by any spell masters!

The Tang Code was able to directly pierce through space and disappear from the sky above the Royal City and the eyes of everyone watching.

The atmosphere was frightfully oppressive.

The third prince was crouched in front of the Taiji Palace—he was trembling.

A moment ago, in an instant, he felt as though the Tang Code was about to swallow him whole!

That horrifying, nightmarish feeling sapped the strength out of him. He felt as though he could not even stand.

The fifth princess looked extremely pale. However, she continued to pat the second prince who was shivering with unmasked terror beside her!

The outside world was extremely scary. It was best to continue drifting along.

…

Inside the Youzhou Demon Portal.

The expression of Minister of Rites, Zhou Yiyuan, changed slightly as he was being led away by Imperial Court of Judicial Review officials.

Amidst the curtain of rain, he felt as though he could hear the heart-wrenching cry of the first prince!

This caused his expression to change drastically!

The first prince was extremely powerful. Not only did he possess the imperial bloodline, he was also known as the top cultivator in the Tang Dynasty.

Yet, at this moment, he was letting out such a pained cry!

Zhou Yiyuan did not care about the Imperial Court of Judicial Review officials surrounding him. He rushed into the rain in his gold armor, turned into a flash of golden light and disappeared into the sky.

He dared not dally. He needed to race there as fast as he could!

Very quickly, he arrived on the scene. Before the fourth Resource Station, he saw the first prince bleeding profusely, looking incomparably wretched. The first prince, Li Tianlin, always had a well-thought-out plan!

His body was covered in hundreds of stab wounds. His vital organs were full of holes!

A thin sword stained with golden blood was moving in and out of his body like a hungry jackal!

As it took bites, it also drank his blood!

Wen Ting sat on the ground, smiling brightly.

Zhou Yiyuan narrowed his eyes. This was… Wen Ting’s sword!?

He had previously asked how Wen Ting’s sword mastery was. The answer that he received was ‘I may look weak but I’m very strong!’.

Now, Zhou Yiyuan could see the extent of Wen Ting’s strength!

He had used his life to nurture this one sword!

“Stop this!” roared Zhou Yiyuan fiercely.

The gold armor that he wore radiated brilliantly. As the first prince’s right-hand man, he could not sit by and watch the first prince get destroyed right before his eyes.

If the first prince were to die, everything he had done in the Youzhou Demon Portal would be meaningless.

Boom!

Zhou Yiyuan’s aura rose steadily. The rain clouds in the sky were torn into shreds.

A terrifying vital energy seemed to surge over like a giant wave hitting the shore!

Zhou Yiyuan was revealing the extent of his cultivation right now. His eight-class, martial arts master, void-shattering realm!

It was an extremely powerful martial arts mastery that could shatter through voids!

As soon as the first prince saw Zhou Yiyuan had arrived, an expression of joy flashed across his features.

On the other hand, Wen Ting shook his head with a smile as he sat in the rain.

It was such a shame.

If he could have broken into the eight-class before his mastery dropped. His sword attack would have been enough to completely kill the first prince!

However, at this moment, he was just a little short!

Now that Zhou Yiyuan, an eight-class cultivator had appeared, who could withstand his might?

Everyone’s eyes were focused on Wen Ting, Zhou Yiyuan and the first prince.

To one side, Fang Lang in his bloody clothes, who had been ignored this whole time, suddenly smiled!

Everyone had forgotten about him.

Fang Lang who possessed the Blooming Lotus Sword smiled brightly. He did not spare any spiritual sense, instead he poured it into the core energy center to stimulate the Innate Sword Intent Seeds to surge into Blooming Lotus Sword!

After that, Fang Lang picked up the Blooming Lotus Sword and stretched out his hand! With a gentle bend of his body, a violent swung was unleashed!

Ding!

The clear sound of a sword cry overpowered all the other sounds!

The storm and heavy rains seemed to freeze.

Even Zhou Yiyuan, an eight-class martial arts master, felt his blood stop. Li Tianlin who was wearing a smile since Zhou Yiyuan appeared paused.

Boom!

Crash!

It was like the Blooming Lotus Sword had a heartbeat.

After that, the sword streaked into the skies like a rainbow!

The Youzhou Demon Portal!

The land that was formed through the collision of two realms was sliced apart by the Blooming Lotus Sword, resulting in a crack!

A hand suddenly stretched through the crack.

It was an extraordinarily fair hand!

It was a flawless hand, with skin that looked like jade. It was like the hand of an immortal!

This hand grabbed hold of the Blooming Lotus Sword!

Boom!

In an instant, the entire world seemed to go dark!

“Little fellow, I heard your cry!”

The faint voice was mellow, melodious and also heroic. It sounded like something out of this world as it rang out in every corner of the Youzhou Demon Portal!

Under the skies, everyone was frozen stiff, Fang Lang included. Fang Lang had only planned to awaken the sword will that was in a deep slumber within the Blooming Lotus Sword. He did not expect to tear apart the skies!

Wen Ting raised his head in a daze, looking at the hand stretching out through the crack in the sky.

“Xuan… Xuanyuan… Taihua?” he stuttered as though he had suffered a great shock.

Jiang Linglong merely raised her head. Her star-like eyes were filled with a strange light as she stared at the bizarre illusion.

Her body trembled violently.

Fang Lang… Fang Lang had somehow managed to summon Xuanyuan Taihua!?

Only the Fang Lang who managed to obtain the Blooming Lotus Sword could have done such a thing!

Jiang Linglong wanted to scream. She dearly wished to know what had happened all those years ago in the Loulan Demon Portal!

Why did Martial Arts King Jiang end up in such a state after he returned!?

The first prince seemed to sense the life force within his body being consumed. He stared at the woman that appeared through the crack in the sky. A flash of fear appeared in his gold eyes for the first time!

Xuanyuan Taihua!

She was still alive!?

“Zhou Yiyuan! Hurry! Save me!” shouted the first prince frantically.

Zhou Yiyuan came quickly back to his senses. He shut his eyes tightly and his figure instantly shot towards the first prince.

However, he had barely moved when the woman in the crack beckoned for the Blooming Lotus Sword.

Up in the skies, an endless golden brilliance shone out. In an instant, the blade energy transformed into a silver lotus flower. It was extraordinarily captivating, drawing the attention of everyone there.

Right at that moment, within the lotus flower of blade energy turned a bright white color as a white light shone down from the crack that divided the sky into two realms, aiming straight for Zhou Yiyuan!

Zhou Yiyuan was just about to help the first prince subdue Wen Ting’s sword when his body trembled!

He turned around and roared angrily. With a single punch, the eight-class martial arts master shattered the void!

His vital energy was like a surging river tide!

After that, with a strike of the Blooming Lotus Sword, it seemed to slice apart the river tide!

The Blooming Lotus Sword directly pierced through the crest of the skull and his spine, pinning him to the ground!

The extremely powerful eight-class martial arts master, who was merely a hair’s breadth away from stepping into the ninth-class realm, was instantly killed!

The first prince stared at the scene in a daze.

An inexplicable cold feeling filled his heart…

‘Today… might be the day I die,’ he thought

He was always unflappable, always with a complete plan. However, right now… He felt lost.

There were too many things that happened outside of his calculations. He felt like an idiot.

Swish!

Wen Ting’s sword plunged into his kidney once again, drawing out a streak of golden blood.

He had lost too much blood. Too much…

He could feel his life force slipping out of his body!

Perhaps… he was really going to die!

All of a sudden, Fang Lang leaped up with a red flight sword under his feet.

The first prince looked at Fang Lang, stupefied! What was he planning on doing!?

Fang Lang smiled warmly and raised his arm. A rune was condensing behind his flight sword, in a counter-clockwise spiral.

After that, it abruptly sped up, shooting Fang Lang towards the first prince!

After the extreme quiet, there was extreme action!

Fang Lang’s cultivation kept dropping while he was on the flight sword!

He had once again used the Power Loan Card to use Wen Ting’s ‘Sword Nurturing Spell’ technique!

He now wielded a sword that most normal people would never dare to use!

It was not too late to exact revenge after ten years. However, Fang Lang could not wait for ten years. He would not stop until he had avenged himself!

Swish!

It was like an ember that caused a forest fire!

At that moment, Fang Lang swung his sword!

The first prince stretched out his hand as though to grab Fang Lang’s sword. However, this was not Fang Lang’s sword but Wen Ting’s sword. It pierced into the first prince’s kidney.

Li Tianlin shuddered.

The sword was withdrawn then thrust back into his neck, causing golden blood to spill.

A head with a shocked expression suddenly flew into the sky.