Chapter 700: One Sword Gives Birth to Buddha

Sword energy surged like mountains and abysses, flowed like rivers, and moved with the agility of fish and dragons.

Within a two-li radius around the young man, sword energy surged in continuous waves. No matter how violently Xu Longxiang charged, he found it impossible to approach Huang Qing and the half-drawn Ding Fengbo sword. Instead, he was repeatedly sent stumbling back by the immense sword energy, and before he could regain his footing, he was assailed by relentless follow-up attacks.

One side fought like a cornered beast, while the other remained perfectly still. How could a mere chess piece on the board contend with the player observing from outside? The superiority was seemingly obvious. What was even more terrifying was that Huang Qing's "new sword" technique, far from losing momentum, became increasingly fluid, and his swordsmanship intent deepened with each passing moment. The more fiercely Xu Longxiang struggled with his innate, diamond-like physique, the more precise and seamless Huang Qing's sword moves became. It appeared that Jianqi Jin, the swordsman determined to solidify the reputation of Northern Mang's sword path, was using Xu Longxiang as a whetstone. The more unyielding the whetstone, the sharper the blade became through their mutual honing. Even the most uninitiated observer could discern that once the half-drawn sword was fully unsheathed, its power would be so immense that it could shatter even an "Earthly Bodhisattva" who had achieved an indestructible golden body.

The young man, seemingly a piece on this "chessboard," was struck on the shoulder by a sword energy as thick as an arm. His slender body tumbled in large circles through the air, and even after his feet touched the ground, he continued to slide back seven or eight feet, carving two deep marks in the sand. The yellow dust, though briefly disturbed, was instantly suppressed by the sword energy, rising only an inch before settling back down. This small detail revealed much: even when motionless and not directly provoking Huang Qing's sword energy, Xu Longxiang, by simply being within the "chessboard" of sword intent that spanned three li, was constantly resisting its immense pressure. Yet, despite this ceaseless exertion, Xu Longxiang’s relentless charges and collisions never showed the slightest sign of fatigue. The common saying, "boundless strength," perfectly described the young man.

Xu Longxiang raised his head, his eyes glowing with a mysterious pale golden light as he looked towards the green-robed swordsman in the distance. He charged forward again, but this time, he did not run in a straight line.

The young man's figure left a long trail of stationary afterimages on the sand. His running path was vaguely discernible, chaotic in short bursts, but when viewed as a whole, it formed a crescent arc. Without exception, these afterimages were all destroyed and dissipated under the oppressive sword energy. As the very last afterimage, only ten zhang from Huang Qing, vanished, the swordsman, Jianqi Jin, raised his arm, joining two fingers as if placing a chess piece. He paused three times; with each pause, the sword energy before Huang Qing intensified, becoming more potent. After these three successive suppressions, the momentum between the two greatly increased, and their sharp intent became fully manifest. Huang Qing's 'chessboard' instantly grew more solid and formidable, as if three unusually large, rule-breaking chess pieces had been added to the board. Xu Longxiang charged three times, each impact louder than the last. The final time he broke through the sword energy, his previously unstoppable momentum showed a trace of hesitation for the first time. Huang Qing smiled faintly, turned his wrist, shifting his technique from pressing to hooking. A burst of sword energy shot forth from the ground, soaring diagonally upwards and striking a point in the air, like waiting by a tree stump for a rabbit, instantly knocking the suddenly appearing Xu Longxiang flying.

As it is written in 'The Great Symbolism,' the Earth's potential is to be vast and contain all things. Huang Qing's sword strike, therefore, drew its power directly from the earth, manifesting as a force emerging from deep within the ground.

Xu Longxiang, launched into the air, had no time to react before being bombarded by successive surges of sword energy erupting from the ground. These bursts were as sharp and fierce as earth dragons or yellow flood dragons. Even after Xu Longxiang was knocked back to the ground, the relentless assault did not cease. The young man plunged his hands into the earth and braced his feet against the sand, attempting to reduce his backward slide. But the sword energy's momentum was overwhelming; clusters of yellow mist continuously burst forth from his body. When a stream of sword energy struck his left shoulder, Xu Longxiang's shoulder visibly dropped, his chest nearly touching the ground. He swiftly slapped with his left hand and hoisted his shoulder, barely deflecting the attack, only for a second, third, fourth, and countless more bursts of sword energy, laden with yellow sand, to rise from the earth and descend upon him.

The young man's body sank inch by inch, his fingers hooked like claws, desperately bracing against the ground.

The Great Chu Dynasty once boasted a Hegemon capable of lifting a heavy tripod. Even if your strength, Xu Longxiang, is divinely profound, can you truly bear the weight of heaven and earth?

Huang Qing truly wished to witness it. Since the initial purpose of refining this new sword through Xu Longxiang had been fully realized, Huang Qing then considered using the remarkably gifted young man to gauge the strength of the white-robed monk, laying the groundwork for a future confrontation.

When thought arises and intention stirs, qi is born, and a small space can manifest the heavens and earth. This was Huang Qing’s unique sword path, forged by his unwillingness to be subservient, a path distinct from Li Chungang, who confidently believed all worldly matters could be resolved with a single sword stroke, and also different from Deng Ta'a, whose ultimate swordsmanship embodied the Dao itself.

With Ding Fengbo only half-drawn, such immense power was already manifest. Huang Qing had, in all likelihood, already touched the threshold of becoming a Land Immortal swordsman.

Qi Xuanzhen of Longhu Mountain once uttered a jest that circulated widely: 'A Finger-Profound master is but a bowing servant; a Heavenly Phenomenon master merely a stooping beggar. Only a Land Immortal can sit cross-legged.' This implied that from the perspective of the divine, even comprehending the Finger-Profound realm amounted to little more than a humble servant, and achieving the Heavenly Phenomenon realm was still akin to a fortunate plea for a glimpse of heavenly mysteries. Only by becoming a Land Immortal could one truly stand tall without bowing or stooping, though even then, one merely sat cross-legged between heaven and earth, still slightly beneath the Heavenly Dao. It is said that an unnamed enlightened master once visited the Demon Slaying Platform to question Qi Xuanzhen, employing his own logic against him, asking how Qi Xuanzhen himself stood in this hierarchy. Grand Master Qi reportedly smiled and simply replied, 'Kindly allow this humble Daoist, who sits cross-legged, to stretch his legs.'

Indeed worthy of being Lu Zu's reincarnation, one who once passed through the Heavenly Gate but chose not to enter.

Qi Xuanzhen also once spoke a strange, veiled prophecy: 'Land Immortals are differentiated by life and death, yet share no distinction of superiority or inferiority.'

Regardless of whether Huang Qing stands or sits at that moment, once he achieves the Sword Immortal realm, commanding the powers of heaven and earth, and considering he falls outside the Three Religions, he will undoubtedly possess the qualification to be deemed invincible.

Huang Qing opened his eyes and looked at the young man, who was now practically prostrate on the ground, his gaze filled with a touch of pity – regret for the young man's talent, yet also a subtle, self-deprecating humor. The Lord of Taiping once remarked that where venomous snakes appear, medicinal herbs are sure to follow; this embodies the natural law of mutual restraint among all things. The net of heaven is vast and inescapable; the closer a carp comes to transforming into a dragon, the harder it is to avoid tribulation. A century ago, Liu Songtao was deemed invincible, yet he was sealed away by an unnamed wandering Daoist. Li Chungang's swordsmanship was celebrated as being on par with heaven, capable of opening the Heavenly Gate at will, yet he too was ultimately restrained by Wang Xianzhi. And in the end, Wang Xianzhi himself fell by Xu Fengnian's hand. So, as he, a martial artist outside the Three Religions, stepped onto the threshold of a Land Immortal, who would be his destined rival?

Huang Qing composed himself, pulling his thoughts back to the present. Before him, Xu Longxiang had already been blasted into a large pit by countless surges of sword energy. Within hundreds of zhang centered on the young man, Huang Qing watched as streams of yellow, dragon-like sword energy erupted from the ground like blooming flower buds, relentlessly pounding on the young man's back without pause, giving him no chance to breathe. It was, after all, entirely reasonable that the power of a Dragon Elephant could not contend with the vast forces of heaven and earth. Though Huang Qing felt a slight regret that the young man ultimately didn't force him to unleash his full sword strike, his ability to endure purely with his physical body for so long in such a fierce sword confrontation was truly remarkable. Huang Qing had no desire to merely torment Xu Longxiang to death—not out of fear of incurring the future wrath of the young King of Northern Liang, but because attaining his current grandmaster realm in swordsmanship naturally endowed him with a matching breadth of mind and magnanimity.

Huang Qing reached out, pressed down on the Ding Fengbo, and abruptly pushed it back into its scabbard.

"A piece placed at the center of the board."

Simultaneously, a terrifying sword energy, as massive as a mountain root, descended from the sky.

The sword energy exploded completely into the earth, as if the famous sword had returned to its scabbard.

The sword energy was astonishingly dense, like an exaggerated torrent, overflowing furiously from the large pit and swiftly flowing several zhang beyond its edge, saturating the yellow sand.

Huang Qing sighed softly to himself, about to turn and return to Gusei Prefecture.

The Ding Fengbo in his hand began to tremble, its vibrations steadily increasing.

Huang Qing frowned, looking back at the large pit.

He could detect no trace of life, yet precisely because of this, the guttural cackling, like a beast's strained laugh, seemed particularly terrifying.

A gaunt, ragged figure slowly emerged from the pit, hunched at the waist, with arms hanging limply.

When he finally raised his head, Huang Qing saw a pair of golden-yellow eyes.

Those eyes were devoid of any emotion—no sorrow, no joy, no worry, no delight.

In a blink, Huang Qing manifested six tall, shimmering cyan walls of sword energy behind himself. Simultaneously, the young man, now stripped of all human aura, instantly materialized where Huang Qing had just been. He began to run, smashing through all six walls in one continuous surge, his speed accelerating rather than diminishing. When he was two zhang away, the young man leaped high and lunged towards Huang Qing.

Huang Qing's sword-holding hand slid down, gripping the tail end of Ding Fengbo's scabbard. He then raised his arm, and the sword hilt precisely struck the young man's throat.

Huang Qing declared in a deep voice, "Retreat!"

Sword energy surged from the hilt, its might reaching for the heavens.

A dazzling burst of sword light erupted violently on the young man's chest.

However, to Huang Qing's surprise, after the impact, the young man merely threw his head back before lunging forward with even greater speed. He not only shattered the sword energy but also nearly forced Huang Qing to drop his sword.

Huang Qing retreated several steps, his fingers briefly loosening. He only managed to re-grip the Ding Fengbo's hilt as it was knocked back into his palm, thus narrowly avoiding an unexpected defeat. Otherwise, the esteemed Jianqi Jin would have had his sword knocked from his hand by his opponent's throat.

However, threads of blood also seeped from Huang Qing's palm.

Huang Qing flicked his wrist, and just as the sword emerged an inch, the young man, who had landed and twisted into a spin, pressed one hand onto the sword hilt and "gently" pushed Huang Qing's chest with the other.

Not only was Ding Fengbo forced back into its scabbard, but Huang Qing himself was propelled back over a dozen zhang by the young man's seemingly insane push.

As Huang Qing flew backward, his feet seemed to lightly tap the air like a dragonfly skimming water, creating a long series of mystical ripples that spread like waves on a pond. As these expanding ripples touched each other, sword energy, like green lotuses, swayed forth from the 'water.' These more than twenty green lotuses instantly grew to adult height, blocking the young man's path of pursuit.

The young man, his golden eyes fixed on Huang Qing, grinned silently as he continued his charge. He effortlessly tore apart the obstructing green lotus-like sword energies with his bare hands.

Huang Qing stepped half a pace forward, his instep instantly swallowed by the yellow sand. He then drew an arc on the ground with his other foot, shifting half a pace back. The yellow sand behind him, drawn by this subtle shift in his qi, spontaneously formed a crescent-moon-shaped sand dragon over ten zhang long.

Huang Qing's move was not the sword unsheathing, but rather the scabbard separating from the sword.

It thrust directly towards the young man's heart.

From ancient times to the present, sword lengths have generally become shorter. Qin swords measured over twenty-two inches, while Great Feng longswords were only nineteen inches and six fen. Subsequently, among the Nine States of Spring and Autumn, setting aside private forges, imperial-commissioned swords varied in length but never exceeded the Feng sword standard. However, Ding Fengbo, a new weapon forged only twenty years ago, ranked among the world's most renowned swords, directly rivaling ancient Qin swords in its length of twenty-one inches and three fen. This pursuit of the profound meaning, 'a long sword reaching far,' might well have reflected the original donor's high expectations for Huang Qing's swordsmanship.

As Huang Qing performed the move of the scabbard leaving the sword rather than the sword leaving the scabbard, he silently chanted, "Sixteen Contemplations!"

As the sword scabbard moved sixteen inches away from the sword tip, each inch unveiled a "Contemplation."

Each contemplation manifested a distinct form, and across the sixteen-inch distance in the air, sixteen indescribably wondrous phenomena emerged.

First, an ethereal, green-robed figure appeared, seated upon the tip of the sword in Huang Qing's hand, facing west. A great sun, shaped like a suspended drum, rose, its redness visible whether one's eyes were open or closed.

Following the contemplation of the sun, the contemplation of water emerged, revealing ice like radiant lapis lazuli, gleaming brightly.

Next came the resplendent Diamond Seven-Jewel Golden Banners, radiating brilliant light.

Precious trees, ponds, and lotuses continuously manifested, while countless heavenly beings performed music and celestial maidens scattered flowers.

This extensive sword technique of Huang Qing's could, with a single stroke, give birth to a Buddha.

Xu Longxiang's chest was struck by this sword—or more accurately, by its scabbard—and his body, though still in a charging posture, abruptly froze in mid-air.

Huang Qing slowly advanced, pushing the sword back into its scabbard. With every inch the sword returned to its sheath, one phenomenon dissipated, and the young man simultaneously took a step backward.

Huang Qing gazed at the young man sixteen steps away, sighing softly, "People only acknowledge how ghosts and gods can protect, yet fail to realize that even a Dragon Elephant can turn to ash from within."