Chapter 1824: Supreme Sword Dao

Lan Yutian sat in the well, observing the Connecting Heaven Well still clashing with the lamp bowl. The Hall Masters and Accomplished Daoists of the Miluo Palace continued to channel the well, attempting to expel the lamp bowl from its bottom.

The lamp bowl was pressed against the bottom of the well, constantly fluctuating. For a time, the Connecting Heaven Well could not overcome it.

However, Lan Yutian had only temporarily found a flaw in the Connecting Heaven Well; he hadn't truly cracked it. While the lamp bowl suppressed the well's power, this also caused the well's power to accumulate and grow stronger, eventually one day surpassing the lamp bowl's limit and crushing it.

"The Miluo Palace's foundation is still formidable. If not for Yuanjun Nanxiang's warning about these seven strange treasures, Yankang would have been caught off guard and utterly annihilated!"

Among Yankang's most gifted, he and Xu Shenghua stood out, yet neither of them could refine treasures like the Lords' strange artifacts. Ultimately, it was the Miluo Palace's own strange artifacts that could counter theirs. In terms of such profound power, Yankang was still far inferior.

At the mouth of the Connecting Heaven Well, the battle of the Accomplished Daoists continued. Lan Yutian reinvigorated himself and climbed out of the well.

It was only a matter of time before the Connecting Heaven Well shattered the lamp bowl. He now had to fight the Miluo Palace's Accomplished Daoists and Hall Masters with his remaining strength. If he couldn't eliminate them, then he would have to rely on the secrets of the Connecting Heaven Well he'd seen in the last glimmer of light to devise a way to crack the well and resolve this hidden danger.

However, without the lamp bowl, solving this hidden danger would likely take a very long time.

"I wonder how big brother is doing?" Qin Mu's figure appeared before his eyes, and he thought silently.

Facing the strange artifacts of the Miluo Palace's six Lords, Yankang's Accomplished Daoists suffered heavy casualties. Qin Mu, however, was directly confronting two of the Miluo Palace's Lords; the danger was unimaginable.

Among the sixteen chaotic long rivers circulating around the Miluo Palace, on the surface of one river, Lord Lingxiao's expression was grave. These past days, Lord Zixiao's divine abilities had continuously emerged from the chaotic mist, attacking him. He had also accumulated numerous wounds on his body.

But what weighed heavily on his mind was not his own injuries, but the changes in Lord Zixiao's sword Dao divine abilities.

Lord Zixiao's sword Dao divine abilities were still powerful, but Lingxiao acutely perceived subtle shifts in his state of mind from the changes in Lord Zixiao's sword Dao divine abilities.

Changes in one's state of mind would manifest in subtle aspects of divine abilities. Even if the power of the divine abilities remained unchanged, fluctuations in the Dao heart would still affect the perfection of the Dao.

Lord Zixiao's strength was not weaker than his, but his Dao heart had a flaw. Furthermore, Qin Mu was a monster skilled at manipulating people's hearts. This made him worry about Lord Zixiao's safety.

"Seventh Lord is disturbing Fourth Lord's Dao heart with a strange method. This method is subtle and imperceptible, affecting Fourth Lord's Dao heart from the very beginning of their engagement. It wasn't apparent before, but now it's starting to show."

His heart grew heavier. Qin Mu was likely using the Dao of Divine Sense or the Dao of Reincarnation to slowly influence Lord Zixiao, beyond tangible divine abilities, employing intangible divine sense or reincarnation abilities to attack Lord Zixiao's Dao heart.

This influence began very slowly, but as time progressed, its effect gradually increased.

"Furthermore, Seventh Lord's strength is inferior to Fourth Lord's. Logically, Seventh Lord should have been defeated quickly, but he has persisted for so long, which indicates his strength is constantly improving. He..."

His eye twitched, as he remembered the texts left by Lord Chaos in the Miluo Palace's Daoist scriptures.

Everyone in the Miluo Palace, including the Miluo Palace Master, had left their Dao arts and divine abilities in the Daoist scriptures. Lord Chaos also left his own texts, which many had read.

After perusing Lord Chaos's texts, the Miluo Palace Master remained silent for a long time, then told them that Lord Chaos's texts were so profound that even he could not fully comprehend them.

Lord Lingxiao had also read those texts, but he couldn't understand them at all.

The Miluo Palace Master told them that the writing in the book was in the Dao of Chaos, and the runes of the Dao of Chaos were called "Yuan," runes that surpassed Primordial runes.

If Lord Chaos were to fully perfect Yuan, he would achieve something even the Palace Master could not reach. However, this path was extremely difficult, and he didn't believe anyone could achieve it.

At the time, Lord Lingxiao and others didn't realize the terror of Yuan. Each of them had unique achievements that even the Miluo Palace Master couldn't attain. They thought Lord Chaos's Yuan was similar to the Second Lord's Dao of Returning to the Ruins or the Fourth Lord's Dao of the Sword.

Now, it seemed their past notions were somewhat naive.

The Miluo Palace Master's praise for Yuan was likely praise for the Dao of Chaos utterly surpassing the Primordial Dao!

"Seventh Lord cannot be this strong now, but under Fourth Lord's tempering, he is gradually growing stronger!"

He blocked another wave of sword moves, looking around, but still couldn't find the true location of the Miluo Palace.

Inside the Miluo Palace, sword light flickered. Lord Zixiao pierced Qin Mu with a sword, when suddenly he heard a zither melody, the music of his deceased wife. The music wasn't someone playing the Zixiao Dao-Proving Melody; it resonated from his Dao heart. Even if he didn't want to hear it, he couldn't block it out.

Qin Mu must have some cultivation method or divine ability that targeted the weakness in his Dao heart, infiltrating it, and awakening his yearning for his deceased wife.

In this life-or-death battle, he tried his best to prevent his Dao heart from being affected, but it was still influenced.

He had attained Dao through his wife's Zixiao Dao-Proving Melody. This melody was deeply imprinted in his Dao heart and Dao arts. He could have severed the flaws in his Dao heart, but he could never bring himself to do it.

Suddenly, a bell rang. At the same moment the zither melody echoed in his Dao heart, the Primordial Bell struck his body. Lord Zixiao grunted, stumbled backward, flew out of the Miluo Palace, and landed on a chaotic long river.

Just as he was about to fight his way back into the Miluo Palace, his heart suddenly trembled. He looked down into the long river and saw his wife.

This river was the Tribulation of Annihilation of the Tenth Epoch.

He saw himself in the long river, obsessed with the sword, falling into madness, and neglecting his wife. Yet his wife had always stayed by his side, caring for him.

His entire being was devoted to studying Sword Twenty-three. He even found his wife more annoying than ever, an obstacle on his path to Dao. More than once, he had been rough with her, cursed at her, wanted to drive her away, and even wished to kill her.

Yet his wife never left him, still understood him, loved him, and tried to help him attain Dao.

He was too slow-witted. Obsessed with the sword, he had neglected his wife's affection for him, and also the approaching Tribulation of Annihilation.

But his wife had sensed it. She felt he wouldn't survive the Tribulation of Annihilation and would surely die within it. Thus, in the years before the tribulation arrived, she poured her entire being into helping him attain Dao.

However, how she herself would survive the Tribulation of Annihilation, she had never considered.

She finally created the Zixiao Dao-Proving Melody, a Dao sound that became an eternal classic, helping Zixiao attain Dao.

After Zixiao attained Dao, the Tribulation of Annihilation descended. Only then did he realize his wife's sacrifice. His extreme devotion to the sword transformed into extreme devotion to love, desperately wanting to protect his wife through this tribulation.

However, it was already too late.

His wife could not survive this Tribulation of Annihilation. Although she possessed extraordinary talent, capable of helping Zixiao attain Dao and become the future Fourth Lord of the Miluo Palace, she could not save her own life within the tribulation.

Within the Tribulation of Annihilation, they spent their final moments, their last tenderness.

Zixiao stood on the river's surface, watching this scene. This was a tribulation in his Dao heart from which he could not escape.

He descended above the Great Annihilation Tribulation of the Tenth Epoch, watching all his efforts and struggles fail to save his wife within the tribulation.

Qin Mu landed on the river's surface but did not act, instead waiting quietly.

After a long time, Zixiao withdrew his gaze, looked up and said indifferently, "Seventh Lord, did you send me here hoping my Dao heart would collapse? Then you are mistaken. Coming here will only strengthen my Dao heart. I must defeat you to possibly save my wife in the future. Therefore, in this battle, I will exert all my might!"

Qin Mu's gaze fell upon the two Zixiaos embracing within the Tenth Epoch's Tribulation of Annihilation, and he said calmly, "Fourth Senior Brother, do you think I used divine abilities to influence your Dao heart? I could have, but I didn't. Your Dao heart is crumbling bit by bit, and it all stems from yourself. It is you yourself who misses your wife when using your sword Dao, it is you who feels guilty in your Dao heart. I didn't manipulate anything."

A sneer appeared on his face, but his gaze was not on Zixiao opposite him. Instead, he was still looking at the history of the Tenth Epoch: "Every sword move you make will make you feel that your achievements actually stem from your wife. You defeated yourself."

Zixiao's expression darkened.

Qin Mu looked up, his gaze on Zixiao's face, and smiled, "These past days, I have fully grasped your sword Dao. Why was I able to strike you just now? Because your Dao heart is fragmented, and its flaws are growing larger. And I can borrow the power of the Tribulation of Annihilation from the chaotic long river to raise my cultivation to a level where I can contend with you!"

Lord Zixiao's Dao sword vibrated, and sword light pierced forward!

Qin Mu ascended, landing on the Chaos Palace, and charged forward into the sword light. Countless sword lights pierced from the river; the sword light gleamed, as if gathering Zixiao's yearning for his wife from the Tenth Epoch, transforming into the supreme sword Dao!

Beneath the eaves of the Chaos Palace, the Primordial Bell vibrated ceaselessly, shaking the chaotic long river. The chaotic qi, in the bell's resonance, transformed into numerous worlds, radiating power and pushing aside streams of sword light!

The World Tree rooted itself in the chaotic long river, its thick roots penetrating the river, drawing strength from the Tribulation of Annihilation!

At the same time, the Returning Ruins Lotus appeared, causing the long river to stand on end. His Returning Ruins Lotus Pedestal also drew power from the Tribulation of Annihilation. These two sacred artifacts caused Qin Mu's magic power to surge, becoming incredibly robust!

Qin Mu's divine abilities transformed endlessly. He closed in, raised the Grand Primeval Divine Axe, and brought it down with a single chop!

Zixiao raised his sword to block. A colossal sound rang out. Zixiao's body tilted backward, his feet slid back on the river's surface, and his arms were numb from the shock.

Indeed, as Qin Mu had said, Qin Mu had fully understood his sword Dao divine abilities. With the power of the chaotic long river borrowed, Qin Mu's magic power would not be weaker than his; it would only be stronger!

The tables turned, and he immediately fell into a disadvantage!

Moreover, his Dao heart indeed had a flaw. As the Dao sword in his hand met the axe, a gap appeared in the Dao sword, just like his Dao heart.

The Chaos Palace whistled through the air. Qin Mu stood atop the palace, and struck down with another axe blow!

Zixiao once again took the full force of the axe. Another colossal sound rang out, and the Dao sword snapped with a *crack*. He was sent flying backward, spitting blood, and countless wounds erupted all over his body!

Qin Mu caught up to him, and brought down another axe blow.

At this moment, a faint zither melody drifted over. Qin Mu paused, startled; he truly heard the zither.

His Dao heart had no flaws, nor did he have experiences like Zixiao's. He couldn't be hallucinating and hearing the zither like Zixiao. Yet the zither melody truly entered his ears.

The Zixiao Dao-Proving Melody.

It was indeed the Zixiao Dao-Proving Melody!

The melody was the same as the Zixiao Dao-Proving Melody played by Heavenly Venerable Yue, but within the notes was a profound emotion that Heavenly Venerable Yue had never possessed—an emotion and yearning so intense it could not be dissolved; it was a wife's deep reliance and longing for her husband.

Fourth Lord Zixiao was obsessed with the sword, while she was extremely devoted to her husband, pouring all her emotions onto Zixiao.

In the years leading up to the Tribulation of Annihilation, if she had focused solely on surviving the tribulation, she could have lived through it. But she wished for her husband to survive even more!

Qin Mu glanced inadvertently, seeing the woman in the chaotic long river below playing the zither amidst the Tribulation of Annihilation. The zither's melody had actually pierced through the tribulation and reached the river's surface.

Clearly, this woman, while trapped in the tribulation, had witnessed the battle outside it, and at the very last moment, lent her husband a final helping hand.

The emotions that Heavenly Venerable Yue lacked poured forth from her zither music, making Qin Mu feel a strong sense of unease.

*Swoosh—*

The broken sword in Zixiao's hand suddenly radiated Dao light. It was a sword Dao Qin Mu had never seen before. The sword light arrived, directly shattering his Grand Primeval Tree-Felling divine ability, and breaking the divine axe!

Qin Mu activated his chaotic divine abilities. His chaotic divine abilities had achieved minor success, and he intended to use Zixiao's sword Dao to strike Lord Lingxiao. However, those streams of sword light broke through his chaotic divine abilities and pierced his body.

Qin Mu grunted, and wounds erupted all over his body.

The Primordial Bell vibrated loudly, but the next moment, the divine bell was pierced by sword light, and its chime grew dim!

Qin Mu unleashed all his divine abilities, desperately resisting, but within the Zixiao Dao-Proving Melody, neither the Returning Ruins Lotus Pedestal nor the Dao fruit on the World Tree could escape Zixiao's single sword thrust!

"The Zixiao Dao-Proving Melody, lacking emotion, was Zixiao's Dao heart's flaw. But with emotion, Zixiao's sword Dao would advance further!"

Qin Mu resisted fiercely. Even if he borrowed boundless power, he couldn't block that astonishing Dao sword!

Zixiao seemed to be in an ultimate realm, a realm he had never reached before, unleashing the sword's power to its extreme!

Qin Mu was pierced by countless swords, blood splattering in the sword light. He tumbled and rolled over the river's surface, nearly crashing into the chaotic long river. Fortunately, a lotus leaf emerged from the river's surface and supported him.

Qin Mu got to his feet, but his knees buckled, and he almost fell.

Blood seeped from the corner of his mouth. He stared intently at Zixiao on the river's surface, his heart sinking deeper and deeper.

Zixiao, with his wife's assistance, was invincible. He truly couldn't think of any way to defeat the Zixiao couple!

Suddenly, the zither melody gradually faded.

Qin Mu paused slightly, looked into the river, and saw the figure of Zixiao's wife dissipating within the tribulation.

He looked up at Zixiao opposite him, only to see the Fourth Lord of Miluo Palace also looking down at the scene. Suddenly, this invincible being's shoulders began to heave and tremble.

Zixiao remembered the scene of his wife's death and Dao's disappearance within the tribulation. At that time, his wife had played one last melody for him.

He didn't know why his wife, at the last moment, didn't resist the Tribulation of Annihilation, but insisted on playing one last melody, exhausting her last vitality and ultimately dying within the tribulation.

For six cosmic epochs afterward, he pondered why his wife had done that. Now, he finally understood.

His wife, within the Tribulation of Annihilation, had seen this scene, seeing that he was about to be defeated, about to die at Qin Mu's hands. So, she used her last glimmer of life to secure his victory.

"Fourth Senior Brother..."

Qin Mu spoke. Lord Zixiao tossed away the broken sword in his hand, gave him a silent look, and leaped into the chaotic long river.

"Junior Brother, you win."

He plunged into the chaotic long river, his voice drifting back: "I cannot overcome this hurdle in my Dao heart. I hope you are right..."

Qin Mu struggled to the edge of the lotus leaf, looked down, and saw Lord Zixiao return to the moment before the Tribulation of Annihilation arrived, embracing his wife deeply.

Qin Mu was stunned.

If the heavens had feelings, the heavens too would grow old.

As powerful as Lord Zixiao was, he was ultimately overwhelmed by his own Dao heart, stepping into the tribulation. But at the moment he entered the tribulation, he must have been happy.

Qin Mu exhaled a turbid breath. Suddenly, long roars echoed from the river's surface!

Qin Mu's expression darkened. Lord Lingxiao had finally found him, taking advantage of his severe injuries!