Since ancient times, the number of Immortal Swords has actually been fewer than Great Emperors.
This is because an Immortal Sword is the Lifebonded Flying Sword of a Sword Path Supreme. Only after attaining supremacy through the Way of the Sword can one elevate their Lifebonded Flying Sword to an Immortal Sword.
And how many Sword Path Supremes have there been?
As the Great Emperors most skilled in combat, throughout history there have only been eighteen known Sword Path Supremes, each representing the pinnacle of the Way of the Sword.
Correspondingly, there are eighteen Immortal Swords, but only eleven have been fully preserved with their legacies intact and traceable. This means the other seven Immortal Swords have been lost to unknown places.
Chen Xia possessed half of one in his hand. Half an Immortal Sword certainly doesn't have half the power of a full one - it might not even have 30% of the power.
But it was definitely enough to slay a Great Saint. Even a four-path Great Saint would have to suffer a strike from it!
The sword's cry came in the first breath, its radiance in the second. In the third breath, the sword struck the pitch-black sun, covering it with sword light.
The falling black sun paused, smoothly split in two from the middle, marking the dissipation of the Grand Formation. It then transformed into dark mist that blanketed the sky.
"How exhausting," Chen Xia said, holding the sword. His right hand was covered in blood. Having forcefully borrowed power from the future, he suffered backlash, with some damage to his soul. Ripples constantly disturbed the lake of his heart.
In a distant place.
In the empty, desolate Great Death Realm, a figure stood up from a small star, gazing intently towards the boundary realm.
In the Blue Sky Sword Sea of the myriad worlds.
The massive black coffin opened slightly, a hand already grasping its edge, ready to sit up!
Emperor Witch stood high in the sky, looking at Chen Xia with utmost seriousness. His usually calm and cold expression actually broke into a smile, his eyes filled with joy and approval.
"If you hadn't fallen, you would have been my greatest obstacle in pursuing the Supreme path."
"Perhaps you would have fallen first?" Chen Xia retorted.
"That's also a possibility. But having been locked away for over 200,000 years, now that I'm free, I naturally want to do my utmost to live for myself. What I desire is to stand at the Supreme position. Only then will I not have wasted those 200,000 years."
Emperor Witch spoke softly, then shook his head.
"I've changed my mind. You don't need to break my three paths. You just need to withstand my next attack. Regardless of whether you live or die, I'll let Cangmang Heart Demon go."
Chen Xia exhaled, forcefully gathering a breath of spiritual energy. His hand holding the half Immortal Sword was shaking, but he showed no weakness, simply nodding and saying,
"Come."
Emperor Witch nodded, his eyes lighting up with a blood-red color that quickly turned crimson. At the same time, he said,
"This is the great Dao I first comprehended, and what I consider to be the strongest Dao. In my heart, it is the pinnacle of all Daos."
"The Dao of Killing."
The crimson in Emperor Witch's eyes became more distinct, with clear differentiation. The pupils were like blood-red suns, flashing once.
"Although I comprehend the Dao of Killing, I've never killed many people. I remember every person I've killed in my heart. From beginning to end, there have been 170 in total."
"The Dao of Killing is the most formidable Dao in all the worlds, and killing people is the most solemn act, requiring the utmost seriousness."
"I never kill indiscriminately, but those I decide to kill have never survived."
He reached towards his crimson eyes, as if removing one, though there was no blood. He held the eye in his hand, staring directly at Chen Xia.
The crimson eye spoke, saying,
"Die."
In the Great Death Realm, the figure that had been gazing towards the boundary realm suddenly erupted into motion. The entire Great Death Realm shook instantly, as if it had moved.
The hand on the giant black coffin rose, the coffin lid fell, and a pitch-black figure sat up, facing directly towards the boundary realm.
Chen Xia felt a tremor in his heart. The lake of his heart stopped rippling, then his blood paused, his movements ceased, and his thoughts and soul began to halt. Even his spiritual energy stopped flowing.
He was completely cut off from the outside world.
"The world divides death into three levels. The first is the disappearance of life. The second is when your identity is erased during the funeral. The third is when no one remembers you, and you are forgotten forever."
"You are now experiencing the first death."
Emperor Witch spoke softly, his outstretched hand closing inward, tightly gripping the crimson eyeball. Then he said in a deep voice,
"Now for the second death."
Chen Ancestor, Chen Chief, Mr. Chen, Chen the Herbalist, Chen the Shopkeeper, Old Man Chen...
These identities were forcibly erased one by one, no longer acknowledged. It felt as if this person had already departed.
Blood began to seep from the corners of Emperor Witch's mouth as he spoke with some difficulty,
"The third death."
He wanted to sever all of Chen Xia's connections - this was true death, the ultimate killing!
Bang!
A huge hole suddenly opened in the entire boundary realm!
It was as if a constellation had formed a fist, violently breaking through the boundary realm's barrier.
A figure was already standing in front of the sword-wielding Chen Xia, with what seemed to be stars circling behind him, forming a stellar realm!
Moreover, a pitch-black figure burst out from the dark mist in the sky, single-handedly stirring up all the black mist, further obstructing the lingering death Dao divine ability, taking form behind Chen Xia.
One in front, one behind.
Emperor Witch frowned slightly. With his experience, he naturally recognized the pitch-black figure as an Out of Body Avatar at first glance, but he couldn't discern the nature of the figure surrounded by stars.
However, both figures bore Chen Xia's aura.
The pitch-black figure, being an Out of Body Avatar, had less soul intelligence and simply stood guard over its main body impassively.
The Seed of Dao, on the other hand, had some consciousness and knew to confront Emperor Witch.
"Is this your fifth path?" Emperor Witch frowned deeply. If Chen Xia was truly a five-path saint, he would have to admit inferiority.
But he still couldn't sense the aura of a five-path saint. It seemed as if these two were casually conjured.
But guardian avatars of this caliber couldn't possibly be casual...
Chen Xia's thoughts slowly recovered, his blood began to flow again. He tilted his head slightly, as if everything had been calculated, and grinned.
"Just a few of my limited trump cards."
Emperor Witch fell silent.
Four paths, path fusion, half an Immortal Sword, Out of Body Avatar...
Could these still be considered "limited trump cards"?
In his era, a prodigy cultivator would have only one technique worthy of being called a trump card. It seemed times had indeed changed.
"Do you have any other trump cards?" Emperor Witch couldn't help but ask.
"I have one final ace up my sleeve," Chen Xia answered honestly.
"How final?" Emperor Witch asked again.
"You'd have to die, and I might end up half-dead," Chen Xia was all about telling the truth.
Emperor Witch fell silent again, then nodded.
"You've withstood this move. I don't want to test your final trump card. Let's save our battle for when we meet on the path to supremacy."
He turned around, his hand holding the eye wavering slightly, and said again,
"Die."
Several restricted zone lords present, except for the yellow dog heart demon, instantly perished. The death of so many formation eyes made the boundary realm tremble.
Emperor Witch paid no more attention to anything else. He ascended to the heavens, walking out of the shattered boundary realm in a dignified manner, truly marking the emergence of this prodigy from over 200,000 years ago.
But the boundary realm couldn't survive, because the Way of Heaven's reckoning was still descending, intent on erasing all cultivators in the boundary realm.
Chen Xia naturally didn't want to get involved, but the Way of Heaven's reckoning came for him.
Because the Seed of Dao had already formed the embryonic form of a false Way of Heaven.
He carried the stars on his back, forming his own universe with its own Way of Heaven condensed within.
This was an act of supreme defiance, and the Way of Heaven wanted to settle accounts.
Fortunately, Chen Xia had always understood propriety.
So he planned to settle accounts with the Way of Heaven first.
If I kill the real one, then I'll become the real one!