What is the Way of Heaven?
This was once a question that troubled countless cultivators.
Everyone knew there was a Way of Heaven, everyone feared it, but no one knew exactly what it was.
Until the appearance of the first Supreme Being, that is, when the first Emperor of the Six Paths reached the pinnacle, finally understanding the meaning of the Way of Heaven at the very top of all realms.
He said the Way of Heaven is the hand that controls all things, the sole will of all realms, the god above all cultivators.
In simpler terms, the Way of Heaven is the strongest cultivator in the world, strong enough to control everyone.
And the Way of Heaven worshipped by ordinary Golden Core and Nascent Soul cultivators is merely the will of the realm. If understood from a cultivator's perspective, the will of the realm is just an external incarnation of the Way of Heaven.
This is the Supreme Being's understanding of the Way of Heaven.
Later, as Supreme Beings increased in number, there were other interpretations of the Way of Heaven, even explaining the Way of Heaven's reckoning.
They likened the Way of Heaven's reckoning to harvesting "crops". Cultivators need to absorb spiritual energy from heaven and earth, comprehend divine abilities, and require mysterious opportunities and luck.
These are all obtained from their respective realms, which is to say, from the Way of Heaven.
So naturally, the Way of Heaven wants to take back everything with interest during the reckoning.
And why can saints survive the Way of Heaven's reckoning? Because saints are not considered "crops" in the eyes of the Way of Heaven, but rather "fruit trees". Due to their need to comprehend the Dao, saints actually nourish the Way of Heaven in return, and saints can continue to grow until death.
At this time, a deceased saint is much more bountiful than those "crops".
Therefore, the Way of Heaven's reckoning never targets saints, but if a saint actively resists the reckoning, they will still die.
Why target Chen Xia now? Because Chen Xia, who has comprehended the "false Way of Heaven", is neither a "crop" nor a "fruit tree" in the eyes of the Way of Heaven, but another harvester...
A "thief".
If a thief enters one's crop fields and orchards, there's no question of peaceful coexistence, so the Way of Heaven wants to reckon with Chen Xia.
And why isn't Chen Xia afraid? Because what's before him isn't the true Way of Heaven, just a small fragment, not as powerful as the reckoning of the Blue Sky Sword Sea, after all, the Blue Sky Sword Sea was still presided over by an Emperor at that time.
"I want to see just how formidable this Way of Heaven is!" Chen Xia gritted his teeth and shouted. While others become more cautious with age, he's different - the older he gets, the more arrogant he becomes, perhaps because he has many lives, or maybe because he's lived long enough.
Don't ask why he's not afraid.
Because not being afraid is just not being afraid!
He twirled his semi-immortal sword, sending his avatar's divided spirit back, leaving only his Dao seed to stand beside him.
The cultivators of the Heavenly Rain Realm were already packing up, ready to leave at any moment.
Shanshui Quasi-Emperor, left with half a life because the Emperor Shaman didn't intend to kill him, now looked weakly at Chen Xia and couldn't help but shout.
"Brother Chen, run quickly! Abandoning one realm isn't a big deal. As long as the mountain is green, there's no fear of running out of firewood!"
"Today, I'd rather burn down the whole mountain than give in to it!" Chen Xia shouted with an unusually determined expression.
The Dao seed was his inner demon, he couldn't possibly watch it be reckoned with.
Seeing Chen Xia so stubborn, Shanshui Quasi-Emperor didn't know what to say. He shook his head, stood in place with the cultivators of the Heavenly Rain Realm to watch, planning to see this final performance before leaving.
Four saints battling the Way of Heaven - this news would shock countless cultivators if spread, it was truly fantastical.
Shanshui Quasi-Emperor sighed softly, unable to bear letting Chen Xia face it alone, after all, Chen Xia had done a great service to the Heavenly Rain Realm, equivalent to saving half the fate of the entire realm.
He frowned, gritted his teeth, suddenly waved his sleeve, using his remaining spiritual energy to condense a great divine ability to protect Chen Xia's side, then shouted loudly.
"Cultivators of the Heavenly Rain Realm, protect Chen Xia!"
His words were extremely firm, with an irrefutable tone.
The cultivators of the Heavenly Rain Realm didn't hesitate, as it was clear to everyone that Chen Xia had saved their lives. As soon as Shanshui Quasi-Emperor shouted, numerous great divine abilities appeared to protect Chen Xia.
Not only that, Wang Yangzi, hidden in the river of time, appeared with the few remaining saints from the Saint Hall, directly using their life-bound divine abilities to protect Chen Xia.
Wu Saint also arrived, his own Dao suddenly manifesting, with few words, protection was paramount.
Almost all the strongest cultivators in the realm were helping to protect Chen Xia.
Moreover, in the middle level of the realm, the Zhang Family began to kneel devoutly, pouring all their mental energy and spiritual energy into Chen Xia's divine statue.
This might not be a lot of spiritual energy, but every bit was important for Chen Xia now.
He took a deep breath, standing shoulder to shoulder with his Dao seed, under the pressure of heaven and earth, yet smiled lightly at his Dao seed.
"It's been a long time since we fought together."
But the Dao seed didn't respond, as it was now just Chen Xia's Dao seed, and Dao seeds have no consciousness.
The inner demon would never appear again.
A rare look of regret appeared on Chen Xia's face, but he shook his head, not caring about anything else, just raising his sword.
If the Time Dao was the great Dao he comprehended most deeply, then the Way of the Sword was the strongest for battle.
Nothing else.
Only the immortal sword.
Four Daos combined, plus the Dao seed in reserve, actually made four and a half great Daos, but the Dao of the Dao seed was too big and couldn't be condensed out.
Chen Xia and his Dao seed rose together.
Outside the realm, countless stars rose, all from the Great Death Realm, vast and mighty!
The Way of Heaven's reckoning pressed down, seemingly sensing a threat, the pressure increased several fold.
"You think you can reckon with me?!" Chen Xia stood on the mountain waves, first swung his flying sword back, the sword edge slightly raised, the waves reversed, then he gripped it straight, looking directly at the high heavens.
This sword strike had no past or future, no thunder and lightning, no heavenly dragon raising its head.
It was just a plain and simple sword strike.
A sword strike of four Daos combined.
He wanted to use the immortal sword...
To cleave the heavens!
Hum!
A dazzling sword light suddenly lit up, covering the entire upper realm, leaving not the slightest gap.
Then came the sound of the sword.
Then the sword energy that everyone could feel.
The breadth of this sword strike was as vast as heaven and earth.
But could it really cleave the heavens?
Shanshui Quasi-Emperor squinted, straining to observe, his heart uneasy with worry.
As a Quasi-Emperor, he had truly experienced the power of the Way of Heaven.
The power of the Way of Heaven couldn't be described as merely strong, but as infinite.
Because the Way of Heaven was the entire multiverse.
The sword light lit up again, this time covering the entire sky, threads of sword light squeezed into the Way of Heaven, each thread of sword light was a sword energy, wanting to forcefully cleave the Way of Heaven!
But although the Way of Heaven was cut in some places, it quickly replenished, showing no signs of weakening at all, the downward pressure still fierce.
Before this sword strike could dissipate.
Another sword light arose!
Chen Xia directly charged forward with his sword, without any fear, straight into the innermost part of the Way of Heaven.
The Dao seed gathered the power of the stars, firmly resisting the pressure of the Way of Heaven from below.
The Way of Heaven did indeed pause briefly, and the sword light within it rang out violently.
Shanshui Quasi-Emperor and the others frowned as they watched, their thoughts tense.
Was it a stalemate? Was there a chance?
The Way of Heaven gave its answer. Above the realm, a majestic divine light shot down from the highest point of all realms, carrying a terrifying aura of destruction, injecting into the Way of Heaven's reckoning.
Boom!
The stars shattered instantly, the Dao seed's body fell thunderously, breaking through the upper barrier, then shattering the middle layer, falling like a meteor into the lower layer of the realm.
Falling with it was Chen Xia, his body covered in blood.
The semi-immortal sword slipped from his hand, falling to one side.
Chen Xia's face was blank, staring dazedly, somewhat stunned by the blow.
Around him was a small courtyard, with a table, a bench, a small excavated grave, and a withered spirit tree.
He was in a small house.
The Dao seed struggled to its feet, standing beside Chen Xia, still protecting him.
Chen Xia sat up trembling, took a breath, then stood up, glanced around the small house, and sighed.
"What a coincidence."
He took shaky steps forward, without looking back.
Behind him was a microcosm of his twenty thousand years.
"Goodbye, Old Zhang, goodbye, Big Yellow Dog."
Chen Xia murmured softly, walking shoulder to shoulder with his Dao seed towards the door.
At the doorway.
He fist-bumped with his Dao seed and shouted.
"Past and Future Law!"