Chapter 1533 — The Tribulation of the Immortal Sword

The moment the Blind Elder's diagram appeared, all the formation masters became parts of the formation; their magic power gathered and fused into one, transforming into layer upon layer of heavenly palaces, forming in truth a great Heavenly Court of formations.

Even Yan Yunxi became a part of the formation.

She looked up and saw, viewed from below, peak upon peak of that Heavenly Court, raising the Dao of formations to its very peak, and she could not help but marvel.

The Blind Elder was the diagram's nexus; leading the countless formation masters, he strode into the Dao Fire Ancestral Ground.

Together they roared, driving the formation to brand Shen Mu's Dao domain into the sword. At the same time, the Blind Elder controlled the formation, gathering the strength of all to lay formation after formation into the three men's vital-essence hammers, so that those hammers would not be shattered by the sword's aura.

Shen Mu, Li Youran, and the Silent Artisan shouted again and again, hammer after hammer wheeling up and down, ceaselessly forging around the divine sword. The three men's qi and blood steamed; the sweat all over their bodies evaporated into white vapor that danced around them, merging with their qi and blood, white dragons coursing through a sea of qi and blood, almost taking on substance.

As their sweat-vapor flowed, it even gave off wave upon wave of dragon cries and dragon roars. Suddenly the Silent Artisan roared again: "Sword Dao quenching!

" The three retreated in unison, clearing space. Within the Dao fire, the divine sword's aura suddenly broke through the Western Emperor White Tiger's suppression, and a line of blood appeared on her face, on skin whiter than snow.

In the instant the sword's aura broke her suppression, a great gash was torn in the sky above the Heaven Yin Realm; a resplendent sword light shot into the heavens, pierced the Heaven Yin Realm, and swept across Xuandu.

In Xuandu, star after star abruptly winked out; the long rivers of stars and the celestial river were cut apart by the sword light, leaving gaping breaches that long would not heal. The Western Emperor White Tiger gritted her teeth and blew her battle horn, trying to suppress the bursting metal qi.

Just then, thousands upon thousands of divine swords formed a torrent; the sword Dao surging, they roared into the nine heavens of the Dao fire, dancing up and down around that divine sword.

Clang, clang, clang!

Countless sharp notes burst forth almost at once; those divine swords did not strike the giant sword, yet it was as if they did battle with it, and in a single instant nearly all of them were suppressed.

Suddenly a sword light came flying; Kaihuang Shen Ye laid his hand on the Worry-Free Sword's hilt—but the sword did not leave its scabbard; rather, his own body became a sword light.

Kaihuang strode as if flying, plunging into the nine heavens of the Dao fire.

With a ringing zheng, the Worry-Free Sword left its scabbard; his body followed his sword, leaping up and down around the giant sword, and the thirty-five heavens of the sword Dao were unfolded beneath his blade.

Clang, clang, clang—the sharp notes came slow and clear; each of Kaihuang's strikes landed precisely on the giant sword, as though he contended with a grandmaster of the sword Dao. As his sword Dao unfurled, the giant sword's aura began to draw inward, contracting toward the blade itself.

As his sword Dao domain spread, the other sword Dao masters at once felt their burden ease; each unleashed the sword Dao he had comprehended, and the Dao auras of ten thousand divine swords burst forth, each with its own distinction.

Among them, the sword Dao domains of the former Jingping Imperial Preceptor Jiang Baigui and the village head Su Muzhe drew the most attention. The Silent Artisan roared: "Shen'er, brand your qi and blood!

" Shen Mu's Divine Treasury Domain unfolded; the Profound Body Three Elixirs Art was driven into motion, and his raging qi and blood surged skyward, roaring as it poured into the giant sword.

But though his qi and blood were incomparably fierce, they could hardly merge with the sword's aura, hardly fuse into the blade. The Eastern Emperor Azure Dragon raised his eyebrows, his robes fluttering, yet he did not act at once, thinking: "Kept me waiting so long, and not a word of apology—I'll make you wait a while too.

.

. " Suddenly the Worry-Free Sword's scabbard came flying with a whistle and planted itself at his feet.

The corner of the Eastern Emperor Azure Dragon's left eye twitched.

He stepped forward, and his qi and blood, vast and primal, his purple qi majestic, poured into Shen Mu's body, sending Shen Mu's qi and blood surging madly.

With his aid, Shen Mu's qi and blood at once merged with the receding sword aura and sword qi, fusing into the blade. The giant sword gradually shrank; it and Shen Mu's qi and blood blended, tending toward mutual accord.

This was the most crucial step: only when qi and blood were in accord could the long sword transform as the heart willed and become one's own divine weapon.

The giant sword grew smaller and smaller, from ten thousand zhang to a hundred zhang, from a hundred zhang to ten, and gradually shrank until it was but a zhang and two or three chi.

The Eastern Emperor Azure Dragon too felt his qi and blood draining away at furious speed.

Of the four Emperors of the ancient gods, his qi and blood were the strongest; if he forcibly expended them, he could indeed help Shen Mu forge the divine sword completely—but that would cost him a portion of his cultivation.

As he hesitated, the Western Emperor White Tiger's horn suddenly flew above his head, and the sound of it blared into both his ears—a long, low blast. The Eastern Emperor Azure Dragon's qi and blood instantly swelled severalfold; vast purple qi roared into Shen Mu's body, and Shen Mu's qi and blood surged wildly, pouring into that divine sword of a zhang and three chi.

The divine sword grew smaller still, becoming a five-chi blade.

Rage rose in the Eastern Emperor Azure Dragon's heart; he shot a glance at the Western Emperor White Tiger, only to see that female Emperor turn and look at him, stick out her tongue, and make a face at him.

The anger in his heart melted away entirely, and he thought: "The girl is rather adorable, only difficult to win over.

Never mind—I will not stoop to quarrel with her.

.

.

" At the center of the nine heavens of Dao fire stood a five-chi divine sword; its radiance was like snow-white lake water, and the sword seemed planted in that lake, from time to time giving off a jingling that sent ripples spreading in rings. Seeing this, everyone recalled their divine swords; the Southern Emperor ceased to rouse the Dao Fire Ancestral Ground; the Blind Elder withdrew his formation diagram.

Emperor Shitian Li Youran looked toward the Silent Artisan, and saw him still standing erect within the Dao fire, eyes closed and spirit concentrated, the Dao resonance about him growing ever stronger.

Li Youran smiled and quietly withdrew.

Shen Mu stepped forward and drew the divine sword up, and the lake-like radiance all returned into the blade.

He grasped the sword and gave it a light flick; a clear, soaring note of sword-song rang out, and in Xuandu beyond the heavens a star abruptly winked out and fell from the sky.

"A fine sword.

" Kaihuang walked over, studied the sword in his hand, and asked, "Does it have a name? " "It does.

" Shen Mu formed a sword seal with his left hand and slid it lightly from hilt to tip, sword light flickering in his eyes, and let out a breath of true essence: "It is called Tribulation. "