Chapter 1039: Lack a Single Step on the Path of Swordsmanship
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Countless cultivators were gathered together below Lihen Heaven. Many people from the top forces had come as well.
Everyone’s gaze fell upon Ye Futian.
Ye Futian and those with him descended from the sword and looked up, then started forward.
Everyone looked on in amazement. There were five people coming forward.
Besides Ye Futian, there was Yu Sheng, Ye Wuchen, Xue Que, and Zui Qianchou.
“Ye Wuchen and the other three must be the ones that Lihen Heaven had surrounded and tried to kill,” said someone in the crowd.
“Ah, that must be it. After Yu Sheng arrived, the Sword Saint of Liyang struck out and after but a single sword stroke Yu Sheng was covered in blood.”
Once someone had brought up the reason that this bitterness had started, many people suddenly understood. Ye Futian was bringing them up to Lihen Heaven to rid them of their enmity.
Up in the air there was a Blue Phoenix riding the wind with a stunning figure standing atop it. It was Princess Xia Qingyuan, who had come to witness the battle.
Having here there would ensure that no Saints interfered as Ye Futian ascended the thirty three levels of heaven.
Ye Futian and the others stepped forward onto the staircase and entered Lihen Heaven.
The Village Saint and the others waited below. With Xia Qingyuan there, they did not need to worry about Ye Futian’s safety, so it was best that they wait for his return there.
Each of the thirty three levels of Lihen Heaven had many cultivators, richly decorated jade palaces. It was towering and majestic. Step by step, Ye Futian and the others ascended to the first level of Lihen Heaven under everyone’s gaze.
A group of cultivators appeared before them, all of them on the Sage plane. There were only five people in front of them, but their eyes were still serious.
It was said that Ye Futian had wounded many cultivators at Old Man Xiao’s feast with a single pluck of his guqin, including Fengxiao and Mo Li. They were not equal to this kind of power.
But since he had come, they could not just huddle up in the corner.
They stood there gripping their swords, with sword wills flowing around them. But at that moment, Ye Wuchen, Xu Que and Zui Qianchou stepped forward as fast as lightning.
Yu Sheng followed behind them, and Ye Futian came last.
Lihen Heaven was the primary holy land for swordsmanship in Emperor Xia’s Realm. Where else could be a better place for training with their swords?
In the past, Lu Chen of Lihen Heaven and his men had cornered Ye Wuchen and the others. After they had been defeated by Yu Sheng, their Saint had gotten involved. Today, they were going to give the cultivators of Lihen Heaven a taste of their own medicine.
The life spirit in Ye Wuchen’s brow spat out brilliant golden light as radiant golden sword wills wrapped around him, and his whole body became exceedingly sharp. Xu Que and Zui Qianchou both had divine implements, and they struck forward. Although they were only mid level Sages, and many of the cultivators from Lihen Heaven were at the top of the Sage level, their divine implements made up the difference. Even if their opponents had had divine implements, using them would still have been more advantageous to Xu Que and Zui Qianchou than if both sides had not had them.
Of course, the strongest among them was still Ye Wuchen, who had Renhuang’s Sword Will.
Ye Wuchen flashed over in an instant. He opened his eyes that were as sharp as swords, and light swords shot out, piercing everyone’s minds. An illusion appeared before the cultivators of Lihen Heaven. It seemed that the sky was full of swords.
A sword struck, and they all felt a clear sense of danger, but they did not know where it came from. This was the Illusory Sword Technique.
However, they were well trained for this. Some of the best among them closed their eyes and struck out, and in an instant there were swords everywhere.
Ye Futian stood behind them calmly. He had heard that in the first eleven levels of Lihen Heaven the cultivators were all those who had not yet officially joined Lihen Heaven or whose talent was not enough and thus had not yet advanced to the core. The people on the middle eleven levels were the true core disciples.
As for the top ten levels, those were reserved for those whose talent was enough to certify their genius.
Starting at the middle eleven levels, each level had someone at the Saint level to train them. It was easy to see how powerful Lihen Heaven was. The teachers on the middle eleven levels were of the first tier of the Saint Ranking. They were disciples on the Divine Path. The top ten levels were the true foundation of Lihen Heaven, and the teachers were of the elder generation.
As for the thirty third level, it was called the Heaven Beyond Heaven. Only top talents like Wang Chuan had a chance to go there and be taught by the Sword Master of Lihen.
It could be said that the division of ranks in Lihen Heaven was very strict.
The Sword Saint of Liyang was in the top eleven levels of Lihen Heaven. Lu Cheng, who had gotten involved previously, Chu Qingyang, Wang Mang, Li Qiushui and Mo Li were all there cultivating.
Of course, anyone who could get into Lihen Heaven was an outstanding cultivator. Those whose talent was referred to as “not enough” were only not good enough when compared with the people of Lihen Heaven.
But Ye Wuchen and the others were enough to handle them. After all, by using Renhuang’s Sword Will and their divine implements, they could bring to bear a combat prowess equal to one at the top of the Sage level, especially Ye Wuchen. In the previous battle he had wounded Chu Qingyang, Overbearing Sword and Wang Mang.
Ye Wuchen launched the main attack, and sword illusions wrapped around his opponents. Xu Que and Zui Qianchou accompanied him. They both sped up and launched surprise attacks. They were invisible and left no trace. With their help, the attacks became even more amazing.
Cracking sounds rang out as the cultivators in front of them found their clothes stained with blood. They had all suffered wounds of various degrees.
The swords wills still flowed all around them as Ye Wuchen and the others continued forward.
Yu Sheng and Ye Futian followed close behind.
Along the way, countless cultivators attacked them, but all of them were defeated by Ye Wuchen and the other two. Yu Sheng did not even have to lift a finger.
They quickly passed through the lower eleven levels and reached the middle eleven.
By that time Ye Wuchen and the others were short of breath. Even though it had only been the lower eleven levels, everyone there had been extraordinary.
They looked up into the sky and saw that their path was filled with swordsmen, but Ye Wuchen still looked very calm. A brilliant light shone from the life spirit sword. He reached out with his single arm and suddenly thousands of swords gathered together into an unbreakable sword that seemed able to sweep away anything.
“Lend me your swords,” he said. Xu Que and Zui Qianchou nodded. As they stood behind him, their sword wills flowed wildly into his.
“Let’s go,” said Ye Wuchen, and suddenly the three of them turned into a single light sword. They tore through the air as they shot into the sky as fast as a bolt of lightning. An incomparable sword will emanated from them as they tried to break through the Thirty Three Layers of Heaven.
Boom! There was a loud sound as Yu Sheng stepped forward quickly. That sturdy figure followed close behind Ye Wuchen, causing the earth to tremble and countless buildings to waver.
Ahead of them, a figure stood watching them with sharp eyes. Countless sword wills flowed around him, and eventually formed together into a terrible sword diagram. He reached out with both hands and pressed them down, and suddenly the sword diagram sliced through the air towards the light sword that was shooting up towards him.
A line of sword will tore through the sword diagram, slicing it apart. The sword will in front of the cultivator collapsed wildly. He turned pale and turned to retreat, dodging out of the way of the sword. He saw it pass in front of him, and he was instantly covered in cold sweat and his face was as pale as ash.
He had to retreat.
And this retreat would damage his swordsmanship.
Up ahead, another cultivator was coming after them. A terrible storm appeared in front of him, and it turned into a storm of swords that covered the sky. The sky darkened as the swords fell, as if the end of days had come.
Ye Wuchen and the other two shot up into the sky like swords, cutting through the air. They pierced through the storm and cut it open.
The storm of swords turned into an endlessly destructive light that could annihilate anything. Yet Ye Wuchen seemed not to notice it as he continued forward. The sword will of the Great Path followed him, and the sword will present in the storm was also integrated into his sword.
The swordsman paled as the sword sliced through the air. He flew away covered in blood, feeling like all the sword will within him had been destroyed. If Ye Wuchen had let his sword will explode, he would have been a dead man.
The group continued forward. They wanted to pierce through the Thirty Three Layers of Heaven. Swordsman after swordsman was wounded or retreated. Many people watched them from below. From down there they could faintly feel the invincible sword will. And of course there was an incomparably powerful figure following behind them.
At that moment there was no sword will on the Thirty Third Layer of Heaven. It seemed as if there was only one person in the entire world. He sat there with his single eye closed, as if he had entered into a state of emptiness.
This was Wang Chuan.
A figure appeared in a palace across from him and stood at the edge of it. He stood there casually. He gave off no aura, but he wielded a sword that could pierce the heavens and the earth.
The foremost swordsman in Emperor Xia’s Realm, the Swordmaster of Lihen, had returned from his cultivation.
“Why did you ask him to come here to fight?” he asked.
“The Thirty Third Layer of Lihen Heaven is also known as the Heaven Beyond Heaven. You once said that there are men beyond men, and heavens beyond heavens. The swordsmen of Lihen Heaven say that I am unequaled, but my swordsmanship is impure. I need someone to break me out of my habits,” said Wang Chuan.
“Do you seek victory or defeat?” asked the Swordmaster of Lihen.
“Neither. I only wish that my swordsmanship can be without fault,” answered Wang Chuan.
“You lack a single step on the path of swordsmanship?” asked the Swordmaster of Lihen.
“Yes.” Wang Chuan nodded.
“You have invited someone to Lihen Heaven to fight before the eyes of all the world to prove your determination, and seek defeat to prove your lack of flaws. If you can break through your limitations, and achieve success through defeat, then you will surely be the foremost swordsman of Lihen Heaven.” The Swordmaster of Lihen spoke calmly and without surprise as he quietly watched his disciple kneeling before him.