Writer: StarReader

Proofreader: Silavin

“You’re finally here, Sword Sovereign. For a second there, I thought Heavenly Sovereign changed his mind, but we both know that if he’s fixated on cleansing Heaven’s Will for millions of years, he’s sure to stick with it for millions more.” Zhuo Fan grinned.

Sword Sovereign blinked, finding something changed in him. The last time, he saw this man at Heavenly Sovereign’s complete whim. Now, his confidence was off-putting. “That means you know why I’m here. Are you going to follow with Heavenly Sovereign’s wishes or will things have to get ugly?”

“Before that, I think you have a score to settle with senior Sea Ao.” Zhuo Fan smirked.

“Tie Jianxin, you’re finally showing yourself. I considered you a friend. Why did you attack me?” Sea Ao’s eye stung at the memory of his betrayal.

“Loyalty stands above all else. All I can say is sorry.”

“When you trained your path with me, you said it was a human sword path, while leaving Heavenly Sword path behind. So, I found someone for you, one that achieved the path you trained in that cave.”

Patting Sword Child’s shoulder, Sea Ao taunted, “Heavenly Sword path against the human sword path, which is stronger, which is weaker? You must be eager to know the result. Go ahead, give it a try. Is it your sword path your heart created stronger, or the sword path you learned by Heavenly Sovereign’s side?”

Sword Child held a pitch-black longsword pointing it forward, “I am a demonic sword, you, a Heavenly sword. Before the showdown between dad and Sword Sovereign, we will settle our fight!”

“Ha-ha-ha, there can only be one who can wield the sword path. Since we’re both sword path Sovereigns, our fight is inevitable!” Sword Sovereign shot for Sword Child.

Sword Child flew forward as well, and the two swords met thousands of times in a blink.

The two pulled back and explosions cracked the sky, leaving black holes. Even the stars and sun were gone.

One unleashed blinding and searing attacks with his white sword, while the other held total destruction at his fingertips through his Apocalyptic Sword.

The landscape was changed around them from the sheer magnitude of the battle, with black and white fires spread as far as the eye could see. It was a miracle the world didn’t end then and there.

After the warm-up, the two went for ranged attacks, unleashing sword waves in endless amounts. But seeing as the attacks were just canceled out, they went for an old-fashioned melee, using their brawn as well as skill to dodge and attack at a moment’s notice while gliding through the other’s assaults.

Sword Child came charging with an overhead swing, to which Sword Sovereign side stepped, swinging his own white sword for his opponent’s neck. Sword Child leaned his head back. The white sword wave taking a few strands of hair as it shot into the air, leaving a rend from one end of the horizon to the other.

He used the momentum to do a roundhouse kick, forcing Sword Sovereign back, but he seemed to have forgotten that Sword Child was a Sovereign weapon in body. He could unleash sword waves not just from his hands, but legs as well. It caught Sword Sovereign off-guard as the black wave slammed him into his chest and buried him into some nameless mountain.

Sword Sovereign came out of the rubble looking no worse for wear, with a smile on his face as he jumped back into the fray.

The only ones who could perceive the constant shift of battle were the sacred beasts and Zhuo Fan, with the Sword Kings only making out bits and pieces when they slowed down as their swords clashed for the briefest of moments.

The sacred beasts looked on with worry, despite feeling for themselves the new power of Sword Child. The only reason they remained calm was because of Zhuo Fan’s casual smile, as if this battle was a foregone conclusion, a mere formality to prove his insight. It baffled them what could have given him so much confidence despite the savage battle happening above them.

To the others, it defied all logic, more so than the power they witnessed back in the mortal domain from the undisputed strongest man, Invincible Sword.

As the incessant booms cracked the air and blasted the eardrums of the weaker Luo Clansmen, some pattern began to emerge. While the thunderflame and the white power waned with time, it soon became apparent the white side was losing momentum faster than the other.

After one particularly muffled bang, the two figures reappeared in the eyes of the major audience, standing far apart. While Sword Child huffed in exhaustion, Sword Sovereign was down to one knee and his lone arm bleeding.

Sword Sovereign smiled, “You have won. You are now the Sword Sovereign.”

“Why did you let me win? You had plenty of chances to finish me off? Why didn’t you take them?” Sword Child looked in confusion. “You could’ve beaten me if you just went all out from the start!”

Sword Sovereign turned to Sea Ao.

“He’s here.” Zhuo Fan’s spoke, drawing confuse looks from the rest.

“Sword Heart!” A cold voice echoed from all around and a golden eye appeared in the sky, “You still chose the human path!”

Kunpeng fell back in shock. “Heavenly Sovereign? What is he doing here? I thought he can’t come out because of the bewitching.”

“Heavenly Sovereign, I owed it to Sea Ao from back then. I did not betray you. I only lost to the human sword path I understood before.”

“I just knew your sword path isn’t a pure Heavenly Sword, or else he couldn’t have controlled your Sovereign path all those years ago. That’s why, I didn’t let you guide those eight fools even with your almighty sword path. I made the right choice.”

Sword Sovereign shuddered and got flung into the sky, towards the eye.

Sea Ao reached him in time, grabbing his hand. “Tie Jianxin, tell me the truth. What do you mean by returning the favor?”

“I am Heavenly Sovereign’s Heavenly Sword, I can never betray him. All I could ever do was pass my path. It’s up to Heaven if he can combine the ten paths.” And he glanced over at Zhuo Fan.

He sent a sword energy from his finger and pushed Sea Ao back. Sword Sovereign was absorbed in the huge eye as he smiled. “Brother Sea Ao, goodbye. I hope you won’t be destroyed with the world…”

“Tie Jianxin!” Sea Ao roared, his eye shaking as Sword Sovereign was swallowed along with his path.