BOOK 2: CHAPTER 427: THE TRUE HEAVENLY RIVER SECT, ASCENDING THE SWORD PEAK

Vol 2 Chapter 427: The True Heavenly River Sect, Ascending the Sword Peak

Zheng Fa stood before Tongtian Sword Peak, silently gazing at the rows of immortal swords.

These swords varied greatly in shape and power, but the one thing they shared was the engraved names on their blades—the handwriting style clearly from the same person.

It was easy to guess who had carved these names.

He scanned from bottom to top, reading each name one by one.

The names on the spirit tools and life treasures mostly belonged to cultivators above the Nascent Soul stage.

However, the names on the magical tools were likely only Golden Core cultivators at best.

Such cultivators, even in today's Jiushan Sect, were not considered core disciples.

Yet the Heavenly River Venerable had left them on this sword peak for future generations to admire.

Zheng Fa sighed quietly.

Speaking of which, since he cultivated the Yang Spirit Method, Dharmakaya Method, and Heavenly River Method simultaneously, he had long sensed the differences among the three methods.

The Yang Spirit Method, especially the most traditional form, carried a sense of detachment and emotional severance.

For example, the Taishang Dao emphasized forgetting emotions entirely.

But the other two methods had emotions even richer than ordinary people.

Network anomaly, refreshing and retrying.

During the Dharmakaya cultivation process, one had to confront various desires directly.

Regarding the Heavenly River Method, according to the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor, its defining feature was persistence.

From this perspective, looking again at the Tongtian Sword Peak before him, Zheng Fa could roughly guess the Heavenly River Venerable’s attachment.

At his ear, Xie Qingxue began reminding him again:

“The Myriad Swords Realm got its name from these immortal swords.”

“They are not just decorations.”

Zheng Fa’s gaze sharpened slightly, casually glancing at those immortal swords.

Suddenly, the Myriad Swords Realm flared up, circling around the sword peak.

Among them, thousands still hovered around the life treasures, circling back and forth.

“What does that mean?”

“If the Sect Leader chooses a sword from Mou Ping, he will naturally understand,” Myriad Swords Realm replied.

“The Yang Spirit Method has always been accessible only to the most mediocre disciple of each generation.”

In the Heavenly Palace of the Four Mountain Realm, Senior Sister Zhang furrowed her brow, looking at Myriad Swords Realm with some dissatisfaction.

Myriad Swords Realm shook its head and said, “There is some safety in that.”

As if to prove its point, it added, “The Sect Leader can try using teleportation here.”

Mou Ping heard this and activated the Rainbow Transformation Method, but his body didn’t move at all.

That was strange.

He then tried Earth Escape, raised the Rosy Cloud Talisman, and even the Heavenly River Sect’s Sword Escape Method—all to no effect.

“So, must we climb this Tongtian Sword Peak?”

Uncle Pang guessed.

Xie Qingxue shook her head, not yet speaking.

In the light screen, Zheng Fa extended a finger, condensing the Great Sun True Fire into a line, shooting directly at the cliff face of the sword peak. ᚱáꞐỐBЁs

The golden flames flickered twice on the black rock but seemed powerless and immediately extinguished.

Uncle Pang was stunned: “That hard?”

The Great Sun True Fire was extremely powerful, making this sword peak seem even more peculiar.

Zheng Fa looked up and saw the rock wall was as smooth as a mirror, with no footholds or handholds to climb.

This place, known as the Absolute Summit of Xuanwei, was likely impossible to scale.

Seeing his difficulty, Xie Qingxue spoke up: “The Myriad Swords Realm is at the peak of Tongtian Sword Peak. To reach it, you must rely on the flying swords left by predecessors.”

“How to rely on them?”

Xie Qingxue seemed to have visited Tongtian Sword Peak before, and her expression carried a trace of nostalgia as she spoke.

“The flying swords near you are at the magical tool level. Once you take one, your divine consciousness will enter the sword and connect with the original owner’s sword dao.”

Zheng Fa understood: “Sword dao? So I can only use their methods?”

“Your cultivation must be the same, but you can only use the Heavenly River Sect’s cultivation techniques.”

Zheng Fa nodded slightly.

This was likely a trial for the Heavenly River Sect’s younger disciples, selecting who could enter the Myriad Swords Realm.

Uncle Pang seemed interested: “And then?”

“If the Sect Leader wins against the opponent, this sword temporarily becomes under your control.”

Uncle Pang got it: “So that means you can ride the sword to the peak of the mountain?”

“No.” Xie Qingxue shook her head in denial and continued, “But you can get in contact with flying swords at the artifact level.”

Not just Uncle Pang, even Zheng Fa was stunned.

This meant that after passing the magical tool flying sword trial, he could upgrade to challenge the artifact-level flying swords, and eventually the spirit tool and life treasure flying swords…

A total of three transfers!

Uncle Pang muttered: “So troublesome…”

“I used to think it was troublesome too.” Xie Qingxue’s voice suddenly lowered, “Now, I want to go back to the sword peak again.”

Her sudden words made Uncle Pang and the others look at her.

Xie Qingxue pursed her lips, seeming to regret her words, forcing a smile:

“In the trial, I get to see the predecessors of our Heavenly River Sect.”

“Our Heavenly River Sect… probably only has these left.”

“I don’t know if the sword peak will still be there if the Sect Leader succeeds.”

Her words fell silent in the air.

After all, the Heavenly River Sect had been destroyed by the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor, and besides Sect Leader Yan, it was unknown if there were any survivors—though knowing the Demon Ancestor’s temperament, there could be very few.

The Heavenly River Sect might eventually become either the Underworld or the territory of Leiyin Temple.

Xie Qingxue’s mood was likely very complicated now;

her attitude toward the sword peak and these immortal swords was quite different from before.

Zheng Fa reached out and grasped a flying sword.

Xie Qingxue had said it was not dangerous, which was true, since the owners of these magical tool flying swords were probably not very powerful.

Therefore, he was not nervous and casually picked one.

The moment his palm touched the hilt, his vision went dark, and his divine consciousness suddenly entered a dim space.

In that space stood a plainly dressed Heavenly River disciple holding an immortal sword—likely the original owner of this sword, probably a Golden Core cultivator.

He vaguely remembered this person’s surname was Wu.

Zheng Fa slightly sensed that he had also transformed into a Golden Core cultivator, not even the Divine Firmament Golden Core he cultivated.

Looking down, he saw that he had taken on the other person’s appearance.

The sword in his hand was exactly the same as the one before him.

Same body, same spiritual power, same flying sword.

It was truly fair.

The Heavenly River disciple surnamed Wu said nothing, but the tip of his sword trembled;

the man and sword merged into a sword rainbow, stabbing straight at Zheng Fa.

Zheng Fa’s sword aura turned into a sword rainbow as well, but he only dodged without counterattacking.

He carefully observed the disciple, watching what formation seals he used, following along casually to learn.

Although he could not yet use the Void-Piercing Spirit Eye, he was still a Dao Venerable and very familiar with the Heavenly River Sect’s cultivation methods.

Combined with sharing the same body and spiritual power as the opponent,

within dozens of moves, Zheng Fa had imitated and comprehended over 90% of this disciple’s sword dao technique.

When he could no longer learn anything new, Zheng Fa struck with a sword horizontally through the air, easily claiming victory.

When he opened his eyes again, the flying sword of the Heavenly River disciple surnamed Wu nestled affectionately against his arm, obedient to his command.

According to Xie Qingxue, Zheng Fa only needed to master this sword to advance and challenge the artifact-level flying swords.

But he did not move.

He simply looked around at the surrounding magical tool flying swords and suddenly asked Senior Sister Zhang: “How long did that just take?”

Senior Sister Zhang was a bit stunned, seemingly not understanding what Zheng Fa intended, but still replied, “Just an instant.”

This was consistent with the information from the Heavenly Emperor body.

He thought for a moment and surprisingly ignored the submissive flying sword, instead reaching out to grasp another magical tool flying sword.

“What is the Sect Leader doing?”

Xie Qingxue was stunned.

At the same time, the Heavenly Emperor body took out a jade cylinder and began engraving on it.

Everyone was puzzled.

Only Senior Sister Zhang showed a strange expression, as if she had guessed something.

Looking back at Zheng Fa, he was frantically testing, one sword after another.

The Heavenly Emperor body engraved quickly, using up one jade cylinder in no time.

Uncle Pang curiously picked up the jade cylinder and was stunned: “The Heavenly River Sword Canon? Volume One?”

Senior Sister Zhang’s lips curled slightly, looking unsurprised.

Uncle Pang looked somewhat pained: “You… can take even a little bit?”

Xie Qingxue’s eyes widened, snatching the jade cylinder from Uncle Pang’s hands.

“Has the Sect Leader recorded the sword dao of these disciples?”

She was dumbfounded and found it absurd.

“Recording 100% is impossible, but 50-60% should be fine.”

The Heavenly Emperor body explained.

As Xie Qingxue said, this Tongtian Sword Peak seemed to have been established for the Myriad Swords Realm.

If he really belonged to the Myriad Swords Realm and entered it, this place might undergo great changes, and it was unknown if these Heavenly River disciples’ flying swords would still have such spiritual intelligence.

If not, these people would truly disappear completely.

Xie Qingxue studied the jade cylinder carefully again, noticing each unique formation seal was written alongside the name of its Heavenly River disciple.

Her expression grew increasingly complicated.

Uncle Pang was cheerful: “This is good. With this Sword Canon, the Heavenly River legacy in the Jiushan Realm will be more orthodox than the old Heavenly River Sect.”

Xie Qingxue found it hard to argue, as the old Heavenly River Sect did not even have the Nine-turn Golden Core Method before.

Even if she or Zheng Fa wanted to fully comprehend these predecessors’ cultivation methods, it was unlikely.

Only Zheng Fa or herself now had such a foundation.

While she was silent, Uncle Pang added, “Fairy Xie, you don’t need to be too sad. Although the Heavenly River Sect may be gone, all disciples of our Sword Dao Academy in the future will be true successors of the Heavenly River Sect!”

Upon hearing this, Xie Qingxue’s expression flickered slightly.

Uncle Pang looked at the light screen again and said, “The best way to honor these predecessors is to inherit their legacy.”

Xie Qingxue was silent, only lowering her head to look at the jade cylinder in her hand, then at Zheng Fa in the video, her expression growing softer.

Senior Sister Zhang looked at another light screen.

In it, the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor was still struggling to resist the Buddha light’s assault.

She shook her head: “The Nine Nether Demon Ancestor just needs to hold on a few more days.”

...

The Nine Nether Demon Ancestor seemed truly anxious.

Or perhaps, he was very focused on the next step of the Heavenly River Method.

Just as Zheng Fa released a flying sword, he received a message from the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor:

“Where are you? Have you entered the Myriad Swords Realm?”

Zheng Fa glanced down at his feet planted on the ground, then at the unattainably high Tongtian Sword Peak. After a moment’s thought, he replied:

“Immediately.”

His primary motivation for recording the formation seals of these Heavenly River disciples was to accumulate strength for the Jiushan Realm.

Others might simply treat the Myriad Swords Realm as a trial ground, but Zheng Fa always scraped the bottom of the barrel, unwilling to miss any knowledge.

Moreover, the Heavenly River Sect of this era was strong but far weaker than that of the last era.

The Heavenly River disciples of the previous era not only had the Nine-turn Golden Core Method but also had guidance from the Heavenly River Venerable, the strongest cultivator of this era.

Because the Heavenly River Sect almost unified Xuanwei, these disciples were the most talented of their time, far surpassing their peers and dominating Xuanwei.

If Jiushan disciples could cultivate these methods, their combat power would increase greatly.

In contrast, this era’s Heavenly River Sect had lost many foundational cultivation techniques, leading to an incomplete legacy.

What Uncle Pang saw as a complex trial was, in Zheng Fa’s eyes, a great treasure trove.

While others saw it as a trial ground, Zheng Fa saw it as a library of scriptures.

On the other hand, he always prepared for the worst:

If he could not obtain the next step of the Heavenly River Method from the Myriad Swords Realm, these cultivation techniques would become the material for independently deducing the Heavenly River Method.

He would never let that opportunity slip by.

Of course, he also planned to leave the names of these Heavenly River disciples for future generations to remember.

But that was just an incidental act.

...

Zheng Fa glanced at the Underworld’s livestream.

Compared to when he had left, the situation had not changed much:

Zhizhong’s sarira was damaged, which still affected Lu Mo somewhat, and the Buddha light was about 10% dimmer than before.

Another reason:

Zheng Fa observed Lu Mo in the video, who kept glancing around nervously, and he inwardly chuckled:

Lu Mo was probably still wary of him.

As a result, Lu Mo was distracted, easing the pressure on the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor.

Judging by the previous situation, the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor could still hold on for quite some time.

Zheng Fa continued exploring the magical tool flying swords faster and faster.

As he defeated more Heavenly River disciples, his understanding of the Heavenly River sword dao grew deeper—new things became harder to find.

In just over half a day, Zheng Fa had challenged all magical tool-level flying swords.

He had accumulated six jade cylinders recording the Heavenly River Sword Canon.

At this moment, the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor seemed anxious again, asking through Spirit Message:

“Have you entered the Myriad Swords Realm?”

“Immediately.”

“...Again ‘immediately’? What does ‘immediately’ mean?” The Nine Nether Demon Ancestor was clearly dissatisfied and asked, “Which sword have you reached?”

It was evident the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor knew the Tongtian Sword Peak well.

“Finished with the magical tool flying swords.”

“First sword? Why so slow?” The Nine Nether Demon Ancestor grew increasingly puzzled, then said, “Good, only three swords left.”

Zheng Fa glanced overhead, thought for a moment, and spoke honestly:

“Not three.”

“What?”

“There should be... more than six thousand.”

There were too many swords to count quickly.

The Nine Nether Demon Ancestor did not reply for a long time.

Zheng Fa looked at the Underworld livestream and saw the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor’s face was blank, deeply struck.

He did not comfort him and trusted the Demon Ancestor’s mental resilience.

After all, having waited hundreds of thousands of years, waiting three or four more days was no big deal.

Zheng Fa thought and, with a thousand magical tool flying swords beneath him like a flock of birds, was swiftly lifted upward.

Reaching the midsection of Tongtian Sword Peak, the magical tool flying swords all stopped simultaneously.

Looking up, he saw that the surrounding flying swords were at the artifact level.

It seemed the magical tool flying swords could only reach this height.

He looked at the other flying swords.

The artifact-level flying swords were the most numerous, about five thousand.

Spirit tool and life treasure level flying swords combined were less than three hundred.

In just four days, Zheng Fa had nearly tested over ten thousand immortal swords.

Objectively, the formation seals he recorded added up to about 60%.

Below Golden Core disciples, he could understand about 70-80%.

For Nascent Soul disciples, he was only 40-50% confident.

Above Nascent Soul, each had unique skills;

he could only grasp about 20-30%.

Well, some he couldn’t even fight:

After all, these were their bodies;

he could not use innate divine abilities, so he would be at a disadvantage in combat.

There was no way around it, as these immortal swords were not meant to teach disciples. He could learn only because of his prior accumulation.

Five life treasure flying swords carried Zheng Fa, flying toward the mountain summit.

But when they reached the top, he saw no buildings at all.

“Where is the Myriad Swords Realm?”

Uncle Pang asked Xie Qingxue.