Once the miniature flying sword appeared between heaven and earth, the Demon Emperor’s expression grew unimaginably grave.

If he had previously sensed that the Divine Daughter’s killing power was truly formidable, now he felt an utterly terrifying aura.

This was not just a stream of sword qi, it was something extraordinary, a terrifying aura capable of annihilating all in the world.

The Demon Emperor was dazed. Who exactly was this Divine Daughter? How could such a figure exist in the world, yet he had known nothing of her?

The Divine Daughter’s lips had already turned pale, and now both her hands trembled uncontrollably. The miniature flying sword, radiating golden light throughout, could indeed be said to contain the sum of her lifetime’s study. But if it were only that, it would not be enough to face the world with complete ease.

She had begun practicing the sword from an early age, and in the path of Sword Dao, she could be considered extraordinarily gifted. Otherwise, the sect would never have valued her so highly and chosen her as the Divine Daughter. Yet to claim she was the supreme genius of her era would not be accurate.

In that era, there were many whose talent surpassed hers, and whose cultivation was stronger.

That miniature flying sword had once received guidance from a great sword immortal, who infused it with a faint, tiny thread of sword qi. From then on, throughout her cultivation, it had served as a light on her path forward.

But that wisp of sword qi had remained hidden in the miniature flying sword, never leaving the Divine Daughter’s brow. The world would never have known of it.

And now, this miniature flying sword had left the Divine Daughter’s brow and appeared in the world - a reappearance into the light of day.

The Demon Emperor clearly sensed an aura different from the Divine Daughter herself. That overbearing sword qi, though still sword qi, was noticeably different from before.

He furrowed his brows slightly. The towering dharma idol behind him was still slowly extracting the colossal flying sword from its own body.

But the miniature flying sword had already left the Divine Daughter’s brow and collided with the hilt of that enormous flying sword.

The once heaven-piercing flying sword now began to shatter from the hilt, and fragments of sword qi continuously fell.

A trace of blood spilled from the corner of the Divine Daughter’s mouth.

The colossal flying sword was connected to her intent. Its destruction, no matter by whom, would inevitably cause her pain.

Yet since the Divine Daughter allowed the golden miniature flying sword to destroy her colossal flying sword, it indicated that the colossal sword was undoubtedly inferior to the miniature one.

Otherwise, there would be no reason to forsake the essential for the trivial.

The miniature flying sword shot forward. In front of the colossal flying sword, it looked like a tiny glimmer, darting about. Yet even as it moved, waves rippled around it.

The Divine Daughter’s expression was solemn, but her eyes held emotion, as if seeing the miniature sword also brought to mind the great sword immortal who had once guided her.

In truth, sometimes it was not the great sword immortal she remembered, but the era she could never return to.

The miniature flying sword accelerated, eventually darting through the colossal sword. As it pierced the Demon Emperor’s towering dharma idol, the sword qi exploded violently.

Immense sword qi radiated outward in all directions, each streak terrifying and infinitely lethal.

The demonic qi within the Demon Emperor’s dharma idol swirled and coiled, attempting to overwhelm the miniature flying sword, but it was no easy task.

The miniature sword shone too brilliantly.

Endless sword qi transformed into golden light, clashing in every direction. Before this radiance, the Demon Emperor’s demonic qi began to collapse and retreat.

The Demon Emperor furrowed his brows. The towering dharma idol behind him extended its hand, probing into his own body. That massive hand sought to grasp the miniature flying sword and tear it apart—but what happened next was visible to all.

The Demon Emperor’s giant hand did indeed catch the sword. Yet the miniature sword, so tiny before that massive hand, in an instant broke free and surged toward the upper reaches of the dharma idol.

At a glance, its target appeared to be the head of the towering dharma idol.

Dharma idols were a technique that great demons often used. Sometimes, on the battlefield, they could easily annihilate human cultivators. Yet there were times when human cultivators would unexpectedly kill them in such situations too.

When those great demons lost, they simply lost. When they died, they simply died.

If they lost face, so be it.

There was actually nothing to say.

But the Demon Emperor could not afford to fail. He was the leader of myriad demons, the emperor whom countless demon cultivators followed. He could not lose, nor could he be defeated.

So when the miniature flying sword shot toward the head of the towering dharma idol, the few great demons present all felt their hearts rise to their throats in worry.

They feared that the dharma idol of the Demon Emperor would be severed by the miniature flying sword, afraid of seeing the Demon Emperor’s colossal head rolling to the ground.

Although that would not necessarily signify the Demon Emperor’s death, such a scenario was intolerable for many to witness.

Yet the miniature flying sword did not care about such things. It continued toward the sky, toward that expressionless head.

The massive hand of the dharma idol reached out repeatedly, trying to grasp the sword, but it never succeeded. On the contrary, at this moment, the sword even severed a considerable amount of demonic qi from the dharma idol.

One strand of demonic qi after another dissipated into the wind and snow.

Moments later, the miniature flying sword had arrived before the dharma idol’s head. Suddenly, the idol opened its massive mouth, and an incomparably powerful suction force swallowed the miniature flying sword whole.

The heavens and earth fell into sudden, dead silence.

The great demons’ expressions brightened considerably.

But it lasted only briefly. Moments later, the Demon Emperor’s towering dharma idol began to shake. Cracks appeared across the massive form, golden lines spreading across the idol.

It looked like a porcelain doll covered in fractures.

There was a loud bang!

The Demon Emperor’s towering dharma idol shattered with a roar. Countless fragments fell from the sky, striking the wind and snow to leave deep craters.

The Demon Emperor’s dharma idol had been destroyed!

This scene would likely remain etched in the minds of the great demons for the rest of their lives. In their eyes, the invincible Demon Emperor had, at this moment, truly faced such a day.

An emotion began to spread at this moment.

It was not despair, but there was definitely disappointment.

The Demon Emperor’s complexion turned pale. After destroying his towering dharma idol, the miniature flying sword descended. Its next opponent would be his true body.

The miniature flying sword definitely would not stop here.

The Demon Emperor had already given rise to the thought of retreat.

It was not that he lacked confidence in surviving against this miniature flying sword, but he feared that other people might show up soon.

When he first appeared in the desolate north, he initially faced only that single sheet of paper and thought Chen Chao had no more cards. But who could have known? A white flower then erupted from his brow. After that, a woman struck with her sword, but that colossal flying sword had seemed like her final trump card.

Yet who could have expected that after that colossal flying sword, there would appear yet another miniature flying sword?

Now, who could guarantee that after this flying sword, the Divine Daughter had no other methods up her sleeve?

And if she really did, what then?

The Demon Emperor had maintained his throne for so long not just because of his unmatched cultivation - mere cultivation alone would never have been enough.

Preparation and foresight were what this demon monarch must rely on; reckless bravado was not his way.

......

......

The miniature flying sword continuously released sword qi. The Demon Emperor’s massive sleeves swept through the air, countering with waves of demonic qi. The two clashed repeatedly. That terrifying flying sword, containing the sword qi of a former great sword immortal, had already torn through the Demon Emperor’s sleeve.

The emperor robe looked tattered and rather miserable at this moment.

Soon, a blizzard raged, gradually swallowing the Demon Emperor’s figure.

Everyone present could barely see the Demon Emperor's figure anymore.

Chen Chao glanced at the Divine Daughter. At that moment, she met his gaze.

“That flying sword contains the means of a senior sword immortal. It is stronger than him; otherwise, even I couldn’t have resolved today’s situation.”

The Divine Daughter spoke voluntarily, her words plain and straightforward. There was no need to hide anything.

Chen Chao asked curiously, “Above the Nepenthe Realm, what other realms exist? That Demon Emperor is only in the first one?”

The Divine Daughter frowned, then said, “At this point, it doesn’t hurt to tell you. Above the Nepenthe Realm is a realm called Fuyun, named after a senior of that time. In the Fuyun Realm, he was recognized as the strongest of all time, and thus the name of the realm was passed down.”

"Fuyun."[Yes, it's the same Fuyun as Fuyun Sect. Fuyun also means 扶云 Supporting Cloud]

Chen Chao was surprised, not for any other reason, but because he now recalled the contents of that page of paper.

The person had called himself the sect master of Fuyun Sect, yet Chen Chao did not know what connection that Fuyun Sect had to the so-called Fuyun Realm.

“Above Fuyun, there are naturally higher realms, but they are not for outsiders. As I said, many things your current level cannot comprehend. When you are strong enough and have the right to know, you will naturally understand.”

“That sword immortal existed above the Fuyun Realm. His killing power was limitless. At that time, among the sword immortals of the world, he ranked within the top ten.”

Chen Chao frowned. “Only top ten?”

That single stream of sword qi was so powerful that it forced the Demon Emperor into such a position, and yet that sword immortal's true self was merely top ten?

And that was only among sword cultivators?

What kind of era was that, where such powerhouses appeared so frequently?

How many of them were there?

Chen Chao’s mind was filled with questions.

“Don’t overthink it. By now, aside from this one, you’ll hardly encounter anyone else. Whether anyone else even exists is uncertain. That era has long passed; even I surviving is sheer luck, let alone them.”

The Divine Daughter’s face was pale. Even as she spoke, blood dripped from the corners of her mouth.

“He doesn’t want to fight anymore. He wants to leave. The thinking is fine, but leaving so easily, I will not allow it.”

With that, the Divine Daughter slowly raised her head and pressed her fingers against her brow.

A terrifying golden sword light tore out from her brow.

The Divine Daughter pinched the sword qi between her fingers.

Then, without hesitation, she crushed it.

A tremendous bang resounded across heaven and earth!

The miniature flying sword in the blizzard suddenly swelled to the size of a normal flying sword, then shot toward the distance.

It struck the Demon Emperor’s chest with tremendous speed.

The Demon Emperor abruptly retreated.

Amid the snow and wind, a golden light pursued a figure further and further.

It was clearly visible to the naked eye.

Along the way, sword qi rolled endlessly.

Demonic qi retreated.

At this moment, in all the world, it seemed that only the Divine Daughter could accomplish such a feat!