Jiang Zuo didn’t want to say much. He couldn’t reason with someone who didn’t strive for invincibility.
Jian Shisan was a different story.
His sword could cut down anything.
Even when facing him, Jian Shisan would still dare to swing his sword.
Even if Jiang Zuo defeated him in a single move, he would still draw his sword, still dare to swing it.
He was utterly fearless.
It was impossible to overwhelm Jian Shisan and make him submit through sheer force.
’Why else would Jiang Zuo admire him so much?’
"Fellow Daoist Po Xiao, you’re naive. What’s the point of Cultivation? To get stronger? No, the real reason is to survive."
"Cut the crap. The answer."
"Fellow Daoist Po Xiao, I truly respect you. You’re different from anyone else. You’re so full of yourself, so dismissive of everyone—it’s genuine arrogance."
Jiang Zuo was speechless.
’What a motormouth.’
At that moment, Swordsman Beitian was sent flying. He landed on one knee and said, "Fellow Daoist Po Xiao, from the very beginning, I’ve only fought to survive. I never had the heart of an invincible warrior. I was never able to be truly fearless.
I was arrogant once, but I had no real substance to back it up. It was just a reflection of my innate talent.
Someone like me, with no real fire in my blood, isn’t worthy of true arrogance.
So, if I am to die here, please return my sword to the Sword Cultivation Lineage for me."
Having said his piece, Swordsman Beitian dropped his defense. Facing the guard’s sword, he didn’t dodge in the slightest, instead unleashing a slash of his own and leaving himself no way out.
He didn’t know if it was his imagination, but this slash felt smoother, stronger, and more unrestrained than any he had ever executed before.
In that moment, he thought he saw a blurry vision of the Great Dao.
But the vision of the Dao vanished in a flash, as if it had truly been a trick of the mind.
BOOM!!!
Neither attack missed its mark. Swordsman Beitian was grievously wounded and sent flying. The sword-wielding guard was also thrown back, unable to even get to his feet.
"Exhilarating! Truly exhilarating!" Swordsman Beitian spat out a mouthful of blood and suddenly burst into laughter.
He had never attacked with such reckless abandon. It was far better than his old, cautious self.
However, such abandon came at a price. This time, he couldn’t escape even if he wanted to.
Facing the attacks of the three guards, Swordsman Beitian knew that even though he still held his sword, he wouldn’t be able to last a single exchange.
Just then, Jiang Zuo said, "That’s enough. Fall back. They won’t dare to come out."
Swordsman Beitian was stunned. ’I’m in this condition, and he’s telling me to retreat now?’
’Is he messing with me?’
Jiang Zuo added, "If you want to die in there, then don’t retreat."
In the end, Swordsman Beitian retreated. He looked at Jiang Zuo, wanting nothing more than to cut him down with a single slash.
To his surprise, the guards indeed did not pursue him.
Jiang Zuo looked at Swordsman Beitian. "You don’t love your sword."
Swordsman Beitian retorted, "...And I suppose you love the Magical Treasure in your hands, Fellow Daoist Po Xiao?"
Jiang Zuo said, "A friend of mine loves his sword more than he loves himself."
Swordsman Beitian replied, "Your friend’s priorities are messed up."
Jiang Zuo shook his head. "You don’t understand. He is powerful on a level you can’t even imagine, one you’ll never be able to reach."
Jiang Zuo didn’t elaborate. Instead, he brandished the Bone Saber and said, "I will teach you the Northern Celestial Seven Swords. I will only demonstrate it once. Whether you can comprehend it is up to you.
You touched upon it for a moment just now, so it shouldn’t be too difficult."
Swordsman Beitian was stunned. "Didn’t you say you didn’t know the Seventh Sword of the North Celestial, Fellow Daoist?"
Jiang Zuo looked at Swordsman Beitian and said, "That’s right, I don’t know the Seventh Sword of the North Celestial. Because the Northern Seven Swords has, from the very beginning, always been just a single sword strike.
In ’Northern Celestial Seven Swords,’ ’Beitian Qi’ is a name.
The true name of this Swordsmanship is the North Celestial Seventh One Sword."
Swordsman Beitian stared at Po Xiao in disbelief. ’Wrong? I’ve been wrong this entire time?’
’So there aren’t seven swords, only one?’
’But how is that possible?’
It’s been passed down for millennia, and no one has ever questioned whether the Northern Celestial Seven Swords was one technique or seven.
Regardless of Swordsman Beitian’s shock, Jiang Zuo had already started walking forward. He held the Bone Saber, and with every step, a sliver of sword light flickered around him.
The sword light flashed seven times, and then six phantasmal swords appeared beside the Bone Saber.
The phantoms instantly grew, overlapped, and merged back into the Bone Saber.
The next moment, Jiang Zuo charged toward the guards, who simultaneously launched their attacks at him.
A Tier Two against three at the Tier Three Peak. Theoretically, it was a certain death, but for some reason, Swordsman Beitian felt a flicker of anticipation.
He was anticipating Jiang Zuo’s explosive power, anticipating his version of the Northern Celestial Seven Swords.
He had just seen it. That swordsmanship was the Northern Celestial Seven Swords, yet it was completely different from the version he knew.
But just as they were about to clash, the guards suddenly froze, as if they had lost their target.
Swordsman Beitian was also astonished. Po Xiao had indeed vanished from his sight, but his aura remained. It was just so ordinary, so unremarkable, that he had almost missed it.
By the time he snapped out of it, Po Xiao had already bypassed the guards and appeared at the edge of the altar.
Then, Jiang Zuo slashed out.
It was clearly just a single slash, yet Swordsman Beitian felt as if he were seeing a rain of countless swords. The sight of sword phantoms seemingly falling from the sky left him stunned, completely mesmerized.
One North Celestial Sword to envelop the entire heavens.
This was the Northern Celestial Seven Swords.
He was beginning to understand.
For some reason, seeing that single strike ignited a heroic fire in his heart. It was a feeling that he could cut down any man and slay any immortal who stood in his path. As long as he held a sword, he could destroy anything.
Just then, a voice suddenly cut through Swordsman Beitian’s thoughts. "Fellow Daoist, please stay your hand."
At that moment, Jiang Zuo was standing before the altar. His sword had destroyed its Defense, leaving the Spiritual Position completely exposed. With a single move, he could claim it for himself.
And it was then that the voice came from one of the guards.
"Please, Fellow Daoist, do not disturb this senior’s eternal rest. We are willing to agree to any and all conditions," said the spear-wielding guard.
Jiang Zuo paid them no mind. He looked at the Spiritual Position and saw the inscription: Spiritual Position of Elder Xuan.
And in the bottom right corner, another line read: From King Qin Wu.
At this, Jiang Zuo retracted the hand he had reached out.
When King Qin Wu died, he had left nothing behind but his own Spiritual Talisman, yet he had built a mausoleum for this person.
In all his years on the Ancient Battlefield, he had never seen such a grand mausoleum.
If it had belonged to anyone else, he might have taken it. But King Qin Wu had left this behind intentionally.
’After all, back in his time, King Qin Wu was perhaps the most revered figure in the entire Human Race.’
’Someone he treated with such reverence must have also been a deeply respected senior.’
Therefore, Jiang Zuo decided not to touch it.
"Thank you," said the spear-wielding guard.
Jiang Zuo looked at them and said, "I want the right to enter the Ancient Battlefield."
Without a word, the spear-wielding guard plunged his hand into his own chest, right over his heart. He then pulled out a piece of wood, one that looked remarkably similar to a Spiritual Talisman.
"We don’t know much about this, but it is the same kind of object as the senior’s Spiritual Position. We only ask that you do not disturb the senior’s eternal rest, Fellow Daoist."
As he spoke, the spear-wielding guard knelt on one knee before Jiang Zuo, offering up his own Spiritual Position with both hands.