Obtaining the Emperor's Scripture

Is the Heavenly Emperor really that powerful? Gu Qingfeng wondered inwardly. He hadn’t even reached the Divine Pill Realm yet, so he had no concept of the Heavenly Emperor’s might.

"Does your Sword Sect still have a living Heavenly Emperor?"

Sword Maniac shook his head. "The Heavenly Emperor is the supreme powerhouse, but even they cannot live forever. Moreover, each era can only bear one Heavenly Emperor. In this current age, no one has yet ascended to that throne."

Hearing this, Gu Qingfeng felt slightly relieved. He had been worried that if he learned the Emperor’s Scripture, the Heavenly Emperor might come knocking the very next day.

"Enough talk. Hurry up and hand over the Emperor’s Scripture."

Sword Maniac gave Gu Qingfeng a surprised look. "You truly have remarkable courage. Even after I’ve explained the risks, you still dare to learn the Emperor’s Scripture. Impressive."

Gu Qingfeng had already made up his mind. Once he mastered the Emperor’s Scripture, he would immediately flee to the Primordial Forbidden Land to undergo secluded cultivation and form his Golden Core. No matter how powerful the Emperor’s Court and immortal sects were, they wouldn’t dare barge into the Forbidden Land, right?

The Primordial Forbidden Land had stood for untold ages. Some Emperor’s Court sects had even vanished into the river of time, yet the Forbidden Land remained.

The fact that even the mighty Emperor’s Court sects couldn’t conquer the Primordial Forbidden Land was proof enough—it was undoubtedly the safest place in the world.

As for why he didn’t choose to form his core in the Palm World, the reason was simple: the spiritual energy there was too sparse.

Besides, against true powerhouses, the Palm World probably wasn’t as secure as the Primordial Forbidden Land.

Seeing Gu Qingfeng’s unwavering resolve, Sword Maniac extended his hand. Instantly, countless golden, esoteric runes surged from his body, converging in his palm and slowly condensing into a golden seed.

"Hurry, absorb this seed quickly. The Emperor’s Scripture is vast and profound, bearing the weight of the Great Dao. I can’t sustain it for long," Sword Maniac urged.

Gu Qingfeng’s expression turned slightly odd. Damn, why does it feel like you’re more eager than I am?

He wasn’t afraid of Sword Maniac pulling any tricks. With the defensive power of his Minor Completion-level Prison-Dragon Elephant Body, the other party couldn’t possibly cause any trouble.

Without hesitation, he took the golden seed and fused it into his body.

Boom!

In an instant, Gu Qingfeng’s spirit trembled violently. It was as if chaos had parted, giving birth to heaven and earth. The golden seed in his sea of consciousness exploded, releasing endless golden Emperor’s Script, each character radiating profound Dao charm.

For a moment, Gu Qingfeng’s eyes turned gold, swirling with infinite Dao principles.

The Emperor’s Script wasn’t lengthy—just a few hundred characters—but each word felt as heavy as a mountain, exuding an ancient and unyielding pressure.

Gu Qingfeng immersed himself in it, feeling as if his mind had been overwhelmed, devoured by the truths of heaven and earth.

Now, he finally understood why Sword Maniac had said that only peerless geniuses could learn the Emperor’s Scripture. This thing was like an ocean of knowledge, containing infinite truths, as if it had exhausted all the Dao and principles of the world.

Those with insufficient talent would be driven to madness by the sheer weight of its truths at first glance.

But Gu Qingfeng was different. He wasn’t just a peerless genius—his talent far surpassed that title!

With his Innate Sacred Body and Seven-Aperture Exquisite Body, he could rightfully be called the most talented being in the world.

Though the Emperor’s Scripture was abstruse and cryptic, he quickly emerged from the sea of Dao and principles, his eyes gradually regaining clarity.

He didn’t continue his enlightenment, as this wasn’t the place for secluded cultivation.

Outside, Sword Maniac was utterly shocked to see Gu Qingfeng recover his clarity so swiftly. Back when he first studied the Emperor’s Scripture, he had been lost in it for three full days!

It had taken him three days to break free, nearly succumbing to its depths.

Yet this man before him had regained his senses in less than three seconds. Just what kind of monstrous talent was this?

This level of aptitude… even a young Heavenly Emperor wouldn’t surpass it, would they?

"So, your Sword Sect’s Emperor’s Scripture is called the [Sword Code]. Honestly, the name’s a bit plain," Gu Qingfeng muttered.

"All sword techniques in the world originate from the Sword Sect. The Sword Heavenly Emperor, who created the Emperor’s Scripture, was the foremost master of the sword path. As the saying goes, the Great Dao is simple—no prefix is worthy of being added before the Emperor’s Scripture except the word ‘Sword.’"

Gu Qingfeng nodded without refuting. Having glimpsed the Sword Code, he knew the other’s words were justified.

"Alright, this matter is settled. I’ll be taking my leave now."

Gu Qingfeng prepared to walk away, but after just two steps, he suddenly halted and turned back, staring straight at Sword Maniac.

The gaze made Sword Maniac’s hair stand on end. "I’ve already given you the Emperor’s Scripture as agreed. You’re not going to kill me now, are you?"

Tap, tap, tap…

Gu Qingfeng walked up to Sword Maniac. "I keep my word. I won’t kill you. But there’s one thing I’m very curious about—are you really blind? I always get the feeling you can see."

Sword Maniac let out a bitter laugh, then silently untied the black cloth covering his eyes, revealing a pair of clear, bright pupils.

"Fck!" Gu Qingfeng cursed outright. "Didn’t you gouge out your own eyes to cultivate the Heart Sword?!"

Sword Maniac looked slightly embarrassed. "At our level of cultivation, regenerating limbs is trivial, let alone eyes."

"So… your eyes just grew back?"

"Mn." Sword Maniac nodded.

"Then why the hell do you keep them covered all the time?!"

"To avoid having my vision tainted by the ugliness of the world."

"Speak human."

"Uh… Back in my youth, I was reckless. The whole ‘gouging out my eyes’ thing caused a huge stir, and everyone revered me for it. If people found out now… it wouldn’t be good for the sect’s image, so…"

Gu Qingfeng: "…"

He never would’ve guessed that this aloof sword prodigy had such a ridiculous side to him.

This was the consequence of putting on a facade—once the world had elevated him to such heights, there was no climbing down now.

A moment of showing off leads to a lifetime of regret.

Serves you right!

"Young man, good luck with that."

With those parting words, Gu Qingfeng transformed into a streak of golden light and vanished.

Sword Maniac hastily scanned his surroundings. Only after confirming no one was nearby did he sigh in relief and retie the black cloth over his eyes.

He thought to himself, since the other had learned the Sword Code, it wouldn’t be long before the Sword Sect’s elders hunted him down outside the Hanging Heaven Secret Realm. His secret should remain safe.

......

Less than ten days remained before the Hanging Heaven Secret Realm closed.

During this time, Gu Qingfeng didn’t cultivate the Sword Code. Instead, he split his efforts—his clone refined the newly acquired divine swords, while his main body roamed around, coercing all the cultivators into scouring the secret realm for treasures and handing them over obediently.

Ten days passed in the blink of an eye.

Gu Qingfeng’s harvest from the Hanging Heaven Secret Realm was staggeringly bountiful. Not only had he plundered countless treasures, but he had also squeezed dry several thousand cultivators, most of whom were prodigies with substantial wealth.

He had acquired over five thousand divine weapons, among which more than a thousand were divine swords. Though most were low-grade, quantity had a quality of its own!

Combined with the treasures from the secret realm, Gu Qingfeng’s assets had swelled to an unimaginable level.

Even some minor sects couldn’t compare to his riches.

Of course, during this time, those proud geniuses, dissatisfied with the exploitation, banded together and formed a massive group to gang up on Gu Qingfeng.

To make them willingly continue their labor, Gu Qingfeng deliberately refrained from fighting back and let them beat him for a full hour.

In the end, the cultivators were exhausted halfway to death, while he remained completely unharmed. The crowd instantly fell into despair, no longer daring to resist.

Naturally, Gu Qingfeng was never one to take a beating without retaliation. Once those cultivators were drained of strength, he immediately unleashed a brutal counterattack without another word.

The men were beaten half to death, and the women had their backsides thoroughly thrashed!

Finally...

Boom!

A deafening roar echoed from the Xuantian Secret Realm.

The gates of the secret realm slowly opened, marking the end of this heart-pounding, thrilling journey.

At that very moment, countless geniuses wept with joy, as if celebrating a grand festival, and frantically rushed toward the exit.

Outside the Xuantian Secret Realm, the sect elders and noble families waiting to receive their disciples were overjoyed to see their young talents running out, crying tears of happiness.

They couldn’t help but assume their disciples had reaped tremendous rewards—why else would they be so ecstatic they could barely hold back their tears?