Famous Sword State, Heavenly Sword Sect

The only person who knew about the Heavenly Sword Sect was Gu Fengyao!

This was because the Gu family had once mentioned the Heavenly Sword Emperor and incidentally brought up the Heavenly Sword Sect.

"A sect with a Sword Emperor—how could it remain unknown?"

"Even we haven’t heard of it?" Lie Zhankuang asked curiously.

"Because the Heavenly Sword Sect is truly very low-key."

"Moreover, the Central Heaven Domain is vast, and the Heavenly Sword Sect is located in a rather remote area."

"The disciples of the Heavenly Sword Sect rarely venture beyond a fixed region, so not many know of them."

"Logically speaking, the chances of Chen Yunxuan clashing with them… are extremely low."

"Unless Chen Yunxuan went to the Famous Sword State, where the Heavenly Sword Sect resides."

Did Chen Yunxuan go to the Famous Sword State? It wasn’t impossible.

"Fengyao, what’s the reputation of this Heavenly Sword Sect?" Chen Chang'an asked.

"Hmm… I’m not entirely sure, but I’ve heard that the Heavenly Sword Emperor is a sword fanatic—utterly obsessed. So, the people of the Heavenly Sword Sect are probably all sword maniacs."

"Did Chen Yunxuan have a serious conflict with them?" Gu Fengyao asked curiously.

Serious?

If it weren’t serious, Wang Tianji wouldn’t have risked using a secret technique to send him a message.

"Wang Tianji’s message was brief: Chen Yunxuan has a conflict with the Heavenly Sword Sect and is in danger. He couldn’t intervene."

"So, he had to inform me."

"As for the exact nature of the conflict, he didn’t say."

Wang Tianji had been keeping tabs on Chen Yunxuan, having long believed him to be a man of great fortune. But even he hadn’t expected Chen Yunxuan’s luck to be so formidable, propelling him straight to the top of the Human Ranking.

This made Wang Tianji even more eager to ally himself with Chen Yunxuan—and by extension, Chen Chang'an—knowing it would only benefit the Tianji Pavilion.

"Are you planning to go to the Heavenly Sword Sect?"

"How far is it from here to the Famous Sword State?" Da Huang asked Chen Chang'an.

"It’s very far. Even at the speed of an Emperor-level expert, it would take several months to reach," Gu Fengyao said.

Several months?

At that rate, they probably wouldn’t make it to Alchemy Emperor City in time.

"Several months? It should still be manageable."

"Da Huang, this time, we’ll have to split up."

"You take them to Alchemy Emperor City first. I’ll go to the Heavenly Sword Sect."

For anyone else, the journey would be impossible, but Chen Chang'an was different. He had mastered spatial power, allowing him to travel far faster than others.

"Brother, can you make it back in time? What if we’re all dead by then?"

"That’s the Blood Slaughter Emperor we’re talking about—he’s incredibly strong," Lie Zhankuang said worriedly.

"What are you scared of? Where’s that arrogance of yours from back in the day?"

"Has all your courage been washed away by the Heavenly Pool’s waters?" Chen Chang'an shot Lie Zhankuang a disdainful look.

This guy had been utterly fearless when his cultivation was weak, but now that he’d reached the Emperor level, his courage had shrunk.

Was this the so-called "ignorance is bliss"?

"I’m just… ahem, concerned for them," Lie Zhankuang said awkwardly.

"What’s wrong? You looking down on me?" Da Huang glared at him unhappily.

"Are you stronger than the Blood Slaughter Emperor?" Lie Zhankuang asked in surprise.

"Not sure. Never fought him," Da Huang shrugged.

"Then why are you so confident?"

"Why not? Unlike you, I can still look down on him even if we’ve never fought."

"He hasn’t beaten me either, right? Fair enough?" Da Huang grinned.

Huh?

That… kind of made sense, but not really. Yet, something about it felt off.

Lie Zhankuang pondered for a while before realizing—that logic was completely flawed.

"That’s just asking to get your ass kicked after talking big!"

"Hey, where are you guys going? Wait for me!"

"Eh? Where’s Chen Chang'an?"

"Already gone?"

By the time Lie Zhankuang snapped out of his thoughts, Da Huang and the others had already left. When he caught up, Chen Chang'an was nowhere to be seen.

"He left ages ago."

"If you keep spacing out, he might already be in the Famous Sword State."

"Don’t joke around. That’d be ridiculously fast."

"Isn’t he already ridiculously fast?"

"…Fair point. He really is."

Famous Sword State

"This time, the Famous Sword State is in for quite the spectacle."

"Chen Yunxuan, the top-ranked on the Human Ranking, has clashed with the Heavenly Sword Sect. Tsk tsk, he’s in serious danger now."

"What exactly happened? How did they even come into conflict?"

"Chen Yunxuan came to the Famous Sword State to train and challenge experts—nothing unusual about that."

"But the Heavenly Sword Sect’s young mistress apparently took a liking to him, and Chen Yunxuan didn’t reciprocate."

"Guess what happened next?"

"What?"

"When Chen Yunxuan first arrived in the Famous Sword State, he seemed injured. He passed through Fengxia Town, where a local healer treated him."

"He stayed at her place for about a week before leaving."

"It was just a chance encounter—they might not even have been friends."

"But the Heavenly Sword Sect’s young mistress assumed Chen Yunxuan rejected her because of this healer… so she had the healer’s entire family slaughtered."

"Even if it was just a fleeting encounter, the healer had helped him. When Chen Yunxuan found out, how could he let it slide?"

"Chen Yunxuan declared that he repays kindness with kindness and vengeance with vengeance. No matter the cost, he would make the young mistress pay with her life."

"…I feel like both of them have issues."

"The young mistress killed a healer just because Chen Yunxuan stayed there?"

"And Chen Yunxuan—does he even know how powerful the Heavenly Sword Sect is? Why would he risk everything for a healer?"

"They’re both insane."

Many couldn’t understand it. The young mistress was undoubtedly spoiled and cruel, but why was Chen Yunxuan so reckless?

For the sake of a healer, he’d provoke a behemoth like the Heavenly Sword Sect?

It just wasn’t worth it.

"You don’t get it."

"For someone like Chen Yunxuan, how could he tolerate someone who helped him dying because of him?"

"If he ignored it, it would weigh on his conscience, preventing him from achieving a clear heart and mind."

"Chen Yunxuan is the Human Ranking’s number one—his future is limitless."

"Even for the sake of mental clarity, it’s not worth it."

To most, Chen Yunxuan’s decision was akin to digging his own grave. Talent alone wasn’t enough—his current strength was no match for an entity like the Heavenly Sword Sect.

This was nothing short of suicide.

As the crowd buzzed with discussion, a young man approached and asked, "The person you were talking about—was it Chen Yunxuan?"

"That’s right, Chen Yunxuan. Young man, judging by your attire… a swordsman?"

"You’re not from the Heavenly Sword Sect, are you?"

"Here to deal with Chen Yunxuan?"

The crowd noticed the young man carrying a sword on his back, appearing to be a swordsman, yet his attire did not match the robes of the Heavenly Sword Sect.

"Do any of you know where Chen Yunxuan is?" the young man asked.

"Well... we’re not sure. But didn’t Chen Yunxuan make an announcement? On the fifth of this month—three days from now—he’ll personally visit the Heavenly Sword Sect."

"Are you even from the Heavenly Sword Sect?"

"I’m not!" The young man shook his head.

Not a member of the Heavenly Sword Sect, yet concerned about Chen Yunxuan’s whereabouts?

Could he be a wandering swordsman hoping to join the sect?

"Young man, you should know—Chen Yunxuan ranks first on the Human Leaderboard. He’s the undisputed top genius among the younger generation in the entire Profound Mystic Realm."

"You’d better think carefully. He’s not someone just anyone can afford to provoke."

"By the way, we still don’t know your name, young master."

"My name?"

"Ye Zhiqiu!"