Chapter 967 - 432: Battle! (Part 2)
Yu Kong’s voice sounded timely in Xu Ran’s ear, carrying a rare trace of admiration.
"What he studied was not a specific swordsmanship, but the pure ’Slaughter Sword Intent.’ Nourishing battle with battle, proving the Dao in slaughter. This third sword is the culmination of his life’s will to slaughter."
Xu Ran remained silent.
He looked at the figure of the War General, still madly swinging his sword amid the endless onslaught of Celestial Demons, his heart filled with shock.
Three thousand years
Fighting alone
Slaying billions of enemies
What a terrifying will and power this is!
The blood-colored ominous sword represented not just slaughter, but a kind of indomitable, unyielding iron-blooded military soul!
Xu Ran’s gaze fell on the giant sword continually wielded by the War General.
He began to try to understand, to perceive.
Perceive the determination contained within every strike.
Perceive the fury and roar contained within each kill.
Perceive the pride that stood unmoved in the face of endless foes!
Time became blurred once more.
Xu Ran seemed to transform into a speck of dust on the battlefield, witnessing this endless slaughter.
He saw the wounds on the War General grow more numerous, his motions slower, but the battle intent in his eyes blazed ever fiercer, like a star about to burn out, bursting with its last light!
Finally
When the last Celestial Demon was cut down, the War General leaned on his giant sword, half-kneeling on the ground, the blood dyeing the earth beneath him red.
He lifted his head, gazing at the dark red sky, letting out a beast-like low howl full of unwillingness and fatigue.
Then
His body, along with the broken giant sword, transformed into a myriad of light points, dissipating in the wind.
Only the pure Slaughter Sword Intent, seemingly capable of tearing through eternity, remained echoing above the ancient battlefield.
Xu Ran stayed speechless for a long time.
In his Sea of Spirit, the blood-colored ominous sword’s phantom was emitting a wild and fierce red glow, forming a sharp contrast with the gentleness of the Wooden Sword and the deathly silence of the Rusted Iron Sword.
Three swords.
Three utterly different "intents."
Mortal Tenacity, Death’s Annihilation, War’s Slaughter.
They hovered in alignment above the golden ocean, representing the Sword Dao, or rather, the "Dao"’s three different facets.
"How is your comprehension?" Yu Kong’s voice sounded again.
Xu Ran slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air, his gaze becoming incomparably determined.
"Disciple understands."
He understood that the trial of this Nine-Layered Giant Tower was not merely a simple test but more like a kind of legacy! A form of guidance!
It guided Xu Ran to understand the various foundational wills that constituted this world, that constituted the "Dao"!
And swords are merely vessels to carry these wills!
"Very good." Yu Kong seemed very satisfied with Xu Ran’s comprehension, "The Slaughter Dao of the Ancient War General, you have grasped its essence. Now, prepare to welcome the fourth sword."
Before the words finished, the circle formed by twelve iron swords began to rotate again!
This time, the one that lit up was a completely emerald green sword, exuding vigorous life force, its blade seeming to have vines coiling around it, full of a natural aura?
No!
Different from the simple Wooden Sword representing mortal will!
This sword was full of vivacity and life force!
The moment it lit up, Xu Ran even felt that the surrounding deathly ancient battlefield seemed to show signs of revival!
The fourth sword
What kind of insight will this be?
Xu Ran’s heart was filled with anticipation.
He knew that his Dao was being broadened and reshaped step by step in the trial of the Nine-Layered Giant Tower!
And in the sealed depths of his Sea of Spirit, as these three Sword Intents merged, it seemed that an indescribable transformation was also occurring
His gaze turned to the fourth sword about to shoot towards him, eyes full of determination and longing!
Come!
Let me see, this Nine-Layered Giant Tower, this Origin Realm trial, where will it ultimately lead me?
The green light, like the first meltwater of spring, carrying an indescribable freshness and vitality, instantly dispersed the slaughter and bloody aura lingering in Xu Ran’s Heart Spirit.
It is a light filled with endless life force!
The light is not dazzling; rather, it’s gentle like jade. Wherever it passes, the dark red ground, seemingly soaked with the blood of countless creatures of the ancient battlefield, begins to rejuvenate at a visible speed!
The dry, cracked earth has tender green sprouts stubbornly protruding from its crevices!
Even the broken weapons and eerie white bones scattered on the ground, bereft of any Spirit, begin to entwine with slender green vines!
Even the blood-colored fog, a symbol of death and resentment floating in the air, seems to thin considerably under the illumination of this green light, gaining a hint of purification.
"This" Xu Ran’s pupils contracted slightly, his Heart Spirit subjected to severe impact once again.
If the first three swords represent mortal tenacity, death’s annihilation, and the brutality of war,
Then what this fourth sword exhibits is an entirely opposing power to "death" and "slaughter"—
Life!
It’s that first breath of life force at the cosmos’s dawn when all beings emerged!
That wildfire that cannot be completely extinguished, revived again by the spring breeze!
It’s that eternal rhythm of life, ceaselessly alternating between death and rebirth!
Buzz!
The green sword light, devoid of any slaughter intent, gently yet irresistibly enveloped Xu Ran’s Divine Soul.
In an instant, the vision before Xu Ran changes once more!
Not the corpse-laden, killing-spirited ancient battlefield.
He is seemingly placed amidst an endless Primitive Forest!
Towering ancient trees, each seeming to have grown for countless ages, their canopies overshadowing the sun, their gnarled roots deeply embedded in the Earth, like dragons rolling over.
Sunlight filtering through dense overlapping leaves, casting dappled light, filled with tranquility and peace.
The air is permeated with a rich scent of grass and wood, and an indescribable "spiritual" aura seemingly from the very source of life!
This aura is purer and more magnificent than any Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi Xu Ran absorbed in the outside world!
He even feels that just by standing here and breathing, the Spiritual Power within him starts circulating on its own, and every part of his body experiences a feeling of comfort and ease.
The fatigue and dark wounds on his Divine Soul brought by days of trials are quietly being healed by this aura’s nourishment.
"Hoo" Xu Ran took a deep breath, only feeling relaxed and joyful.
Looking down, beneath his feet was thick, soft moss, like stepping on a carpet.
Around him, strange flowers and grasses were everywhere, their colors brilliant, with shapes he had never seen or heard of, emitting faint glows, filled with a mystical hue.
In the distance, there is a clear stream flowing gently, producing pleasant sounds.
In the stream, colorful fish swim freely.
Deep in the forest, occasionally there are crisp bird calls or low roars of some gentle exotic beasts, full of harmony and peace.
This seems to be the cradle of life!
The miracle of creation!
Contrasting starkly with the deathly silent world of the second sword and the bloody battlefield of the third sword!
"This sword is named ’Life Derivation’."
Yu Kong’s voice gently resonated, carrying a strange melody as if integrated with the forest’s rhythm.
"What it represents is the cosmos’s opening, the first breath of ’life’ emerging in the primeval chaos. Not the life of vegetation, not the life of birds and beasts, but the origin of all things, the cosmic evolution of ’life’."
"The master of this sword was a mysterious presence from the Ancient Era, known to the world as ’Wood Ancestor.’ No one knows its origins, no one knows its true form; all that is known is wherever it passes, withered wood meets spring, all things thrive, even the utmost barren lands can be rejuvenated."
"Wood Ancestor Life Derivation," Xu Ran murmured, his gaze sweeping across this boundless sea of living green.
He attempts to comprehend.
Unlike the steadfastness of the Mortal Sword that requires "keeping," the deathly stillness of the Annihilation Sword that requires "quietness," the ferocity of the Slaughter Sword that requires "release,"
How should this "Life Derivation" be grasped?
Is it feeling the growth of grass and trees?
Is it experiencing the surge of the stream?
Or is it
Xu Ran sits cross-legged, closes his eyes, and immerses his Heart Spirit completely in this world filled with the breath of life.
He empties his thoughts, no longer intentionally seeking anything, just quietly feeling.