Chapter 659: Heaven Ascending Sword Emperor!
Boom!
Suddenly, the colossal behemoth made its move.
A gigantic claw descended from above, blotting out the sky and sun. It was like collapsing stars and a falling firmament, carrying endless destructive might as it slammed fiercely toward the solitary jade-robed swordsman.
"Heaven-Execution Sword!"
At the same moment, the solitary jade-robed swordsman also moved.
With a single swing of his sword, majestic Sword Qi erupted and tore through the heavens. The beast, whose body stretched for hundreds of thousands of miles, was actually severed in two by that single stroke.
An endless torrent of blood poured forth and erupted like a vast ocean of blood rain, filling the entire ancient battlefield with scalding blood.
"Without stepping into the Imperial Dao, one is ultimately nothing but an ant before the great calamity..."
Witnessing this scene, the solitary jade-robed swordsman showed no joy at all. He only let out a soft sigh.
Suddenly, cracking sounds rang out.
In the span of only a few breaths, his body directly splintered into pieces and shattered apart.
In the next moment, Li Yun’s consciousness returned.
A tidal wave of immense information and images instantly surged madly into his mind.
"I never imagined that Martial Ascension Gate was actually the legacy left behind by one of the four great disciples under the former Heaven-Ascending Sword Emperor, the Heaven-Execution Sword Master."
After a long while, Li Yun finally finished absorbing all the information. An expression of shock could not help appearing on his face.
The Heaven-Ascending Sword Emperor was a legendary powerhouse.
In the first half of his life, he had been merely an extremely ordinary mortal swordsman without even a trace of martial cultivation. If nothing unexpected had happened, his life would have been destined for mediocrity, ending in complete obscurity.
But in the year he turned forty, he unexpectedly witnessed a duel between two Dao Resonance Realm experts. During that battle, he experienced an epiphany, and from that moment onward, his progress became unstoppable.
His cultivation advanced by leaps and bounds, and in the end, he even weathered the Great Tribulation of the Imperial Dao, proved his Emperor status, and earned the title of Heaven-Ascending Sword Emperor.
Not only that, but even among experts of the Imperial Dao, his strength was absolutely top-tier. Especially in terms of his achievements in the Sword Dao, throughout history and among countless powerhouses, he could still rank within the top three.
His great name had been passed down even into the Dharma-Ending Age. In his previous life, Li Yun had also held immense respect for this Sword Dao master.
Throughout his life, the Heaven-Ascending Sword Emperor had only accepted four disciples in total.
They were the Heaven-Execution Sword Master, the Heaven-Severing Sword Master, the Heaven-Splitting Sword Master, and the Heaven-Burying Sword Master. Each of them corresponded to one of the four great sword art legacies mastered by the Heaven-Ascending Sword Emperor.
Although the strength of these four Sword Masters could not compare to the heaven-defying level of the Heaven-Ascending Sword Emperor, they were all top-tier existences among Dao Resonance Realm experts. Each of them established their own sect and founded a powerful lineage.
Unfortunately, with the fall of the Heaven-Ascending Sword Emperor and the disappearance of the four Sword Masters, these forces eventually declined over time.
For example, Martial Ascension Gate had originally been named the Heaven-Execution Sword Sect. It was a force personally founded by the Heaven-Execution Sword Master.
Once, it had been extremely powerful, but after the Heaven-Execution Sword Master disappeared, it rapidly declined. Pursued by numerous enemies, it had no choice but to conceal its identity, hide in a remote borderland like Myriad Spirit Prefecture, and even change its sect name to Martial Ascension Gate.
Later on, even Martial Ascension Gate itself gradually forgot its glorious history and the matters concerning the Heaven-Execution Sword Sect.
As for the Heavenly Sword Sect, it was precisely the legacy left behind by the Heaven-Splitting Sword Master. Its situation was somewhat better than the Heaven-Execution Sword Sect’s, yet it was still far from its former glory. It could only dominate within the Azure Void Region.
Regarding the remaining two lineages, the Heaven-Burying Sword Sect and the Absolute Heaven Sword Sect, Li Yun had no knowledge of their current situations.
"Such powerful forces of the past have now fallen to this state."
Seeing this, Li Yun could not help feeling a sense of melancholy.
In its prime, the Heaven-Execution Sword Sect had more than one Dao Resonance Realm expert and was considered a first-rate force across the entire Martial Dragon Continent. Yet now, its strongest member was only at the Earthly Core Realm. This contrast was truly deeply lamentable.
"However, with this sword token, the revival of Martial Ascension Gate might only be a matter of time."
Gripping the precious sword in his hand, a divine light suddenly flashed in Li Yun’s eyes.
This precious sword was both a sword and a talisman token. It was a token that could unlock the true legacy of the Heaven-Execution Sword Sect. With this sword token, he could open the treasury left behind by the Heaven-Execution Sword Sect.
Hum!
With a thought, he activated the precious sword.
Immediately, brilliant light shimmered, and intense radiance bloomed, instantly enveloping the entire altar.
Rumble!
The altar shook violently, cracking open from the center to reveal an entrance large enough for ten people to enter at the same time. The entrance shimmered with multicolored divine light, as if it connected to another world.
"Elders, let us go."
Li Yun smiled faintly and took the lead, stepping directly into the entrance shimmering with multicolored light.
Behind him, Peak Lord Shen Ming and the others exchanged glances, then immediately followed.
Whoosh!
Upon entering the passage, Li Yun and the others immediately felt the world spin around them. When they regained their senses, they found themselves inside a secret realm.
"Such rich heaven and earth spiritual qi!"
The moment they stepped into this secret realm, the faces of several elders immediately filled with astonishment.
The heaven and earth spiritual qi here was extremely rich, even surpassing the sixth layer of the Floating Island. Moreover, it was exceptionally pure. It almost required no conversion and could be directly absorbed into the body.
Not only that, but within this secret realm, everyone’s Sword Intent naturally began to rise. Although the rate of increase was slow, it was still enough to fill everyone with pleasant surprise.
"Look!"
At that moment, an elder suddenly exclaimed in surprise, pointing ahead.
In truth, even without his reminder, Li Yun and the others had already noticed it.