Returning to the Myriad Sword Sect

Regarding Abe Shizuka, the monstrous genius of the younger generation within the Onmyodo, Jizo not only knew of him, but had even sparred with him once, though it had ended in a draw. Hearing Abe Shizuka’s name suddenly drop from Xiao Yu’s lips clearly triggered a train of thought in Jizo.

"I suppose you must be wondering how I know about Abe Shizuka. The truth is, not long ago, I fought both Abe Shizuka and Tojo at the same time, and it was only by joining forces that the two of them managed to defeat me," Xiao Yu said, looking at Jizo with a faint smile.

"Oh, and by the way. Since you were once a member of the Onmyodo yourself, you shouldn't be unfamiliar with the great deity Yamata no Orochi whom you enshrine, right? Not long ago in your Sakura Country, I happened to encounter his newly awakened energy body. It's just unfortunate that his newly awakened energy body was beaten by me into a deep slumber."

Xiao Yu's calm voice echoed once more.

Regarding the battle that day atop Mount Fuji, although the scene had been sealed off by the people of the Shrine, Jizo had learned some details from Feng Qingge. Jizo had always maintained doubts about what Feng Qingge had revealed back then. Yamata no Orochi was, after all, a deity; even an energy body of his should not have been defeated by a mortal. Only now, as Xiao Yu stated it so calmly and naturally, did Jizo begin to waver.

If things were truly as Feng Qingge had said, then his coming to the Divine Mainland to deal with Xiao Yu was undoubtedly tantamount to seeking death. How could someone capable of fighting a deity be a person he could handle? At this thought, Jizo, known as the premier martial arts figure of the Sakura Country, actually felt the urge to run away.

Seeing Jizo’s expression at that moment, Xiao Yu could not help but wear a seductive and enigmatic smile. His reason for bringing up these matters was none other than to crush Jizo psychologically first. If it had been before, he would have fought Jizo without hesitation. But today he could not, because his mind was still tied up with the situations of the three major factions: the Myriad Sword Sect, the Heaven Dao Alliance, and the Xuanyuan Clan.

"Do you still want to fight? You should know well enough that you were able to enter the Divine Mainland because someone intentionally let you in. Right now, you are merely a gun in someone else's hands. I think you should understand what I mean," Xiao Yu continued.

Hearing Xiao Yu's words, Jizo instantly fell silent. The oppressive aura around him slowly receded at that moment. Just as Xiao Yu had said, he and the two deceased individuals had indeed been allowed into the Divine Mainland by design. However, driven entirely by the desire to spar with Xiao Yu, he had not given it much thought.

Yet Xiao Yu’s words were like a wake-up call that startled him from a dream. The mastermind behind his entry into the Divine Mainland had not told him that Xiao Yu possessed such terrifying strength; this was entirely pushing him onto the executioner's block. At this realization, a surge of anger welled up inside Jizo.

"I won't fight anymore! Since even Feng Qingge and Abe Shizuka are no match for you, and I am roughly on par with them, I have no wish to humiliate myself."

With that, Jizo put away the demonic blade in his hand, his figure flashing and leaping up into mid-air. Seeing this, Xiao Yu breathed a sigh of relief as well. Although he did not fear a battle with Jizo, resolving the matter without a fight was the best possible outcome.

Just as Xiao Yu was preparing to leave, Jizo’s voice rang out coldly from the void: "Xiao Yu, you are a respectable opponent. Since you treated me with candor today, I don't mind telling you the kind of people who let us in. Those people are cultivators from your very own Divine Mainland. As for which faction they belong to, I have no way of knowing. We are not the only ones from the Sakura Country who entered the Divine Mainland this time; there are quite a few powerhouses from the other major empires as well. Take care of yourself!"

Having said that, Jizo's figure vanished from the spot instantly. With a few swift blinks through the void, he disappeared without a trace.

Watching the direction of Jizo's departure and pondering the words he had left behind, Xiao Yu also wore a faint smile before looking up at the sky and murmuring, "Thank you."

The moment the words fell, Xiao Yu’s figure likewise vanished from the spot in a flash. The destination he was now hurrying toward was the Myriad Sword Sect, where Gu Jian was located.

The Myriad Sword Sect's sect grounds stood within a mountain range known as Juying Mountain in the southern region of the Divine Mainland. It was hard to imagine that in such a remote and desolate place, a powerful ancient martial arts sect existed.

The sect was situated in the very center of the mountain range, surrounded on all sides by dense, towering ancient trees. Within this primitive mountain range lingered a rich and pure essence of heaven and earth, making it unquestionably a paradise for martial artists to cultivate.

Yet at this moment, the Myriad Sword Sect was filled with the stench of blood; within the sect grounds, blood already flowed like a river. The disciples of the Myriad Sword Sect had gathered together, defending the final line of defense of their sect—in front of the main sect hall.

Out on the plaza before the hall, a powerful cultivator was currently leading a throng of subordinates, slaughtering their way toward the hall's entrance. On the roof of a building near the palace, several figures stood quietly, every single one of them radiating a powerful spiritual energy. These individuals were all Enforcement Hall elders possessing cultivation levels at the Combination stage. The slaughtering figures down below were naturally the disciples of the Enforcement Hall.

"To think these martial artists still have the strength to make a last-ditch resistance. Truly interesting," said a white-haired, skin-and-bones elder with a cold sneer as he watched the carnage unfold below.

"What good is a last-ditch resistance? By now, there are only a handful of these Myriad Sword Sect disciples left, and even their Sect Master was heavily wounded by the joint effort of us few. It won't be long before the Myriad Sword Sect is erased by the passage of time," a pot-bellied middle-aged man also said coldly.

Just as these few assumed victory was firmly within their grasp, suddenly, a heaven-shaking sword Qi descended from the sky, crashing directly into the midst of their group.

Boom!

Accompanied by a violent explosion, miserable cries rang out from the cultivators on the ground. Amidst the raging shockwaves, figures continuously flew backward through the air. The sudden turn of events instantly caused the expressions of those powerful cultivators to turn gloomy.

At that moment, a figure plummeted from the sky, landing atop the stone steps leading up to the main hall. Upon seeing this sudden arrival, the members of the Myriad Sword Sect all revealed expressions of joyous relief. The newcomer was none other than the strongest of the Myriad Sword Sect's younger generation, Gu Jian!

Knowing his sect was in mortal danger, Gu Jian had flown toward the Myriad Sword Sect at top speed ever since the three of them parted ways. Upon arriving at the sect grounds, the first thing he saw was the corpses of his fellow apprentices scattered everywhere, a sight that filled him with burning rage. Then, as he reached the airspace above the main hall, he caught sight of his martial brothers and sisters down below, teetering on the brink of death.

Filled with a fury that could no longer be contained, Gu Jian unleashed his ultimate sword strike, forcefully blowing back the people who were besieging the sect.

"It's this brat!"

Up on the eaves, an elder's expression twisted into a snarl of gnashing teeth the moment he recognized the newcomer's face.

"Elder Gu, you recognize this kid from the Myriad Sword Sect?" Elder Hu asked doubtfully from the side.

"Of course. Back then, we were ordered to capture Xiao Yu, but encountered interference on the way that led to our failure, leaving even Vice Hall Master Cheng severely injured. The culprit behind all that is this very brat before us!" Elder Gu said with a grave expression.

Hearing Elder Gu's words, the surrounding figures all furrowed their brows, the gazes they cast toward Gu Jian turning weighty.

Although Gu Jian was currently only at the Martial King cultivation realm, the fact that he could defeat Cheng, who possessed Tribulation stage cultivation, proved that Gu Jian was far from as simple as he appeared. Therefore, none of them dared to lower their guard.