Chapter 853: A Higher Realm, Sword God! and Ultimate Ultimate Sword Technique!

Inside the game.

Upon this very continent, there stood a Tower of Despair.

Here, time flowed with agonizing slowness; had it not been for the erosion of solitude, perhaps those within the tower would have long since forgotten its passing.

The Arad Continent held countless sacred grounds for cultivation, and this was but one of them.

At the pinnacle of the towering summit, which pierced the very clouds, stood a white-haired swordsman whose face bore the deep furrows of time. Varied blades were slung crosswise behind his back, every single sword carrying an aura of antiquity, as if each whispered an ancient tale of names once deeply engraved, only to be erased by history years later.

He lifted his gaze, looking out the window.

Unbeknownst to all, the sky outside had been dyed crimson by the evening glow, and before long, the dark night would fall.

Yet within the tower, whether day or night, all remained a dim and dusky twilight, as if one were cast into hell itself, unable to feel the slightest warmth.

Upon the continent, there once lived such a legend—the Sword Saint Soldoros, the most ancient and the absolute strongest swordsman in all the land.

Soldoros had already comprehended the ultimate pinnacle of the sword, grasping its very essence.

And at this moment, within the Tower of Despair, this very Sword Saint had indeed encountered the most vexing opponent of his lifetime.

"Could it be that the realm of swordsmanship is truly endless?"

As blade-lights intertwined, standing before this Sword Saint was a young man with a languid expression, holding in his hand a wooden branch that looked as though it had been plucked randomly from the ground.

Indeed, this young man was exchanging blows with the most ancient and strongest legendary Sword Saint, Soldoros, using nothing but a wooden branch.

The Divine Sword Yang Woo; perhaps many upon this continent had never heard the name, but once heard, it could never be forgotten.

"Heh, this is unlike you, losing focus so easily?" Soldoros sheathed the demonic sword Claris, speaking with a smile.

"No. I only... suddenly recalled some things from the past... Ah, the realm of swordsmanship..." The young man holding the wooden stick withdrew his "sword" and fell into deep contemplation.

Seeing this, Soldoros felt somewhat helpless, wondering what had come over himself to suddenly bring up such a question. Seeing Yang Woo still lost in a daze, he could not help but feel a touch embarrassed: "Did I pick the wrong topic? Knowing there is no answer to this question, I still couldn't help but ask... I suppose even you and I cannot attain such a realm!"

"Ah, no." Yang Woo finally returned to his senses at this moment, "I was just suddenly thinking that many swordsmen nowadays have already reached a realm similar to ours. Perhaps, we are no longer the strongest swordsmen. It may be that among those we have never met, someone has already surpassed us, reaching that realm we only dimly perceive."

"You mean..."

"Yes, I believe you must feel it too. Though our swordsmanship has reached a lofty height, there is still a very long road ahead. The realm of swordsmanship must be endless; it is just that we have yet to perceive what the next realm truly is."

...

Indeed, the realm of swordsmanship must be endless.

Enlightenment dawns with a single word of sincere devotion, guiding the birthless soul to understand the profound nature.

The Great Dao returns to the One; some comprehended the Dao, while others mastered the Law.

The Nalan Clan.

Before his eyes, the scene before the Three Stars Cave seemed to flicker once more, beneath the threshold of the Sage.

A night of the full moon, at the summit of the Forbidden City...

The majestic Mount Shu, where sword-qi crisscrossed the skies...

The Tripartite Martial Grounds, bringing destruction to heaven and earth...

...

Nalan Hongwu suddenly snapped his eyes open. He picked up the longsword resting quietly by his knee, his eyes as piercingly clear as a lake.

Then, he stood up.

In a trance, it was as if those distinct truths of the sword overlapped with his entire being, converging completely into one.

...

The upper floors of the Tower of Despair.

Right during the conversation between Soldoros and the Divine Sword Yang Woo, a white-haired swordsman stepped foot into this place.

They had long grown accustomed to such sights; lately, many adventurers (players) would come here to challenge them, seeking their own breakthroughs.

It had to be said that this was the finest place to validate oneself and hone one's swordsmanship.

Yet nearly all of them ended in failure.

However...

They noticed that the swordsman before them was somewhat different from those of the past.

Because... they saw that within the man's slightly aged eyes, there seemed to reside a clarity that saw through all creation.

"Master one law, and you master ten thousand... Just as I thought!" Nalan Hongwu pressed his right hand onto the longsword slung at his waist. At this very instant, he felt as though the profound swordsmanship of the past had all become simple in this moment.

Even the sword techniques he had newly learned in recent times were the same.

The sword was unsheathed.

In this split second, the dim and dusky Tower of Despair was completely illuminated by this streak of sword-light!

The brilliance of this single moment was as splendid as a flower blossoming at the break of dawn!

A flash of fervor ignited within the eyes of the Sword Saint Soldoros, the divine light in his gaze boiling over as well.

The hand gripping his sword sub-consciously pressed onto the hilt once more; he understood what that meant.

...

"The next realm of swordsmanship... it truly makes one yearn for it..." The Sword Saint Soldoros, the most ancient and the strongest swordsman of the entire continent, sighed as he watched the retreating figure of the other man.

At that very moment just now, he had lost.

Yes, these adventurers (players) had already surpassed them!

Once upon a time, to these adventurers (players), these legendary existences in the continent were figures they could scarcely dream of approaching even when looking up. Now, gradually, those legends needed to look up to them.

No one knew what kind of feeling this was, but to those who pursued the way of the sword their entire lives, defeat was perhaps not a bad thing after all.

"Alas, that nameless realm won't be so easy to reach, will it? It might require a lifetime... Say, do you think we can give this realm a name now, just like Blade Master and Sword Saint?" Looking toward the direction where the man had departed, the Sword Saint Soldoros spoke slowly.

"What do you think of 'Sword God'?"

"Isn't that... a bit too high? You must know that no one can be certain if the realm of swordsmanship has an end. What would the even higher levels be called then?"

"What's so hard about that? We'll cross that bridge when we get there!"

Within the Tower of Despair, a burst of heroic and hearty laughter rang out.

They had glimpsed a brand-new realm.

Perhaps they had long been waiting to witness this very moment.

...

This... was perhaps what they envisioned—the Sword God!

...

The Yuanqi City Shop.

"Hmm?" Inside the pioneer team's voice chat, Zong Wu spoke up, "I'm adding a main damage dealer in!"

"System Notification: Nalan Hongwu has joined the raid squad."

At this time, for the raid team, even the elite monsters they had just encountered—these Toggs—had consumed a great deal of time. As the blood-red light depleted, the final Togg finally collapsed.

Almost everyone could not afford a single mistake; it was an arduous task.

And at that very moment, Anton opened his massive maw, and an even more terrifying nightmare arrived!

The monster flying out of Anton's mouth possessed a physique far mightier than that of the Tog, covered in energy crystals that served as its armor; the Tog was mere watchdog, while this was the true ultimate overlord guarding the Source of Black Smoke!

The very instant everyone laid eyes upon it, it vanished, only to reappear right in the midst of the crowd, as a horrifying lightning storm erupted among them all at that exact moment.

No one dared question its might—that all-destroying lightning spelt certain death upon contact!

Just then, a flash of sword light, like the first ray of light piercing the chaos at the dawn of creation, flared as a veritable soul of the blade spread its wings behind Nalan Hongwu!

The highest known realm of swordsmanship blossomed without restraint at this very second.

Perhaps mastery over one path truly meant mastery over all, for even a swordsmanship of such profound depth yielded its essence effortlessly in his hands.

Ultimate Bludgeon Master!

Beneath the flawless sword light, the master of that destructive lightning was instantly frozen in mid-air by a terrifying sword force, utterly powerless to struggle or resist!

Suspended there like a puppet on strings!

The sky full of lightning instantly vanished into nothingness!

"My god... that instant boss-holding play..."

"Full DPS! Full DPS!"

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Uh... let's update the next chapter during the day.

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