Daqin Zhentiansi

The four ancient swords, reaching to the sky and standing on the ground, hummed mournfully, and the sea of ​​blood surged and roared as if the end of the world had come!

The array diagram spun wildly, and the core array eye erupted with a black vortex that devoured everything!

The white-robed spirit of the formation let out a sharp, piercing roar, trying to break free from the suppression of Zhao Zhou's ancestral power, frantically summoning back the thirteen illusory swords to protect itself and the formation's core.

As for Bai Qi, who was half-human and half-skeletal, the flame in his left eye suddenly blazed brightly. He abandoned the struggle with the evil sword within his body and transformed into a mad black light. His white bone claws tore through space, carrying an aura of destruction, and went straight for the core key that was floating in Zhang Yuan's hand!
He wants to seize this key and take control of the Sword Tomb, even at the cost of everything!
The pool of blood surged, and all spirits wailed.

The blood dragon formed from the Zhuxian sword energy continued to rage, and the remaining army burned with its last iron will amidst mournful cries. The illusory image of the bronze sword tomb of Zhao Zhou's ancestors flickered intermittently.

The claws of the half-human, half-skeletal war god had already enveloped the core key.

The outcome of this final battle rests entirely in Zhang Yuan's hands!

At the ninth level, deep within the vortex, where the core key pointed, only the silhouettes of cold swords remained, as if they had slumbered for countless epochs, quietly awaiting the arrival of the final sword wielder.

Passing through the deep passage filled with turbulent spatial currents and vortexes of malevolent energy, Zhang Yuan stepped into the ultimate place of the Sword Tomb.

The ninth floor of the Sword Tomb.

There was no ferocious killing formation as expected, nor any sea of ​​blood or mountain of bones.

Before them stretched an indescribable, vast void, empty yet heavy. At the edge of their vision, a "mountain" composed of billions of ancient swords of various shapes, all dim and silent, stood majestically, reaching the dome of the void.

This is the foundation of the Sword Ancestor's mausoleum—the Tomb of Ten Thousand Swords.

At the summit of the mausoleum, a phantom figure sat upright.

Clad in white, her face blurred as if separated by layers of time and space, only her eyes, clear as newly born stars, gazed indifferently down below.

That gaze was not one of intimidation, yet it pierced through eternity, reaching the very depths of the soul.

Behind him, thirteen towering pillars of light, each with a ferocious shape and a different color, vibrated violently, with the constant buzzing of breaking chains echoing from within. These were the thirteen fierce sword origins that had been forcibly restrained here by the core of the Sword Tomb and the will of the Sword Ancestor!
Boundless malevolence and malevolent energy collide, are purified, and then sealed away in this place, forming a vast yet dangerous eternal balance.

The moment Zhang Yuan stepped onto the base of the Ten Thousand Sword Tomb—

"Buzz!"

An invisible torrent of will exploded!

Ten Thousand Sword Souls' Repentance!
It was not an attack, but an overwhelming surge of "intention"!

Countless fragments, carrying with them ancient thoughts of slaughter, despair, obsession, grief, and resentment... transformed into billions of illusions, forcefully pouring into Zhang Yuan's sea of ​​consciousness.

Smoke billowed, obscuring the sun!

The Qin cavalry trampled through the borders of other countries, women and children cried out as they were crushed into dust, and tattered battle flags were planted on the scorched earth...

A thousand miles away!

The bones of refugees piled up like mountains, the last glimmer of light in the eyes of those who resorted to cannibalism was extinguished, and the sky remained dry...

Court infighting!

The powerful and wealthy grinned as they divided the territory, their tributes forcing the people to grovel, and the blood of trillions was squeezed dry just to cast a single brick for the imperial palace…

The roar of blood and fire echoed through the soul: "Such slaughter! Can this bring peace to the world?!"

"Can such a campaign be called saving the world?!"

"Such a empire! Where is its foundation?!"

The repentance of 100,000 sword souls is a test of one's Dao heart!
They were once weapons of slaughter, but now they have transformed into resounding bells that question the very source of the killing!

This is the ultimate manifestation of the trial of "enlightenment through battle".

Confront the consequences of the knife in your hand, confront the enormous cost and profound questions behind "stopping war with war".

Zhang Yuan's body trembled violently, blood spilled from the corner of his mouth, but his face remained as deep as a pool, unaffected by the illusion.

The chaotic dantian circulated wildly, and the illusory image of the Golden Wheel of the Bright King, which suppressed the world, lit up deep within the soul, forcibly stabilizing the Dao heart.

He witnessed bloodshed and fire, yet he was not crushed by guilt; a deeper understanding settled in his cold eyes.

The root of the chaos in this world lies in the greed and moral depravity of people's hearts, not in the weapons themselves.

If we are powerless to cleanse the world, then we will be doomed for eternity!

The white-robed phantom spoke, its voice devoid of sorrow or joy, yet resounding throughout the void: "Zhang Qingyang. You traversed seas of blood, cut through thorns, and broke through countless tribulations to reach my throne. Now I offer you two paths to choose from."

"Hand over the thirteen sword talismans, the array-breaking cone, and other rare treasures you have stolen, as well as the Chaos Dao Foundation you possess. I will draw your Great Qin Emperor Qi into the tomb and grant you the core key. With you as the bridge, I will combine the power of the evil sword to forge an unparalleled hegemonic weapon, suppress the Nine Provinces, and forever eliminate calamities. Your power to shake the heavens will be just around the corner."

"Or, hold this key and remain in the Sword Tomb, becoming its new master. Gather the essence of all the swords here, wield the thirteen fierce swords to slay all enemies outside, and protect the lineage of Zhao Zhou. You are the Sword Tomb, and the Sword Tomb is you. This path is lonely, yet you hold the power of killing."

"Choose: power and dominance, or... the lonely plight of the common people?"

Temptation and responsibility are laid bare before me.

One road propelled the Qin Dynasty to the pinnacle of military might, but it also opened the path to endless warfare and the pursuit of "eternal hegemony."

The other path signifies an individual's binding with the Sword Tomb, becoming its guardian. Both paths seem to push power to new heights. As Zhang Yuan gazed at the cool core key in his hand, the voice of the white-clad phantom atop the mausoleum remained indifferent, but deep within Zhang Yuan's sea of ​​consciousness, fragments of images originating from a broken sword on the first level of the Sword Tomb exploded with unparalleled clarity!

Above the heavens, thirteen colossal swords of varying shapes and sizes clashed fiercely... A world-destroying storm swept across... The void crumbled, stars fell... That terrifying divine and demonic power transcended the realm of sainthood and even crossed the dimensions of time and space...

And at the very moment when this chaos and destruction reached their peak, at the core of that fragment of image, Zhang Yuan saw it with unparalleled clarity this time.

An indescribable, nameless giant hand, carrying a grand will encompassing the vast universe and all realms, and imbued with supreme power to establish order and suppress eternity, emerged from the void and slammed down upon the thirteen fierce swords locked in combat!
The posture of that giant hand... the aura that annihilates all laws... and the Daoist charm emanating from the white-robed phantom sitting atop the mausoleum before us... are exactly the same!
The sudden realization struck Zhang Yuan like a thunderclap in his soul!
"It's you!" Zhang Yuan suddenly looked up, his gaze like two bolts of lightning tearing through the ancient mist, piercing straight at the blurry white-clad figure. His voice, carrying a penetrating insight that seemed to pierce through time and space, resounded throughout this ultimate land: "So it was you who suppressed these thirteen world-destroying swords and set the layout of this eternal sword tomb with a single palm strike..."

"Sword Ancestor!"

In the ever-indifferent eyes of the white-robed phantom, a faint ripple, seemingly the culmination of countless years, finally appeared.

This subtle change was like a confirmation, a silent acknowledgment of that palm strike that transcended eras!
"A ruthless hero commands deadly weapons! This key is mine!!"

Just then, a frenzied roar tore through the void!
The spatial barrier was like a piece of brocade torn apart by a tremendous force. Bai Qi's true form, half-human and half-skeletal, carrying a fierce and malevolent aura, crashed into this ultimate mausoleum!
At this moment, his half-body tattered black armor was almost completely peeled off, revealing pale bones covered with an intense, impenetrable black sword aura, like a living demonic vine writhing and gnawing wildly.

On the remaining head, half of the resolute human face was twisted and deformed, its eyes bloodshot, filled with the pain and struggle of descent into depravity.

The backlash from the source of the Frostbone Fierce Sword has pushed him to the brink of complete depravity!
However, the intense resonance from the bone armor fragments and the almost instinctive desire for the core key that could control everything, like the last spark ignited in his chaotic consciousness, drove him to pounce recklessly like a ferocious beast driven by instinct!

"For the Great Qin! Only this power... can forever protect our land! Zhang Yuan, the key... give it to me!!"

On the white bone claws, all the violent and ferocious sword power he could muster at this moment was concentrated. Ignoring the rules of the mausoleum itself, with the madness of destroying everything, it tore through the void and fiercely grabbed at the warm and gentle core key in Zhang Yuan's palm that contained supreme authority!

This sudden and violent impact almost interrupted the Sword Ancestor's heartfelt decision!
But in that moment of life and death, when his Dao heart was under extreme pressure, Zhang Yuan's will was tempered and made as clear as ice and black iron!
He suddenly looked up, his gaze like thunder piercing through eternity, striking Bai Qi's face, half shrouded in darkness and half belonging to "Lord Wu'an," his voice shaking the world: "Lord Wu'an! You only see the road paved with white bones leading to hegemony, but do you still remember what the foundation of the Great Qin Dynasty truly is?!"

"If the blood and tears of trillions of people are used to forge only an invincible weapon that disregards the hearts of the people, is this still the Qin Dynasty that puts the people first and carries the hopes of all living beings?!"

"The true pillar of the Great Qin Dynasty has never been its fierce armies, but the hearts of the people! It is the well-being and happiness of its people!"

His words struck the ground with a force as sharp as metal and stone shattering!

There was no more hesitation in Zhang Yuan's eyes, only a resolute and determined light that shone through as if he were burning his boats!

The chaotic true essence within his body suddenly reversed, and the ferocious origins he had seized and refined through bloody battles, the dark gold sword talisman condensing the deathly aura of the evil soul, the crimson runes originating from the burning intent of the tribulation fire, the azure mark containing the extreme cold of the icy soul, and the violent sword energy remnants of the four swords of the Immortal Slaughtering Sword, were all violently extracted and fused by him, and were forcibly poured into the core key in his palm engraved with the character "tomb" and the broken sword mark, like all streams returning to their source!

"With my own body as the guide, and the fundamental wishes of all people as the sacrifice—shatter the key!! Suppress all living beings!!!"

A roar that pierced the deepest hell and shook the very fabric of time erupted!

Zhang Yuan's five fingers were like divine pincers, encompassing all his strength and his resolute will to fight to the death, as he unleashed his power fiercely!

“Crack!!!”

A deafening roar, as if the universe had been created and the heavens and earth had been shattered, shattered the silence of the mausoleum!
That core key, formed by fusing the sword intent of the Yueyuan Heavy Sword with the jade pendant of the Sword Pavilion, carries the symbolic authority of the highest ironclad rules of the Sword Tomb...

In his hands, it shattered with a deafening roar!
An unimaginable and indescribable torrent of backlash, originating from the deepest part of the Sword Tomb, instantly detonated at the point of the Shattered Key!
The entire base of the sword mound, made of ten thousand ancient swords, wailed violently, as if an earth dragon were turning over!
Immediately afterwards, at the top of the mausoleum, the thirteen towering, fierce sword beams that had been forcibly restrained by the will of the Sword Ancestor and whose power was colliding and vying with each other completely lost their last shackles and balance!
In response to the violent backlash from the shattered core key, they instantly manifested the hideous phantoms of their respective original weapons, transforming into thirteen incomparably violent and uniquely shaped destructive light dragons.

The Blazing Sword is made entirely of broken and solidified dark lava, flowing with deep red flames that burn the heavens and earth. Wherever it passes, the space is scorched and twisted with molten marks!
The Soul-Slaying Sword, with its dark and twisted form, resembles countless vengeful spirits wailing and coalescing in the abyss. The crimson chains wrapped around it, stained with filthy blood, exude a malevolent aura that devours souls and steals spirits!
The Frostbone Sword is a gigantic, deathly white bone sword covered in a soul-freezing gray-blue ice. Its bony spikes are like thorns, spewing out a gray-white deathly aura that corrodes marrow and rots the soul!

The four ancient, towering sword phantoms – Zhuxian, Luxian, Xianxian, and Juexian – are the clearest!
The sword aura of the Immortal Slaughtering Sword was blood-red, the sword intent of the Immortal Slaughtering Sword was extremely fierce, the sword aura of the Immortal Trapping Sword was unpredictable and devoured all things, and the sword light of the Immortal Annihilation Sword annihilated the void and cut off everything!
The four swords formed a deadly formation, and the blood droplets dripping from the swords crashed into the void, transforming into roaring blood dragons!
The Burning Silent Sword has a long and twisted blade with cracked patterns that resemble solidified magma, interwoven with crimson and pale white. The tip of the sword is extremely black and red, as if it could ignite a silent flame in the void!
A sense of destruction, annihilation, and utter silence permeated the air!
This malevolent sword, radiating an aura of ultimate destruction, possesses a power that subtly surpasses all others!

……

Thirteen malevolent sword dragons, each representing the power to destroy the world, carrying endless resentment bound for millennia and the rage brought on by the shattered core key, instantly locked onto the same outlet for their fury.

As if they had found the source of all destruction, they roared in unison, carrying terrifying power that could tear the heavens and earth apart, and suddenly turned around, rushing madly towards Bai Qi, who was halfway through his attack, with the posture of annihilating everything!
"Roar—!!! No!! Zhang Yuan! How dare you… the eternal foundation of the Qin Dynasty—!!"

Bai Qi's final roar, filled with pain, rage, despair, and a hint of disbelief, was instantly swallowed up by thirteen torrents representing different laws of destruction!

On that half-face, there was the extreme unwillingness of failure, the shock brought by the "variable" that had been the source of his high hopes but had instead shattered his obsession with killing!

But this is not the end!
Because this earth-shattering backlash, while its target was Bai Qi, who had triggered all of this, its origin was the ultimate madness of the evil swords breaking free from control and annihilating everything!

The violent and chaotic energy did not stop after tearing apart Bai Qi's "barrier". The remaining destructive turbulence, which was enough to reduce the Holy Realm to ashes, roared and rolled with the obsession to destroy all order, like a primordial tide that broke free of the dam, and continued to devour Zhang Yuan, the instigator of all this!

retreat?

out on a limb!

block?
A mortal body cannot withstand it!

Zhang Yuan's eyes reflected the apocalyptic tide sweeping across the world. There was no fear, only extreme calmness and a clear conscience!
He held the Yuanyue Heavy Sword, which had accompanied him through countless battles and whose blade was now covered in cracks, horizontally in front of him.

It's not a block, it's not a defense.

"In this life, I, Zhang, only seek the great path in my heart and follow the direction of the long sword in my hand!"

He faced the calamity head-on!

He raised his head and roared, completely abandoning his defenses and facing the aftershocks that were powerful enough to annihilate stars with his mortal body!
"boom--!!!"

An indescribable explosion of impact!
Zhang Yuan's body was like a candle flickering in the wind, his protective aura instantly shattered, and the sound of his flesh and bones crumbling could be clearly heard!

At this moment, the core of the dantian, the "heaven and earth" that held the chaotic furnace, was covered with spider web-like cracks, and finally... it shattered with a bang!
Consciousness sank into excruciating pain, enveloped by endless darkness. (End of Chapter)