Just as the old patriarch forced me to my death, I achieved the unity of Dao and fruition.

"If you die kneeling, I'm afraid you won't accept it."

After those words were spoken in the wind and snow, the entrance to the Sword Tomb became eerily quiet.

The seven disciples knelt on the snow, their faces all changed.

Xiao Chenzhou, in particular, looked up at Gu Changjin, his eyes first showing astonishment, then an overwhelming sense of embarrassment.

Their coming up the mountain today is indeed a coup attempt.

Even a coercion needs a palatable explanation.

Sword tradition, the well-being of all people, the invasion of demonic cults—these are all stepping stones.

As long as the master accepts the situation, hands over the Sword Tomb Key, and passes on the Ten Thousand Swords Return to the Sect, everyone can save face.

Even in the future, people in the martial arts world will mention this incident.

The Sword God Jinxue is old, and his seven disciples have inherited his swordsmanship and left the mountain to eliminate demons.

How beautiful it sounds! How elegant it is!

But now Gu Changjin's words, "Die on your knees," have torn away this fig leaf.

Xiao Chenzhou slowly stood up, snow falling on his shoulders.

He gripped the longsword at his waist and spoke slowly.

"Master."

This address of "Master" no longer carried much respect.

"This disciple did not want things to come to this."

Gu Changjin looked at him without saying a word.

He wanted to see what other nonsense this dutiful disciple could spout.

Xiao Chenzhou took a deep breath, his voice becoming heavy.

"Now the Demonic Sect has marched eastward, conquering three states in succession, and the Black Lotus Demon Lord has even severely injured the leader of the Pure Heart Sword Sect."

"The righteous path of the world is on the verge of collapse."

"Back then, my master's sword dominated the martial world, earning him the title of Sword God of Ash Snow. Who in the world didn't revere him?"

"But you're old."

As he said this, a hint of heartache even appeared in his eyes.

"Your vital energy has declined, and your hand holding the sword is no longer steady."

"If the legacy of the Sword Tomb remains in your hands, it will only be buried with you in the earth."

"This disciple cannot bear... cannot bear to see the sword path of the world perish, nor can he bear to see the righteous people slaughtered by the demonic sect."

Upon hearing their senior brother's righteous and awe-inspiring words, the disciples who had followed behind also stood up.

Some people lowered their heads and remained silent, their eyes flickering, but their hands were firmly placed on the sword at their waist.

Some people even gripped their swords tightly, their attitude quite clear.

Xiao Chenzhou seemed to have finally convinced himself, and straightened his back a bit.

"Therefore, today, this disciple dares to ask Master to hand over the Sword Tomb Key."

"From this day forward, I will inherit the name of the Sword God of Ash Snow and lead my fellow disciples down the mountain."

"Seven swords emerge from the Sword Tomb, sweeping away all demons under heaven!"

"This is not for personal gain."

"This is for the sake of all living beings!!!"

After listening, Gu Changjin fell silent, not because he was moved.

Rather, it was because there were too many factors involved that he didn't know which one to say first.

The world is in peril as the demonic cult invades! The legendary master of the martial arts world is growing old!

Good guy!

How come I can hear this kind of talk in every world?

In the Xuan Yang Sect, some people said that for the sake of the sect's greater good, they should ask the patriarch to die.

Upon arriving at the Sword Tomb, someone else said that for the sake of all living beings, they should ask their master to pass on the inheritance.

Gu Changjin even suspected that these ungrateful wretches from all the heavens and myriad worlds might have attended the same school.

Their scripts are all so uniform.

He delved deeper into the memories of this body.

Gu Changjin smiled very quickly.

It turned out to be the case.

Xiao Chenzhou spoke with such righteous indignation, but that wasn't the truth behind it.

Three months ago, Xiao Chenzhou went down the mountain and met Liu Yueci, the Holy Maiden of the Suxin Sword Sect.

The woman was indeed good-looking, skilled in swordsmanship, and had an even better mouth.

With just one sentence, "As the chief disciple of the Sword God Jinxue, if Senior Brother Xiao can inherit the Sword Tomb, he will surely become the leader of the righteous path in the world," Xiao Chenzhou was completely bewildered.

Later, the Suxin Sword Sect fought against the Demonic Sect but lost. As the Holy Maiden of the Sword Sect, Liu Yueci was naturally injured.

This made Xiao Chenzhou very anxious. He wanted to stand up for her, prove himself, and let the martial arts world know that he was not the Sword God's eldest disciple who could never hold his head up.

So he returned to the Sword Tomb, bringing along six junior brothers and sisters.

To put it bluntly, what kind of bullshit is this about the world and its people? What kind of demonic invasion is this?

He's just a hothead eager to prove himself and get ahead.

Gu Changjin laughed in genuine anger. What kind of trash disciple did he take in?

If you're going to take on disciples, you'd better do it properly!

"Xiao Chenzhou".

The sound wasn't loud, but it made Xiao Chenzhou, who was standing at the entrance of the Sword Tomb, look up.

"Disciple is here."

Gu Changjin looked at him and slowly said, "If you had just said that you wanted the Sword Tomb, the Myriad Swords Return to One, and my title as the Sword God of Jinxue, I might have thought more highly of you."

"But you insist on bringing up the plight of all living beings."

"What? Did the demonic cult damage your brain while wreaking havoc on the world?"

Xiao Chenzhou's face darkened.

"Master, please be careful with your words."

Gu Changjin smiled.

"Be careful what you say?"

"You led men to the Sword Tomb to force me to be careful what I say?"

"Xiao Chenzhou, you haven't learned much swordsmanship over the years, but you've certainly developed a thick skin."

The faces of the disciples behind them all turned ugly.

The fifth disciple couldn't help but speak up.

"Master, Senior Brother is doing it for the greater good!"

Gu Changjin's sharp gaze swept over, and the person caught his words instantly in his throat after just one look.

Gu Changjin said coldly, "Is it your place to interrupt when I'm speaking?"

With just one glance, cold sweat broke out on the back of the fifth disciple.

Only then did he remember that the old man in front of him, even in his declining health, had once been a sword god who had dominated the entire martial arts world for sixty years.

However, their previous master was always smiling and kind to them, which made them forget his terrifying identity.

Xiao Chenzhou stepped forward, blocking the crowd.

"Master, you've really gotten old."

His voice turned completely cold.

"If you were still the Sword God of Ash Snow back then, this disciple would naturally not dare to draw his sword."

"But now, you even need a sword to support you when you get up."

"This disciple does not wish to harm you."

"As long as you hand over the key, your disciple will still regard you as his master and take care of you in your old age until your death."

Provide for the elderly until their death.

These four words again.

Gu Changjin's eyelid twitched.

He's now allergic to these kinds of words, and extremely allergic at that!

Gu Changjin looked down at the sword in his hand, then at Xiao Chenzhou.

"Do you think I'm old?"

Xiao Chenzhou did not back down, but spoke frankly.

"Yes."

"You think my sword is no longer sharp?"

"Yes."

"How many of my sword strikes do you think you can withstand?"

Xiao Chenzhou was silent for a moment, then he slowly drew his sword, the blade emerging from its sheath, its cold light reflecting off the snow.

"This disciple dares not deceive his master."

"Today, this disciple will yield three sword strikes to my master."

Upon hearing this, the expressions of the disciples behind him immediately changed.

Letting the three swords out might sound like a sign of respect for one's teacher, but in reality, it's a message to everyone.

Xiao Chenzhou was no longer afraid of Gu Changjin.

Even if we give them three swords, we can still win.

Gu Changjin looked at him and suddenly cursed.

"Holy shit."

Xiao Chenzhou was taken aback because he had never heard his master use such vulgar language.

Gu Changjin was genuinely furious.

Let him strike three times?

An apprentice, leading a group to force the emperor to abdicate, constantly talking about providing for the elderly and the common people, yet in the end, he still had to give up three swords to him.

How could someone be so despicable?

Gu Changjin raised his hand, but did not draw his sword; he simply made a gesture with his fingers.

The wind and snow suddenly stopped, and a wisp of sword energy swept out from his fingertips.

This wisp of sword energy was very light, as light as a snow line.

However, Xiao Chenzhou's pupils suddenly contracted.

He drew his sword to parry.

clang!

The clang of metal on metal echoed through the sword mound.

Xiao Chenzhou slid backwards for three zhang (approximately 10 meters), his boots carving two deep furrows in the snow.

His hand holding the sword was trembling; his thumb and forefinger were split open, and blood was flowing down the hilt.

The other six people's expressions changed completely, and they were shocked. They never expected that their old master would still have such strength.

"Senior Brother!"

Xiao Chenzhou stared intently at Gu Changjin.

How could that be? Master's vital energy and blood are clearly depleted.

That sword strike just now wasn't even a real sword strike; it was just a burst of sword energy.

Why is it still so heavy?

Gu Changjin flicked his fingers.

"You'll let me use three sword strikes?"

"Can you withstand the first sword strike?"

Xiao Chenzhou's face turned ashen, but he had already made his statement. If he backed down now, it wouldn't just be a loss of the sword, but a loss of face.

He gritted his teeth and said, "Again!"

Gu Changjin laughed. Want to die? Then I'll grant your wish.

"OK."

The second sword energy descended.

This time, it was three points faster than before.

Xiao Chenzhou roared, and the long sword in his hand transformed into countless sword shadows.

This is the Cold River Sword Style that Gu Changjin taught him back then.

The sword light was like water, continuous and unbroken; in the martial arts world, it was indeed considered a first-rate sword technique.

But in Gu Changjin's eyes, the loopholes were as numerous as a sieve.

He didn't even need to look closely; the sword energy pierced through the myriad sword shadows and struck Xiao Chenzhou's shoulder with pinpoint accuracy.

puff!

Blood exploded!

Xiao Chenzhou felt a numbness on one side of his body, and his longsword almost slipped from his hand.

He staggered backward, his face finally turning pale.

Gu Changjin said calmly, "The third change of the Cold River Sword Style lowers the wrist by half an inch."

"I've taught you for twenty years, and you're still the same."

"He's truly a useless piece of trash, utterly hopeless!"

Anger flashed in Xiao Chenzhou's eyes.

That tone...that's exactly the tone!!

My master has always been like this, from childhood to adulthood.

No matter how well he practiced, in his master's eyes, he was always just a little short.

A difference of half an inch, a difference of a breath.

This is what Xiao Chenzhou hates the most.

The entire martial arts world says he is the chief disciple of the Sword Tomb and will succeed the Sword God of Ash Snow in the future.

But the master never acknowledged it.

On what grounds?

He suddenly looked up, his voice hoarse.

"Since Master thinks your disciple is useless, then today your disciple will show you whether I am truly qualified to take over the Sword Tomb!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Xiao Chenzhou sprang into action.

I won't allow it anymore, and I'm not going to pretend to be a good disciple anymore.

The longsword stirred up a flurry of snow and wind, aiming straight for Gu Changjin's brow.

The other six people were shocked.

The eldest brother actually drew his sword!

Gu Changjin's eyes remained completely unmoved.

That's more like it, wouldn't it have been fine if we had done it this way earlier?

What are you pretending to be, a dutiful son and grandson? You're such a drama queen!

He shifted his stance, dodging the sword's edge.

Xiao Chenzhou's swordsmanship was extremely fast, delivering thirteen consecutive thrusts.

Each sword strike aimed at vital points: the space between the eyebrows, the throat, the heart, and the dantian.

How could this seem like she didn't want to hurt her master? It's as if she wanted to chop him to pieces.

As Gu Changjin retreated, he looked around, and at the same time, he had the leisure to search through the swordsmanship memories of this body.

The swordsmanship experience of the centenarian swordsman surged up like a tide.

How to break through every sword strike, how to kill with every breath.

Xiao Chenzhou's movements seemed to be getting slower and slower in his eyes.

It was even ridiculously slow.

Gu Changjin's last bit of comfort completely vanished.

He stopped.

Xiao Chenzhou thrust his sword forward.

Gu Changjin raised the simple longsword in his hand.

Finally, he drew his sword.

There was no sky full of sword light.

Nothing earth-shattering.

It was just a simple forward movement.

puff.

The sword tip pierced Xiao Chenzhou's throat.

The wind and snow stopped.

Xiao Chenzhou's sword stopped three inches in front of Gu Changjin's brow.

His eyes widened little by little.

It's as if they never understood why they lost so quickly, even until their death.

Gu Changjin looked at him, his voice very soft.

Before forcing someone to abdicate in your next life, first consider whether you are worthy of it.

With a swift movement of his longsword, blood splattered onto the snow.

Xiao Chenzhou fell straight down.

boom.

The body fell into the snow.

The remaining six disciples were completely dumbfounded.

No one spoke, no one moved.

No one even dared to breathe.

Only one thought remained in their minds.

The eldest brother is dead?

Did Master kill the eldest brother?

Oh my god!!

Master has gone mad.