Marrying Wives and Attaining Immortality in a Chaotic World

Chapter 306: The Final Battle

Canglan River.

The source of the river.

Xu Lian arrived with his sword servant Huo Xin’er, sword disciples Yun Conglong, and Feng Conghu, crossing through space to reach this place.

The Canglan River was the largest river in the Yin Dynasty territory. Its source erupted from underground like a fountain, creating a magnificent sight.

A middle-aged man dressed in Daoist robes was leisurely fishing by the riverside, with a long-handled sword stuck in the ground beside him.

“So you are my opponent for the third battle?”

Xu Lian stared at the middle-aged man and felt a powerful aura emanating from him. He was undoubtedly at a high stage of the Origin Tracing Realm, though Xu Lian couldn’t pinpoint his exact rank.

Judging by the long sword planted next to the man, he seemed to be a skilled swordsman. Moreover, there were no other humans within hundreds of miles.

Considering all these factors, this middle-aged man must indeed be his opponent for the third battle.

Yun Conglong said seriously, “Master, be careful. That sword appears to be the Sovereign Sword. This person is most likely its wielder, Fan Cheng. He has been cultivating for over two thousand years and has reached the ninth rank of the Origin Tracing Realm. Below the Sage Realm, he is considered invincible and his strength is extraordinary,” 

Huo Xin’er shot an angry glance at Yun Conglong. “Don’t boost his morale while undermining our master’s! What does it matter if he’s invincible below the Sage Realm? Our master is truly the strongest below the Sage Realm, unafraid of any opponent in the Origin Tracing Realm!”

Yun Conglong chuckled awkwardly. “What Mistress says is true. Although the wielder of the Sovereign Sword is strong, I believe that Master is even stronger.”

The term “Mistress” made Huo Xin’er beam with delight, and she refrained from further scolding Yun Conglong.

The middle-aged man slowly packed up his fishing gear, pulled out the Sovereign Sword from the ground, and finally turned to look at Xu Lian. In a calm tone, he said, “That’s right. I am your opponent for the third match. I’ve already defeated the opponents from the first and second battles and have been waiting here for quite some time.”

Huo Xin’er disliked his tone and coldly snorted. “Arriving early doesn’t necessarily mean you’re stronger. My master was delayed by some matters; otherwise, he would’ve been here much earlier.”

Xu Lian raised his hand, and Huo Xin’er immediately handed over the Sword of Destruction with both hands. She then retreated to a safe distance next to Yun Conglong and the Feng Conghu.

“The name of the sword is Sovereign Sword. Draw your sword.”

Xu Lian unsheathed the Sword of Destruction, pointing it diagonally toward the heavens. As the sword emerged, the entire sky instantly darkened. Blood red lightning crackled across the night sky, sending a chill down his spine.

The middle-aged man was startled. “The Sword of Destruction? You’re the Holy Son of the Nine Heavens, Xu Lian?”

Xu Lian sighed inwardly. Fame could be troublesome. The moment the Sword of Destruction appeared, his identity was bound to be questioned. “That’s right. I am Xu Lian.”

The middle-aged man abandoned his relaxed demeanor and gazed deeply at Xu Lian. “It’s rumored that the Holy Son of the Nine Heavens achieved the Origin Tracing Realm in less than a hundred years of cultivation. I didn’t expect your cultivation to surpass even those rumors – you’ve reached the seventh rank of the Origin Tracing Realm. Truly a prodigy in cultivation.

“However, you will still lose today. My cultivation surpasses yours by two minor ranks, and my Sovereign Sword is no weaker than your Sword of Destruction.”

Xu Lian found this premature declaration amusing. “It’s too early to talk about victory or defeat.”

The middle-aged man drew his Sovereign Sword, and a majestic sword intent surged forth, as if a sovereign had taken control of the world. “Then let’s begin.”

Xu Lian was used to the ceremonial rituals of the first and second battles. The sudden lack of ceremony from this opponent triggered his obsessive tendencies. “Where is your sword attendant? Why doesn’t anyone hand you your sword?”

The middle-aged man paused, obviously not expecting such a question. “I have been cultivating for over two thousand years. My two sword disciples couldn’t endure it and died a thousand years ago. My sword attendant died several hundred years ago and has probably turned to dust by now. There is no need to dwell on it.”

The expressions of Huo Xin’er, Yun Conglong, and Feng Conghu darkened. They found his words unsettling.

Xu Lian said nothing. He struck first and unleashed the Seal Light Sword Wheel. In an instant, he closed in on Fan Cheng, engaging him in close combat!

Fan Cheng’s swordsmanship was impressive. Although he lacked a immortal-grade technique like the Seal Light Sword Wheel, his skills were at the heavenly level. Combined with his cultivation surpassing Xu Lian by two minor ranks, he was no pushover.

The two of them were evenly matched!

They fought from the ground into the sky, from the sky into the void, and then burst out of the void to clash fiercely in the heavens above.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Each collision between the Sword of Destruction and the Sovereign Sword erupted with blinding light like the sun, with sparks flying everywhere. Every spark burned massive holes in space, and when they landed on Earth, they ignited hundreds of miles of land, turning it into scorched earth.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Their battle reached a fever pitch. The skies shattered, rivers evaporated, and the earth sank. It was a scene like the end of the world.

Suddenly, Fan Cheng merged with his sword, transforming into a humanoid battle sword and slashing toward Xu Lian!

“I can do the same – merge with my sword.”

Xu Lian also merged with the Sword of Destruction.

In this state of unity with their swords, personal strength became secondary. The deciding factor was whose sword was superior. Clearly, Fan Cheng had great confidence in his Sovereign Sword to use this technique.

Similarly, Xu Lian had absolute faith in the Sword of Destruction, the mythical weapon of the Jiang family, one of the thirteen founding clans. A nine-star Heavenly Grade sword, unmatched unless faced with another immortal sword. The Sword of Destruction feared no legendary blade.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The two humanoid battle swords clashed directly, no fancy techniques, just brute force.

Terrifying shockwaves rippled outward, shattering the sky. Countless fragments of space collapsed like an avalanche, splitting the earth and forming chasms as deep as abysses.

Even from hundreds of miles away, Huo Xin’er, Yun Conglong, and Feng Conghu felt overwhelmed, and their blood rushed. They retreated hastily.

The humanoid Sovereign Sword transmitted Fan Cheng’s voice. “It seems that both of our swords are extraordinary. We won’t settle this without using our ultimate techniques!”

“Exactly what I thought – a single strike to decide the outcome!”

The humanoid Sword of Destruction echoed Xu Lian’s laughter. This battle was exhilarating – he had not fought so freely in a long time.

Fan Cheng separated himself from the Sovereign Sword.

“The Sovereign descends upon the world!”

He roared, and a towering figure appeared before him – the residual sword intent of the ancient Sovereign.

“Nightmare Crimson Lightning Sword Domain!”

Xu Lian unleashed his trump card. Streams of crimson lightning converged onto the Sword of Destruction in his hand, making it resemble a “lightning rod” drawing in thunder.

With a fierce swing, he unleashed the attack.

Rumble!

Crimson lightning bolts shaped like blood dragons pierced through the Sovereign’s figure, blasting Fan Cheng away for countless miles. The crimson lightning continued its rampage, tearing massive fissures through space that stretched to the horizon!

But the towering figure of the Sovereign wasn’t to be underestimated either. It slammed down a palm on Xu Lian, overwhelming and unstoppable, driving him deep into the earth and leaving a bottomless crater on the surface.

Moments later…

Xu Lian soared out of the crater, his body glowing like a golden sun, radiating brilliance. He was unharmed, completely fine.

Fan Cheng staggered back, his body battered and torn like a ragged sack. His wounds weren’t bleeding because they had been cauterized by the crimson lightning. Pale-faced and with blood trickling from his mouth, he lost the ability to stay airborne and plummeted to the ground, gasping for breath. With an unwilling gaze, he looked at Xu Lian. “This is unfair. You have the protection of the divine laws of the divine kingdom. I couldn’t even touch you.”

“…” Xu Lian didn’t know how to respond. Without the divine laws protecting him, that palm strike from the Sovereign figure would’ve left him severely injured.

Huo Xin’er flew over. “Losing is losing. Don’t make excuses.”

Fan Cheng sighed helplessly. He was badly injured and could not fight anymore. “Fine, I admit defeat. But as for the swordsmanship, I refuse to concede. Your master had divine laws protecting him. Even if he stood there and let me cut him, I wouldn’t have been able to hurt him. This wasn’t a fair sword duel.”

Huo Xin’er sneered. “Why didn’t you get some divine laws?”

“?” Fan Cheng was annoyed and fell silent. Throughout history, the instances of divine laws could be counted on one hand. Even most top-tier powers didn’t possess them. In a way, Divine Laws were rarer than the inheritance of a Sword Emperor. Where was he supposed to find such a thing?

Xu Lian said, “The divine laws of the Divine Kingdom have been a part of me for a long time. I can’t even remove them temporarily. I didn’t intentionally use them to cheat.”

This answer sounded reasonable. Fan Cheng weakly took out a healing pill, swallowed it, and waved his hand. “Alright, you win. You can go to the Sword Pavilion.”

Xu Lian asked, “What about the guardian assigned to you by the Sword Pavilion?”

Fan Cheng didn’t understand why he was asking. “When I reached the sixth rank of the Origin Tracing Realm, I surpassed my guardian and sent them back to the Sword Pavilion.”

“Then hurry up and heal yourself. I’ll guard you here so that no one can ambush you. Or if you prefer, I can escort you back to the Sovereign Tower.”

Xu Lian didn’t leave. Fan Cheng was severely injured, and if the enemies attacked unexpectedly, it would be easy to finish him off. The Sovereign Tower might blame Xu Lian, and although he wasn’t afraid, there was no need to invite unnecessary trouble.

Although the Sovereign Tower wasn’t as powerful as the Nine Heavenly Sacred Lands, it was still a top-tier power with supreme-level experts.

“I will heal here. I don’t want to go back and let my disciples see me in this sorry state.”

Fan Cheng gave Xu Lian a grateful look before beginning his recovery process.

Huo Xin’er looked at Xu Lian in awe. “Master thinks so thoroughly.”

Who could resist such a look? If circumstances had allowed, Xu Lian would’ve claimed her right then and there.

After more than an hour, Fan Cheng’s injuries improved slightly. He stood up, thanked Xu Lian once again, and departed, vanishing into the void.

“You two go explore elsewhere and return in half a day.”

Suddenly, Xu Lian waved at his two sword disciples.

Seeing Xu Lian pull Huo Xin’er into his arms, Yun Conglong and Feng Conghu exchanged knowing smiles and quickly left the area.

Huo Xin’er glanced at the source of the Canglan River, recognizing it as a perfect spot. Her master’s earlier battle might not have been enough to satisfy him, and now was the time to make the most of the advantage. Naturally, she was delighted to be victoriously pursued.

So Xu Lian and Huo Xin’er jumped into the river – not to fish, but to enjoy the beauty of nature.

Half a day later, the two sword disciples had yet to return. Xu Lian was left speechless.

Huo Xin’er giggled softly and caught two fish to fry.

It wasn’t until the next day that Yun Conglong and Feng Conghu returned, reeking of alcohol and having no idea where they had been.

Yun Conglong faked an apologetic smile. “Oh dear, we’re terribly sorry to keep Master waiting.”

Feng Conghu looked at the sky. “Yes, we’re extremely sorry.”

Could they be more fake?… Xu Lian didn’t bother scolding them-it was endearing how considerate they were trying to be. He took Huo Xin’er and the two sword disciples, crossed through space, and headed toward the Sword Pavilion.

The Sword Pavilion:

The first thing that caught their eye was a colossal sword piercing through the clouds, its height indeterminable. Compared to this giant sword, even towering mountains seemed like mere hills.

Surrounding the sword were hundreds of cities of various sizes.

“Could this colossal sword be the Sword Emperor’s weapon?” Xu Lian asked curiously.

Huo Xin’er replied, “No, it’s said that this sword belongs to the Sword Emperor’s wife. The Sword Emperor’s weapon is… a blade of grass.”

Xu Lian was stunned. “A blade of grass?”

Huo Xin’er explained, “Legend has it that it’s a nine-leaf sword grass, though none of us have ever seen it ourselves.”

She pointed at the towns and began introducing them to Xu Lian. “The larger cities are home to the families of the sword servants and guardians. The smaller towns belong to the families of the sword disciples.”