The kill sword in Chen Kuang’s hand slipped into the sword sheath without the slightest resistance.

It was as if this sword sheath and the kill sword...

Were born to be a pair.

Chen Kuang was stunned for a moment.

Because the kill sword, originally conjured from his divine sense, turned into a physical entity the moment it entered the sheath!

This kill sword, born from practicing the "Chopping Grass Song," was theoretically just part of a cultivation technique, meant to be an object of contemplation.

Like the stories of the Dragon Mother saving her children in "The Illustrated Transformation of the Dragon Child," it was merely a mental imprint, not something that truly existed.

Chen Kuang originally could only manifest the kill sword from his divine sense into reality, but essentially, it remained an extension of his divine sense.

Definitely not an independently existing entity!

But now, the sensation of the sword hilt in his hand was completely different.

It was as if it had suddenly... come to life!

Cold, rough, with a profound and majestic sword will that surged forth like a towering mountain or the vast universe, boundless and infinite.

Chen Kuang stared directly at the sword sheathed in his hand.

The sword hilt, originally worn smooth by time, became clear again, engraved with only one word—

"Shuo."

"Chopping Grass Song" was not created by the "Sword Saint," perhaps dating back even earlier... Considering Pei Han Zheng’s age, it indeed might be from the Ancient Era.

Chen Kuang remembered that the Human Emperor who initiated the "Heaven Hunt Battle" was named "Shuo."

So, could the "Chopping Grass Song" have originated from the cultivation technique of the Human Emperor?

This sword and sheath were originally one but became scattered in later generations?

But why would this sword appear in the form of a visualization within the cultivation technique?

Moreover, the causality has now come full circle, making the "Chopping Grass Song" effectively originate from Chen Kuang himself.

Logically... it shouldn’t have another origin.

Otherwise, how would you explain it ending up in Chen Kuang’s hands? Wouldn’t that be self-contradictory?

The countless questions in Chen Kuang’s mind naturally found no answers, and simultaneously, a revelation emerged in his heart of the true name of this kill sword.

"Three-foot."

Chen Kuang’s expression was peculiar.

Because the sword blade is three feet long, it is named Three-foot.

That’s a bit too convenient...

The surrounding sea of blood surged up once more, leaving Chen Kuang no time to ponder.

If this continues, he would be drawn back into the "Time" river from which he had barely escaped!

Chen Kuang took a deep breath.

The only strategy now is... one sword strike!

He understood when he held this sword sheath that it was the reason the Pinggu Battlefield existed.

The kill sword was formed from killing intent, and this sheath collected worldly killing intent.

Moreover, stained by the "Time" fragment, the killing intent it absorbed manifested as battlefields remembered over the years, forming this vast, layered secret realm.

And the other fragment, Pei Han Zheng had already given him before he died—

When causality interlinks, the Dao naturally achieves completion.

Upon teaching Pei Han Zheng the "Chopping Grass Song," the resonance of the "Time" Dao was inevitably triggered.

As Pei Han Zheng said, he had ascended the mountain, seen Pei Han Zheng, and was already standing within the "Time" Dao.

The Dao lay within reach.

Draw the Three-foot Sword, slash open the entire "Time" river, and attain the Dao.

Chen Kuang closed his eyes, and his heart was tranquil.

The touch from both the sheath and the hilt felt united as one; the ancient patterns from the natural grain of the True Martial Stone, refined by sword will and purified by killing intent, ultimately created a peerless weapon.

The "soul" that no swordsmith could bestow danced joyfully within the sword, radiating affectionate goodwill to its master.

A sense of familiarity suddenly arose in him.

As if... after millennia, they were reunited.

Perhaps, the "Chopping Grass Song" did not come from nowhere, for causality has never contradicted.

There is always another rational explanation.

"Swoosh—"

The long sword was drawn, like a bright mirror, like flowing water, reflecting Chen Kuang’s face in an instant.

The sword light soared to the sky.

The overwhelming sea of blood shredded like paper, and more foreign scenes swiftly vanished from Chen Kuang’s sight.

He saw that nearly a thousand years later, the Emperor of Daqi, whose life had not yet reached its end, suddenly passed away, and the nation mourned together.

On his deathbed, the Emperor, who had tried his best to protect the kingdom, sighed as he looked up, and at that moment, the illusion in the sky finally shattered.

Those who had witnessed the celestial anomalies back then recalled past events; the succession of imperial power triggered civil unrest, plunging the entire Daqi into chaos.

An old eunuch named Yang Xiuxian secretly held the Emperor of Daqi’s private seal and went to the western suburbs, only to meet Xi Mengquan, who had returned from his travels to visit again.

At this time, Xi Mengquan’s aura was already very close to the familiar lazy appearance of Chen Kuang, but his cultivation was only at the Profound Profound Realm.

He took the private seal from the cornered old eunuch’s hand and chuckled wryly:

"The mess that guy left behind, after several hundred years, why should I have to take over again?"

"Oh well...I’m used to it."

Xi Mengquan looked at the eunuch in front of him and said calmly, "Go, before the appearance of Heaven’s Mark, get those you think are worth saving out of Daqi and tell them never to think of returning."

Thus, Yang Xiuxian became the Chief Eunuch controlling the court, a treacherous minister, manipulating winds and rains and persecuting and exiling loyalists, despised by everyone in Daqi.

Finally, one day, the grand structure was about to collapse.

Many sects united, intending to eradicate the eunuch faction and save Daqi from disaster.

Xi Mengquan sat atop the Imperial City, watching the increasingly visible fissure in the sky, and casually played a piece called "Heaven’s Inquiry."

"In the beginning of antiquity, who conveyed the Dao? When the upper and lower were unformed, how could it be assessed?..."

In the sound of the zither, he heard half the country collapse with a roar, heard billions of people singing his name, and also heard the boundless sea of suffering, turning back to see ten thousand waves, already beyond reincarnation.

With Daqi’s downfall, the fissure also disappeared again.

And Xi Mengquan, using music to enlighten the Dao, achieved sainthood on the spot, naturally became a celebrated tale.

The newly promoted "Earth Spirit True Monarch" of the Mystic God Daoist Sect stood in the air, expressionless, her clothes fluttering, and sent a sword flying, slashing away three hundred years of Daqi’s history, completely wiping out this exceptionally prosperous dynasty.

On her, there was also a trace of Dao Rhyme of "Time."

From that heartless man who had disappeared a thousand years ago...

The scene changed again.

Chen Kuang saw the disputes between various nations, marking the beginning of the Cangyuan Calendar.

He saw that every year Lv Zhexiong would go to a courtyard in the western suburbs, by then, Xi Mengquan had already, with a subtle expression, gifted the house to her, saying it was a congratulatory gift he missed giving back then.

He also saw two thousand three hundred years later, Xi Mengquan seemed to have foreseen something, waiting early by the side of Dongting Lake.

From afar, he saw a mortal couple with a blind child approaching, and he smiled.

...

In the light of the sword, everything was shattered to pieces.

Not only the boundless illusory sea of blood but also countless overlapping spaces in the Pinggu Battlefield.

The trapped prodigies saw a terrifying sword light cut through everything, and after a dizzying moment, they found themselves back before the Stone Gate again.

The originally tense grandmasters of various factions were suddenly astonished when they saw the few who appeared suddenly.

Ling Yazi was even more dumbfounded.

He had just notified his Daoist Monarch not long ago, how did they come out by themselves?!

Who had such immense capability to tear apart the barrier of Pinggu Battlefield?

As everyone looked again, they were even more shocked, their eyes widening to the point of bulging.

"Pinggu Battlefield... why is it gone?!"

Indeed, inside that Stone Gate, there was no trace left.

Who was the master that directly moved the entire secret realm?!

Ling Yazi’s mind was almost unable to process it all.

The few people who came out of Pinggu Battlefield were utterly confused, and facing questions from their sect’s grandmasters, they were all clueless.

Except for Shen Meinan, who was solely thinking about Chen Kuang, only Jiang Yunqing, as a Sword Cultivator, was the most perceptive, fixing his gaze on the sword that suddenly appeared in Chen Kuang’s hand from the moment he regained his senses.

Jiang Yunqing clasped his hands towards Chen Kuang and said earnestly, "Congratulations."

Chen Kuang’s expression was very grave: "Brother Jiang, you’re congratulating a bit early... If I can survive what’s coming next, it won’t be too late to say those words."

Before Jiang Yunqing could show surprise, his expression suddenly turned serious as he felt an overwhelming pressure swiftly crashing towards them!

A figure came rushing from afar towards the people in front of the Stone Gate.

To be precise, it was rushing directly at Chen Kuang!

Jiang Yunqing’s expression changed dramatically: "Be careful—!"

Before he finished speaking, he saw that figure had already appeared beside Chen Kuang, expressionless but with eyes as ferocious as a volcanic eruption.

This figure, naturally, was the enraged "Martial Saint" Mu Zhao!

At this moment, the "Dao Realm" pressure he emanated instantly shattered the ineffective Stone Gate, and many grandmasters simultaneously spat out fresh blood. The weaker ones, like Shen Yuliu, had already knelt down directly, their knees exploding instantly!

Mu Zhao raised that mountain-like fist and aimed it at Chen Kuang’s head.

"This time, you won’t have such good luck."

Mu Zhao said calmly.