Chapter 220: Shattering the Void
[Ye Gucheng was one of the most formidable sword masters in the martial world, a man of rare caliber. He had created the legendary sword technique "Heavenly Flying Immortal," said to be unparalleled beneath the heavens, dazzling and brilliant beyond compare. This strike was as pure and flawless as blue skies and white clouds, descending from above with a splendor and swiftness that could chill one's very bones. Frankly speaking, when facing him, you were never entirely certain of victory.]
[When you challenged him, Ye Gucheng gladly accepted, setting the duel for the night of the full moon atop the Purple Forbidden Peak. But the events that followed left you somewhat disappointed. As it turned out, you were merely Ximen Chuixue's backup opponent.]
[His acceptance of your challenge was merely part of a greater scheme: to assassinate the Emperor and assist the heir of the Southern Prince in seizing the throne. He intended to use the duel atop the Purple Forbidden Peak as an opportunity to draw away the palace guards, clearing the way for the Southern Prince's heir to take power. In the end, after Lu Xiaofeng exposed the conspiracy, Ye Gucheng, knowing he was doomed, still honored his agreement to cross swords with you—deciding both victory and life or death.]
[Thus, on that cold, moonlit night, with strong winds howling atop the high towers of the Forbidden City, you engaged in a brief yet fierce duel. From the very start, spectators—both players and onlookers—felt as if the air itself had frozen, their hearts oppressed to the point of breathlessness. This was pure, crushing spiritual pressure.]
[Almost no one had the mood to speak, and all held their breath. How many people in the world had the fortune to witness a battle between masters of this caliber?]
[Ye Gucheng struck with full force from the outset. A dazzling sword light came slanting toward you, and for a moment, it was as if you saw a host of celestial maidens scattering flowers and chanting in divine harmony. Faced with this unpredictable, irresistible attack, you gripped your sword tightly, springing forth like a green dragon leaping from the water, unleashing your strike. Your sword light arced like a rainbow, as if to carve a rift across heaven and earth. In an instant, the outcome was decided—your blade slipped silently into Ye Gucheng's chest.]
[All present were left dazed, their minds reeling. Was this not already the absolute pinnacle of swordsmanship in the current age—the unrivaled master of the way of the sword?]
[By then, the moon and stars had faded into the first light of dawn. Withdrawing your sword, you flicked away the blood from the blade just as a white cloud drifted into the sky. You obtained the achievement: Duel atop the Purple Forbidden Peak. You obtained the dungeon summoning stone: Duel atop the Purple Forbidden Peak.]
[The rewards for completing this task far exceeded your expectations—not only did you gain a massive amount of experience, but you also acquired a new sword technique: "One Sword to Make Immortals Kneel." The name alone was sharp enough to make one's heart stir, and the technique itself had already reached the very pinnacle of all sword arts ever seen in the martial world—utterly different in style from anything of this era.]
[On September 9, Year 23, you formally resigned from your post as Chief Constable of the Six Doors, embarking on your journey to challenge the swordsmen of the martial world.]
[On December 1, Year 23, the new martial rankings were released, shocking countless people. Not only did you retain your first place on the Rookie Ranking, you also rose to thirty-second on the overall rankings—a near-unbelievable feat for someone who had debuted less than two years ago.]
[On December 5, Year 23, after three months of cultivation, you resumed your travels. Along the banks of the Yangtze, you encountered Shi Feixuan, the saintess of Cihang Jingzhai, newly entered into the martial world. To you, her slender waist and graceful figure were far more impressive than her swordsmanship. With a single strike, you shattered her sword heart and forced her back to Emperor Treading Peak, leaving Cihang Jingzhai humiliated.]
[On December 11, Year 23, you arrived at Ten-Thousand Plum Manor in the northern frontier to challenge its master, Ximen Chuixue. If Xie Xiaofeng's swordsmanship was as natural and traceless as flowing water, and Ye Gucheng's was flawless and dazzling, then Ximen Chuixue's could be described as sharp and piercing. Yet when you casually unleashed "Azure Dragon from the Sleeve," he was still unable to withstand you. Struck in the ribs, he could only watch you depart in carefree fashion.]
[On January 9, Year 24, you defeated the Sword Demon Yan Thirteen. After experiencing his "Fourteenth Sword" and "Fifteenth Sword," you openly declared that these two moves had already approached the mortal pinnacle.]
[On February 1, Year 24, you ranked twenty-first on the martial rankings—by now, there were few sword masters ahead of you.]
[However, your newfound fame also brought constant annoyance. More and more martial artists sought you out—challengers, avengers, and would-be killers hoping to make their names by taking your head. In just three days in the Hebei region alone, you slew nineteen such road-blocking opponents, striking such terror into the martial world that heroes quailed at your name.]
[On February 14, Year 24, you returned to Shaolin, challenging its martial might with your sword. You defeated thirty-two Shaolin masters, though in the end, you still did not meet the Sweeper Monk.]
[On March 3, Year 24, you went to Wudang Mountain to challenge their swordsmanship. Compared to Shaolin, you treated Wudang with a bit more gentleness. Your first duel was with the elder Mu Daoren, famed as Wudang's first in Go, second in poetry and wine, and third in swordsmanship. Yet in just thirty moves, you broke his weapon, shook your head with a smile, and remarked that his swordsmanship was overrated.]
[That same day, you challenged the martial world's pillar, Wudang's grandmaster Zhang Sanfeng. It came close to ending in a draw, but in the end, your swordsmanship was just slightly superior.]
[On March 14, Year 24, you went alone to Blackwood Cliff, defeating the Sun and Moon Divine Cult's leader Dongfang Bubai in just twenty-seven moves, sparing his life afterward.]
[On March 19, Year 24, along the plank roads of Shu, you encountered a lone figure wearing a bamboo hat—Dugu Qiubai—come specifically for you. The plank road was flanked by sheer cliffs, with iron chains suspended over thousand-fathom abysses. Not even birds could cross; monkeys would despair of climbing. One misstep would send you plunging to your death. Yet you did not hesitate—you drew your sword against Dugu Qiubai. He was the strongest opponent you had faced thus far, wielding the heavy, blunt-edged Xuan Iron Sword, his style plain yet supremely refined, every move an attack. For a time, he forced you entirely onto the defensive. It took over seventy exchanges before you unleashed the sudden strike "One Sword to Make Immortals Kneel," shattering his ever-changing sword forms bit by bit until he was defeated on the spot.]
[From April 1, Year 24, to May 9, Year 30, after defeating Dugu Qiubai, you returned to Luoyang, sheathing your sword and entering seclusion. Having challenged so many masters, you had dismantled and absorbed all their sword arts, transforming them wholly into your own. Your understanding of the sword reached an unbelievable height. After six years without drawing your blade, you finally forged a strike imbued with immense sword intent—One Sword to Open the Gate of Heaven. You believed that by swordsmanship alone, you now had no equals in this world.]
[On June 2, Year 30, you began your final journey, seeking to challenge Nameless and the Sword Saint Dugu Jian. Though you had been absent from the martial world for six years, your legend still endured. When you arrived at Chen Village, where Nameless lived in seclusion, a large crowd of followers had already gathered. Your duel ended swiftly in your victory—less because Nameless lacked strength, and more because he no longer possessed the will to win. A swordsman without the will to triumph is like one without a sword—no longer a threat.]
[On June 9, Year 30, you arrived at Peerless City. If nothing went wrong, this would be the final battle of your journey—and you could not shake the strange feeling that you might leave this world at any moment.]
[Compared to Nameless, the Sword Saint Dugu Jian's Holy Spirit Swordsmanship was less subtle than the Nameless Sword, but his will to win burned far stronger. From Sword One to Sword Twenty-Two, he fought you evenly. Yet as the battle went on, the signs of his defeat began to show, and soon he was on the verge of collapse. You did not relent—each strike stronger than the last—pressing him to unleash Sword Twenty-Three. And then it happened: you felt the entire world freeze. The air stopped flowing, sound vanished into stillness.]
[This was Sword Twenty-Three! Sword qi and sword intent, under the eruption of immense spiritual force, formed a sword realm where all things halted, helpless to resist or defend.]
[Dugu Jian stepped toward you one pace at a time, bringing with him an overwhelming sense of death that sent your instincts into a frenzy of alarm. But in the next instant, you laughed. The Sword Saint's ancient blade trembled, pulled by your aura, and flew into the air. Every sword in Peerless City, including those in the hands of players, was drawn from its sheath—thousands of blades rising together in a dense, surging tide.]
[In the sky, these swords gathered into a single colossal blade that hung in midair, exuding a terrifying majesty—One Sword to Open the Gate of Heaven!]
[In but a moment, the sword realm of Sword Twenty-Three cracked, then shattered entirely. Dugu Jian's figure slipped from his primordial spirit state, standing dazed before you—then crumbled into a cloud of ash.]
[Immediately afterward, a massive sphere of lightning, so bright no one could open their eyes, appeared in the sky. Heaven and earth turned white, and your figure vanished without a trace, leaving the crowd trembling in awe. You obtained the dungeon: Shattering the Void. (Legend +1)]
["Shattering the Void! Sword God Zhou Ning has shattered the void!" someone cried out, breaking the momentary stillness. That scene became an eternal classic in the game's history.]
[In the blink of an eye, you found yourself passing through the Heaven Gate you had opened, leaving the game world behind—and now, the world before you seemed far more intriguing.]
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