Sword Aura to the Heavens
Chapter 110 - 106: All Arrived

Chapter 110: Chapter 106: All Arrived

The Da Li Dynasty’s Sword Dao force, Li Mountain, was the most prestigious, yet now Lingxiao Pavilion seemed poised to take its place.

However, within the Da Li Dynasty, there were still many top sword cultivators, who did not belong to any particular Sword Dao force, roaming freely across the world.

The Chi Xiao City that Ji Hua mentioned harbored one of the greatest sword cultivators of the Da Li Dynasty; the city itself was also revered as a sacred ground for Sword Dao practitioners.

Even the Da Li Court couldn’t interfere with Chi Xiao City.

In that city, there existed rankings for sword cultivators across the Da Li World, drawing countless practitioners who came to pay homage.

Ji Hua had been there and heard of Gu Xiao.

"If you want to see the Sword of Li Mountain, you should visit Li Mountain," Ji Hua said as he gazed at Gu Xiao. "Yet you came here. This reason tarnishes your name as a sword cultivator."

"If I can see it here, then to me, there is no difference," Gu Xiao replied. Golden sword aura flowed between the heavens and the earth, surging toward the direction of Ji Hua and his two companions.

At the same time, several energies began to manifest from different locations, bearing down oppressively.

The people of Chuzhou City likely understood. On the Peak of Li Mountain, Li Fan had exhibited astonishing talent, arousing the jealousy and fear of the Court and various factions, which had sent top cultivators to kill him.

A mere youth had drawn such an intense battle, just as Ji Hua had said.

*Such treatment, perhaps even the royal heirs of the Da Li Dynasty could not expect to receive.*

*But this kind of treatment was not necessarily a blessing.*

"If that’s the case, allow me to show you the sword of Li Mountain," Ji Hua said, waving his hand as his words concluded. A sword appeared in his grasp, and simultaneously, a dazzling Sword Array Map emerged behind him.

The Sword Array Map formed Sword Dao halos and rapidly expanded, covering the heavens in an instant as Ji Hua ascended into the skies.

Countless people of Chuzhou City lifted their heads to gaze at the breathtaking scene behind Ji Hua in awe.

"A Sword Dao phenomenon."

The crowd’s hearts trembled, as the Sword Dao phenomenon behind Ji Hua floated in the air and transformed into a massive Sword Dao halo. The halo spun, while sword howls echoed across the sky.

Within the Sword Dao phenomenon, a Vermilion Bird let out a piercing cry. The temperature in the sky suddenly soared, and fiery brilliance illuminated the heavens, coloring the sky in crimson light.

Above the firmament, a colossal Vermilion Bird seemed to appear.

Li Fan also lifted his head to look at Ji Hua. On the Peak of Li Mountain during his battle against Jiang Taie, Jiang had triggered a faint Sword Dao phenomenon, but it paled in comparison to the spectacle before him now.

"The Vermilion Bird."

Li Fan recalled his Sword Inquiry in Sword Valley, when his consciousness had entered the Sword Mountain’s stone wall, and encountered a Vermilion Bird Divine General.

*The Vermilion Bird belongs to the fire element; has Senior Ji Hua inherited the power of the Vermilion Bird Divine General?*

An imprint of the Vermilion Bird appeared on Ji Hua’s brow, and the sword in his hand blazed with raging flames.

At this moment, Ji Hua, who had entered a battle-ready state, was truly peerless.

Gu Xiao’s expression grew more serious, but an indomitable battle intent radiated from him.

With a flicker of his thoughts, the golden giant sword behind him unsheathed itself. Across the heavens surrounding him, countless golden giant swords emerged, exuding not only a supreme sharpness but also an overwhelming and majestic power.

Ji Hua swung the sword in his hand. From within the phenomenon behind him, innumerable Vermilion Birds transformed into swords streaking across the firmament. Like cascading streams of fiery light, the Vermilion Birds dove downward, igniting the skies.

"Shake the rivers and mountains!"

Gu Xiao roared as he thrust his palm forward. The golden giant swords suspended around him roared, hurtling toward Ji Hua with explosive force.

Just as the two erupted into battle, a sudden shift occurred in Chuzhou City—a massive hand materialized out of thin air, reaching for Li Fan’s location.

The gazes of the crowd had been fixated on the battle unfolding in the skies. Suddenly noticing the appearance of the massive hand, everyone’s attention snapped back. The hand appeared instantly over Li Fan, its fingers descending like Five Fingers Mountain, aiming to obliterate him.

As the massive hand descended, Wen Ruyu and Li Fan remained calm, watching the scene unfold without a hint of panic.

A devastating punch surged forth, striking the massive hand head-on. The hand shattered into fragments and dispersed. Not far behind Li Fan and Wen Ruyu, a towering figure leaped into the air and appeared high above the ground.

The figure exuded a wild aggression with eyes that glinted like those of a demon, scanning toward a particular direction on the ground where an elder lifted his gaze, staring at the emerged figure.

"Li Mountain, it seems many have come." The elder stepped forward into the skies. With each step he took, the heavens quaked violently, and the people of Chuzhou City felt their hearts pounding in resonance.

"Knowing you’d come, naturally, there would be a welcome." The figure standing before Li Fan was none other than Xing Feng, the Peak Master of Martial Intent Peak at Li Mountain.

"So it’s not a sword cultivator?" The elder chuckled. As he finished speaking, his body suddenly expanded, towering like an ancient god, standing as immovable as a mountain across the heavens.

"Fatian Xiangdi." People watching from below were overwhelmed by awe.

Xing Feng took a step forward, and a deafening ape’s roar reverberated across the heavens.

Behind him, the silhouette of a Demon Ape materialized. It was as immense as the elder himself but radiated an even wilder intensity.

"I’ll take care of him," Xing Feng said to Wen Ruyu and Li Fan.

"Thank you, Martial Uncle."

The two expressed their gratitude and continued onward, heading toward the Chu State Governor’s Prefecture.

No matter who was sent, they undoubtedly belonged to the Court’s side of the faction.

The person of highest status in Chuzhou City at this moment was naturally Seventh Prince Ye Yunke.

Wen Ruyu was surrounded by sword intent that shielded both him and Li Fan. Beside them, the Demon Ape roared toward the elder who had transformed into a giant, charging without pretense, engaging directly in close-quarter combat. The clash was even more intense than the battle between the two top-tier sword cultivators above.

The people beneath them in Chuzhou City hurriedly fled, for standing below them was perilous at all times.

"Where are you planning to go?"

A voice suddenly echoed amidst the sky, carrying a terrifying pressure that headed straight for Wen Ruyu and Li Fan. Its intention was unmistakable—to kill Li Fan.

"Where Li Mountain’s disciples go is none of your concern."

A voice responded, accompanied by an equally powerful aura that blocked the sky, shielding Li Fan and Wen Ruyu from above.

Li Fan lifted his gaze to see a figure clad in black standing above—a figure that was none other than his Martial Uncle Wu Tong.

Li Fan had already known that his Martial Uncle had arrived and was nearby.

*He was merely waiting for him to make a move.*

"On the Peak of Li Mountain, Li Fan defeated Jiang Taie. It seems Li Mountain is nurturing him for the future. Has half of Li Mountain come today?" A cold voice questioned from above.

The Peak Masters of Li Mountain’s nine peaks—how many had come today?

"Isn’t that what you’ve already deduced? Otherwise, why else would cultivators of your caliber have appeared in Chuzhou City?" Wu Tong responded indifferently. "But now that you’re here, whether you’ll leave alive remains uncertain."

Dispatching such powerful experts to kill Li Fan naturally showed his identity and position in Li Mountain had been taken into account.

During the Peak of Li Mountain battle, the Court and various factions could already infer that Li Fan would be groomed as Li Mountain’s future hope.

Jiang Taie was seen as Lingxiao Pavilion’s future leader. If Li Fan could defeat Jiang Taie, was Li Fan’s status within Li Mountain even in question?

Otherwise, to kill a practitioner at the Out-of-Body Realm, a Five Realms cultivator could be dispatched at random. There would be no need for such a grand setup.

"So his visit to Chuzhou City was also merely bait from Li Mountain? How generous of you."

"It wasn’t bait. It was a warning." Wu Tong replied.

A warning to those in the Da Li Dynasty who had intentions against Li Fan: they would face consequences.

Thus, there had to be a battle such as this.

Li Mountain needed to declare its stance.

Wen Ruyu and Li Fan moved forward, soon reaching the Chu State Governor’s Prefecture.

They proceeded directly inside without stopping, and no one dared to block their path.

The two entered the Prefecture, gazing toward the steps ahead of them. There stood a group of people, with Seventh Prince Ye Yunke and a middle-aged man among them. Beside them was Chu State Governor Meng Yong, with Cui Lengzhou standing below.

"Senior, are you alright?" Li Fan asked Cui Lengzhou.

"I am fine." Cui Lengzhou looked up at Wen Ruyu and Li Fan. He had previously thought highly of Li Fan, wanting to take him to the Cui Family as a son-in-law for his granddaughter.

Only now did he understand Li Fan’s position within Li Mountain.

Not only Li Mountain but also Seventh Prince Ye Yunke wanted to recruit him.

*This realization left Cui Lengzhou feeling a bit dejected.*

*After all, this potential grandson-in-law seemed destined to slip away.*

"Magnificent," Ye Yunke exclaimed, lifting his head with a smile as he looked at Li Fan. "So Li Mountain has already set up a heaven-and-earth net in Chuzhou City, simply waiting for someone to arrive."

With this setup, if Ye Yunke had gone to the inn intending to kill Li Fan, perhaps he wouldn’t have come back alive.

"You can think of it that way," Li Fan replied.

Ye Yunke smiled and turned to the middle-aged man beside him. "Li Mountain must know who my teacher is. Who else can Li Mountain send here to make you dare come to this place?"

The middle-aged man raised his eyes, and the Prefecture fell eerily silent in an instant. Everyone felt an oppressive weight, as though they could hear their own heartbeat.

Even Chu State Governor Meng Yong was no exception, his gaze toward the middle-aged man growing increasingly reverent.

"Few in the Da Li Dynasty can attain the rank of king under a different surname. Li Mountain certainly would know them." With these words, a beam of sword light descended upon the Prefecture.

Ye Yunke turned his gaze toward the newcomer, whose presence resembled a radiant sun, from which none could stare directly.

"Am I sufficient?" The newcomer turned to Ye Yunke and asked.

The middle-aged man looked at the newcomer and spoke in a grave voice. "So, the Li Mountain Sword Master has arrived."

The newcomer was none other than the current Li Mountain Sword Master, Mo Yang, the Peak Master of Li Mountain Sword Peak.

For a millennium, every Li Mountain Sword Master had been a top-tier Great Sword Cultivator.

Though Li Mountain had declined, Mo Yang was considered the weakest among the talented Sword Masters in generations.

Yet even so, few within the Da Li Dynasty could defeat Mo Yang.

A dozen years ago, when the father of Wen Ruyu still lived, he and Mo Yang together had been enough to intimidate the world.

Unfortunately, over the past years, Li Mountain suffered immensely, particularly during the turmoil of ten years ago, when its strongest figures sequentially perished. This was the opportunity that led to the Court targeting Li Mountain.

Had those figures from the past still been around, the Court would not dare to set foot upon Li Mountain.