Bombarding Cultivators with Cluster Artillery

”Damn Eastern Devil School scum!”

”It’s been itching for many years, thanks to you, haha...”

Obscenities and guiles of all sorts continued from within the dark clouds, accompanied by subtle demon voices tempting the deepest reaches of Divine Sense, as the darkness rapidly restored to its original size in the blink of an eye.

”Heavenly Pond is indestructible, Sword Spirit is indestructible?”

”That doesn’t make any sense.”

Jiang Ding didn’t pay attention to the mocking laughter and words; a stream of thoughts surfaced in his mind: ”Sword Cultivators believe in the self, in autonomy, without reliance on external forces. Cultivators of the Great Sun Sword Pavilion are especially extreme in this belief; it’s impossible for an entity with its own consciousness to exist undying within the Great Sun Heavenly Pond.”

”The Great Sun Heavenly Pond is a cradle built by the Great Sun Sword Pavilion for the Dari Swordsman.”

”The Dari Swordsman has absolute control, even the Great Sun Sword Master wouldn’t interfere in this regard but respects the Dari Swordsman’s dominion within the Heavenly Pond.”

”Theoretically speaking, even if the Heavenly Pond is incomplete and authority is lost, it shouldn’t be possible for its authority to be suppressed. This is the underlying logic of the Great Sun Heavenly Pond.”

”Isn’t that right?”

Various conjectures floated in his mind and he spoke them out loud.

”Haha——”

The voice from the cloud faltered.

”So what? You really think you are...”

”You’ll know soon enough.”

Jiang Ding said coolly.

Boom!

The Taiqing Flying Sword shone brightly.

The Sword Intent of Destruction illuminated heaven and earth, turning into a rising Bluegold Sun, ascending, ascending again, and finally settling into the core of the Heavenly Pond’s array, becoming the one and only Great Sun within the Great Sun Heavenly Pond.

The light shone in every corner of the Heavenly Pond.

With his Divine Sense entrusted to the Taiqing Flying Sword, Jiang Ding caught glimpses of innumerable chaotic Array Patterns forming and dissipating, and Sword Dao Runes spread throughout the Great Sun Heavenly Pond.

Supported by various Formation Methods, his Divine Sense could easily extend to a thousand miles around, and every place was displayed in minute detail; any attempt at hiding or evading was futile.

From this vantage point, he finally saw two masses of light.

One was pale gold, like the warm and soft morning light of around eight or nine o’clock, devoid of the sun’s inherent intense and domineering heat, dazzling and ruling over life, impossible to gaze upon directly.

The other was pitch black like ink, within which one could faintly discern countless Sword Cultivator souls being destroyed amidst the brilliant light and mushroom clouds, emitting lamenting cries.

”You...”

At this moment, a pair of frightened eyes looked over.

”You are here.”

Jiang Ding said indifferently.

From this perspective, it was clear that the mass of dark remnants, through the Great Sun Heavenly PondArray, was constantly extending its power into the dark clouds, making any attempt at destruction useless, as the real body couldn’t be damaged.

”Cut!”

Jiang Ding uttered a single word.

No need for control, no need for Divine Sense or Mana, the array patterns connected to the dark clouds snapped apart of their own accord at his command.

The cloud, which had expanded to several miles in size and regained its full strength, collapsed into scattered Spiritual Light and disappeared.

Great Sun Heavenly Pond,

belongs to the Dari Swordsman of the Great Sun Heavenly Pond!

Not some so-called spirit of the Heavenly Pond or any such thing as the Heavenly Pond’s heavenly path.

”Die!”

Jiang Ding pointed at the dark remnant mass residing in the Sun Abyss and pressed down again.

Boom!

There was no attack. It was as if something that had been rooted within the core and firmly controlled the Heavenly Pond’s spirit—Divine Souls could command life and death without any resistance.

”Ahh!”

The dark remnant screamed as something within it exploded and shattered in an instant, its aura rapidly plummeting to rock bottom, its very foundation shaken.

After a while, however, numerous roaring Sword Cultivator souls merged into a broken Flying Sword that had emerged with the explosion, forming a new core.

Still alive.

”It’s unfair! Unfair!”

”The Heavenly PondArray is blind!”

The remnant soul entity’s aura plummeted, its voice plaintive, ”This is not the Great Sun Swordsman but a remnant of the Eastern Devil School. How can you not understand!”

”How can you not understand!”

”Ah!”

He roared.

”No.”

”This is indeed the Great Sun Swordsman.”

The gentle voice said with a light laugh.

”Formation Method?”

In this state, Jiang Ding immediately gained a deep understanding of many situations within the Great Sun Heavenly Pond.

The core of the Great Sun Heavenly Pond’s Array, also known as Moon.

It was a part of the Formation Method within the Great Sun Heavenly Pond, seemingly female, but in reality genderless, not a biological entity, and strictly adhered to the Sword Law of the Great Sun Sword Pavilion passed down through generations.

As long as the Sword Law of the Great Sun Sword Pavilion deemed success, it would operate according to the Sword Law.

And, the only way to be recognized by the Great Sun Heavenly Pond was through the Great Sun Flying Sword!

The Great Sun Sword Cultivators were cold and ruthless.

They held the sword in the highest regard and were very extreme.

Even during the heyday of the Great Sun Sword Pavilion, if someone successfully forged a Great Sun Flying Sword and killed a Great Sun Swordsman in a fair environment,

the Great Sun Sword Pavilion would acknowledge his identity as a Swordsman!

As for this entity claiming to be Sun Spirit, it originated from the previous generation of the Great Sun Swordsman.

He was a person who feared loneliness, creating an Array Spirit within the Great Sun Heavenly Pond using many Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures to accompany him in conversation, sword practice, and could be considered a special creature with its own emotions.

Therefore, it inherited the enmity of the Great Sun Sword Pavilion.

”Wait in the Sun Abyss.”

Jiang Ding took a deep look at the remnant soul entity and severed his observation of the entire Great Sun Heavenly Pond.

The Xianmen Sect was the invaded party, with over ten billion Xianmen cultivators and mortals dying at the hands of Great Sun Sword Cultivators, seeking life within death, and finally winning with difficulty, destroying the Great Sun Sword Pavilion.

This was an enmity that would not cease until death.

”The Great Sun Soul Flame needed for Foundation Establishment is within the Sun Abyss.”

Jiang Ding confirmed again.

The Great Sun Heavenly Pond held no secrets for him.

Now, what needed to be done was to clear away external interferences, to avoid accidents when delving into the Sun Abyss to collect the Great Sun Soul Flame and to slay the remnant soul entity.

A bluegold sword-shaped Escape Light broke through the air and flew into the distance; moments later, the figure disappeared.

...

”Too fast.”

An Tuzi frowned, took up his fishing rod, and from the lava lake, pulled up a five-story pagoda, its layers shining with golden, wooden, water, fire, and earth lights in succession, closing his eyes to sense for a moment.

”It still lacks a bit of readiness.”

”Finding a place like the River of Sun Flame won’t be so easy. Who knows how much the Great Sun Sword Pavilion spent in the past to create the Great Sun Heavenly Pond,” he muttered to himself, hesitating for a long while before he continued to sit cross-legged, murmuring.

”Afraid of what?”

”He is the Great Sun Swordsman, and I am the Taoist of Five Elements. The reason I want to avoid him is not that I’m scared but because fighting brings me no benefits.”

...

When Jiang Ding arrived at the source of the River of Sun Flame, he stopped.

Looking around, this place called a river was actually an endless lake of magma, scorching and destructive, with myriad Sword Qi of the Great Sun accompanying the sunlight, rising above the lake, casting profound Sword Arts, like thousands of Great Sun Sword Cultivators wielding Flying Swords in the air.

On the shore, a chubby and honest-looking man with a fishing rod watched him warily.

”An student, long time no see.”

”How have you been lately, is your Cultivation still going smoothly?”

Jiang Ding greeted with a warm smile and politely said, ”I am preparing to go into the Sun Abyss to deal with some matters. To avoid any external interference, could you seal yourself, the kind that can’t be undone easily in a short time?”

”Don’t worry, I will give compensation.”

He assured, ”Moreover, I won’t pursue the matter of you forcefully occupying my Cultivation spot anymore.”