Emperor’s Domination

“Crafting the blade you envision.” Li Qiye stared at her before commenting: “Difficult.”

“The sword is the dao and the dao is the sword but when speaking purely in terms of the sword, I still fall short.” She couldn’t help but smile wryly.

“It depends on your mastery.” Li Qiye said.

She had a troubled expression because the refinement process had been going on for numerous years. All the swords left her unsatisfied.

“I gained some insight from the heavenly sword.” She said: “It is a dao path.”

“What you think and what you do are two different things. Crafting a heavenly sword and your goal are not the same.” He shook his head.

He paused for a moment before concluding: “What’s on your mind originated from Sword Burial Zone, not the heavenly sword.”

She had Abyss for a long time, capable of using it like a part of her body. However, she felt lost trying to craft another heavenly sword. The creation process seemed to be a greater dao, not originating from the sword or the sword dao.

“I was inspired by the heavenly sword and used my anima to forge another, but the outcome stops at the sword dao with no connection to the myriad dao.” She elaborated.

“Focusing on the sword alone is fine since when you reach the pinnacle, it will elevate your dao as well. But if you wish to stand atop a dao system, your cultivation right now is insufficient.” He said.

“You’re right, Sacred Teacher.” She understood. Before this, she didn’t know whether she would be able to craft her desired sword after so many failures.

“This sword will help me reach the pinnacle. The sharpness and profundity don’t matter but rather, the forging process itself and the dao attained.” She continued.

“Honing both the dao and the art in combination to reach perfection is no easy task.” Li Qiye smiled: “Normally, forging focuses on the blade itself, but if you are using forging to refine the dao, it’s a different story. It requires breaking free from your current path to explore something new.”

“I understand. I only caught a glimpse of the fortune back then, nothing concrete, and then I focused on the heavenly sword afterward. That’s why I missed that path and now, when attempting to try it again, it feels so distant and impossible.” She elaborated.

“It depends on your pursuit. Breaking away from the heavenly sword may put you on a unique path just like Sword Queen. Of course, this still falls within the realm of the heavenly dao. Nonetheless, reaching the pinnacle of this path can still offer you boundless opportunities.” He said.

“I can’t compare with Sword Queen or Swordsea when it comes to the heavenly sword dao. Although they are still within its domain, they might be able to create a new heavenly sword that will stand at the apex of the path.” She shook her head.

Sword Queen and Swordsea Dao Lord also gained supremacy due to the heavenly sword dao. However, their trajectory would one day allow them to create a new blade. It might not be superior to the original nine but would still be enough to dominate.

After all, the swords came from a heavenly scripture. Cultivating them to the limit meant mastering the sword dao. To establish a new path was difficult, to say the least, but the result would be incredible.

“They have broken free from the old restraints, their radiance will be blinding once everything fully manifests.” Li Qiye smiled.

“I’m not as resilient as them, able to endure the path. I, on the other hand, believe that I cannot surpass the predecessors, so I took a different path instead, perhaps the wrong one.” She sighed.

“The different path quickened your pace.” Li Qiye smiled and said: “Unfortunately, your deviation from the heavenly dao is superficial, still bound to its immense foundation. The edifice of your new path will have little changes in comparison, unable to actually improve your dao.”

“I agree with you, Sacred Teacher. That’s why I’m using forging to hone my sword dao.” She nodded.

“Worry less about the swords then, just focus on your dao instead.” Li Qiye said: “Your failure in crafting is a reflection of the flaws in your dao. There is a long, long way to go.”

“Yes.” She smiled wryly: “Back in Eight Desolaces, Sword Continent had already explored all the possible paths, only to still be within the boundary of the heavenly sword dao. How hard it is for future generations to carve their own path.”

Sword Continent took pride in possessing the best sword dao. Alas, virtually everything originated from the heavenly sword dao. Although some masters had created their own sword dao, it didn’t diverge substantially from the original nine if at all.

This haunted top cultivators in Eight Desolaces. Despite their greatest effort, they couldn’t jump out of the heavenly sword dao. It seemed that as long as they were born here, escaping its boundary was impossible.

“The epoch started with the heavenly sword dao, I understand how hard it is.” Li Qiye smiled and shook his head.

She didn’t know that he was the creator of her epoch - the person who had infused the heavenly dao into the system.

How could anyone living in it be able to transcend the original versions? Just creating something on the same level required an unrivaled swordsman whose legacy would be immortalized.

Nonetheless, entering the path of the heavenly sword dao was still a good thing. Becoming a dao lord was relatively easy, the same for winning battles.

Alas, they eventually found themselves being trapped in a prison. Everything they did came from the heavenly dao. Their own sword dao and creation were suppressed.

Sword Queen and Swordsea delved deeper into this path, hoping to break through one day and create something just as great. The best they could hope for was to destroy the shackles and create something equal.

Along the way, their own dao continued to face suppression, unable to reach the limit. To abandon the heavenly sword dao entirely was a potential shortcut, allowing their own dao to improve.

This was Violet Abyss Dao Lord’s choice. She had perfected Abyss dao at this point and chose to do something different.

Although this made her dao improve faster than her peers, the result might not be as brilliant. The foundation of her sword dao couldn’t compare to the heavenly foundation. The risk of qi deviation was high.