Emperor’s Domination

Violet Abyss understood her perilous choice. Just one mistake would destroy her dao and leave her with qi deviation. Nonetheless, she never wavered and thought that it was still possible.

“I saw the traces of this path but my comprehension was too dull to understand anything from a glimpse.” She said, recalling the visual phenomenon back in Sword Burial Zone.

She prioritized the heavenly sword dao afterward and never used this visual phenomenon to come up with her own dao.

“You could only study the memory, not cultivate it. Otherwise, copying the training style would be no different from learning the heavenly sword dao.” Li Qiye smiled.

“... You are right, Sacred Teacher.” She didn’t make this connection and became emotional with cold sweats.

She bowed and said: “I was blind and didn’t make this connection, thank you for correcting my path.”

Although she tried to break out of the heavenly dao via forging, she gradually fell into the old pattern. Fusing forging and cultivation turned out to be arduous and might not be as beneficial as just following the heavenly sword dao.

Li Qiye accepted her gesture of gratitude and said: “Although you are forging a sword, you are actually forging a dao. The sword is only a form and matters not, only the dao.”

“It’s just that I have yet to forge my sword, nor have I reached the height mentioned by you, Sacred Teacher.” She sighed.

She knew that she had a long way to go. This was only the beginning.

She smiled wryly and said: “My divergent path at first, seems to be superior to my peers’ orthodox choice. Now, I realize that this path might not take me to the pinnacle and they’ll catch up and surpass me in due time.”

“Yes, if your foundation is not solid enough, you will undoubtedly be inferior to Sword Queen and the others. Once they break through, it will be a spectacle for the ages, their sword dao will be indestructible. Taking a shortcut always comes at a cost.” Li Qiye said.

Due to the restraints of the heavenly dao, Sword Queen and Swordsea moved at a snail’s pace. Nonetheless, if they could ever break through, they would soar like dragons and shock the world. Moreover, this slow path turned out to be stabler with less chance for qi deviation.

As for Violet Abyss, her cultivation had soared in recent times like a liberated true dragon. Her grand dao appeared unbeatable but this resulted in a weak foundation and a clear limit. This would eventually prevent her from taking the next step.

She took a deep breath and said: “I know that there is a chance that I might die when I reach the limit of this dao. The heart demon will take over when I fail but there is no turning back now. I must break through the shackles and be courageous this time.”

“It’s not that you can’t go on this path. There are insights and reference points I can give you on this process so that you can shine brightly down the road.” Li Qiye stared at her with a smile.

“Please guide me, Sacred Teacher.” She prostrated before him.

“You already have a heavenly sword dao and I won’t touch on this aspect. However, there is someone else who left behind a particular sword.” He paused for a moment before continuing: “Although you can’t follow this path since it’ll shackle you just like the rest, it seems like fate wants to bring you two together.”

“Please go on, Sacred Teacher.” She became emotional after hearing this.

“I just happen to have it so you may take a look. Whether you will learn anything from this depends on your own fortune.” He smiled and slowly took out a sword.

Her demeanor changed drastically; she immediately suppressed her aura and presented herself with grace and composure.

It was wrapped in a tattered piece of cheap cloth. It didn’t exude any special aura either but she knew.

“Accept.” He said solemnly.

She knelt with both hands raised high and received the wrapped blade.

The moment she touched the cloth, she felt something that she had not felt for a very, very long time.

She last felt this while being a mortal coming across the heavenly sword known as Abyss. Now, the feeling returned once more despite her current cultivation. She saw the gateway to a supreme sword path opening before her eyes.

“Immortal... this is the immortal sword from Sword Burial Zone.” She couldn’t believe it.

“Yes, the old man left behind this one-of-a-kind sword. Describing it as immortal is inaccurate, albeit very slightly.” Li Qiye nodded.

An ongoing legend spoke of an immortal sword in Sword Burial Zone. None had ever encountered it and now, she could only describe this meeting as a stroke of extraordinary luck.

“How I have longed to see this sword.” She was nearly moved to tears.

“The old man mentioned that this sword should be passed down. Although you can’t inherit this sword since you want your own dao, you can still borrow it to see if it can be of use in your enlightenment.” Li Qiye smiled.

“I will not let you down, Sacred Teacher.” She appreciated his earnest intention and felt grateful, expressing it with deep bows.

She had gone on a different path in search of a unique dao. Although she couldn’t inherit this sword and its dao, it was still the source of her divergence. This was karma; it would prove to be rather useful to her.

After ceremoniously accepting the sword, she asked: “Sacred Teacher, what are my mistakes when it comes to forging to hone the dao?”

“You know now that the focus should be on the dao, not the product.” Li Qiye smiled and gestured for her to follow.

The two of them returned to the valley, gazing at the swords she had abandoned.

She had been here for millennia, forging and abandoning countless swords. Each represented the process and her insight at that particular moment.

She sighed after seeing them, feeling sentimental and nostalgic.