The grand hall shook as sword qi swept forth.

The Malevolent Sword Venerate lay face down on the ground, his body in tatters. Tyrannical sword qi had left his flesh an indistinct meaty pulp.

He roared in fury, then shot forth. A snowy, glinting Dao Sword shot out of his sleeve, sparkling like starlight. It was four feet long with silver threads wrapped around the hilt. The name Starry Descent was carved on the hilt.

The name came from the phrase “a sword descends, and ten thousand stars prostrate themselves before it.”

This was the sword that Jiang Wuchen had taken the most pride in. It originally belonged to a Heavenly Sovereign, but after Jiang Wuchen reforged it, it could connect fully with his powers of the Grand Dao.

Back then, it was among the Three Great Heavenly Monarch Weapons. And the greatest of the three at that!

Even his good brother, Lu Hongpao, went red-eyed with greed at the sight of it. She’d tried to buy it off Jiang Wuchen on numerous occasions.

It was obvious how wondrous it was, and how famous.

When the Malevolent Sword Venerate drew it, his combat strength soared.

“This is what they mean when they speak of radiant pearls buried in mud.” Jaing Wuchen sighed.

He was using the power of his Dao Imprint to control the Sword of the Nine Hells. Even just the aura emanating from it was enough to suppress Starry Descent.

The Malevolent Sword Venerate’s mind practically went blank. How is the Sword of the Nine Hells this unreasonably strong?

In the face of this impending lethal threat, he didn’t hesitate to unleash all of his trump cards.

A black Buddhist statue niche floated into the air. The statue inside depicted a Buddha manifesting all of creation. He had three heads, six arms, and he stood on the back of a soaring dragon. The niche emanated intense light, and the Buddha glared in fury. Sanskrit chanting rang out, shaking the surroundings. Countless lights interwove to form a resplendent sutra, which descended from on high.

The Karma-Severing Statue Niche!

This was a supreme Buddhist treasure from the Devastation. It could sever sins, break malevolent forces, and slaughter Celestial Demons. Its Buddhist power was without border, and its killing power was without end!

But that wasn’t the end.

A blue Daoist seal took to the air, like a little blue mountain swathed in mists. Its light was clear and intense, and the slopes were carved with inscrutable ritual text. It was indistinct, but upon closer inspection, it read, “Crack open the heavens and suppress the nine extremes.”

When the seal took to the air, it looked as if it were merely the size of a fist, yet it simultaneously seemed endlessly tall and grand, as if it could fill every last inch of inch of the heavens.

The Blue Sky Suppression Seal!

Then there was a pennant as white as jade. As it billowed, it stirred up countless ripples of the energy of the Grand Dao. Their colorful light dazzled the eyes. As the ripples spread, they created one mysterious, unfathomable world of the Grand Dao after another. It was as if a single swing of the pennant could manifest three thousand worlds.

It was accordingly called the Myriad Realms Pennant.

That aside, there was a formation of thirteen swords, a verdant fan made of a banana leaf, a crown inlaid with gems, and many more. It was a dazzling display of wealth, more than ten treasures in total. Pick any one at random, and it was sure to have shocking origins and mystical power.

Jiang Wuchen’s expression shifted slightly; all of these were treasures he’d acquired in life.

His good brother, Lu Hongpao, once remarked that he was the most blessed son of fortune beneath the heavens. Wherever he went, he was sure to have some sort of unparalleled, fortuitous encounter or run into heaven-defying good fortune.

If he’d gotten lucky like that once, it’d be one thing, but his luck had accompanied him his entire life!

Even Jiang Wuchen himself suspected that his luck was a bit too good, to the point that it made him uneasy. Fortune and disaster went hand in hand. It seemed to him that perhaps the luckier he was now, the more terrifying the misfortune he would suffer later.

He spent his life doing good, becoming an incomprehensible “wealth-scattering child” in the eyes of the masses. In truth, he was trying to accumulate good karma to neutralize the coming disaster.

Furthermore, he’d acquired far, far too many treasures over the course of his life, and whenever he broke through, most would cease to be useful to him. Thus, when doing good, he gave his treasures away without feeling even a twinge of heartache.

Some laughed, saying he was blessed with fortuitous encounters, yet not fated to enjoy them. Others criticized his judgment, saying he didn’t understand how to build wealth. Some saw him as an easy mark and tried to squeeze more treasures out of him.

Jiang Wuchen naturally knew all that.

Controversy was inevitable whenever someone tried to do good. Things never ended well for do-gooders lacking skill. But Jiang Wuchen had never concerned himself with all that. It was enough that he had a clean conscience.

Now, all that remained of him was his Dao Imprint. When he looked back on his life, he finally understood something: Fortune and disaster really went hand in hand!

Prior to his reincarnation, he’d possessed fortune as grand as the heavens themselves, yet a Karmic Tribulation had plunged him into the abyss! But Jiang Wuchen still staunchly believed that devoting his life to good hadn’t been a mistake.

Those who accumulated karmic merit would surely be rewarded in the end. If not for all the positive karma he’d accumulated, how could he possibly have received a chance at rebirth? How could he possibly have received an opportunity to destroy his heart devil with his own hands now, countless years after his death?

Every cause had an effect, every effect, a cause. Everything was preordained.

As his thoughts raced, Jiang Wuchen attacked. The Sword of the Nine Hells rumbled and boomed, and an avalanche of sword qi burst forth.

The Buddhist light scattered, and the chanting came to an abrupt halt as the tyrannical sword force ripped the sutra to shreds. The statue in the black niche wept tears of blood as the countless worlds around it withered and died.

Bang!!!

The blue seal wailed.

It was a supreme Heavenly Monarch-level treasure that could suppress the nine extremes. Its mysteries were endless, yet in the face of that sword force, it was like duckweed in turbulent waters, helpless to prevent itself from being swept away. Practically simultaneously, the three thousand worlds of the Myriad Realms Pennant, the thirteen swords of the sword formation, and the banana leaf fan... were all swept away!

Nothing could block the sword’s power!

Heaven collapsed, and the earth caved in. They couldn’t block it either!

When the slash descended, the Malevolent Sword Venerate’s mind went blank. He couldn’t even think of resisting.

It was an unprecedented feeling of despair. He was like an ant falling into a lake of lava. He’d yet to plunge into the molten rock, but even just the waves of heat emanating from it were enough to burn him to cinders.

That was what it was like to stare down the Sword of the Nine Hells.

The Malevolent Sword Venerate hadn’t even considered the possibility that it would be this terrifying.

He had a certain degree of confidence even in the face of Heavenly Sovereigns, but in the face of this sword, he couldn’t even sustain his will to fight, let alone anything resembling confidence. All will to resist had been wiped away.

It was just too terrifying!

In his final moments, the Malevolent Sword Venerate looked at Jiang Wuchen.

He had Su Yi’s features, but his presence was that of Jiang Wuchen. Yet for some reason, the Malevolent Sword Venerate felt that there was no longer a separation between Su Yi and Jiang Wuchen.

Su Yi and Jiang Wuchen were one and the same!

Boom!

A sword hummed, and the Malevolent Sword Venerate’s awareness fled him.

The hall shook violently. Sword light surged, and the Malevolent Sword Venerate’s body fell apart, ground away completely.

The Laws of Celestial Restriction covering the Forgotten Palace dissipated. A streak of light flashed by the doorway, and a seal clattered to the ground. This was the Two Realms Seal, the treasure the Malevolent Sword Venerate had used to separate the palace and the outside world.

Two figures appeared through the doorway: Innocence and Cen Xinghe.

When the two of them arrived and saw the scenery within the hall, they were unwittingly stunned.

As the misty sword light dissipated, only one person remained standing, tall, upright, and solitary. His blue robes swayed amidst the mist, making him look utterly transcendent and ethereal.

At the same time, an extremely indistinct, illusory figure hovered not far from Su Yi.

“Thank you, Fellow Daoist!” Jiang Wuchen clasped his fist, his eyes full of gratification and relief.

“You and I are ultimately the same person. There’s no need to be so polite,” Su Yi said with a laugh.

He hadn’t lost his awareness during the earlier battle. He’d effectively been a spectator.

There was no denying that the true Jiang Wuchen really was a sword cultivator as smooth as jade; he wasn’t tyrannical or aggressive. On the contrary, he was modest and polite.

The exact opposite of the Malevolent Sword Venerate.

Thus, Su Yi had an excellent impression of his second incarnation.

“That heart devil of mine might not have been truly destroyed, but he’s plunged into the abyss, and he’ll struggle to amount to anything,” said Jiang Wuchen. “If he wants to return to prominence, his only hope is to cling to life in the Heart-Tempering Sword House, bide his time, and grow his power. If he leaves the sect, he’ll no longer have any chance at all.”

Su Yi inclined his head. “I’ll just have to take a trip to the Heart-Tempering Sword House and root out this latent threat once and for all.”

The one they’d killed earlier was indeed the Malevolent Sword Venerate’s true body. Jiang Wuchen had confirmed it, too.

But the Malevolent Sword Venerate was a heart devil, not a normal person, so Su Yi was certain that part of him had survived.

Jiang Wuchen’s warning confirmed it. After all, the Malevolent Sword Venerate was his heart devil. Jiang Wuchen naturally understood him better than anyone.

“If possible...” said Jiang Wuchen, but then, he trailed off and shook his head. “Forget it. You have your own path to walk, Fellow Daoist, and your path is greater than mine ever was. There’s no need for me to say anything.”

He clasped his fist and smiled. “Farewell!”

He silently scattered into a rain of light that poured down on Su Yi.

Su Yi stood there, silently sensing the changes.

Outside the Forgotten Palace, Innocence and Cen Xinghe silently relaxed. They could tell that there’d been a fierce battle in the palace, and there were numerous treasures scattered across the ground.

But Su Yi was unharmed.

Cen Xinghe pondered briefly, then shut the palace doors and left with Innocence.

Su Yi, meanwhile, sat cross-legged.

The power of Jiang Wuchen’s Dao Imprint had dissipated, so it couldn’t sway Su Yi’s heart in the slightest, even as he fused with Jiang Wuchen’s memories and experiences.

He was like a visitor in Jiang Wuchen’s memories, inwardly reliving his life.

It was like a dream, and when he awakened, he was still himself, just with another, complete set of memories.

All of the adversity Jiang Wuchen had faced over the course of his cultivation, everything he’d seen, known, felt, and acquired.

All of Jiang Wuchen’s joy, sorrow, and anger, as well as his love and hatred.

Everything Jiang Wuchen experienced in the pursuit of the Grand Dao, his legacies, and his revelations.

All of them become a part of Su Yi’s memories.

He was Jiang Wuchen, but Jiang Wuchen was just another of his past lives.

An unknown amount of time passed before Su Yi stretched languidly. I compete with myself. There’s no one I’d rather be than me!

Now, only two of the nine imprints of his past lives remained: those of his third incarnation, Xiao Jian, and those of his first incarnation.

Su Yi’s heart and mind were suddenly clear, and he had a sudden premonition: Whenever he willed it, he could effortlessly achieve his next breakthrough!

He took out a jug of wine, threw back his head, and drank. In one’s proudest moments, one must drink! It’s time to break through!

His cultivation base silently underwent an earth-shattering transformation.