Chapter 430: The Sword in Hand, Follow Me!

『Jade Pivot Sword Pavilion』—these four words held overwhelming prestige in Jiangnan, shrouded in countless legends. It was a mighty mountain pressing down upon every sect and clan within Jiangnan.

Perhaps in ordinary times, that weight was not visible.

However, at this very moment, as the grand formation inside and outside the entire Sword Pavilion automatically activated, even though Lü Yang had already been mentally prepared, he could not help but feel a deep sense of awe.

The whole Pavilion stood upon a perilous, sky-piercing peak. Within it lay a vast expanse—countless smaller summits connected into one, towering between Heaven and Earth, linking up and down in unison, suffused with an ancient, undying aura of majesty. Every stone and every grain of sand upon the mountain carried a strong trace of historical rhythm.

Compared to it, all things in the world seemed insignificant.

After all, Foundation Establishment lasted but five lives, Golden Core granted merely a thousand years of longevity—yet how long had this divine mountain stood between Heaven and Earth? There was simply no comparison!

Before this weight of time, all beings appeared small.

“According to legend, when the Pavilion’s founding ancestor roamed the world seeking a suitable mountain gate, he could not find one to his liking. So, he simply took off the sword at his waist and cast it upon the ground.”

“The sword took root upon falling, growing with the wind.”

“In the end, it became today’s Sword Pavilion. The natal sword of a Nascent Soul Dao Lord—who knows if the story is true? The Saint Sect certainly doesn’t have such a thing.”

Lü Yang sighed inwardly. Though the True Lords had secluded themselves, though the Demon-Suppressing True Person was gone and the Evil-Banishing True Person gravely wounded, the Sword Pavilion was still that mighty behemoth that dominated Jiangnan. With its mountain-guarding formation activated, it stood like an unshakable fortress, barring his way before the gate.

As far as the eye could see, several faint figures could be glimpsed.

Although he could not perceive the innermost Extreme Heaven Cliff, some outer peaks could not escape Lü Yang’s divine sense—among them stood Ye Shaoying, Patriarch of the Ye Family.

“Dang!”

A solemn bell rang from the deepest part of the Pavilion—it was the alarm of an intruder. In an instant, streaks of sword qi surged upward from within.

The next second, a figure appeared.

Patriarch Ye Shaoying of the Ye Family, with the young True Person Ye Cheng beside him. Both looked toward Lü Yang standing beyond the mountain gate with wary eyes.

“This Daoist friend,”

Ye Shaoying was the first to speak. “Today, our Sword Pavilion does not receive guests. Daoist came without sending a visiting post—such abrupt arrival is a breach of propriety. Please, return.”

“Visiting post? Sure—I'll deliver it right now.”

Lü Yang let out a cold laugh. Behind him, five divine abilities interlinked into a radiant ring, bursting with divine brilliance. He casually plucked a wisp of that light, condensed it in his palm, and in moments a sword of law emerged—its edge gleamed with cold luminance. With a flick of his finger, it shot toward the Pavilion.

“Clang—Clang!”

The sword of law cleaved into the layers of formation. Ye Shaoying was startled, hastily activating the array to block it.

“Rumble—Rumble—!”

A deafening boom resounded. Lü Yang’s sword crashed into the array, severing hundreds of formation lights before it was finally engulfed and annihilated.

The boundless glow poured down like a heavenly river. Lü Yang’s sword of law lasted less than three breaths before it was crushed into nothingness.

‘Thank the heavens…’

Seeing this, Ye Shaoying secretly exhaled in relief, then smiled faintly. “Venerable one, best return from whence you came. Do not bring ruin upon yourself!”

Then, inwardly, he sneered: So this is just an itinerant cultivator from beyond Heaven—what does he know of my Pavilion’s orthodoxy? Trying to take advantage, thinking that after Guang Ji left and the Evil-Banishing True Person was wounded, my Sword Pavilion is defenseless? Foolish! Thirty years from now, we’ll see who laughs last!

“The formation is indeed remarkable.” Lü Yang nodded.

The strike he had just delivered bore no trick—it was pure positional power. Even a late-Foundation True Person would struggle to block it.

Yet the Sword Pavilion held firm.

And merely by the strength of its array—clearly, formations laid down by a Golden Core True Lord, no less formidable than those of the Dragon Palace. To break through would be nigh impossible.

But I am no longer who I once was.

When he had faced the Dragon Palace before, he had been alone and could not possibly confront such arrays head-on—only sneak through. But now, he was an honored guest of the Saint Sect.

With that thought, Lü Yang stretched out his hand and removed a small cloth pouch from his waist.

It seemed woven from black silk. As it rested in his palm, it resembled a dark cloud, with flickers of lightning serpents swimming within, faintly crackling.

‘【Profound Thunder Dao-Entering Cloud】!’

Since he had come to trouble the Sword Pavilion, the Saint Sect naturally provided aid. This item was what Xiang Ye had given him before he left the Sky-reaching Sea of Clouds.

At that moment, as his mana poured into the pouch, a hoarse child’s voice sounded by his ear:

“More! Harder! Is that all the mana you’ve got? Can’t even open my mouth, let alone break through those sword-breed bastards’ mountain gate!”

This was the true spirit of the 【Profound Thunder Dao-Entering Cloud】.

To be fair, Xiang Ye, as the acting sect master of the Saint Sect, did possess great vision and generosity—for what he lent was one of the sect’s treasured True Treasures!

Its grade even surpasses that of the 【Tribulation-Pass Wave】.

Just as cultivators had levels, so too did spiritual treasures. Fivefold divinity was the limit of ordinary spirit treasures; beyond that, a True Treasure was nearly equal in rank to a True Lord!

The more Lü Yang infused his mana into the 【Profound Thunder Dao-Entering Cloud】, the more he sensed its vast power. Even with all his divine might, he could only awaken a fraction of its strength. It was clear that only a True Lord could fully wield such a supreme treasure.

“...”

Lü Yang tilted his head slightly. He could feel several gazes falling upon him—expectant, watching. They were the True Persons of the Saint Sect.

‘Damn beasts…’

He knew exactly what they were thinking. If he failed to break through the formation, none of them would show themselves.

But once he did—

They would charge in faster than him!

‘Whoever wins, they’ll side with.’

Lü Yang took a deep breath and hurled the fully charged 【Profound Thunder Dao-Entering Cloud】 into the sky. In an instant, it unfolded into a vast canopy of black thunderclouds.

“Rumble—Rumble—!”

Dark clouds spread, the sun and moon dimmed, heaven and earth plunged into shadow. Countless bolts of lightning surged within the clouds before crashing down with world-shaking force!

In an instant, both Ye Shaoying and Ye Cheng’s faces turned pale!

Without hesitation, Ye Shaoying flickered away, not even glancing at Ye Cheng—leaving the latter a step too slow.

The next moment, the thunder descended.

“No—”

Ye Cheng’s mouth opened wide, but his cry was drowned in the roar. A bolt of lightning struck his crown, shattering his body into ashes.

“Boom! Boom! Boom!”

Endless profound lightning crashed down like an unstoppable battering ram. Each peal of thunder was a violent strike, bombarding without restraint. When Lü Yang’s mana finally ran dry and the clouds dispersed, the outer cliffs of the mountain where the Sword Pavilion stood—once covered with countless peaks—had been leveled flat!

As for that impregnable grand array—

Its core remained intact, but its outermost barrier had been torn open, spiritual energy scattering chaotically and unable to mend for a time!

“It’s broken!?”

On the other side, Ye Shaoying—who had escaped just in time—had no chance to grieve for Ye Cheng. Turning back to see the devastation, his eyes filled with horror.

Yet the next instant, that horror turned into terror.

Because as the formation’s outer barrier was breached, human figures began to emerge behind Lü Yang, wearing grim smiles, eyes glinting scarlet—

“Punish the Unrighteous! Annihilate the Sword Pavilion!”

“For too long have the cultivators of the world suffered under the Sword Pavilion’s tyranny!”

“Jade Pivot Sword Pavilion has preyed upon Jiangnan and enslaved its people! Today, our Saint Sect will set things right and return the fat of the land to the world!”

—The Saint Sect had entered the field.

Just as Lü Yang had predicted, those beasts had been waiting for him to break the formation. Now they emerged, righteous in appearance, their slogans already prepared.

All the better.

After all, there was no way he could storm the Pavilion alone—but with the Saint Sect joining in, things were very different. They could even share the blame together.

With that thought, Lü Yang rode his sword light forward, charging fiercely into the Sword Pavilion!

“—Sword in hand, follow me!”