Chapter 2133: The Heavens Shake (Part 2)

The Sword God Heaven, the most mysterious sword hut in all of the divine realm, second only to the Free Heaven.

The palaces of other sovereigns were magnificent and grand, but this place was just an ordinary thatched cottage, unremarkable in appearance.

"Sovereign..."

A middle-aged man approached, wanting to say something, but before he could speak, he was interrupted: "I already know. A genius skilled in swordsmanship has appeared in the Divine Mountain!"

"Yes..." The middle-aged man quickly nodded.

"I have seen his swordsmanship. It is indeed stunning, even different from ours. However... he is not the one the Sword Hut is waiting for!"

The voice from within the thatched cottage said calmly.

"But... the Enfeoffment Bell has rung..." The middle-aged man was taken aback and hurriedly said, "If we don't act quickly and he is recruited elsewhere, during the next spiritual tide, our Sword Hut will receive even fewer slots, and our fief will be stripped away..."

"Fewer slots is fine; losing the fief doesn't matter either. What we seek is an independent sword intent and understanding of our own, not rigid imitation!"

The voice from within the thatched cottage said, "No matter how well one learns, it is only imitation. Don't worry about the spiritual tide. If nothing unexpected happens, the one I am waiting for has already appeared. I will go find him personally!"

"Yes..."

Seeing that the sovereign had his own plans, the middle-aged man said no more, bowed, and withdrew.

"Alas!"

After the middle-aged man left, a sigh echoed from within the thatched cottage, as if in lament, yet filled with confusion and doubt: "Was what you did right or wrong?"

...

On a mountain shrouded in clouds and mist, a tall, elderly man looked at the many disciples seated before him.

Mysterious words flowed from his mouth, sounding like celestial music to the listeners, and their cultivation advanced unceasingly with these words.

"Alright, that's all for today!"

Suddenly, the old man stopped and looked in a certain direction.

"Master, what happened?" A middle-aged man sensed something amiss, bowed with clasped hands, and asked with full courtesy.

Normally, the master would finish teaching a complete point before ending the lesson. Stopping halfway through clearly indicated something had occurred.

"That one from the Free Heaven has set a date. Next month, on the fifteenth, he will duel with me!" The old man smiled slightly, as if speaking of someone else rather than himself.

He showed no sign of feeling pressured by the duel.

"The Free Heaven is the foremost of the nine heavens, governing all realms... Master challenging that sovereign, I fear..." The middle-aged man's eyes were full of worry.

Although he had great confidence in his master's strength, the Free Heaven was after all the foremost heaven in the divine realm, and its sovereign was hailed as the number one in the divine realm... Competing with such a strong opponent was truly unsettling.

Most crucially, the two had agreed to a life-and-death duel, entirely different from the previous bouts that ended at the touch of a hand.

"No matter!" The old man still wore a smile on his face, stroking his beard: "Since it is a duel, there will naturally be victory and defeat. No one always wins, and no one always loses. Just do one's best."

"But... to fight you, he specifically descended to the lower realm to seek the Spring and Autumn Canon, aiming to learn more about you and understand your strength... I fear that by agreeing now, he may already know your weaknesses. Among experts of the same level, once a flaw appears, the danger is immense..." The middle-aged man's eyes showed anxiety.

When the master first challenged that sovereign of the Free Heaven, the other party had not agreed. Later, that sovereign went to the lower realm and set a date upon returning, clearly having made preparations.

In a duel between experts, the margin is a hair's breadth. If the master's weakness were detected and exploited, it would be very dangerous.

"So what if he finds a weakness? Defeating me won't be that easy!" The old man raised his head, exuding strong confidence.

Having come this far and successfully challenged so many great emperors, his strength had already reached the pinnacle of the divine realm.

"We naturally believe in the master's strength, but the disciple is puzzled: why must you duel him, and why set a life-or-death pact..."

The middle-aged man couldn't understand.

The master had been recognized by the Eight Emperors, and the title of Grand Heavenly Emperor was already well-deserved, acknowledged by everyone in the divine realm. Why must he still compete with this sovereign of the Free Heaven?

And crucially, why set a life-or-death pact?

"This is fate, we cannot avoid it, you don't understand..." The old man shook his head: "Alright, in next month's competition, if I unfortunately fall, you all stay quiet, do not make any moves, wait for my successor to appear and listen to his orders!"

"Successor? Teacher's successor?" The middle-aged man was puzzled.

They had followed their teacher for ages, roaming the world for countless years, and had never heard of any successor!

"Indeed, he possesses the same ability as I, and also comes from the Famous Teacher Continent!" The old man smiled slightly.

"Then... may I ask the name of this successor? How do we confirm it's him?" The middle-aged man quickly asked.

"No need to confirm, you'll recognize him when you see him!"

Without further explanation, the old man's gaze was profound: "As for the name... I can tell you, it's... Zhang Xuan!"

...

In an unknown room in the Free Heaven.

Thick water vapor filled the room, hot air swirling, making it hard to see clearly.

Splash!

The sound of water rippling, a flawless, delicate figure stood up from within.

Jet-black hair, skin so tender it seemed to break at a touch, a face of stunning beauty...

With a wave of her jade hand, a thin gauze draped over her, covering her graceful form entirely.

"Miss!"

A woman in green approached and handed her a comb.

The stunning woman slowly combed her hair, every movement like an unfolding painting.

"Has the message been sent?"

The stunning woman said indifferently.

"Yes!" The green-clad woman nodded.

"Any reply?"

"Not yet." The green-clad woman shook her head, then after a moment's thought, said: "However, the matter you asked us to investigate, we have found out."

"Oh?" Her eyes brightened, the stunning woman quickly looked over.

"In Night Nether City, a young man named Zhang Xuan has appeared. His many disciples have excellent talent. During their quest for divine energy at the Divine Mountain, they triggered several King Sealing Bells."

The green-clad woman hurriedly said.

"So it's him..." Smiling slightly, the stunning woman's expression was sweet.

"Miss, would you like to go see him?" Seeing her attitude, how could the green-clad woman not know what she was thinking? She quickly asked.

"No need. These days, I must prepare for battle. I cannot see anyone, especially him. Otherwise, I fear I might lose the will to fight and stop." The stunning woman shook her head, her expression complex, as if lost in thought.

"If Miss wavers... then don't fight. That Heavenly Sovereign Emperor is extremely powerful; even the eight emperors lost. I fear for you, Miss..." The green-clad woman was full of worry.

Although Miss's strength was unmatched in the world, the opponent was no weakling either.

Like a meteor illuminating the sky, in just over forty years, he had become known throughout the Divine Realm, known to all. He challenged the eight emperors, and though no one knew the details of the battles, seeing the latter acknowledge their identities, it was clear he had won eight out of eight!

To the entire Divine Realm, he was unparalleled for a time.

With such sharpness, one could avoid him, or even if they fought, winning or losing was normal. Why must it be a life-and-death duel, where one must kill the other?

"It cannot be avoided. I must kill him; there is no other path... This is my mission, an inescapable responsibility!" The stunning woman shook her head.

"But..." The green-clad woman was anxious.

"No buts. Don't say any more. This matter is decided; further words are useless." The stunning woman waved her hand: "Alright, I'm going into seclusion to cultivate..."

With that, her body flickered and she vanished from the spot.

"Miss..." Unexpectedly, her mistress was so stubborn. Though the green-clad woman was full of reluctance, she finally nodded and said no more.