"Senior Blade Lord Chihu of the Blade Realm is gracing us with his presence! Receive him with haste!"
At this moment, a voice rang out above the Sword Realm Continent, echoing thunderously and instantly spreading across the entire land.
Every blade cultivator seemed to be intentionally unleashing dazzling and towering blade auras, looking like blazing suns swiftly moving across the high sky, extremely conspicuous.
"How despicable! These blade cultivators are doing it on purpose!"
At this moment, countless Remnant Souls across the Sword Realm Continent looked at those blade cultivators in the sky with furious eyes, itching to rush up and fight them to the death immediately.
In this instant, many Remnant Souls recalled that cruel battle from years ago — their loved ones, sectmates, friends, and partners who had died tragically in that conflict... Those bloody scenes were still vivid before their eyes.
"Welcome, Senior Blade Lord Chihu, to the Sword Realm!"
Just as countless Remnant Souls were seething with fury, a group of figures soared into the air from the headquarters of the Divine Sword Sect. Leading them was Mo Chenzi, followed by over ten high-ranking members and a large number of disciples.
"Elder Mo, it has been a while. I hope all is well," a tall, broad-shouldered middle-aged man with eyes like a leopard and whiskers like a tiger said as he strode forward with a group of blade cultivators in tow.
"Traitors!"
"Betrayers!"
Seeing Mo Chenzi openly and brazenly leading disciples of the Divine Sword Sect to welcome visitors from the Blade Realm, the Remnant Souls across the Sword Realm Continent were filled with even greater grief and indignation.
"It seems the Divine Sword Sect can't even be bothered to maintain appearances anymore," within the headquarters of the Tianjian Sect, Sword Elder said angrily as he watched Mo Chenzi receive blade cultivators from the Blade Realm with such ostentatious fanfare.
"By now, the entire Sword Realm Continent already knows the Divine Sword Sect were the traitors back then. Those bastards in the Divine Sword Sect are well aware of this themselves, so they've simply stopped pretending," an elder spoke up.
"What's more important is that during that battle back then, the Divine Sword Sect did not participate in the fight against the enemy. Instead, they ambushed the experts of our Sword Realm Continent from behind. That's why they suffered almost no losses in that war and retained their strength from their peak. On the current Sword Realm Continent, they have practically no rivals, so of course they act with wanton recklessness," another elder added.
"This also indicates that the Divine Sword Sect will certainly not easily spare the other sword dao sects on the Sword Realm Continent. Since Mo Chenzi is now openly stating their stance, in the future, the Divine Sword Sect will inevitably move to eradicate all other sword dao sects on the Sword Realm Continent. Because from now on, every other sect on the Sword Realm Continent is, to the Divine Sword Sect, like a tumor in the heart," yet another elder stated.
"Indeed. By taking this kind of stance, the Divine Sword Sect has shown they will inevitably act against other sword dao sects in the future. Even if we don't make a move, the Divine Sword Sect will. Therefore, a battle between us and the Divine Sword Sect is inevitable," yet another elder declared.
"Senior Blade Lord Chihu! Back then, you destroyed my Dream Sword Gate and killed my master! An ocean of blood-deep hatred stands between us! Our Dream Sword Gate and you are absolutely irreconcilable!"
Suddenly, an angry roar erupted from a famous mountain range in the western region of the Sword Realm Continent.
In that location, a group of Remnant Souls stood amidst a wasteland of broken walls and rubble.
"Bad news! Young Master, you were too impulsive! Senior Blade Lord Chihu possesses formidable strength. Even our Gate Leader was no match for him back then, let alone the Dream Sword Gate of today! We must flee immediately!" an old man exclaimed in a panic.
The person who had just roared was a man dressed in blue robes.
"Everyone, flee quickly! Protect the Young Master! Take all the resources and legacies of our Dream Sword Gate and leave with haste! I will cover the rear! All thirteen Dreamguards, stay behind with me!" another old man clenched his teeth and shouted loudly. Then, thirteen Remnant Souls simultaneously stepped forward and arrayed themselves before this elder.
At this moment, the Young Master who had roared earlier was filled with regret. He knew that his moment of impulse would soon bring catastrophic disaster upon these Remnant Souls of the Dream Sword Gate.
"No! Elders, take everyone and go. I will stay. I want to fight Senior Blade Lord Chihu to the death!" the Young Master gritted his teeth and spoke.
"Young Master, you must not act recklessly! You are now the leader of our Dream Sword Gate; you cannot come to harm. Please leave quickly. I and the thirteen Dreamguards will cover the retreat. What are you all waiting for? Hurry and protect the Young Master as you leave!" the elder saluted the Young Master and then shouted loudly.
"Young Master, let's go!" The other elders of the Dream Sword Gate urgently crowded around the Young Master, urging him to depart.
Meanwhile, high in the sky above the Sword Realm Continent, Senior Blade Lord Chihu, having heard the roar, stopped in his tracks. He instantly locked onto the location where the roar had originated and cast his gaze there, then revealed a cold smirk.
"So it's some Wandering Ghosts and Wild Spirits from the Dream Sword Gate. Back then, I cleaved your Gate Leader into mincemeat with a single slash, then destroyed your entire Dream Sword Gate. A pity the battle was too chaotic then; I didn't have time to scatter your souls to the winds. Today, I happen to have some free time. I don't mind thoroughly extinguishing you, the Wandering Ghosts and Wild Spirits of the Dream Sword Gate."
Senior Blade Lord Chihu quickly recognized the Dream Sword Gate's headquarters and couldn't help but sneer. He then turned and began walking step by step towards the direction of the Dream Sword Gate headquarters.
Mo Chenzi led the Divine Sword Sect's contingent, standing high in the sky. Seeing Senior Blade Lord Chihu's actions, he did not utter a single word, merely standing there, his face full of a cold smile.
Senior Blade Lord Chihu's movements seemed unhurried as he walked step by step towards the Dream Sword Gate headquarters, but in reality, each step he took traversed a vast distance. In the blink of an eye, he had already arrived high above the Dream Sword Gate headquarters, unleashing a towering blade will that instantly suppressed the entire area.
Everything within this region was sealed by his terrifying Blade Dao Energy.
"How terrifying!" The Remnant Souls within Dream Sword Gate could feel the horrifying Blade Dao Energy emanating from Senior Blade Lord Chihu, and one by one they were terror-stricken, hardly daring to breathe.
"No wonder even our Gate Leader was no match for him back then. He truly is too powerful!" All the Remnant Souls of Dream Sword Gate secretly thought to themselves.
"What are you all still waiting for?! Flee quickly, or it will be too late!" The elder leading the thirteen Dreamguards glared fiercely back at the other Remnant Souls of Dream Sword Gate.
"Young Master, we must go now!" The other elders of Dream Sword Gate dared not delay, clustering around the Young Master as they directly rushed towards a specific location deep within the Dream Sword Gate headquarters.
"Thinking of escaping right under my nose? Is that possible?"
How formidable was Senior Blade Lord Chihu's perception? He could clearly see every situation within the Dream Sword Gate headquarters. He couldn't help but let out a cold laugh.
He then extended a hand, slowly reaching down to grab at the Dream Sword Gate headquarters.
A giant hand stretched down from the high sky, constantly enlarging and bursting with dense, dazzling blade rays. In an instant, it reached deep into the Dream Sword Gate headquarters.
In the face of this giant hand, the entire Dream Sword Gate headquarters trembled.
"Everyone, for the sake of Dream Sword Gate, let's fight him to the death!"
The elder from Dream Sword Gate looked up at the giant hand pressing down from above; his eyes held a resolute and desperate light. He glanced back at the thirteen Dreamguards and slowly spoke.
"Elder Hong, rest assured. We, the Dreamguards, exist solely for the purpose of protecting Dream Sword Gate. We will never retreat!" the thirteen Dreamguards declared in unison, their voices clear.
"Very good."
Elder Hong nodded, then led the thirteen Dreamguards as they soared into the sky together. Suddenly, raging flames erupted from their bodies — they were preparing to burn themselves in a final, desperate gamble.
Simultaneously, a restriction within the Dream Sword Gate headquarters was activated. A vast amount of translucent, dreamlike, illusory sword dao energy billowed upwards.
From a distance, it looked as if countless tendrils of steam were rising from the Dream Sword Gate headquarters, giving the entire place a fantastical, dreamy appearance. All the scenery within gently swayed and shimmered, indistinguishable between reality and illusion.
This illusory, translucent sword dao energy continuously poured into Elder Hong and the thirteen Dreamguards, causing their auras to surge and climb.
They were originally merely insubstantial Remnant Souls, but now the sword dao energy they radiated grew stronger and more potent, becoming even more terrifying than that of most sword cultivators in the world.
The sword dao of Dream Sword Gate was very special, fusing dream energy and dream laws. This translucent sword dao energy was precisely the unique Dream Sword Dao Energy that Dream Sword Gate had accumulated and stored over long years.
"It seems you lot, these Wandering Ghosts and Wild Spirits, intend to use the last vestiges of your sect's legacy to fight me desperately. But it's useless. In my eyes, your sect is like an ant, not even worth mentioning. If I say you will be extinguished, then you must be extinguished."
Senior Blade Lord Chihu stood high above Dream Sword Gate's headquarters, his face full of a cold sneer, his tone dripping with contempt.
At this moment, Elder Hong, leading the thirteen Dreamguards, raised their swords high and slashed out streaks of sword light brimming with dreamlike energy. Then, all these streaks of sword light converged into a single, even thicker and larger pillar of sword radiance that shot into the sky.
In that instant, the heavens and the earth were enveloped by a sword intent so overwhelming and infused with a sense of fantasy that everything in the world seemed to sway gently along with it.
Even Senior Blade Lord Chihu's giant hand was engulfed by this vast sea of Dream Sword Dao Energy, seeming to rock unsteadily.
But in the next moment, Senior Blade Lord Chihu's palm gave a slight tremble. All the Dream Sword Dao Energy was repelled, receding like a tide.
Elder Hong and the thirteen Dreamguards felt as if struck by lightning. Their remnant bodies were sent flying down from the sky, crashing heavily onto the ground.
They were already Remnant Souls, and now their forms looked extremely dim and illusory, like candles flickering in the wind, in danger of being extinguished at any moment.
Senior Blade Lord Chihu's giant hand fiercely swatted down towards Elder Hong and the thirteen Dreamguards.
A sigh welled up in Elder Hong's heart. He knew neither he nor the thirteen Dreamguards stood any chance of fighting back.
At this moment, across the Sword Realm Continent, countless Remnant Souls watched this scene unfold, each filled with boundless grief and fury.
Many Remnant Souls could no longer restrain themselves, ready to draw their swords and rush to aid them. But many of their sect's higher-ups were nearby, dissuading them. They knew that even if they acted, they could not save Dream Sword Gate. On the contrary, it would incite an even more terrifying battle and bring catastrophic disaster upon many of the sword dao sects on the Sword Realm Continent.
*Boom!*
Senior Blade Lord Chihu's giant hand slammed heavily into the grounds of Dream Sword Gate headquarters, smashing deep into the earth and leaving a massive palm print.
Elder Hong and the thirteen Dreamguards had long since been blasted to pieces, their souls scattered and their forms vanished.
"And you lot, the remaining scum of Dream Sword Gate — come out, all of you! In my presence, you don't even have the right to hide."
Having annihilated fourteen Remnant Souls with a single slap, Senior Blade Lord Chihu now cast his gaze towards the other Dream Sword Gate Remnant Souls who had already fled into a secret realm deep within the headquarters. He sneered as he spoke.
Then, he extended his giant hand, reaching directly into that secret realm.