With a deafening boom, the Origin Stone Sword hacked towards those sword cultivators, instantly reducing several to nothingness. Their physical bodies and soul bodies evaporated in an instant, their form and spirit obliterated.
"Bold of you, Shijian Manor, to harm our Blade Realm blade cultivators!"
Seeing this, Chihu Daozun flew into a rage, slashing his blade towards the stone sword.
At that moment, within Shijian Manor, a large group of elders was jointly directing that Origin Stone Sword in battle.
"Mo Chenzi, I once believed your Divine Sword Sect was no traitor. But reality slaps me in the face — Mo Chenzi, your Divine Sword Sect has thoroughly deceived me over all these years!"
Just then, a remnant soul rose from a famous mountain range somewhere on the Sword Realm Continent.
An old man fixed a sharp gaze on Mo Chenzi from afar and spoke.
"I, Qing Jianzi, declare that, from this moment on, I officially declare war upon the Divine Sword Sect."
His voice rang out clearly.
As soon as he finished speaking, an azure longsword shot forth from a tall mountain behind the old man.
The appearance of this azure longsword instantly caused a multitude of illusory divine lotuses to bloom across that swath of sky. Blossom after blossom unfurled, and gazing from afar, it seemed as if divine lotuses were blooming everywhere between heaven and earth.
BOOM!
The azure longsword pierced through space, arriving instantly above the battlefield before the Heavenly Sword Sect Headquarters, then cleaved directly towards Mo Chenzi.
"Qing Jianzi! You too dare oppose me?!"
Mo Chenzi's expression darkened slightly. Swinging the Primordial Divine Sword in his hand, he sent the azure longsword reeling back.
"It is not I who oppose you. It is your Divine Sword Sect that opposes our entire Sword Realm Continent!
Mo Chenzi, did you think the crimes your Divine Sword Sect committed against the Sword Realm Continent in the past would simply be forgotten?
I, Qing Jianzi, am a part of this Sword Realm Continent.
You, and your Divine Sword Sect, must settle the debt owed to the Sword Realm Continent."
Qing Jianzi looked at Mo Chenzi, his voice booming and echoing across the continent.
"That's right!
Mo Chenzi, your Divine Sword Sect must be held accountable!
In that ancient war, countless sword cultivators of our Sword Realm Continent perished miserably. Your Divine Sword Sect must pay the price!
Our White Cloud Sword Sect was utterly annihilated back then. Over ten thousand innocent cultivators, from the lowest disciple to the highest elder, were slaughtered.
Today, our White Cloud Sword Sect formally demands justice from your Divine Sword Sect!"
A longsword soared skyward, its blade energy surging towards the Divine Sword Sect forces. A voice emanated from the sword, resonating in the skies above the Sword Realm Continent.
Ethereal white clouds swirled around this sword, and the sword intent it emanated was carefree and unconstrained like drifting clouds and wild cranes, yet at this moment, it was filled with sharp, deadly intent.
With a thunderous crash, the sword arrived above the battlefield and promptly sliced several Divine Sword Sect cultivators in two.
"Our Wishful Sword Sect always maintained a low profile on the Sword Realm Continent, dealing kindly with others, and showed special reverence towards your Divine Sword Sect.
Once, when an elder of your sect was grievously wounded exploring an ancient ruin, our own Sect Master personally delivered the most precious divine pill in our entire sect to save that elder's life.
Your Divine Sword Sect never expressed any gratitude. Instead, you colluded with external enemies to invade the Sword Realm Continent, causing our Wishful Sword Sect to be directly wiped out in that ancient war.
Furthermore, I remember all too clearly, during that battle, at least a thousand of your Divine Sword Sect cultivators ambushed our Wishful Sword Sect from behind. In an instant, they slaughtered half of our elders and high-ranking members.
Back then, those ambushers from your sect were all in disguise, so we could not recognize their true identities.
But now I am certain — the ones who ambushed our Wishful Sword Sect from behind were undoubtedly your wretched lot from the Divine Sword Sect!
Today, our Wishful Sword Sect formally demands justice!"
At that very moment, from another direction on the Sword Realm Continent, a longsword radiating immense sword intent shot into the heavens. The sword's design was ancient and simple, carved with many mysterious runes. Instantly piercing space, it appeared above the battlefield and directly cleaved two or three sword cultivators along with several blade cultivators in half simultaneously.
In the moments that followed, an increasing number of longswords rose from various points across the Sword Realm Continent, piercing space to slash towards the Divine Sword Sect forces.
From each sword rang a voice, openly naming and condemning the Divine Sword Sect.
Every sword was the revered treasure of a Sword Path sect on the Sword Realm Continent, embodying that sect's deep-seated heritage and power, their lethality formidable.
For a moment, a dense multitude of magical weapons appeared across the Sword Realm Continent, bursting with surging divine light, all striking towards the Divine Sword Sect's forces.
The elite forces the Divine Sword Sect had sent to deal with the Heavenly Sword Sect found themselves struggling despite their strength, facing the revered treasures of one Sword Path sect after another.
It must be understood that each of these treasured weapons was part of the foundational might of their respective sects, representing the mightiest batch of magical treasures upon the Sword Realm Continent.
In but a short while, one-third of the Divine Sword Sect cultivators before the Heavenly Sword Sect Headquarters were slain. Blood flowed freely, and scattered limbs and flesh were strewn everywhere.
"See it, Mo Chenzi?
Your Divine Sword Sect's filthy deeds from the past have incited public outrage. Your sect will face the collective reckoning of the Sword Realm Continent."
Sword Elder looked coldly at Mo Chenzi and spoke.
"Just a bunch of lingering, feral ghosts. Let's see how much longer you can stir up trouble."
Mo Chenzi snorted, grinding his teeth in fury.
More Sword Path sects on the Sword Realm Continent continued to mobilize their treasured weapons, attacking the Divine Sword Sect forces together.
Simultaneously, under the lead of their own elders, the Heavenly Sword Sect forces were engaged in a full-scale battle against the combined might of the Divine Sword Sect and Blade Realm.
The Divine Sword Sect cultivators and those Blade Realm blade cultivators found themselves besieged by the various Sword Path sects of the continent.
Weapon after magical weapon unleashed formidable Sword Path energy, relentlessly battering the Divine Sword Sect swordsmen and the Blade Realm's blade cultivators, forcing them to retreat continuously.
"Damn them! These mere lingering ghosts dare to violate the dignity of our Blade Realm!
I will batter you until your souls scatter, ensuring you cannot even remain as ghosts!"
Watching his blade cultivators be cut down one after another, Chihu Daozun seethed with unparalleled fury.
"Scatter our souls? We'll see if you have the skill."
Upon hearing this, Sword Elder gripped his longsword and slashed out.
Every strike of the Five Elements Divine Sword in his hand drew vast amounts of Sword Path energy from within the Heavenly Sword Sect Headquarters, fortifying the divine sword's power.
Although Sword Elder was just a remnant soul, he now possessed a sturdy body forged from numerous crystal veins. Moreover, every single move and technique drew upon the ancient Sword Path energy stored within the entire Heavenly Sword Sect Headquarters as his combat energy source. Thus, even fighting against Chihu Daozun, a Chaos Deity, he could hold his ground without retreating a single step, the outcome undecided.
Sword Elder was once among the very pinnacle of sword cultivators on the Sword Realm Continent. In that ancient war, had he not been ambushed from behind by several mysterious experts, he might not have fallen.
The sword intent contained in every move Sword Elder executed now was profoundly brilliant, causing Chihu Daozun considerable frustration.
"Damn it all. This stubborn old geezer who refuses to stay properly dead still possesses such formidable battle prowess!"
The more Chihu Daozun fought, the more shocked he became.
He initially thought his opponent was merely a remnant soul. Even with a temporary mud-stone body, he shouldn't have been a match. Yet so far, he hadn't managed to gain even the slightest advantage against Sword Elder.
"Mo Chenzi, do you not see?
My condition is steadily improving.
With me here, your Divine Sword Sect gains no benefit."
In the distance, Shoudi Laoren stood with his hands behind his back atop the head of a colossal Five-Clawed Earth Dragon.
At regular intervals, he would swallow a divine pill specially concocted for him by Ye Yunfei. After consuming a large quantity, his physical body and soul body continuously recovered. More importantly, as a Divine Geomancer, he didn't need to personally charge into melee combat. Instead, he could attack his foes using the very earth itself.
"Shoudi Laoren's Geomancy Technique truly surpasses yours significantly," Jin Jiao Long Can observed, full of admiration at the geomantic techniques Shoudi Laoren employed. "Each move and technique can channel the land's energy of the entire Sword Realm Continent as its power source. With a mere thought, he can alter large-scale topography and landscapes, and even draw upon the earth veins within the subterranean world to form terrifying perilous zones and deadly grounds.
Look, many blade and sword cultivators have already been trapped in the perilous zones and deadly grounds laid out by Shoudi Laoren, unable to escape."
Indeed, Shoudi Laoren needed only to stamp his foot to easily lay down a perilous zone or deadly ground, then shift these formations into the combat zone, continuously ensnaring blade or sword cultivators, confining them.
Thus, though Shoudi Laoren remained standing in the distance, his geomantic techniques had already accounted for a significant number of blade and sword cultivators.
"This is precisely the terror of a Divine Geomancer," Hun Lao praised. "As long as a Divine Geomancer stands upon solid earth, there's no need for him to personally engage the enemy. A simple stamp of the foot mobilizes the earth itself to attack."
"Sword Elder, forge bodies for us as well! We cannot just stand idly by!"
A large group of remnant souls suddenly rushed forth from the headquarters of the Azure Dragon Sword Sect, riding on blade radiance as they surged towards the Heavenly Sword Sect Headquarters.
A senior elder from the Azure Dragon Sword Sect sent a sound transmission to Sword Elder.
Sword Elder's gaze shifted to Shoudi Laoren as he sent an inquiring transmission.
"Worry not. A simple task.
The Sword Realm Continent is vast. What we have in plenty, more than anything else, is mud and stone.
Moreover, the world beneath the continent holds many crystal vein deposits and divine ores.
Have them come. No matter how many, I can forge bodies for them."
Upon receiving Sword Elder's transmission, Shoudi Laoren nodded.
"Excellent."
Sword Elder immediately relayed Shoudi Laoren's response to the remnant souls of the Azure Dragon Sword Sect.
Before long, the group of remnant souls from the Azure Dragon Sword Sect arrived, charging into the Heavenly Sword Sect Headquarters.
Shoudi Laoren stamped his foot, activating the secret art of Mud-Stone Body Forging. Within moments, he had forged sturdy bodies for all these Azure Dragon Sword Sect remnant souls.
Since among this group were powerful sword cultivators of considerable strength, Shoudi Laoren specially summoned many crystal veins or exceedingly tough divine ores from the subterranean world of the Sword Realm Continent to serve as their vessels.