Chapter 1159 — The Sovereign of the Sword Dao
The Herdsman of the Wasteland · Page 1 of 3
In the matter of divine powers and Dao arts, Kaihuang's Sword Dao was the swiftest, straight and direct, its edge revealed in a single stroke; Celestial Master Hao's divine power was of another order, and only now had its full might erupted. He disdained the Acquired Great Dao; all that he cultivated was the Innate Great Dao.
The Acquired Great Dao came in endless varieties, and to this day only a scant few could be cultivated to their summit — the Dao of Creation of the Chiming Era, the Sword Dao of the Kaihuang Era.
Among them all, Kaihuang's Sword Dao stood supreme, cultivated to the thirty-fourth heaven of the Sword Dao. Even the Dao of Creation of the Chiming Era had never reached the heights of the Sword Dao.
The Innate Great Dao was different.
The Innate Great Dao had the ancient gods for its template; many cultivated it, for from the ancient gods much knowledge could be drawn, and the way in was far easier.
Throughout history, many a mighty one of the Imperial Throne had contemplated the various ancient gods and awakened cultivation arts of the Throne for himself. As a Celestial Master, Hao had the easiest access to such arts, and his demigod bloodline made learning them all the lighter.
His comprehension of the Innate Great Dao, though not so monstrous as Kaihuang's thirty-fourth heaven, had still attained an extraordinary height.
His Myriad Dao Domain erupted, crushing Kaihuang's Sword Dao Domain to fragments. The storm stirred up by the shattered Sword Dao Domain and the Myriad Dao Domain swept all around, destroying everything; only the Lingxiao Hall behind Kaihuang, the hall behind Celestial Master Hao, and the buildings behind Celestial Master Qiang and Divine King Langwan were left standing.
Beyond that, the Jade Capital City was all but swept clean! Celestial Master Hao's face darkened.
Looking at the sword wound on his right hand, he said in a low voice: "Shen Ye, as the eighth Celestial Master of the Longhan Era, you are still a little short of the mark.
" Kaihuang wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth — clearly his wounds were far from light — and said lightly, as though he spoke of wind and clouds: "You had more than nine hundred thousand years on me, and only then cultivated to this step. Hao, you are old; you will advance no further. But I am still advancing.
" His body quivered, and a Sword Celestial Palace leapt forth behind him.
He said unhurriedly: "In those years, Celestial Master Mu and you together taught the world the method of becoming a god, and at the end you said that Celestial Master Yu had deduced that a Heavenly Court realm also existed. Yet to my mind, the Heavenly Court realm is gilding the lily.
" Celestial Master Hao stared at that Sword Celestial Palace, his pupils contracting sharply. The eyes of Celestial Master Qiang and Celestial Master Xiao likewise fell upon the Sword Celestial Palace, filled with doubt. Kaihuang was too strong — and yet he had only one Celestial Palace.
That was all but impossible! His combat strength, measured against the present Ten Celestial Masters, could be ranked in the middle and lower reaches! With a single Celestial Palace, how could he possess such power?
"I cultivate only one Sword Celestial Palace, and in a mere forty thousand years I can stand alongside you so-called Ten Celestial Masters.
" Kaihuang smiled faintly and said slowly: "To cultivate thirty-six Celestial Palaces and seventy-two Treasure Halls and thereby perfect the Heavenly Court — it is no more than that, a waste of effort that can never be refined to completion.
The Heavenly Court realm is only Celestial Master Yu's conjecture; to my mind it does not exist.
In truth there is no Divine realm, nor any Celestial Palace or Heavenly Court realm.
After the Divine Treasury there is only one realm, and that is the Dao realm!
Hao, Qiang, Xiao — you have all taken the wrong path.