Previously on Chaotic Sword God...
The Ancestor of the Clear and Cloudy launched a full assault on Jian Chen's sea of consciousness, battling the three sovereign god artifacts and Jian Chen's chaotic soul. Despite igniting his soul to gain an advantage, Jian Chen countered with his chaotic soul and even surprised the Ancestor with the unexpected efficacy of his Profound Sword Qi. The Source of Life then expended its precious Myriad Source Qi to overwhelm the weakened Ancestor, allowing them to suppress his soul in a small corner of Jian Chen's consciousness.
The Ancestor of the Clear and Cloudy remained silent, his spirit sinking into a state of total despair. He had never anticipated such a disastrous turn of events; despite his formidable power, he had not only failed to possess a mere Immortal Emperor but had also fallen into this trap.
Even though his current circumstances were perilous, being pinned down by the combined force of three sovereign god artifacts, it would still be a monumental task for them to finish him off entirely.
Jian Chen exhaled a long breath of relief, finally bringing the mysterious powerhouse under his command. Since this individual first appeared, Jian Chen had been pushed to the brink, virtually powerless to retaliate. Had he not utilized the white jade lamp at the critical moment to seize a narrow window for escape, even the healing properties of the Source of Life might not have saved him from a grim fate.
The regenerative capabilities of the Source of Life were not boundless. The energy required to counter a Seventh Heavenly Layer expert far exceeded the demands of fighting dozens of early Immortal Exalts simultaneously.
A fundamental, qualitative gap exists between the strength of an early and a late Immortal Exalt; they are on entirely different tiers of existence.
“Master, we must focus all our efforts on maintaining this suppression to prevent any potential counterattack. For the time being, our abilities will be heavily restricted…” the sword spirits informed him.
Jian Chen quickly assessed the situation through the three artifact spirits. Because they were occupied with restraining the Ancestor of the Clear and Cloudy, their support in other areas would be severely diminished moving forward.
This was not a major concern regarding the twin swords, as Jian Chen had little use for them currently, aside from their fusion form.
However, the Primeval Divine Hall’s utility was now compromised. To ensure safety, Jian Chen typically activated the Divine Formation of the Heavens within the hall before projecting it outward. With the hall’s power diverted to the suppression, he would no longer be able to deploy the Divine Formation of the Heavens frequently. Overusing it risked depleting the hall's energy, which would allow the Ancestor of the Clear and Cloudy to break free.
The Source of Life was similarly constrained while pinning down the Ancestor’s soul. It served as a vital shield within Jian Chen's sea of consciousness, effectively blocking any further attempts at possession.
Since the Ancestor of the Clear and Cloudy’s presence consumed the majority of the Source of Life’s power, it would be unable to provide full-scale healing for Jian Chen’s physical wounds for quite some time.
Even if it attempted to exert its full healing potential, it could not be sustained for long without weakening the seal on the Ancestor.
Processing this news, Jian Chen felt a mix of triumph and frustration. He had successfully neutralized a Seventh Heavenly Layer expert; if he could eventually refine him, even a fraction of that soul power would provide an incredible boost to his Cultivation.
On the downside, his three sovereign god artifacts were now largely occupied.
Currently, neither Jian Chen nor the spirits could devise a better solution for the intruder within his soul. Their only option was to maintain the suppression and slowly erode his strength over time.
Once the immediate threat of possession was handled, Jian Chen felt a wave of dizziness wash over him. The mental struggle against the Ancestor of the Clear and Cloudy had been exhausting, especially after he had expended three strands of Profound Sword Qi.
Furthermore, a sharp, piercing pain throbbed from the core of his soul, intensifying his vertigo. His vision blurred and the world began to tilt; he was on the verge of losing consciousness.
His soul had been previously damaged—a lingering wound from fusing the twin swords in the past. Jian Chen had spent years carefully nurturing this injury with various treasures, finally reaching a point where it no longer hindered him.
Now, however, the violent struggle with the Ancestor of the Clear and Cloudy had caused those old soul injuries to flare up once more.
Jian Chen forced himself to ignore the pain for the moment, as his work was not yet finished. With the Ancestor of the Clear and Cloudy no longer an active threat, he returned his focus to absorbing the power of the seed of ways.
The seed of ways held the essence of pure laws, specifically the Skyscraping Sword Venerable’s profound insights into the Laws of the Sword.
Taking in the seed of ways did not mean he was simply inheriting the Sword Venerable's memories, nor would it directly inflate his raw power. Instead, it stripped away the complexity of the laws, presenting them in their most fundamental and accessible form. The depth of what one could learn depended entirely on their innate talent.
For those with great talent, a single seed of ways could trigger a massive breakthrough to higher realms.
Conversely, for those lacking the necessary aptitude, even a multitude of such seeds would prove fruitless.
As the seed manifested the essence of the Dao, its power began to fade. Immersed in this state of deep comprehension, Jian Chen’s mastery of the Way of the Sword reached new heights. In his mind's eye, a gateway to a superior level of existence began to appear.
This was the threshold separating a Sword Immortal from a Sword Sage!
For almost every practitioner of the Way of the Sword, the realm of Sword Sage represented the ultimate peak of their journey.
This was because most cultivators—whether they were early or late Immortal Exalts—found their progress halted at the Sword Sage level.
Even the Heavenly Emperor of Sword Radiance from the Immortal Sect of Myriad Swords, one of the twelve heavenly emperors, saw his mastery plateau at the Sword Sage realm.
The fifth and final stage of the Way of the Sword, the Sword God realm, was a transcendent level reserved exclusively for Grand Exalts.
Boom!
Suddenly, a thunderous roar echoed in Jian Chen’s mind. The heavy doors that had blocked his path were blown wide open. A divine and profound sensation flooded his consciousness; the myriad laws of the universe now appeared far more transparent and reachable than ever before.
He had successfully crossed the threshold into the Sword Sage realm, stepping into an entirely new world of power!
His prior foundation at the great completion of the Sword Immortal realm had been incredibly solid. Every stone tablet he had studied in the Skyscraping World had reinforced his understanding. Even before competing for the seed of ways, Jian Chen had been standing at the very precipice of breakthrough, needing only a final push.
This small gap had stymied countless immortals across the Immortals’ World for eons. Without the right combination of luck and genius, one could spend millions of years in meditation and still never pass through that door.
Yet, by tapping into the seed of ways left by the Skyscraping Sword Venerable, Jian Chen had bridged the gap in a single moment.
The transition was so natural it felt inevitable, occurring despite his lingering soul injuries.
Since the seed of ways still held a remnant of power after his breakthrough, Jian Chen did not stop to celebrate his new rank. He immediately resumed his meditation, hoping to use the remaining energy to push further toward the minor achievement of the Sword Sage realm.
