Wait, How Did My Digital Girlfriend Become a Sword Immortal? Chapter 856.31: This Sword, It's Called Desolation.

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Upper Realm, Celestial Court.

Thunder Ministry, Nine Heavens Response Origin Mansion.

It served as the central authority overseeing punishments throughout every realm.

No lucky clouds or blessed energies adorned the place; instead, endless thunder rumbled ceaselessly all year, accompanied by the oppressive, lingering beats of war drums that choked the air.

At the heart of the grand hall hung a [Myriad Realms Thunder Pool Mirror].

Waves danced across the mirror's face, showing not joyful festivities or calm scenes, but a glimpse from the Lower Realm where a mere mortal Sword Cultivator challenged the heavens themselves.

Upon the elevated throne.

The Thunder Ministry's Puhua Celestial Venerable rested his hand lazily, his eyes fixed intently across the endless mortal world below on that figure in white robes battling fiercely amid the raging thunder sea.

"Interesting."

His finger drummed lightly on the armrest, "Turbid Qi in the Lower Realm has only started recovering, the Great Dao remains unsteady, but this kid wields a mortal frame to summon such a fierce tribulation. That stubborn spirit... it echoes that person from the past so much..."

He trailed off, shaking his head as though reluctant to utter the name.

"Send the command: instruct the Wind Master and Rain Master to ease up slightly. Should this child survive the nine bolts of heavenly tribulation, bring him in. The Thunder Ministry requires a keen weapon."

Value for talent.

This marked the highest favor immortals could grant to mere insects.

To him, the Lower Realm's conflicts were nothing more than entertainment for the divine.

A fine performance might earn them a post.

Regrettably, the [Myriad Realms Thunder Pool Mirror] had activated mere moments ago; it captured only the Lower Realm as the initial tribulation bolt amassed.

Had Puhua Celestial Venerable learned that Bi Yue Wu, Tu Fu Xing, and the twelve Yuanchen all perished by that Sword Cultivator's hand inside the [Myriad Realms Thunder Pool Mirror], would he remain so composed on his seat?

Yet.

"REPORT—!!!"

A piercing, frantic shout shattered the Thunder Ministry hall's grave silence, disrupting the Celestial Venerable's relaxed demeanor.

Right then.

*BANG!*

A thunderous impact resounded.

The massive doors of the hall exploded inward.

A streak of bloodied glow, riddled with injuries and Divine Soul nearly collapsed, staggered inside and collapsed, leaving a smeared trail of blood over the polished floor.

The crimson light dimmed, exposing Divine General Zi Shu's mangled form.

His hair crown lay in ruins, locks wild and tangled, deprived of an arm and a leg. The once haughty face now bore a single expression—

Terror.

A profound, ghost-haunted dread piercing to the bones.

"Zi Shu?!"

Puhua Celestial Venerable leaped up, his usually narrowed phoenix eyes flaring wide.

"What occurred? Where are the twelve Yuanchen?"

"Dead... all of them dead..."

Zi Shu scraped at the floor, nails splintering, blood flowing freely.

Ignoring the Celestial Venerable's query, he acted like a lunatic, jabbing a finger at the white-robed form in the mirror, screaming wildly:

"It's him! That Sword Cultivator!!"

"One sword... only one sword!!"

"Chou Niu, Yin Hu, the rest... they couldn't even call out their treasures before their heads flew!!"

"He's a freak! He can't be from the Earth Star Lower Realm, there's surely some massive secret with him!!"

*BOOM—!*

Dead silence engulfed the grand hall.

Even the thunder seemed to pause in shock.

The gathered Immortal Officials traded looks, icy dread crawling from their spines to their scalps.

The twelve Yuanchen, united in their formation, could clash with a Celestial Immortal.

But slain by one strike from a Lower Realm mortal?

It resembled a tall tale, a ridiculous farce.

Yet the blood staining the floor was real.

Zi Shu's broken Dao Heart was undeniable.

"What did you just say?"

Puhua Celestial Venerable materialized instantly in front of Zi Shu. Seizing the remnant fabric at his collar, he hoisted him aloft, "Repeat that?"

"Massacred... completely massacred..."

"One sword each... one sword each!!"

Zi Shu shook violently like chaff in wind, mucus and tears streaking his face, "Celestial Venerable! If this kid lives, how can the Celestial Court keep its dignity?! He... he made me pass on a message too..."

"What message?"

"He said... this mortal world rejects dogs..."

Zi Shu's words faded to whispers, ending in hopeless sobs:

"If you stretch your hands down once more, he'll... he'll pierce a hole through this sky!"

*CRACK.*

The jade thumb ring on Puhua Celestial Venerable's finger crumbled into fine powder.

Zi Shu tumbled weakly to the floor as he loosened his hold.

No trace of admiration for talent lingered on that once grand and aloof visage.

Instead, overwhelming rage and chilling murderous intent took over.

It didn't matter anymore if the Sword Cultivator had truly uttered those words or if Zi Shu had twisted them.

"Excellent."

"Such a splendid mortal."

"Such a splendid... 'poke a hole in the sky'."

Enraged laughter erupted from the Celestial Venerable, booming like thunder that rattled the entire hall.

"Slain my true gods, shattered my laws, mocked my divine face."

He spun sharply, eyes blazing with fury at the white-robed form in the Thunder Pool Mirror, who continued clashing with thunder while glancing skyward.

Their eyes locked.

Even across two worlds, the lethal intent in each other's stares pierced through.

"This goes beyond mere tribulation crossing."

His voice froze like ancient glacial ice, each syllable dripping with the tang of blood.

"This is outright rebellion."

"Pass my command!"

"Seal the Lower Realm's ascension path at once! Summon the [Immortal-Slaying Platform]'s execution blade from seclusion!"

"Alert the Nine Heavens Thunder Dukes, the Twenty-Four Ministry Cloud-Gathering, Rain-Assisting, Dharma-Protecting Celestial Lords... fetch for This Venerable One the most savage, ruthless, venomous 'World-Destroying Divine Thunder' from the Thunder Pool!"

With a sweep of his vast sleeve, the Thunder Pool Mirror's pristine surface plunged into a terrifying pitch black.

"He shall not pass his tribulation."

"For This Venerable One... obliterate him utterly!!"

"YES!!!"

The Immortal Officials in the hall, brimming with killing fervor, roared their assent together.

War drums thundered to life.

This wasn't for any heavenly trial this time.

It was purely for annihilation.

...

In the Lower Realm, upon the suspended peak.

The winds fell still.

The purple-red tribulation clouds roiled furiously right then, resembling bubbling ink.

Chen Huaian squinted upward at the heavens.

With such spectacle... were legions of a hundred thousand Heavenly Troops and Generals about to descend?

Yet he had misjudged Lingxiao Palace's attention toward him.

No heavenly soldiers appeared.

Thunder Dragons struck first.

"ROAR—!!!"

A hair-raising draconic bellow reverberated through the skies.

Clouds tore apart as myriad purple bolts of lightning coiled and fused into three thousand millstone-thick Thunder Dragons.

These weren't mindless constructs but manifestations of Heavenly Dao's will, controlled by the Thunder Ministry's deities.

Three thousand Thunder Dragons poured down like a storm, bearing a destructive gale laced with blood's stench, lunging at the lone figure on the floating peak.

The sight evoked ten thousand dragons feasting on a heart.

"Dragons? Hahaha!"

Chen Huaian lifted his eyes and scoffed, nostrils filled with the burnt, bloody aroma in the air.

A sudden thirst gripped him.

Were there wine, he'd hoist a massive goblet in salute.

Lacking wine, blood would serve.

"Mere phony dragons! Ideal to pair with drinks!"

Chen Huaian unleashed a Sword Flourish. His blade sang out, akin to a reveler knocking on his cup.

"The bright moon rises over Tianshan..."

The incantation started.

Sword Light surged alongside it.

This strike moved deliberately slow, like a crescent moon easing above a mountain ridge.

This strike chilled deeply, enough to slow the frenzied Thunder Dragons overhead.

Lonely, frosty moonlight bathed the floating peak.

"...amidst the vast sea of clouds."

—Slay the Immortal·Moon Over the Pass.

Moonlight descended.

*Pfft, pfft, pfft.*

Sharp rips of fabric echoed through the air.

The lead Thunder Dragons halted dead.

Then, heads severed cleanly from bodies, slices mirror-smooth.

Thunder essence rained from the sky.

"ROAR!"

Trailing Thunder Dragons felt no terror; rage fueled them from this blade.

One Thunder Dragon exploited a gap, thunder-clad fangs sinking ferociously into Chen Huaian's left shoulder.

Thunder invaded, searing his Meridians to ruin.

Chen Huaian grunted, form staggering faintly.

He flipped his sword grip, plunging it into the Thunder Dragon's core and wrenching his wrist.

*BOOM!*

The dragon skull burst apart.

Chen Huaian withdrew his sword, dragging forth a gush of thunder plasma.

"Exhilarating!"

He bellowed with laughter, his silhouette like a solitary wild goose diving into the dragon horde.

One poem pairs with one sword. One step delivers one kill.

Scorched earth blanketed the floating peak.

As the final Thunder Dragon crumbled into ashes, Chen Huaian leaned against his sword, standing tall.

His white robes hung in tatters, half burned to black, half soaked in crimson.

*BOOM—! BOOM—! BOOM—!*

Skyward drumbeats shifted, growing dull and weighty, each thud echoing between heartbeats.

Nine grand figures emerged, ripping through thunderclouds as they descended slowly.

Clad in purple-gold heavy armor, wings unfurled from their backs.

They were none other than the Nine Heavens Thunder Dukes.

The foremost Thunder Duke showed no emotion on his face. He lifted his golden chisel, striking it remotely toward Chen Huaian.

*CRACK.*

A slender finger-thick green lightning bolt defied distance, piercing straight through Chen Huaian's chest in an instant.

*THUD.*

Chen Huaian flew back, slamming into rubble and kicking up a dust cloud.

His chest bones caved in, organs ruptured inside.

"Form the array."

Coldly, the Thunder Duke flicked his hand.

The nine positioned themselves in the Nine Palaces formation. Thunder coalesced into nine massive bronze pillars that slammed down, locking Chen Huaian tight inside.

Thunderlight formed a confining prison, steadily squeezing inward.

Amid the swirling dust.

A hand slick with blood seized the sword hilt with force.

Swaying, Chen Huaian rose, hacking up a glob of congealed blood laced with bits of tissue.

"Cough, cough... At last, some real challengers!"

Blood smeared from his mouth's edge as he wiped it, his gaze growing feral.

Even a beast at bay fights fiercely—what of a warrior?

*SHING—!* The Black Scales Sword angled toward the earth, carving a profound gash.

"Fighting south of the city..."

His voice rasped, thick with the tang of blood.

Suddenly, the Sword Stance transformed.

Gone was moonlight's crisp chill; now it brimmed with the muddy horror of a battlefield drowned in corpses and blood.

"...dying north of the walls."

Chen Huaian advanced a step. His wounds tore wider, blood gushing forth to paint the sword blade scarlet.

The looming thunder wall meant nothing; his stare fixed solely on the nine distant silhouettes.

"Dead in the wild, unburied..."

The sword tip raked the ground, emitting a wailing cry.

"...crows may feast!"

—Slay the Immortal·Fight the Desolation.

Fused with the Immortal-Slaying Sword, the Green Lotus Sword Manual broke free from rigid Sword techniques.

One sword, one poem. One poem, one sword.

Poem emerges, sword follows. Poem ends, sword concludes.

This strike embodies desolation!

*Zheng—!!!*

A storm of crimson Sword Qi exploded outward from Chen Huaian's position.

Pure assault, no guarding.

Wound for wound, life exchanged for life.

*BOOM!*

The thunder enclosure burst apart.

"Madman!"

Drastic shifts twisted the Thunder Dukes' faces. Unable to pull back in time, they got engulfed in the deadly blood-red Sword Qi tempest.

*Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!*

Chunks of flesh and blood sprayed wildly.

Five Thunder Dukes tore apart into pieces before a single cry escaped.

The surviving four saw their golden armor crumble, horror etched on their features.

Chen Huaian hauled his ravaged form from the blood fog.

His left arm dangled uselessly, stark bone shards jutting through torn skin into the open air.

Yet he paid it no mind.

Blood-crusted eyes locked onto the leftover targets.

"Four lines left."

A grin split his face, baring teeth stained red.

"Who will listen?"

Panic-stricken, the four Thunder Dukes bolted in terror.

Chen Huaian lunged ahead with a mighty step, Sword Light sticking like bone-burrowing parasites.

"For the lord... I strike the fou..."

A icy flash cut through.

Two heads launched skyward.

"...sing a song."

*Pfft!*

The final two Thunder Dukes grabbed their throats, tumbling from the heavens.

Silence gripped heaven and earth.

Chen Huaian's labored, wheezing breaths alone broke it, resembling a torn bellows.

Victory was his.

Yet his endurance had vanished.

All at once.

An eye split the sky open.

A detached, icy eye gazing down on all life—a Thunder Eye.

Next, a towering illusory form, a hundred zhang high, emerged from the Thunder Eye.

Arrayed in purple-gold imperial garb, he gripped a black thunder whip.

He was the Thunder Ministry's supreme deity, the Thunderous Puhua Celestial Venerable!

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