Chaotic Sword God Chapter 3948: Sword Sage

The Ancestor of the Clear and Cloudy remained silent, his heart sinking into a void of despair. It was inconceivable to him; despite his formidable strength, he had failed to possess a mere Immortal Emperor and had instead fallen into this dire predicament. Such a disastrous turn of events had never even crossed his mind.

Nevertheless, although he was currently trapped and unable to evade the suppression of three sovereign god artifacts, his enemies would find it equally difficult to extinguish his existence entirely.

A long sigh escaped Jian Chen’s lips. He had finally managed to restrain this mysterious powerhouse. Since this individual's emergence, Jian Chen had been backed into a corner, 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 powers of the Source of Life would not have saved him from a grim fate.

The restorative energy of the Source of Life was not limitless. The vitality required to combat a Seventh Heavenly Layer expert far exceeded what was needed to face dozens of early-stage Immortal Exalts simultaneously.

Between the early and late stages of the Immortal Exalt realm, there existed a qualitative gap—a fundamental difference in their level of power.

“Master, we must focus entirely on keeping this individual suppressed to prevent any potential counterattack. For the foreseeable future, our capabilities will be somewhat restricted...” the sword spirits informed him.

Jian Chen quickly grasped the gravity of the situation through the three artifact spirits. Because they were occupied with pinning down the Ancestor of the Clear and Cloudy, they would be unable to provide him with their usual level of assistance.

Regarding the twin swords, the impact was minimal. Aside from their fusion, Jian Chen currently had little use for them.

The Primeval Divine Hall, however, presented a challenge. To prevent any mishaps, Jian Chen usually activated the Divine Formation of the Heavens within the hall before projecting it outward. With the Primeval Divine Hall’s energy currently diverted, he could no longer deploy the Divine Formation of the Heavens frequently. If the hall's power were exhausted, the Ancestor of the Clear and Cloudy might find an opening to strike back.

The Source of Life was similarly constrained as it worked to suppress the soul of the Ancestor of the Clear and Cloudy. Within his sea of consciousness, the Source of Life served as a vital defense, effectively blockading the Ancestor’s attempts at possession. Since the intruder's presence demanded the majority of its power, the Source of Life would be unable to heal Jian Chen’s wounds with its usual efficiency for some time.

Even if it attempted to exert its full healing potential, it could not be sustained for long without compromising the suppression of the Ancestor of the Clear and Cloudy.

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 the man, even a fraction of that soul power would be a monumental gain. Yet, the cost was the temporary immobilization of his three sovereign god artifacts.

Currently, neither Jian Chen nor the artifact spirits had a better solution for dealing with the intruder within his soul. Their only option was to maintain the seal and slowly erode his strength over time.

With the immediate threat of possession managed, Jian Chen felt a wave of dizziness wash over him. The struggle against the Ancestor of the Clear and Cloudy had been exhausting; he had expended three strands of Profound Sword Qi alone, not to mention his other efforts.

Furthermore, a sharp, piercing pain throbbed from the core of his soul, intensifying his vertigo. His vision blurred and the world began to tilt, bringing him to the verge of fainting.

This was the lingering soul injury caused by the previous fusion of the twin swords. Jian Chen had spent years laboriously nurturing this wound with various methods, finally reaching a point where it no longer hindered him significantly. Now, however, the conflict with the Ancestor of the Clear and Cloudy had caused the injury to flare up once more.

Jian Chen forced himself to ignore the pain for the moment, as his work was not yet finished. Now that the Ancestor of the Clear and Cloudy was no longer a distraction, he resumed absorbing the energy of the seed of ways.

The seed of ways held pure laws, containing the Skyscraping Sword Venerable’s own insights into the Laws of the Sword.

Taking in the seed of ways did not mean one inherited the Skyscraping Sword Venerable’s comprehension directly, nor did it provide a raw boost to Cultivation. Instead, it unraveled the complex and cryptic laws, presenting them in their most accessible and transparent form. One's ability to gain anything from it relied entirely on their innate talent.

For those with sufficient talent, a single seed of ways could facilitate a breakthrough to higher heights. Conversely, for those lacking talent, no amount of seeds would be of any use.

As the seed of ways manifested the essence of the Dao, its power began to wane. Immersed in this profound state, Jian Chen’s mastery of the Way of the Sword deepened. Gradually, a gateway to a higher plane of existence appeared before him.

This was the threshold leading from Sword Immortal to the realm of Sword Sage!

Sword Sage represented the pinnacle for nearly every practitioner of the Way of the Sword.

This was because almost all who followed this path—whether they were early, mid, or late-stage 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 reach its limit at Sword Sage.

The reason was simple: the final of the five realms of the Way of the Sword, Sword God, was a transcendent state that only Grand Exalts could hope to achieve.

Boom!

Suddenly, a thunderous roar echoed in Jian Chen’s mind. The door that had stood firmly shut above him was blasted open. A sense of profound enlightenment flooded his consciousness. The myriad laws of the universe and the thousands of existing Daos suddenly appeared far more vivid and clear to him than ever before.

In that instant, he crossed the threshold into the Sword Sage realm, stepping into an entirely new world of power!

His foundations at the great completion of Sword Immortal had been incredibly robust. Every stone tablet he had studied in the Skyscraping World had reinforced his understanding. Even before the contest for the seed of ways, Jian Chen was already standing at the absolute limit of the Sword Immortal realm, needing only a final push.

This minor gap had stalled countless immortals throughout the Immortals’ World, preventing them from advancing further. Without exceptional luck or talent, one could spend millions of years in bitter Cultivation and still never cross it.

Yet now, utilizing the seed of ways left behind by the Skyscraping Sword Venerable, Jian Chen had achieved a breakthrough in a single stroke!

The advancement was natural and irresistible. Not even the aggravated injuries to his soul could hinder his ascent.

As the seed of ways still held a remnant of power after his breakthrough, Jian Chen did not pause to examine his new realm. Instead, he continued to absorb the remaining energy, seeking to push even further toward the minor achievement of Sword Sage.