Immortal of the Ages

"Shangguan Yu, I admit Zhao Jianxing has merits toward Azure Spirit and thousands of nations, but can a saint not make mistakes? Can they let their disciples do evil? Now Zhao Jianxing does not have the virtue or ability to match his position. He is better off dead than alive, why should he occupy the position of Sect Master?" Liu Xuan scoffed.

"You shut up! You wolf-hearted, dog-lunged thing!" Shangguan Yu roared, rage flooding her veins.

"The first rule of Azure Spirit is that the head of the Sword Pavilion is the Sect Master! Even if the Sect Master is to be replaced, it should be Zhao Xuanran," Fourth Sword Venerable, Chen Dong, suddenly interrupted.

Back in the day, the Sword Pavilion was the strongest among the eight great sword cultivation forces. Only by uniting could the other seven restrain it. At that time, the Eight Laws of Azure Spirit were established, naturally securing the central position of the Sword Pavilion!

"What joke is this? One unworthy person is replaced by another? What will Azure Spirit become then? A den of thieves?" Yao Manxue scornfully said.

"The Sword Pavilion is about to dissolve, who else can be the Sect Master? It's been hundreds of years. The Azure Spirit Laws should be changed!" Zhang Jian said. Their words, each complementing the other, made their goal increasingly clear.

"The Seventh Sword Venerable is right!" Ye Tiance, with his sharp eagle eyes, said solemnly: "Every era has its rules! Today the era has changed, and new rules should guide the righteous path of Azure Spirit."

"That's right!"

"I, from the Third Sword Peak, agree!"

"May I ask the First Sword Venerable, who do you think should be the new Sect Master?" Zhang Jian asked with a sycophantic smile.

"Of course, it's Ye Guying, who fought for the utmost glory of our Azure Spirit!" Ye Tiance said without hesitation. Before Ye Guying's status skyrocketed in the Sea of Swords, he'd also thought of becoming the Sect Master himself. But now that was no longer necessary.

According to the Azure Spirit Laws, the Sect Master had to be the Master of the Sword Pavilion. The law would be overturned sooner or later. However, to silence all the Azure Spirit Sword Cultivators, they still needed a seemingly legitimate banner. Tonight, trampling on the lifelong reputation of Zhao Jianxing was the perfect opportunity!

"The name of Swordking Ye shakes the Sea of Swords! He is the glory of Azure Spirit!" Zhang Jian exclaimed.

"Who among the past Masters of the Sword Pavilion could enter the Forbidden Tower?" Liu Xuan sneered with disdain.

"He is destined to lead Azure Spirit into a new era, reorganize the spirit of Azure Spirit, and eradicate the evil of the Sword Pavilion!" Yao Manxue coldly made the final judgment.

Outside, many Sword Cultivators, listening to their fierce quarrel, were all stunned. Who was upright? Who was cunning and deceitful, yet bit back, reversing black and white, and slandering others? In fact, the truth had already burst out, clear in people's hearts. It could only be said that the existence of Ye Guying really gave these people unbridled courage!

"Close the door!" Ye Tiance suddenly said.

"I will." Yao Manxue stood up, walked to the door, and said to the surrounding sword cultivators: "Move back!"

"Yes…" People could only move back, their hearts filled with mixed emotions.

As soon as the hall door closed, Ye Tiance's face immediately turned cold. "Shangguan Yu, Chen Dong, Li Chenlong!" He coldly looked at these three people and said, "The words just now were for outsiders. The words next are for you!"

The three across glared, their mouths sealed in silence.

"Listen up!" Ye Tiance's hawk-like eyes scanned over them. "I do not need your approval tonight. This is my last warning: if any of you fail to cooperate, when Ye Guying returns, you will have no place to rest your corpse!

"Starting now, anyone who brings up the Azure Spirit Law, off with their heads!"

"In the future Azure Spirit Sword Sect, there will be no Sword Pavilion, no numbered Sword Peaks. This will be Ye Guying’s sect alone, his word is the law.

"Anyone in the way will die! Understand?" His words hung in the air, filling the hall with a deathlike silence. This was the harsh reality.

"Hahaha..." Shangguan Yu suddenly laughed.

"What are you laughing at?" Ye Tiance's voice was sinister.

"I'm laughing at your bogus bravado, at your desperate attempts to slander Zhao Jianxing, afraid that his honor would influence the hearts of the people!” Shangguan Yu’s eyes held nothing but disdain. Not disdain for their strength. But for their character! What a bunch of petty men! A band of moral clowns!

"Fine! Your words have just bought you a death sentence in ten days!" Ye Tiance’s fists clenched, eyes twisted with rage.

"Scoundrels will get their dues! Associating with you disgraces my sword!" Shangguan Yu spat a contemptuous glance at him and stormed out of the hall.

"She chooses death, what about you?" Ye Tiance sneered at Chen Dong and Li Chenlong.

The two exchanged a glance, ready to stand and leave.

“Sword Venerables!" But a group of elders from the Fourth and Fifth Sword Peaks came forward, holding them back, shaking their heads at them.

"See? This is the will of the people!" Ye Tiance laughed with a snort. "Fine, even if you join us, when Azure Spirit is rebuilt, you two won't be missed!"

The situation was set! Chen Dong and Li Chenlong, facing the desperate, pleading faces of the elders behind them, could only close their eyes and sigh deeply. They had to bend against the overwhelming force! They were not representing themselves, but their entire Sword Peak.

"Brother Ye!" Yao Manxue's eyes filled with cold intent again, “What's the next step?”

“We must continue to discredit Zhao Jianxing, then announce Swordking Ye's ascension!” Zhang Jian declared.

Ye Tiance laughed, “We will tarnish him thoroughly, ensure Zhao Jianxing will never rise again even in death!”

"Please elaborate!" Liu Xuan respectfully said.

Ye Tiance's face was filled with malice. "First, tear down the Grand Hall, the symbol of their hypocritical righteousness!"

"Second, spill a hundred cauldrons of filthy blood, corpses, and demon feces from the sky over the Sword Pavilion, turning the Sword Pavilion mountains into demon mountains!"

"Third, dig up the graves of the Seven Prodigies of the Sword Pavilion!"

These three sentences left the Sword Venerables and elders present with buzzing minds.

"You!" Chen Dong, filled with rage, was about to stand up when a group of elders from the Fourth Sword Peak urgently held him down, nearly begging him to stay silent.

"The desecration of the Grand Hall! Demon mountains! And now grave-digging! Brilliant, truly brilliant!" Zhang Jian, the sycophant, immediately applauded in flattery.

"Zhao Jianxing's lack of morals and direction is clear. If he still holds onto his lifetime of fame, it would be too ironic. It's only right to dig up their so-called integrity. I believe all the Azure Spirit Sword Cultivators will understand!" Yao Manxue laughed.

"That Zhao Jianxing is actually awake. Won’t he die of anger at these three blows?" Zhang Jian laughed playfully.

"I reckon there's an eighty percent chance he will die on the spot from a soul split!” Ye Tiance's lips curled upward. He knew Zhao Jianxing too well. Saying eighty percent was conservative!

"A tarnished reputation, death from anger, that would indeed be a joke for the ages." Yao Manxue shook her head in mock lament.

"This is exactly the time for Ye Guying to rightfully overshadow the generations of Sword Pavilion’s Sect Masters with his power!” Ye Tiance’s eyes swirled with light.

“What about Yun Xiao?” Liu Xuan asked.

“This kid is definitely hiding. It’s pointless to chase him. Once the Sword Pavilion is humiliated, he will appear,” Ye Tiance said coldly.

“Right!”

“Then to prevent Zhao Jianxing from trying to do anything in desperation, we don’t need to show up, remote operation will do,” Ye Tiance declared.

"Very good!" Zhang Jian and Liu Xuan, both were a bit afraid of being 'bitten by a desperate dog'!

Zhao Jianxing only had the power to kill! And anyone could carry out these three humiliating acts! By this point, they couldn't wait any longer.

“Immediately gather all the elders of Azure Spirit. Assemble at Sword Cloud Walk! Prepare to go to the Sword Pavilion to convict Zhao Jianxing!” Ye Tiance announced loudly.

“Yes!” Yao Manxue and others nodded.

“Whoever doesn’t come, will be out of Azure Spirit’s future,” Ye Tiance glanced at Chen Dong and Li Chenlong.

“Don't worry, Sword Venerable, the elders from the fourth and fifth sword peaks will all come!” Many elders hurriedly answered on behalf of Chen Dong and Li Chenlong.

“Zhang Jian, you are in charge of preparing a hundred cauldrons of filthy blood, corpses, and demon feces! I want the Sword Pavilion to stink for ten years, so the more, the better!” Ye Tiance ordered.

“That might take an hour!” Zhang Jian said.

“No problem, we have plenty of time, we’ll wait for you here at Sword Cloud Walk,” Ye Tiance laughed heartily.

“No problem! Guaranteed to be fresh!” Zhang Jian grinned.

“Alright!” Ye Tiance took a deep breath, looking out at the Azure Spirit mountains. His heart was bold and spirited, ready to burst forth.

“Send the order down, disciples of the seven great Sword Peaks, prepare to wait for the signal, shine your Sword Souls in the night sky, and form a name in the sky to welcome the arrival of a new era!” Ye Tiance proclaimed loudly.

“Whose name?”

“Ye Guying!”

In a corner, a little black beast, picking up two large chicken legs from the table, stuffed them in its mouth! Whoosh! It disappeared.

▬ι══🪦✧⚰️✧🪦══ι▬

At the pinnacle of the First Sword Peak!

News of the events at Sword Cloud Walk, along with the Sword Venerable’s proclamation, had already swept through the Azure Spirit Sword Sect.

“All disciples, come to the Ye family ancestral shrine!”

Atop the highest peak of the First Sword Peak, there stood a majestic golden hall. Inside the golden hall, ancestral spirit plaques filled the space, each one crafted from Spirit Stones, radiating flowing light. This was the Ye Family ancestral shrine on the First Sword Peak!

The history of the First Sword Peak was long, being a force on the Sword Dao even before joining the Azure Spirit Sword Sect and passing through many generations. And a significant part of the spirit plaques in this ancestral shrine were from ancestors who were Sword Cultivators before joining the Azure Spirit.

Now, in front of the ancestral shrine, nearly a thousand Sword Cultivators had been summoned by an iron order. Hearing of tonight's grand event, many Sword Cultivators are excited, their eyes wild with anticipation.

During the day, their strongest one hundred and twenty disciples had been slain by Yun Xiao alone, truly frustrating! And at night, hearing that their first disciple, Ye Ziyan, was first sullied then killed, they were even more angered to the point of vomiting blood.

But thankfully, Ye Tiance was furiously enraged!

The time to take revenge had come.

“Ancestors of the Ye Family above!” At the front of the crowd, a white-haired, hawk-nosed old man led everyone in kneeling. He was none other than Ye Tiance's father, the previous First Sword Venerable, Ye Xuanying.

Yes, he was still alive, and had only vacated his position. In this First Sword Peak, he still held great prestige, deemed honorable and respected. Behind Ye Xuanying was Ye Tiance’s wife from the Fan Family, along with ninety-nine members of the Ye Family!

As for Ye Guying, even though he also carried the surname Ye, he was not born of the Ye Family of the First Sword Peak. However, he was brought into the Azure Spirit by Ye Xuanying from a young age, actually considering him an adopted son, a peer to Ye Tiance!

Regardless of Ye Tiance or Ye Guying, this white-haired, hawk-nosed old man was a guide on the path of cultivation. At this moment, Ye Xuanying is stirred with emotion, his eyes crimson.

“Tiance! Guying! The two of you have realized the dream of my lifetime, and even more have mended the regret of the generations of Ye Ancestors!” Grandsons and granddaughters, dead. But exchanged for a clear and proper chance for succession of power.

New heirs could be birthed. After all, the Ye Family was large. But this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, the one chance to rightfully shred the Laws of Azure Spirit, without the risk of getting a knife in the back.

There was no choice. The Sword Pavilion were strict on themselves and others. It was too hard to find a loophole!

"The desecration of the Grand Hall, demon mountain, grave digging, and a stench that won't go away for ten years! From now on, this Azure Spirit blessed land will exclusively belong to the Ye Family!" Ye Xuan Ying’s eyes were feverish as he looked towards the ancestral shrine in front of him. There, each token seemed to shine with a proud light.

So what if Ye Guying was an adopted son? It didn't matter! With his talent, he would ultimately dominate a side in the Sea of Swords! Once Ye Guying withdrew, the Azure Spirit would eventually be passed down in his Ye Family for hundreds, thousands of generations!

"Once Guying ascends, I will ensure our ancestors are honored as the spirited bones of Azure Spirit!

"I will list the spirit plaques of our ancestors in the Hall of Heroes!" Ye Xuan Ying laughed heartily.

"Father, the Hall of Heroes in the Sword Pavilion is full of Sword Pavilion’s ancestors." Ye Tiance’s wife, Fan Shi, coldly chuckled.

"Then tear down their Hall of Heroes, from now on our Ye Family's ancestral shrine will be the Azure Spirit's Hall of Heroes!" Ye Xuanying laughed.

"Haha!" Hearing these words, many First Sword Peak disciples began to laugh.

Tonight’s event, those above the Divine Sea Realm had basically all followed Ye Tiance out. The remaining disciples below the Dragon Spring Realm, all gathered here.

"Prepare your Sword Souls, wait for the signal. Thousands of Sword Souls will shine and ascend, and our First Sword Peak will shine the character 'Ye' in the sky!" Ye Xuanying proclaimed proudly, his face flushed with excitement.

This was the eternal glory of the Ye Family!

The Sixth Sword Peak was in charge of the character 'Gu.'

The Third and Seventh Sword Peaks together would create the character 'Ying.'

Three characters ascended, illuminating Azure Spirit's blessed land, forever shining in the human world, honoring the ancestors!

"The light of the Sword Soul can probably be seen by thousands of nations!"

From now on, becoming a giant star, leaving a good name for centuries, creating a generational tale! This was the elegance of a Sword Cultivator!

Ye Xuanying was already anticipating that moment’s arrival.

"Old Sword Venerable, rest assured!"

"We will definitely make the Ye Family shine throughout the heavens!"

One by one, the First Sword Peak disciples were already holding their breaths in anticipation.

"Bow again to the ancestors!" Ye Xuanying said excitedly.

Thousands of people bowed together, then someone looked up, seemingly seeing a figure in white on the ancestral shrine.

"Who is so disrespectful to stand on the ancestral shrine?" Someone immediately exclaimed.

For a moment, everyone looked up in shock towards the golden hall above! In the dark night, a youth descended like a god, where he tread, tiles and rubble flew about!

"Yun Xiao!" Cries of shock pierced the night sky!

Among these fearful gazes, Yun Xiao landed alone in front of the ancestral shrine, a pair of eyes cold as the moon, facing thousands of people before him.

"In the Cloud Nation! Ye Guying deceived the people, making me infamous for thousands of years, forcing an illegitimate change of dynasty!

"And now here, you still want to slander the Sword Pavilion, changing the Azure Spirit Sword Sect’s dynasty!" Yun Xiao suddenly looked up, his eyes flashing with a deep killing intent. "The Jiang Family's thirty-three mouths have been wiped out by me! And you will be exterminated too!"