The Dao of Reincarnation (107-109) (Patreon)

Chapter 107: Witness of the Era (Part 4)

The Heavenly Sword Sacred Land received an uninvited guest.

"Nameless swordsman, come to challenge the younger generation of the Heavenly Sword Sacred Land!"

Outside the sacred land's gates stood a youth mounted on a white horse. In his arms lay a small white-furred cat, its fur soft and pristine. His fingers gently stroked the cat's back while his gaze remained calm and undisturbed. Surrounded by disciples of the Heavenly Sword Sacred Land, he showed not the slightest trace of fear.

"Who… are you, sir?"

Su Chen's words drew the attention of an outer sect elder. Though the young man dressed plainly, the bearing he exuded was clearly not something any ordinary sect could cultivate.

Su Chen did not raise his eyes. He spoke softly.

"I have heard that the Heavenly Sword Sacred Land stands as the foremost sword path in the Southern Barbarian Lands. I happen to understand a little about the sword as well, so I came specially to pay my respects. I hope there is someone here worthy of drawing my blade."

The disciples of the Heavenly Sword Sacred Land immediately understood his intent. He had come to kick down their gates. As disciples of a sacred land, when had they ever suffered such humiliation?

"What are you, some nobody, daring to spout such arrogant nonsense and challenge the younger generation of our Heavenly Sword Sacred Land? Let me, Yan Shun, teach you the difference between us!"

A young figure stepped forward and charged at Su Chen with a sword drawn.

Su Chen did not even glance at him.

Suddenly, the young man froze in place, rooted like a statue.

Without him realizing, every thread of his clothing had been sliced into ragged strips by invisible sword qi. Cool air pressed against his bare skin. When awareness finally dawned, cold sweat poured down his face. Terror filled his eyes.

The entire scene fell deathly silent. Even the outer sect elder had not seen clearly what method the youth had used. But they all understood one thing: if this young man wished to kill Yan Shun, it would take only a single thought.

Yan Shun was the top outer disciple—the one with the greatest hope of entering the inner sect. Just who was this young man?

In that moment, they realized… perhaps his declaration of challenging the entire younger generation of the Heavenly Sword Sacred Land had not been a joke.

"Too weak. If this is the level of your Heavenly Sword Sacred Land's disciples, I am truly disappointed."

Su Chen continued stroking Hu Miaomiao's fur as though defeating Yan Shun had been less interesting to him than petting a cat. Such blatant contempt—refusing to place the Heavenly Sword Sacred Land in his eyes—ignited fury among the crowd.

Arrogant… far too arrogant! When had the Heavenly Sword Sacred Land ever endured such an insult?

Several elders burned with rage.

"Take him down together! No matter what power stands behind this insolent brat, daring to humiliate our Heavenly Sword Sacred Land—he must pay the price!"

The elders keenly sensed the newcomer came with ill intent. They decided to strike first and end this farce before it escalated.

But the moment they moved, the white horse beneath Su Chen suddenly erupted with terrifying pressure. Its golden pupils shattered like fractured glass. The elders who had just begun to act were instantly slammed to the ground, pinned by the overwhelming aura and unable to move. Even Hu Miaomiao in Su Chen's arms trembled in fear. He gently soothed her with a hand.

"Draconic… draconic might… that is the legendary dragon-horse bloodline!"

"That terrifying aura… I've only ever felt it from the Venerable elders in the inner sect… "

"The white horse beneath that youth is actually a Nirvana realm demon venerable!"

"…"

Shock rippled through the crowd.

Su Chen gazed at the immobilized elders with faint disappointment. He spoke calmly.

"Is this the bearing of your Heavenly Sword Sacred Land? Truly disappointing. Bullying the few with numbers, and unable to accept defeat?"

The elders who had tried to gang up on him flushed crimson—furious and humiliated in equal measure.

Just then, a brilliant streak of light appeared. It coalesced into the figure of a young man who spoke coldly.

"Enough. You came to challenge the younger generation of my Heavenly Sword Sacred Land—then challenge them properly. Why go so far as to humiliate them like this?"

Su Chen gave a half-smile, half-sneer.

"Finally, someone decent has shown up."

The disciples of the Heavenly Sword Sacred Land brightened at the sight of the newcomer.

"It's Senior Brother Song… one of the young kings! He ranks eighteenth on the Southern Barbarian Lands Prodigy List—a supreme genius! With Senior Brother Song here, this arrogant fool is finished!"

Song Quan's gaze locked coldly on Su Chen.

"You want a fight? Then, Song Quan will oblige. Let's see exactly how much weight you carry, daring to run wild at the gates of my Heavenly Sword Sacred Land!"

Song Quan struck first.

Ancient runes rose along the blade of his sword. He unleashed a single, merciless slash aimed straight at Su Chen—holding nothing back. If the strike landed unopposed, it would kill him instantly.

Facing the blow, Su Chen merely extended a single finger. He didn't even need two.

Terrifying sword intent coiled around the digit, sharp enough to sever anything in existence. The space before him rippled like water disturbed by a stone. That one finger transformed into an indestructible sword beam.

Song Quan's full-power strike collided with it—and shattered like an egg against a boulder.

The scene left Song Quan wide-eyed, his expression one of utter disbelief. The technique he prided himself on had been broken so effortlessly. As sword qi raged around him, he stood dazed for a long moment—until the chill wind against his skin finally snapped him back to reality.

"I… lost…"

Song Quan's voice was hollow. His eyes were vacant. The unshakable faith he held in his sword path had cracked.

The defeat of Song Quan sent shockwaves through the entire Heavenly Sword Sacred Land.

A true disciple—defeated. And not just defeated—humiliated at the very gates of the sect, unable to withstand even a single move.

This was an unbearable disgrace. If word of this spread, the Heavenly Sword Sacred Land would become the laughingstock of the five domains.

"Summon everyone! Gather all the younger generation disciples! We must win this match—no matter what methods we use. The Heavenly Sword Sacred Land cannot afford to lose!"

The Sacred Lord of the Heavenly Sword Sacred Land issued the command without hesitation.

One after another, disciples rushed toward the battlefield.

"Insolent fool! I will fight you!"

"Don't blame my sword for being merciless!"

"I… perhaps Senior Brother Cheng should go first?"

"…"

Every true disciple of the Heavenly Sword Sacred Land stepped forward—without exception, they all fell to Su Chen.

In the end, not a single one dared challenge him again. No one could block even one of his moves.

Watching friend after friend—enemy after enemy—fall before Su Chen without lasting a single exchange, they wavered. They retreated.

For a young, hot-blooded sword cultivator, hesitation and fear meant the sword path was no longer flawless. They would never be free of this nightmare until they defeated the demon in their hearts.

The sacred land's higher powers sensed the danger. If the younger generation was crushed by a single man using only the sword… what kind of joke would the Heavenly Sword Sacred Land become?

"Wunian still hasn't come out of seclusion?"

The Sacred Lord frowned. The moment the thought crossed his mind, a resonant chorus of sword cries suddenly erupted throughout the Heavenly Sword Sacred Land.

Chapter 108: Witness of the Era (Part 5)

The crowd from Heavenly Sword Sacred Land erupted in joy.

"It's Senior Brother Mu coming out of seclusion! Senior Brother Mu ranks fourth on the Southern Domain Heavenly Prodigy List. With him taking action, he will surely crush this arrogant fool!"

"But… can Senior Brother Mu really defeat him…?"

"Of course he can! Senior Brother Mu is the number-one genius of our Heavenly Sword Sacred Land's younger generation!"

"…"

Every prodigy of Heavenly Sword Sacred Land pinned all their hopes on Mu Wunian. Yet even they had to admit—this madman who dared challenge the entire younger generation of Heavenly Sword Sacred Land was frighteningly powerful…

Under countless expectant gazes, vast sword qi unfurled into a soaring path that pierced the heavens. At the far end of the path walked a young man wearing a feathered crown. An ancient sword hung at his waist; faint crimson patterns pulsed across its surface like breathing. The sword seemed alive.

Mu Wunian—current Sequence Sacred Son of Heavenly Sword Sacred Land. Before reaching the age of twenty, he had already broken through to the Profound Connection Realm. More importantly, he wielded the legendary supreme sword left behind by the Imperial Sword Dynasty—Dustreturn Sword!

Legend claimed the sword had been forged from the sword path and physical body of the Imperial Sword Dynasty's founding ancestor. The forging method had long been lost. The first sword master, Shen Daoyuan, had once relied on this very blade to fight five Quasi-Saints in succession—slaying two, heavily wounding one—before finally perishing from exhaustion. Afterward, Dustreturn Sword vanished from the world.

Only ten years ago did Mu Wunian appear out of nowhere, and with him, Dustreturn Sword returned to the world.

Mu Wunian looked down from above. Beneath his sword-like brows burned an arrogant, untamed light that brooked no equals. He swept a contemptuous gaze across the defeated true disciples of Heavenly Sword Sacred Land who had fallen to Su Chen and snorted coldly. "A bunch of trash. After cultivating for so long, you can't even handle an outsider. Do I really have to handle this myself?"

Then his eyes settled on Su Chen. With open disdain, he declared, "So it's you—the one who dares challenge the younger generation of our Heavenly Sword Sacred Land?"

Su Chen raised an eyebrow. He genuinely found it hard to believe that this person was truly the most outstanding disciple of Heavenly Sword Sacred Land's current generation.

What a pitiful sight.

Mu Wunian mistook Su Chen's silence for fear. He turned his head and announced grandly, "The dignity of my Sacred Land cannot be lightly trampled. If you lose to me, I demand that you shatter your own sword heart. Do you dare accept this wager?"

Su Chen looked at the supremely confident Mu Wunian and gave a soft laugh. "If you lose, I want… that sword."

He pointed directly at the Dustreturn Sword hanging at Mu Wunian's waist.

Mu Wunian's expression changed slightly, but he still agreed without hesitation. "Fine. If you can defeat me, the sword is yours. If you lose, you will shatter your sword heart and never hold a blade again!"

Mu Wunian had absolute confidence in his own strength.

Su Chen nodded. A trace of seriousness finally appeared in his eyes.

Mu Wunian's sword path realm was, at best, only slightly stronger than the true disciples of other Sacred Lands. But the moment he grasped the sword at his waist, Su Chen felt a terrifying sword aura awaken from within Mu Wunian's body.

Within Dustreturn Sword lay the fused sword insights of his sixth life as Shen Chen and Shen Daoyuan—already elevated to an entirely different level. Under the enhancement of the two sword paths, Mu Wunian underwent a transformation. Golden sword qi radiated from his body. His hair whipped wildly. Sword qi crisscrossed the air.

Su Chen leaped down from the white horse. His azure robes fluttered. The long sword at his waist left its sheath—calm as still water, without any unusual phenomena. It looked like an utterly ordinary mortal weapon.

Yet the sight made Mu Wunian feel as though he faced a great enemy. This sword intent… ever-changing, intricate, and profound.

In an instant, their sword qi collided. Sword intents clashed fiercely, forming a terrifying barrier of sword qi around them. Dense sword lights interwove so thickly that no one could see clearly what was happening inside. But everyone knew—this was destined to be a brutal, earth-shaking battle.

Mu Wunian could not understand why his terrifying divine abilities were always dispelled so effortlessly by Su Chen with a single ordinary-looking strike—whether a chop, a slash, or a lift. Every sword seemed simple, yet carried an extraordinary force.

"Why… why is this happening…"

In his growing agitation, Mu Wunian poured every ounce of his vital energy into Dustreturn Sword, hoping to win through its power.

Seeing this, disappointment flickered in Su Chen's eyes. He held his sword horizontally across his chest.

In the next moment, the sky changed. Everyone witnessed an unbelievable scene. Within the entire Heavenly Sword Sacred Land, every sword artifact suddenly resonated. They all turned in one direction, as though paying homage.

"This… this is the Sword of Utmost Sincerity!"

"How is this possible? How could someone so young have already reached this step in the sword path? Even that Sword Madman back then never…"

"We have all underestimated this person! Who in the world is he?"

"…"

The sword dao was flawless. With that single stroke from Su Chen, the world seemed to lose all color—everything faded to monochrome gray. A sound like tearing space rang out. Then color bled back into existence.

On the ground lay a figure in tattered robes, drenched in blood.

Mu Wunian stared blankly ahead. He had lost…

"It must be the sword in your hand… You only won because of superior weaponry!"

Mu Wunian roared in refusal to accept reality. But as the words left his mouth, he watched in disbelief as the "divine sword" in Su Chen's grip—far surpassing the Dustreturn Sword in his eyes—began to dissolve bit by bit until nothing remained.

Su Chen shook his head with faint regret.

"As expected, a sword bought with a single spirit stone really is poor quality. Fortunately, I won a decent replacement."

Under Mu Wunian's incredulous gaze, Su Chen raised a hand. The Dustreturn Sword flew from the ground straight into his palm.

Mu Wunian had no time to react. Su Chen's calm voice drifted past his ear.

"The wager is settled. This sword now belongs to me. And one more thing—your sword dao lacks sincerity. You rely too heavily on external objects and carry too many distracting thoughts."

Su Chen stored the Dustreturn Sword away and prepared to leave the Heavenly Sword Sacred Land. His purpose here had been fulfilled.

One man had single-handedly crushed the younger generation of the Heavenly Sword Sacred Land. Though he had killed no one, for proud young sword cultivators, this was no less devastating than having their edge broken and their spines snapped. From this day forward, their sword hearts would carry a permanent stain. He had crippled the future of the Heavenly Sword Sacred Land's younger generation.

Su Chen mounted his white horse once more, Hu Miaomiao nestled in his arms, and turned to depart.

Just as he glanced back, the void ahead suddenly split open. Through the rift appeared another scene—a sword platform. A young man sat cross-legged atop it, gazing calmly at Su Chen. That single glance sent an icy chill racing through Su Chen's entire body. In that moment, he was reminded of Cao Tianming—the genius who had once been utterly sincere in his sword dao.

The disciples of the Heavenly Sword Sacred Land bowed in unison the instant they saw him.

"Sacred Son!"

The youth gave a slight nod. His eyes remained fixed on Su Chen.

"You and I do not belong to the same era. If I were to act against you now, it would be bullying the weak. Victory would hold no meaning… But know this—the Heavenly Sword Sacred Land has never lacked for someone who has reached the pinnacle of the sword. You alone are not qualified to break our younger generation's sword dao spine. Wang Chen—deliver these words to Wang Yunfei. Ten years from now, I will personally travel to Central Continent and seek him out for a proper duel."

With those words, the spatial rift sealed itself.

The youth never once made a move.

Chapter 109: Witness of the Era (Part 6)

Su Chen left the Heavenly Sword Sacred Land.

The Sacred Son of the Heavenly Sword Sacred Land never acted. He allowed Su Chen to depart freely. They did not belong to the same era. This was a figure from the same generation as Wang Yunfei. Like Cao Tianming of old, the Sacred Son of the Heavenly Sword Sacred Land pursued pure sword dao with unshakable self-confidence.

Su Chen shook his head. He did not believe this Sacred Son could defeat Wang Yunfei. Yet as long as this Sacred Son lived, the Heavenly Sword Sacred Land would prosper for thousands of years. Should he fall… the sacred land would be finished. The current Heavenly Sword Sacred Land had grown overly reliant on external objects. The once-pure ideal of sword dao had long since faded.

Su Chen gave a wry smile. Cao Tianming had once spoken of sincerity in the sword—that had been the Heavenly Sword Sacred Land's founding principle. Who could have foreseen that the sacred land of today had already lost that original spirit?

Su Chen gently stroked the Dustreturn Sword in his hand, feeling a complex emotion rise within him. This blade had been forged from his sixth-life body. Tempered by Shen Daoyuan's sword qi over countless years, it had evolved into a true divine weapon of the sword path, faintly imbued with a saintly aura. It stood only one step away from becoming a true saint artifact.

Unfortunately, that final step had never been taken. The rise of the Imperial Sword Dynasty had offended too many powers. They refused to allow Shen Daoyuan to advance further and joined forces to ambush and kill him.

The Dustreturn Sword trembled faintly, emitting a mournful hum. Thousands of years had turned so many things to dust—buried in forgotten, withered places.

Su Chen continued his journey onward. Not long after, a single piece of news swept across the entire Southern Barbarian Lands.

A mysterious azure-robed youth riding a white horse had, single-handedly, crushed the younger generation of the Heavenly Sword Sacred Land so thoroughly they could no longer raise their heads. He had even seized the legendary divine weapon of the Imperial Sword Dynasty that once ruled the Southern Barbarian Lands—the Dustreturn Sword!

Every sword cultivator in the Southern Barbarian Lands turned their attention toward him. The Dustreturn Sword—the blade that had once swept the Southern Barbarian Lands and nearly established a saint dynasty. Whoever wielded it would surely become the lord of all swords under heaven!

The Heavenly Sword Sacred Land concealed far too much. They hid the fact that Mu Wunian—holder of the Dustreturn Sword—had been defeated. They concealed Su Chen's identity as a member of the Central Continent's Wang Clan.

Instead, they quietly spread rumors, borrowing the hands of others to kill. Even if they failed, they intended to make Su Chen's life miserable.

Sword cultivators from across the land gathered. Many were willing to take the risk—kill the youth and seize the Dustreturn Sword!

Su Chen stretched lazily. The white horse beneath him stomped down, crushing the skull of yet another black-robed assassin who had collapsed gasping on the ground.

This was already the thirtieth group of attackers they had encountered on the road. Ahead lay the greatest power in the Southern Barbarian Lands—the Ascension Sacred Land. It was currently the strongest force in the Southern Barbarian Lands, and even across the five domains of Heavenly Profound, it ranked among the top.

Yet when Su Chen arrived at the gates of the Ascension Sacred Land, he found…

"Young Master Wang, forgive us—we already know your purpose. But… you are one step too late. Most of our true disciples are currently away from the sect on missions. They have gone to vie for an opportunity. The remaining disciples are hardly worthy opponents for you… What do you think? Would you prefer to wait for our true disciples to return, or perhaps come back another day?"

Su Chen looked at the smiling, amiable elder of the Ascension Sacred Land and immediately fell speechless.

This was far too coincidental. Were they treating him like a child?

The Ascension Sacred Land had simply sent all their true disciples out on "training expeditions." No one could have possibly known in advance that Su Chen was coming to pay a visit… technically flawless.

But Su Chen understood perfectly: as long as he remained within the Ascension Sacred Land for even a single day, those true disciples would never return.

The ordinary inner disciples and the lower-ranked true disciples on the prodigy list were beneath his notice. He had no interest in bullying them. He had come to the Heavenly Sword Sacred Land under a hidden identity for one reason only—he could not swallow the grudge.

In his sixth life, he had fought and bled for the Heavenly Sword Sacred Land. When the Imperial Sword Dynasty fell, not only did they stand by and watch, but they even kicked him when he was down.

Though he was no longer Shen Chen, the karma of the Imperial Sword Dynasty still demanded repayment. He bore no personal enmity toward the Ascension Sacred Land and had no intention of provoking them needlessly. Their stance was clear: they couldn't defeat him, but they could hide.

After the ruthless way he had dismantled the Heavenly Sword Sacred Land's younger generation, no sect wanted their own disciples to suffer the same fate. And after he had carved a bloody path straight from one sacred land to another, his infamous reputation preceded him.

Su Chen could understand their caution… yet he still sighed inwardly.

Back when Gu Yandan—once the most domineering figure of his era—became Sacred Lord of the Ascension Sacred Land, something had changed. The sacred land no longer acted with the same unrestrained arrogance. Perhaps after witnessing so many familiar faces fall in the great war between the Western Regiens and Southern Barbarian Lands—after seeing nearly every peerless prodigy of his generation perish—Gu Yandan had begun to value survival above all else.

"However… His Highness the Sacred Son returned to the sect not long ago. If Young Master Wang has any interest, I can pass word to him."

Su Chen's eyelids lifted slightly. Then he turned and left without another word. They wanted him—a Profound Connection realm cultivator—to challenge someone from Wang Yunfei's generation? A peak Void Refining expert, possibly even one who had already stepped into the Nirvana realm, bearing a divine physique?

That wasn't a spar. That was suicide.

Su Chen had no interest in seeking abuse. The Ascension Sacred Land's response told him everything he needed to know. The rest of the Southern Barbarian Lands' powers would likely react the same way—finding every excuse to be "absent" the moment he arrived.

The Southern Barbarian Lands held no further appeal for him.

There were geniuses in this era who could stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Wang Yunfei, but in the Southern Barbarian Lands, only the Ascension Sacred Land possessed a divine physique talent. Unfortunately, they had chosen to hide him away rather than let him face Su Chen. There was nothing Su Chen could do about it.

The journey from Central Continent to the Southern Barbarian Lands had taken two full years of detours and delays.

Now, Su Chen set his course for the Eastern Wasteland.

Why the Eastern Wasteland?

The Northern Desert was simply too far from the Southern Barbarian Lands. As for the Western Regions… his little sister from his previous life, Zhou Hanchan, was almost certainly still alive there. She possessed the Devouring Divine Physique—something even more terrifying than the Primordial Taotie Physique. The technique she cultivated seemed more refined and complete than the Heaven-Devouring Earth-Swallowing Divine Art. And lurking somewhere in that domain was an old monster who filled even Su Chen with dread.

Stirring up trouble there without sufficient preparation could easily lead to an unclear, unjust death—even the Wang Clan would be powerless to intervene.

Half a year later, Su Chen arrived in the Eastern Wasteland. The first thing he did upon arrival was gather information.

Five hundred years had passed since his second-to-last life. The Eastern Wasteland's overall landscape had not changed dramatically. The only truly regrettable news was this:

Five hundred years ago, the Peerless Pill Venerable—once hailed across Heavenly Profound as the cultivator with the greatest chance of becoming an Alchemy Saint—had ventured into the extraterritorial void in search of a breakthrough opportunity… and never returned to the Prison-Suppressing Sacred Land.

The loss left countless Eastern Wasteland powerhouses grieving to this day.