Chapter 145: The Heavenly Domain, The Martial Transformation

The Sword Saint's Sword Twenty-Three was terrifyingly powerful.

Not only did it stagnate space and carry the might of the divine soul, but under its binding effect, the attack also reached the absolute extreme of speed. Coupled with his cultivation realm having already reached the eighth tier, making him unfathomably deep, the Sword Saint was confident he could inflict severe injuries on Jiang Ming.

The tip of the sword had already reached the center of Jiang Ming's brow, and the concentrated, infinitely sharp force caused a stinging pain right between his eyebrows.

Yet at this very moment, a burst of light bloomed from the center of Jiang Ming's brow, transforming into a streak of sword Qi that blocked the tip of the blade.

He also vaulted backward in an explosive retreat, flashing three hundred meters away in the blink of an eye.

However, the Sword Saint's attack was simply too formidable. After breaking through the defense, it still pursued him closely, remaining fixed right at his brow. By this time, however, Jiang Ming had completely reacted. He activated the Zhou Tian Astral Guardian Art, forming a layer of ultimate defense around his body. Though it could not completely block the attack, it weakened the force significantly.

With a twist of his Fire Lin Sword, he shattered the incoming sword Qi.

"You actually blocked it!" the Sword Saint said in shock. "This is the ultimate supreme martial art I spent decades comprehending. It was only after my cultivation broke through and stepped into the Terrestrial Immortal realm that I perfected it completely. It is my ultimate killing move, yet you broke it!"

More than just shocked.

He even found it utterly incomprehensible.

This sword contained the mysteries of time and space, as well as the method of soul and spiritual will. A single sword strike created a domain that imprisoned everything. The sword Qi was formless, capable of effortlessly obliterating an opponent. Even any living beings within the restricted domain would be utterly slaughtered, leaving none alive.

Even Nameless, who was watching the battle, was extremely astonished.

"Even I might not be able to block that sword. If I did block it, I'm afraid I would still be injured, yet he is completely unharmed!" At this moment, his regard for Jiang Ming finally shifted to one of serious respect.

"If that sword just now was your strongest killing move, Sword Saint, today your defeat is certain!" Jiang Ming said, the sword intent condensing above his head growing even more powerful, and the miraculous phenomenon becoming even more terrifying.

The sword strike just now had given him a great deal of insight.

It contained the profound mysteries of spatial intent. Unfortunately, although he could perceive a few fractions of it, he was unable to execute it because he had not yet comprehended a deeper level of the Dao of Space.

Once he stepped into the seventh tier of martial arts and comprehended spatial intent, he would undoubtedly master the killing move known as Sword Twenty-Three.

"No wait, I have comprehended the soul intent, and this is also the power of intent. Does that not count as stepping into the seventh tier of martial arts?"

Jiang Ming's thoughts spun.

He found it very bizarre and wondrous.

Could it be because the soul intent was special?

That must be it.

As his thoughts churned, Jiang Ming struck once more: "First Sword of Slaying Immortals, slash!"

True Qi and soul force intertwined, causing the sharpness of the sword Qi to soar wildly, cleaving mountains and rivers, parting rivers and seas, while also assaulting the will and shaking the mind.

The Sword Saint's expression turned gloomy as he once again clashed in combat with Jiang Ming.

This time, he gained no advantage from the collision.

"Second Sword of Slaying Immortals, emerge!"

"Third Sword of Slaying Immortals, shatter!"

Jiang Ming's sword techniques varied endlessly, growing even more unfathomably profound. Using different realms of intent to drive the fusion of true Qi and soul force, seemingly identical sword Qi actually harbored entirely different attributes.

Every single sword strike was unique and bizarrely unpredictable, gradually forcing the Sword Saint onto the back foot.

"Heavenly Domain, suppress!"

The Sword Saint also erupted to his absolute limit. While battling Jiang Ming, he simultaneously manipulated the power of heaven and earth to form a suppression upon him, only to find that the suppression was growing weaker and weaker.

Meanwhile, Jiang Ming's eyes grew brighter and brighter, his momentum grew ever stronger, and his battle intent soared higher and higher.

"Ninth Sword of Slaying Immortals, ten thousand illusions!"

This time, it incorporated the Dao of space and illusion. Amidst the distortion of the void, countless sword shadows emerged, each one exceedingly powerful, making it impossible to tell the real from the fake.

With a direct blast, the Sword Saint was sent flying backward.

Stepping forward with the technique of shrinking the earth into an inch, Jiang Ming closed the distance in an instant. His sword light poured down like a waterfall with boundless might, and he once again engaged the Sword Saint in close combat.

Among the mountains, upon the ground, high in the sky.

The two of them fought back and forth across hundreds of miles. Wherever they passed, mountain peaks shattered and rivers diverted, causing a truly astonishing degree of destruction.

"Sword Twenty-Three!"

The Sword Saint once again unleashed his ultimate killing technique.

"Sword Saint, your first strike caught me off guard and couldn't affect me, yet you actually use it a second time. Do you look down on me?"

Jiang Ming's vital blood surged, his soul force churned, and his true Qi rolled like a tide, intertwining to form the Zhou Tian Astral Guardian Art, which further fused with the world's intent, driving his defensive power to the absolute limit.

It rendered the solidified space incapable of restricting him, and furthermore stripped away the Sword Saint's sword Qi layer by layer, ultimately blocking the attack without moving a single step.

The Sword Saint's pupils constricted, his face turned pale, and his aura fluttered unsteadily.

Executing an ultimate killing move while simultaneously driving his will and soul force consumed far too much energy for him.

Added to that was the intense combat for half a day, which he could scarcely withstand anymore.

Seeing his ultimate move blocked at this moment shook his state of mind profoundly.

"You are nothing much after all!" With a single sword strike, Jiang Ming sent his opponent flying hundreds of meters away. Just as he steadied himself, blood spilled from the corner of the Sword Saint's mouth.

"Your growth shocks me!" The Sword Saint's body trembled as he forcibly elevated his aura back to its peak. At the same time, his entire body seemed to transform into a black hole, beginning to frantically plunder the vital energy of heaven and earth to replenish his consumption.

"And we've barely even started!" Jiang Ming let out a long whistle. "Nameless, care to come for a battle?"

Although it was an invitation to fight, he slashed a sword directly toward the approaching Nameless.

The sword Qi stretched nearly a thousand meters long, resembling a towering pillar reaching up to the heavens, utterly terrifying.

This sight caused the Sword Saint's pupils to shrink to the size of pinpricks as he gasped in awe, "After battling for half a day, you actually still possess such terrifying true Qi?"

He found it simply incredible.

After all, his own true Qi had already been depleted by eighty percent.

" Terrifying!" Nameless was also moved, shifting aside to dodge the blow. The sword Qi descended, literally splitting a mountain peak in two.

Other powerful cultivators who had rushed over to witness this scene broke out in cold sweat, no longer daring to approach.

A thousand-meter sword Qi was simply too terrifying.

"Monster!" Ye Hongyu muttered through clenched teeth as she watched from afar.

"An understatement to call him a monster!" Zhou Tian sighed. "He suppressed the Sword Saint of the Terrestrial Immortal realm head-on, and now he's actually inviting Nameless to fight. He intends to battle both of them alone. As expected of him, the stunningly peerless Jiang Ming."

Jian Chen, who had also hurried over, was panting heavily, but upon seeing this scene, his eyeballs nearly popped out of his head.

What the hell!

I nearly ran myself to death just catching up, and yet you went and cleaved a thousand-meter sword Qi.

At that exact moment, the sword in his hand vibrated. He quickly released his grip, and the Hero Sword unsheathed itself, flying off to land in the hands of Nameless in the distance.

With a sword in hand, his momentum suddenly soared, tearing apart the wind and clouds to reach the highest nine heavens.

"You want to use the two of us to elevate yourself!" Nameless looked toward the top of Jiang Ming's head. Having observed the battle all along, he naturally sensed that Jiang Ming's pressure was continuously strengthening.

Now inviting him to a battle made the other's intention crystal clear.

"Correct!" Jiang Ming nodded. "Only by fighting powerhouses like you, under such pressure, can I discover my own shortcomings and better promote my growth. As the saying goes, generations of heroes emerge from the rivers and mountains, each leading the fashion for hundreds of years. The two of you have stepped into the Terrestrial Immortal realm, but this world ultimately belongs to the younger generation. Come, let me witness the strength of you both!"

He appeared directly, the sword light splitting into two to attack the Sword Saint and Nameless respectively.

"Arrogant!" The Sword Saint was furious.

Although he had been suppressed earlier, forcing him and Nameless to join forces now felt like a humiliation and an utter disgrace to him.

"Young man, you are too proud!" Nameless also wore a displeased expression.

Yet he knew that relying solely on the Sword Saint would result in complete defeat before long, and he himself likely wouldn't win either.

Since that was the case, then let them fight!

The moment Nameless struck, an inexplicable sense of sorrow flowed out, causing anyone to feel sorrowful involuntarily.

This was precisely the Indefinable Sword Technique.

While blocking Jiang Ming's attack, he manipulated the power of heaven and earth, turning it into endless pressure that descended from above. The Sword Saint's gaze condensed, and his pressure also concentrated to the ultimate degree.

The two old rivals tacitly mobilized the exact same power at this moment.

Manipulating the might of heaven and earth, resembling a collapsing firmament, it nearly shattered the heavenly phenomenon pressure Jiang Ming had been maintaining.

"So strong!" Jiang Ming was startled.

If it were just blocking one person, it wouldn't be much of a problem.

But the joint force of these two was simply too terrifying.

Jiang Ming's cognitive senses dimmed for a moment. As the destructive force akin to the collapse of heaven and earth assaulted him from above and all around, various terrifying scenes of destruction also appeared within his consciousness.

The range of heaven and earth power he controlled grew smaller and smaller, violently shaking and on the verge of collapsing.

His mind spun at high speed, and the light of his soul erupted. Under the terrifying pressure, the sparks of wisdom burst open into a sea of fire.

Talents such as Soul Dominator, Lord of Space, Fate's Favor, and a Hundredfold Comprehension erupted with brilliant radiance. The Five Elements intent also rapidly branded itself into the void, fusing into the Dao rhyme of heaven and earth.

Hum...

The top of his head trembled, and five-colored flowing light appeared alongside the Qi of Yin and Yang, while the boundary solidified, completely stabilizing the heavenly domain that had been on the verge of collapse.

The branding and fusion of the Five Elements intent was complete, and the heavenly domain he controlled underwent a drastic change.

Space, world, Yin and Yang, and the Five Elements directly evolved into a substantial domain of heavenly might, revolving all around him.

Sparks of inspiration burst within Jiang Ming, and the three hundred and sixty-five acupoints across his body simultaneously bloomed with divine light. Dazzling and eye-catching, they manifested outside his body, forming the Zhou Tian Astral Guardian Art which merged with the heavenly domain to transform into a domain.

A martial arts domain.

At the same time, the sword lights of the Sword Saint and Nameless had already descended, tearing the domain apart, yet they were ground down and vanished before ever reaching Jiang Ming's body.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...

Nameless's gaze condensed as Jiang Ming suddenly left behind trails of afterimages, unleashing seventy-two swords in the span of a breath to tear gaps into Jiang Ming's domain.

The initial sword Qi reached Jiang Ming's brow, but the further it went, the harder it was to break through.

His expression turned immensely ugly, and he was even more shocked.

"This child is not human!" The Sword Saint had already stopped, his expression even uglier.

"Not human!" Nameless nodded.

How could he not see that Jiang Ming had solidified the heavenly domain, forming a martial arts domain surrounding himself with a defensive power that exceeded imagination.

Moreover, as time passed, the defense grew stronger and stronger.

At this moment, Jiang Ming stood without moving. The instant he formed the martial arts domain, numerous chaotic thoughts arose, and all sorts of ideas flooded his mind.

Under the destruction and pressure of the attacks from Nameless and the other, the interior of the domain began to operate, simultaneously weakening the attacking sword Qi layer by layer and grinding it away through rotation.

Yin and Yang operated, and the Five Elements generated one another.

"Continue!" Jiang Ming shouted upon finding that the attacks of Nameless and the other had ceased. His domain suddenly expanded, pulling both of them directly within its radius.

Dao rhyme evolved, and true Qi turned into swords.

Amidst the rotation came an endless grinding and killing force.

Even more terrifying was the suppression, enforcement, and binding. Within the domain, all power was controlled, leaving one with nowhere to hide and no way to evade, forcing them to tear it apart with super-strong power, or else face inevitable suppression and subsequent death.

"Kid, the technique you've comprehended balances offense and defense, a rare sight in this world, but your realm is still too low after all!" Nameless said, as torrents of energy erupted from within his body. His sword light became like a galaxy, tearing the domain apart, and the power of heavenly might he controlled descended to protect him in the center.

It actually shared miraculous similarities with Jiang Ming's domain, forcibly pushing away Jiang Ming's domain power.

On the other side, the Sword Saint's sword Qi exploded, also tearing the domain apart.

The two of them manipulated the power of the heavenly domain, connecting together, and erupted violently, nearly blasting Jiang Ming's domain to pieces.

"Even this can be blocked?" Nameless leaped away, landing in the distance as his aura converged and his sword Qi dissipated. "If we continue fighting, unless it's a battle of life and death, it will be hard to determine the victor. Brother Jiang, how about we end it here?"

"Very well!" Jiang Ming also dispersed his domain, cupping his fists toward the two of them. "Many thanks!"

The Sword Saint's expression was unsightly.

He had originally intended to fight Nameless to seize the title of number one in swordsmanship, only to end up defeated by a junior, a fact he found difficult to accept.

Yet there was nothing he could do.

If he did not join forces with Nameless, even fighting to a draw would be difficult for him.

"I must comprehend Sword Twenty-Four and Sword Twenty-Five!"

The sword light in the Sword Saint's eyes flickered uncertainly as ideas for Sword Twenty-Four already began to take shape in his mind.

"Using the two of us to temper your swordsmanship—without invincible courage and towering confidence, who would dare be so bold!" Nameless praised repeatedly. "The crucial point is that you have carved out your own path and comprehended the most supreme defensive method. With invincible defense and terrifying offense, anyone beneath the Terrestrial Immortal realm will become lambs to the slaughter before you, and you cannot be defeated by mere numbers. From this day forth, vast as the world is, the name of Jiang Ming will shake the realm. Among the top powerhouses, a place will undoubtedly belong to you."

"My realm is still too low after all!" Jiang Ming said helplessly. "I can only use such a shortcut method for tempering to accelerate my cultivation."

"Your realm shouldn't be low. I faintly sense that you are still concealing terrifying power!" Nameless's gaze was like lightning, brimming with wisdom.

Jiang Ming merely smiled without answering.

If his Yin spirit left his body to execute the methods of the divine dao, he would have the confidence to contend with one of them or even emerge victorious, but facing the combined force of the two of them probably wouldn't work.

As for the path of the physical body, if pushed to its limit, it might perhaps blast the two of them to death!

However, he faintly sensed that other top-tier powerhouses were still lurking in the shadows, so he concealed a portion of his power.

Yet it was obvious that whether it was the Sword Saint or Nameless, neither compared to Immovable Deity, and the gap was still quite significant.

Nameless was moved.

At this moment, he truly confirmed that Jiang Ming was concealing something.

The Sword Saint let out a cold snort and soared away into the air.

As for competing in swordsmanship with the Sword Saint?

There was no longer any need.

"Another day, we shall compare again!"

The Sword Saint was never one to fear defeat.

"This old fellow, practically half-buried in the soil, and his competitive spirit hasn't diminished at all!" Nameless shook his head.

"Only with a competitive spirit can one continue to progress," Jiang Ming countered. "Senior, take yourself for instance. If you had always maintained a competitive spirit, I'm afraid you would have stepped into the Terrestrial Immortal realm long ago."

Nameless fell silent.

Zhou Tian had arrived nearby, looking at Jiang Ming with an expression of utter disbelief before finally giving him a thumbs-up. "You're awesome!"

"Pity my combat strength is still not strong enough," Jiang Ming sighed.

"Damn it!" Zhou Tian raised his middle finger.

"Brother Jiang, I have an urge to beat someone up," Ye Hongyu, who had just hurried over upon hearing this remark, felt her hands itching.

"Indeed, he's begging for a beating," Nameless couldn't help laughing.

The group returned to the Heaven's Will Sect.

"Little Brother Zhou, do you really intend to take charge of the Heaven's Will Sect?" As soon as they were seated, Nameless asked with a solemn expression. "The pugilistic world is chaotic nowadays, and order is uncertain. Although the Heaven's Will Sect is a faction, it maintains relative stability. Now that Xiongba has retreated, you are sitting in the position of sect leader. Do you have the heart to maintain this stability?"

Zhou Tian did not answer, instead looking at Jiang Ming. "Brother Jiang, what are your plans next?"

"Next, I will help you comprehend the Dao of the World. A month or so from now, I will head to the Great Wilderness, and then cross over to the Tang Empire to visit the Academy!" Jiang Ming said. "I won't be taking you with me; I have important matters to handle in the Great Wilderness. If you don't wish to manage the Heaven's Will Sect, you can rendezvous with me at the Tang Academy. How about that?"

"Alright!" Zhou Tian had no objections. "Managing the Heaven's Will Sect looks infinitely glorious with power in your grasp, but it's far too busy every day. Boring."

He looked at Nameless and grinned. "Senior, you are a myth of the martial world, and now you have even stepped into the Terrestrial Immortal realm. No one is more suited than you to anchor the Heaven's Will Sect. If you become the sect leader, suppressing the north and south, uniting the east and west, integrating the territory of the Great Wilderness, and re-establishing order so that the people of the world can live and work in peace and contentment—this is a supreme act of kindness, a supreme merit, and a supreme grand enterprise!"

"Senior, you needn't decline!"

"The seat of sect leader belongs to none other than you!"

"From this day forth, the position of sect leader of the Heaven's Will Sect belongs to Senior Nameless, the myth of the martial world and master of the Terrestrial Immortal realm!"

With this final sentence, Zhou Tian projected his voice far into the distance.

Nameless was astonished.

He hastily shook his head, but before he could speak, Mud Buddha said, "Nameless, I once peered into the heavenly secrets. In a little over two years, a calamity will arrive, which I call the Millennial Calamity. When that time comes, the Nine Provinces will sink, the common people will suffer, blood will flow to drift shields, and corpses will pile up into mountains of blood! For the sake of the world, for the common people, and for the territory, you must shoulder the responsibility that is rightfully yours."

"The Millennial Calamity?" Nameless frowned.

Mud Buddha nodded.

Jiang Ming and Zhou Tian exchanged a glance and couldn't help smiling.

With Mud Buddha putting it this way, if Nameless still had a conscience, he certainly wouldn't refuse.

"For the world, for the common people, for the myriad masses, and for the Nine Provinces, Senior, please don't refuse!" Zhou Tian said, stepping away from his seat and cupping his fists to yield the position to a worthy successor.

Fearing that Nameless would push the matter away, he directly executed his movement technique and departed.

Jiang Ming pursued him closely.

The back mountain!

"Brother Zhou, let's begin!" Jiang Ming sat down cross-legged, multitasking as he simultaneously perfected his martial arts domain while activating the world intent to envelop Zhou Tian, helping the latter comprehend the Dao of the World.

As for the Heaven's Will Sect?

He had no heart to get involved.

What Nine Provinces, what common people, what Millennial Calamity—it was not yet time for him to get involved.

To him, cultivation was paramount.

Sigh, I broke my word.

My apologies!