The noise was deafening. After a moment’s shock, Tianming immediately turned to the second sword. It was a black blade, long and light. A crimson line ran down its center, extending from the hilt to the tip of the sword.
“West of the universe, the land of the three demons—heaven, earth, fate. The demon lord suppresses heaven! This is the Westvoid Progenifiend,” the voice sounded once more.
The third sword was black and white, a combination of yin and yang. "South of the universe, yin and yang are one. Chaos reigns as demons and monsters run amok. This is the Southsky Chaospit!”
The fourth sword was the smallest. It was icy blue and gleamed with a cold light. Dark green branches were entwined around the blade, and flowers blossomed on its hilt. “North of the universe lies the eternal land. The immortals of the decapath era sleep peacefully in solitude. This is the Northapex Perpetuity!”
Tianming was a little confused.
“The Eastdivinity Acme, Westvoid Progenifiend, Southsky Chaospit, and Northapex Perpetuity…."
Forming totems was truly considered breaking the Lifesbane curse, wasn’t it? The potential and caliber of the totems was close to the Primordial Chaos Beasts, especially the Northapex Perpetuity.
His scalp tingled. “The eternal land? Could it be the Eternal City of Perpetia? The immortals of the decapath era?”
Could the sword totems be connected to Feiling? Since both the Primordial God-Emperor and Primordial Demonlord were buried in Perpetia City, it had to be exciting.
"Who would’ve thought she and Xian Xian, as well as the Northapex Perpetuity, shared such a connection.”
Truth be told, the four sword totems alone were frightening.
"Weapon-type totems are generally considered inferior to heavenly beings. But that depends on what kind of swords they are. The rootbeast race are still discriminated against in the Divine Moon Realm, but Ying Huo and my other lifebound beasts are all Primordial Chaos Beasts!"
It didn’t matter what kind of totem he possessed; strength was what mattered, and his potential for development was an indisputable fact.
“Sword totems have the advantage of being extensions of the weapon in hand, which is equivalent to stacking on more power to the Grand-Orient Sword. When I use a battle art, the ten swords will execute the same move. That’s tantamount to infinitely increasing the power of my battle arts!”
He was about to familiarize himself with the totems, but there were six soul servants and bane-rings to go.
At that moment, two terrae entered the life and death bane-rings, forming new totems.
Two more swords were created. From the life bane-ring came an ethereal sword covered in countless human figures. It was complex and chaotic. “This is the sword of life. Affected by fate, as well as cause and effect, all living beings sink into the abyss of worldly suffering. It is the Sentient Karma.”
From the death bane-ring emerged another ethereal sword. However, it was shrouded in a gray vortex. Within it were countless living beings headed to their end. “This is the sword of death. All beings enter reincarnation, an endless cycle. Life and death is a closed loop. Therefore, its name is the Postmortem Cycle.”
The Hexapath Sword God’s Hexapath Samsara Sword, Hadean Reincarnation, and Empyrean Reincarnation were names he had created, tinged with two or three sword intents, while this sword of death totem was true reincarnation and rebirth.
“That’s six swords.”
Just as he expected, two more soul servants entered his bane-rings. A starry sword manifested from the heaven bane-ring and became the most dazzling sword yet. It was as if the sword contained endless galaxies, embodying the universe itself. “Heaven, the endless starry sky. The sword governs the Heavenly Dao and balances all living beings. Therefore, its name is the Ordinem Imperius.”
Like a sharp protective barrier, a massive, flat, and wide sword rose from the earth bane-ring. Though invisible, its presence had the same majesty as the towering mountains. “Earth, the Welkin plane. Born from the Welkin, this sword sustains both ends of the cosmos. It’s called the Welkin Imperius!”
Finally, only two soul servants remained. When they entered the space and time bane-rings, all ten swords were formed.
The sword of time resembled a long river. Handed down since ancient times, it was constantly changing, without a fixed form, and appeared soft. “Time, eras, eternity…. Thus, the Grandvoid Universum is born."
The sword of space was more like a dagger. Like a mirror, its blade reflected the corporeal world. “Space and the universe; both imaginary and real…. Thus, the Infinitum Spatium is born!"
All ten totems had appeared. Tianming stared at the swords hovering above his head. Under the divine moon radiance, his eyes were tinged with brilliant colors.
"The decapath era godswords emerge from the Aeonic Grandbane. Hold all ten swords and dominate the universe!"
After that sentence, this ancient voice completely disappeared. However, it was still ringing in Tianming's mind, roaring and reverberating for a long time.
Tianming had seen Liu Yizhao's sword totems and confronted Huiyue Yin's luxgladii. He didn't know how formidable the decapath era godswords were, but they were his totems. Their effectiveness relied on his strength.
The swords were still unstable at the moment; he required stellunar source to replenish his bane-rings.
"In any case, they should be stronger than other totems. They’re probably bound to my cultivation level, just like Ying Huo and the others. Only when I’m strong will they be strong."
The decapath era godswords were different from lifebound beasts; they were an extension of Tianming's weapons! It was equivalent to a tenfold magnification of the Grand-Orient Sword’s power. There is no doubt that Tianming’s combat power would soar as long as he absorbed enough stellunar source to grow his strength. The sword totems would also aid his lifebound beasts.
“Most importantly, I mustn’t reveal the fact that I possess ten totems. For the time being, I’ll only use the north, south, east, and west totems, unless I encounter a life and death situation. The remaining six swords will be my trump cards. I mustn’t use them until I’ve clarified the celestial orderians’ thoughts on Qingyu.”
If all ten totems were revealed, there would be no need to talk about saving Ye Lingfeng. Like Qingyu, Tianming might be forcibly taken to Orderia.
"In fact, having an ace up my sleeve is an advantage. Only through surprise can I land a fatal blow! Keeping my totems hidden doesn’t mean I can’t cultivate them….”
The decapath era godswords were hollow at the moment, and Tianming wanted to retrieve the Grand-Orient Sword. Thus, he began cultivating and replenishing his stellunar source in the hall.
Within Tianming was power that resulted from symbiotic cultivation with his four lifebound beasts, so it was impossible for the power of his totems to reach his level. A quarter of his strength was the most they could realize. But his totems weren’t weak. With the amplification of his lifebound beasts, Tianming had become too strong, even surpassing first-level Ascension.
If the totems were at full strength, their combat effectiveness couldn’t compare to that of the Primordial Chaos Beasts. However, their advantage didn’t lie in individual combat, but the boost in Tianming’s battle arts.
The power of Hadean Reincarnation was now equivalent to one man and four totems striking at the same time. If the decapath era godswords were used together, his sword would contain the power of one man and ten totems. Furthermore, different totems had different effects.
There were two reasons Tianming chose to reveal the north, south, east, and west swords. Firstly, all ten swords were most likely equal in power. Secondly, because the four swords were linked to one another, they were suited for sword formations.
Tianming was now surrounded by ten swords of different shapes and sizes. The scene resembled the arrival of a sword emperor.
“There’s a huge gap between each level in the Ascension stage. Now that I’m a first-level ascendant, I should be able to fight a fourth-level ascendant with the help of my lifebound beasts. With the four cardinal godswords, I might be able to battle a Pentarcanic Sky opponent!”
Such a feat was equivalent to leapfrogging eight levels in Samsara. It was clear how powerful an effect his lifebound beasts had on his totems. Of course, this was merely speculation.
Tianming couldn’t say for certain what kind of combat power all ten swords possessed. If the gap between Tianming and his opponent’s cultivation realm was too wide, the number of totems couldn’t compensate for the disparity in strength. After all, ten three-year-olds would still find it hard to fight an adult.
“It seems I’ll have to contemplate battle strategies.” Because he couldn’t reveal all ten swords, there was no need to consider the issue for the time being. When it was time to use all ten totems, giving it his all would be the way to go.
"The totems are newly formed and have yet to reach the standard of first-level Ascension. They’re only ten meters tall? As I recall, Huiyue Yu's luxgladii were close to a hundred meters tall.”
