Li Mu prepared to accomplish his goal at one stroke.
He had stayed in the Western Sea Sword Sect undercover long enough. He not only learned the situation of the nine major sects from other handymen and Jianghu people but also witnessed many events with his own eyes, heard things with his own ears, and knew fairly well about some high-level officials of the nine major sects.
Compared with Mount Shu, though the members of the nine major sects might not all be villains, there were indeed few good people among them.
The nine major sects were like nine branches of a sick tree. Some of the branches and leaves could barely be said to be healthy, but as the roots were ill, how could these branches and leaves stay healthy for a long time?
Moreover, from the very beginning, the nine major sects were forces patronized by the extraterrestrial cultivators for the purpose of encircling the Mount Shu Sect established by Li Bai. In the past, the real orthodox sects with a long history on the Bitter Star world had been corroded, infiltrated, and exterminated by the extraterrestrial cultivators. Now, the nine sects were just their tools and hyenas. They took over the Bitter Star, spread violence, confused right and wrong, deliberately misrepresent the facts, and seized the resources by force. They were just vermin to undermine this world.
Li Mu wanted to get rid of these vermin with lightning-fast means and wipe away the haze that had shrouded the Bitter Star for a century.
There were flashes of broadsword light.
The experts from the nine factions who were targeted by Li Mu found it hard to survive even though they fled as fast as they could.
The boundless broadsword light cut through the sky and covered dozens of miles in a flash.
With glints of broadsword light, the experts of the nine sects were hit, but they still continued to run thousands of meters after that. Then, they either turned into ashes, rain, spring breeze, white frost, snowflakes, or hot wind…
They all dissipated between heaven and earth, returning to the original energy to return to heaven and earth.
“Li Mu, I’ll kill you and avenge my father!”
The young master of Sunset City had flown hundreds of miles away. Thinking that he had escaped to a safe place, he turned back to look at the floating ring with his eyes full of resentment and roared to the sky.
“Swoosh!”
A ray of broadsword light split the heaven and the earth and darted toward him, instantly piercing through his body.
“No…” He screamed in horror. He felt hot and dry, as if he had entered the summer day in an instant. When he opened his mouth, the fire of July burst out. At last, he was reduced to ashes, which scattered in the wind.
Li Mu stood on the floating fight ring like a god.
With a stir of his mind, streams of broadsword light streaked across hundreds of miles and slew the enemies.
Those who were targeted by his Divine Consciousness had no way to escape from the shooting range of the broadsword light at all.
“Whizz, whizz, whizz!”
The sound of the broadsword light cutting through the air sounded like the flow of air.
The experts of the nine major sects turned into nothingness one after another.
Gradually, there were some strange changes in Li Mu’s strikes.
The broadsword light faded away, leaving behind only the whizzing noise.
It was as if the breeze was blowing, the water was flowing, the coldness was bursting, the summer heat was rising, the frost was falling, or the snow was flying… The broadsword light was getting dimmer and dimmer, but its power was becoming increasingly stronger.
Li Mu had gained some insights.
His Broadsword Intent and Broadsword Way was developed from the Natural Invisible Body-penetrating Broadsword Qi that was created by himself. He then integrated Li Bai’s Sword Intent of the Ode to the Gallant into it and tweaked it with the five elements and five kinds of Qi of the Five Emperors’ Immortality Scriptures.
The philosophy of ancient China, especially the theory of Taoism that was represented by Lao Zi, emphasized Yin and Yang and the five elements. Tao gave birth to the One; the One gave birth successively to two things, three things, up to ten thousand. The five elements and the Yin and Yang were the foundation of everything, from which everything in the world was derived.
It could be said that the five elements and the Yin and Yang were the sources of the Great Way.
It was also the source of the myriad profound mysteries and various divine powers of Taoism.
The Five Emperors’ Immortality Scriptures were deduced precisely from this theory of Taoism.
Li Mu had practiced the Five Emperors’ Immortality Scriptures and completed the Five Kinds of Qi Collecting in Mind. He had broken through to the Celestial Being Realm and laid the foundation for the Great Way. Therefore, Li Mu’s cultivation of natural qi was in line with the five elements that had evolved all things.
Therefore, the foundation of the combination of the Broadsword Intent and the Broadsword Way was also all about the five elements.
The Sword Intent of the Ode to the Gallant was contained in a total of 120 words. Every sentence consisted of five words. Every line consisted of 10 words. Every section consisted of 20 words. There was not an unnecessary word in the ode. Each word embodied the essence of the Sword Intent that Li Bai had worked on for a lifetime. Li Mu disassembled the Sword Intent word by word, matched them with the five elements, and integrated them with his own martial arts.
To combine the five elements with the 120 words of the Ode to the Gallant required a perfect artistic conception.
What came to Li Mu’s mind was the 24 Solar Terms on Earth.
The Beginning of Spring is followed by the Rain Water, the Waking of Insects, the Spring Equinox, the Pure Brightness, the Grain Rain. Then comes the Beginning of Summer, the Grain Full, the Grain in Ear, the Summer Solstice, the Slight Heat, and the Great Heat.
The Beginning of Autumn brings the Limit of Heat, the White Dew, the Autumnal Equinox, the Cold Dew, the Frost’s Descent. Finally we have the Beginning of Winter, the Slight Snow, the Great Snow, the Winter Solstice, the Slight Cold, and the Great Cold.
This was the Song of 24 Solar Terms that many Chinese people on Earth were familiar with. The Solar Terms referred to the 24 divisions of a year regarding season and weather.
The Taoist sages in ancient China believed that the switches of the four seasons were related to the changes of Yin and Yang and the five elements. It represented the change of the five elements—gold, wood, water, fire, and earth. Each of the qi of the five elements dominated different periods of the Solar Terms Calendar.
When Li Mu comprehended the Sword Intent in the Ode to the Gallant in the Green Lotus Pool, he had grasped some clues. Then, in the battle with the heads of the nine sects, he gained more insights.
A brand new Broadsword Art was gradually formed.
The dimmer the broadsword light was, the stronger the implication of the 24 Solar Terms was.
At the end, when Li Mu performed the Broadsword Way with a stir of his mind, a white line could be perceived in the void. Even though the broadsword light could no longer be seen, its power was actually more intimidating. Like the switching of seasons, the broadsword light moved quietly and untraceably as if the Natural Law had descended. It was impossible to defend against it, for it was nearly invisible.
The battle finally came to an end.
The nine major sects were squashed.
Almost all the experts above the Celestial Being Realm were killed—only a few of them who had done fewer sins and had a relatively good reputation were deliberately spared by Li Mu.
Li Mu finally stopped his attack.
He could leave the rest to the masters of Mount Shu.
Li Mu’s goal was quite simple. He wanted to destroy the nine major sects and make Mount Shu the ruler of the Bitter Star. After all, this planet was somewhat related to the Mount Shu Heaven on Earth. Perhaps it would become Earth’s outpost leading to the universe in the future, so it would be best to put it under his control.
However, Li Mu was also aware that this was very difficult to achieve.
Whatsoever, after today’s battle, the news of he being spotted on the Bitter Star would soon spread to the entire Brilliance Immortal Star Region. Then, the experts from the various extraterrestrial sects would swarm here to kill him.
As a sect established by Li Bai, Mount Shu had long been classified as the sinned ones. It was hard to say whether it would be destroyed by these feverish cultivators and bounty hunters.
Li Mu had to make a plan.
By the time Li Mu returned to the divine flying shuttle, the experts of Mount Shu were already boiling with excitement.
Countless people fixed their eyes on Li Mu as if they were looking at a god who had just descended to the mortal world.
For more than a hundred years, almost all the branches in Mount Shu had been at a disadvantage in the open and secret battle with the nine sects. They had suffered a lot and had been holding back their anger. But now, this kind of grievance evaporated with the arrival of their new Sect Master’s invincible broadsword skill.
After this battle, all the nine sects would become history.
There was no doubt that the Divine Sect would usher in a new era.
It would take some time to hunt down the rest of the nine sects, so they were not in a hurry and returned to White Emperor City by flying shuttle.
At this time, the news of the great victory had been delivered to Mount Shu ahead of the schedule.
Inside and outside the walls of the White Emperor City, the disciples of Mount Shu were waving their hands and cheering. The thunderous whoops rolled wildly all over the White Emperor City.
The wrapping-up work was assigned to Dragon the Fifth, Mr. Shuiyue, and the others.
Li Mu had never liked social activities, so he only symbolically attended some celebration feasts that night. After showing his face in front of the mass, he returned to the Fairy Hall and regulated his breathing to replenish the consumption of today’s battle and reflect on the gains and losses of the battle.
.
When night fell, the whole White Emperor City was still in the midst of celebration, ablaze with lights.
In the Fairy Hall, Li Mu opened his eyes.
When one’s mind was disturbed, he was unable to cultivate.
The more Li Mu thought about it, the more he felt that the situation he was facing was rather grave.
If the threat that the extraterrestrial sects posed to the Bitter Star could not be removed, it was very likely that Mount Shu or even Earth would face a huge crisis. If not careful, they would be doomed.
He had to find a solution.
Li Mu took out the jade piece and released the soul of the girl in the black gauze.
“You’re dead meat. You can’t escape. I’ve already called out your name today. The experts of the major sects in the Brilliance Immortal Star Region will flock here to hunt you down, and the bounty hunters of the Ziwei Star Region will also come to take your head, hahaha…” cursed the soul of the female assassin from the Black Killing Tower with a ferocious look.
.
Li Mu did not speak but directly ran his Divine Consciousness to read her memories. He wanted to know more about the current situation in the Brilliance Immortal Star Region and find a way to avert the crisis the Bitter Star would face.
“Humph, your Divine Consciousness is merely in the Void-breaking Realm. Want to read my memory? In your dreams!” the girl in the black gauze mocked, sneering at Li Mu.
But soon, her mockery was replaced by fear.
Because to her consternation, she found that Li Mu’s Divine Consciousness was almost as powerful as hers, and it contained a very absurd power, which instantly penetrated her soul and directly reached her memory.
“You… no, who the hell are you? What kind of cultivation method are you practicing?”
The girl in the black gauze was frightened and gripped by hatred.
She finally understood that Li Mu might have obtained some kind of supreme legacy and practiced a kind of wondrous skill that was far beyond the imagination of the major factions in the star region. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be so heaven-defying. It was even possible that Li Mu possessed the legendary emperor’s legacy.
In the face of such a legacy, she knew she had no chance at all.
“I’m waiting for you in hell. Li Mu, you won’t live much longer.”
The girl in the black gauze, who was utterly crestfallen, chose to dissipate her soul and turn into ashes.
She hated Li Mu so much that she would rather not reincarnate than let Li Mu read her memory and get the information.
Li Mu sighed.
“This female assassin was surely a resolute and ruthless person.”
The memory he could read was not complete.
Especially in terms of the current situation in the Brilliance Immortal Star Region, as well as the rewards and him being wanted by the various sects, he learned nothing. As before he could read this part of her memory, the girl’s soul already dissipated.
Nevertheless, Li Mu got another piece of information, which could be extremely helpful.
In the Brilliance Immortal Star Region, there was a planet named Ghost Rally Star. It was said that on this planet, monsters and ghosts were everywhere, and there was a method that was suitable for ghost cultivation. It could let those who had lost their bodies and only existed in the form of soul begin to cultivate, get magical skills, and then gain new lives.
