"The Myriad Swords Return to the Origin… What a shame, it doesn't suit me."
Daniel Davis shook his head lightly as he looked at the manual for the legendary Myriad Swords Return to the Origin technique in his hands. After subduing Absolute No God, all of the latter's treasures naturally fell into Daniel's possession, including this ultimate manual from the Sword Sect.
After studying the technique and combining it with his own knowledge, Daniel deduced the method to cultivate it. However, unfortunately, it wasn't something he could practice. Self-abolishing one's martial arts was no trivial matter—it was exceedingly difficult for most people to do. Even someone as legendary as Nameless would have hesitated, were it not for the desperate circumstances when his martial arts were destroyed. Abandoning all of one's previous cultivation in favor of this technique wasn't an easy decision.
The Myriad Swords Return to the Origin technique had been exalted as nearly mythical, but Daniel wasn't willing to go to such extremes to practice it. Beyond this, even if he were willing to abolish his martial arts, mastering the technique was still unlikely.
While Daniel practiced swordsmanship and possessed Sword Intent, even reaching the level of a Great Swordsman in the world of One Piece, swordsmanship was just one of many disciplines he studied. The Myriad Swords Return to the Origin required absolute devotion to the sword, forsaking all else. Such a level of commitment to the sword was something Daniel would never achieve.
Similarly, Absolute No God, even if he had known the method to cultivate this technique and had been willing to abandon his Invincible Golden Body, would not have been able to master it either. The Invincible Golden Body was simply far stronger in his hands.
"Perhaps Gai Nie would be well-suited for this, or someone who hasn't practiced martial arts yet. I wonder if I'll have a chance to meet the reincarnated Sword Saint, Long'er."
The Myriad Swords Return to the Origin required self-abolition of martial arts, essentially restarting one's cultivation of inner strength and qi. For someone without martial arts training, this would naturally not be an issue. However, the rarity and value of this manual meant it was never given to ordinary people to practice. Nameless himself only received the technique after reaching a high status within the Sword Sect, and even then, he had to contend with Breaking Army for it, showing just how precious the technique was.
Although Daniel couldn't personally cultivate the inner strength aspect of Myriad Swords Return to the Origin, he could still study its external techniques, such as its swordsmanship. Nameless had eventually passed these techniques on to Bu Jingyun, demonstrating that the technique could be separated into internal and external components, much like the Black Tortoise Divine Skill.
"It's about time to seek out that Eastern Island Emperor."
After transforming Absolute No God into a divine beast, Daniel immediately prepared to act. The sudden appearance of Deva Path Tian seemed to have caused hesitation in the Eastern Island Emperor, who had initially intended to swoop in and reap the benefits as a bystander. As a result, the Emperor didn't make a move after the Unrivaled Divine Palace was defeated by the World Society.
While Daniel had captured Deva Path Tian and Nameless led others to rescue the Martial Supreme, Qin Shuang and his forces reclaimed the World Society's headquarters and continued to hunt down the fleeing ghost warriors.
"Absolute No God, are you rebelling?"
In a remote town in the Central Plains, the Eastern Island Emperor glared at Absolute No God, who had stormed in and begun slaughtering his men without a word. His fury was palpable.
Having planned to act as the "mantis stalking the cicada" after the Unrivaled Divine Palace invaded the Central Plains, the Emperor had brought his elite troops to the region. After all, staying on Eastern Island would have left him too far removed to seize the prize.
Although they had been hiding well, Absolute Heart had revealed their location, allowing Daniel to target them directly.
The Emperor was both angry and bewildered by Absolute No God's sudden assault. Superficially, Absolute No God's martial arts surpassed the Emperor's, and the Unrivaled Divine Palace never obeyed the Emperor's commands. However, despite their independence, Absolute No God had always shown surface-level respect for the Emperor, and the two sides had remained out of each other's way.
This dynamic was somewhat akin to the relationship between the Martial Supreme and the martial world in the Central Plains. Most martial artists didn't care much for the Martial Supreme, as exemplified by Xiong Ba, but on the surface, they refrained from overt disrespect. Nameless, for example, was willing to lead a rescue effort when the Martial Supreme was in trouble.
Thus, Absolute No God's sudden attack in the Central Plains, where they theoretically could have joined forces, left the Emperor deeply confused. News of Deva Path Tian's capture had not spread widely, and the rumors circulating in the martial world had become distorted.
Unfortunately for the Emperor, Absolute No God ignored his words completely and continued his Killing Fist rampage. Despite the Emperor's elite guards being top-tier experts, they were no match for Absolute No God, let alone the enhanced divine beast version of him.
Under Absolute No God's relentless attacks, the Emperor's men quickly suffered devastating losses. Even the strongest among them could barely withstand a single punch, with most collapsing in bloodied defeat after a second.
"How dare you!"
Seeing that Absolute No God had no intention of stopping and that his men were being slaughtered, the Emperor decided to reveal his true strength and personally stepped into the fray.
As expected of someone who had always viewed Absolute No God as a pawn, the Emperor's initial move immediately demonstrated his formidable power. With a surge of qi, his right palm expanded, and with one strike, the air around Absolute No God seemed to freeze.
Boom!
When Absolute No God's fist collided with the Emperor's palm, the resulting explosion of qi scattered in all directions, sending shockwaves that hurled several of the Emperor's nearby subordinates into the air, screaming in pain.
Both Absolute No God and the Emperor staggered from the impact, their bodies visibly shaking before they each retreated several steps. Absolute No God was forced back seven steps, while the Emperor only retreated five.
"Hmph."
Although the Emperor gained the upper hand in this exchange, his expression grew even darker. Absolute No God's strength had clearly exceeded his expectations, disrupting his plans. The Emperor's confidence had always stemmed from his belief that he could easily eliminate Absolute No God if necessary. But now, seeing this unexpected level of power, the Emperor was filled with murderous intent—he would not tolerate anyone on Eastern Island who could surpass him.
Previously, the Emperor had allowed Absolute No God to exist because he was confident in his ability to control him. Absolute No God had been a pawn, a pathfinder. But now that this pawn posed a potential threat, it was time to remove him.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
A fierce exchange of blows followed. Each collision between Absolute No God and the Emperor wreaked havoc on their surroundings, destroying the ground beneath them. The shockwaves forced the Emperor's surviving subordinates to retreat even further to avoid being caught in the crossfire.
Within moments, the battle had shifted to the outskirts of the town.
"So, this world focuses purely on martial destruction while neglecting the finer aspects of cultivation," Daniel observed thoughtfully as he watched the fight unfold.
Compared to worlds like The Outcast or The Legend of Qin, where mental refinement and spiritual cultivation played significant roles, Storm Riders was sorely lacking in these areas. In a more introspective world, someone would have noticed something off about Absolute No God's behavior long ago. Here, however, the Emperor still hadn't realized what was wrong.
This lack of subtlety also explained certain plot points from the original story. For instance, Duan Lang had managed to frame Bu Jingyun for murder, despite the glaring differences in their sword techniques. In a world with more refined forensic understanding, such a deception would never have succeeded.
If someone like Zhang Han from Shadow Guard had been present, evidence proving Bu Jingyun's innocence would have been uncovered in moments.
That said, Daniel wasn't entirely surprised. The high power level of the Storm Riders world meant there was little need for intricate techniques when sheer destructive capability sufficed. It was similar to Big Mom from One Piece, who, despite her overwhelming power, lacked basic observation skills, leading to careless moments like not detecting Brook or falling off her own ship. Yet, she remained one of the Four Emperors.
"If this world emphasized refinement, perhaps Xu Fu wouldn't have become Deva Path Tian."
"What… What are you?"
As the fight continued, the Emperor finally noticed something was wrong. Absolute No God began to transform, his fists turning into razor-sharp claws.
"He's not 'something.' He's my divine beast," Daniel declared, stepping onto the scene wearing his mask. The Emperor's unexpectedly strong martial arts forced Daniel to intervene personally. Even as a divine beast, Absolute No God was struggling to take him down.
As Daniel appeared, Absolute No God immediately withdrew his aura and stood respectfully by Daniel's side, hands at his sides. This display made the Emperor's expression darken further.
"You killed them?" The Emperor's tone turned grim as he noticed the absence of his remaining subordinates. Looking around, he spotted the lifeless bodies in the distance. The culprit was obvious.
"Indeed. Eastern Island dared to invade the Central Plains, so this is merely a lesson. Next, I'll take my time playing with you. My divine beast will wreak havoc across Eastern Island."
"You… You'll never succeed!"
The Emperor roared in fury, his hands swelling as he gathered his full power to unleash his ultimate technique, Shattering Heaven and Earth.
Boom!
Unfortunately for the Emperor, before he could act, Daniel's figure blurred like a wisp of smoke, appearing directly before him. With a single palm strike to the chest, Daniel dispersed the Emperor's gathered qi. The Emperor coughed up a mouthful of blood, his body trembling under the impact. Daniel had held back—otherwise, that strike would have killed him.
"Relax. This plan involves you as well. You'll be my second divine beast," Daniel declared coldly.
To Daniel, vengeance was straightforward—reward kindness with kindness, repay enmity with enmity. Naturally, this principle applied when one had the strength to enforce it.
"Not convinced? Keep resisting. I don't care. I'm no Nameless. If I were, neither Absolute No God nor his 5,000 men would have returned to Eastern Island alive. If you start a war of aggression, don't expect mercy when there's retaliation."
Some people could be reasoned with, but others required bloodshed and fear to be subdued.
"You're just the beginning. Soon, I'll create more divine beasts, setting them against each other in endless chaos."
Seeing the Emperor's horrified expression, Daniel smirked coldly. "You think I can't? Eastern Island's future is already doomed. I don't even need to kill many people—just eliminate your top martial experts, and Eastern Island will collapse. After all, this is a world where power reigns supreme."
Without hesitation, Daniel placed his palm on the Emperor's head, extracting his memories.
"It seems relying solely on divine beasts might be troublesome."
From the Emperor's memories, Daniel learned that while most people in this world lacked refined awareness, some individuals were sharp enough to notice the abnormalities in the divine beasts. Eastern Island had a considerable number of experts, and even the Central Plains' Martial Supreme, despite being somewhat unimpressive in this generation, still had powerful figures within the royal family.
For example, the Sword Emperor of the Sword Sect, who was Second Dream's master, was a member of the royal family. While he rarely acted, his existence couldn't be ignored.
"It seems I'll need a different approach. Although I'd prefer not to do this, I have no choice."
To permanently resolve the threat of Eastern Island, relying solely on the martial artists of the Central Plains was insufficient.
With this decision made, Daniel activated his Double Whole Hand technique, not to extract but to modify the Emperor's memories. At the same time, he utilized the Unwilled Transformation technique from the True Person system.
Though Daniel disliked resorting to such measures, he was pragmatic. Boundaries were self-imposed, and as long as he remained true to himself, occasionally crossing the line was acceptable.
Daniel intended to incite a civil war within Eastern Island by leveraging the power of the Emperor and the Unrivaled Divine Palace.
Once his plan was set, Daniel transported Absolute No God and the Emperor back to Eastern Island. His first move was to take control of the long-imprisoned Fist God. Just like with the Emperor, Daniel modified his memories. He also gained control over many top experts in the Eastern Island royal family.
"The plan is going smoothly."
When news spread that the Emperor and Absolute No God had been defeated and driven back from the Central Plains, many Eastern Island experts began to stir. Some sought to challenge the Unrivaled Divine Palace, while others aimed to replace it entirely.
"Good thing this world doesn't emphasize introspection. If this were Nameless, my chances of success wouldn't be so high."
This lack of introspection was critical to Daniel's success. The Double Whole Hand technique was less effective on individuals with high mental refinement. Even if it initially succeeded, it could eventually wear off. Fortunately, few individuals on Eastern Island had such refined awareness.
The enigmatic figure Shadow Emperor hadn't appeared yet.
"What is Deva Path Tian up to?"
In a remote cabin in the Central Plains, an unassuming elderly man muttered to himself.
This man was none other than Xiao Sanxiao.
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I Am Hades, The Supreme GOD of the Underworld! (Chapter 570)
Reborn as Humanity's Emperor Across the Multiverse (Chapter 660)
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