Everyone stared toward the sky in shock.
This scene was completely different from what most had imagined. Even the staunchest supporters of the Heavenly Sword Daoist probably hadn't expected this outcome.
After all, the Blade Demon had always shown overwhelming dominance. He'd never had a worthy opponent, even the Daychaser Sword King had been defeated.
Many had already speculated that the Blade Demon was only one step away from the pinnacle of the Blade Path. In ancient times, someone like him would be considered a Martial Sage candidate.
But now—
He had been mercilessly defeated by the Heavenly Sword Daoist.
"Is the gap between the pinnacle and just below it really this wide?" someone sighed.
They could all see clearly now—
The Heavenly Sword Daoist had already reached the pinnacle of the Sword Dao. That was the true reason he could suppress the Blade Demon.
At this moment—
Those many Heavenly Swords floated in the void. They emitted no light, yet they dazzled as if they did, carrying the momentum of annihilating the demonic blade. The Heavenly Swords were so majestic, no one dared look straight at them.
But—
In the next instant, an even greater uproar erupted.
Everyone tensed up and looked skyward—because after the demonic blade shattered, the remaining Heavenly Swords didn't slow at all. It seemed they were going to strike the Blade Demon down completely!
"Did the Blade Demon offend the Heavenly Sword Daoist somehow? Is he really going to kill him outright?!" people exclaimed in horror.
Generally speaking—
In such duels, killing was rare. It was an unspoken rule of the martial world.
On his path of destruction, the Blade Demon had only killed the old Heart Blade Elder, who had relied on his seniority. Others were, at most, severely wounded.
People couldn't understand this.
But the remaining Heavenly Swords were already forming a true sword cage, their sword intent crisscrossing, imprisoning the Blade Demon within.
The blind old man showed a surprised expression.
He had been about to leave but stopped in his tracks and praised—
"What magnanimity… No wonder he erected the Zhenwu Sword Stele."
"I wonder though… can he really reach that final step…"
But then, he slowly shook his head—
"To reach the pinnacle of the Sword Dao but never try to take the next step—he still lacks some boldness and drive. Sigh…"
The blind old man gazed at the sky, lost in thought.
While the others were still stunned—
The Heavenly Sword Daoist's voice rang out coolly:
"If not now, then when?"
The Blade Demon's body trembled, and realization dawned. A flicker of gratitude appeared in his dark pupils.
Under the gaze of the entire crowd, he actually gave up resisting. He closed his eyes and sat cross-legged inside the raging sword cage.
In an instant—
The cage formed by the Heavenly Swords began to emit an incredible aura. Countless strands of sword intent gathered from all directions—heaven, earth, sun, moon, rivers, stones, plants…
Not only that, but the intent carried no killing power. Instead, it radiated a unique Dao rhythm.
The Daychaser Sword King and the others froze, then their eyes filled with intense envy.
They had already understood the Heavenly Sword Daoist's intention.
This wasn't to kill the Blade Demon—it was to help him comprehend the Dao.
They didn't blink, trying their hardest to perceive the Dao rhythm within the sword cage.
Ning Qi quietly watched.
His decision to help the Blade Demon wasn't out of sudden kindness.
First, the Blade Demon was a true blade devotee—helping someone like that could only earn favor, never harm.
Second, he wanted to see if the Blade Demon could use this to break through into the Martial Sage Realm. In a way, he was treating the Blade Demon like a test subject.
Of course—
The main reason was that the Blade Demon was already extremely close to the pinnacle.
Even without Ning Qi's help, he would've reached it eventually—it would've just taken more time.
But since he'd lost here, it would take longer still.
Within the sword cage—
Invisible sword intents passed through the Blade Demon's body.
With each pass, his face turned paler, and he let out muffled groans.
Even someone of his strength showed such reactions—one could imagine the pain involved.
This was letting the Blade Demon feel the essence of pinnacle-level sword intent firsthand, so he could draw parallels.
If Ning Qi had used pinnacle-level blade intent instead, the result would have been even better—but doing so in front of the crowd would have caused a massive stir.
This setup was just right.
Everyone saw the Blade Demon drenched in sweat, as if being tortured.
But no one doubted it anymore—they all knew the Heavenly Sword Daoist was helping him comprehend the Dao.
Especially people like the Thunderblade Master—they were full of envy, wishing they could take the Blade Demon's place.
If they could take one step further on their martial path, they'd gladly endure ten times worse torment.
Time passed slowly.
It should've been heavy snow season, yet the blazing sun shone.
Even the weather had been altered by the duel between these two peerless experts.
No one knew how much time passed.
Suddenly, a furious roar tore through the clouds—
The Blade Demon stood tall within the sword cage.
He threw back his head and howled, hair wild, eyes dark with demonic fury, as if challenging the heavens.
Some observant people noticed—
The blade hilt at his waist had vanished completely.
In a flash—
The sword cage sang in unison.
Every Heavenly Sword released its sword intent—all at once piercing through the Blade Demon's body.
The Blade Demon spat blood.
But his aura grew instead of fading.
Blades of intent gathered from all directions, forming a colossal demonic blade—
In one slash, he cleaved the sword cage apart!
The crowd was in shock.
"The Blade Demon… has entered the pinnacle of the Blade Path!"
One gaze after another turned to him, filled with awe and envy.
But everyone knew—
The most terrifying one was still that ever-indifferent black-robed Daoist.
With a casual wave of his hand, all the Heavenly Swords dissipated.
The crowd looked on—
And saw the Blade Demon bow deeply, offering a solemn salute to the Heavenly Sword Daoist:
"Thank you, Daoist, for guiding me in the Dao!"
The Heavenly Sword Daoist did not dodge—he accepted the salute openly.
The black-robed Daoist spoke flatly:
"It was your own accomplishment."
The crowd was even more amazed.
The Blade Demon had comprehended the Dao—yet instead of diminishing the Heavenly Sword Daoist's prestige, it elevated it further.
From today on, people would not only revere his strength but also admire his unmatched generosity.
They knew—this battle had now officially ended.
That bow from the Blade Demon meant submission.
Of course, no one thought the Blade Demon had become the Daoist's equal after his breakthrough.
From the looks of it, the Heavenly Sword Daoist had likely stepped into the pinnacle long ago—his foundation was clearly much deeper.
At that moment, the Blade Demon bowed once more:
"There is one more thing—I ask the Daoist's help."
Ning Qi's eyes flashed.
The black-robed Daoist answered indifferently:
"Speak."
"With your guidance, I have entered the pinnacle of the Blade Path. I now seek to break into the Martial Sage Realm. Please guard me."
"Very well."
The two exchanged words.
The crowd was dumbfounded—then an uproar followed.
No one expected another dramatic moment after the battle had ended.
The Blade Demon wanted to press his advantage—to ascend to the Martial Sage Realm!
No one could believe what they were hearing.
In the past two thousand years, only one Martial Sage had appeared—General Yanwu of Great Yan.
And now—
Were they truly about to witness the birth of another Martial Sage?
Even the Daychaser Sword King's heart was racing, eyes blank with astonishment.
The Martial Sage Realm—
It was the dream of every martial cultivator in the world.
The Blade Demon took a deep breath and sat cross-legged in the void.
He chose to break through now for two reasons:
One—this battle had pushed all his potential to the surface. Though his essence-energy-spirit wasn't at its peak, his resolve and will had never been stronger.
Two—he probably understood the Heavenly Sword Daoist's deeper meaning in helping him comprehend the Dao. He wanted to repay it.
The Heavenly Sword Daoist had stood at the pinnacle for so long yet never broken into the Martial Sage Realm. Perhaps he had his own concerns.
The Blade Demon would use his own breakthrough to return the favor.
In his life—
He owed no one.
With a single thought, he swung his blade intent, cutting away all stray thoughts.
Ning Qi watched seriously, more focused than ever.
You could say—
This was the closest he had ever been to the Martial Sage Realm.
Since the Blade Demon had chosen to break through, he must have been well prepared.
Under Ning Qi's gaze, the Blade Demon slowly closed his eyes.
A powerful wave of energy surged from his body.
In an instant, dense spiritual energy from the heavens and earth gathered toward him—clear to all the Heaven-Man Realm experts.
Then—
His body radiated with boundless vitality. A strange fragrance spread in all directions.
Some people even swallowed nervously—then immediately covered their mouths in alarm.
"This is the body's essence fully matured—his Dao Fruit is nearly complete. The Flower of Essence has formed," Ning Qi thought to himself.
On the Blade Demon's body, a strange immortal flower bloomed—layer upon layer.
Though formless and invisible, everyone could still sense it.
And as the Flower of Essence formed, the swirling energy from the world around them also began to change.
The Blade Demon pressed forward in one breath.
His inner Qi Force surged with all its might—his Divine Intent burst forth completely.
In an instant—
Two more immortal flowers formed.
The Flower of Energy!
The Flower of Spirit!
The Three Flowers had formed—complete and whole.
No one was surprised.
Not just the Blade Demon—
Almost every top-ten expert on the Heaven-Man List had perfected the Three Flowers.
They watched with utmost focus now, afraid to miss a single detail.
They knew—they would walk this path someday.
At this moment—
With the Three Flowers formed, wind and clouds stirred throughout the heavens.
Those with weaker cultivation didn't know what was happening—but instinctual fear made them tremble.
The peerless experts' eyes burned even hotter.
They saw—
The Three Flowers gathered at the crown of his head, beginning to undergo a mysterious transformation.
"What happens after the Three Flowers unite?" peerless experts couldn't stop wondering.
And it was as if the Blade Demon had heard them.
A buzzing sound rang out—
Dominant blade intent burst from his spine and shot into the sky.
He had just stepped into the pinnacle of the Blade Path, and now it already showed its use.
This was a method the Blade Demon had spent his entire life perfecting.
He had created the Three Demonic Blades—Heaven, Earth, and Man.
In a sense, they corresponded directly to the Three Flowers—Heaven, Earth, and Man.
Now, the demonic blade intent hovered above the Three Flowers—commanding them.
Ning Qi's spirit stirred.
He observed the Blade Demon's breakthrough and constantly compared it with the method recorded on the silver page left behind by Wu Jianghe.
Bursts of inspiration flashed through his mind. He suddenly gained an entirely new understanding of the Martial Sage Realm.
A wondrous transformation occurred in an instant.
The Essence, Energy, and Spirit Flowers, which were previously only loosely connected, suddenly fused into a single whole.
The Three Flowers gathered at the crown, forming a peculiar "funnel," a "vortex."
Then, the previously raging heavenly energy found a release point.
Through the "Three-Flower Funnel," it began to gather into the Blade Demon's body!
An uproar broke out among the crowd.
This was completely different from the Heaven-Man Realm's resonance with heaven and earth.
He was using his body as a furnace—to refine the heavenly energy!
All the energy of heaven and earth poured into the Blade Demon's body. His flesh began to tremble violently.
His face flushed red, then turned pale.
His body swelled and then shrank repeatedly.
This bizarre scene made everyone clench their fists nervously.
But as time passed—
The Blade Demon's body gradually stabilized, though the influx of heavenly energy remained uninterrupted.
The Daychaser Sword King and others felt parched and dizzy.
"Is this… success?"
Had they actually witnessed the birth of a Martial Sage with their own eyes?
But Ning Qi's expression remained as solemn as ever.
He stared at the Blade Demon, as if peering through his flesh into the condition within.
He "saw" it—
The Blade Demon had forcibly drawn the heavenly energy into his body, attempting to refine it with his pinnacle blade intent and complete Three Flowers.
But it still wasn't working.
On the surface, his body had stabilized.
But in reality, it was still extremely dangerous. The fundamental problem had not been resolved—
The nature of the heavenly energy had not changed at all.
Ning Qi sighed inwardly.
He could tell—the Blade Demon was going to fail.
He was already close to his limit.
Though Ning Qi had long known that the path to Martial Sage was not so easy, seeing the result unfold still brought a pang of regret.
"This is bad," he muttered.
The Heavenly Sword Daoist moved immediately.
A Heavenly Sword swept across the sky, slashing toward the Blade Demon.
At this critical moment in his breakthrough, no ordinary person could interfere without being harmed by the backlash.
But since Ning Qi had promised to protect him, he would not sit back and watch the Blade Demon die before his eyes.
Among those present, only he had the power to intervene.
No one understood what was happening.
Some were secretly horrified—why would the Heavenly Sword Daoist strike at such a crucial moment?
Was he jealous of the Blade Demon's impending success?
But the might of the Heavenly Sword was irresistible.
With one slash, the link between the demonic blade and the Three Flowers was instantly severed.
The Blade Demon, whose body had just calmed, suddenly opened his eyes.
Only then did everyone realize—
His dark pupils had somehow turned blood red, terrifying to behold.
Using the power of the Heavenly Sword, the Blade Demon let out a thunderous roar.
Suddenly, gaping bloody holes tore open across his body—
It was the uncontrolled heavenly energy bursting out.
He was on the brink of death.
Yet his expression remained unchanged.
With a single swipe of his right hand—his left arm was severed at the root!
Blood sprayed in all directions.
The severed arm transformed into a terrifying demonic blade—
It drew in the rampaging heavenly energy, and released it through the "demonic blade."
One slash tore toward the heavens—then landed on a distant mountain range.
A deafening explosion followed.
The mountains collapsed.
A terrifying blade mark appeared before everyone's eyes.
The sound of simultaneous gasps echoed across the crowd.
Earlier, both men had held back.
Only now did they realize—
Just how terrifying the Blade Demon's power truly was.
The crowd's expressions were complicated.
By now, they understood.
The Heavenly Sword Daoist hadn't struck out of opportunism—he had saved the Blade Demon.
If he hadn't severed that connection in time, the Blade Demon would've died mid-breakthrough.
There would have been no opportunity for that desperate severed-arm counterattack.
Clearly—
The Blade Demon had failed.
They had not witnessed the birth of a living legend.
A deep regret filled the hearts of all.
And along with it—a creeping sense of doubt.
If even the Blade Demon, a peerless blade master who had reached the pinnacle of the Blade Path, could not enter the Martial Sage Realm—
Then who could?
Had the road ahead truly been cut off?
Some couldn't help but glance at the black-robed Daoist and wondered:
"Can the Heavenly Sword Daoist succeed? It must be equally difficult… Otherwise, after all this time at the pinnacle of the Sword Dao, surely he would have already stepped into the Martial Sage Realm…"
The blind old man's face was full of sorrow.
"Such brilliance… such brilliance. To achieve half a step with nothing but your own strength… how tragic…"
His expression dimmed, and he quietly left.
He no longer wanted to watch.
He had only come to see if the Heavenly Sword Daoist was an old friend.
Now that he knew otherwise, he had no reason to stay.
Perhaps the Heavenly Sword Daoist was even more monstrous than the Blade Demon—
But they had both been born in the wrong era.
Both the Blade Demon and the Heavenly Sword Daoist were already advanced in age.
Barring miracles, they would likely never reach greater heights again.
Zhenwu Mountain fell silent.
The Blade Demon coughed blood skyward.
His dark eyes stared up at the heavens—filled with unwillingness.
As if demanding why the path ahead had been cut off.
His overwhelming confusion and sorrow weighed on everyone's hearts.
Many could relate to his thoughts.
Hundreds of years of bitter cultivation.
Even a fateful opportunity that allowed him to reach the pinnacle of the Blade Path.
Yet it still wasn't enough to reach the Martial Sage Realm.
With so little life left, there was almost no hope remaining.
For someone like him, so pure in his martial pursuit—
It was worse than death.
If not for his firm martial will, he might have chosen to self-destruct during the failed breakthrough.
"…Thank you, Daoist, for intervening. The Blade Demon will never forget this debt."
His voice was hoarse.
His expression was complex.
He wanted to ask how far the Heavenly Sword Daoist had gone—
But in the end, he held back.
Before the eyes of all the world—
The Blade Demon, hair disheveled and barefoot, walked through the mountains.
Before long, he vanished.
The crowd remained silent—
It felt like watching a hero fade away.
The black-robed Daoist said nothing.
Then he descended to the rear of Zhenwu Mountain.
This earth-shattering duel finally came to an end.
Everyone exhaled deeply—
Only now realizing their backs were soaked in sweat.
The battle had been filled with twists and turns.
It had opened everyone's eyes.
First, the Blade Demon had been defeated by the Heavenly Sword Daoist.
Then, the Heavenly Sword Daoist helped him enter the pinnacle of the Blade Path—
A moment of envy for all.
Finally, the Blade Demon tried to ride the momentum to enter the Martial Sage Realm.
Though he ultimately failed—
What they saw and heard today would be remembered for life.
It was already clear—
Once the news of this battle spread, it would cause a massive sensation.
The crowd looked at the Zhenwu Sword Stele.
Their gazes were hotter than ever.
After witnessing the Heavenly Sword Daoist demonstrate the pinnacle of the Sword Dao—
Even the Daychaser Sword King couldn't help but desire that stele.
It was easy to predict—
Many more peerless experts would come to comprehend it, further strengthening Ning Qi's path of the sword.
Ning Qi couldn't help but smile.
This was a positive cycle.
But—
The greatest gain from this battle was still watching the Blade Demon attempt his breakthrough.
He looked toward the direction where the Blade Demon had departed.
His gaze flickered—
A certain thought surfaced in his heart.