Chapter Twelve: A Slight Edge

Hearing the mocking words from Qingxu, Daoist Duobao was furious and could not help but shout angrily, "Qingxu, stop flaunting your clever tongue. The Four Swords of Immortal Execution may be mere replicas, but their power is not far from the originals. They are more than enough to slay you!"

Though Duobao spoke with confidence, Qingxu believed him to some extent. From the ancient aura of slaughter emanating from the replica swords, it was clear that the originals were involved in their creation—and likely Master Tongtian himself had contributed significantly.

If only he could refine the Central Xuyi Apricot Banner, even the genuine Four Swords of Immortal Execution would not intimidate him. Unfortunately, the innate restrictions were formidable, and with his cultivation only at the peak of the early Earth Immortal realm, the refining process would take ages, even for just one restriction.

Yet Qingxu found solace in the fact that Duobao had crafted only the replica swords, not the Four-Element Formation Diagram. Without the diagram, the terrifying Immortal Execution Sword Formation could not be deployed. Bereft of the formation, the swords were merely four powerful spiritual treasures.

Duobao’s cultivation was ultimately limited, barely at the early Earth Immortal stage. Controlling four swords at once stretched his abilities thin, giving Qingxu a fighting chance.

With the simulated pressure of the Qingming heavens, Qingxu wielded the Five Fires and Seven Birds Fan at full force, his own cultivation far superior to Duobao’s. The odds of victory were favorable.

As he pondered, the simulated heavens pressed down with all their might, their oppressive force enveloping Duobao, binding his mind and spirit. Duobao’s spiritual strength plummeted, making the control of the replica swords even more difficult.

Thunder rumbled! The vastness of heaven and earth suddenly blazed with heat. Looking up, one could see seven rare birds and beasts soaring across the sky; five fires blended into one, shaking the heavens. For a thousand miles, the sky became a sea of flames.

Having attained Earth Immortal status, and wielding the powerful Five Fires and Seven Birds Fan forged by the Primordial Lord, Qingxu’s full-strength strike reduced a thousand miles of land to scorched earth, all returned to ashes.

Five fires descended, obscuring the sun. Duobao tried to escape, but was shocked to find the world around him locked against him. Every movement brought crushing force upon him, and the closer he came to the fiery edge, the heavier the oppression grew.

Though both were Earth Immortals, Qingxu was far stronger, and held the advantage of terrain, naturally overpowering Duobao.

Seeing this, Duobao knew disaster was imminent. He could no longer hold back and hurled the four replica swords, staking everything on a desperate struggle.

The Four Swords of Immortal Execution were innate weapons of slaughter, able to sever all things, rumored even to harm Hunyuan Saints. They followed the path of extreme aggression, with no defense, seeking to annihilate opponents by attack alone—either slaying others or being slain.

Black, red, gray-white, and azure-green—four sword-shaped beams hundreds of feet long shot into the sky, radiating an unparalleled sharpness.

Sword energy of Immortal Execution, Slaughter Immortal, Trap Immortal, and Sever Immortal!

The four streams of sword energy pierced the heavens, threatening to shatter the sky and destroy all. Any who stood in their way—would be executed.

Most of the replicas were crafted by Duobao, modeled after the originals, and ranked high among postnatal spiritual treasures. Yet the Five Fires and Seven Birds Fan was no less potent, forged by the Primordial Lord. Although it was not specialized for killing, compared to the replica swords, it was as strong or stronger. Qingxu, unable to unleash its full power, could have otherwise annihilated Duobao with a single sweep.

The seven birds cried to the heavens, the sea of fire formed a vortex, drawing in a thousand miles of flames and greatly increasing its might.

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Meanwhile, in the Jade Void Palace, the battle of spirits within the simulated heavens unfolded silently. Qingxu and Duobao faced each other, their eyes empty, like puppets.

"Spirit space? This one is truly astonishing. He will surely bring glory to the Chan Sect. My junior’s judgment is excellent!" Taishang rarely praised others, but now could not help but commend. His sole disciple Xuandu had long satisfied him—steadfast in Dao, gifted in talent, perfectly aligned with his doctrine of non-action. Yet compared to Qingxu, the gap was vast.

"Senior brother, you exaggerate. Xuandu, compared to my own mediocre disciple, is much stronger," the Primordial Lord replied modestly, though inwardly he was immensely proud and pleased with Qingxu.

"Hmph! The outcome is not yet decided. Second brother may be disappointed," Tongtian sneered, confident that Duobao’s replica swords would ensure victory against Qingxu.

"Victory? If you hadn’t brought it up, I would have let it pass. Now, as your elder, I must debate you. In previous contests, your sect gained advantage only through unconventional methods. My disciples, out of fraternity, held back, concealing powerful treasures. In terms of virtue and cultivation, they surpass your followers, those beasts clad in fur and horn, born of damp eggs..." The Primordial Lord seized the moral high ground, though his disciples were not as noble as he claimed. Their reluctance to use powerful treasures was only due to lack of time to refine them, but in his words, it became something else entirely.

His arguments left the disciples of the Chan Sect with odd expressions, heads bowed, their thoughts unknown.

"Your disciple cannot match mine. How dare you boast and insult me so?" Tongtian was enraged, his hair and beard bristling. Though a saint’s wrath is not easily shown, Tongtian’s temperament was upright, and the Primordial Lord had struck a nerve, causing his fury to surge, his three spirits leaping in rage.

"Enough! As teachers, we must uphold discipline!" Taishang, seeing the dispute escalating, immediately intervened. Both were Hunyuan Saints; if they fought, it would shake the heavens and earth, and the other saints would only mock them.

"Hmph!" With Taishang’s intervention, the Primordial Lord and Tongtian let the matter drop, though their mutual dissatisfaction and the division between their sects only deepened.

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Thunder rumbled! Bang!

The four streams of sword energy collided with the fiery vortex, instantly unleashing unparalleled destructive force.

The flat land was slashed by hundreds of sword beams, as fire rained from the sky like a meteor shower, thousands of miles engulfed within its fiery scope.

As the five fires and four sword energies clashed, the simulated heavens began to fracture and collapse.

Qingxu’s sword path was profound, its first principle—"A Flower, A World"—was formidable, yet its foundation was the Qingming Sword. A single restriction of a postnatal treasure could not withstand the combined assault of the replica swords and the Five Fires and Seven Birds Fan.

"Now is the moment!"

While Duobao rejoiced at the collapse of the simulated heavens, Qingxu’s face lit up with delight, and he shouted.

Seeing this, Duobao’s heart sank, sensing danger, but before he could react, the Qingming Sword used the momentum of the breaking simulated heavens to strike upward at the Four Swords.

Attacked from inside and out, how could the Four Swords withstand?

One Sever Immortal sword energy was sacrificed to shatter the fiery vortex, while the remaining three were blocked by the seven birds.

The three sword energies and the seven birds were evenly matched, but now faced with the Qingming Sword, they lost their momentum, and Duobao’s diminished spirit left them wavering.

With a few cries, one Trap Immortal sword energy was secretly dissipated by the Qingming Sword, while the Slaughter Immortal and Immortal Execution energies perished alongside six birds, leaving only the phoenix, gravely wounded yet standing.

At this point, the outcome was clear.

Qingxu and Duobao were both exhausted, but Qingxu still held the Qingming Sword, and the phoenix retained fighting strength. Even at the cost of two treasures, destroying Duobao’s spirit was no issue.

"Duobao, you have lost!" These simple words entered Duobao’s ears, but his heart could not be calm.

Defeat?

He had lost?

As the simulated heavens shattered and faded, their spirits returned to their bodies.

The dust settled—Qingxu had won.

Seizing the moment, the Three Pure Ones established the hierarchy: Xuandu became the second-generation senior disciple, at the Primordial Lord’s suggestion. Qingxu had no objection, for the relationship between their sects was harmonious; Xuandu as senior disciple was no issue.

If Qingxu were senior disciple, Taishang’s pride would suffer, tensions would arise with the Primordial Lord, and relations between the two sects would be affected.

Xuandu took the lead; Qingxu became the deputy. His duel with Duobao demonstrated great strength. Were it not for the larger picture, he could easily have been made senior disciple.

The status of the Three Pure Ones’ disciples mirrored their masters.

Though Qingxu defeated Duobao, it was by a narrow margin. He fought two against one (with the Five Fires and Seven Birds Fan and the simulated heavens), and the fan’s power was not much less than the replica swords. With his cultivation superior to Duobao’s, he should have won easily, yet the victory was hard-earned.

A narrow edge.

Reflecting, Qingxu acknowledged his shortcomings—he should have won effortlessly.

"My skills in combat and the sword path are still lacking," he mused.

This duel with Duobao had greatly helped him, revealing his weaknesses. With time, his strength would surely increase.