I tricked you into thinking you had the makings of an emperor, but you actually did it?

The ancient soared into the sky, unfurling its enormous black wings, further disrupting the surrounding dark aura.

Shen Ming became one with his sword, as if he had merged with heaven and earth, and the surrounding spiritual energy converged on him like rivers flowing into the sea.

He poured the divine sword intent he had comprehended into the sword, and his body shone brightly as a sword aura containing world-destroying power condensed around him.

The sword moved with incredible speed, catching up with the ancient venerable one in the blink of an eye.

The ancient venerable one sensed the deadly threat and turned around in terror, only to catch a glimpse of the sword energy as dazzling as the blazing sun.

Before he could speak, the surging sword energy erupted with a dazzling light.

The ancient deity's enormous body was instantly pierced by the sword energy.

A piercing scream echoed between heaven and earth.

Then, the ancient sage's body, like shattered glass, transformed into countless black feathers that drifted in the wind.

The ancient sage has fallen!

This scene was witnessed by Xuan Yuan and the others who had just arrived, their eyes fixed on the spot where the light was shining.

Wasn't he supposed to come and gauge the depth of the ancient masters? How did he end up being killed?

At first, disbelief appeared in his eyes, then a surge of joy welled up in his heart.

The surprises didn't end there. A muffled rumble came from deep inside the Zetian spaceship, and a blinding light burst forth.

The ancient clan's headquarters exploded without warning, and everything inside the ship's cabin was reduced to dust by the force of the explosion.

"It's over, it's all over!" Xuan Yuan shouted excitedly.

The news first reached Kowloon City, and those who were still thankful to have survived the ordeal were in disbelief upon receiving the news.

After confirming it again and again, cheers swept out like a tidal wave.

The entire human race in the Northern Region was in an uproar over this, and the bloody war that had lasted for nearly a year finally came to an end.

They persevered to the very end, until a new king was born.

The new king turned the tide and reversed the situation.

Tiancangzhou, Void Island.

At the Jiang family's residence, Jiang Tianxing and Qin Qing embraced and wept. Compared to others, as Shen Ming's parents, their feelings were indescribable.

“This child, why didn’t he go back to the Jiang family first, so he could fight alongside them on the front lines?” Jiang Tianxing said.

"In Ming'er's eyes, you're still just a half-step Dominator. Shall I take you along to cheer him on?" Qin Qing teased.

As fate would have it, at this time, an envoy from the Li family of the Central Region traveled across mountains and rivers, traversing two regions, to come to the Jiang family to request an audience.

"Li family!"

Jiang Tianxing's expression changed, and he immediately went to find the First Ancestor.

The younger generation of the Jiang family is unfamiliar with the Li family, but the higher-ups all know that the Li family is a major threat to the Jiang family.

"Could it be that news of our cultivation of the Four Extremes Scroll has leaked, and the Li family has come to demand an explanation?" the First Ancestor speculated.

“That’s possible, but Ming’er is so powerful now, there’s no need to be afraid,” Jiang Tianxing said.

"Right."

The First Ancestor was relieved; the Jiang family was incredibly fortunate to have produced such an exceptional talent.

So they received the Li family in the Void Palace.

The Li family's lineup is impressive, with the family patriarch personally leading a group of high-ranking members.

Just as Jiang Tianxing concluded that they had come to question him, the Li family members bowed deeply and handed over their surrender document.

It turns out that the Li family felt that surrendering to Shen Ming alone was not sincere enough.

Most importantly, it spans two domains and involves two major forces, and Shen Ming, a young man, is not good at handling these complicated matters.

So they made a special trip.

"Are you saying that tomorrow you will become number one on the Sky Ranking in the Central Region? And win the Great Dao Competition?"

Jiang Tianxing has a sense of unreality, as if he is disconnected from reality.

"It's not the Sky Ranking of the Central Region, but the Sky Ranking of the Outer Region Battlefield. The Divine Son of the Jiang Family not only dominates the Xuanhuang Continent, but is also an unparalleled genius in the entire Lower Three Realms."

The Li family patriarch knew that he had made the right decision to come, since the Jiang family was still unaware of the situation.

At the same time, I felt an indescribable envy.

This indicates that the Jiang family did not focus on cultivating this prodigy of the Jiang family.

But to receive such a reward is truly infuriating; comparing oneself to others only breeds resentment.

However, when the Li family thought of the Zheng family, whose home had been destroyed, they felt much better.

After Shen Mingyong's identity as the emperor's son was exposed, they knew that Zheng Xuanfeng had died by the sword.

If it weren't for the news of Gu Zun's death from the front lines, Jiang Tianxing would have thought that the Li family was plotting something.

……

In the world of the sword, Shen Ming faced the sword spirit at close range, rubbing his hands together in front of him with a sincere expression.

The sword spirit snorted softly. This kid finally knows how powerful the immortal sword is.

"Sword Spirit, what should I call it?" Shen Ming asked.

"Now you know to ask?"

Speaking of this, Blade Spirit gets angry; this guy never asked about this in the first place.

"The sword spirit belongs only to the sword master and does not need a name."

The Blade Spirit's voice carried a hint of sadness as he spoke.

“That won’t do. Even stones have names. From now on, I’ll call you Mingxin,” Shen Ming said.

"Mingxin? Why is that the name?"

“I name all my swords Mingxin (明心), which I feel is quite fitting.”

"..."

The sword spirit's holy and full forehead showed visible blue veins, indicating that the sword master did indeed show some respect, but not much.

"I am the sword spirit, not your sword."

Then, the sword spirit changed the subject and said, "Li, I like this word, Jian Li."

Blade & Soul doesn't need a name, so Blade & Soul has no name.

However, the sword master said that if a sword spirit needs a name, then it can have a name.

Shen Ming's words about how even stones have names touched the heartstrings of this sword spirit.

Now that he had a name, Shen Ming became curious about another question, his gaze wandering over Jian Li's neck and chest.

“Stones have names, but stones have no gender, and so do sword spirits,” Jian Li said through gritted teeth.

Shen Ming thought to himself, "This personality suggests she's a woman."

"In the world of swords, I can hear your heart's voice."

"Why can't I hear you? That's not fair," Shen Ming changed the subject.

"Did you come in to talk to me about this?"

"No."

Speaking of this, Shen Ming looked eager; he wanted to learn everything about the Great Luo Immortal Sword.

"The Great Luo Immortal Sword was born from the heavens and earth and fell into the Middle Three Realms. The first sword master, who was your predecessor, found it and comprehended the Great Luo Sword Scripture, founded the Great Luo Sword Sect, and passed down the Seven Forms of the God-Slaying Sword Technique."

The Sword Sect was once the most powerful sect in the Middle Three Realms, on par with the Heaven-Mending Sect and the Heaven-Intercepting Sect.

Why did it fall into the hands of the Panyue Dynasty? Shen Ming asked himself.

"Because the previous Sword Master was the Moon Emperor of the Panyue Dynasty. The Panyue Emperor and the Moon Emperor were two people who founded the Panyue Dynasty together, but in the end, the Panyue Emperor betrayed the Moon Emperor."

"Ok?"

Shen Ming never expected to hear such a secret, and immediately thought of the Moon Emperor's matter.

"Didn't Emperor Pan hear that the Moon Emperor was trapped in the Moon Forbidden Zone and send the Moon Emperor to rescue him?"

"That's not the case. It's a trick to send people up to strengthen the seal. The so-called rescue is just to reinforce the seal!"

Shen Ming suddenly realized that having an elder in the family is indeed like having a treasure; otherwise, how would he know these things?

"...I can hear your thoughts."