Chapter 388: Sword Splits Heaven and Earth_1
"Towering a hundred feet high, where one can pluck stars from the sky!"
"Rising with the wind, reaching ninety-thousand miles high!"
"Heaven blessed me with talent, it must have a use; though I squander a thousand gold coins, more will return!"
These magnificent verses filled the vast expanse of the sky, exuding a heroic and unfettered spirit.
Li Bai enlarged his battle sword, then lay upon its blade, soaring through the sky with his legs crossed and a wine pot in hand. He would take a sip of wine and recite a line of poetry.
If an ordinary man were to do this, he would likely resemble a drunkard and earn the disdain of those around him.
But Li Bai, with his carefree aura, seemed more like a scholar, drinking and voicing his ambitions, expressing his emotions through verse.
After leaving the Imperial Capital, Li Bai had enjoyed a stint as an official. His efforts against corruption had earned him the admiration of countless citizens.
Where shall I go next? Li Bai wondered. He put down his wine pot, took a map from his robes, and studied it with a drunken gaze.
Suddenly, a malevolent aura surged from afar, jolting him to sobriety, though the flush on his face had yet to fade.
"The glorious Saint's Court will not tolerate such demonic evils! You court death!"
Li Bai stood. The battle sword beneath his feet shrank, and he grasped it in his right hand. Then, transforming into a streak of cyan light, he shot into the sky.
"Haha, those despicable commoners! They all deserve to die!"
Atop Lu City, Wang Huantian inhaled the nauseating stench of burnt flesh, a deranged, ecstatic laugh escaping him.
"Run! Quickly!"
"The former City Lord's son has become a monster!"
The surviving citizens of Lu City recognized Wang Huantian and fled in terror.
"ROAR!"
A nine-headed mad lion roared, its body radiating a fiery red glow. A violent aura surged from it, threatening to utterly destroy the city below.
Yin Taixie stood behind it, showing no intention of intervening. A wicked smile curled his lips.
Just as Wang Huantian prepared his second offensive, countless cyan Sword Qi converged in the distant Changkong. They blotted out the sky and sun, as if an additional cyan sun now blazed there.
"You fiends shall perish!"
Li Bai, having followed the evil aura, roared in fury at the sight of the grievous casualties among the people.
A terrifying murderous aura emanated from him. It resonated through Changkong, scattering the clouds, and unleashing an endless, sharp power that crushed Wang Huantian's attack.
"PFFT!"
The nine-headed lion was shattered. Wang Huantian spat out a mouthful of blood and was sent flying backward.
Yin Taixie took a step forward and caught Wang Huantian. A long white serpent coiled around Yin Taixie's body, seeming to inhale and exhale the essence of heaven and earth; its imposing aura was in no way inferior to Li Bai's.
"Who are you?" the white serpent hissed, its voice hoarse and ear-piercing as it tore through the air.
"Prefect Li Bai of the Great Qin's Saint's Court!" Li Bai declared, hovering above Lu City, his flushed face now utterly cold.
"A powerful expert from the Imperial Court has arrived! We're saved!"
"Wonderful! Senior, I beg you to kill them! Avenge my fallen family!"
In the ruined city, numerous citizens knelt, pleading, their eyes burning with hatred. Everyone still alive in the city now bore the pain of lost loved ones.
"Rest assured," Li Bai said solemnly, a terrifying killing intent radiating from him. "I will avenge you all! I shall slaughter every last demon that has harmed the people of Great Qin."
"A mere Ancient Great Emperor Realm cultivator dares to act so presumptuously!" Yin Taixie sneered. The full power of his Ten-thousand-year Emperor Realm cultivation erupted without reservation, pressing down on Li Bai.
The white serpent flicked out its tongue, revealing sharp fangs as it lunged at Li Bai.
"One Sword to Split Heaven and Earth!"
Li Bai took a sip of wine, his black hair cascading around him as he raised his battle sword high. He channeled cyan Sword Qi, intertwined with Primordial Yellow Power and Azure Lotus Power—a force of devastating, sublime destruction.
The sword struck: the heavens and earth shattered, Qiankun itself was extinguished!
BANG!
The Void collapsed dramatically. Yin Taixie's face stiffened; the white serpent he controlled had actually been sent flying by that single sword strike.
"Demonic Serpent Devour!"
But Yin Taixie was no ordinary foe. An evil aura flared and intensified around the white serpent. Its white scales turned blood-red, covered with sinister patterns. It became savage and violent, as if it had transformed into a true demon.
BOOM!
The white serpent coiled high in the sky, its tail whipping out forcefully.
Endless slaughtering power swept out, severing the cyan Sword Qi. It created an indescribable shockwave that spread in all directions, completely shattering the vast Changkong.
The bright sun was obscured, and darkness enveloped the land.
"Interesting!" Li Bai whispered. He tilted his war sword, his white robe fluttering. His temperament was transcendent, like a banished immortal walking among mortals.
Within his eyes, a cyan Chaos Divine Lotus emerged. It swayed gently, emitting an inexplicable Dao Rhyme and revealing a terrifying Sword Intent several times stronger than before.
"May the sword at my waist be used to smite Loulan!" Li Bai murmured. Instantly, an異象 appeared in the sky: an ancient sword hung suspended in the air. It seemed to wipe out Loulan of the great desert, where myriad Hu lives were forfeit, and the Way of Han flourished.
"The Han Emperor, sword in hand, rises and recalls General Li!" he cried out again. On a bloody battlefield, a scholar-general swung his sword, vanquishing three hundred million foes!
This sword was named the Sword of Slaughter!
It is said: "Slay one man every ten steps, journey a thousand miles without pause!"
And also: "Once the deed is done, brush off your robes and depart, deeply concealing your name and deeds!"
"KILL!" Li Bai roared, thrusting his sword forward.
Sword-light flashed from its sheath, its song a call to arms! Amidst the raging storm, it would cut down myriad foes!
"KILL! KILL! KILL!" Yin Taixie screamed. The serpent, now blood-red, exuded a murderous aura that filled Changkong. It swelled to tens of thousands of feet in size, obscuring sun and moon, its divine might extraordinary.
The Void shattered completely; all things plunged into ruin!
BOOM!
The two attacks collided with a world-shattering sound, from within which a faint wail could be heard.
CLANG!
The sword's song was like music of mountain streams, its lingering notes echoing long after.
A blood-soaked head flew through the air. The white serpent had been sliced in two; its headless corpse stiffened in the Void. The once-terrifying evil power, like a candle in the wind, finally sputtered out.
The world fell silent. Wang Huantian and the others stared, shocked and speechless.
"Have you not seen the Yellow River's waters come from the sky, rushing to the sea, never to return?"
"Have you not seen bright mirrors in high halls mourn white hair? Though black as silk at dawn, it turns to snow by dusk!"
Li Bai did not pause. He sang with fervor as countless streams of Sword Qi burst through the air. They condensed into a vast river surging through the Void, its waters spraying, rushing towards the horizon.
Above this Yellow River, a bright mirror appeared. It reflected a desolate scene, transforming three thousand strands of youthful black hair into a crown of white.
Time itself seemed to alter!
Li Bai strode within this Yellow River, wine pot in his right hand, its fragrance drifting through the Void. Then, his heroic voice rang out once more:
"Bells and drums, delicacies and jade are not precious enough; I only wish to be drunk forever and never awaken!"
The ethereal voice, like an echo from the heavens, compelled all to listen.
As the waters of this Sword Qi Yellow River flowed past, Yin Taixie's dozens of disciples shrieked in horror. The river's current eroded their flesh and blood, leaving only white skeletons.
"Though monkeys cry endlessly on either shore, my light boat has already passed ten thousand mountains!"
Li Bai's voice drifted from the distance as if he had already traversed those countless peaks, then faded away.
Inside Lu City, all the people knelt quietly on the ground, bidding farewell to their savior.
The name Li Bai was deeply imprinted upon their hearts.
「Years later, Lu City was renamed Taibai City!」