22 Divine Sword Master's Majestic Return

"Try me."

Ye Xinghan did not hesitate for long, punching Xiao Jiantian straight in the face and sending him flying into the beach's waters.

"Hmph, the arrogance of the Mighty Heavenly Sword Region is truly something else…" Ye Xinghan laughed. "Everyone thinks they're Xuanyuan Jiantian the moment they learn a shadow of his true profound art… even when they are nothing like him."

He drew his Tyrant Profound Realm artefact "Sun Moon Calamity", a mighty fan that was one of its kind. Clearly, his father was rather fond of him.

(Well, if we ignore all the weapons outside of Blue Pole Star...)

"Sixteen-year-old throne… very impressive. However, great potential can be very easily extinguished by stronger seniors like myself."

"Are you fond of Xuanyuan Jiantian?" Xiao Jiantian wondered, rising above the warm beach water. The punch that Ye Xinghan had delivered seemed to have little to no effect… not even managing to draw his blood.

"Who would not be? He was the first Profound God!" Ye Xinghan, indeed, was very fond of the name. "The first man to crush the balance between our Sacred Grounds and assert himself as the Overlord of our world. Truth be told, I do not know why he did not ensure the destruction of the other Sacred Grounds. Why did he leave his Mighty Heavenly Sword Region with any competition?"

"I am, of course, quite glad he did so. Otherwise, I wouldn't be where I am now… would I?"

Xiao Jiantian chuckled at the irony of Ye Xinghan's words. "I would like to think he wanted to leave his successor with something to do rather than allow him to grow complacent."

"... Hmm, not a bad opinion. That could very well be the case."

Xiao Jiantian was a little confused as his enemy was rather talkative. Likely because he didn't see him as a threat… but it was quite bizarre nevertheless. He decided to have a little fun, smirking as he faced Ye Xinghan. He made use of his sword intent but only for a split moment, making the movement almost unnoticeable.

"So, are you intent on killing me or not? Because the way I see it, you'd rather sit down and share some tea than do so."

"I have little choice in the matter as you have something I want. And if you were to stay in the Mighty Heavenly Sword Region and blossom under its conditions… well, that would be quite the problem."

"Hahaha... trash that speaks softly is still trash, in the end." Xiao Jiantian chuckled.

"Get it all out, because that will be your last laugh." Ye Xinghan stated, killing intent suddenly emerging from his aura. He raised his fan, allowing it to be engulfed in flames.

"I always have the last laugh, my little junior." Xiao Jiantian stated in a mocking tone, taunting Ye Xinghan to strike him.

"Hah… false bravado, that is all that you are, Xiao Jiantian!"

BOOOM.

Ye Xinghan's flames engulfed Xiao Jiantian's entire body, leaving a charred corpse.

"Hahahaha… all that talk for nothing!" Ye Xinghan kicked away the burnt corpse. Though, once he was done, Ye Xinghan couldn't help but sigh. "Ahh… I let my anger get the better of me. Those swords of light could've been useful… but, alas, the deed is already done."

Convinced that Xiao Jiantian had been killed right there, he turned around and faced Xia Qingyue. Suddenly, the death of Xiao Jiantian didn't seem so bad as he did a full scan of her body.

"I'll have some fun-"

"Xing…!"

"Huh?"

When one of his ladies shouted to alert him, it was already too late.

"HAVE FUN WITH THIS!"

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM.

A thunderous kick descended from the heavens, smashing Ye Xinghan deep into the ground like a sledgehammer sent by God.

A massive crater formed as a result of the kick… at the bottom of which Xiao Jiantian stood over Ye Xinghan. The severe amount of brain damage the young man had received from the kick was quite astounding. Because of this, it took him a long while to even become aware of his surroundings.

Xiao Jiantian grabbed him by his long hair and raised him up, though he was still below his eye level.

"What is your name, again? I don't believe we've gotten to introduce ourselves…"

He flicked the Sun Moon Calamity off the ground with his toe, catching it midair with his left hand.

Then, Xiao Jiantian twirled him by his long hair like a wind propeller and sent the young master flying into the sky, landing away from the crater. Once Ye Xinghan landed, the Sun Moon Calamity was thrown next to him.

From Xiao Jiantian's palm emerged five swords of light, all of which stabbed the young master and began to steadily heal his wounds.

Xiao Jiantian rose from the crater, extending his hands.

"I want a proper fight… that simple one-shot didn't satisfy this King enough."

Once Ye Xinghan recovered from his daze, he spit onto the ground in fury. How could someone so weak trick him into believing he was dead? The ploy was so seamlessly implemented… in the middle of a confrontation, no less.

Now, he's looking down at him from the sky… and healing his wounds! With all those acts, Ye Xinghan's young master pride was tossed straight into a landfill and set on fire.

He gripped the Sun Moon Calamity with such intensity that his veins started to pop out.

"You dare look down on me… Ye Xinghan, the son of the Heavenly Monarch…!"

Xiao Jiantian rolled his eyes. "Please, save me your worthless pride. You're nothing special."

While Xiao Jiantian and Ye Xinghan were at it, Ye Xinghan's two women decided to take advantage of the situation and restrain Xia Qingyue. Their plan faltered when a burst of Phoenix flames emerged from Aria's palm and burned the two to crisp.

"... So this is the power of a God." Xia Qingyue remarked, having seen Aria's power emerge for the very first time.

"Not quite, I still have a ways to go before I regain my true strength. As for Jiantian's battle… well, I do believe he knows what he's doing."

"Healing your opponent is still reckless… it would be better to outright finish him." Xia Qingyue replied.

"There are those who have a deep, insatiable, thirst for battle. They fight for the simple thrill of it along with the satisfaction that comes from being the victor. From what I have observed, he is certainly one of those people. Though… he also has a desire to heal others. What a strange man..."

~

Although there were seven of them, the level ten Monarch's who surrounded Xuanyuan Wentian worked as duos and trios. This strategy worked rather well… as whenever Xuanyuan Wentian prepared an attack he would have to pierce through the defence of two to three profound practitioners around his level. When he defended himself, he had little choice but to evade swiftly before all seven could jump onto him.

It was a gruelling battle, to say the least.

With the Mighty Heaven Collapsing Sword, Xuanyuan Wentian's strikes were quite lethal despite striking two people at once. Whenever he was attacked, he simply evaded or countered with a strike of his own. The saying "the best defence is the best offence" was true in this instance.

Though, his body couldn't quite hold up as the clash continued for a whole hour. Whenever he got close to finishing one off, they'd all gang up on him.

"I wonder, where is your great ancestor, the almighty 'Xuanyuan Jiantian'? I'd bet good money he has forgotten about this place... " Ye Meixie chuckled, taunting Xuanyuan Wentian.

"Where is he, you say?" Xuanyuan Wentian's sword shined with pure white sword intent. "He's watching from high above, shaking his head at your stupidity."

"He allowed your Sacred Grounds to continue existing out of mercy and yet… you wretched fools just spit in his face. Even if you manage to kill me here… what do you have to gain? A temporary feeling of satisfaction, a feeling of triumph by defeating one man when there are seven of you? It's laughable how pathetic you all are…"

"In my eyes, there should only be one Sacred Ground; the Mighty Heavenly Sword Region!"

"Get it all out, Sword Master Xuanyuan Wentian. It will not be long until you breathe your last breaths!"

~

"Young Master, we've arrived to assist you!"

Several Sun Moon Divine Hall lackeys arrived at the scene, all encircling Xiao Jiantian in the air. Their strength was right around Ye Xinghan's when he was without the Sun Moon Calamity… so late-stage Tyrants.

"Who invited you?"

From Xiao Jiantian's back emerged a circle of radiant blades, all of which flew towards their designated target… killing them instantly.

"Now then…-"

Xiao Jiantian was interrupted by a flaming sword strike which he easily dodged. Then he kicked the senior who had appeared in the chest… only for it to deal little to no damage.

'He's pretty strong…'

BOOM.

The senior punched Xiao Jiantian in the gut with all of his strength, severely damaging him within only a single strike. Xiao Jiantian spat out blood… only for the senior to follow up with an elbow strike that sent him flying into the ground.

"Senior Ye Shi!" Ye Xinghan exclaimed with great joy. His joy later turned to his usual expression. "You took far too long to step in, I could've very well died there…!"

"I did not expect the young man to have such strength. In terms of combat prowess, he may even surpass the mythical Xuanyuan Jiantian… which is frightening."

"Then finish him off swiftly! Make sure not even ash remains!" Ye Xinghan ordered the senior with great haste, wishing to forget about the individual who so thoroughly embarrassed him.

"Very well…"

Ye Shi nodded and concentrated on performing the Sun Moon Divine Hall's strongest non-forbidden profound skill. A rain of fire descended onto Xiao Jiantian, exploding upon impact and creating a deeper crater as a result. After the assault had ended, Ye Shi still sensed Xiao Jiantian's profound energy.

"How is he still alive!?"

Another wave of flames followed… and another… and another, relentlessly descending upon Xiao Jiantian's location.

After the fourth, Ye Shi was somewhat exhausted himself.

Even a profound practitioner of his calibre could not spam powerful profound skills without any repercussions, after all.

"Hahahaahaha…"

"HAHAHAAHAHAH…."

A burst of laughter emerged from the crater, followed by a raging storm of navy-coloured profound energy that turned gold.

Ye Shi's and Ye Xinghan's eyes widened in utter shock when Xiao Jiantian ascended from the crater. His entire body was torn apart into shreds… yet he was still standing and… recovering at a rapid pace! His muscles from before had somewhat slimmed down and his face seemed more… beautiful. On his forehead was a Golden pagoda mark shining with seemingly infinite power.

"You thought that could kill me with mere flames? How amusing… how amusing, indeed! Allow me to enlighten you, junior." Xiao Jiantian laughed, his azure eyes glowing with calm fury. "One Ye Shi is far from enough… in truth, you will need a thousand more Ye Shi's to even pose a threat to this King's existence!"

He roared and his profound energy surged, doubling… tripling… quadrupling what it was before in sheer strength! This surge made even Ye Shi's body start to sweat as he felt a mountain of pressure collapse onto him. His tyrannical aura… was far too terrifying!

Never has a man in swimming trunks ever looked so menacing.

"What's wrong? You are a middle stage Monarch… surely, that's not all it takes to frighten you?"

"... I…"

"How disappointing."

Xiao Jiantian's figure vanished in a trail of light, kicking Ye Shi with such vigour that his ribcage shattered. He proceeded to land a wave of blows towards his chest, each more thunderous than the last.

When he got bored, a sword of golden lightning emerged in his hand. The lightning wasn't as wild as one would expect lightning to be… no, it was continuously flowing like a calm lake's water. This was, of course, an example of Xiao Jiantian's perfect mastery over the Law of Lightning.

With a single slash, Ye Shi was fully eradicated from existence.

"As for you…"

Xiao Jiantian coldly spoke, sending chills down Ye Xinghan's spine. Even though Xiao Jiantian's back was turned to him, Ye Xinghan was still ever so fearful… especially after seeing how easily he dispatched Ye Shi.

"..." He gulped as Xiao Jiantian turned to him. He did not dear face his azure eyes… no, they were far too terrifying.

"Where did YOUR arrogance go, my little junior?" Xiao Jiantian's overbearing voice didn't seem to infuriate Ye Xinghan… or rather his fear was far too deep for him to feel anger. He swiftly kicked Ye Xinghan's groin with such might that he had permanently shattered what he once used to dual cultivate…

A screeching scream that could be heard from miles away could be heard as a result of Ye Xinghan's unbearable pain…

"Tell you what, would you like to know a secret before I kill you?"

"I'll tell you anyway; the truth is that I am Xuanyuan Jiantian."

Ye Xinghan's pain resulted in him losing all sense, eventually just dying.

'Is he going to die just like that?'

"..." Xiao Jiantian raised an eyebrow as he watched Ye Xinghan's constant rolling on the sand cease.

As he checked up on his body, he came to the conclusion that he had truly died.

'Wow… well, that's that. One mighty kick to the nutsack and you can very well die…'

Xiao Jiantian's aura dispersed with sweat dripping down from his forehead. The wounds on his body had all but recovered by now… but his stamina was drained because of it. Because of the commotion, everyone had gathered in the background to watch the fight.

They congratulated and praised him for his show of might, though his chill and relaxed mood seemed to have been impacted by the encounter nonetheless. He wasn't in the mood to lay back… no, he wanted something else to beat up. His fighting spirit had been fully ignited.

When he focused, he could sense several peak Monarchs fighting it out. This did not happen often… if at all. Eight peak Monarchs… what kind of occasion was that?

Xiao Jiantian wiped the blood away from his mouth with his hand. "Sorry, I have to check something out. I'll be back in an hour or two."

And so, his figure disappeared.

~

"Give up already…" Huangji Wuyu's breath was heavy as he watched a Xuanyuan Wentian who was one step away from death's doors continue fighting.

"The spirit of a Sword Master... must… never… fade!"

"Tch… you put up a great struggle but it's all for nothing!"

Qu Fengyi kicked him onto the ground which was followed by a combined attack from Ye Meixie and Divine Envoy Heavens Equal. Then, while Xuanyuan Wentian was down and seemingly incapable of evading, all seven of them charged him at once. Many powerful profound skills were casted at once, all striking the Sword Master at a similar time.

'Is this… the end?'

Suddenly, a figure appeared in front of the combined attack in a flash. The sword in Xuanyuan Wentian's hand cracked at the same time, revealing an even greater blade. This sword left his hand and entered the figure's as he slashed horizontally, cutting through both space and time.

The wave of profound skills was absorbed completely, eventually exploding several miles away in a wasteland.

Xuanyuan Wentian's dazed state made him see things… for some reason… the figure's back reminded him of his uncle. The Sword Master before him; Xuanyuan Jiantian… the absolute pinnacle of strength and someone he had chased throughout his life.

"Uncle…?"

Xiao Jiantian smiled as he faced down all seven Monarchs.

"This is quite nostalgic for me, you know… somethings just never change."