Chapter 124: I Am the Light

Su Mo whispered softly, his voice long and resonant.

The murmur from the corners of his lips seemed to break the seal on something primordial. The next instant, the ink-colored sword blade erupted with a scarlet, blood-like hue.

A wind rose within the small courtyard.

A chill swept through, accompanied by gusts of ghostly air that soon escalated into a fierce, howling gale. A torrent of overwhelming sword intent began to seep into the marrow and organs of everyone present. The sensation was akin to a fish cast upon a parched desert, stripped of all moisture, destined to be evaporated in an instant.

Unlike the others, Li Moran experienced a transformation that was entirely different.

Between heaven and earth, twilight descended, and in the blink of an eye, it was as if night had fallen. Beneath her feet, the surrounding landscape was completely shrouded in an absolute, crushing darkness.

Silence.

It was like a dark domain. The entire human world seemed to drift away from her.

Li Moran’s pupils began to constrict. The disdain in her eyes vanished entirely, and the words she was about to utter were swallowed back into her throat. The tall woman stood still, silently sensing the aura radiating from the darkness nearby.

It was the scent of death.

Her expression turned incomparably grave, her lips parched.

"Which ancient baleful sword is this?"

"And how could it possibly bow to the will of this man?"

...

As if in response to her thoughts, a bone-chilling wail emanated from the chaotic darkness. It sounded as if the stars were falling from the sky, like a wildfire raging across the plains.

Hideous, decaying corpses began to crawl out from the darkness in every direction. As the ghostly winds gathered into shape, one could vaguely discern the last remaining beasts of the ancient era: the White-Eared Giant Ape, the Cliff-Sea Teng Serpent, the Taiyin Fluorescent Calamity, and the Northern Abyss Kun-Peng.

These primeval beasts, which had once stirred the winds and clouds with absolute dominance, emerged one by one. They were the countless vengeful souls slain by this very sword millions of years ago.

An overwhelming, suffocating戾气 (malice) erupted from the darkness. The presence of numerous gods and demons permeated the heavens and earth—vast, ancient, and eternal.

The decaying corpses crawled slowly toward the woman, while the ancient beasts roared in the background. Faced with this scene, a look of incredulous shock washed over Li Moran’s face. She finally realized the origin of this ancient sword.

Legend had it that in the remote past, an immortal had forged it using the essence and blood of the Human, Demon, and Monster races.

The sword was called "Heaven Slayer."

But the ancient Heaven Slayer was known to be the possession of Dao Yan, the Sect Leader of the Dao Sect. Why was it in the hands of Su Mo?

...

Violent blade intent surged forth. A pure white light radiated from Li Moran’s entire body, making her appear like an immortal.

"Do you think the residual resentment of ten thousand years can restrain me?"

Li Moran let out a sharp shout, her expression as decisive and fierce as an autumn wind sweeping away fallen leaves. She could no longer hold back and finally launched her strike.

The raging blade energy transformed into countless silver-white threads that whipped outward, eerie and tyrannical, shattering the ancient corpses and giant apparitions alike.

"With such immense malice, you dare to wield it without a shred of cultivation? Let’s see how long it takes for you to suffer the backlash and devour yourself!"

The sword-wielding immortal strode forward, her blade intent warding off the surrounding malice. Nothing within a ten-foot radius could draw near. She was unstoppable.

Suddenly.

The wailing and roaring vanished, replaced by an infinite, hollow silence.

Yellow, flying sands drifted from afar like a river, circling once before scattering faint golden light. These golden specks of light continuously merged and dispersed, eventually forming figures in various poses.

This time, it was the chanting of countless celestials and Buddhas.

Each character and syllable uttered from their mouths transformed into complex Sanskrit scripts, rising to the heavens to weave a giant golden net.

Heaven’s net is vast and inescapable.

Thousands of celestials and Buddhas pressed down in unison.

The tall woman’s expression remained unchanged. With a flash of light, her right hand grasped a snow-white horizontal blade.

"I care not for your celestial Buddhas—go to hell!"

Her cold voice rang out.

A beam of light, as thick as a mountain, erupted from the darkness, soaring upward like a thunderbolt.

*Crack!*

The giant golden net split open from top to bottom.

The endless dome of the night sky seemed to be torn asunder, and light began to filter through. The radiance descended like a curtain, warm and comforting. A smile finally touched the corners of Li Moran’s lips.

In her view, she had pierced through this firmament; all that remained was to return to the human world. Leaving this place meant the end of the ordeal.

The next moment, the sword-immortal transformed into a blade herself, shooting into the sky and vanishing at the horizon.

The celestials and Buddhas watched the woman’s retreating figure without moving. They simply ceased their chanting, a hint of pity lingering in their eyes.

A gentle breeze blew, and everything in the darkness dissipated into smoke. The three realms returned to chaos.

...

The sword-immortal flew forward at high speed.

The light was just ahead, growing increasingly blinding, even radiating a searing heat. It was clearly right before her, but... why had she not reached it yet?

The joy on Li Moran’s face gradually faded, replaced by a look of bewilderment. She halted, instinctively looking back, only to find there was no longer any path of retreat.

Various divine images emerged in the air: Flying celestial maidens in colorful murals, Asuras of the underworld amid endless tombstones, and the Ten Kings of Hell in the chaos, their banners filled with endless vengeful ghosts.

The Immortal Realm, the Human Realm, and the Underworld were all laid bare.

Li Moran could no longer suppress the fear that had not surfaced for hundreds of years. With a ferocious glare, she roared, "Stop these tricks! Come out!"

Light shone from ahead.

As the darkness receded, a figure emerged from the brightness, though their features remained obscured. An ancient sword floated beside the person.

Li Moran swept her wide sleeves, her voice icy. "Su Mo, do you think this can stop me?"

"I could only drag you into the sixth layer of the Nine Netherworlds."

Su Mo looked at her and said, "You came to my side of your own accord; how can you speak of being stopped?"

Li Moran froze for a moment, and shortly after, a cold sweat drenched her entire body. She looked around; it was empty, devoid of any signs of life.

She asked with a trembling voice, "Which layer is this?"

Su Mo replied, "The ninth, naturally."

Li Moran’s face turned deathly pale in an instant.

In a split second, the sword-immortal plummeted into the distance, without a hint of hesitation.

Su Mo shook his head slightly and sighed, "Too late."

Countless strands of black energy surged from heaven and earth, entangling Li Moran’s entire body.

The Nine Heavens of the Netherworld.

Those who enter never return; there is no life, only death.

The black mist rolled and roared, completely swallowing her figure. Within moments, all movement ceased.

...

The sword-immortal, who had stepped into the upper three realms of the world, felt her consciousness gradually blur. Her form floated in the air, her eyes turning gray.

Vaguely, she saw a shadow of light approach her.

"In the deepest part of the Netherworld, there is no return."

Li Moran, confused and bewildered, whispered, "And you?"

The gentle man replied, "The human world and the Netherworld are not actually far apart; they exist only between a single thought."

The sword-immortal paused, slowly shifting her gaze. She saw a slender figure radiating dazzling brilliance. In the vast, infinite darkness, there was only him.

Luminous and searing.

A look of realization gradually dawned in her eyes, and she offered a bitter smile.

"I thought I had split the net of the Netherworld with my blade, which is why I saw the light."

"What you saw was not the light."

Su Mo pondered for a moment before saying, "It was me."

...

Inside the Yang family estate, the onlookers only saw the young man from the Dao Sect press two fingers against his sword hilt.

Then, the sword-immortal, a master who had stepped into the upper three realms, bled from her seven orifices and collapsed to the ground with a thunderous crash.