Steadily becoming a saint, the immortal officials hired me to tend the horses

Ancestor Xuanquan tried to lift the Heaven-Cutting Axe for a long time but couldn't manage to lift it. He had to let go and step back, which made everyone watching understand one thing.

That was, Ancestor Xuanquan was far less powerful than Sword Venerable Fudao!

Although they had already thought so, witnessing this scene still left them shocked by the vast difference between the two.

How high was Sword Venerable Fudao's cultivation level?

Just at that moment,

the blade of the Heaven-Cutting Axe emitted bursts of sword Qi, hitting the ground, sending stones flying, and scaring everyone back.

Di Xie had also woken up by this time, but his expression was very complex, and he was visibly shaken. The others thought he had been scared silly.

Everyone stared to see two lines of words appear on the platform in front of the Heaven-Cutting Axe.

"Whoever lifts this axe!"

"Shall inherit its legacy!"

These eight words made many people start breathing heavily.

Immediately, an elder stepped forward to try lifting the Heaven-Cutting Axe.

On the other side,

Gu An had already returned to the Outer Gate City. He walked to the edge of the Heavenly Repair Platform, watching the cultivators continually try to lift the Heaven-Cutting Axe. A slight smile appeared on his lips.

The Heaven-Cutting Axe was forged from North Sea Nether Iron, which had been buried for millions of years. Even Mahayana cultivators would feel its immense weight without using spiritual power, and Gu An had infused the axe with mana and sword intent.

Only a Loose Immortal could draw this axe!

No one in Supreme Sect could lift it, and Gu An was not deliberately making things difficult. He would find a suitable inheritor in the years to come.

In the meantime, he could eliminate the Seven Stars Spirit Realm.

The Heaven-Cutting Divine Axe was one of the Nine Great Legacies of the Seven Stars Spirit Realm. Passing it on to disciples of Supreme Sect prematurely would only bring trouble.

Slaying the Demon Master had extended Gu An's lifespan by over 6,300 years, a massive gain.

The Demon Master's bones still lay under the Heaven-Cutting Axe without disintegrating, implying the bones were rare treasures. Gu An was not in a hurry to collect them. With the axe pressing on them, no one could take those bones.

After watching for a while, Gu An turned and left.

Along the way, the disciples were still excitedly discussing Sword Venerable Fudao, not realizing he had just passed by them.

Ancestor Xuanquan approached Di Xie with a serious expression and said, "Come with me."

Di Xie, with his face covered in blood, came to his senses. He did not resist and nodded in agreement.

...

Three Pure Ones Mountain.

On a cliff, Li Ya was practicing his swordsmanship. Wielding the North Sea Heavy Sword, he swung it through the air, creating gusts of wind. Compared to years ago, his sword strikes no longer felt heavy. Instead, they appeared graceful and elegant.

The soul of Ancestor of the Li Family floated under a nearby tree, his gaze distant and his brows deeply furrowed, lost in thought.

When Li Ya finished practicing, he looked back at Ancestor of the Li Family with pride and asked, "Ancestor, how is it? My sword moves have returned to their original form, haven't they? If I were to use my sword intent, its power would probably even scare me. Next time I meet An Hao, I might not lose."

Ancestor of the Li Family continued to be lost in thought, ignoring him.

Li Ya walked up to him, waved his hand, and complained, "What are you looking at? I'm talking to you!"

"Don't bother me; I'm watching a battle," Ancestor of the Li Family coldly snorted.

Li Ya couldn't help but ask, "What level of battle?"

"Unification Realm."

Li Ya lost interest immediately upon hearing this. He raised his North Sea Heavy Sword and said, "Stop watching. Nowadays, the world belongs to the Mystic Heart Realm and Mahayana Realm. Unification Realm is nothing; I'll reach it sooner or later."

"I want to go down the mountain!"

As he said this, his expression turned serious.

Ancestor of the Li Family responded casually, "Then go."

Upon hearing this, Li Ya immediately turned to leave.

"Wait, where are you going?" Ancestor of the Li Family regained his senses and hurriedly asked.

"Back to Supreme Sect!"

"Still worried about your Junior Brother Gu? What kind of spell has he put on you?" Ancestor of the Li Family frowned, his tone one of exasperation.

Standing with his back to Ancestor of the Li Family, Li Ya replied, "It's not for Junior Brother Gu; it's because Supreme Sect is in trouble. I need to go back and help. With the world in chaos, hiding here to cultivate—how can that be the behavior of a true man? What's the point of all the training bestowed by Supreme Sect?"

With that, he leaped off the cliff.

Ancestor of the Li Family did not pursue him but stayed where he was, mulling over his words.

Gradually, a smile appeared on Ancestor of the Li Family's face.

"That brat has finally grown up."

...

News of Sword Venerable Fudao slaying a mysterious Great Demon with one swing of his axe quickly spread throughout the Immortal Cultivation World, greatly boosting morale on the front lines.

According to Ancestor Xuan Quan of the Supreme Sect, that mysterious demon definitely had Mahayana Realm cultivation!

The fall of a Mahayana Realm demon was undoubtedly good news for the entire Human Race!

In a grand hall of the Great Jiang Dynasty...

"Ha ha ha ha! My Supreme Sect is indeed powerful. Sword Venerable Fudao can kill a Mahayana Realm cultivator with a single axe swing; his cultivation level is probably catching up to mine!"

Xuan Tianyi, sitting in the main seat, laughed heartily.

Liang Canghai, sitting beside him, also stroked his beard and smiled. Although Xuan Tianyi's words were arrogant, no one could deny that Sword Venerable Fudao's actions were beneficial to the Human Race.

Cultivators from various sects praised him. Among those present, the lowest cultivation level was in the Mystic Heart Realm. Even the Sect Leader of Supreme Sect, Lv Baitian, was not qualified to enter the hall because they were discussing strategies against the Mystic Heart Realm and Mahayana Realm demons.

Since the outbreak of the demon calamity, there had been demon informers within the Human Race.

Demons disguised as humans lurked around, and some people even sought to defect to the demons to save their own lives, complicating the calamity even further.

A Great Cultivator in the Mystic Heart Realm asked, "Why not bring Sword Venerable Fudao to the front lines?"

This suggestion received a lot of support, as many believed that if Sword Venerable Fudao joined them, their pressure would certainly decrease.

A woman in black spoke, "We don't know exactly who Sword Venerable Fudao is. He is merely protecting the Supreme Sect. We can't force him to act, nor can we pressure him with public opinion."

She wore a veil and was a Supreme Elder named Fairy Suxin from the Supreme Sect.

Her words garnered nods of agreement from the crowd.

Someone brought up, "Sword Venerable Fudao possesses the Demon Shadow Divine Skill, suggesting he may have come from the Thousand-Autumn Pavilion. If so, he might have turned over a new leaf and thus cannot show his true face. In that case, we definitely shouldn't request his help."

Liang Canghai then said, "When the Nine Nether Road opened before, Sword Venerable Fudao made a move. I suspect he will do so again in the future. But he has his considerations—don't forget, we still don't know how strong the Demon Emperor, Demon Master, or that mysterious Demon Ancestor are. Sword Venerable Fudao might be concerned with these matters, thus waiting in the shadows."

The reasoning seemed sound to everyone, so they began to discuss the Demon Emperor and the Demon Master.

An old Taoist from Three Pure Ones Mountain suddenly said, "Could the demon that died under Sword Venerable Fudao's hand be the Demon Emperor or Demon Master?"

Upon hearing this, everyone frowned.

Liang Canghai said solemnly, "We must determine this matter. Whether it's the Demon Emperor or the Demon Master, their death would benefit our future plans. As we continue to fear the unknown forces in the Demon Land, our efforts lack effectiveness."

Xuan Tianyi spoke, "I'll go back and return by tomorrow at the latest."

No one had any objections to this; Supreme Sect had only one known Mahayana Realm cultivator. They couldn't send a Daoist Lord to Supreme Sect, after all.

Even the Alliance Hierarch, Liang Canghai, agreed, so Xuan Tianyi immediately set off.

...

At dusk, Supreme Sect, Outer Gate City.

Xuan Tianyi walked up to the Heavenly Repair Platform, his appearance causing many Inner Sect disciples to stare wide-eyed.

This Outer Gate City had gathered a number of Inner Sect disciples, either to gaze at the Heaven-Cutting Axe or to seek sword enlightenment, and most of them had heard Xuan Tianyi preach the Dao, thus recognizing him instantly.

For a moment, silence fell over the Heavenly Repair Platform; even the Outer Sect disciples noticed the change in atmosphere and followed everyone else's gaze.

Xuan Tianyi walked straight to the Heaven-Cutting Axe.

A disciple trying hard to lift the Heaven-Cutting Axe was pushed by his friend. He instinctively looked at Xuan Tianyi, his face changing drastically. He quickly stepped back and saluted Xuan Tianyi.

Xuan Tianyi nodded slightly, stepped two more steps forward, and faced the Heaven-Cutting Axe.

He looked at the inscription on the ground and squinted his eyes.

How domineering the sword intent was!

Just by feeling the sword intent, he realized that he was inferior to Sword Venerable Fudao.

This made him speculate even more about Sword Venerable Fudao. This person was definitely not cultivated by Supreme Sect; the reason he protected Supreme Sect might be that he was hiding there.

His gaze shifted to the Demon Master's bones, carefully examining them, even probing with his divine sense.

More and more cultivators gathered around, whispering. Quickly, even the Outer Sect disciples knew that he was the True Inheritor, Xuan Tianyi!

This excited everyone.

Was the True Inheritor also going to challenge Sword Venerable Fudao's legacy?

Although Xuan Tianyi had gained much fame in recent years, in the hearts of many disciples, he still did not measure up to Sword Venerable Fudao.

After all, Sword Venerable Fudao was deeply mysterious!

Sword Venerable Fudao's eyebrows suddenly knitted, and his eyes showed a look of shock and fear.

These bones were definitely not from a Mahayana Realm!

Their realm was even higher!

Xuan Tianyi had traveled overseas for years and had encountered Great Cultivators and demons in Nirvana Realm, even Immortals.

Could Sword Venerable Fudao crush a Nirvana Realm demon with one axe?

Was Sword Venerable Fudao an Immortal?

Xuan Tianyi immediately raised his hand, gripping the handle of the Heaven-Cutting Axe.

Heavy!

That was Xuan Tianyi's first impression.

At this moment, Ancestor Xuanquan and Lu Lingjun also arrived nearby, curiously watching Xuan Tianyi.

Lu Lingjun had also tried to lift the Heaven-Cutting Axe before but couldn't even budge it, so she was very curious if Xuan Tianyi could lift it.

Xuan Tianyi used all his strength with one hand but could not move the Heaven-Cutting Axe at all.

A fierce look flashed in his eyes.

Boom——

A terrifying aura erupted, startling everyone around into retreat. The entire Heavenly Repair Platform trembled violently, as if about to crack open at any moment.

Everyone was shocked by Xuan Tianyi.

What kind of cultivation could produce such an aura?

Spiritual power burst forth, creating a gust of wind around Xuan Tianyi, even making his robes flutter and rustle.

He even bent down, using all his might to lift the Heaven-Cutting Axe.

However, the Heaven-Cutting Axe remained unmoved.

"How could this be..."

Xuan Tianyi's eyes were bloodshot, completely lost in the moment.

He admitted he was weaker than Sword Venerable Fudao, but to be unable to lift Sword Venerable Fudao's magic artifact—how could he accept that?

His eyes widened, his aura suddenly increasing, his hair lifting, and strange cyan runes appearing on his neck.