Chapter 3: Sword of Slaughter Fusion

  The moon is cold, the stars are sparse, and the long night has finally passed. A glimmer of dawn rises from the southeastern horizon, and the sky is finally bright.

  Tang An opened his eyes, and found that the dew on his hair and clothes had all evaporated after he slightly circulated his true energy.

  "Hmm"

  He felt the inner energy in his dantian slowly recovering, and the circulation of the inner energy was again absorbed by the golden qinglong jingyuan, assimilated, and he involuntarily let out a breath.

  He has mastered the art of killing, and he can be said to have reached a high level in this way. However, at the end of this path, there is no longer any road for him to walk on. He knows that the ultimate goal of killing is life, but while it's easy to take someone's life, he doesn't know how to let someone live.

  "Are you telling me not to kill and let those damned people go?"

  Tang An shook his head, this reason was obviously ridiculous. How could those damned people be let off?

  Not one can be spared!

  A red sun rises from the east, shining on all things. The rumbling carriages and noisy crowds are filled with lively smiles, starting to line up in a hurry to enter the city. Before and after sunrise is the time when the city gate is wide open, also the busiest moment of Yanjing City's day.

  Tang An had been standing still in the darkness for a long time, and the red sun shone on his face, warm and gentle. The dew drops on the ground sparkled brightly, refracting the sunlight into a dazzling brilliance, revealing an incredibly vivid picture.

  Tang An gazed at the scene before him, and suddenly had a slight epiphany: "The heavens and earth, yin and yang, have always been cyclical, never staying in one extreme forever. Darkness may be long-lasting, but it will eventually pass. After the sun rises, all things begin anew with renewed vitality. I can stay in the darkness, doing nothing, and yet the sunlight will still shine on my face. All I need to do is let go of the attachments in my heart and wait for that spark of new life."

  But can someone as stubborn as Tang An easily change his mind?

  Of course not.

  Tang An furrowed his brow and shook his head. He didn't understand.

  Letting go and waiting had never been his style. He was never the type to give himself up to others, so he wouldn't choose to wait either!

  Waiting, in his view, is no different from suicide!

  …………

  Tang An stood still on the grass by the side of the road for a long time.

  Suddenly, he paused in his heart, as if he had a feeling, the long sword in his hand came out of its scabbard, and with a shake, a collection, and a swing, he began to dance on the side of the road.

  The sword has no moves, it rises with the heart's intention. He has entered a heavenly realm, where every move and style contains a kind of mysterious and ethereal feeling of the heavens. This sword technique seems to be in harmony with some kind of natural law, its power boundless.

  He couldn't explain this principle, but he felt that there was indeed something mysterious between heaven and earth. His heart and spirit could also connect with it. Every time he realized something, he could feel the fluctuations in the world, as if it were a kind of emotion.

  But isn't the universe indifferent? If it's indifferent, how can there be emotions? He doesn't understand. He has just entered the Small Heaven Realm and is only at the beginning of the path to becoming a celestial being. If he understood now, wouldn't he directly ascend to heaven in broad daylight, return to his origin, and enter the realm of immortals?

  The sky has brightened, and the city gate is bustling. Merchants from outside the city, people coming to the market, are pouring in endlessly. Suddenly, someone glanced over at Tang An casually. Seeing that his swordsmanship was strange, it seemed like he was just randomly dancing around, and seeing that Tang An's clothes were tattered and disheveled, they thought this guy was a madman. He said to his younger brother, "Hey, Second Brother, look over there, there's a madman practicing swordplay. I know you came into the capital this time also wanting to find an opportunity to apprentice with a master and learn some skills, right? I'm telling you, people who practice martial arts can become deranged and lose their minds, sometimes they don't even recognize themselves. You'd better be careful, or else you'll end up like that madman."

  The old man grunted and said, "You're the one who's going crazy from studying." After he finished speaking, he glanced at Tang An.

  But with just one glance, he was stunned there. He had been practicing martial arts for over ten years, and although his level wasn't high, his eyesight was still pretty good. In fact, he could tell which ones were swindlers in the jianghu, and which ones were truly extraordinary masters.

  He watched Tang An dance with his sword, at first thinking that this person's swordsmanship was very casual. Later, he discovered that the swordsmanship was very smooth, and as he continued to watch, he felt that the swordsmanship was profound and mysterious, and he couldn't understand it at all. The more he stared, the more shocked he became in his heart. This swordsmanship was actually so sharp! As he watched this astonishing swordsmanship, his body suddenly trembled.

  However, he was still uncertain and randomly patted the old man's body, but his eyes stared at Tang An without blinking: "Brother, brother, take another look, is that person really a madman?"

  He initially thought that this sword technique was amazing and would definitely not be unknown. However, when he turned his head again, he saw Tang An suddenly step into the air!

  Tang An tread on the mysterious and profound steps, just like a roaming dragon, and actually stepped onto the blue sky. He saw Tang An's strange suspension in mid-air, displaying his extraordinary swordsmanship.

  Tang An's body was shrouded in a mysterious aura, with his sword light swirling around him, enveloping his entire being in a greenish-blue glow. White clouds floated beneath his feet, and the shadow of a blue dragon flickered in and out of sight.

  That man saw this, and adrenaline suddenly surged, feeling that today he might have encountered a legendary figure in the Jianghu. He was so excited that he suddenly grabbed Lao Da's arm and shouted uncontrollably, "Big brother, look...hurry up and take a look!!"

  That old man was pinched by him, and he felt that his bones were almost scattered. He let out a loud "ah" and turned around, intending to scold his younger brother for being startled. But when he saw Tang An suspended in mid-air, his eyes widened in shock! He stared at his brother, then at Tang An, and was stunned for a long time before stuttering: "That madman... is a... a Tianjie strongman?!"

  …………

  Tang Anren was in the air, his mind had already entered a state of selflessness. At this moment, he didn't think about anything, and simply followed the principle of yin-yang transformation and the cycle of heaven and earth that he had just grasped under the morning sun, and began to dance with the treasure sword in his hand. The sword moves were continuous, like a great river's tide, unending.

  He did it unintentionally, but gradually, the sword moves in his hand changed and became the Nine Styles of Killing Sword. The Nine Styles of Killing Sword, each with different moves and characteristics, yet having a unique atmosphere.

  That's murder!

  Tang An felt an internal connection within the killing sword, and his heart moved inexplicably. He suddenly wanted to merge the nine styles of killing swords into a single, unified killing sword!

  …………

  At this time, many people have already discovered Tang An in mid-air. The gatekeeper soldiers reported layer by layer, and in less than a moment, they knew the identity of this person. It turned out to be the winner of yesterday's Tiger Leopard Fighting Championship, Jiuxiao Shenlong, Tianjian Tang An! And in less than a moment, Tang An's information began to circulate among the onlookers.

  They were truly the strongest in the heavenly realm, and they all surged forward, squeezing to the bottom of Tang An's feet, lifting their heads to stare intently at Tang An's sword dance. Although they couldn't understand it, this didn't affect their excited mood at this moment.

  As for entering the city early? Forget it. Delaying for a while won't kill me. But watching the Tianjing strongman dance with his sword, this is a rare spectacle that can be seen only once in a hundred years. This is something that I can brag about for my whole life. When I get back home and tell the neighbors about it, they'll all look at me with envy when I say I've seen the Tianjing strongman master an unparalleled martial art...

  At this moment, Tang An in the sky seemed to have a great epiphany, completely relaxing and opening up his mind. His whole person also became extremely ethereal.

  It seems he has merged with nature!

  His divine thoughts have already stirred the heavens and earth, faintly wandering between the laws of the universe. But just this slight touch, suddenly, the primordial energy of the universe burst forth from the heavenly gate and poured into him. And around him, a small whirlpool also formed.

  Endless spiritual energy began to surge in, merging into his meridians. Just like that, in less than a moment, his golden true yuan started to fill up. The three major acupoints were filled, and then it began to circulate throughout his body, until finally, even the dantian was filled with this golden true yuan liquid.

  His body and mind were in a wonderful state, and then his body suddenly shook violently, emitting a loud thunderous sound. Immediately, a dazzling blue light burst out from around him, shining through his body!

  This light began to linger on his skin, making his skin look like jade, radiant and resplendent. It was the protective true energy of a Tianjing strongman!

  With the protection of the true energy, as long as the true energy is not extinguished, the Tianjing strong will not be harmed! And this protective true energy, unless the true yuan is exhausted, it will fade. Otherwise, the Tianjing strong are almost invincible. This is also the biggest difference between Tianjing strong and ordinary strong!

  But at this moment, Tang An's heart was still very calm, like an ancient well without ripples. He still maintained that ethereal state.

  He suddenly realized something.

  The morning sun is resplendent, the midday sun is scorching, the evening sun is late, and then comes a night of darkness. After the darkness, there is again the morning sun... Life, prosperity, decline, and renewal cycle in the natural changes.

  Heaven and earth are natural, they are the teachers of all things.

  The way of the sword is also like this!

  Above the sky, Tang An Shun followed this principle and attempted to merge the nine forms of killing sword. However, he only danced three swords, and that feeling of doing as one pleased was suddenly interrupted, only to feel that the sword's momentum was heavy, and his heart and spirit were in agony like a knife being twisted.

  He knew that his current realm was still too low, and his divine sense was not condensed enough. Today, he could merge the three killing swords, which was already the ultimate, and he couldn't be any stronger than this.

  If we continue like this, it's likely to cause mental damage.

  Tang An stopped, and at this moment, the familiar mechanical voice of the system sounded again in Tang An's mind.

  Congratulations to the host, won the first place in the Tiger and Leopard Fighting Championship! From now on, no one in the world will not know the name of Tianjian! Completed task, system reward: Supreme Treasure Tianyuan Dan x1.

  The Tianyuan Dan is the supreme secret treasure, under the heavenly realm, it can make the wearer's true energy transform into true yuan, automatically entering the heavenly realm, but cannot comprehend the divine thought. The host has already reached the heavenly realm and comprehended the divine thought, so the Tianyuan Dan loses its effect of helping the host directly advance. The system automatically exchanges the Tianyuan Dan for 100 voice returns to the host.

  "Ding~ The host won three matches in the Tiger and Leopard Fighting Tournament, rewarded with 30 points of prestige. Also, mastered the hidden skill 'Nine Appearances Dragon Step' from the secret technique 'Cloud Dragon Nine Appearances', rewarded with 30 points of prestige. PS: The host currently has 161 points of prestige. As the host has reached the Heavenly Boundary, the ordinary Jianghu system can no longer satisfy the host's growth. The system will be upgraded again. The system will not be available for half a month."

  "Ding! Wang Ruitu, one of the Seven Absolute Swords of Shushan, has arrived in the capital. System Task: Defeat Wang Ruitu and become a new legend of Jianghu! Task Reward: First Edition of Tongtian Map!"

  ==========

  After this, take a break for a few chapters, and then we'll continue with the explosion!

  Finally, "Tongtian Map" is out...