189: A divine eye? A blind man? (Seventy-four)

Jun Yun's Divine Soul was completely suppressed in this duel of wills.

Before the opponent's pure and powerful Sword Intent of Judgment, his own Sword Intent was like a small boat tossing in a storm.

Under wave after wave of impact, his Divine Soul constantly shattered and reformed.

But he never once yielded.

Clinging to the last shred of clarity, Jun Yun frantically comprehended and absorbed the opponent's Sword Dao.

Under this extreme pressure, his understanding of the Sword Scripture and his perception of his own "Path of Contention" actually became clearer and clearer.

Gradually, he began to integrate his domineering will of "Seizing" and "Contending" bit by bit into his sword momentum.

However, this was not enough.

The opponent's Sword Dao will was too powerful and too pure.

If this continued, he would eventually be completely obliterated.

With his Divine Soul on the verge of collapse, Jun Yun steeled his heart.

Since he couldn't defend...

...then he would stop defending.

His actions left both supreme afterimages stunned.

He no longer passively defended against the Judge's attacks.

Instead, he proactively turned his own weak but resilient Sword Intent around.

His target was not the domineering and fierce Judge.

It was the first Legacy power—gentle, vast, and just about to return to silence.

He wanted to forcibly "seize" this Legacy.

"My Dao is to contend, to seize!"

Jun Yun roared within his Sea of Consciousness.

His Sword Intent, carrying the essence of plundering, stabbed fiercely into that gentle sea of Legacy light.

This move caused the situation to spiral completely out of control.

The first gentle will instinctively began to resist.

It would not allow its Legacy to be plundered so crudely.

Meanwhile, the second will—the Judge—was thoroughly enraged by Jun Yun's arrogance.

"Arrogant brat! How dare you!"

The enraged will transformed into an even more terrifying Sword of Judgment. It was no longer a test, but a strike carrying true killing intent aimed at Jun Yun.

Boom!

Jun Yun's Sea of Consciousness turned completely into a storm of Chaos.

The resistance of the first will.

The Sword of Judgment from the second will.

And Jun Yun's own frantically plundering Sword Intent.

Three distinct forces, each containing supreme principles of the sword, collided violently within this narrow space.

Any one of these forces was enough to annihilate the Divine Soul of a Divine Emperor-level existence.

Yet now, these three forces were clashing and annihilating each other within Jun Yun's Sea of Consciousness.

At the center of this storm, Jun Yun's Divine Soul was instantly torn to shreds.

But he did not give up.

He clung desperately to his last shred of clarity.

He knew this was a crisis, but it was also his only chance at life.

Like a mad gambler, he bet everything he had.

"Smelt!"

Jun Yun roared in his heart.

Using his "Plundering" will as the furnace fire, he frantically captured and absorbed the fragments of Dao laws leaking out from the collision of the two supreme Sword Intents.

Those fragments contained the most fundamental understanding of Sword Dao from two supreme existences.

Ignoring everything else, Jun Yun dragged them all into the furnace of his will.

Forcibly smelting them.

Turning them into his own.

This process was incredibly painful.

His Divine Soul endured excruciating agony every single moment.

Yet he only grew more frenzied.

He could feel his Sword Intent rapidly evolving amidst this chaotic storm.

After an unknown amount of time...

...the destructive storm finally began to subside.

Because their power was exhausted, the two supreme afterimages grew incredibly dim and eventually both fell into silence.

Jun Yun's Sea of Consciousness returned to calm.

But it was already a mess.

His Divine Soul was severely damaged, covered in cracks, and on the verge of collapse.

However...

...right in the center of this shattered Divine Soul...

...a brand new true meaning of Sword Dao slowly condensed into form.

That Sword Intent was no longer purely sharp, nor was it purely elusive.

It carried a domineering intent of plundering.

As if everything in the world could be a sword, and everything could be seized by it.

Plundering Sword Dao.

The embryonic form was complete.

Just then...

...the second supreme will, which was about to fade completely, seemed to let out a helpless sigh.

"If that is the case, so be it, so be it..."

"My method has already been passed on, so I cannot give it to you. This is the 'Heart Sword'; let's see if you can comprehend it."

A Sword Dao Divine Ability Mind-Cultivation Technique merged into Jun Yun's battered Divine Soul.

Heart Sword!

The first sentence of that information stream shook Jun Yun's mind to its core.

"My heart, my method, my sword."

Jun Yun was deeply shaken.

He could feel that the profundity and power of this Heart Sword was not even a fraction weaker than the Sword Scripture.

This was a supreme sword technique that used one's own heart as the sword.

However, before Jun Yun could carefully experience this unexpected joy, a sense of weakness and tearing from the depths of his Divine Soul swept over his entire consciousness.

He had won that gamble.

But the price was that his Divine Soul was almost completely shattered.

If the embryonic form of the Plundering Sword Dao hadn't formed at the last moment to protect his true spirit, he would be a living dead man by now.

Jun Yun forced himself to stay conscious and sat cross-legged in the center of the Sword Tomb.

He knew that in his current state, let alone going to the Ten Gods Corridor, he probably couldn't even walk out of this Sword Tomb.

Injuries to the Divine Soul were a hundred times more dangerous than injuries to the Physical Body.

Although the Sword Intent here had fallen silent, the residual supreme Dao rhythms formed a natural sanctuary, making it an excellent place to recover.

He had to completely repair his injuries and fully digest his gains here.

Time flowed by, and seasons changed.

Jun Yun sat in the silent Sword Tomb for three years.

For three years, he did not move an inch, like a stone statue.

Under the nourishment of the Plundering Sword Dao's true meaning, his shattered Divine Soul was repaired and reshaped bit by bit.

Those hideous cracks were filled with new Dao law fragments that fused two supreme sword principles, making his Divine Soul tougher and more powerful than ever before.

At the same time, he constantly meditated on the Heart Sword, cross-referencing and integrating it with his own Plundering Dao.

One day, three years later...

...the seated Jun Yun finally slowly opened his eyes.

The moment he opened his eyes, the coarse strip of cloth covering them silently turned to ash.

After three years, the Nine-Colored Double Pupils once again reflected the world.

Deep within his pupils, indifference and desire intertwined, radiating a heart-stopping majesty.

His aura was restrained to the extreme, yet it felt as if it could devour the heavens and earth at any moment.

The three years of silence had not only healed his wounds but had also allowed him to completely transform the gains from that gamble into his own foundation.

Jun Yun stood up and stretched his body that had been still for three years.

He glanced at the ruins of the Sword Tomb beneath his feet, which was now completely dead.

To him, this former treasure land was indeed no longer useful.

Jun Yun turned and took a step forward, his figure disappearing into the wilderness of the Ancient Star.

It was time to go to the Ten Gods Corridor and test his newly born power.

It was also time to harvest that fattest of fruits that had been waiting for three years.

He smiled meaningfully.

"You Chen, I hope you haven't disappointed me these past three years."