Sword Sovereign of the Celestial Emperor

Parting ways with Night Phantom, Chu Ming continued to climb towards Sword Peak. Under the scan of his spiritual senses, he distinctly discovered that soon after parting, Night Phantom's presence disappeared entirely, clearly getting caught in an array once more.

...

At the peak of Sword Peak, the surroundings were shrouded in mist, devoid of any vegetation. The thick essence of slaughter seemed almost tangible. In the heart of the desolation stood a tattered stone tablet, its corners worn, and densely packed inscriptions carved into it had blurred over the ages.

At some point, a purple mist swirled from the stone tablet, then coalesced into a lingering note, forming the shape of a middle-aged man in the air. His face was sharp as a blade, his aura extremely calm, but most striking were his eyes. Just one look made one feel as if they were being drawn into a void, where sword auras rampaged across the cosmic starry sky.

"Finally, a worthy swordsman has come this time. I wonder if he can pass my trial."

The phantom middle-aged figure cast his gaze through the layers of white clouds, landing on Chu Ming. As if recalling something, he shook his head with a bitter smile after a few breaths.

"Forget it. Having stayed here for two thousand years, and with less than a hundred years until the forbidden zone demon battle, as long as he's not too poor, he'll do."

The voice of the phantom middle-aged figure was very soft, dissipating with the wind, along with the purple illusion.

...

Poof!

Chu Ming emerged from the last array, looking somewhat fatigued. Though he was a Body Refining Martial Artist, constantly exerting full power still made him feel his body's functions slowly declining.

Finding a rock, Chu Ming rested on it for an hour, his complexion looking much better.

At this moment, he was just one step away from the peak of Sword Peak. Standing up, Chu Ming held his breath and took a slow step forward, instantly feeling himself pass through a soft barrier, like a water curtain.

Whoosh!

Before Chu Ming could clearly see his surroundings, a terrifying suction force emerged from beneath his feet. In a flash of light, his figure vanished from the original spot.

In the depths, Chu Ming felt an immense heaviness in his mind, as if a voice was trying to drag him into the abyss of sleep. At this moment, the white light plate dormant in his mind trembled slightly, instantly dispelling the heaviness.

"Hmm?"

Slowly opening his eyes, Chu Ming curiously observed his surroundings, his right hand lightly resting on the hilt of the Conjugate Sword, finding a trace of safety only by holding the sword.

It was a stone chamber, a hundred meters in length and width. The brownish hue seemed heavy, and every half meter in the stone chamber, a stone treasure sword was embedded in the ground. Looking around, the densely packed swords were uncountable.

The surroundings were without lamps, but an unknown light source brightened the entire stone chamber. Chu Ming extended his spiritual sense, forming a vivid mental image of the chamber.

However, realizing his location, Chu Ming frowned. The floor of the stone chamber was filled with treasure swords, the only vacant spot being right under his feet, making the place seem eerie.

"You've arrived."

A void-like voice suddenly sounded behind Chu Ming. He quickly turned around to see a purple phantom of a middle-aged man, hovering above hundreds of stone swords, smiling at him.

"Are you a soul body?"

Chu Ming frowned and immediately concealed the white light plate in his mind. The white light plate was his biggest secret. For some reason, the purple phantom middle-aged figure gave him a sense of dread, even stronger than that of Qingxuan King.

"Heh, a soul body? You could say that!"

The middle-aged phantom smiled self-deprecatingly, speaking softly as purple light spread from his figure, filling the entire space with a purple intent.

"Who are you? Why am I here?"

Chu Ming glanced around, realizing it was a small space. To create such a space, the soul body before him was at least a Life and Death Realm King in his lifetime.

"First, let me answer your first question. Who am I? It's been so long that I've forgotten my name. I only remember that in my lifetime, they called me the Ancient Sword Emperor."

The middle-aged phantom's eyes flashed with a trace of reminiscence as he spoke slowly.

"Ancient Sword Emperor?!"

Chu Ming was slightly stunned, his expression changed. The title Ancient Sword Emperor didn't refer to a person, but an honor, a recognition. Since the cultivation techniques emerged, the continent went through eras of Ancient Times, Ancient Era, and Near Ancient Era.

In Ancient Times, cultivation methods had just begun to develop, ancestors of the human race explored human potential, creating numerous cultivation techniques, benefiting the entire human race. However, cultivation methods were not widely disseminated yet, and there were few powerful humans.

The Ancient Era was the peak period of martial cultivation. In those times, everyone revered martial artists, and with abundant heaven and earth spiritual power, numerous powerful figures emerged. According to records, martial artists of that time were generally of Guiyuan Realm cultivation, strong ones were in the Realm of Transcendence, and only Life and Death Realm Kings could dominate one side.

In the Ancient Era, many powerful beings proclaimed themselves emperors, there were at least twenty to thirty of them. The Ancient Sword Emperor stood among these figures, unparalleled in talent, capable of ranking at least in the top five, perhaps even the top three.

The Near Ancient Era, the era Chu Ming was in, saw a sharp reduction in heaven and earth spiritual power. Many old Life and Death Realm Kings reached their natural lifespan and passed away, while young elites often got stuck at the threshold of the Life and Death Realm, leading to a significant decline in the number of Life and Death Realm Kings.

As for those who proclaimed themselves emperors, their numbers naturally declined as well, and the standards for doing so dropped. In the Ancient Era, many Life and Death Realm Kings didn't even qualify to claim such titles.

Perhaps only the top emperors like the Emperor of Destruction, the Emperor of Creation, the Emperor Ming, and the Death Emperor could stand shoulder to shoulder with the emperors of the Ancient Era.

"As for why you are here, naturally, it's because I brought you here."

The Ancient Sword Emperor spoke calmly, his eyes flickering, like sword light traversing the cosmos, shattering stars, and freezing time and space.

"Why did you bring me here?"

Chu Ming snapped out of his shock and asked.

Seeing Chu Ming recover so quickly, the Ancient Sword Emperor's eyes flashed a hint of approval. As an outstanding swordsman, maintaining calm and composure was an indispensable quality.

"Have you heard of the Sword Scripture?"

The Ancient Sword Emperor asked, his gaze burning as he looked at Chu Ming.

"Sword Scripture?"

Chu Ming's heart leaped, understanding immediately. As a swordsman, he was particularly interested in the affairs of the Ancient Sword Emperor, having read numerous books about him.