Chapter 43: The World’s Top Swordsmanship

Translator: Exodus Tales Editor: Exodus Tales

Yanyan had never seen such a scene before. There has never been a secret scroll that vanished once it was learned. There wasn’t any secret scroll that could only be cultivated by one person. But now, the Pig-Killing Sword Tactic had become a martial arts secret scroll that solely belonged to Yang Dingtian.

…

“Boom…”

Yang Dingtian saw a flash in his mind, and suddenly, he found himself in a dimensional virtual illusion. He was standing on a white jade platform that was floating in a sea of clouds. The place looked just like heaven.

Yang Dingtian was amazed. How could learning martial arts be so mysterious?

“Whoosh…” A gust of wind blew past, and a white cloud quickly condensed into an illusory figure. The figure could not be seen clearly as it shifted constantly with the wind, changing shape as it did.

“It’s been ten thousand years. Someone finally came in.” The figure sighed, sounding extremely old.

Yang Dingtian suppressed his excitement, walked forward, and bowed. “Yang Dingtian would like to greet senior.”

The figure made of clouds glanced at Yang Dingtian and quickly approached him. Then, a shroud of fog enveloped Yang Dingtian.

“In this huge world, it was actually a person from another world who has learned my swordsmanship. Interesting, interesting.” The figure laughed and entered Yang Dingtian’s body to roam inside for a bit.

“Nine Yang Xuan Veins, one in a billion. Good, that’s good!!” The shadow smiled. “Your name is Yang Dingtian? I am Xuwu Piaoyan, the author of the Pig-Killing Swordsmanship. Before you start learning the first stage of my art, I must first tell you something……”

“Yes, senior.” Yang Dingtian sat down.

“More than ten thousand years ago, the legendary end of the world was about to arrive. But, no one in the world believed it because the entire Chaotic Mainland was at the peak in terms of martial arts. However, I gradually found many clues about it. Some races disappeared all of a sudden. A huge piece of land appeared deep in the ocean. Stars kept falling from the sky.”

“So, I gave up the temptation to become the top elite in the world. I traveled around the world, walked hundreds of thousands of miles, looking for the root of the calamity and wanting to save the entire Chaotic Mainland. But, the further I traveled, the closer the crisis of calamity felt. The foreboding feeling of imminent disaster got stronger and stronger. I felt that I didn’t have enough time. I was afraid that I would be unable to complete my task and needed someone to carry on my mission. If I were to fail, my successor could follow in my footsteps to find the source of the world’s destruction. Thus, I went and separated part of my Xuan energy and soul to write this secret scroll detailing the Pig-Killing Swordsmanship.”

“I wrote the first stage of my secret scroll while I was looking for the Naga clan in the depths of the Secret North Sea. As when I wrote the second stage and whether or not I found the Naga clan, I will only tell you when you reach the second stage.”

Naga clan – rumors say that they were born from the mating of dragons and sea snakes. They were the race that was closest to having dragon veins in the world. Although there have been rumors of the Naga clan throughout the past thousand years and everyone was aware of their existence, no one has ever seen them. Even Dongfang Niemie who had traveled the world had never seen any traces.

“As the quest for the source of the earth’s destruction requires my successor to be the strongest person in the universe, I wrote the secret scroll in a way such that only the person with the strongest Xuan veins could enter the secret scroll to cultivate. However, I certainly did not expect to wait ten thousand years for that person.

“Yang Dingtian, will you follow in my footsteps, to search for the source of the earth’s destruction, to find a way to save the entire Chaotic Mainland?” Xuwu Piaoyan slowly asked.

“I do.” Yang Dingtian said. “However, the disaster has already happened. Ten thousand years ago, the world was destroyed.”

“It had already happened?” Xuwu Piaoyan’s shadow trembled and almost dispersed.

“It was destroyed. It really was destroyed…” Xuwu Piaoyan sighed and asked, “How did it come to pass?”

Yang Dingtian replied, “The world changed. The oceans became mountains, and the mountains became oceans. The land sank into the oceans. Rivers disappeared. The earth turned upside down. A few thousand years after the disaster, the surviving human beings began to reproduce, relying on ancient martial arts scrolls to develop a martial arts civilization from the ground up.”

Xuwu Piaoyan let out a long sigh. “You haven’t found the source of the world’s destruction, have you?”

“No,” Yang Dingtian admitted. “No one was even looking for it.”

“Then, you go and find it,” Xuwu Piaoyan continued. “When you become strong enough, follow in my footsteps to find the source of the world’s destruction so that I can rest in peace.”

“Yes, Senior Xuwu,” Yang Dingtian replied dutifully. “But, I have many tasks of my own to complete now. I need to finish all of them before I can go look for the source of the world’s destruction.”

“Of course, before you become a Martial Saint, you won’t be able to continue my mission. You wouldn’t even be able to pass through the Whirling Tie Boundary,” Xuwu Piaoyan said.

After hearing that, Yang Dingtian felt like he had taken on even more burdens.

“Then, we shall start learning the first stage of my Pig-Killing Swordsmanship, the Xuwu Nine Disaster Sword!”

(Note: Xuwu Nine Disaster Sword. The first two characters ‘Xuwu’ are taken Xuwu Piaoyan’s surname.)

Hearing the name of the sword tactic, Yang Dingtian’s heart jumped. “Xuwu Nine Disaster Sword, is it strong?”

Xuwu Piaoyan was astounded and replied, “The best in the world!”

Yang Dingtian’s body trembled fiercely. The blood in his body seemed to surge.

“Now, I’m going to start imparting the Xuwu Nine Disaster Sword!”

Suddenly, the fog figure manifested a shadow sword from his hand and swung it lightly.

“The first disaster, Sword of Birth!”

“Phew…” Xuwu Piaoyan was like a crane, moving around and shifting through space. The sword light blurred. His pace was as graceful as a fairy.

“The second disaster, Sword of Beings!”

“The third disaster, Sword of Ruthlessness!”

“Fourth disaster, Sword of Ecstasy!”

“Fifth disaster, Sword of Boundlessness!”

“Sixth disaster, Sword of Selflessness!”

“Seventh disaster, Sword of Compassion!”

“Eighth disaster, Sword of Nirvana!”

“The ninth disaster, Sword of Peace!”

“Whoosh…” There were endless swords and endless shadows.

The area within a few kilometers was surrounded by the afterimages of Xuwu Piaoyan.

Each move and each style left a shadow in the air.

In the entire space, thousands of afterimages were frozen in the air, creating a magnificent and shocking scene.

By linking the thousands of shadows together, one could see the complete Xuwu Nine Disaster Sword, the number one Sword Tactic in the world.

Yang Dingtian was completely obsessed with the incomparably mysterious and powerful Sword Tactic.

This was indeed the number one Sword Tactic in the world. Each move was so mysterious, so gorgeous, and so terrible.

Each move seemed to exhaust all the spirit between heaven and earth. Each style seemed to burn up all the brilliance.

It seemed like it was not a person but rather a celestial performing the sword dance. He danced the vicissitudes of the world. He danced all the disasters in the world.

It was truly the number one Sword Tactic in the world!

…

“Whoosh whoosh…” Suddenly, the thousands of afterimages vanished, turned back into ash, and condensed into Xuwu Piaoyan.

“Can you remember it?” Xuwu Piaoyan asked.

Yang Dingtian closed his eyes and fell into his memories, letting the whole Xuwu Nine Disaster Sword replay itself in his mind over and over again. They seemed to have been engraved in his mind.

“Yes, I remember, Senior,” Yang Dingtian replied.

Xuwu Piaoyan said, “That’s good. I will perform it again.”

Xuwu Piaoyan floated back into the air and performed the Xuwu Nine Disaster Sword again.

Another amazing and mysterious scene played out. Yang Dingtian indulged in it once more, appreciating the celestial-like sword dance.

Xuwu Piaoyan finished and sheathed his sword. He stood up and asked, “Remember?”

Yang Dingtian went back into meditation, looking inwards to examine this new performance. Even though it was more complex than the previous one, he was still able to remember.

“How are you feeling?” Xuwu Piaoyan asked.

“It’s not like the first dance. It’s a little bit simpler and also a little bit different,” Yang Dingtian replied.

“Very good.” Xuwu Piaoyan laughed. “Then, I will perform a third time.”

…

Next, the fourth time.

The fifth time.

The sixth time.

…

After the eighth time, Xuwu Piaoyan asked, “Can you remember now?”

Yang Dingtian’s face scrunched up in pain. He finally shook his head. “I can’t remember because each performance is different. Some of the movements are one way in one performance and the opposite in the next.”

“What feeling did you get? What impression?” Xuwu Piaoyan asked.

Yang Dingtian said: “Each performance is simpler than the last, but also less pleasing to the eye.”

Xuwu Piaoyan laughed loudly. “That’s good. Now, watch a ninth and final dance.”

Xuwu Piaoyan swung the shadow sword in his hand and performed the ninth dance of the Xuwu Nine Disaster Sword.

His sword was thrust straight forward.

“The first move, stab the throat and deplete the blood!”

Then, the sword took a stroke.

“The second move, slit open the stomach!”

Then, the sword swept out.

“The third move, chop off the head!”

After that, the sharp sword twitched.

“The fourth move, dig out the heart and lungs!”

Then the sword shook and snaked forward.

“The fifth move, eviscerate the stomach!”

The light flashed and the sword stabbed four times at different angles.

“The sixth move, chop off the limbs!”

Then, the sword fell from above and struck suddenly.

“The seventh move, cleave in two!”

After that, the sword slanted and crossed from side to side.

“The eighth move, strip the flesh from the bones!”

Finally, the long sword thrust downwards for the first time!

“The ninth move, sheathe the sword!”

…

Soon, Xuwu Piaoyan finished demonstrating the ninth dance of the Xuwu Nine Disaster Sword.

By this point, Yang Dingtian was already completely stunned. He stood there, motionless with eyes wide.

From the first to the ninth dance, he had watched the extremely gorgeous, complicated, and mysterious Xuwu Nine Disaster Sword eventually coalesce into the Pig Killing Sword Tactic.

The nine disasters turned out to be the nine steps of the Pig Killing Sword Tactic.

From gorgeous to vulgar. From complex to simple. From high-end to a low-end. From heavenly to butchery.

“How do you feel?” Xuwu Piaoyan laughed.

Yang Dingtian had still not recovered from the experience. He originally thought that the Pig Killing Swordsmanship was only a name used to avoid notice. He thought the real name was the Xuwu Nine Disaster Sword, which sounded very mysterious. However, he did not expect that the marvelous sword art was really just called the Pig Killing Swordsmanship.

Yang Dingtian took a deep breath and said, “After I learn the Pig Killing Swordsmanship, there will be no sword in the world!”

“Well said…” Xuwu Piaoyan laughed loudly. “After you learn the Pig Killing Swordsmanship, the world will have no sword!”

Then, the figure continued, “If you use the Pig Killing Swordsmanship directly, then it is vulgar and not fantastic. However, if you start from the complex and mysterious Xuwu Nine Disaster Sword and build step-by-step towards the Pig Killing Swordsmanship, then the power will be infinite and incomparable. This martial art is extremely strong. It reduces the complex to the simple, returning to the basics. Only after experiencing prosperity can one enjoy the plain. Only after one has become dazzling can one have the right to keep a low profile.”

After hearing those words, Yang Dingtian saluted sharply. They not only imparted the truth of martial arts but also the truth of the world.

His mentor continued, “Now, you try to perform this set of Xuwu Nine Disaster Sword over and over again. Follow your feelings. Let your Xuan energy follow your feelings to spread out. Let me see your talent, your comprehension, and what amazing power this swordsmanship will demonstrate through you.”

“Yes, Senior!” Yang Dingtian replied. He then stretched out his right hand. A virtual shadow sword slowly materialized in his grip.

Yang Dingtian took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and immersed himself in the Xuwu Nine Disaster Sword.

“Phew…” The sword flashed and a strong wind blew.