The Shadowless Sword emerged from its sheath without the slightest gleam of light.

Where the sword fell, the lake water shattered like countless glittering beads scattered toward the morning sun.

Wu Xiang did not counter, but swiftly retreated: “You want to see my true form? But I am you!”

He formed hand seals, and the Three Lives Stone at the bottom of the lake trembled violently. Ten thousand crimson rays burst through the water’s surface.

The Three Lives Stone broke through the water, rising high like the dawning sun.

The clear blue lake water and surrounding green mountains were shrouded in an eerie red light, creating a bizarre and chaotic scene, as if this realm had been cut off from the world, transformed into a sea of blood and a forest of blades.

Song Qian Ji met the giant stone’s gaze and suddenly felt his spirit shaken.

In all directions, countless water droplets refracted the blood-red light, each one revealing images that became the sea of blood he had waded through in his previous life, the killing fields he had traversed.

He seemed to be dragged into the sea of blood by an invisible force.

Deep in the blood sea, another “Song Qian Ji” with a cold expression held the Lonely Light Sword, approaching step by step:

“You wield a killing sword yet harbor thoughts of saving people. A beast that loses its fangs will certainly die at the hands of its natural enemy. A killer who loses his killing nature will certainly be killed by others! Song Qian Ji, you now have attachments, have grown soft-hearted, and developed emotional ties—how can you still be ‘Hundred Battles Undying’?!”

In the blood sea and mountain of blades, fierce shouts echoed repeatedly:

“Today you will certainly die—”

The Shadowless Sword clashed with the “Lonely Light Sword,” emitting a long cry that shook heaven and earth.

Song Qian Ji felt a sword net descending from the sky, covering everything. He wielded his sword, hacking like a live fish struggling in a net. His enemy anticipated the trajectory of each sword strike, making his sword momentum dissipate like a mud ox entering the sea.

He seemed to be fighting against another version of himself.

The “Lonely Light Sword” erupted with dazzling bright light, like a blazing golden sun. Its sword force was fierce and solitary, with an incomparable confidence and dominance.

Meanwhile, the Shadowless Sword was light and swift but lusterless, temporarily suppressed by the opponent’s frenzied offensive.

Song Qian Ji fought with difficulty.

The blood lake splashed, and scenes of slaughter flashed through the mist—Prison Death Mountain, Blood River Valley, Death Sea, Thousand Channels Royal Tomb, the edge of the Snow Plains…

After an unknown time, his sword grew heavier while his enemy grew stronger.

He was already covered in wounds.

Was being “Hundred Battles Undying” glory or a curse?

How could he defeat his past self?

No! This wasn’t real.

Song Qian Ji bit his tongue, and as fresh blood gushed out, his foggy mind instantly cleared.

He not only saw through his opponent but also his past and present lives.

“The earth can grow tall trees and ancient vines, as well as small flowers and grasses. The sky bestows sunlight and rain equally on every wheat seedling in the field. If this world can accommodate you, it can accommodate me as well! In this life, I need not fight a hundred battles to remain undying!”

“Beware! The villain is using the power of the Three Lives Stone to create an illusion to confuse you!” Suddenly, an aged sigh sounded, and a ball of white light flew out from behind Song Qian Ji, crashing straight toward the Three Lives Stone.

The phantom penetrated the sword net with such speed and force that it resembled an eagle slashing across the sky.

“Elder Hua Wei!” Song Qian Ji was startled but couldn’t stop him in time.

“I have lingered too long, barely clinging to existence. I go one step ahead—do not forget your oath—”

“Boom!”

The remnant soul collided with the Three Lives Stone and violently exploded.

The giant stone wobbled for a moment, and the red light in the sky dimmed as the bloody sea illusion fluctuated.

Taking advantage of this fleeting opening, Song Qian Ji raised his hand and suddenly hurled the Shadowless Sword!

Wu Xiang was terrified and instinctively retreated.

At such a critical moment, Song Qian Ji had abandoned his sword.

What was he trying to do? Besides this precious sword given by Xian Chen Dust, what else did he have?

“Realm! Open!” Song Qian Ji formed hand seals, and with him as the center, a dazzling golden light erupted, instantly engulfing the sea of blood.

A vast golden wheat field surged like a tidal wave, overwhelming the blood sea and mountain of blades.

“Ah!” Wu Xiang could not avoid it and was submerged by countless wheat awns.

The illusion shattered, and he suffered severe injuries.

“You are not me,” Song Qian Ji dropped the flower pinned to his collar. “Have you forgotten yourself and can only transform into others?”

Wu Xiang seemed to sense something, staring at him in disbelief, his gaze gradually becoming frenzied as he burst into laughter:

“It’s the power of the Immortality Spring!!”

He suddenly realized, enunciating each word: “So this is your greatest trump card. No wonder you seem divinely aided, with such abundant fortune.”

Song Qian Ji neither denied nor confirmed it.

He relied on the Immortality Spring daily for healing and nurturing the lands of Thousand Channels. Even his wheat field realm was created with the power of the Immortality Spring. With this, he had also taken in working souls, adding countless classics and cultivation insights to Thousand Channels.

But if someone said he entirely depended on the Immortality Spring, that without this heavenly treasure, he would be nothing and could accomplish nothing, he would deny it.

“The Immortality Spring is willing to acknowledge you as its master—you truly are an anomaly.” Wu Xiang grinned, blood flowing from his mouth, staining the wheat field red: “I want to tell you a secret.”

“Please speak,” Song Qian Ji felt somewhat relaxed in his realm and casually sat on the wheat.

“The two times you saved people, experiencing what you called illusory worlds, were your true past lives.”

Song Qian Ji thought, Is that all?

I’ve seen the river of time until I’m almost sick of it.

Wu Xiang smiled: “I’ve also seen the Three Lives Stone and saw that in our past lives, we chose a savior, but it wasn’t you.”

Song Qian Ji thought, Isn’t it just Wei Zhen Yu? Not surprising.

“We?” He only cared about this word.

“Yes, we. Upon reaching Divine Transformation, one can perceive the weakening of the world’s spiritual energy, and the fading vitality of the Sky-Supporting Tree, and calculate the time of this world’s destruction. In my previous life, they worked in the open while I worked in the shadows. Everyone used their abilities and selected the same person. Leaving him the legacies of powerful predecessors wasn’t enough—I came to give him the accumulated knowledge of his contemporaries, allowing the fortune of the current age to concentrate on one person…”

Wu Xiang’s smile carried malice, like a victor flaunting his achievements.

Song Qian Ji’s expression suddenly turned cold: “It was all you?”

“Yes, it was me.” Wu Xiang laughed loudly.

Song Qian Ji’s eyes lost their warmth, just like when he was killed in his previous life.

So there was a manipulator hidden behind fate.

That’s why Midnight Manjusri died early, Ji Chen went mad, and Meng He Ze fell into demonic cultivation.

And despite his resilient fate, he still couldn’t escape the encirclement at the Snow Plains.

Wu Xiang laughed heartily: “They act as masters and sages, while I do the dirty, exhausting work. But what’s the difference between us? In this life, you’ve even accepted Xian Chen Dust as your master and taken his sword.”

Song Qian Ji stood up: “What’s between Xian Chen Dust and me, I’ll clarify myself.”

Wu Xiang’s life force was draining, yet his hair grew wildly like sprouting branches, and his skin turned into deep green bark.

Still wearing Song Qian Ji’s appearance, he made Song Qian Ji feel extremely disturbed as if watching himself transform into a branch.

When he spoke again, his voice became hoarse, like the rustling of wind through trees:

“How laughable that despite all we did in our past life, it was in vain. No matter how powerful the force of fortune, no matter how extraordinary the genius born, it couldn’t change the coming of doomsday. In this life, after seeing the Three Lives Stone, I decided to take a different path—let this world be destroyed and reborn, let everything start anew.”

By the end, his voice was barely a whisper:

“The first time I gave you a choice, it was to test you. The second and third times were in recognition, sincerely wanting to cooperate with you. I chose you to be the god of the new world, yet you remain obstinate, determined to oppose me. Since that’s the case, this time I can’t let you live…”

“How strange. I’m just a farmer—what would I do as a god? I’ve killed you three times and have grown weary of it.” Song Qian Ji reached out, and the Shadowless Sword hummed, flying through the air toward him: “This avatar is created from a branch of the Sky-Supporting Tree, so your true form must be related to the tree. Even an avatar has the will to survive—take me to see your true form, and I’ll spare you this once!”

“You can kill me three times, thirty times, three hundred times. Even if you win every battle, you’ll inevitably lose in the end.” Wu Xiang shook his head and smiled. “This avatar perishing with you at least serves its purpose fully.”

“Not good—the Three Lives Stone!” Song Qian Ji formed hand seals, withdrawing his realm.

In this battle, the opponent never intended to defeat him. The illusion was merely a diversion, and the Three Lives Stone had been a ticking bomb from the beginning.

As the thought flashed through his mind, the Three Lives Stone exploded. The world-destroying power burst forth in deathly silence.

Fragments of the giant stone fell like a soundless heavy snow.

In that moment, Song Qian Ji saw death’s shadow rise and cover heaven and earth.

…

In the underground river of Blood River Valley, the water flowed rapidly as a fleet of boats struggled forward.

More than ten vessels of varying sizes moved together. The large ship at the front broke through the waves, driving away river beasts, with Thousand Channels’ golden wheat emblem flag at its bow.

Bringing up the rear was an amphibious cloud shuttle flying the black sword flame flag of the Northern Desert.

Although the fleet gathered people from various sects and factions, there was no infighting. Instead, due to the unusual encounters in the secret realm, everyone shared a common worry:

“Song King saved my life earlier, so I naturally trust him. But what exactly happened in the secret realm? Why did he ask us all to leave quickly?”

“I was about to leave anyway. The Chaos Beast is so terrifying—if Painting Spring Mountain fails to contain it and it escapes, even nine lives wouldn’t be enough to serve as its food!”

“Do you people from Thousand Channels know something? Can you share some information with everyone?”

The dark river was pitch black, with ferocious iron-backed crocodiles and black-toothed fish constantly lunging at the deck, attempting to attack the cultivators.

“Can we get out? Where does this dark river lead to?”

Meng He Ze looked at the faint light ahead and coldly uttered two words: “Death Sea.”

While the major sects remained calm, several groups of rogue cultivators cried out:

“Death Sea? Isn’t that suicide?!”

“I’m not going! Let’s go back to Blood River Valley!”

Li Ci Quan said loudly: “Breaking through is our only way to survive. King Wei is here—today we live or die together. What is there to fear?”

Wei Zhen Yu’s sense of unease grew increasingly intense.

What was Song Qian Ji doing now? He should have left already, right?

If I turn back to find him, he would surely blame me for not carrying out my task effectively, saying I’m not as reliable as Meng He Ze and Ji Chen.

Wei Zhen Yu’s face remained expressionless, his entire being shrouded in the intense energy of Endless Fire, as he shouted:

“Whoever is unwilling to move forward can go back.”

Before his words faded, all the cultivators suddenly fell silent.

Everyone felt an irresistible, extremely violent force explode within the secret realm.

It seemed like the power of the world’s creation or the power of gods and demons destroying the world, erupting from Blood River Valley and surging through the dark river.

Even at such a great distance, it instilled a deep sense of fear in people’s hearts.

The dark river overturned, rolling with heavy ink-black waves.

…

Ji Chen was not on the Thousand Channels boat. He had found the Qing Cliff team and asked to see Midnight Manjusri.

Before he could speak, Midnight Manjusri asked: “Does Song Qian Ji have a matter?”

Ji Chen nodded, thinking that the area around this person was truly cool, more effective than a summer heat-dispelling formation.

But the dark river was already cold, and he didn’t want to stay with him for long, so he spoke concisely:

“This is what Brother Song asked me to give to Fellow Daoist Midnight. He only said that after you see it, you would understand.”

Midnight Manjusri silently accepted the jade box, weighed it lightly in his hand, and suddenly frowned: “Not good.”

Just two abrupt words.

Ji Chen was confused and questioned Qing Zhai and Zi Mo with his eyes: what does your academy supervisor mean?

Qing Zhai and Zi Mo shook their heads, equally shocked.

They noticed Midnight Manjusri’s expression change, showing a complex mixture of regret, pain, and anger.

The Midnight Academy Supervisor had such rich emotions.

He could even feel anger.

But why was he angry?

Ji Chen’s heart sank, his face turning pale. Just as he was about to turn back, the explosion occurred.

…

The explosion of the Three Lives Stone triggered the collapse of Blood River Valley, nearly destroying the secret realm.

Only a few physically robust major beasts, the Chaos Beast protected by Painting Spring Mountain, and cultivators who had escaped through the dark river survived.

Three days after the disaster, many people risked entering the secret realm, searching tirelessly, but never found any trace of Song Qian Ji.

The lake area within a thirty-mile radius had been leveled, with no signs of any living thing.

The cultivators who had escaped gathered spontaneously, lighting eternal candles on the ruins to pray for Thousand Channels’ Lord Song.

Blood River Valley continued to shake unstably. Cultivators with weaker cultivation dared not enter again and instead lit eternal lamps in their windows or on their tables.

For a time, there was a sense of heaven and earth mourning together, with countless people wearing white mourning clothes.

At this moment, the Virtual Cloud True Person of Hua Wei Sect emerged from closed-door cultivation, having reached the half-step Divine Transformation realm.

Hua Wei Sect held a grand sect-opening ceremony, with guests arriving like clouds. Former affiliated sects and territories anxiously returned to the mountain to pay tribute.

Virtual Cloud True Person publicly announced that the Immortal Official of Thousand Channels had died in Blood River Valley, and Hua Wei Sect would soon reclaim Thousand Channels Prefecture.

Thousand Channels King Song Qian Ji was dead?!

Would that thousand-mile fertile land, rich and productive, possessing spirit stone mines and abundant spiritual energy, become ownerless?!

The news spread rapidly throughout the world, causing some to rejoice wildly while filling others with rage.

The two factions confronted each other, and a storm was brewing in the cultivation world.

…

The Shadowless Sword swayed, carrying Song Qian Ji quietly through the vast mist.

Song Qian Ji lay face-up on the sword, hands behind his head, looking at the sky while recovering.

He hadn’t expected Wu Xiang to use himself as fuel to blow up the Three Lives Stone.

He scattered the fragments of the statue into the sea of clouds, finding humor in his misfortune: “This was truly my last trump card.”

An inconspicuous small statue, neither a magical tool nor a heavenly treasure, yet at the final moment, it had risen with ten thousand rays of golden light, allowing him to narrowly escape death and save his life.

Song Qian Ji had brought new life to a land of death, and in return, the world had given him back his life.

The flying sword moved forward while the fragments of the Lord Song statue drifted behind, like a comet’s tail across the sky.

Song Qian Ji whispered: “…Thank you.”

He had entered the secret realm to kill but unexpectedly ended up saving people along the way, and finally saved himself.

With a sword in hand and a divine statue in his heart, the only one who could kill him was himself, and the only one who could save him was also himself.

The morning sun rose, and the colored clouds were brilliant.

The Shadowless Sword passed over white seabirds, flying between sea and sky, moving slower and slower until it hovered in midair.

“I know you’re here. Come out!” Song Qian Ji stood up, shook his sleeves, and shouted, “Come out!”

The waves rolled endlessly, boundless.

Was he looking for something or someone?