w.a.n.g Tian teleported to the far northern part of the Central Continent, to a place known as the Supreme Sword Domain. He headed to the most prosperous place of this domain: Mighty Sword City.
w.a.n.g Tian secretly went to the City Lord. But to his surprise, two people seemed to be waiting for him. One was a middle-aged man dressed in a red robe, and the other was a young woman with a blue dress full of blood energy.
"Are you this generation's sect master of the Demon G.o.d Sword Sect?" asked w.a.n.g Tian toward the little girl.
"Xue Xiang has seen Lord w.a.n.g Tian," saluted the young girl.
"Are you waiting for me?"
"My master told me you would come here."
w.a.n.g Tian sighed after hearing this. "Alright, lead the way."
"Your excellency, this way," said the middle-aged man who was the City Lord. Although he controlled this large city full of powerhouses and resources, he did not dare have any att.i.tude toward the former sect master of the Dao Opening Sect.
The City Lord led the two to a secret room full of formation. He activated them without wasting time, and w.a.n.g Tian and Xue Xiang disappeared.
w.a.n.g Tian soon found himself in another small word. A towering mountain was in the distance, with numerous cities at the base and the surrounding. He saw innumerable people flying in the sky with their swords. w.a.n.g Tian quickly noticed that 95% of the people he saw in this small world had a sword as their primary weapon.
Additionally, he noticed the Spiritual Qi between Heaven and Eart was violent, making it more challenging to absorb for cultivation.
'In the past, I was arrogant and called the people of the Demon G.o.d Sword Sect sword users, not swordsmen. But now…'
He secretly shook his head, admonis.h.i.+ng his young self. Then, he followed Xu Xiang to the towering mountain's peak. She guided him inside a hall but did not follow. Meanwhile, w.a.n.g Tian saw an older man with white hair and beard, bulging muscles, and mighty sword intent. However, the most striking thing about him was a scar on his left eye.
"So, you've reached this realm as well."
"Of course, " replied Fan Shun with a calm but heavy tone. "I already had the foundation. So, it's normal I reach the stage after seeing you demonstrate."
"Indeed. Your Demon G.o.d Sword has been right all along," muttered w.a.n.g Tian.
The Demon G.o.d Sword is an old sect despite having only one Great Emperor. Their founder–Demon G.o.d Sword Emperor– existed during the Incense Era and was quite talented. He was the first to preach that swordsmen need a powerful body, then condense their Essence, Spirit, and Qi to reach higher realms.
Unfortunately, he was talented in body refining but not swordsmans.h.i.+p. Before proving the Dao, he only reached the Sword Law Realm, not even the Sword Domain Realm; this meant he could use the power of his sword through the Domain of the Saint Realm, but not individually like other swordsmen who reached the 11th realm.
Despite this, he was still a mighty First Cla.s.s Emperor.
The Demon G.o.d Sword Emperor created a sect, hoping to pa.s.s on his ideal to the next generation. Unfortunately, their sect has been ridiculed by pure swordsmans.h.i.+p factions for over four eras.
Until today.
"Why are you here?" asked Fan Shun, not even asking w.a.n.g Tian to sit down or offer tea.
"You know why I'm here."
Fan Shun did not say anything but stared at w.a.n.g Tian.
"I'm here to apologize," added w.a.n.g Tian, looking at the scar on the latter's face. When he was young, he could sometimes be too hotblooded. So, he once met Fan Shun and discussed the Way of the Sword.
w.a.n.g Tian thought Fan Shun was a mediocre swordsman and disdained interacting with the latter; he even called him a sword user–meaning someone who only uses the sword but does not cultivate the Sword Dao. This was one of the worst insults a swordsman could receive, so Fan Shun criticized w.a.n.g Tian's ignorance and pride.
Angered, w.a.n.g Tian almost killed the latter with one slash, leaving that scar on his face. However, w.a.n.g Tian remembered Fan Shun's words as he lay bleeding on the floor:
"One day, you'll realize I was right."
Before leaving, w.a.n.g Tian sneered; he felt he would dirty his sword to kill someone like Fan Shun.
"What did you say? I didn't hear it correctly," said Fan Shun as he casually cleaned his ears.
"Is this necessary?"
"What do you think?" replied Fan Shun. "I knew this day would come, but I thought it would be way later in your cultivation path when I'm dead and buried. So, I prepared for my descendants to receive that apology."
Fan Shun sneered before laughing; his voice echoed like a dragon roaring.
"Who knew Heaven favored me and allowed me to see this day."
"Alright. I sincerely apologize for my actions back then. I was young and ignorant," uttered w.a.n.g Tian with a wry smile.
"Yes, you were," sighed Fan Shun, as a weight lifted from his shoulder. He looked to the sky, "Founder, do you see this? You were right, all alone. It's a shame your unfilial descendant spent so long before showing the world your vision and broad mind."
Fan Shun thought of countless Demon G.o.d Sword Sect disciples since ancient times, all with the mission of proving the founder was correct. And only with his generation did they succeed.
Unfortunately, he had no chance of proving the Dao. Otherwise, the sect could use this opportunity to rise and prosper in the Myriad Emperor World. They could have even inherited the destiny of the new sword path, ensuring the longevity of their sect for countless generations to come.
Fan Shun sighed again before focusing on w.a.n.g Tian, "Something tells me you did not come here only to apologize."
"You're correct," nodded w.a.n.g Tian. "I came to invite you to be the Vice-Leader of the Sword Alliance?"
"Sword Alliance?"
w.a.n.g Tian explained the situation to him regarding the creation of the alliance, and Fan Shun's eyes lit up, but only for a moment before returning to a dull calmness.
"Our Demon G.o.d Sword Sect is not powerful enough to hold the position of Vice Leader." He could foresee the power such an alliance would have and the strength he would wield as a Vice-Leader. As such, he knew many people would not be convinced that such a small and weak Emperor Lineage to hold such a high position.
"I need to send the message that anyone with the right qualification can have a high position in the alliance–no matter their background," persuaded w.a.n.g Tian. "Furthermore, your Demon G.o.d Sword Sect has been following the ideologies of the new sword path for generations. You have the foundation for the alliance to quickly get a foothold."
Fan Shun understood why w.a.n.g Tian chose him. His sect has the foundation to rapidly cultivate swordsmen of the new path, thus allowing the alliance to gain power and influence in the Myriad Emperor World.
Meanwhile, he can use this opportunity for his sect to rise and set foot at the top of the food chain of this world. It's a win-win situation.
"It's going to be dangerous and risky," commented Fan Shun.
"Everything in the cultivation world is dangerous and risky," countered w.a.n.g Tian. "The question is the risk is worth the reward."
"Indeed," said Fan Shun. He was not an indecisive individual. On the contrary, once he makes up his mind on something, he will do it with all his strength and ability; this is the reason he can persists that the old sword path was wrong for so many years, ignoring the world's scorn and disdain.
"Fine, I accept."
"Excellent." w.a.n.g Tian discussed the establishment of the Sword Alliance with Fan Shun before heading out to recruit a few more people he thought would fit.
Finally, he found four more people and gave them the position of Sword Hall Master. As such, the Sword Alliance had a preliminary division of power: the Alliance Leader was the top, followed by the Vice Leader and the four Sword Hall Protectors, which w.a.n.g Tian named after the four divine beasts: Dragon, Phoenix, White Tiger, and Black Tortoise.
A month later, the sect finished constructing the alliance's headquarters with the help of many Weapon Refiners. Then, w.a.n.g Tian also had someone refine a Luck Condensing Artifact for the alliance in the form of a sword before condensing the luck of the New Sword Path.
On the opening day, visions appeared throughout the Myriad Emperor World as w.a.n.g Tian's voice could be heard in every corner of the world.
Many swordsmen then realized w.a.n.g Tian would not wait before shaking the power or foundation of the old sword path. No, he has already prepared for the future.
Unfortunately, there was nothing they could do. Many swordsmen joined the Sword Alliance after the opening. Most were young cultivators who were more malleable in their beliefs and philosophies. And the other group simply wanted an opportunity to enlightenment on the blessed land so their Sword Realm could improve.