The sound of a blade slicing through flesh echoed out, and blood instantly gushed from He An's left palm.
As the blood seeped into the Mingxue Sword's blade, the color of the crimson long sword in his hand rapidly began to brighten, shifting from its previous dullness, as if covered in a layer of sand.
In an instant, the true qi swirling around He An grew even thicker than before, and a more ferocious aura intensified as well.
The Unmoving Sword Sect was one of the top sword dao sects in the Southern Region of Chenping Continent.
Alongside the Sun Sword Sect of the Western Region, the Supreme Heaven Sword Sect of the Eastern Region, and the Sky-Rending Sword Sect of the Northern Region, they were collectively known as the Four Great Sword Sects of Chenping Continent.
But in reality, the sword dao lineages within the Five Great Sects—such as the Sword Chime Gate of the Star Heaven Sect, the Yibai Peak of the Kongshan Sect, and the Dingjian Platform of Lingxiao Temple—possessed sword dao foundations no weaker than the Four Great Sword Sects of Chenping Continent, and might even surpass them.
As for the Unmoving Sword Sect, being a top-tier sword sect on Chenping Continent, the depth of its foundation was self-evident.
Within the sect, they possessed three great sword classics.
The Unmoving Sword Classic, the Thunderous Sword Classic, and the Blood Sacrifice Sword Classic.
The Thunderous Sword Classic was slightly easier to cultivate than the Unmoving Sword Classic, but the eventual achievements one could attain in sword dao were inferior to the Unmoving Sword Classic.
As for the Blood Sacrifice Sword Classic, it was the most ancient sword classic possessed by the Unmoving Sword Sect.
According to legend, it was a text unearthed from a relic by the sect's founding ancestor during his travels after he had created the Unmoving Sword Classic and used it to break through to the Upper Three Realms.
The history of this sword classic might even predate the existence of Heavenly Summit Mountain itself.
To this day, the number of disciples within the Unmoving Sword Sect who chose to cultivate this sword classic had always been a minority.
Currently, no more than ten people within the Unmoving Sword Sect practiced the Blood Sacrifice Sword Classic.
There were two main reasons for the Blood Sacrifice Sword Classic's obscurity. First, its cultivation difficulty was extremely high. Second, the cost required to fully unleash its power was immense.
He Rui's sectal ancestor—the still-living Divine Ability Realm Grand Elder of the Unmoving Sword Sect—had once lamented that if someone within the sect could truly comprehend the Blood Sacrifice Sword Classic and ascend to immortality through it, then the Unmoving Sword Sect might gain the opportunity to contend with the Five Great Sects.
And He An was the only genius swordsman in the history of the Unmoving Sword Sect who showed even a glimmer of possibility to perhaps ascend through the Blood Sacrifice Sword Classic.
It was precisely for this reason that He Rui was even willing to risk offending Mirage Palace and attempted to assassinate Su Hongzhen.
Of course, no one within the Unmoving Sword Sect would blame He An for the choice he ultimately made. If he had lost in that round, he would have inevitably damaged his Sword Heart, making it impossible for him to achieve any remarkable success in sword dao.
His only fault was being too arrogant and reckless—he made the Oath of the Broken Sword against Su Hongzhen.
But how many heaven-chosen talents who achieved fame at a young age weren't arrogant?
Even Li Haoran, hailed as a gentleman like a green bamboo, carried his own pride within him.
And now, He An's act of cutting open his own flesh with the Mingxue Sword was the price required to unleash the Blood Sacrifice Sword Classic.
He needed to use his own essence blood to temper the sword in his hand.
This act of consuming his own essence blood would also completely stagnate his cultivation for nearly three years, making it impossible for him to make any progress or breakthroughs.
As for the Mingxue Sword in He An's hand, it was a magic treasure that He Rui had commissioned from a renowned smith for a full two hundred thousand high-grade spirit stones, specifically designed to be the most suitable weapon for the Blood Sacrifice Sword Classic.
After bathing in blood, the resonance between the Mingxue Sword and his true qi was greatly enhanced.
The dusty texture of the Mingxue Sword in He An's hand completely faded, revealing a lustrous sheen like coagulated blood.
At this moment, true qi surged through every meridian in He An's body, and even his breaths were tinged with blood energy.
His entire body and the Mingxue Sword in his hand were now shrouded in a thin layer of blood aura. Then—
"Hah!"
He An let out a fierce shout. Gripping the hilt of the Mingxue Sword with both hands, he swung the blade, trailing a mist of blood. A curtain of crimson light instantly swept across the entire arena platform, and within that blood-red curtain, thousands of fine sword qi were concealed.
Faced with such an overwhelming onslaught of ferocious sword qi, Su Hongzhen could no longer rely solely on his footwork to dodge completely.
His true qi suddenly surged, and the aura emanating from him instantly grew sharper and more intense.
Su Hongzhen stood motionless, allowing the crimson light curtain slashed out by He An to crash against his Protective True Qi. Countless fine crimson sword qi rained down like droplets, but they failed to stir even a single ripple on the azure-robed swordsman's protective barrier.
Just moments ago, many cultivators watching at the Daoyan Arena had been startled into exclamations by He An's surging aura from the blood sacrifice.
But soon, the scene unfolding before them left them utterly speechless—
Even He An's blood-sacrificed sword qi couldn't breach Su Hongzhen's Protective True Qi.
Everyone knew from the start that this was an entirely mismatched battle. Su Hongzhen's strength far exceeded He An's, and he could easily defeat this so-called number one swordsman of the Southern Region among the younger generation without even needing to exert his full strength.
But no one had expected the gap to be this enormous.
Even after the blood sacrifice, He An couldn't cut through Su Hongzhen's Protective True Qi!
This meant that even if Su Hongzhen didn't fight back and just stood there, He An had no hope of winning!
Gripping the Mingxue Sword with both hands, He An panted heavily. After the crimson light curtain flashed past, he stared at Su Hongzhen, who stood motionless under the vast, cloudless sky.
Then, he suddenly let out a relieved laugh.
He truly didn't have the qualifications to make Su Hongzhen draw his sword.
But he still couldn't let go.
"Fellow Daoist Su, I concede!"
Using the Mingxue Sword to support his weary body, he spoke to Su Hongzhen standing before him.
"This is the extent of my skill. From today onward, I, He An, am no longer a swordsman. I will never touch a blade again for the rest of my life!"
Then, He An spat on the ground.
"But, one last time, I have an impertinent request. I hope Fellow Daoist Su will grant it!"
"Speak, Your Excellency."
Su Hongzhen said slowly.
"I hope that, in the final moments when I am still a swordsman, I can lay eyes on Fellow Daoist Su's sword."
Buzz!
An exceedingly sharp sword hum rang out, followed by a streak of blazing white light cutting through the air.
It was an absolutely pure slash, surging toward the sky like the Heavenly River flowing backward, as if it could cleave the very stars—
Blazing white blazes the sky, Innate Sword Intent.