“Clank!” The metallic hymn of his sword reached the depths of the nine heavens. The stars lost their color and the myriad realms sank down.

He suddenly became unreachable; all else was subjected to the tyranny of the incoming slash - Skyless!

The sky disappeared as a result. Everyone lost their sense of direction and weight, feeling as if they were drifting away.

Even the high heaven has been destroyed by Skyless, let alone all creations beneath. The only thing left behind would be a massive void.

“Ninth slash, Skyless!” By this point, even ancient cultivators bellowed in horror.

“So this is Skyless.” Terra Sword Saint’s expression darkened.

Ninth had no name, only the number of his technique. It represented everything about him, from his power to dao attainment.

The moment he used this slash, it became the defining and brightest moment of his life. He became the most radiant creation. This light started burning his life, belief, and pursuit.

It traveled through his life and gathered his ultimate understanding of the sword dao. This allowed him to reach his apex state. The sky shall be no more after this slash.

Spectators started wailing in despair, thinking that there was no chance of them being able to stop the attack. 

They thought that the sword lord’s “Sever” had a good chance of winning. Unfortunately, Ninth disagreed and showed them “Skyless”.

The members of Wooden Sword turned pale and became fully intimidated.

“Clank!” The sword lord used Sever again without any fear, ready to cut apart the incoming slash.

Everyone could sense his determination and willingness to face death. There was no hint of regrets. In fact, he seemed rather happy because he was facing a technique on the same level as “Sever”.

Time came to a halt after the slashes collided. A bright flash blinded everyone and seemed to be eternal. Billions of years could pass and it would still be here. The river of time couldn’t wash it away.

Everything stagnated; even the tiniest movement took forever to unravel.

“Clank!” Finally, another hymn resounded and broke the silence along with the temporal stagnation. The various affinities flowed once more.

Ninth and Pineleaf Sword Lord stood proudly while holding their sword. They considered this battle a sacred ceremony that must be carried out.

However, neither moved an inch which made it impossible for spectators to determine the victor.

Eventually, a tiny drop of blood finally dripped off the tip of a blade.

“Delightful.” The sword lord said heartily. The battle had indeed brought him joy.

Others exchanged glances, thinking this sounded like the sword lord’s victory. They then looked over towards Ninth’s direction.

The latter had zero emotion just like before. Ninth was still Ninth, a sword indifferent to everything.

“Did the sword lord win?” One youth murmured.

The big shots, on the other hand, had a serious expression. They sighed since they knew the actual outcome.

“Ugh…” The sword lord spat out a stream of blood. He then staggered backward and fell off the cliff.

“Master!” Ning Zhu screamed. She was already mentally prepared for this outcome yet to witness her master’s death was still too much to take.

“Your Majesty!” Several ancestors leaped over and caught him, only to find that he was already dead.

Blood stained his robe with a heavy concentration in the chest area. Though Ninth’s sword itself didn’t physically pierce his body, Skyless still took him down with its sword energy and sword intent.

“Your Majesty…” The disciples of Wooden Sword lamented.

Alas, their lord was already gone and didn’t leave any last word behind.

“Master…” Ning Zhu watched from a distance because she was no longer a member of Wooden Sword.

After a while, the highest-ranking ancestor from Wooden Sword stared at Ninth for a bit before commanding: “We’re leaving.” He carried Pineleaf’s corpse with him.

Ultimately, the sword lord had said that this battle would be a fair fight. Wooden Sword didn’t need to avenge him. Plus, they wouldn’t be able to do it either because Ninth was too strong.

Ninth simply watched and didn’t stop them from taking Pineleaf’s corpse away.

“Rumble!” After this group was gone, Lakeshine Peak suddenly collapsed. Huge boulders dropped down and made large waves.

This startled people for a bit but it was understandable. Skyless’ sword energy and intent had pierced through the entire peak.

The only thing left behind was the pine tree. Though the lord was dead, this tree took root in the water. Its branches and leaves still fluttered to the night wind.

It was as if the sword lord was still standing there, as unyielding as ever.

“A sect master is gone just like that.” One expert became sentimental while watching this scene.

He was the oldest and most respected among the Six Sect Masters. Alas, he couldn’t escape the fate of being killed by Ninth.

“Only the sword dao is eternal. He was a good example for us all.” Terra Sword Saint sighed and said.