The Sword-based Daoist Rhyme billowed all around as Chu Kuangren cast his three great Daoist Physique Transformations.

Resonating with his Exquisite Nine Orifices Sword Heart, the Sword Soul soared towards him like a swallow in full flight.

Upon the sight of that, the other sword cultivators immediately reacted to stop the Sword Soul in its flight. They could not bear letting an outsider like Chu Kuangren take hold of this Sword Soul.

“You're not getting this Sword Soul. Not on my watch!”

“That's right, this Sword Soul belongs to me!”

“Even if it's Chu Kuangren, I'll still give it a good fight!”

All of the sword cultivators leaped out and attempted to halt the Sword Soul, but before they could even get close to it, a force bore down on them from all directions. As a result, all of their bodies, including those of the Honorable Swordsmen, were held in mid-air.

“If you want it, you'll first have to go through me!”

Chu Kuangren said coldly. He was able to subdue any cultivator, especially sword cultivators in his Nine Heaven Sword Prison

With his current cultivation base, even Honorables could not escape it.

All the Honorable Swordsmen were dumbfounded. They never expected that Chu Kuangren could pull off such a feat, to have every Honorable Swordsman tightly in his grasp!

It should be noted that there were dozens or more Honorable Swordsmen at the scene, without considering the other hundred or more Battle Monarch sword cultivators.

“Ah, the famed Exquisite Nine Orifices Sword Heart. It's truly remarkable!” After watching what had happened, Feng Xuanzi expressed a grim look on his face.

Unlike the others, he did not try to stop the Sword Soul because he had felt a surge of petrifying vital force locked down on him earlier on. It was the Seventh Forefather staring down at him.

Although Black Heaven Sect was on good terms with Sword Prayer City, Chu Kuangren was too important to the sect. Hence, he had to be protected at all costs, even if it meant straining the sect's relations.h.i.+p with Sword Prayer City.

Swish…

The Crystal Sword Soul arrived before Chu Kuangren and spun around him twice before it seeped into his Descendant Self Sword.

In the blink of an eye, the sacred sword in Chu Kuangren's hand emitted rays of glittering brilliance that was flowing with mysterious Daoist Rhymes.

Chu Kuangren could clearly feel that the Descendant Self Sword was transforming!

It was transformed by leaps and bounds!

As if the Descendant Self Sword had come to life, it let out a sword-based chant that reached beyond the skies. It was so deafening that even the other weapons around them started to quiver.

It seemed like it was not resigned to its new owners.h.i.+p, but there were also some hints of subordination at the same time.

This unusual transformation persisted for quite a while before the bright rays that the Descendant Self Sword radiated began to fade and the sword's jade-white-like surface started to crystalize.

As opposed to a normal sword, the Descendant Self Sword now looked more like an exquisite piece of artwork. Every part of the sword was surrounded by mysterious Daoist Rhymes.

“A Sage Ruler Weapon!”

Chu Kuangren's eyes lit up. Due to the Sword Soul's attachment, the Descendant Self Sword had improved by two grades, which turned it into a Sage Ruler Weapon!

Moreover, he could sense that the Sword Soul's power had yet been fully unleashed, so the Descendant Self Sword still had a lot of s.p.a.ce for potential growth.

Besides, the mysterious Sword-based Daoist Rhyme that came with the Sword Soul would be of great help for him to gain insights into the sword's Dao.

The fact that the Sword Soul could help a sword cultivator comprehend a Sword-based Daoist Rhyme, as well as improving their sword's grade, made it the perfect treasure that any swordsman could ever ask for!

“Chu Kuangren has taken the Sword Soul!”

“Darn it! Come to think of it, it actually makes sense for the Sword Soul to pick Chu Kuangren since he has the Exquisite Nine Orifices Sword Heart, one of the Supreme Daoist Physiques in the swordsmans.h.i.+p world. Now that he is complemented by the Sword Soul, the things that he could accomplish next would be unimaginable!”

“I'm afraid it won't take long before he becomes the top swordsman of the swordsmans.h.i.+p world!”

Discontentment was written all over the sword cultivator's faces as they were all unreconciled to that reality.

If the Sword Soul had yet befallen into Chu Kuangren's hands, they would still stand a chance at obtaining it. However, now that the Sword Soul was already in Chu Kuangren's possession, going for it now would be like going against the Black Heaven Sect.

The Sword Soul may be precious, but their own lives were even more so!

“Perhaps letting him obtain the Sword Soul was a fitting outcome after all.” Feng Xuanzi sighed after witnessing what had happened.

Soon after, a murderous intent burst out from his gaze, “The Sword Soul has been in the Sky Fire Valley all along. Its appearance here in the outside world must mean that something has happened inside the valley.”

“Who in the world dares to wreak havoc at my Sword Prayer City!”

Just as Feng Xuanzi was about to send someone down to have a closer look, numerous masked black-clad figures emerged from a distance.

There were quite a number of them so they had the whole Great Sword Tournament venue surrounded in no time.

“Whoever has the Sword Soul, please kindly turn it over!” One of the leading masked figures of the mysterious group yelled in a hoa.r.s.e voice.

“You guys are the ones who trespa.s.sed into Sky Fire Valley!” Feng Xuanzi stood away from the crowd and stared maliciously at the leading masked figure.

Chu Kuangren kindled his spiritual thought, attempting to find out who these masked people really were. However, it seemed like they had already prepared for this as a spiritual thought blockade was formed on the leading masked man and so did his crew. It was to prevent anyone from reading them.

“Having forged swords for so many years, it surprises me that the Sword Prayer City actually managed to create a Sword Soul here. I can't imagine the difficulty that you guys went through to keep such a huge secret under the radar for so many years. Nevertheless, it's time that this Sword Soul finds itself a new owner today.” The masked figure let out a cold smirk.

“Yes, you are right.”

Chu Kuangren's voice was heard from amongst the crowd. Holding the Descendant Self Sword in one hand, he strode calmly to the very front of the crowd. “Obviously, the Sword Soul has already found its new owner in me. Now that that's settled, isn't it time for you guys to leave?”

All the masked figures fixed their gaze on Chu Kuangren, or more accurately, on the Descendant Self Sword in his hand.

“That's the Sword Soul's energy. It's inside that sword!”

“Take that sword from him!”

“It's him, Chu Kuangren. Things are going to get complicated.”

The Sword Soul had only just merged into the Descendant Self Sword, so its energy had yet subsided completely. That was the reason why these masked figures could immediately sense something amiss with the Descendant Self Sword.

However, some of their expressions turned grim once they recognized Chu Kuangren.

“Chu Kuangren, we just need you to surrender the Sword Soul and then we'll leave,” the masked figure said. Clearly, he too was not keen to make an enemy of Chu Kuangren.

“And what happens if I don't?”

“Then don't blame us for not being polite.”

All the masked figures at the scene braced themselves as their sword qi began to flow. Each one of them was a sword cultivator. Even the weakest one had a Nascent Soul cultivation base.

“Northern Sea Sword Pavilion and Steel Sword Sect, do you guys really think you're all that great?”

Chu Kuangren said nonchalantly.

All of the masked figures at the scene were startled upon hearing that.

Meanwhile, the rest of the crowd turned to look at each other in blank dismay.

“The Steel Sword Sect and the Northern Sea Sword Pavilion, it's them!”

They were the renowned sword orthodoxies of the Azure Dragon Domain, second only to the sage orthodoxies. Everyone found it hard to believe that they came all the way here to s.n.a.t.c.h the Sword Soul.

“How on earth did Chu Kuangren figure that out?”

“Both Sect Masters of Northern Sea Sword Pavilion and Steel Sword Sect are amongst the Seven Heroes of the Swordsmans.h.i.+p World. Do you know that they are both Honorables?”

Feng Xuanzi's eyes lit up when he heard that. “Ah, I remember now. Northern Sea Honorable Swordsman, you've visited Sword Prayer City before not long ago. You've even traveled to the Sky Fire Valley. I reckon you started vying for the Sword Soul since then, am I right?”

“Northern Sea Honorable Swordsman, what's the matter? You dare to do it, but dare not reveal yourself?!”

The masked figure thought for a moment, then let out a burst of laughter. He took off his clothed face mask and revealed the face of an average-looking, middle-aged man.

“It really is the Northern Sea Honorable Swordsman!”

The expression on every sword cultivator's face s.h.i.+fted slightly.

The person who was standing beside Northern Sea Honorable Swordsman took off his own mask too. He was indeed the Sect Master of another sword orthodoxy, the Steel Sword Sect. He was Honorable Swordsman of Steel!

Chu Kuangren turned to look at another masked figure who had yet to remove his mask. “Your friends have already revealed their faces, but what about you, my defeated opponent… Sword h.o.a.rder, are you not going to reveal yourself?” Chu Kuangren said coldly.

“Chu Kuangren!!” Seeing how his ident.i.ty was exposed so easily, Sword h.o.a.rder stared at Chu Kuangren with hate-filled eyes. He then took off his mask too.

The crowd gasped in horror.

Either one of the Seven Heroes of the Swordsmans.h.i.+p World's names would have been enough to send s.h.i.+vers down one's spine. The shocking thing was that now, three of them were gathered here in one place.

“A big occasion indeed.”

“Wow, Seven Heroes of the Swordsmans.h.i.+p World… Normally it would be hard to even meet one of them, but now we have three of them here together. Things are about to get interesting.”