Chapter Sixty-Seven: Am I Really This Powerful?

The Heaven-Devouring Sparrow glanced at Liu Jianchen with disdain, ignored the fool, and found a spot to nap. How could one possibly comprehend the sword by writing? This fellow was utterly mad; the sparrow would never believe such nonsense.

Initially, it had thought of secretly practicing calligraphy itself, to see if it could learn these sword techniques. But since Ye Qiu himself had said it was impossible, there was no chance of success—this was nothing but a waste of time.

“Ignorant brat, figure it out on your own. Grandpa Bird is taking a nap…” The Heaven-Devouring Sparrow flapped its wings and flew off.

Ever since that day, the Great Wilderness seemed to have quieted; no major wars had erupted. That day, Ye Qiu stretched lazily as he walked out of his room and saw Liu Jianchen still writing at the table. He shook his head but said nothing.

Cao He, sweeping as he worked, asked, “Boss, he’s been writing for half a month and isn’t tired of it yet. Is it possible he’s actually comprehended some sword intent?”

“Pah! How could that be?” Ye Qiu scoffed. “If you could comprehend the sword by writing, I’d have become a swordmaster long ago. Do you think my swordsmanship is that impressive?”

Cao He shook his head; neither of them believed it. Over the years, Cao He had learned quite a bit from Ye Qiu with little improvement to show for it.

Comprehend the sword through calligraphy? What a joke! Ye Qiu didn’t believe such absurdity existed in the world. All these years, he’d spent his days playing music, chess, painting, writing, brewing, farming, forging weapons—decades of the same routine—and never saw any breakthrough.

So it was simply impossible.

“By the way, things seem to have calmed down lately. Could it be that the great tribulation has passed?” Cao He questioned. Ye Qiu was puzzled, too. “Unlikely! Just wait, a second wave of chaos will erupt soon.

Last time, as soon as the upheaval began, nearly half the major powers came out. This time… even those reclusive giants may emerge.”

“Master, yesterday there was another outbreak at the Heaven-Shaking Mountain. Looks like quite a few people died again…” the Heaven-Devouring Sparrow chimed in.

“Hm? Heaven-Shaking Mountain again?” Ye Qiu was taken aback. Something was off about that place; every recent incident had started there. Could it be that the mastermind behind all this intended to make their move at Heaven-Shaking Mountain?

“Well… whatever. Better them than me! Let them fight as much as they want—it’s none of our concern. I just wonder… after this tribulation, how many will still be alive?”

Ye Qiu shook his head, a deep melancholy in his heart. The Heaven-Devouring Sparrow nodded in agreement, suddenly feeling that sticking with Ye Qiu had been the wisest decision it ever made.

In such a brutal purge, the only safe place was at Ye Qiu’s side.

“Hm?”

Just as their conversation grew lively, a burst of light flooded the entire tavern.

“Hiss… What terrifying sword intent! Did that guy… really comprehend it?” The Heaven-Devouring Sparrow was stunned, its face changing as it stared, mouth agape, at Liu Jianchen.

The light was emanating from Liu Jianchen.

Liu Jianchen shouted excitedly, “I understand! I finally understand! To wield the brush as a sword—the form is in the intent, the intent in the force. So… this is the true essence of the sword!”

In that instant, a terrifying sword aura exploded from Liu Jianchen, engulfing the whole tavern.

“Mother of—” Cao He bolted in terror, fleeing at once. The Heaven-Devouring Sparrow tried to follow, but wasn’t nearly as fast.

“Damn, this guy’s got guts! Usually, everyone pretends to be weak—‘Oh, I’m so feeble, come and fight me’—but look at him now! His reaction is even faster than mine.

Hell, turns out I’m the weakest bird in this tavern…”

The sword energy erupting from Liu Jianchen’s body slashed the tavern to pieces. Ye Qiu winced in pain at the destruction and shouted angrily, “Enough! Stop right now!”

Instantly, a vast righteous aura descended, and Liu Jianchen, who had been unleashing his sword energy, was crushed to the ground like a pancake, landing with his face in the dirt.

“Come on, I just became this powerful, and you crush me without a word—where’s the justice in that?” Liu Jianchen was dumbfounded. He had thought that mastering the supreme sword intent would make him Ye Qiu’s equal, but reality proved merciless.

“Hm?”

Ye Qiu himself was startled. He’d sensed a change in his aura just now. He hadn’t noticed this before, but with more experience, Ye Qiu was beginning to realize something.

“Is my mouth really this powerful?”

Ye Qiu was dumbstruck. Could he really defeat a sword immortal just by giving a command?

Damn, this is more outrageous than cheating!

“So all these years of cultivation… it’s all been invested in my mouth?”

Ye Qiu was delighted. He never expected such a discovery today—he was overjoyed.

Just this twisted ability to make everything stop with a single word would put him in an invincible position. What would he ever need to fear again?

Even if you can’t fight, surely you know how to silence your opponent?

“Hehe… Not bad, not bad. Turns out I’m actually quite formidable. A sword immortal taken down by a single word?

Ha! After more than twenty years… do you know what I’ve been through? I’ve refined the art of playing dead to perfection.

If I could avoid showing off, I wouldn’t. If I could avoid fighting, I wouldn’t. Now that I have such a formidable power, what’s to be afraid of?”

Ye Qiu could hardly contain his excitement. Just imagining it thrilled him—scenes of crooked-smiled war gods, dragon kings returning, humiliating rivals flashed through his mind.

Heaven, this is just too good!

But he didn’t know whether this ‘shout to stop’ power was triggered passively.

Ye Qiu didn’t know how to use it. If it was passive, that would be a shame—good for defense, but no use for showing off. What good would such a power be, then?

“No, I have to test whether this ability is active!”

Ye Qiu quickly decided, casting an evil glance at the Heaven-Devouring Sparrow beside him.

The Heaven-Devouring Sparrow’s heart skipped a beat. “Crap, why do I have a bad feeling about that look?”

Before it could react, Ye Qiu shouted, “Miserable creature, down!”

In a flash, a surge of righteous energy burst from Ye Qiu, severing the Heaven-Devouring Sparrow’s connection to its spiritual power.

“Damn it…”

The Heaven-Devouring Sparrow let out a desperate wail and collapsed, as limp as a dead bird, unable to move.

Ye Qiu saw this and was overjoyed!

“Haha, it really works! My goodness, am I about to rise up? Am I about to reach the pinnacle of life?”

Ye Qiu was ecstatic, but outwardly remained as calm as ever, his emotions unreadable…

The Heaven-Devouring Sparrow lay there in confusion and despair, crying out, “Master, what did I do wrong?”

“Hehe, you did nothing wrong. I just wanted to try shouting…” Ye Qiu grinned, for he couldn’t very well tell the sparrow he’d just used it for a skill test.