Chapter 207: The Battle for the Dao

Xiao Qixiu's face revealed a look of shock and fear.

He didn't find the other person arrogant at all. In fact, upon hearing those words, he became even more certain of his inner judgment about the man before him.

Only someone who truly understood this masked figure could know that he wasn't spouting empty boasts, but stating a fact.

"Your sword is trembling."

The masked man pointed it out bluntly, watching Xiao Qixiu's face change dramatically as he continued, "If a sword cultivator can't even hold his sword steady when facing an enemy, how can he protect everything he wants to guard?"

"Even if the enemy standing before you is one you never dared imagine facing!"

Xiao Qixiu gazed at Su Qianqian in his arms, his eyes gradually firming with resolve.

He was right—no matter who the enemy was or how strong, the sword in his hand must never tremble!

"But!"

The masked man's tone shifted sharply, his voice cold as a blade piercing the heart: "The sword is the king of all weapons. If you falter before the battle even begins, how can you fight on?"

"How can one who fears the Dao ever cut through it?"

These eight words hit Xiao Qixiu like a thunderbolt from a clear sky, leaving his mind blank in an instant.

"Cut through the Dao..." he murmured unconsciously, not even realizing that a sense of defeat was already spreading over him.

"In the struggle for the Great Dao, one failure means eternal damnation."

"Holding your sword and still trembling—who could possibly continue on that path? Give up now, and maybe you can still live out some leisurely days."

The masked man's words came like rapid gunfire, deepening the despondency in Xiao Qixiu.

He felt like a dim, lightless star under the moon's glow, forced to shine and strive with utmost caution.

"Hah!"

Seeing his momentum sink as if into the dust, the masked man let out a timely sneer. "It seems the Dao you've entered isn't much. Others can steal it away with just a few words?"

Xiao Qixiu snapped awake, drenched in cold sweat.

Steal the Dao?

Was he trying to steal my Dao?!

In the battle for the throne, it's fundamentally a contest of the Great Dao. If one's Dao is completely crushed, it's true eternal damnation, with no chance of recovery.

This is like having your faith overturned, losing all direction in life!

Xiao Qixiu and the masked man both followed the sword Dao, yet he had been shaken to the point of doubting his own path. If this continued, his Dao would be utterly ruined—death or crippling would be inevitable!

A wave of dread washed over him, but he also felt puzzled. They were on opposing sides, so attempting to steal the Dao was understandable, even vicious. But why, when the masked man was on the verge of success, did he suddenly awaken him?

This enlightenment didn't feel like stealing the Dao; it was more like reinforcing his Dao foundation!

Pondering this, Xiao Qixiu's expression turned strange.

If it were anyone else, they couldn't shake his faith so easily. In fact, in throne-level battles, truly successful Dao theft was rare.

But this man was different. His own Dao might have reached its end...

He was nothing but a shadow of him!

"So what?"

Xiao Qixiu gripped his long sword tightly, his eyes bright as the moon.

Without the masked man's pressure, he might not have achieved such clarity, but in this moment, his mindset was utterly transparent, his spirit cleansed of dust.

As cultivators, we pursue nothing more than the two words: "slay the divine"!

Even if the one standing before us is the god in our hearts!

"Leave the sword behind!"

For the third time, Xiao Qixiu uttered these words, as if undergoing a complete transformation. His sword intent soared to the clouds, piercing the night sky, as if even the darkness would be torn apart.

"Hah!"

The masked man let out a cold laugh, completely ignoring it, and turned to walk away. "Take the person and go. I don't feel like killing tonight."

Xiao Qixiu was stunned, not expecting such an outcome.

He wanted to step forward, but reason held him back. The man before him was...

Yet the insight he had just gained was about forging ahead without hesitation!

He took a step, only to feel his chest grabbed. Looking down, Su Qianqian was biting her lip and shaking her head slowly.

For the little girl in his arms, was it the famous sword or life that mattered?

It was a difficult choice.

But she had already given her answer!

However, for Xiao Qixiu...

"Life, or the Great Dao?"

He fell silent, his feet rooted in place.

The night wind blew coldly, rustling the ravaged flower sea in the back mountains, with the cries of startled geese echoing.

The masked man's shadow stretched longer and fainter; he had waited a long time, but no one followed.

...So be it!

With a gentle shake of his head and a sigh, his figure vanished around the corner.

"You have too many attachments; you're not suited for sword cultivation. Give it up!"

With those words, Xiao Qixiu's newly solidified Dao crumbled once more, fragmenting bit by bit.

He clutched his long sword tightly, his eyes filled with disbelief, but the collapse was irreversible.

Su Qianqian's face also showed horror; she never imagined that just one step away could bring such a life-threatening crisis to Xiao Qixiu.

"Master..."

Xiao Qixiu's face twisted in pain, his teeth gritted, but blood overflowed from the corner of his mouth.

"It's nothing... Ugh!"

A mouthful of dark blood sprayed onto Su Qianqian's terrified face. This was no minor issue—it was a matter of life and death!

With a thud, Xiao Qixiu's knees hit the ground, and a aura of decay, unique to the dead, emanated from him.

He quickly tossed Su Qianqian aside, but the little girl struggled with tears in her eyes, trying to run back.

"Don't come over!"

Xiao Qixiu thrust his sword into the ground, his eyes full of regret.

Wrong!

He was wrong!

He had truly experienced the art of killing the heart and spirit.

The masked man first helped stabilize his Dao foundation and set a goal of "slaying the divine" with fearless advance, but he knew Xiao Qixiu could never strike at him.

Then, with a reversal—if he couldn't follow through and draw his sword, it would negate his entire Dao!

He had been manipulated...

"Hah!"

Cracks spread across Xiao Qixiu's body, the aura of death growing stronger.

For someone whose Dao had been stolen, preserving one's life was nearly impossible.

And facing an opponent as powerful as the masked man, escape today seemed out of the question!

"Master!"

Su Qianqian cried out in despair. She had thought of abandoning the sword to save him, but now even that was impossible.

Xiao Qixiu looked at his beloved disciple and managed a bitter smile. On the brink of death, he found some clarity.

In truth, he couldn't blame the masked man for this.

If he had followed through and dared to strike...

Perhaps he could have succeeded in cutting through the Dao right then!

He stared at the end of the road, where the masked man's figure had vanished, clenching his fist. The opportunity had been right there, yet he had missed it.

"Don't come over; as your master..."

Xiao Qixiu painfully closed his eyes. As your master... it ends here!

Just then, a loud explosion echoed from the end of the road, as if someone had been slammed to the ground.

The master and disciple, amid tears and cries in the back mountains, froze and looked over.

At the distant corner, a large crater had formed. As the dust settled, they saw the masked man clutching his black sword at his chest, equally stunned.

Drip!

Drip!

The sound of blood dropping was crystal clear in the quiet night.

Xiao Qixiu's eyes nearly bulged out; even his own crumbling state paused for a moment.

The masked man had been run through with a sword!