Chapter 42: The Five Great Divine Arts
Jun Xiaoyao had never forgotten about the Immortal-Slaying Sword Art.
With a single horizontal slash, it reflected a terrifying scene of countless immortals falling.
A quasi-Supreme from the Ancestral Dragon Nest was instantly killed with just three sword strikes.
Although part of it was due to the Eighteenth Ancestor’s profound cultivation, another part of the reason lay in the Immortal-Slaying Sword Art’s overwhelming power.
The Eighteenth Ancestor said, “In the Desolate Heaven Immortal Domain, there are countless sword arts, but only five are truly at the pinnacle. Our Jun Family’s Immortal-Slaying Sword Art is one of those Five Great Divine Arts.”
“The Five Great Divine Arts…” Jun Xiaoyao murmured.
He had long known that this Immortal-Slaying Sword Art was no ordinary skill, but he never imagined it would be one of the Five Great Divine Arts.
“No wonder I couldn’t find it in the Jun Family’s Martial Pavilion,” Jun Xiaoyao realized.
“Heh, naturally. This kind of sword art is so hard to master that even spending a dozen years on it might not let ordinary clansmen grasp its basics, making it a waste of their time,” the Eighteenth Ancestor explained.
Jun Xiaoyao agreed inwardly.
Someone without extraordinary talent and comprehension would find cultivating the Immortal-Slaying Sword Art a futile drain on time.
But unfortunately for others, Jun Xiaoyao’s aptitude and comprehension were monstrous beyond compare.
“Then, Ancestor, about this Immortal-Slaying Sword Art…” Jun Xiaoyao began, then paused.
“Before, I didn’t give it to you for fear it would disrupt your cultivation. But now you’ll soon venture out into the world, and you certainly need more than one trump card. Your Ancient Desolate Sacred Body and Supreme Bone are strong, but you also need martial skills and divine abilities,” the Eighteenth Ancestor cautioned.
With that, the Eighteenth Ancestor taught Jun Xiaoyao the Immortal-Slaying Sword Art.
It consisted of three forms in total.
The first form, Immortal’s Fall, was a sword of magical power aimed at the physical body.
The second form, Immortal’s Annihilation, was a sword of the soul, targeting the primordial spirit within the divine palace.
The final form was Slaying Immortal—the unification of body and soul. It was the very technique the Eighteenth Ancestor used to slay a quasi-Supreme in three strikes.
“If you can grasp the first form within three years, you’ll likely master the entire art,” the Eighteenth Ancestor said with a faint smile.
“Yes.” Jun Xiaoyao nodded, though his mind was already spinning.
“Three years, huh? I really can’t wait that long…”
Seeing Jun Xiaoyao’s expression, the Eighteenth Ancestor hesitated briefly before speaking again. “Xiaoyao, there are two other things I need to tell you.”
“Please go on, Ancestor,” Jun Xiaoyao replied.
“When you reach eighteen, at your coming-of-age ceremony, I’ll reveal the hidden stories behind our Jun Family, as well as matters concerning your father.”
Jun Xiaoyao’s gaze sharpened at that.
Hidden secrets behind the Jun Family?
He was very curious as to what kind of mysteries lay behind such a glorious and powerful family. But most important of all was his father, Jun Wuhui!
He had heard the title “White-Robed Divine King” countless times by now.
What kind of person was his father, and why had he left, never to return?
What exactly had happened in those past events?
“It’s still too early for you to learn all that. When you come of age, I’ll tell you everything,” the Eighteenth Ancestor said.
Jun Xiaoyao nodded slightly and did not press further.
Right now, among the younger generation of geniuses, he could indeed sweep aside all opponents.
But he still lacked the ability to uncover such secrets.
In the days that followed, Jun Xiaoyao remained with the Eighteenth Ancestor, who personally explained the intricacies of the Immortal-Slaying Sword Art.
Back in his day, the Eighteenth Ancestor had already been considered a monstrously talented cultivator for taking just a year to get started with the Immortal-Slaying Sword Art.
Yet after only three months…
In the Jun Family’s ancestral grounds, Jun Xiaoyao raised his hand, and a vast surge of golden divine power erupted.
Forming his fingers into a sword, he unleashed a dazzling sword beam that pierced the skies, as though phantom immortals and gods manifested around him.
The sword beam swept forward, as if it could slice apart distant stars. The void itself trembled, and clouds in the sky were torn asunder!
Boom!
When the sword beam passed, a wide stretch of cloud cover was split in half. The residual sword qi roared in all directions, alarming many elders and key figures in the Jun Family.
“That aura… Could it be the Immortal-Slaying Sword Art? Is that the Eighteenth Ancestor?”
“No, though the power is immense, it hasn’t reached the Eighteenth Ancestor’s level. It’s the Divine Child!”
Many elders and disciples of the Jun Family were dumbstruck.
Only three months had gone by, right?
In that short time, Jun Xiaoyao had not only grasped its basics but could already unleash the first form of the Immortal-Slaying Sword Art.
Within the ancestral grounds, the Eighteenth Ancestor stared at Jun Xiaoyao, momentarily at a loss for words.
“It actually took three whole months just to master the first form… This Immortal-Slaying Sword Art really is a challenge,” Jun Xiaoyao sighed, shaking his head.
He wasn’t acting humble. Previously, whenever he cultivated any martial art or divine technique, he never needed more than seven days.
By comparison, taking three months to master the first form of the Immortal-Slaying Sword Art really did seem slow.
“Ahem…” The Eighteenth Ancestor looked slightly uncomfortable.
“Is something the matter, Ancestor?” Jun Xiaoyao asked.
“No, not at all. I just want to lie back in my coffin for a while,” the Eighteenth Ancestor replied.
Spending time with Jun Xiaoyao was enough to unsettle even his Dao Heart; he needed a moment to collect himself.
“Thank you for your guidance, Ancestor. I’ll take my leave,” Jun Xiaoyao said.
Knowing better than to disturb the Eighteenth Ancestor further, Jun Xiaoyao made his way out of the ancestral grounds and headed straight for the Heavenly Emperor Palace.
He was relieved to find that Jiang Luoli had finally left.
He truly had no interest in that little girl.
Upon stepping into the Heavenly Emperor Palace, Jun Xiaoyao saw Jun Zhantian waiting for him.
“You’ve learned the Immortal-Slaying Sword Art?” Jun Zhantian asked.
“More or less, just the first form,” Jun Xiaoyao replied.
“What a little monster…” Jun Zhantian thought to himself, then said, “I never expected you to have concealed a Supreme Bone as well.”
Jun Xiaoyao’s expression did not change, but inwardly, he recalled that he’d obtained it through signing in. Once integrated into his body, however, it effectively became part of his original constitution.
“Is there something you need, Grandfather?” Jun Xiaoyao asked.
Jun Zhantian wouldn’t have come looking for him without good reason.
Jun Zhantian said, “Xiaoyao, though you have two top-tier physiques, you’ll still have to devote twice as much effort to cultivate them. Especially your Ancient Desolate Sacred Body. When you were born, you awakened its first phenomenon, Myriad Saints Bowing, but the Ancient Desolate Sacred Body has six major phenomena in total.”
His words made Jun Xiaoyao fall into thought.
Indeed, cultivating the Ancient Desolate Sacred Body was even more challenging than cultivating the Supreme Bone. Activating each phenomenon was no simple matter.
Though Jun Xiaoyao’s talent was immense, there was still a process to everything.
“I might know a place that could help you accelerate your comprehension of the Sacred Body’s second phenomenon,” Jun Zhantian continued.
“Oh?” Jun Xiaoyao raised an eyebrow. There was such a place?
“Have you heard of the Panwu Divine Dynasty?” asked Jun Zhantian.
“Panwu Divine Dynasty… It’s supposedly one of the top-level immortal dynasties,” Jun Xiaoyao answered.
He had consulted various texts in his free time and thus had some understanding of the great forces in the Desolate Heaven Immortal Domain.
“That’s right. The founder of the Panwu Divine Dynasty was a great emperor—Emperor Panwu. But that’s not what matters. What matters is that rumors say he also possessed the Ancient Desolate Sacred Body…
“There’s a story that, deep within the imperial palace of the Panwu Divine Dynasty, there’s a place called Panwu Tomb, supposedly linked to Emperor Panwu…”
Right as Jun Zhantian finished speaking, the mechanical voice of the system rang out in Jun Xiaoyao’s mind again.
“Ding! Congratulations, Host! A new sign-in location has been updated!”
“Please sign in at the Panwu Tomb!”