As Gan Yong spoke, a flying sword broke out of the sword sheath. The blade was blood-red, resembling the morning glow!
After the initial defeat in the sword duel, Gan Yong did indeed experience a period of depression. However, with his loss of vision, the memories of his past gradually surfaced in his mind. The reckless and frivolous days of the past few decades were now completely clear to him. He understood completely that his current defeat was entirely self-inflicted, he only had himself to blame.
But since he had already been defeated, the choice was between continuing to abandon himself to despair for the rest of his life, or persist in climbing to the pinnacle of Sword Dao. The flying sword named 'Morning Glow' gave him the answer.
This sword was personally forged by his own hands. The cold iron used was originally not blood-red; he had dyed it in his own blood for nine-by-nine, eighty-one days. When the originally ice-cold iron was removed, it had acquired a warmth, and the overall appearance became extremely vibrant and red.
After forging this sword, although Gan Yong had not seen its true appearance, he had a clear understanding in his heart. Thus, he named it 'Morning Glow', expressing a nostalgic sentiment for his youth. It was also telling himself that even though he was blind, in the countless years to come, his heart would never grow old even if his body did. He still considered himself a sincere youth on the path of the sword.
After Gan Yong realized this, whether he had lost in the past or had become blind was no longer important.
Exhaling a deep turbid breath, as if expelling all the accumulated frustration of the past thirty years, Gan Yong lifted his head and sincerely said, "This old man originally thought that coming out of seclusion again would definitely be to seek a rematch with the opponent from back then, letting him know that this old man did not spend thirty years in vain. But in reality, if I harbored such thoughts, then the thirty years would truly have been wasted."
The Great Liang Emperor said calmly, "If you can't let go of the past, then the so-called unraveling is just empty words."
"What Your Majesty said is indeed true. So, when someone invited this old man to a battle against Your Majesty, this old man readily accepted. Your Majesty is a heroic figure in this era. While you don't train in the sword, your brilliance is evident. Naturally, this old man has to choose someone like Your Majesty for my sword after half a sixty-year cycle."
Gan Yong murmured softly, "This time, when I draw my sword, it's not to let the world know that Gan Yong is still alive, or to make further progress beyond my current achievements. It's simply to tell the world that, whether blind or defeated in swordsmanship, in this old man's heart, it all amounts to nothing!"
The Great Liang Emperor looked at Gan Yong and said, "Sword Immortal Gan's state of mind has reached a sublime level. You're not far away from achieving the realm of a great sword immortal."
Gan Yong said even more seriously, "To be honest with Your Majesty, this old man feels that after this battle with Your Majesty, this old man will surely be able to take another step forward and step into that mysterious realm."
However, the Great Liang Emperor shook his head, saying, "It's a shame."
Gan Yong was puzzled and immediately asked, "What's a shame?"
The Great Liang Emperor said calmly, "How can We be easy to kill?"
"You, Gan Yong, may intend to step into that mysterious realm through the victory in this battle, which is good, but you want to use this battle to send Us to hell, to serve as a stepping stone for you. We have roamed the world, how can We die to you?"
In other words, Gan Yong might achieve the breakthrough to the great sword immortal realm by defeating the Great Liang Emperor, but the Emperor would not allow him to win.
"Your Majesty is already seriously injured, without that oiled-paper umbrella, how can Your Majesty's will still be maintained?"
Gan Yong did not believe that the current Great Liang Emperor could leave alive, especially at this moment when he was already brimming with confidence in himself.
The Great Liang Emperor said indifferently, "In the territory of the Great Liang, how could We die at your hands?"
Gan Yong sighed, "Everyone dies."
The Great Liang Emperor held that umbrella handle, and walked slowly on the long street with an expressionless face. "All people die. Naturally, We will too. But right now, We don't want to die. Who can take Us away from this world?"
Gan Yong remained silent, only reaching out to grasp the flying sword, Morning Glow. At this moment, his aura continued to climb, returning to the peak level from thirty years ago in an instant. However, it did not stop there. After a moment, his aura kept rising even more, becoming stronger until it reached a critical point.
That critical point was just a step away from entering the Great Sword Immortal Realm.
He was already standing at the threshold.
The Great Liang Emperor shook his head and said, "You're not capable of it."
Gan Yong said nothing, just raised Morning Glow, and gently drew an arc. A chilly sword light bloomed from the tip of the sword, cutting through the wind and snow, falling towards the long street.
At the same time, Gan Yong leaped into the air and rushed towards the Great Liang Emperor.
It was not common for a sword cultivator to use a sword in direct confrontation, but the sword technique that Gan Yong comprehended in the past thirty years could only unleash its greatest power when holding the sword.
Seeing that the old sword immortal was already in front of him, the Great Liang Emperor glanced at the flying sword and exclaimed in admiration, "A fine sword!"
Each of the four flying swords had its own merits, but when talking about significance to Gan Yong, perhaps only this flying sword, Morning Glow, mattered. Unlike the previous three swords, this flying sword represented the entire meaning of Gan Yong's life.
However, no matter how good a sword was, once its tip was aimed at oneself, it might not truly be a good sword.
The Great Liang Emperor paid no mind to these. Facing this sword cultivator who had long been renowned throughout the world, he wielded the umbrella handle in confrontation. Under his opponent's sword technique, he shattered the other party's sword qi by swinging the umbrella handle in his hand. Under Gan Yong's continuous attacks, the long and arduous time of thirty years had now transformed into a series of sharp sword lights and waves of dense sword qi.
The shattered emperor robe of the Great Liang Emperor fluttered, and with each collision between the umbrella handle and the flying sword, it trembled for a long time. In reality, if it were not for the qi augmentation of the Great Liang Emperor, how could this ordinary umbrella handle possibly resist the flying sword crafted by Gan Yong over endless time?
However, Gan Yong, this master of Sword Dao, displayed an exquisite swordplay with every strike. In contrast, the Great Liang Emperor's responses seemed extremely casual. The umbrella handle appeared each time at the crucial moment of Gan Yong's sword strikes. After the initial parrying, the Great Liang Emperor unexpectedly showed signs of turning the tide.
He was a martial artist who had reached the end of Nepenthe; someone who could be mentioned in the same breath with the great sages of Daoism and great sword immortals. No matter how powerful Gan Yong was, he had yet to cross that threshold.
Of course, no matter how severely injured the Great Liang Emperor was, he had not fallen out of that threshold.
There was still a gulf between the two.
As the Great Liang Emperor fought with Gan Yong, he glanced towards the distance. That Buddhist Vajra who had been heavily injured, had been using this entire time to recover and had no intention of getting involved in the short term. As for the gray-robed old daoist who had been watching from the sidelines, he was the truly troublesome figure.
"Old Daoist, since you've finally come down from the mountain, why keep probing and stay hidden in the shadows? If you're going to make a move, now is the time. Let's have a good fight."
The voice of the Great Liang Emperor sounded out slowly, his voice akin to a great bell.
"Your Majesty, this poor daoist doesn't dare to compare myself to Your Majesty. I still hope to let Sword Immortal Gan expend Your Majesty's strength for a while longer. Sword Immortal Gan's cultivation over these thirty years has probably yet to be fully displayed at this moment."
The voice of the gray-robed old daoist echoed from not far away, rather unperturbed.
The Great Liang Emperor glanced at Gan Yong, showing no concern. He simply asked, "When will Sword Immortal Gan unleash your strongest sword strike?"
