Seeking the Flying Sword Path

“Yiyi, Huan’er.” Qin Yun looked at his children and felt a marked improvement in his mood.

Qin Yiyi walked over and hugged Qin Yun’s arm. “Dad, your seclusive cultivation is typically short. Yet, you entered seclusion for three hundred years this time. It’s the longest seclusion in the recent two millennia. Have you had another breakthrough?”

She asked this in an ingratiating manner while trying to get some news out of her father.

If her father had a breakthrough, the chances of him surviving the twelfth Itinerant Immortal tribulation would be a lot higher.

“I did have a key breakthrough which resulted in a such a long seclusion,” said Qin Yun with a smile.

Qin Yiyi and Meng Huan could not help but reveal their delight.

“Dad, you are already at the half-step Heavenly Dao realm. Now that you have broken through again, perhaps you will be able to reach the Heavenly Dao realm soon,” Qin Yiyi said.

“How ignorant,” Qin Yun berated her lightly. “I’ve only attained a perfected Great Dao recently. As a sword immortal, I only have the strength of a half-step Heavenly Dao realm because my Intrinsic Flying Sword is a Connate Cardinal treasure. In terms of realm… I’m far inferior to the likes of Ancestral Dragon or Amita.”

Qin Yun knew his limitations.

People like Amita, Ancestral Dragon, and Hou Yi, they did not have any Intrinsic Connate Cardinal treasures, but they possessed strength at the half-step Heavenly Dao realm. It was purely from accumulated insight and experience as they grasped more than one perfected Great Dao. Even the three Human Sovereigns had realms above that of Qin Yun. In terms of realm, Qin Yun was only considered ordinary among the perfected Great Dao existences.

What made him unique was his status as a sword immortal and that he had an Intrinsic Connate Cardinal treasure in hand.

On the contrary, it also meant that Qin Yun had a lot of room for improvement! If he could one day be equal to Amita and the Ancestral Dragon in terms of realm, Qin Yun’s Intrinsic Flying Sword would only produce a might that was naturally more terrifying.

“Hehe.” Qin Yiyi giggled. “Regardless of reaching the Heavenly Dao realm or not, your strength has increased, right Dad? There’s nothing wrong with what I said, isn’t that so?”

“You and your sweet mouth.” Qin Yun curled his lips.

Meng Huan added, “Dad, when will your eleventh Itinerant Immortal tribulation happen?”

“Tomorrow.” Qin Yun had a sliver of anticipation in his eyes.

The eleventh time.

Through it, he could estimate the might of the twelfth.

…

The next day.

Yi Xiao and a huge group of people, including many juniors and Qin Yun’s disciples, gathered at Mt. Lightning Roar’s mountaintop as they looked up into the sky.

There, Qin Yun stood in midair. The sky had already turned red as wisps of red tribulation clouds gathered from every direction. They combined into a tribulation cloud that constantly grew in size as it turned darker.

The eleventh Itinerant Immortal tribulation was about to begin.

“Time sure passes quickly.”

Deep in the Tenebrous Fiend Abyss, the Ancestral Fiend’s destruction body looked in the direction of the Heavenly realm. “Without me realizing it, this Qin Yun is already beginning to face his eleventh Itinerant Immortal tribulation! Soon. In another thousand years, it will be the twelfth Itinerant Immortal tribulation! He will die from it and, without this madman’s obstruction, I can wage war again in the Three Realms.

“The Dao Ancestors and Buddhist Ancestor are all waiting for the day we are forced to leave the Three Realms so that they can join forces to kill me.” Ancestral Fiend sneered. “But would I just sit idle?

“Before leaving the Three Realms, I will wage a war more cruel than the Daoist-Fiend war. I will make the Fiendish Heavenly Dao spread through even more territories and I will control even more territories of the Three Realms.

“When the time comes, there will bloodshed… and countless dead…

“Hahaha… even if I fail, the death of so many people of the orthodox path will result in their powers returning to the Three Realms. The burden the Three Realms would face would greatly reduce as well. The day I’ll have to leave the Three Realms would be greatly pushed back,” thought Fiend Ancestor. “However, to wage this war, Qin Yun has to be finished first.

“Amita can be dealt with using Boxun.

“Ancestral Dragon? His duty is to the dragon race, he would not risk his life fighting the fiends.

“The most critical element in the Daoist-Fiend war is Qin Yun. Just the addition of this half-step Heavenly Dao realm has created too much fear in others. Even if those old fools are willing to be bribed by me, few of them are willing to risk their lives fighting Qin Yun.

“Therefore, it’s best you die under the Itinerant Immortal tribulation.

“Once you are dead, the difference in strength between fiend and Daoist won’t be that great.”

The Fiend Ancestor looked coldly towards the Heavenly realm.

As Heavenly Dao realm existences, they were unable to enter Great Worlds or Small Worlds; therefore, the outcome of the war would be dependent on the countless immortals, Buddhists, and Godfiends. The influence of an additional half-step Heavenly Dao realm was just too great. It even raised the difficulty of bribing ancient existences.

…

The fiends had sealed their Great Worlds because of Qin Yun. Beyond the fiendish dominions, there was nearly zero trace of the fiends.

To lay dormant and employ such restraint, it was all because of Sword Immortal Qin.

The fiends naturally hated Qin Yun to the bone, wishing that he was dead.

There were people who hated him, but there were others who hoped that Qin Yun would succeed in transcending the tribulation.

For instance, the Daoist Three Pure Ones and the Buddhist Ancestor, Gautama, all looked forward to it.

“The eleventh Itinerant Immortal tribulation. I wonder if he can survive the twelfth.” In the Western Paradise Great World, the lord of the world, Amita, sat cross-legged on a lotus flower throne. His body emitted infinite light as he looked far into the Heavenly realm.

“I still remember my first time meeting him. He was only a mortal. He dreamed a hundred years because of an item I left behind.”

Amita had a rather special fondness for Qin Yun.

He had watched Qin Yun slowly develop himself, far earlier than Numinous Treasure Dao Ancestor.

“There is cause and there is effect. Having done such great deeds in the Three Realms, you will receive great rewards,” Amita said softly. He hoped that there would be a good outcome for Qin Yun.

******

Qin Yun’s tribulation did attract the attention of many experts in the Three Realms. This was because the next one was the true life-and-death tribulation. It was a rare opportunity to see the means available to this legendary sword immortal! Furthermore… since the Chaos developed, only Bai Ze’s previous incarnation had succeeded in surviving it. The others failed to survive it.

Therefore, the eleventh Itinerant Immortal tribulation was a rare event.

“Rumble!” The blackish-red tribulation cloud turned into a spiral and its surface was black. There was a red glow deep in the eye of the vortex and it produced a rumbling sound. Clearly, it possessed extreme might.

“According to the intelligence, the twelfth Itinerant Immortal tribulation is a tribulation of wind, fire, and lightning. And the eleventh tribulation is only a fire tribulation.”

“Despite it being only a fire tribulation… it requires the strength of a perfected Great Dao to be able to resist it.”

Qin Yun understood this point.

The blackish-red cloud in the sky was gathering its strength before its imminent attack.

However, the tribulation had already descended upon him.

“Oh?”

Qin Yun’s skin turned red as his eyes wore a fervent look.

Flames rose in his heart!

Qin Yun was an Itinerant Immortal and only had an Essence Soul for his body. The moment the flames rose, they naturally spread throughout his Essence Soul.

Although there was a fervent look in his eyes, his Essence Soul was extraordinary. He was still able to maintain his calm despite the spreading of the flames. This was also an Essence Soul at the perfected Great Dao level. If his Essence Soul was at the pinnacle Great Dao level, the flames would probably turn more demented. Then, the various fire tribulations that followed would reduce the chances of him successfully transcending by at least half.

A wisp of misty rain flew out from Qin Yun’s fingertip and transformed into three flying swords. They floated in three directions and they were none other than Heaven, Earth, and Man.

Instantly, the Misty Rain Array was set up.

“Chi! Chi! Chi!”

Flames that were originally invisible in the void exposed themselves under the Misty Rain Array’s envelopment. The transparent flames were easily repressed by the Misty Rain Array.

“After I transcend this eleventh Itinerant Immortal tribulation, I will invite Hou Yi and company to enter the Chaos spatial rift again,” thought Qin Yun. “The experts inside the spatial tide have unfathomable means. Perhaps, I might end up bumping in someone stronger than Fate. Hou Yi will be first on the list of invitees, but I still need to invite a few others.

“To invite them, I need to demonstrate my strength.

“Many experts in the Three Realms are watching this Itinerant Immortal tribulation of mine. It’s the best time to demonstrate my strength,” thought Qin Yun. “Also, I can take the opportunity to see how strong the twelfth Itinerant Immortal tribulation could be.”

“Go.”

Qin Yun gave a mental command.

Countless sword beams flew up within the vast Misty Rain Array. Billions of sword beams combined into a sword beam that flew straight into the blackish-red tribulation cloud.

“What?”

“He plans on attacking the tribulation cloud?”

This scene shocked many experts in the Three Realms.

By attacking the tribulation cloud, it would release all the energy accumulated within instantly. The might would be much greater. It would be fine if Qin Yun tried this in previous tribulations, but to do it at the eleventh tribulation was madness.

“The fire in the heart, the fire in space, the fire in stone, the fire in wood, a total of nineteen flames. I do not have the time to slowly sample them. Just let it all out at once. By releasing them all at once, perhaps the might would be close to that of the twelfth Itinerant Immortal tribulation,” thought Qin Yun. As he carefully used the Misty Rain Array to put up an impermeable defense, he attacked the tribulation cloud.