Beastmaster of the Ages

The strand of sword ki was also located at the bottom layer of the level. When Tianming spotted it, his albi shuddered. It was also another ten-kilometer-long dragon that was as black as ink. Every part of its body was formed from strands of blackfiend dragongorge sword ki about an arm's thickness. It was tens of thousands of individual strands as well as one composite whole.

All of that sword ki seemed to emanate from a dragon that had two heads, one at each end. The heads were emanating some kind of black mist that could even corrode Tianming's constellier body, permeating it like some kind of poison. The corrosive nature of this sword ki made it perfect for use with the Blackdragon Abyssthrust. Once it was integrated into his sword body, Tianming would be able to stand at the peak of Orderia.

The size of the dragon made him shudder, but according to Yin Chen, he couldn't turn back. They were mocking him outside, so it was too late to quit. He took a deep breath and charged toward it. "I'll just do it! If you don't kill me, I'll swallow you up!"

There were three main reasons why he was challenging grade-seven divine hazard sword ki. First, his sword body had been considerably strengthened after he'd integrated grade-six sword ki from before. Second, he had the Greenspark Tower, which allowed him to sustain a certain level of bodily damage. Third, he had the scale left behind by the Ninedragon Emperor infused in his sword. Similarly, the Sworddragon Ocean Purgatory was also a creation of the Ninedragon Emperor, with most of the divine hazards within having been collected by him.

Tianming summoned the Greenspark Tower and wielded the Grand-Orient Sword as he charged toward the black dragon. As if it were sentient, the sword ki in the form of a dragon seemed to notice Tianming's intentions. Just like a divine artifact, it picked its own master, so Tianming would have to pass its trial first.

The people outside couldn't know, but the commotion in the second level was much louder than the first's. But thanks to the formation separating them, they didn't notice it at all and continued with their mockery. This challenge was one that would push Tianming to his limits. This was the hardest time he'd ever had integrating a sword ki into his sword body. As he tried assimilating it, it tore away at his body. Thankfully, the Greenspark Tower and the protection of the nine-colored dragon scale mitigated the damage that was done to him. He kept going, stubbornly forging ahead.

"The Xuanyuan Dragon Sect is my base. If they fall, I'll be squashed like an ant on the roadside, let alone saving Qingyu and my godfather. If I want to survive, I must persevere and triumph!" He had a feeling that things would only get harder from now on, so there was no turning back. "Godfather, compared to your fourteen years of despair, my pain here is nothing!"

Meter by meter, Tianming forced the dragon into his albi, restructuring them from the ground up. When he was done, his sword body would be stronger than ever before! "Ying Huo, here's some for you!" He was already at his threshold.

"Aaaah, no! Don't! Aaaaah!" Ying Huo's shrieks reverberated throughout the level.

"Haha!" Suffering together felt the best, after all. Tianming didn't know how long it took, but he held on for as long as Yin Chen said things were fine up there. When he finally finished swallowing the entire dragon, he felt completely transformed. All the albi in his body were now black and seemingly radiated spikes of sword ki. Thick black mist came swirling out of his body, making him look like a human-shaped sword ki pool. The sword ki strands were all shaped like dragons and contained their stunning will, making them incredibly suited for the Ninedragon Tribulation.

He seemed composed of tens of thousands of swords, and even his gaze could kill. Ying Huo also got a seventh of the divine hazard sword ki and appeared quite different from before. Its Blazebane infused feathers were going wild with sword ki; even the slightest thrust from its wings could unleash a really powerful attack.

"We can finally catch a breather!" Ying Huo said.

"Breather your ass! We're thieves here! We have to act quickly!" Tianming dragged it down to the next level, unbeknownst to the audience outside. The blackfiend dragongorge sword ki was only the start. They would continue absorbing the others as well.

"I'll go insane before you do!" Ying Huo cried, but it had no choice. The two of them were the oldest in their family, so they had to take the brunt for the rest. Pain of the flesh was temporary, while pain of the soul was eternal.

"As long as we protect those we love, we'll never suffer any pain in our souls!" With that in mind, Tianming forged ahead. At the fourth level of the purgatory was the silverstream hell sword ki. It was sharp and fast like a silver blade, piercing Tianming tens of thousands of times. But when he finally integrated it, it seemed like he had turned into a blade.

At the tenth level lay the soulscourge azuredragon sword ki, which was suited for use with the Whitedragon Exaltation, greatly increasing the damage the strike dealt to totems and souls. The dragon was pale white and similarly large and also able to hook onto souls directly. At the fifteenth level was the bodhi bloodnourish sword ki, and it was clear that it was a good fit for the Blooddragon Sacrifice.

Those four strands of grade-seven divine hazard sword ki were more powerful than the others, and all of them were suited for use with the Ninedragon Tribulation. Apart from those four levels, there were fourteen others with top-tier sword ki as well, but Tianming couldn't bring them with him. Even so, his sword body was more powerful than ever before and his albi were brimming with sword ki. Even without special moves, he would be able to unleash boundless power. All he needed now was the infernal dragon sword ki on the first level.

He looked up, shooting four beams of sword ki out from his eyes to test it out. Then, he made his return—everyone had been waiting far too long for him to show up.