This human world…
It had a plethora of emotions, from love to hate, causing separation and reunion.
There were the lofty sentiments such as enjoying life and living in the moment, and there were others who preferred honor to life.
There were toddlers running around giggling while the elderly sat to the side alone, thinking of their old partners.
Warriors dyed the battlefields with their blood as their wives waited for their husbands' return with children in tow.
…
These countless scenes formed the human world.
Such a human world was something that Qin Yun was sentimentally attached to. He was sentimental and passionate about all of this.
Despite knowing that the Great Chang world was on a brink of destruction, with Yang Jian and other immortals and buddhas willing to rescue him and a small number of people, he chose to transcend the tribulations to embark on the Itinerant Immortal path of no return. He had given up an eternal life of carefreeness and the safety of his family because he was passionate about the human world. He was willing to sacrifice himself for billions of people.
Demon Emperor Bai Ze once asked if he had regretted it.
Qin Yun had said back then that he "saw the billions of lifeforms produced in the Great Chang world and saw countless children running around happily. I felt joy, joy from choosing to transcend the tribulations prematurely. I'm joyful that I protected them."
It was completely in line with what he truly felt.
Only in that moment did Qin Yun understand that that was the Human Spirit!
His love for the human world, the willingness to use his life to protect it.
For instance, the Three Sovereigns—Suirenshi, Fuxishi, and Shennongshi—were passionate about humanity and had sacrificed everything. Up to this day, they were still protecting humanity.
Like the heroes who protected humanity at the cost of their lives, they possessed the Human Spirit in their hearts despite being mere mortals and having no idea about Dao hearts.
Qin Yun had done so in the past as well.
It was only today that he realized just how sentimental he was to the human world. It was likely the same with the Three Sovereigns.
The selfish and crafty fiends who were willing to sacrifice an entire world without batting an eyelid would never figure out the Human Spirit no matter how many insights they had about nature. There was no way they could figure out the Great Dao of Man!
The immortals who led carefree, eternal lives and stood high above others, often viewing the countless mortals suffering as though they were watching ants. Even if they abided by the precepts and were highly perceptive, they equally could not figure out the Human Spirit or the Great Dao of Man.
To figure out the Human Spirit?
One first had to have the Human Spirit!
Qin Yun long had it, and it was something the Three Sovereigns could tell. That was why he figured it out today.
The Human Spirit was considered the soul. The Great Dao mysteries and charms he had gained over the years were the skeletal structure. Both naturally formed a complete system. A pinnacle Great Dao of Man surfaced in Qin Yun's heart.
"Sword Dao—Great Dao of Heaven, Great Dao of Earth, Great Dao of Man."
With Heaven, Earth, and Man, his Sword Dao fused as one.
It was the Sword Dao of Heaven, Earth, and Man!
This was the perfected Great Dao that Qin Yun had been pursuing all along.
"Boom!"
Very naturally, Qin Yun figured out the Sword Dao of Heaven, Earth, and Man.
Everything was proceeding naturally under the most ripe of conditions.
Qin Yun felt as though he was seeing the Three Realms's birth as the Heaven, Earth, and Man split.
"No wonder. It's no wonder that every perfected Great Dao existence is so powerful. Emperor Polestar's schemes and calculations, Mahamayuri's Five-colored Divine Light, Fuxishi's array formation." Qin Yun was enlightened. "Every perfected Great Dao represents the limit below that of the Heavenly Dao. Every perfected Great Dao has means to remain unique in the Three Realms. No matter how heaven-defying a pinnacle mighty figure is, there will still be an immense gap. For instance, even though Yang Jian is considered extremely powerful among pinnacle mighty figures and had the Divine Eye of Destruction, he still nearly died fighting Patriarch Blood Sea. Previously, I could only fight above my level and match them only because of an Intrinsic Connate Cardinal treasure.
"Once the Dao is figured out, all Dharma spells and divine powers are enhanced as well."
At that instant, Qin Yun felt that the past escape arts, protective divine powers, protective arts, domains, and other means he had learned could be perfected with the Sword Dao of Heaven, Earth, and Man as its foundation, resulting in a qualitative change. That was why perfected Great Dao experts had many brilliant measures.
"Even my very simple Misty Rain domain previously cast through my Misty Rain Sword… barely influenced the perfected Great Dao Taowu's Bane avatar," thought Qin Yun. "And now, casting it again, my Misty Rain Sword's Misty Rain domain will be more profound and its might shall increase exponentially.
"Furthermore, my Dharmic powers have been raised again. After advancing from a pinnacle mighty figure to the perfected Great Dao, using stronger Dharmic powers to power the Misty Rain Sword will only increase the strength further.
"Combined, the Misty Rain domain will be ten times stronger than before.
"Even perfected Great Dao experts will fear my Misty Rain domain." Qin Yun understood this point.
This was only his most unimpressive move.
The moves which he was really good at could only be described as terrifying!
After all, a perfected Great Dao sword immortal matched with an Intrinsic Connate Cardinal treasure was naturally terrifying.
"This place is not suitable for a breakthrough. I'll wait till I return to Green Touring Palace and have my Essence Soul and Dharmic powers break through," thought Qin Yun. His Dharmic powers were still stuck at the pinnacle mighty figure level. Although he had already figured out the Sword Dao of Heaven, Earth, and Man, who in the Three Realms would know if he did not say so?
…
Above the Yu family's residence.
Qin Yun stood to the side as Misty Rain Sword Gallery's master. He had silently figured out a perfected Great Dao and become the most terrifying sword immortal in the Three Realms.
"Hahaha, don't bother struggling. No one can save you today!" The Imperial Preceptor deliberately acted without restraint as he struck the seal onto Tian Huang, worsening his injuries. "Your body cultivation sure is resistant. You can probably withstand another ten blows? Whatever, I'll kill your master and junior sister first. Oh? Who shall I kill first? I'll guess I'll kill your master first. He did not complain at all when he was captured. All he said was 'it's not your fault.' He sure is nice to you."
With that said, he waved his hand.
The seal hurled towards Qin Yun.
"Master." Tian Huang's eyes seemed to crack.
He could resist the seal when it struck the second firmament body he cultivated, but his master was only mortal.
"It's really a good day today," said Qin Yun suddenly with a smile.
He was only speaking normally when the seal failed to land on him. It was suspended in midair.
Even the Imperial Preceptor demon turned motionless, maintaining the posture of him waving his hand to throw the seal. The other two demons similarly had their expressions frozen. It was as though time had paused, leaving only horror in their eyes.
"Master." Tian Huang was somewhat taken aback as the scene before his very eyes were somewhat odd.
"Although I'm in a good mood, the three of you have been holding a candle to the devil and done a lot of evil. It's best you reincarnate." As Qin Yun spoke, the Imperial Preceptor and the other two demons silently disintegrated.
Tian Huang, as well as Madam Jin and Jin Yu were stunned. All of them looked at Qin Yun.
Anyone could tell that this Master Qin who had been residing in Lin City for more than thirty years was very extraordinary.
"Master, you…" Jin Yu uttered.
"Tian Huang, Jin Yu," said Qin Yun with a smile. "When the two of you became my disciples, the both of you were still children. In a blink of an eye, both of you are already this big. I have stayed in Lin City for more than three decades and am very happy to have three disciples like yourselves."
"Master, you are?" Tian Huang could not help but ask.
"Master, are you an expert? A Skyimmortal? A fifth firmament Skyimmortal? Eight firmament Skyimmortal?" Jin Yu could not curb her excitement as she asked. She was at the Connate True Core realm. To her, Skyimmortals were very powerful. She was naturally excited because she and her mother did not need to die. The Jin residence was spared as well. How could she not be excited?
Furthermore, her master was impressively powerful!
"It's time I leave," said Qin Yun. "It's unknown when we will meet again after this separation."
"Master, you are leaving?" Jin Yu immediately turned anxious. Her father had passed away a long time ago and it was her mother who brought her up. She had been Qin Yun's disciple from a young age. To her, Qin Yun was like her father.
"Master, when can we meet you again?" asked Tian Huang anxiously as well.
"When can you meet me again?" Qin Yun hesitated.
As a perfected Great Dao sword immortal, he had an Intrinsic Connate Cardinal treasure, making him more powerful than Demon Emperor Bai Ze's former incarnation! However, he still did not have any confidence transcending the Itinerant Immortal tribulations. The eleventh Itinerant Immortal tribulation could only be transcended with a perfected Great Dao strength. What about the twelfth?
"If the two of you cultivate to the sixth firmament Skyimmortal realm, go to Mt. Lightning Roar to seek me," said Qin Yun. "If you don't, there's no need to meet again."
With that said, three sword beams flew out from his fingertip. Two of them flew into Tian Huang's and Jin Yu's bodies, while the third sword beam tore through the sky and entered his second disciple, Fan Yong, who was millions of kilometers away.
His second disciple was sitting cross-legged in meditation.
When the sword beam tore through the sky and entered his body, it left him dazed.
"I have imparted the three of you a sword beam each. They contain a Sword Dao heritage," said Qin Yun. "Every Sword Dao beam is at the mighty figure level. Although they are different from one another, they are most suitable to each one of you individually.
"Cultivate well. If fate permits…" Qin Yun hesitated for a moment, "perhaps we might meet again."
Would they meet again?
It would depend on where the Itinerant Immortal tribulations ended and how powerful it was at the end.
With that said, Qin Yun turned to leave. In a single step, he reached high into the sky, and with another step, he vanished.
As they watched their master disappear into the night, Tian Huang and Jin Yu were dumbfounded.
"Senior Brother, did you hear it? The three sword beams that Master gave us are at the mighty figure level. And that they are all different?" Jin Yu was somewhat confounded. "What realm does Master have?"
"Very, very high," muttered Tian Huang. "When I grow stronger, I must figure out what Mt. Lightning Roar is."
"Senior Brother, you have to tell me when you find out. Tell me who exactly our Master is." Jin Yu was extremely curious to know.