After the fall of the Grand Dao Sword Palace, most of its disciples perished together with the invaders, and even the Grand Dao itself sank into silence, sealed along with the palace.
However, there still existed a way to awaken it again.
The plaza of the palace on the third level was once the altar used to worship the Grand Dao.
The corpse of the Fourth Stage cultivator came from one of the guardian elders of the Grand Dao Sword Palace, who had perished here to prevent anyone from stealing the Dao's essence.
Yet clearly, he had not expected that someone could steal a trace of Dao resonance from his body, and even know the precise process required to reactivate the Yijian Method.
Aside from those two requirements, there was another, not-quite-condition condition for activating the Yijian Method.
Both participants had to hold swords.
Hu Wenxin, the Blood Sage, cultivated the Path of Blood and naturally never used a sword.
But within the Grand Dao Sword Palace, he had one unavoidable reason to carry one, the puppets within the palace recognized people by their swords, and The Finest Stream had been reforged from a sword once belonging to the Grand Dao Sword Palace.
Anyone who held such a sword would be regarded by the puppets as a member of the palace and would not be attacked.
Only by doing so could one reach the heart of the Sword Palace and obtain the key to escape the sealing formation.
Of course, if one could make one of the palace's swords acknowledge a master, it would serve the same purpose.
But Hu Wenxin was a blood cultivator and knew nothing of the Way of the Sword. How could he possibly make a sword that had long been infused with the Yijian Method's spirit acknowledge him?
Thus, The Finest Stream was his only option.
It was also the reason he had relentlessly hunted Xu Zhenguan.
Now, as he was forced back step by step by the corpse under Gu Fangchen's control through the Corpse-Evil Method, panic made him instinctively snatch the sword and flee.
Especially since Gu Fangchen had deliberately driven him toward Xu Zhenguan's direction.
A deep hum resonated.
The arrays inscribed on the four pillars overlapped with their original markings. Black and white light intertwined, and invisible ripples spread outward. A bright line flashed across the Sword Palace's dome, illuminating countless ancient runes.
Layers of dust were swept away. The ruins of the Sword Palace suddenly became radiant, as though a colossal beast had awakened once more.
The long-dormant mechanisms came to life one after another.
This was the hidden form of the Grand Dao Sword Palace, a secret state that could only be triggered by completing a hidden quest in the game.
Only in this form would certain secret chambers open.
Among them was the Hall of Sword Offering, the place Gu Fangchen was heading to.
Hu Wenxin's expression turned horrified at the sight.
"Yijian Method?! How can you possibly know the Yijian Method? Are you a disciple of the Grand Dao Sword Palace?! No, that's impossible!"
"You clearly came from the outside! How could you be one of them?!"
Seeing the sword in his own hand, he immediately realized he had fallen for a trap and tried to throw The Finest Stream away.
But it was already too late.
Gu Fangchen had finished the incantation. He extended a finger toward Hu Wenxin and recited in sequence:
"The Grand Dao is the board. The Sword's Move begins."
At once, black and white light burst from both their bodies, representing yin and yang.
Gu Fangchen held white. Hu Wenxin held black.
Between them appeared a vast, shimmering chessboard. The two stood on opposite sides, watching as the wind and clouds surged within it. Chess pieces appeared one after another, falling onto the board, gradually deciding victory and defeat.
Above the spectral board loomed a massive, ancient face, gazing down upon them.
Its two eyes, one pure black, one pure white, looked upon all beings with overwhelming pressure.
In the game, this would have been the data comparison of the swords they carried.
But here, it was the manifestation of the Grand Dao itself, combined with the will of the Grand Dao Sword Palace's ancestor.
Hu Wenxin's entire body went rigid. He struggled desperately, but it was useless.
The Grand Dao's pressure locked down all his cultivation, forcing him to witness the end of the game.
The old ancestor watched with amusement. Then he smiled faintly, reached out, and touched the top of Hu Wenxin's head.
"You lost."
As the words fell, Hu Wenxin felt a tremendous force descend upon him.
A thunderous crash followed.
The mighty Fourth Stage Blood Sage was smashed from the air, crashing onto the plaza's floor. He was forced to kneel before Gu Fangchen, his head pressed deep into the ground.
Such humiliation was unbearable!
Hu Wenxin's face flushed red. His hands dug into the stone floor, leaving deep imprints as he struggled to rise.
But it was useless.
Veins bulged in his eyes as he snarled, lifting his head halfway, staring at Gu Fangchen, who calmly approached, squatted down, and showed him a look of pity.
"I told you already, the disciples of the Sword Palace aren't the only ones who know the Yijian Method. You were too careless."
Gu Fangchen sighed and flicked him on the forehead.
A sharp crack echoed.
Hu Wenxin's head, which he had just managed to raise, was slammed back into the ground.
His face buried in the dirt, he howled in fury, voice muffled:
"I am the Blood Sage! How can I, a dignified Fourth Stage, become a servant to a mere Sixth Stage brat?! I would rather die than submit!"
Gu Fangchen paused, then nodded thoughtfully.
"Didn't expect you to have some backbone. Well, I've always respected free will. If you don't want to be my servant, then you can only die."
Hu Wenxin froze.
When he saw Gu Fangchen's hand begin to press down again, panic filled his eyes.
"Wait! Stop! I'm a Fourth Stage, remember? Fourth Stage!"
The Yijian Method had already taken effect.
His earlier words were merely a test to see if Gu Fangchen understood the method's true power. He had assumed that with his own strength, if he played along, perhaps the other would treat him as an ally rather than a subordinate.
But to his horror, Gu Fangchen seemed entirely serious about killing him on the spot.
And worse, the oppressive force of the Yijian Method intensified along with his movements. His skull felt like it was about to burst like a smashed watermelon.
Grinding his teeth, Hu Wenxin shouted:
"I yield! I yield! Master! Master, stop! This old servant submits willingly and sincerely!"
Only then did Gu Fangchen sigh, ease his hand, and lightly pat Hu Wenxin's head.
"That's better. What backbone could a demonic cultivator possibly talk about?"
"Anyone who heard you would think you were possessed by a righteous cultivator. How embarrassing. You're a disgrace to our kind."
Hu Wenxin suddenly felt the pressure lift. He gasped for breath in relief.
He hurriedly crawled up, kneeling respectfully, smiling obsequiously.
"Master's judgment is flawless! This old servant was foolish!"
That form of address made Gu Fangchen's skin crawl.
He scowled. "Don't call me 'Master.' Call me Young Master."
He waved his hand, recalling the Three Fiend Gold Needles. The guardian elder's corpse instantly lost its form, collapsing into a pool of rotted flesh.
Xu Zhenguan, who had been knocked aside earlier, jumped down despite his injuries, anxiously asking, "Daoist, are you all right?"
Gu Fangchen tossed him a pill.
Xu Zhenguan caught it, then stared in disbelief at the sight before him, the old monster who had been chasing him now knelt deferentially on the ground, utterly servile.
"The Young Master's divine power is unmatched! How could anything happen to him?" Hu Wenxin barked sharply.
Xu Zhenguan gaped. "This… what's going on?"
Gu Fangchen chuckled. "Some people are just born to be lowly, wouldn't you agree, Blood Sage?"
Hu Wenxin's ingratiating smile twitched slightly, but he kept his composure and replied smoothly:
"The Young Master flatters this old servant. My name is Hu Wenxin. Just call this old servant Little Hu. 'Blood Sage', that title belongs to the past."