Fate-Defying Demon Emperor

At the bottom of the Lake of Path Enlightenment, Su Han arrived at the spot where the Heavenly Sword Crown Prince had previously cultivated. This was the heart of the lake, a place where cultivation yielded twice the results with half the effort.

The Heavenly Sword Crown Prince stood silently to the side, as still as a statue. Su Han’s Soul Seed was absorbing nutrients, thriving as it grew stronger. Although this process would be lengthy, the Soul Seed would blossom into a new soul once it completely absorbed the soul of the Heavenly Sword Crown Prince.

Of course, the Heavenly Sword Crown Prince was still able to cultivate during this time. With his physical body and sea of consciousness both intact, he could continue his training and retain his Sword Intent of Ages, appearing no different than before.

Su Han divided his attention, simultaneously controlling the Heavenly Sword Crown Prince while absorbing the lake water for his own cultivation.

The lake water not only contained the Sword Intent of Ages left by Great Emperor Zhankong, but it was also a type of Spiritual Liquid brimming with immense energy.

No, I can’t absorb Spiritual Liquid to cultivate. I can only devour the energy of other beings or special forms of energy.

After a brief attempt, Su Han shook his head and gave up. The Devouring Heaven Demonic Art was a heaven-defying technique, but it had its drawbacks. It prevented him from absorbing energy from things like Spiritual Liquid or Spirit Stones; he could only devour others to refine their flesh and vital essence.

Therefore, despite the vast power contained within the Lake of Path Enlightenment, Su Han could not absorb and refine it. But how could he enter a treasure trove and leave empty-handed? He might not be able to absorb the lake’s energy, but he could absorb the Sword Intent of Ages it contained.

In that case, I’ll enhance my Sword Intent Seed and obtain the true Sword Intent of Ages for myself!

Su Han opened his Dantian, allowing the Sword Intent Seed to eagerly absorb the power. Instantly, strands of the Sword Intent of Ages flew from the lake water, entering his Dantian and merging with the seed. It began to grow continuously, showing the faint signs of sprouting.

Sword Scripture of Ages!

While nurturing his Sword Intent Seed, Su Han also began cultivating the Sword Scripture of Ages that he had stripped from the Heavenly Sword Crown Prince’s memories.

This was a cultivation technique created by Great Emperor Zhankong. It was of an extremely high grade, powerful enough to lead a cultivator all the way to the God Realm. After all, the Great Emperor himself had achieved godhood and ascended, leaving behind endless legends.

It’s a pity the version of the Sword Scripture of Ages that the Heavenly Sword Crown Prince obtained is incomplete. It only has the first three layers!

The complete scripture had seven layers, each containing powerful methods and sword techniques. The Heavenly Sword Crown Prince’s inheritance only included the first three, and he had only managed to successfully cultivate the first two.

The strongest sword techniques of the first two layers were *Time as a Sword, Slaying All Beings* and *Sword Intent of Ages Slays Time*. The first technique damaged the physical body, while the second injured the spirit. Both were exceptionally ingenious.

The strongest technique of the Third Layer was called *One Sword, Hundred Years*. This swordsmanship required a powerful command of time to execute. A single strike could shorten a person’s lifespan by a hundred years—an utterly heaven-defying feat.

With his current strength, Su Han could likely only cultivate the first technique. The second required a potent Sword Intent of Ages, and the third demanded a powerful command of time, neither of which he possessed yet. Moreover, even the first technique, *Time as a Sword, Slaying All Beings*, was not easy to cultivate. It required not only the unique Secret Technique from the Sword Scripture of Ages but also a combination of the Sword Intent of Ages and the power of time. A single blow could plunge an opponent into a distorted flow of time, where moments stretched into ages.

My Lifebound Cultivation Method is the Devouring Heaven Demonic Art, but I can practice a few other techniques as supplementary skills.

Su Han was very clear about his path. He did not covet the Sword Scripture of Ages; he merely wanted to use it to learn a few powerful sword techniques.

Su Han had obtained many Divine Demonic Heritages and numerous cultivation techniques, but he would never forsake the essential for the trivial. Pursuing other primary techniques was out of the question. He treated all of them, from the Sword Scripture of Ages to the Myriad Swords Returning Origin Technique of the Myriad Swords Sect, as mere sources of new sword techniques, not as his fundamental cultivation method.

In Su Han’s heart, only one technique was fundamental: the Devouring Heaven Demonic Art, the legacy of the Cruel Demon Emperor. The Cruel Demon Emperor had looked down upon all of history, gods, and demons alike. He had even built the Prison Divine Palace to incarcerate three thousand of them. His power far surpassed anything Su Han could imagine. Why would he abandon the cultivation technique passed down by such a figure for any other? Even if a Divine Level technique were placed before him, he would not be swayed in the slightest.

At the bottom of the Lake of Path Enlightenment, Su Han focused on two things: nurturing his Sword Intent Seed and cultivating the Sword Scripture of Ages. This lake was the very place where Great Emperor Zhankong had attained his enlightenment and achieved the rank of Great Emperor. It was a place filled with wonders. Even though Su Han was not the Great Emperor’s inheritor, cultivating the Sword Scripture of Ages here still yielded twice the results with half the effort.

Time passed day by day, and the Sword Intent Seed within Su Han’s Dantian grew continuously stronger. Finally, the seed cracked open. A surge of Divine Light burst forth—brilliant yet gentle, resplendent and radiant. It was imbued with the profound sense of flowing time and changing ages.

Su Han calmed his Heart Spirit and looked inward at his Dantian. There, within the Divine Light, he saw a delicate sprout. It was tiny and slender, yet perfectly shaped like a sword and aglow with light. A pure, distinct Sword Intent of Ages emanated from it.

The Sword Intent has taken form!

A surge of joy filled Su Han. He drew more of the lake water toward him, absorbing its Sword Intent of Ages to nourish the tiny sprout.

No matter how abundant or powerful the Sword Intent of Ages in the lake was, it belonged to the Lake of Path Enlightenment. Only the Sword Intent of Ages radiating from this new sprout was truly his own.

The sprout had just formed, and though it had given birth to his Sword Intent of Ages, it was still very weak. Su Han did not wield it directly, gently nurturing it instead.

Ten days later, the sprout had stabilized and could now generate the Sword Intent of Ages on its own. At this point, if Su Han wished, he could let the Sword Intent of Ages replace his Slaughter Sword Intent and become his one and only Sword Intent.

The Sword Intent of Ages is powerful, but it is not something I comprehended on my own. My Slaughter Sword Intent is my foundation. Therefore, I will continue to focus on my Slaughter Sword Intent and simply treat the Sword Intent of Ages as another form of energy!

Without hesitation, Su Han confirmed his decision. He would not abandon the Slaughter Sword Intent he had comprehended on his own; instead, he would continue to hone it. He carefully gathered the Sword Intent of Ages emitted by the Sword Intent Sprout, letting it wrap around the sprout to form a fluid, rippling current.

Like his Demonic Qi, he would treat this Sword Intent of Ages as another form of energy. He could harness it to perform the powerful sword techniques from the Sword Scripture of Ages.

If any outsider learned of this decision, they would surely find it incomprehensible. This was the Sword Intent of Ages, after all. Acquiring it could allow one to instantly leap into the ranks of the top prodigies. With the Sword Scripture of Ages as a complementary cultivation method, it was akin to standing on the shoulders of a giant.

However, Su Han felt no hesitation, nor would he have any regrets. He walked the Way of the Universe, a path that encompassed all things—and the Sword Intent of Ages was merely one part of that whole.

Now that the Sword Intent of Ages has formed, I can begin cultivating *Time as a Sword, Slaying All Beings*!

A sharp glint flickered in Su Han’s eyes. He calmed his mind and entered a state of cultivation once again.

This time, he would become even stronger.