Chapter 36: Obsession Infusion, Unleashing the Divine Sense to Gain a Technique (Part II)

This voice was as vast as the heavens, echoing in layers within his consciousness, as if it had issued an irresistible decree.

Upon hearing this, the nascent personality of the Nameless Swordmaster within Yi Beidou’s body suddenly shuddered.

Yi Beidou’s current state was highly peculiar. If explained through the lens of modern neuropsychology, the intense influence of the true intent contained within the sword had caused his consciousness to undergo a schism, giving birth to a second personality that mirrored the temperament of the Nameless Swordmaster.

And now, it was this second personality that held control over his body.

"How is this possible?! You cannot possibly have any chance to resist!"

The Swordmaster personality roared. He believed he had thoroughly suppressed the other personality and seized control of this body; it should have only been a matter of time before he further eroded and assimilated the original, extinguishing it entirely.

How could the original personality, which he had so decisively suppressed, reappear now with such an unstoppable posture?

"Are you surprised? There was once a time when seven personalities dwelt within me. This is merely a fraction of the tribulations I have endured; I am long accustomed to it."

Yi Beidou’s voice boomed once more.

No one could truly comprehend what manner of ordeals he had survived over the past twenty years while possessing a Celestial Demon’s physique yet practicing the Mind-at-Ease Sutra.

With every movement of his intent, he would find himself trapped in illusions.

If he felt the desire for food, the world around him would turn into a feast of exquisite delicacies.

If he felt the desire for companionship, the empty room would instantly transform into a chamber of silk and crimson curtains, with warm, fragrant bodies entwining like snakes.

Due to prolonged repression, compounded by the death of his parents when he was fifteen, Yi Beidou’s state of mind had nearly collapsed, manifesting seven distinct personalities.

One was his original self, while the other six were born from the six senses. They constantly vied for control of his body, seeking to indulge the specific desires they represented. Had he failed to maintain his guard even once, he would have been doomed to eternal ruin.

He lived every moment as if treading on thin ice.

In the end, the six personalities born of the six senses had all dissipated.

Compared to the tribulations he had faced, how could a mere fragment of the past stored within an object, a piece of incomplete obsession, ever hope to shake his spirit?

The reason he had allowed his guard to drop and a second personality to emerge was entirely deliberate.

Previously, at the Green Wood Intent Sect, he had observed the true intent of "lotus blooming in fire" from the ancient locust tree, yet it had taken him quite some time to fully integrate it under the pressure exerted by Wei Cheng.

Now, the spiritual imprint within the Silent Heart Sword was far more potent than that left by Feng Huachuan. By allowing it to spawn a second personality and letting it take the reins to manifest the Nameless Swordmaster’s Dao and arts, he could grasp its mysteries far more rapidly.

Now that the techniques were learned, this personality had outlived its usefulness. It was time to extinguish it.

Boom!

Yi Beidou’s will was as irresistible as the might of heaven.

His acupuncture points were like the stars in the firmament, his veins like rivers and seas. The human body is, in itself, a universe.

Within this universe, Yi Beidou’s will was the mandate of heaven, which none could defy.

"Impossible!! How can such a demonic body give birth to the impartial Will of the Heavenly Dao!! Even when I slaughtered everything in my time, I could not achieve this!!"

The Nameless Swordmaster’s personality shrieked in madness, yet he possessed no power to resist.

The memory fragments representing his experiences rapidly lost their intense, vivid emotional color, becoming merely another ordinary facet of Yi Beidou’s vast reservoir of memories. The personality that had relied upon them naturally vanished.

"Because the path you walked was merely a minor one."

In the final moment before he vanished, Yi Beidou’s voice resonated like thunder.

"Hmm?!"

Outside, Fang Xiuyuan and Tao Zihong, who had already resolved themselves to a fight to the death, showed slight changes in their expressions. They had keenly sensed the shift in Yi Beidou.

The long sword in his hand slowly lowered, the baleful aura on his body receded, his bloated physique returned to its original state, and the bloodshot glare in his eyes faded away.

His gaze returned to its former stillness, like an ancient well, as if capable of subduing all manner of malevolence and evil spirits.

This guy...

"Are you Yi Beidou, or are you that Nameless Swordsman?"

Fang Xiuyuan’s eyes flickered. He did not lower his guard, fearing it was a calculated ruse.

"I am Yi Beidou. My apologies to you both for the alarm. I merely took advantage of that man’s attempt to possess me, granting him my body to master his arts. Now that the task is done, his consciousness has been extinguished by me."

Yi Beidou spoke calmly. Under their watchful eyes, he walked over, picked up the baleful sword that had fallen to the ground, and returned it to its scabbard.

Hearing this, Fang Xiuyuan and Tao Zihong exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with clear distrust. Even to masters who had achieved sainthood, such a thing was far too inconceivable.

To achieve sainthood in the flesh, the key lies not in the physical body, but in the breaking of the limit of one’s true intent. Under such conditions, how could one easily allow their own true intent to be altered or let their thoughts be stained by dust?

Had they not seen how, during the great transformation, a shift in faith had led men to leap from high towers to their deaths? A change in the heart meant the collapse of one’s Great Dao—it was a matter of life and death.

To intentionally indulge an external evil to invade one’s body and take control was not just dangerous; it was an act of suicide.

"How can we believe you?"

Fang Xiuyuan did not relax; instead, he mobilized his blood energy to its peak.

Boom!

Though his physical appearance remained unchanged, his entire aura underwent a earth-shattering shift. He seemed to connect with the veins of the earth, standing atop the Great Dragon. Regardless of the changes around him, he remained the anchor of the geomantic formation, commanding the mountains and dragons; every gesture held profound mystical power.

"Possession through obsession, a corpse resurrected... we cannot believe your one-sided account. You must prove your innocence."

Tao Zihong, too, did not dare to let his guard down.

"Prove my innocence? Very well. I came here to study martial arts. Having integrated this man’s arts, I shall create a new technique. Once you see it, you will naturally understand my heart."

Yi Beidou spoke calmly, the events he had recently witnessed echoing in his mind.

Wei Cheng possessed the likeness of a Buddha yet harbored the heart of a killer, intending to reshape the world through slaughter; Tao Zihong’s lightning technique was a means of annihilation, yet it had become a force of creation, blending the ancient and modern to forge a new path; Fang Xiuyuan’s aura was menacing, yet he sought to slay dragons and phoenixes to challenge the heavens and bring fortune to the people.

Killing intent, though inherently ominous, becomes a great virtue when wielded with purpose.

Conversely, the path of the Nameless Swordmaster—slaying enemies, kin, and even oneself—might seem courageous and progressive, as if cutting through everything, but in reality, it was merely an escape. His resolve was not firm, so he sought refuge in form. This was a minor path.

However, his methods for manipulating killing intent and baleful energy were indeed profound. They could be utilized to integrate into his own Dao, turning the minor into the great.

Boom!

A fierce killing intent suddenly erupted from his body. With a burst of strength from his feet, he charged toward Tao Zihong and Fang Xiuyuan.

The surging baleful energy was gathered into his palms, channeled through the techniques of the Nameless Swordmaster.

The Nameless Swordmaster killed enemies and himself to sever everything, but Yi Beidou’s killing intent was not for taking lives—it was for extinguishing false laws.

Legend has it that the Celestial Demon disrupts the Dao, extinguishing the orthodox laws of the world.

He thrust his palms forward, the baleful energy condensing, the moisture in the air turning to mist, as if to cleanse the world.

Yet his extinguishing of the law was not to destroy the world; his killing intent was a tribulation, meant to sweep away obstacles to propagate a new law!

What is this new law?

That which can survive his palms, that which cannot be extinguished, is the new law!

With the sickness cleared away, the new law reveals itself.

This was the second martial technique Yi Beidou had realized.

The Killing Tribulation of Extinguished Laws!