At this time, Zayden was near the place that had become the source of all the chaos on the continent.
The place where the Heavenly Sword had embedded itself, in the eastern region near the territory of the Vermion Empire.
In the past, the region had been a vast grassland, with fresh greenery stretching as far as the horizon.
A cool breeze swept across the land, soothing everyone’s hearts.
The soft grass made one want to simply lie down in this place and fall asleep.
However, after years of war, this area had become a wasteland where the most intense battles across the continent had taken place.
The vast green grassland had become barren, its once-beautiful landscape replaced by destroyed earth.
The sword that had become the source of all the chaos was still sheathed.
Its scabbard was engraved with beautiful symbols depicting a dragon dancing along its surface.
A sign that the sword had something to do with the dragons, one of the most revered races that all cultivators held in high regard.
Just by seeing the engraving, anyone, without exception, could feel how extraordinary the sword was.
The sword was dominated by a combination of silver and gold.
Its hilt also carried an engraving depicting a dragon.
However, the most noticeable thing besides its appearance was the sword’s aura.
It exuded an aura that no one had ever felt from any artifact before.
It felt transcendent.
It felt sacred.
It felt powerful.
The sensation was enough to awaken the greed within anyone who felt it.
The very greed that fueled the battle taking place near the Heavenly Sword.
That was why the camps of the five great factions were located in this region.
Although this region was much closer to the Vermion Empire, the other factions were not at much of a disadvantage because of the distance from their main territories.
In fact, it could be said that they were able to gather an enormous number of troops, to the point that they could mobilize even more cultivators than the Vermion Empire.
With millions of cultivators gathered in this region, it was easy to imagine just how chaotic and brutal the battles here had become.
Various elemental residues spread across the entire region.
Burn marks covered the ground.
Sharp earth spikes pierced upward, making certain areas look like the backs of enormous hedgehogs.
Huge pillars of ice rose toward the sky, while countless other traces of different techniques and elements could be seen across the battlefield.
The battlefield had become an area of stalemate, with each faction holding the others back without anyone being able to gain a decisive advantage.
This had continued for the past few years…
Until today, when that balance finally began to lean toward the advantage of one faction.
The Vermion Empire launched a daring attack, one that sacrificed many of their troops.
Their target was directly the sword.
They did not care that many of their elite cultivators would die.
Because of this unexpected move, the other factions were caught off guard.
Zayden and his battalion had become part of the vanguard of this attack.
Many of his friends and members of his battalion died in the attack.
But he kept pushing forward and finally came close to reaching the sword.
“Don’t let them approach the sword!”
“Damnit! To think that they would dare to make a move like this! Do they have a way to take that sword away? They should know that it’s useless even if they manage to approach it. They still won’t be able to take the sword!”
Shouts of panic resounded from the other factions as they watched the Vermion Empire’s troops getting closer and closer to the sword’s position.
Sixth and Seventh Stage cultivators from the other factions attacked the Vermion troops, who continued using their movement techniques while maintaining their battle formations.
“Go! Don’t look back! Keep pushing toward the sword!” A middle-aged man near Zayden shouted as he blocked an incoming pillar of flame that shot toward them from one of the enemies.
The pillar of flame exuded such intense heat that it could burn their skin even before it touched them.
The flames spread across the sky, creating a beautiful yet terrifying sight.
Zayden gritted his teeth and continued using his movement technique, approaching the sword.
He was followed by a few of his comrades, who also cleared a path for him to move forward.
“Keep going, Sir Zayden!”
“Don’t look back at us!”
“We believe in you!”
Supportive words came from behind as Zayden continued pushing forward.
He felt his heart ache, but he hardened his heart and continued using his movement technique.
His figure flickered across the battlefield, passing by many enemies before they could even attack him.
Even though he wore knight armor, it did not hinder his movement.
Those whose cultivation was much stronger than his were blocked by other cultivators of the same level, making sure that he could continue moving toward the sword without being disturbed.
Zayden ignored all the chaos around him until he finally reached the vicinity of the sword’s barrier.
His gaze locked onto the sword.
His eyes were filled with determination.
The sword was the source of the chaos that had lasted for the past few years, and he was the key that could end this war.
There were still many things about the sword that remained a mystery, especially to him personally.
It was already known to people from all the factions that the sword could not be taken because of the powerful aura that prevented anyone from approaching it.
The aura was so strong that no matter how powerful a cultivator was, they would be pushed back.
It was like an invisible aura barrier protecting the sword.
No one had ever been able to find a way to approach within seven hundred meters of the sword.
It also could not be taken from outside by any means whatsoever.
They could not move the ground beneath it.
They could not drag the sword using energy manipulation.
They could not make the sword move at all.
It was as if the barrier itself caused everything surrounding the sword to become a zone completely free from any interference.
Unfortunately, before anyone could find a way to take the sword, the war had already broken out.
In everyone’s mind, there was still no one who could take the sword.
However, unbeknownst to the people from the other four factions, there had been one breakthrough that made it clear that there was a possible way to take the sword.
At one point in the past, when Zayden had approached the sword to observe it alongside the Vermion Empire’s envoy under the watch of the other powers, something unexpected happened.
His hand had been able to enter the barrier that no one else could approach without experiencing much hindrance.
That was the first sign that perhaps…
Zayden could take the Heavenly Sword.
He then told what he had discovered to the person he had already decided to serve.
The person who had become one of the leading contenders to become the Crown Prince.
Whoosh!
When Zayden reached the barrier, a large vortex of wind suddenly appeared in the sky.
An old man wearing a white robe stood in the air, unleashing his wind technique toward Zayden.
The vortex rapidly approached him with such terrifying intensity that the space around it seemed to bend.
The wind was incredibly sharp, making it seem as though countless swords were hidden inside the vortex.
‘An Eighth Stage cultivator’s attack!’
Zayden thought grimly.
He knew that if this attack touched him, he could very well die.
However, before the vortex could reach him, a massive earth wall suddenly appeared, blocking the wind vortex from reaching him.
Boom!
Rumble!
The impact made the earth tremble violently, but the massive wall remained standing.
“Zayden! Keep moving forward! Don’t stop!”
Zayden was slightly stunned before looking toward the source of the voice.
A handsome young man stood there.
He had short blonde hair and blue eyes that could charm any woman.
His tall build was covered by the armor of the Imperial Family, which was also a powerful defensive artifact.
He exuded the aura of a Seventh Stage cultivator.
Yet he was the one who had blocked an attack from an Eighth Stage cultivator.
That fact alone showed just how powerful this young man was.
That young man was the person Zayden had decided to serve as the next emperor.
Prince Devron Ervengaden.
Looking at him, Zayden did not waste any time and continued moving forward.
Without hesitation, he passed through the barrier that countless people had tried to cross in order to approach the sword.
The moment his body passed through the barrier, he felt a slight pressure on his body.
But that was it.
He did not feel other disturbance, which made him raise his eyebrows in surprise.
But he did not stop and continued approaching the sword.
Those who saw him actually manage to approach the sword were truly shocked.
The people from the Vermion Empire became even more ecstatic, while the other factions grew increasingly panicked.
“Fuck! Don’t let him touch the sword!”
“Do everything you can to stop him!”
“Don’t let those bastards get the sword!”
“Don’t let those fuckers approach Sir Zayden!”
“For the Vermion Empire!”
The battlefield became even more chaotic and intense as the other four factions did everything they could to interfere with Zayden, while the forces of the Vermion Empire did their best to protect him.
Zayden finally reached the sword and stood directly in front of it!