nownovels Chapter 27 Sword Cultivation
Chapter 27 Sword Cultivation
It was late at night when Ling Chen returned from the supply hall, and he went straight to Jian Xuan's quiet room.
The sword, Duan Nian, lay horizontally on the table, its cracks clearly visible in the candlelight. The deepest cut stretched from the spine to two-thirds of the way down the blade, fine powder still dripping from its edges. Jian Xuan hovered his fingertip an inch above the crack, closing his eyes to sense it for a long time. The sword intent remained, the energy channels unbroken, but if not repaired within half a month, the collapse would be irreversible.
"How do we fix it?" Ling Chen asked.
"The three attendant swords are of the same origin. Sword Attendant, Ice Attendant, and Flame Attendant—only through the resonance of these three swords can the hidden wounds left by the war between gods and demons be completely healed." Jian Xuan withdrew his fingers. "The severed thoughts are the most serious, followed by Frost Condensation, while the whereabouts of Heaven Burner remain unknown. We have only gathered two swords so far, which is not enough to completely repair them, but it can stabilize the sword bodies and prevent them from continuing to disintegrate. The required materials are—Ten Thousand Year Profound Ice Soul, Nine Yang True Fire Marrow, and two sword intents of the same origin."
The Ten-Thousand-Year Profound Ice Soul is only produced in the ice-type spiritual veins of the Central Continent Immortal Sect. Before returning to the Central Continent, Su Qingyuan had obtained a piece from her master and kept it sealed in the lining of the Frost Condensing Sword Sheath for future use. The Nine Yang True Fire Marrow is an extremely yang and intense refining material. In the entire mortal realm, only one piece exists in the Earth Core Fire Vein of the Pill Hall in Luoxia Valley. When Ling Xue became a disciple of Luoxia Valley, the elder of the Pill Hall who accepted her as a disciple gave it to her as a gift. Later, Ling Xue kept it at the bottom of the Pill Hall furnace. When she learned that Duan Nian needed repair, she asked someone to send it to the Qingyun Sect by express courier. As for the two sword intents of the same origin—one is the sword intent of the sword servant contained within Duan Nian itself, and the other is Su Qingyuan's ice-type sword intent in Frost Condensing Sword. All three items are now complete.
"Let's begin."
Su Qingyuan retrieved the Xuanbing Soul from the scabbard's inner layer. A chilling aura, accumulated over millennia, silently seeped from the unsealed ice, instantly covering the entire table with a layer of frost, causing the candlelight to flicker violently. Ling Chen placed the Nine Yang True Fire Marrow at the other end of the table. The crimson marrow glowed automatically under the stimulation of the cold air. Two extremely opposing forces confronted each other in the confined space: the frost tried to extinguish the fire marrow, while the fire marrow tried to melt the ice. The gap between them hummed in the breeze of their conflicting temperatures. The Duan Nian sword rested between them, its cracks trembling slightly under the combined assault of heat and cold.
Jian Xuan stood guard outside the door. The two young people sat side by side at the table, simultaneously drawing their swords—Ling Chen gripped the hilt of the Broken Thoughts Sword with his right hand, while Su Qingyuan grasped the hilt of the Frost Condensation Sword with her left, their free hands clasped above the hilts. Chaotic spiritual energy flowed from Ling Chen's palm into Su Qingyuan's body, while icy spiritual energy flowed from Su Qingyuan's palm into Ling Chen's meridians. The two inherently incompatible spiritual energies formed a slowly rotating, tai chi-like flow through their clasped hands. One left, one right; one cold, one hot; a delicate balance was achieved between them.
The Profound Ice Soul and True Fire Essence simultaneously soared up, transforming into two streams of light, one blue and one red, that shot into the Blade of Severance. A blinding light exploded deep within the cracks, the clash of cold and hot forces causing the entire sword to tremble violently, each crack emitting a tearing hiss. The pain endured by Blade of Severance was transmitted flawlessly through the hilt to Ling Chen's sea of consciousness. It wasn't physical pain, but a deeper, more profound agony, as if the soul were being ripped apart—the natal sword spirit left within the sword by the sword servant was being reforged under the combined assault of cold and heat.
"synchronous."
The two infused their sword intent into Duan Nian. Su Qingyuan's ice-based sword intent spread along the left side of the sword's spine, while Ling Chen's extended along the right. The two sword intents met at the deepest part of the crack—there was no repulsion, no collision; ice and chaos merged like a river that had been cleaved apart finally closing again. Xuanbing Soul filled the gaps in the crack, and the regenerative power of the Nine Yang True Fire Marrow fused the filled area seamlessly with the original sword body. The powder at the edge of the crack stopped falling, and starting from the hilt, the smallest cracks on the sword began to heal inch by inch. Hair-like patterns, spider-like patterns, one after another, slowly closed under the alternating erosion of ice and fire. An hour later, the first crack completely closed—the second deepest opening above the hilt was reduced to a thin golden line as thick as a hair. But several other cracks that reached the spine of the sword remained. The old wounds Duan Nian suffered from being struck head-on by the power of the Demon Lord on the battlefield of gods and demons ten thousand years ago could not be completely erased with just one or two repairs.
Fine beads of sweat appeared on Su Qingyuan's forehead. The continuous high-intensity output of ice-type spiritual power was taking a heavy toll on her, and Ning Shuang was also bearing the same pressure in the resonance. The old wound on the sword was simultaneously pulled along during the repair of Duan Nian, causing a new, shallow crack to appear. Ling Chen tightened his grip on her hand, increasing the intensity of the chaotic spiritual power he poured in, sharing half of the pressure she was under.
As dawn approached, the last crack closed completely. The number of cracks on the Broken Heart Sword had decreased from more than ten to four, with the deepest one still bearing a faint, fine line. The golden line at two-thirds of the sword's spine would likely not completely disappear until they found Burning Heaven. However, the sword itself had stopped disintegrating; the edges of the cracks were sealed by the golden line, forged through hot and cold hammering, and the dust had completely stopped falling. Old Mo's voice finally rang out again, his tone filled with suppressed relief: "...It's temporarily stabilized. It can last at least three months. Before that, don't engage in any more head-on clashes with the Demon Generals. The Broken Heart Sword has too many old and new wounds to withstand a third overexertion."
Su Qingyuan sheathed her sword. Some of the old wounds on the Frost Condensation Sword had been repaired simultaneously. Although a barely noticeable fine line remained, its overall condition was much better than before the repair. She placed the Frost Condensation Sword horizontally on her lap, her fingertips gently tracing the newly added fine line on the blade, and suddenly looked up at Ling Chen.
"There's something I don't understand. When the Shadow Demon's remnant soul was destroyed, the Spirit Realm should have already known about your reincarnation, but why did they only send a Void Realm Demon General? If the Demon Lord had truly awakened, he could have easily sent even stronger forces to encircle and annihilate you."
"Because he's stalling." Mo Lao's voice rang out simultaneously in their minds. "The Demon Lord was sealed by the Celestial Venerable ten thousand years ago, and the demonic energy accumulated over ten thousand years should have been enough for him to break through the seal. But the seal itself is still there—to completely break free, he would need to expend most of his cultivation. So he is now in a dilemma—forcibly breaking through the seal would result in a severe loss of vital energy, and at that time, the righteous path might not be able to withstand a full-scale attack. If he doesn't break through the seal, he can only rely on his demon generals to slowly devour the mortal realm. The fact that he has his demon generals act in batches instead of launching a full-scale attack is probably because he is wary of the remaining power of the Nine Revolutions Demon Sealing Formation."
"What is the Nine Revolutions Demon Sealing Formation?"
"The final seal you laid down when you sealed the Demon Lord in your previous life had its bases spread throughout the Three Realms. Now that the Shadow Demon's remnant soul has been destroyed, the seal has loosened considerably. The bases are distributed in both the Spirit Realm and the God Realm. You yourself have seen the base in the mortal realm—it's deep within the forbidden area of the Qingyun Sect in Qingzhou. The Demon Lord dares not come to the mortal realm in his true form because the base still exists. If he gets close, he will be suppressed by the remaining sealing power, and even with his ten thousand years of cultivation, it would be difficult for him to break free."
"How did the demonic seed on Meng Hu bypass the seal before?"
"The seal suppresses the Demon Lord's true form. The Demon Seed is a fragment of his power, which can infiltrate by attaching itself to a host. For the Demon General's true form to descend, a massive spatial rift is required, and the larger the rift, the more pronounced the seal's repulsion. The Void Realm Demon General who crawled in this time is already struggling considerably. There are only three effective array bases left in the seal, and the Demon Lord needs to spend a long time accumulating demonic energy to break each one. The Shadow Demon General's remnant soul, the Furnace Holder's supply hall, and the lurking old subordinates are all pawns he uses to deplete the righteous path's power during his energy accumulation period. He will feel pain when the pawns are consumed, but it won't shake the foundation. When he has accumulated enough energy to break the next seal, he will personally come to collect your head."
Ling Chen looked down at the now quiet Duan Nian in his hand. Most of the cracks had been repaired, leaving only a few shallow marks that shimmered with a faint golden light under the candlelight. He gripped the hilt and nodded.
"Then let him do it."
The sword, Duan Nian, emitted a faint sword cry, not of fighting spirit, but of relief. The person it had waited for for so many years no longer needed it to protect by shattering itself.
Su Qingyuan stayed at Qingyun Sect for three more days.
For the past three days, she had stayed in the guesthouse next to Lingchen's courtyard, practicing her swordsmanship on the suspended walkway every morning. Her sword was cold; the mist condensed into tiny ice crystals and fell down wherever the sword wind passed. During the battle with the demon general, she gained a more direct understanding of the corrosive effects of demonic energy on those in the Void Realm. This understanding was quickly incorporated into her sword techniques, and the Frost Condensation Sword in her hands increasingly resembled a true "servant's sword"—not just a weapon, but an extension of protecting someone.
Xiao Lie and Han Tie didn't dare to come looking for Ling Chen until the fourth day. To be precise, it was noon on the fourth day when the two saw Su Qingyuan practicing her sword alone in the training ground. The air currents from her sword made people shiver even across half the square. So they exchanged a glance and unanimously chose to take a detour. Only after Su Qingyuan sheathed her sword and returned to her inn did the two find Ling Chen.
Xiao Lie handed over a new list. The Dan Tang's suspicious accounts had been thoroughly reviewed. Three transactions involving spirit stones, dating back to the Lu Huai era, were missing. Each transaction was withdrawn the day after the Shadow Demon's remnant soul was destroyed. The signatory was a deceased elder of the Dan Tang, the head of the Transmission Hall who had passed away five years prior. A dead man's signature, a living man's handwriting. Han Tie's mission was even more direct—Jian Xuan instructed all Han family caravans to be vigilant for unusual trade routes near the Spirit Realm rift starting this month. Any clandestine trade not matching the road permit number should be reported directly to the Qingyun Sect patrol team.
Ling Xue's letter arrived just before dusk. The little girl's handwriting was neater than before the siege. This time she didn't cry, but there were several ink marks on the paper that had been repeatedly erased and corrected: "Brother, is the sword repaired? Is sister-in-law tired? The Valley Master said that Ning Shuang's injury has been partially repaired, and asked me to tell sister-in-law that the Ice Soul Treasury of Falling Cloud Valley can be used again at any time. My master heard that you used my Nine Yang True Fire Marrow to repair the sword, and he laughed for a long time, saying that he took me in back then just for this day. Brother, I didn't let you down, did I?"
After reading the letter, Ling Chen placed it together with the previous one. One letter was written in a tearful, crooked hand, while the other was carefully revised, but both were signed "Xue'er." He folded the letters and put them back in his pocket, gazed at the sea of clouds in silence for a while, and then said to Xiao Lie and Han Tie, "Starting tomorrow, help me with extra training."
Xiao Lie rolled up his sleeves: "That's exactly what I've been waiting for you to say."
As night fell, Su Qingyuan came to bid him farewell. She stood at the entrance of the courtyard, moonlight falling on her white clothes. In her icy blue eyes, there was no sadness often seen at parting, only an almost serene calm.
"Frost Condensation still needs tempering. I've already arranged with Sunset Valley to begin my seclusion in the Ice Soul Vault tomorrow. Knowing that both swords can be repaired, they should at least last until we find Flame Servant."
"Fen Tian is located at the place where Yan Shi fell in the Spirit Realm, but Elder Mo said that a trace of Yan Shi's sword intent still remains near the seal. Once I break through to the Condensation Realm and the third seal of the Myriad Dao Returning to Ruins Diagram is further opened, I can pinpoint Fen Tian's exact location through the resonance of sword intent. After Fen Tian is found, the three servant swords will be gathered together, and even if the Demon Lord breaks through the seal, he can seal it again."
Su Qingyuan was silent for a moment, then suddenly asked, "What did you promise the sword servant?"
Ling Chen glanced down at the Broken Heart at his waist.
"Take her to the end of the journey. She's inside the sword now, so the journey isn't over yet."
Su Qingyuan didn't reply. She gripped the Frost Sword at her waist, recalling the last fragment of the Ice Servant's memory from ten thousand years ago—she knelt on the Conferred God Platform, inserting the Frost Sword into the array's foundation, using her life essence to activate the final barrier of the Nine Revolutions Demon Sealing Array. The Sword Servant risked his life to block the Demon Lord's attack; she risked her life to seal the Demon Lord for ten thousand years. Of the three, only she remained, the hilt of the Frost Sword still stained with the Flame Servant's blood. She didn't turn back.
Now, ten thousand years later, Ning Shuang has been repaired, and Duan Nian is in her grasp, while Fen Tian remains dormant beneath a scorched earth in the Spirit Realm. Su Qingyuan has never believed in destiny, but at this moment, Ning Shuang trembled slightly in its sheath—she didn't know if it was the sound of a sword or her own heartbeat.
"Then I can't keep Ning Shuang waiting too long," she said.
Ling Chen asked, "How's it going in Zhongzhou?"
Su Qingyuan shook her head: "Master has replied. The Central Continent Immortal Sect temporarily supports my judgment—the Myriad Dao Returning to Ruins Diagram remains within your body. But this is before you publicly reveal your identity as the reincarnation of the Heavenly Venerable. I'm not sure if the elders will change their minds after the news reaches the Central Continent. I will try to delay as long as possible, but I can't delay for too long. You need to find something that can intimidate the entire Immortal Sect before you can't suppress it anymore—either the Burning Heaven or raising your cultivation to a level that matches the reincarnation of the Heavenly Venerable."
Ling Chen nodded slightly. Su Qingyuan turned and walked towards the mountain path, but stopped a dozen steps later without looking back. The moonlight made the thin frost on her shoulders glow slightly. She said, "Ling Chen, thank you for not dying." Her tone was very calm, as if she were just saying that the moonlight was nice tonight.
Then she stepped off the suspended walkway, her white figure gradually disappearing into the churning night sky. A small ice crystal pendant had appeared on the tassel of her Frost Condensed Sword, swaying gently in the moonlight, sending the last rays of moonlight into Ling Chen's eyes.