Chapter 666: Rebirth of the Sword Spirit

Chapter 666: The Rebirth of the Sword Spirit

Zhao Changhe himself was caught completely off guard by the imagery they had just witnessed, his mind now tangled with a web of heavy thoughts. Naturally, he could offer no explanation to the rabbit's query, and could only manage a fragile comfort: "How long ago was all that? What does it have to do with you?"

"She... she looks just like me!"

"There are countless people who look alike in this world. Haven't you ever heard of lookalikes?"

"What is that?"

Zhao Changhe pondered for a moment. Logically, if this were a reincarnation, encountering the circumstances of a past life should trigger some sort of reaction—perhaps the awakening of dormant memories. Yet looking at Yangyang now, that didn't seem to be the case... Perhaps this was the exact manifestation of "no longer being me," which was probably a good thing.

Still, he felt he couldn't just brush it off with a casual deception. Leaving Yangyang completely unprepared for her own karma felt improper. Thus, he said, "Even if you truly are connected to her, it's no big deal. Putting aside whether her enemies even survived the collapse of that era, even if they are alive, they must be half-dead by now. I think that girl Piaomiao was quite admirable. If there's ever a chance, avenging her would be a satisfying deed."

Cui Yuanyang immediately agreed, "I want to avenge her too! That sister was a good person!"

Zhao Changhe tilted his head and glanced at her. In truth, certain matters could not be explained merely through the lens of good and bad; there were also alignments and perspectives involved. But there was no need to voice that now.

Yangyang had always possessed a chivalrous heart. It was uncertain whether her instinctive, rapid response came from that innate chivalry or from some other lingering influence. Regardless, this vengeance seemed to be a path of karma she was bound to walk; taking the initiative was far better than being driven passively, for at least the planning would remain in her own hands.

"If you want to avenge that sister, you must first properly inherit Qinghe. Did you feel the sword intent just now?"

They had just witnessed the birth process of the Qinghe Sword and its primordial intent. If they were to awaken a sword spirit identical to the original, this understanding was absolutely essential. Zhao Changhe could not do it himself; he had never dealt with this particular domain and could not master it at a glance. Cui Yuanyang, however, had studied this very lineage. If she could catch another glimpse of the source at such close proximity, her resonance and comprehension would be maximized—an effect no less profound than Xia Chichi reaching Tianya Island.

Sure enough, Cui Yuanyang did not disappoint him. She nodded with certainty: "I felt it. I know what kind of intent it is."

"Very well." Zhao Changhe drew out the sword mold and guided Cui Yuanyang's consciousness inside. "Demonstrate that intent with your consciousness, and do not stop while I forge. If all goes well, it should gather once more as the sword body is reshaped."

"Clang!" The forging hammer fell. From the corner of his eye, Zhao Changhe watched Cui Yuanyang. The rabbit, quietly closing her eyes to guide the sword intent, now bore a serene and ethereal expression, growing closer to that misty grace. Zhao Changhe twitched the corner of his mouth and buried himself back into his smithing.

He could not feel how the sword intent was shifting; after all, he was not the one driving it, so he could not perceive its beginning and end the way he did when forging Xinghe. He could only gauge whether the process was smooth through the feedback of his strikes.

As the sword body gradually restored itself beneath the hammer, the process of the sword spirit reassembling became faintly perceptible. Zhao Changhe secretly felt a weight lift from his heart. With this entity present, his first promise was fulfilled, and the Cui family would fundamentally face no further upheavals.

Though Cui Wenjing knew clearly in his heart that the Qinghe intent differed from their actual heritage, and that the rebirth of the sword spirit brought no essential benefit to the Cui family—serving at most as a nuclear-tier deterrent in the hands of the current sword master, while refusing to recognize any successors thereafter—the common members of the Cui family could not perceive things so deeply. The mere presence of the sword would grant them infinite solace. No matter how much they suffered in other aspects, provided they were beaten into submission, they would swallow their blood and broken teeth in silence.

The Cui family was secured...

"Clang!" As the final hammer blow fell, Cui Yuanyang's consciousness beheld a mass of purple mist within the sword, taking the phantom shape of a blade.

In truth, this was the natural form a proper sword spirit should take. Qinghe stood on the same tier as the upgraded Longque. The only reason Longque took a human form was entirely because her appearance molded itself based on what her master desired. Since Cui Yuanyang lacked such a conscious intent, the newborn sword spirit would not assume a human shape.

The Qinghe sword spirit clearly transmitted its thoughts to Cui Yuanyang: "Master."

Cui Yuanyang scratched her head: "Why do I feel like you're a bit reluctant?"

"I am not... I already acknowledged back then that you could be my master. However, there can only be one master. Previously, I hadn't decided whether it was better to choose you or your brother. Now that it is you who brought me back to life, I naturally acknowledge you." In truth, the underlying meaning of the sword spirit was simply: you are too weak; I originally thought your brother was stronger...

"The one who brought you back to life is my Big Brother Zhao."

"...Him..." The sword spirit seemed to glance at Zhao Changhe. At this moment, Zhao Changhe was inspecting the new sword up and down, his mouth stretched into a wide grin, brimming with the immense satisfaction of completing a monumental task. The sword spirit said nothing more, merely murmuring, "He is very good."

Cui Yuanyang was delighted to hear this and couldn't help but ask, "Hey, you should be able to perceive whether I have any connection to Piaomiao, right?"

The sword spirit replied, "It is difficult. Because your family has always been learning my sword intent, which is also Piaomiao's sword intent, and you happen to be an exceptional talent among them... When the sword intent aligns perfectly, you would naturally resemble Piaomiao closely. This creates a massive interference with my judgment."

"But my appearance..."

"In my eyes, all humans look largely the same. It is much like how you might look at two different swords."

Zhao Changhe had been eavesdropping on these last few sentences. Hearing this, he nodded in agreement; this was only normal. That little hen Sparrow was the anomaly—where on earth did she get her human aesthetics from?

But this meant that Yangyang actually could not awaken her memories through this matter... This was a bit of a headache. Was it something that required time to slowly recover, or was there another specific key?

Ah, could it be that she needed to unlock a certain level of cultivation? Yangyang's previous cultivation had been stuck right before the First Secret Realm; her divine soul was far too lacking, which was why he had needed to guide her consciousness into the sword himself. As for now...

Just as he was thinking this, he saw the qi around Cui Yuanyang begin to surge vigorously. The familiar sensation of the Bridge of Heaven and Earth opening and connecting—something he had experienced himself—manifested right before his eyes upon her body. The purple mist permeating the cavern leaped with joy, swirling around her form, a small portion of it drawn into her meridians and merging into her dantian.

Cui Yuanyang, First Secret Realm.

And it didn't stop there; that aura continued to grow robustly, likely crossing past the halfway mark of her progression.

Zhao Changhe let out a long breath. Before forging the sword, he had boasted that he would help Yangyang break through to the Secret Realm. To comprehend the primordial source of her family's sword intent, forge a divine weapon, and revive a sword spirit—it would be strange if an experience like this failed to achieve even the First Secret Realm. Theoretically, this should have been enough to touch upon the Second, but Yangyang's accumulated foundation was simply insufficient. This was no major issue; this place was filled with the purple qi of Qinghe, and the Cui family possessed vast wealth and treasures. As long as the bottleneck was shattered, they could pile resources to push her up.

Cui Yuanyang opened her eyes. For a moment, the usual lively brilliance was absent, replaced by a fleeting, serene detachment before she quickly returned to normal. She said seriously, "Big Brother Zhao, I suddenly remembered some things."

Zhao Changhe's heart gave a sudden thump.

Cui Yuanyang continued, "It's about the Wang family... Their secret realm is very likely of a different nature than ours."

"Right now, I don't care about the Wang family. I only want to know if you are alright?"

Cui Yuanyang smiled faintly, "I'm fine... It's just like having a dream last night, and upon waking up during the day, there are only a few blurry images left. It takes a lot of effort just to capture a few scattered fragments... Were you afraid I would become someone else?"

"Uh..."

"Is Piaomiao not beautiful? I saw your eyes widen when you watched her take off her clothes."

Zhao Changhe gently drew her into his embrace, "I don't care who she is or how beautiful she looks. The person I want is Yangyang, and it has nothing to do with anyone else."