Chapter 869: Tale of the Demon Blade

Chapter 869: Chronicle of the Demon Blade

A broken blade, dead drunk?

Ling Ruoyu squatted down with utmost caution, sizing up the massive broadsword lying before the gravestone.

The broadsword rested there in absolute stillness, the faint aroma of wine still clinging to its frame. Somehow, though it was plainly nothing more than a weapon, it inevitably conjured the image of a young girl sprawled out on the ground, stars swirling in her eyes, murmuring incomprehensible words under her breath.

Could a blade truly intoxicate itself?

Such uncanny spirituality... If the senior from moments ago truly was Han Wubing, then could this weapon be none other than the True Dragon Sparrow?

The young woman’s heart hammered against her ribs as she extended both hands to lift the blade, as if approaching a sacred relic.

A single hoist yielded no movement—it was impossibly heavy!

Was this truly a weapon a human could wield with one hand?

The earliest iteration of the Dragon Sparrow weighed dozens of catties, and Heaven only knew how many catties it had amassed after Zhao Changhe re-forged it. Perhaps the unit of "catty" was no longer applicable; it ought to be measured in "jun." The Dragon Sparrow possessed a spirit that would automatically conform to the weight its master found most comfortable, rendering its mass irrelevant to its wielder, but any outsider attempting to take it would simply have to endure the full brunt.

Ling Ruoyu was, after all, at the ninth layer of the Profound Pass and held the top rank on the Hidden Dragon Chart; her strength was no laughing matter. Yet, burdened by her current injuries, she could find no leverage. Her fair face turned crimson as she hauled with all her might, nearly causing her wounds to tear open. Only with immense hardship did she drag the wretched blade into the bamboo grove.

This place was unsafe. Since the demonic sects already possessed clues regarding the appearance of the Dragon Sparrow in the vicinity, others would soon track them down. She could not allow the sacred blade to fall into the hands of demonic disciples.

Cutting through the bamboo grove would lead straight to Ancient Sword Lake, and across the lake lay Sword Lake City, which housed the personnel of the Demon Suppression Bureau to whom she could turn for aid...

The dazed and muddled Dragon Sparrow was dragged to a semblance of consciousness, finding this huffing and puffing, blade-hauling little sister rather adorable.

Wielding such a textbook Sunset Divine Sword, this girl was bound to be Auntie Yue’s disciple without a doubt. By that logic, they belonged to the same generation, and properly speaking, the girl ought to call her Senior Sister Queque! Why, then, did she treat her with the reverence of a pilgrimage... Could it be that thirty years had passed, history had hardened into legend, and her master had never mentioned her past romances to her, such that she remained utterly ignorant that the so-called King of Zhao was her master’s husband?

Yes, that had to be it. Otherwise, upon seeing Han Wubing, she would have called him Uncle rather than Senior.

Little Junior Sister, do you truly not know that your background entails far more than merely a master on the Heaven Chart?

Drenched in sweat, the young woman finally managed to drag the drunken blade out of the bamboo grove. The expanse ahead suddenly widened, revealing a vast, mirror-like lake before her eyes, its surface rippling everywhere under the assault of the night rain.

The nocturnal scenery of Sword Lake was beautiful, yet the young woman’s heart was devoid of appreciation. She distinctly sensed an omen of danger; someone was following their tracks and closing in.

"So you were here." The sound of rushing wind arose as a gaunt man abruptly materialized before her, with countless shadowy figures following in his wake.

The man blocked the lakeside, sizing up Ling Ruoyu with a light chuckle: "Miss Ling is like a solitary swan in the misty vastness, light as a feather; your lightness skills have always been praised by the martial world. How is it that Sword Lake City is within arm's reach, yet instead of swiftly entering the city, you drag such a heavy blade, compromising your very life?"

Ling Ruoyu took a deep breath: "Rank thirty-nine on the Earthly Chart, the Impermanence of Poison, Wan Changchun... It turns out you, too, are a member of the Heavenly Demon Society..."

"I dare not accept the flattery; I am but a mere pawn."

"The current imperial court is in its absolute prime, with masters of the Heaven Chart as numerous as clouds. No matter how much you plot, it is naught but ants trying to shake a giant tree. What exactly are you scheming for?"

"That is not for the lady to worry about..." Wan Changchun smiled and said, "As long as we secure this blade, we shall have our uses for it. As for you, your potential is known to all, making you quite a fine specimen. Why not return with us? There will be benefits awaiting you."

Countless tragic histories had proven that villains died from talking too much; Wan Changchun was not about to commit such an error. Even as the words left his mouth, a pair of demonic hands had already clawed toward Ling Ruoyu’s throat.

In this current age, where the strength of the general populace had risen by a tier, a mid-tier ranking on the Earthly Chart implied a cultivation of the second layer of the Hidden Realm. Ling Ruoyu was still at the Profound Pass; the gap in strength was entirely too vast. She lacked even the capital to seek victory from the jaws of defeat by overcoming a superior foe, to say nothing of the fact that she was currently severely wounded. By all accounts, this was an impossible fight...

In despair, Ling Ruoyu thrust her sword forward, making a final, desperate struggle.

To die in this place could be considered a blessing; if she were captured alive...

As these despairing thoughts crossed her mind, a sudden howl of wind roared past her ears, sounding precisely like a massive door plank whistling through the air in front of her. Immediately following was Wan Changchun’s agonizing shriek, piercingly shrill amidst the night rain.

A severed arm flew into the air, spraying a fountain of blood.

Ling Ruoyu watched in dumbfounded astonishment as the massive broadsword leapt up on its own, raining a frantic torrent of slashes upon Wan Changchun: "Where do you think you’re reaching those dog paws of yours! Secure this blade? A piece of trash like you thinks himself worthy! Stinking bottom-feeder!"

Every single cleave carried the power to shatter mountains and split stone. The wildly violent murderous intent and overbearing pressure shook the air so fiercely that even Ling Ruoyu, standing behind it, was nearly rendered immobile, to say nothing of Wan Changchun, who bore the brunt of the pressure directly.

In a mere instant, the gaunt frame was hacked into seventeen or eighteen pieces. Viscera scattered across the ground, and fresh blood gushed forth, washed away by the rainwater in a scene both bizarre and ferocious.

A mid-tier figure of the Earthly Chart, at the second layer of the Hidden Realm... minced to pieces in a single encounter by a talking blade, without even managed to put up a stance of resistance...

The group of black-clothed men who had followed Wan Changchun were entirely stupefied, watching the broadsword as it continued to hop and bound, taking step after step backward: "A mon... a monster..."

The Dragon Sparrow held itself high, charging straight toward them: "Where did so many bottom-feeders come from? All of you can go die!"

A sudden clap of thunder shook the heavens, striking the very tip of the Dragon Sparrow.

The Dragon Sparrow shuddered all over, falling to the ground with a dull clatter and bouncing twice upon the grassy lakeside.

Ling Ruoyu: "..."

As the lightning struck down, another figure descended from above: "Such overwhelming majesty; it is indeed the Dragon Sparrow without a doubt. For a blade spirit to reach such a state, it has practically become a demon."

Ling Ruoyu desperately wanted to point out: did "majesty" refer to this foolish display of twitching on the ground after being electrocuted? Yet she was in no mood to speak, for the person before them now was a figure of the Earthly Chart, one rumored to be a hair’s breadth away from breaking through to the Imperial Realm...

Rank thirty-four on the Earthly Chart, the Thunderclap Sword, Li Huangquan.

The young woman knew not whether to weep or to marvel at her fortune. This was fundamentally a battlefield that someone of her standing on the Hidden Dragon Chart should never have been entangled in. If she had not encountered Han Wubing and the Dragon Sparrow, she would have long since fled into the city to summon reinforcements. Properly speaking, this was a matter that should have been resolved by Han Wubing, the foremost man beneath the gods and demons. For some inexplicable reason, it had been mysteriously dumped upon her, a girl of the Profound Pass, to play the protagonist...

The Dragon Sparrow groaned and bounced up from the ground: "And what sort of trash are you? How dare you call me a monster!"

Li Huangquan waved his hand, and the silhouettes behind him dispersed, faintly forming a formation: "Though your Excellency is powerful, a blade is ultimately just a blade, and can never replace the strength of a human. Furthermore, your intellect seems... cough. We naturally possess the means to ensure you cannot unleash your power."

Are you calling me an idiot? The Dragon Sparrow turned to ask Ling Ruoyu: "Was he just insulting my intelligence?"

Ling Ruoyu was unable to answer.

The Dragon Sparrow leaped backward, its hilt automatically fitting itself into Ling Ruoyu’s grasp: "Who says we have no one?"

Ling Ruoyu: "?"

I cannot even lift you... Uh, wait.

The heavy blade, which moments ago had required her to exert her life’s strength just to drag it out of the bamboo grove, now felt as light in her hand as the longsword she was accustomed to using, entirely weightless.

"Swing me," the Dragon Sparrow said.

Ling Ruoyu had never swung a blade before; she lashed out subconsciously, instinctively infusing her true qi into it.

She then felt her movements being guided by the blade, shifting slightly from the trajectory of a sword strike into a furious, sweeping slash across the sky, unleashing a crushing aura and a thunderous force she had never before possessed.

"Boom!"

The true qi infused into the blade was stimulated, triggering the latent power contained within the weapon. A crescent-shaped blade-light swept past with a roar, and the black-clothed men blocking the front of Sword Lake were all severed into two halves by a single strike.

Even a master of the Earthly Chart like Li Huangquan could not meet this strike head-on; he could only dodge in an utterly wretched manner, rolling along the ground for dozens of feet before coming to a halt.

The Army Breaker. This was the mad warrior's blade with which the King of Zhao had once withstood thousands of troops, sweeping through enemy camps amidst a sea of soldiers!

The legacy technique of her predecessor, even when revealing but a tip of the iceberg, stirred a tempestuous sea within the young woman’s heart. Should this blade emerge into the world and truly fall into the hands of the wicked, it would genuinely suffice to turn the martial world upside down!

"Go." The Dragon Sparrow shot rapidly toward the lake. Ling Ruoyu failed to hold it back, and was pulled along, flying through the air before plunging directly into the water.

"Splash!" Person and blade plunged into the lake, vanishing in the blink of an eye, leaving behind nothing but gurgling traces of blood upon the surface.

Li Huangquan rolled to his feet, jumping up in exasperated rage: "Pursue them! The bottom of Sword Lake is a secluded sword chamber realm, with nowhere to hide! They have trapped themselves in a dead end!"

The Dragon Sparrow had indeed brought Ling Ruoyu into the subterranean sword chamber.

The sword chamber had long been cleared out; the remains of Shuanghua had been retrieved by the Four Symbols Sect long ago to be buried with high honors in the capital. The various ancient precious swords that once hung within the chamber had also been collected into the imperial storehouse by Xia Chichi. The various sword intents that Han Wubing had once been able to perceive here had by now dissipated without a trace, leaving nothing extraordinary behind.

There remained only a single prayer mat that had once concealed the gold foil of the Heavenly Book's general principles, seemingly placed there in commemoration of something.

Wounded and exhausted, Ling Ruoyu collapsed onto the prayer mat, setting the Dragon Sparrow aside. With great effort, she produced the medicine bottle she carried on her person and swallowed the pills, asking cautiously: "Are you... truly the Sacred Dragon Sparrow Blade?"

The Dragon Sparrow immensely enjoyed being addressed with such respect by her dear little junior sister, and placed its hands on its hips, declaring: "Rest assured, Little Junior... In any case, with me around, those bottom-feeders won't be able to harm a single hair on your head!"

The young woman fell silent. Had it not been for you, I would have long since run to fetch reinforcements; why would I have encountered all this alone... With you around, it does not seem particularly reliable either. To capture a blade, others would naturally come fully prepared with methods to deal with a blade... Not to mention your intel... Forget it, have you sobered up from the wine?

Now trapped in this environment where there was no path to heaven and no door into the earth, the young woman could think of no further chance of survival.

She never said these things after all, only sighed: "I'll take a moment to regulate my breath, and once I recover some strength, I'll break through and lure away Li Huangquan. You go the other way. With your skill, as long as you're not caught in a trap, no one else can withstand a single blow from you."

Longque was taken aback: "What do you mean? You lure them away—are you throwing your own life away?"

Ling Ruoyu smiled: "You are the War Blade of the Zhao King, and must not fall into the hands of evil. Once you leave, hurry to the capital to report. This group from the Heavenly Demon Society seems to have ulterior motives; there may be some other entity behind them, not just ordinary ambitious men. Hmm... if you have the chance, go to Tianshan and deliver a message to my master. Her name is Yue..."

"You don't need to introduce your master." Longque put her hands on her hips, tilting her head, looking at this young girl as if she were a fool.

But this fool, aside from being inexperienced, had a temperament so like her master's, and also like that stinking nobody surnamed Zhao.

Was this the jianghu in their hearts? When life and righteousness cannot both be had, they abandon life for righteousness as if it were nothing. Just like the first glance between her master and her master's husband that stretched to this day—even knowing fate had manipulated it, they still had no regrets about that meeting.

"Bang!" A sound of assault on the spatial membrane came from outside, and the small sword chamber began to shake.

Such a small, independent space could not withstand a deliberate invasion by those who were prepared.

Ling Ruoyu grasped the hilt of her sword and whispered, "Get ready. I'll go to the right..."

Longque crossed her arms inside the blade: "Do you know of a spatial technique called spatial folding? On the surface, it looks like this space, but when broken, you find there's another space. My master calls it matryoshka."

Ling Ruoyu was stunned: "So? Is there actually another secret realm folded here?"

"Yes, once they break the spatial barrier, that secret realm will be exposed." Longque grinned: "Then it'll truly be chaos. We're prepared, so we can snatch the chestnuts from the fire."

Ling Ruoyu said: "I never imagined that beneath the ancient Sword Lake, already deemed by the world to hold nothing, there would be a folded secret realm... Could there be an ancient demon god yet to emerge?"

"Sort of... yeah." Longque felt a bit guilty. The memory of someone being mistaken for an ancient demon god and then caught in the act was still vivid. She wondered if he wanted to be mistaken for one again.

Xia Chichi and the others didn't know why Longque had run away from home. After all, this mischievous little female imp was always up to such antics, so it seemed normal. But they all forgot that a bound blade spirit and its master share a spiritual connection. When Zhao Changhe was in slumber, she didn't know where her master was, but the moment he woke, she naturally knew. She simply couldn't resist running out to find him—it wasn't a "running away from home" at all.

So Longque's appearance nearby meant Zhao Changhe was right there. The evil cultists trying to capture Longque hadn't yet realized this. This seemingly quiet ancient Sword Lake was at that moment one of the most terrifying places under heaven, its terror no less than the Night Palace or the Nine Abyss.

Speaking of which, she wondered if luring people to break into the secret realm now was too early. It should be fine... In theory, her master should have already awakened. At worst, he was just lazing in bed; coming out ten days or half a month early wouldn't matter. Anyway, he wouldn't blame her—this was his beloved wife's dear disciple, and she was his beloved precious blade. If he didn't come to save them and was still sitting in lotus meditation...

Don't make her cut him so he could never sit in lotus again.

But Ling Ruoyu was panicking: "You're a sentient divine artifact. What if that ancient demon god takes a fancy to you?"

Longque: "..."

Could she really think that way? What kind of fancy could he take to her? That nobody—did he want to screw a blade?

"Bang!" The earth shook and mountains swayed. Cracks began to appear in the space, and faint voices from outside could be heard: "Stop hiding. This area is already a net with no escape. Hand over Longque obediently, and considering your potential, we might still take you in..."

"Let's go. Don't provoke the ancient demon god and cause more trouble!" Ling Ruoyu abandoned the plan to split up, grabbed Longque, and prepared to flee.

"What are you in such a hurry for? It might not be an ancient demon god—couldn't it be a martial artist of this era who stumbled into the secret realm? Haven't you ever entered one?"

Ling Ruoyu: "..."

"Bang!" Energy struck the barrier again, and the spatial wall shattered with a crash.

Ling Ruoyu's steps came to an abrupt halt.

Li Huangquan and his men surged in, their expressions freezing.

What lay before them was not the ancient sword chamber people knew, but a pitch-black abyss.

The abyss had no light of its own, but there was light here.

It was a pool of still water, with lotus platforms nearly withered, their lingering life essence telling of their former nature. A burly man sat cross-legged on one lotus platform, dressed in simple martial attire, showing no signs of power, as ordinary as a mortal.

Only his gleaming eyes, like lightning in an empty room, illuminated the abyss.

Longque poked her head out.

The scar on his face was gone... Youth ended.

But without the scar, he still looked fierce. His expression was flat, his eyes glaring, and everyone present, including Longque herself, felt a chilling illusion, as if stared down by some monster.

That was the killing intent and majesty born of countless battles to slay gods and demons.

His eyes fell on Ling Ruoyu, then glanced at the blade in her hand. His flat expression showed a hint of oddity.

That little female imp had actually deigned to match someone else's weight? He slept for a while and got cuckolded?

Sensing where his gaze landed, Ling Ruoyu instinctively hid the blade behind her, raising her sword to guard herself, and said cautiously: "Senior, we had no intention of disturbing your rest..."

Li Huangquan and his men couldn't gauge the man's strength, but his majesty and killing intent were unmistakably real. Moreover, his life aura was calm, not like that of an evil person. With such complex aura, which ancient demon god could he be?

His mind raced, and he interrupted Ling Ruoyu: "Senior, this witch wields an evil blade and has slaughtered countless innocents. Now the lakeshore is littered with corpses. We are eager to slay the demon and entered here in pursuit... Please grant us passage."

Zhao Changhe's expression was strange: "You mean that is an evil blade?"

"Indeed, its bloodthirsty ferocity, Senior should be able to sense... It comes from the countless lives it has taken."

Ling Ruoyu was frantic: "No, Senior! This blade belongs to a respected hero, and all it has slain are demonic followers!"

Zhao Changhe repeated: "Respected... hero."

Ling Ruoyu declared loudly: "Yes, he is a peerless hero! The person I respect most in this life, after my master!"

"Nonsense!" Li Huangquan shouted harshly: "He is clearly a depraved, shameless scoundrel who has ruined the chastity of countless virtuous women!"

Zhao Changhe's face was expressionless.

Damn it...

He was asleep, not dead. Was this how they slandered him now? Was this written by a blind man?

Li Huangquan thought to himself that although he couldn't see through this guy's strength, it couldn't be higher than Longque's. Once he got his hands on Longque, he wouldn't care about this just-awakened nobody. So he barked: "The witch is healing herself in secret. Let's take her down first, then we'll explain to Senior!"

With that, he suddenly struck, his sword slashing at Ling Ruoyu's throat.

Zhao Changhe flicked his finger imperceptibly.

Ling Ruoyu was about to parry when she felt Longque disobey her again, rising from an extremely odd angle. But this time, it wasn't the previous mode of wild bombardment. The blade's light merely flashed, entering the night with the wind, moistening things silently.

A bloodstain suddenly appeared on Li Huangquan's throat. He gurgled, clutching his throat, and fell backward.

Xiaolou listened to the spring rain all night.

Ling Ruoyu didn't even know what happened. The blade flashed again.

The surrounding abyss churned like waves of blood. In the next moment, the black-clad men who had followed Li Huangquan all burst with blood from their bodies, falling dead on the spot.

Blood filled the mountains and rivers.

Ling Ruoyu stared blankly at the hellish scene around her, thinking it was over. It seemed Longque had sobered up and suddenly become so agile... But now, this blade looked every bit an evil blade. How would this ancient demon god deal with it?

Then the ancient demon god spoke, his tone sincere: "This blade is righteous and mighty, infinitely powerful—truly a hero's blade. Waking up after an epoch, I never imagined such a figure had emerged in the world. Admirable, admirable..."

Even though Longque didn't need to eat, she might have thrown up last night's meal if she could.

She thought he might have changed after waking up, but he was still this shameless.