Chapter 97: Shocking Change At Sword Lake

Chapter 97: The Sudden Change at Sword Lake

The Four Symbols Sect naturally wouldn't have so few hands in this operation; every bamboo grove nearby was planted with guards. When Zhao Changhe caused this disturbance, alarms rose from all directions, all converging on his position.

Among them were no fewer than those at the seventh or eighth level of the Mystic Gate, highlighting the Four Symbols Sect's formidable strength.

Zhao Changhe was like a tiny ant chased by a herd of elephants, fleeing at top speed into the bamboo grove.

Han Wubing watched in stunned disbelief. You never indicated it was this serious before—could it be you feared I might not resist taking the sword, and thus threw yourself into danger? Such righteous loyalty!

Xia Chichi also furrowed her brow. Zhao Changhe would never deliberately sabotage her plans unless he believed they were harmful to her, yet he couldn't convey the message and had to risk disruption.

There must be something everyone else had missed, something Changhe had discovered these past days. Xia Chichi made a snap decision: "Stop the ritual immediately!"

The elders were taken aback: "Holy Maiden, a mere rat causing trouble shouldn't affect our ritual."

"I said stop, and stop now! Are you the Holy Maiden, or am I?" Xia Chichi barked. "No reason! Stop at once!"

With the authority of a direct order, the elders exchanged glances. Unwilling to sour relations over a trivial treasure hunt, they reluctantly halted.

Xia Chichi exhaled, about to find an excuse to help Zhao Changhe escape into the grove, when a sudden unease struck her.

The tremor beneath the lake didn't fade with the ritual's cessation; instead, it grew more pronounced. The sword aura had become so dense that even ordinary people could almost sense it!

"No, someone else is continuing the communion!" Elder Azure Dragon raised his head abruptly, staring at a group of seemingly ordinary sword-seekers across the lake: "The Maitreya Sect!"

By nature, he would have already crossed the water to kill, but his own halt had been grudging, and with someone else picking up the thread, he hesitated a moment before launching himself into flight: "The Four Symbols Sect is conducting business—how dare outsiders interfere! Stay right there!"

"Elder You, calm yourself. We merely wished to see what the legendary ancient sword looks like. So it requires the summer solstice at noon—many thanks to the Four Symbols Sect for the clarification." A bald, greasy-faced fat man chuckled as he rose into the air, blocking Elder You's path over the lake. "Since your Holy Maiden has declared abandonment, we are simply proceeding. How can that be considered interference in your sect's affairs?"

By that logic, the Maitreya Sect had a point—they only stepped in after the sect had voluntarily given up, breaking no rules. Elder You felt a pang of frustration. What was the Holy Maiden thinking, throwing away their advantage like that?

But the demonic sect was no place for reason. Elder You ignored the fat man's words entirely and struck out with a palm.

With a thunderous "bang," the fat man extended his pudgy hand, and they clashed mid-lake.

A duel between experts on the Human Roll sent shockwaves rippling outward, blasting the lake's surface into towering waves as if a thousand-pound boulder had been hurled into the depths.

Chaos erupted.

A group of Four Symbols Sect elites cast reproachful glances at their Holy Maiden, waiting to see how she would address the situation.

Xia Chichi said, "The Maitreya Sect's people can't possibly meet the conditions for the divine sword to choose a master. We retreat—as far as possible—and let them summon the sword to their own doom. The sword will return on its own."

It was ruthless, but it also meant completely abandoning their mission. The Four Symbols Sect members had no idea what she was thinking. Could the mission be a ruse, meant solely to ambush a group of Maitreya disciples?

That outcome wouldn't be bad, either—the Four Symbols Sect and the Maitreya Sect were hardly on good terms. No one objected, and they began to withdraw. Xia Chichi also sent a telepathic message into the grove: "Everyone retreat! Ignore that rat Zhao Changhe!"

Zhao Changhe: "..."

Fine, since you're being so obedient, I'll let the insult slide.

He had been fleeing through the bamboo grove, nearly caught, but now that the pursuit had stopped, he doubled back and hid at the edge, watching how things would unfold.

Over there, Elder You, locked in combat with the fat man, received the Holy Maiden's retreat order. With a resentful palm strike, he disengaged and withdrew.

Further away, a monk twice as fat as the previous one stood sweating profusely, facing Tang Wanzhuang who blocked his path. "Chief Tang, you should be delighted that the Maitreya Sect and the Four Symbols Sect are at odds. Why do you hinder me from killing the Four Symbols Holy Maiden?"

Tang Wanzhuang sighed. "I didn't know you'd be so shameless as to bully the younger generation and kill their seed. But this matter serves another purpose for the Demon Suppression Bureau. If Xia Chichi dies here, it will cause us great trouble. So, Maitreya, please turn back."

Maitreya took a deep breath. "Your Lung Meridian is damaged now. You may not be my match. Are you sure you want to fight?"

Tang Wanzhuang smiled faintly. "You're welcome to try."

The Spring Water Sword was drawn, and Maitreya's expression turned gravely serious.

He knew the Four Symbols Sect's Holy Maiden had boundless potential. As the Maitreya Sect's leader, he had come to assassinate her without scruple, expecting perhaps Vermilion Bird or others to protect her. He never imagined the one shielding the demoness would be Tang Wanzhuang.

What in the world was going on?

Just as Maitreya hesitated whether to engage, a tremor passed through his heart. Tang Wanzhuang's expression also shifted. Both turned simultaneously toward Sword Lake, exclaiming in unison: "What's happening?"

Contrary to everyone's expectations, the ritual should not have been completed, and the Maitreya Sect's continuation had only just begun. By all logic, the divine sword was not yet due to emerge. Yet the moment the Four Symbols Sect withdrew, a fierce, unmatched killing intent surged from the lake's depths, breaking through the water.

The fat man, still on the lake, felt a chill in his nether regions. Looking down, he saw formless sword qi already at his rear.

Even as a Human Roll expert, he was terrified by the sword strike that seemed to transcend space. He twisted with remarkable agility, and the qi grazed his buttocks, shooting into the sky, slicing off a chunk of flesh.

Clutching his bleeding rear, the fat man fumed: "Are you all idiots? I'm still on the lake, and you summon the sword to court death!"

The Maitreya disciples were dumbfounded: "We didn't complete it! At most, we only opened a dimensional channel—we might not even have awakened the divine sword!"

The fat man: "?"

He suddenly realized this might not be a simple matter of spiritual communion. After the dimensional link was established, the divine sword sensed an intensely hated presence and awakened on its own. He had likely suffered an undeserved calamity.

Still shaken, the fat man turned to look. Indeed, after the sword qi passed through his buttock, it paid him no further heed. The qi howled onward, its target unmistakable—the retreating Xia Chichi.

Xia Chichi: "?"

Zhao Changhe: "?"

Are you insane? If you want to kill faithless lovers, there are plenty here—I count myself among them. When did Chichi become such a magnet for hatred? She can't possibly be your original faithless lover!

"Damn it." This time, it was Tang Wanzhuang who wanted to rescue her, but Maitreya cheerfully blocked her path: "Chief Tang, this is heaven's will. Why force it?"

"Whoosh!" The sword qi arrived in an instant.

A group of Four Symbols Sect elites, their scalps tingling, raised their swords to shield Xia Chichi. Only then did they see the divine sword's form: a body of icy blue light, beautiful yet deadly.

As Zhao Changhe and Tang Wanzhuang had guessed, a sword so agile was a nightmare to intercept, weaving left and right. Moreover, the rift between ancient times and the present was severe; the power of those immortals and buddhas dwarfed the current era by countless folds. What did Human Roll experts or multiple Mystic Gate eighth- or ninth-level cultivators matter? Did the divine sword even glance at them?

The once-imposing Elder You found he couldn't block the sword for even an instant. It casually swerved past him, its ruthless edge still aimed at Xia Chichi.

Xia Chichi gritted her teeth and parried with her sword. With a clang, an overwhelming force struck. Her short sword snapped. She choked back the blood rising to her throat and used the momentum to retreat into the bamboo grove.

The divine sword pursued relentlessly. Now a crowd of Four Symbols Sect members chased after the sword, only to fall further behind.

As the Holy Maiden tumbled backward into the grove, the sword pierced through in an instant. The Four Symbols Sect's faces turned ashen.

"It's over." Who would have thought such a seemingly simple task—one the sect had performed several times before without major incident, at most losing the sword-taker—could go so horribly wrong? Even after the Holy Maiden's decisive abandonment, the sword refused to relent?

By now, they had forgotten their earlier resentment toward her. They now saw her as quick-witted, and the current disaster as their own failure to protect her. Desperate, they charged into the grove.

No one knew what was happening inside.

Xia Chichi fell backward and landed in a warm chest. Before she could react, her rescuer spun her around, placing himself between her and the divine sword.

Looking at Zhao Changhe's resolute face, Xia Chichi felt everything slow down. Her heart turned to ash in that slow motion.

In truth, our bond isn't that deep... I don't even know when I might forget you.

Why must you do this...

Strangely, the sword suddenly halted behind Zhao Changhe, unmoving.

Zhao Changhe, drenched in cold sweat, turned to look. The sword seemed to consider circling around him to strike Xia Chichi again.

He pivoted with the sword's movement, shielding her completely.

The divine sword: "..."

Zhao Changhe and Xia Chichi exchanged glances, both utterly bewildered.

They had expected Zhao Changhe to be minced, and Xia Chichi to be far down the list of targets. Who knew all the hatred was focused on her, while Zhao Changhe remained untouched?

After a tense standoff, the divine sword grew impatient, as if unwilling to humor Zhao Changhe any longer. It prepared to pierce through both of them.

But just as it thrust forward, Xia Chichi suddenly exerted herself, reversing their positions to shield Zhao Changhe instead.

“Fuck, are you stupid?” Zhao Changhe blurted out instinctively.

No sooner had the curse left his lips than he felt something amiss. Xia Chichi’s expression was calm—had the divine sword not struck down?

Peering over, he saw Han Wubing had arrived at some unknown moment, reaching out to grip the sword’s hilt. The divine sword trembled slightly, but at last its murderous aura was gone.

Han Wubing looked somewhat out of breath, yet his expression was strange: “The divine sword tells me to tell you two to get the hell out. It wants to kill the faithless and heartless, not to watch a pair of lovebirds who would die for each other gazing affectionately before it. If it has to watch any longer, it fears it might not be able to resist cutting you both down.”

Xia Chichi jumped up: “Where am I faithless and heartless? Explain yourself clearly!”

Zhao Changhe tugged at her sleeve from behind and whispered, “The Azure Dragon Seal.”

Xia Chichi suddenly realized, and pulled out the Azure Dragon Seal she always carried.

The divine sword trembled violently, so much that even Han Wubing could not hold it. The blade lightly touched the Azure Dragon Seal, and the three suddenly felt the world spin. When they opened their eyes again, they had vanished from the spot.

The first thing the Four Symbols Sect members saw when they entered was that Zhao Changhe, together with Han Wubing, seemed to have abducted the Holy Maiden, and they had no idea where they had gone.