Chapter 27

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Tianyuan Sect.
In a secluded bamboo forest on Weiyun Peak.
A young girl in a pink dress sat on a rock, looking at the wooden sword in her hand with a troubled expression.
Her master had taught her new sword moves and a technique for channeling spiritual power, ordering her to practice the combination one thousand times.
She had only practiced two hundred times, but she was already exhausted. Most of her spiritual power had been drained; her limbs felt weak, and her head throbbed with a dull pain.
Her senior brother had once said that every task their master set had its purpose. If one wanted to improve, one had to do more, never less, than what was required.
Even if it felt tiring, it was only as it should be.
He, too, had once been so exhausted that he could barely lift a finger.
Jiang Wang, Su Zhen, and Zhou Ziheng had all gone through the same.
But—
It was truly exhausting.
Liu Yunyao held her head in pain, and for a moment, she recalled her master’s earlier words. It was said that Su Zhen had gone to another plane, though the master had not specified where.
When she had impulsively pressed for details, Master Yuchen seemed somewhat displeased.
"Why do you ask about this?"
The man in white robes looked at her, his cold, clear eyes tinged with fatigue. "Yunyao, do not concern yourself with her affairs anymore."
Concern myself with her affairs?
If not for the sword Lengxiang, what did it matter to her where Su Zhen went, or whether she was dead or alive?
Liu Yunyao felt helpless and could only whisper, "I was merely concerned. It was my fault that day; if Senior Sister is angry because of it and has gone somewhere dangerous, then my guilt would only be compounded."
"She will not be in danger."
Master Yuchen remained silent for a moment. "You should let go of Lengxiang for now."
Liu Yunyao was startled. "Master, that is not what I meant..."
He looked at her with a calm expression, his clear, dark eyes fixed upon her, inexplicably sending a chill through her heart.
Master Yuchen shook his head, unwilling to hear these justifications. "Yunyao, there is only one year left until the next Immortal Alliance Examination. Master Chensha will be attending at the Immortal Fate City, and I will personally go to entreat him."
Liu Yunyao was shocked. "The Palace Master of Qihuang Palace?"
If the premier medical cultivator took action, there would indeed be no curse or old injury that could stump him. However, would he truly be willing to treat a demon-human hybrid of no renown?
Even if he didn't know at first, once he came into contact with her, her identity would likely be impossible to conceal.
Even if it were her master—
"I am merely a quasi-saint-level cultivator; perhaps my words carry little weight before him."
Master Yuchen seemed to have guessed her thoughts. "But rest assured, I will strike a bargain with him. I can certainly produce something that will move him."
Liu Yunyao was speechless. "I did not think that."
If she could eradicate the chronic injury on her body, she would naturally be very pleased.
But what about Lengxiang?
She hadn't originally wanted that sword for healing purposes.
However, she could not tell her master the truth, for too many people and events were entangled behind it.
"Master..."
Liu Yunyao said with a headache, "There is something else I wish to tell you. About three years ago, Senior Sister demonstrated sword moves for us, and she used Lengxiang..."
In the past, whenever she lectured lower-level cultivators and needed to use a sword for demonstration, Su Zhen often brought out Lengxiang.
She seemed to enjoy the longing and envious gazes of others toward the immortal artifact.
At least, Zhou Ziheng had always felt she was just showing off.
Of course, there must have been other reasons, such as her inability to bond with Lengxiang, which was why she carried it with her at all times.
Some people achieved a bond with a magical treasure by pure coincidence; perhaps if it was held in the hand often, the probability of such an accidental event might increase.
Although, for some time now, Su Zhen had not brought out Lengxiang again, likely because she had given up due to the long period of failing to bond with it, or perhaps she had even given it away.
Liu Yunyao: "...Once, I was very close to that sword, and I suddenly felt a warmth throughout my body. The chill that the curse occasionally emitted was suppressed significantly."
Master Yuchen was taken aback. "You never mentioned this."
Of course, it was because no such thing had ever happened.
But her master could not seek verification from Su Zhen, and Su Zhen would not remember whether her junior sister had ever been in close contact with that sword.
Liu Yunyao shook her head slightly. "It was only for that instant. Senior Sister soon walked away, and I returned to normal. At the time, I wasn't sure what had happened."
Master Yuchen seemed to fall into deep thought.
He could not think of any reason for his young disciple to lie about this.
Liu Yunyao thought to herself, "And it was Senior Sister's sword; she treated it like a treasure..."
Master Yuchen's eyes flickered. "In all these years, is Lengxiang the first magical treasure you have encountered that is so effective for your injury?"
Liu Yunyao nodded silently.
He did not speak again.
When Liu Yunyao left the peak and returned to her residence to practice, she couldn't help but think of the expression her master had worn at the end—he looked conflicted and inexplicably lost.
But in the end, he seemed to have reached some sort of decision.
"...He should help me get the sword back, right?"
Liu Yunyao thought, feeling uncertain.
"Indeed, even if she gave it away, so what?"
A soft, pleasant voice echoed in her mind.
Liu Yunyao wore a smile on her face, which she then suppressed.
Although there were no other cultivators passing by, her cultivation was not high, and if someone were spying, she might not necessarily detect it.
Liu Yunyao gripped the wooden sword tightly. "Thank you, Senior Brother!"
The two communicated through their thoughts, without needing to speak aloud. However, this consumed a great deal of her energy, so she dared not waste time and quickly reviewed the earlier events.
After the other person received the information, he comforted her: "I have already checked those uncles of your master; none of their spiritual roots are perfectly compatible with Lengxiang."
Liu Yunyao was slightly stunned.
Even if the attributes matched, it didn't necessarily mean one could bond with an immortal sword; Su Zhen was the best example of that.
But conversely, if the attributes did not match, it was almost certain that a bond could not be formed, and even if it were somehow successful, it would be of little use to the cultivator.
"That is to say, once your master offers better terms, even if that person has obtained Lengxiang, they will offer it up."
For instance, a magical treasure more suited to their own attributes.
Liu Yunyao understood the implication. "What if Lengxiang has already been..."
"That won't happen."
The other person said with certainty: "Are you afraid Lengxiang will be dismantled or sold? After all, this was once Master Yuchen's sword. Those uncles of his are not fools; even if they really swindled the sword away, they would use it themselves and not act rashly."
They did not think Su Zhen's claim that she gave the sword away was an excuse.
After all, Master Yuchen hadn't even had the chance to ask for it before she spoke; she couldn't have been clairvoyant, could she?
Liu Yunyao: "...Swindled? Perhaps Senior Sister gave it away voluntarily? If they are in love, and Su Zhen cannot bond with the immortal sword, she might as well give it to someone else. She isn't short of money, and she still has ownerless immortal artifacts at home."

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The other person laughed. "That is also plausible, but regardless of which it is, what I said still holds true."
Liu Yunyao agreed.
"However, the temperaments of those people vary."
The other person paused. "Does your master actually know which of his uncles took the immortal sword?"
Liu Yunyao also felt a headache. "Judging by his expression, it felt like he knew, but when I probed, he seemed not to, or perhaps he was unwilling to tell me? But why would he be unwilling? After he sent me away before, he seemed to have had an argument with Su Zhen. I wonder if it was because of this?"
The other person was not surprised. "If Su Zhen is a narrow-minded person who keeps track of every petty grievance, she would know that Zhou Ziheng went so far as to hire assassins to kill her just to snatch that sword for you. She probably hates you even more. Your master protects you, so she wouldn't have a pleasant look for him either. However, you once speculated that Su Zhen was fond of your master; looking at it now, that doesn't seem to be the case?"
"I was just guessing blindly. They have known each other for so many years; even if she just regarded him as a father or brother, it would still appear different to others. Even if she were jealous of me, it would be understandable. Some people even get upset when their good friend makes a new friend."
Liu Yunyao sighed. "Why did it have to be Lengxiang? Why not one of the immortal artifacts in the storage room? Su Zhen is truly not to be trifled with, and I want to stay far away from her."
"If possible, I would naturally hope you only take ownerless swords, so you wouldn't have to suffer so many grievances."
The person said in a deep voice, "But based on our current plan, Lengxiang is indeed indispensable. However, since this matter is troublesome, there is no need to rush. After all, the other sword spirits have yet to be collected; it will not be too late to wait until you have improved your cultivation."
He paused. "After all, the locations of most of the other sword spirits are unknown, and the remnant soul within Lengxiang, due to the unique material of the sword body, has the most recovered power. If it is willing to cooperate, you might be able to use it to sense the locations of the other sword spirits; this is the most important thing. Moreover, the life-transforming power of that sword spirit's remnant soul can also help the other sword spirits fuse with each other more quickly when refined together."
Liu Yunyao knew this as well. "Indeed, I have only obtained Lian Guang and Fei Tang so far..."
"You are already very impressive."
The person comforted her warmly: "I search for the sword body fragments, and you search for the sword spirit fragments; your task was always more difficult."
"Senior Brother, please do not say that."
Liu Yunyao bit her lip. "The sword spirits of the Holy Sword have all transformed into the spirits of other magical treasures, but there are more than a dozen in total. I only need to obtain nine pieces. Your task, Senior Brother, is much more arduous; there are hundreds or thousands of sword fragments, and you have to collect them all..."
"But many are just treated as scrap metal and left in storage, or even found directly in the ruins of the Demon Realm. I might be able to harvest three or five in a single day."
The other person interrupted her. "You are the one who is working much harder."
Liu Yunyao felt comforted. "Senior Brother, what are you saying? If it weren't for you all, I wouldn't be where I am today."
After saying this, her expression gradually became resolute.
Liu Yunyao spoke word for word, as if swearing an oath to the other person and encouraging herself: "I will certainly get my hands on Lengxiang."
...
Demon Realm.
In the secret treasury of the Qiansheng Sect.
The two walked along the long corridor at a leisurely pace. When they reached the end, there was no path forward.
One end of the corridor was the exit, but outside there was no bridge or stairs, only a misty void, with dim purple-red miasma churning.
Su Zhen did not stop, leaping forward and diving straight into the miasma.
For a cultivator of her level, one usually could not last long in such thick miasma.
But she simply adjusted the spiritual power in her body, easily forcing out the miasma that invaded her meridians, and then moved between the towering towers and covered bridges.
Several sickle-winged demons sensed her spiritual pressure, turned their heads to look, and then shrieked as they lunged toward her.
Su Zhen secretly formed a magic seal, and a crack appeared on the back of her hand. A wide-open golden eye squeezed out from the crack, and then a brilliant mist of light shot from it.
The golden light pierced through the miasma, forcing back the incoming demon creatures.
They cursed and retreated, their sickle-like, narrow, curved wings fluttering, whipping up a stench-ridden wind.
Su Zhen shook them off and soon landed in front of a solemn and terrifying hall. Before she could walk up the steps, she saw two demon cultivators walking toward her.
They were dragging two half-dead cultivators.
The two cultivators had disheveled hair, pale faces, and their limbs were bound by chains condensed from spiritual power, with several glowing golden long nails driven into their spines.
Su Zhen glanced at them, and one of them immediately cast a hateful look at her.
She ignored them and continued walking forward.
Judging by their clothing, these two captives were likely righteous cultivators from a second-rate sect in the Northern Territory, and they appeared to be elders.
Whether they were doing something in the Demon Realm or had been caught by demon cultivators in the Human Realm, it had nothing to do with her.
"...They are really picky, they didn't even like these, they are at least at the Earth Immortal Realm."
"Forget it, it's not that they are picky, it's that these two are truly empty-headed. The spells they know can be counted on two hands, not to mention anything else..."
"Sister, you have twenty fingers on one hand in your original form."
"Right, they are at least at the Earth Immortal Realm; isn't it ridiculous that they only know thirty-some spells?"
"Fine, it was just a test anyway. I estimate that few people could succeed. How many souls would know things that they don't know? Even if there were such people, do we have the ability to catch them?"
The two demon cultivators talked among themselves, not taking her seriously, and the two parties brushed past each other.
Xiao Yu appeared a moment later, not even giving them half a glance, and walked directly after Su Zhen's shadow.
The hall was extremely vast; the floor was paved with gold and jade, and huge luminous pearls were embedded in the high pillars. The surroundings were bright, and in the center stood a huge altar.
The altar was circular, with a diameter of about three zhang, half of which was buried in the ground. It was blue-gold throughout, its surface covered with intricate carvings and stained with spots of blood; dried, dark red blood remained in the hollowed-out holes.
The altar was about one zhang high, with a circle of steps built around it.
Su Zhen walked up the steps slowly while casting a barrier at the entrance of the hall.
A thin-looking barrier rose from the ground, surrounding the entire hall, with golden incantations flickering in the light screen.
Su Zhen looked back. "What were you doing just now?"
Xiao Yu followed behind. "Oh, I was just admiring your battle with the sickle-winged demons from a distance."
Su Zhen was bewildered. "What is there to admire? Not to mention that we didn't even really fight, even if I were truly fighting them to the death, it wouldn't be interesting, would it?"
"Hey, I don't know how to explain it to you, but this is a real-life CG; it's better than those special effects..."
Xiao Yu wore an expression that suggested she wouldn't understand.
Su Zhen: "?"
She didn't really want to understand.
Xiao Yu looked at the altar. "Then should I go out first?"
Su Zhen was stunned. "...Do you know what I'm going to do?"
Xiao Yu shook his head. "I don't know, but I know what this place is for."
He turned and walked down the steps, waving his hand without looking back. "Be careful."
Su Zhen watched the tall, upright figure walk away until he disappeared outside the hall, and she couldn't help but shake her head.
She turned around and reached into her Qiankun bag, taking out a long sword with a lustrous, jade-like sheen.
The blade was a pale green, the color of water-washed jade. The sword body was slender, like a willow branch or a flower stem, and the hilt was a milky white tinged with smoky blue, feeling very warm in her hand.
The sword contained a balanced and peaceful spiritual power. That power was extremely stable; although it had a strong sense of revitalization and cultivation, it was generally mild and mellow.
Of course, it was precisely such a sword that was more suitable for healing and nourishing. If the spiritual power were too active or restless, it would easily lead to mishaps.
Su Zhen was too familiar with this sword.
She could describe its outline completely in her mind even with her eyes closed.
Lengxiang, as one of the top-grade immortal artifacts recorded in "The Book of Heavenly Treasures," was forged from Star-Shattering Steel Crystals. During the casting, the sap of a ten-thousand-year-old Fuyao Tree was poured in, and it had been buried in the Flower Language Plains for hundreds of years.
That was the place where the spiritual energy of plants and trees in the Demon Realm was most abundant, and nourished by its ley lines, a sword spirit had formed within the sword.
Therefore, the sword spirit contained a very strong life force.
—This was something everyone knew. It was only after reading that book that Su Zhen realized that a part of this was not true.
She reached out and tapped the sword body, suddenly pouring in spiritual power. The blade let out a series of shrill buzzes, and the hilt trembled constantly, nearly vibrating out of her hand.

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This was a magical treasure without a bond.
It could not fully withstand her spiritual power and was highly repulsed by it; once a little too much spiritual power was injected, the sword would lose control.
Therefore, she could almost never use it for battle, or at most to deal with people whose cultivation was far inferior to her own.
But in such a situation, what difference did it make whether she used an immortal artifact? She could win easily empty-handed.
"Come out."
Su Zhen said softly, "Let's settle our accounts."
The sword spirit did not speak, and Lengxiang vibrated again, as if this were its response to her.
Su Zhen smiled, but there was no warmth in her eyes.
In the past, she did not know the reason for this and only thought she was unlucky. She had repeatedly communicated with the sword spirit with patience, suppressing her temper and never saying a harsh word.
Su Zhen simply let go.
The sword, which had been unwilling to be near her and was struggling, flew out and fell into the altar.
Inside that altar, bones were piled like mountains, of all sizes and shapes, along with many charred, damaged, and stone-hardened corpse parts. At the very bottom was a pool of dirty blood, mixed with different shades of red and black, with a thick layer of grease floating on top—it was enough to make one feel incredibly nauseated just looking at it.
The beautiful, clean immortal sword fell into the corpses, trembling, and stuck into the gaps between some ribs, becoming stained with viscous black blood.
It looked completely out of place with its surroundings.
"What is happening?!"
Lengxiang vibrated violently, then flew back into the air.
A ball of green light erupted from the sword body, and the roar of the sword spirit echoed through the hall, "Su Zhen! Where have you thrown me?!"
"You jumped out yourself."
Su Zhen looked at it expressionlessly, "I am on the territory of the Demon God of Law, in the Southern Continent secret treasury of the Qiansheng Sect, and before the altar of the Great Demon Lord Guijin."
At this point, she bowed her head slightly.
Higher-level demons were born with intelligence. Their living environment was harsh and cruel, and most would die prematurely in childhood. But if they could survive, in just two or three hundred years, they could possess power comparable to an Earth Immortal cultivator.
For human cultivators, only a very few top geniuses could achieve this step.
However, among the higher-level demons, those who could become regional Great Demon Lords were few and far between; compared to the total number of higher-level demons, they were truly rare.
She naturally had to show some respect.
Not only because she was about to make a deal with him, but also because she admired these powerhouses who had fought their way out of the sea of blood in the Demon Realm.
Although human cultivators also had their share of deceit and intrigue, their initial growth environment was far worse than that of the demons.
Even for demon cultivators, many started their cultivation in the Human Realm and only came to the Demon Realm after reaching the Nascent Soul stage.
"What did you say?!"
The sword spirit roared in disbelief, "You—I knew you monster had a treacherous heart. You have finally fallen into..."
Su Zhen looked at it thoughtfully.
After she died, it had quickly bonded with Liu Yunyao, and was even willing to be melted down to become part of the Holy Sword's spirit.
Liu Yunyao even had demon lineage, yet it had never cursed her like this.
"You just hate me."
Su Zhen tilted her head, "Right?"
The sword spirit hissed and cursed, "Is there any part of you that is worth liking? From the first time I saw you, I warned your master that this person is cunning and has the look of a wolf. When your spiritual power touched me again, I glimpsed the endless greed in your heart—"
"No."
Su Zhen interrupted it calmly, "It's not because of these things, and don't think these ghost stories can provoke me. You hate me only because among those who defeated you and tore you limb from limb back then, one was my ancestor."
The sword spirit's cursing stopped abruptly, "You're crazy, what are you talking about?!"
"It is said that you were a sword spirit born from the spiritual veins of the Flower Language Plains."
Su Zhen said flatly, "You are not."
Ignoring the other's reaction, she continued, "You were once the sword spirit of the Holy Sword 'World-Ender', or rather, you were a part of it. After it was destroyed, the fragments of the sword body and the sword spirit scattered. One piece of the remnant soul fell into the Demon Realm, in the Flower Language Plains, and was nourished by those spiritual veins for hundreds of years, only then recovering some power. Therefore, it infiltrated an immortal sword and devoured the sword spirit that had just been born within."
Sword spirit: "You, how do you, impossible! You don't—"
Su Zhen spread her hands, "How do I know? I couldn't possibly know? My Lord of Law is omniscient."
Of course, she only knew because she had read the book.
When she became a demon cultivator, she had shelved this sword; by then, an immortal artifact meant nothing to her.
She cherished the few opportunities she had to communicate with the God Lord, so she naturally wouldn't ask about the nonsense of Lengxiang.
"You have memories from the ancient period, albeit intermittent ones, right?"
Su Zhen continued, "To me, what you are is irrelevant; I only care whether you can be used by me. After all, our attributes are the same, and your power to me—"
"You!"
The sword spirit was just a ball of light, but now it made a sound that was practically gnashing its teeth, "You want to drive me? In your dreams!"
"I am not dreaming."
Su Zhen murmured, "Do you think that if you don't acknowledge me as your master, you won't be used by me? Do you guess why I brought you here? Was it for sightseeing?"
As she spoke, she lifted her leg and stepped into the altar.
Su Zhen stood amidst the pool of blood and bones, slowly lowering her head, her hands raised.
"The remnant soul of the Holy Artifact, the memory of the ancient battlefield, all are in this sword—"
A cold wind suddenly swirled in the altar, and a powerful spiritual pressure erupted.
Paths of bloody light rose from among the bones, like countless chains, binding the immortal sword in mid-air.
"Su Zhen?!"
The sword spirit screamed in shock and anger, "You, you dare—"
Bound by the crisscrossing bloody light, the green hue on the sword body gradually faded, shrouded in that terrifying red glow.
Su Zhen ignored it, "Hand it over to Lord Guijin for absorption."
The altar shook violently.
Red light erupted across the sky, spiritual pressure filled the air, countless bones were swept into the high sky, and large clumps of viscous blood were shattered, splattering everywhere.
In the chaotic mist of blood and light, a huge shadow vaguely appeared, its outline barely visible, with elegant neck and back lines and long horns on its head.
A pair of golden-red eyes emerged in the mist, with two strange black horizontal pupils embedded in the irises.
"What do you seek?"
It asked.
"I seek two things."
Su Zhen raised her hand, "First, the essence of the spiritual power of plants and trees within the sword; please take it and give it to me."
"Very well."
It replied.
The sword spirit let out a heart-rending, painful scream.