Chapter 1347 - Story of the Sword
“You don’t want me to touch your sword?” The Profound Wither Great Saint was briefly stunned, and he couldn’t understand why Lin Yun said that.
“That’s right. Or, Senior can ask me for permission, first. If you want to take it without my permission, then there’s naturally no way I can agree to it,” replied Lin Yun.
The Profound Wither Great Saint swept his gaze at the Flower Burial Sword. But just when he was about to open his mouth, he noticed that Lin Yun had shrunk his hand back that was holding onto the Flower Burial Sword.
When Lin Yun saw the Profound Wither Great Saint’s gaze, he was also surprised. He noticed that his reaction was a little extreme because the Profound Wither Great Saint had already died, and he knew that a person who was going to die wouldn’t s.n.a.t.c.h his sword. Was he always like this?
“Haha. Lin Yun, you’re really impressive now. Do you still want the Great Saint Origin?” Lil’ Purple’s voice resounded from the sword box.
“What’s wrong with me?” Lin Yun was also baffled because his action was a little too abnormal.
Right at that moment, Lil’ Purple replied, “Simple. Let this empress tell you about it. It’s the same as you s.n.a.t.c.hing someone’s wife, and you’re using it well. But you suddenly saw the husband’s son, so you’re feeling guilty now.”
“Shut it!” Lin Yun coldly replied. Thinking about it again, what Lil’ Purple said did make… a little sense. But Lin Yun soon calmed himself down and took a deep breath, “Senior, please take a look. But it’s still being upgraded right now, so it’s best if you don’t draw it out.”
The Profound Wither Great Saint took the sword over and smiled, “In this world, no one else can pull this sword out aside from him. Its past is already gone. Even if the Southern Emperor is still alive, he will also be happy that the Flower Burial Sword has found a new owner.”
Letting out a deep breath, Lin Yun knew that what the Profound Wither Great Saint said was true, and that what Lil’ Purple said was complete bulls.h.i.+t. If he dies one day, he would also want the Flower Burial Sword to find a new owner worthy of it.
“Senior, do you know the origin of this sword?” Lin Yun asked.
“Of course I do.” The Profound Wither Great Saint looked at the Flower Burial Sword as though he had returned to three thousand years ago, back to the era that the nine emperors emerged.
“The Flower Burial Sword was once used by my master when he was young. It was a gift from his childhood friend. Later, when my master became the Southern Emperor and his name shook the Kunlun Realm, there were many women who come after him.” The Profound Wither Great Saint briefly paused, then continued, “Compared to those people, everything about my master’s wife was pale in comparison. At that time, there was an unrivaled woman who displayed her love for my master, and the two were together all the time. That woman made my master’s wife feel inferior, feeling that she wasn’t worthy of my master; she thought that my master’s heart had changed. So she secretly hid herself to let my master and that woman be together.”
When Lin Yun heard that, he couldn’t help speaking out, “Senior Southern Emperor shouldn’t be that kind of person.”
“Yeah,” sighed the Profound Wither Great Saint. “At that time, everyone thought that the Southern Emperor and that woman were a perfect match. But as uglier words spread to my master’s wife, this made her feel even more inferior. So she left quickly without anyone knowing and even my master couldn"t find her. My master was also under great pressure at that time because many seniors were optimistic about them as a couple. If the two of them got together, it could satisfy many people’s interests. But my master bore the pressure and spent three years wanting to upgrade the Flower Burial Sword to a divine artifact to show his heart.”
Realizing that something wasn’t right after listening to the Profound Wither Great Saint, Lin Yun asked, “The Flower Burial Sword wasn’t a sword used by the Southern Emperor?”
“Not really. From the beginning, it was a profound artifact, and my master had not used it for a long time. But even so, he still kept the sword with him at all times,” said the Profound Wither Great Saint.
Hearing that made Lin Yun’s face change because he could imagine the immense cost to upgrade a profound artifact to a divine artifact. Most importantly, there was no need for that because the Southern Emperor already had a stronger weapon.
“But three years later, when the Flower Burial Sword became a divine artifact, everyone in the world knew about my master’s heart. At that time, Master’s wife also knew that she had wronged my master. Thus, the two of them got back together, and my master paid an even greater price to split with that other woman, offending many seniors who had treated him well in the process,” said the Profound Wither Great Saint in a sorrowful voice as he fell into deep thoughts.
Lin Yun also had a great time calming his heart. At the same time, he was filled with respect for the Southern Emperor. Even if he stood at the summit of Kunlun, he only loved a single person in his lifetime. Even if he had become the Southern Emperor, he had never forgotten about his old love. Even if it was only a profound artifact, he had never forgotten his heart.
“But I’m afraid that what happened next wasn’t good, right?” Lin Yun asked.
“Drifting like a duckweed for half a lifetime to be wrecked by the cold-hearted rain; the life of the catkins is akin to an incense, withering with the wind.” He heard a sorrowful voice reciting that by his ears when he received the acknowledgment of the sword back then.
Nodding his head, the Profound Wither Great Saint said, “After my master became an emperor, he lived with his wife for ten years before his wife died. My master was filled with sorrow and spent his entire life trying to revive her. But how can humans be revived? My master grasped the life-death dao, so he naturally knew the truth. But he just didn’t want to acknowledge it, ultimately causing his fall.”
Lin Yun fell into silence. He knew that the Southern Emperor of the Nine Emperors was known to have fallen. As for the other emperors, it was just that they rarely made any public appearances. After reaching their height, their lifespans were no longer limited to three thousand years.
“Treat that sword well,” said the Profound Wither Great Saint with a grave expression.
“Wuuu… Wuuu… Wuuuuu… that’s so touching!” Lil’ Purple’s sobbing voice resounded from the sword box, which surprised Lin Yun.
“That’s for sure.” Lin Yun tightened his grip on the Flower Burial Sword. It had gone through life and death with him for so long. Even without the Profound Wither Great Saint’s story, Lin Yun would have treated this sword well and wouldn’t give up on it in his lifetime.
One fine day, he would make everyone in the Kunlun Realm know about Flower Burial, know about his Flower Burial Sword. Stowing the sword, Lin Yun took out the Profound Wither Key and asked, “Senior, is it because of this key that I’m not restricted?”
Aside from him, everyone else was being restricted, including Su Ziyao. Time seemed to have stopped around them.
“That’s right,” said the Profound Wither Great Saint. “I left this key behind back then, wanting to find a fated person. Unless the person who found this was weak, trying to take it by force will only end up in death. But it looks like it’s karma because you’re someone who received the Flower Burial Sword’s acknowledgment.”
Hearing that, Lin Yun suddenly recalled how Qin Cang didn’t use his full strength against him. Could it be that Qin Cang had already guessed this? If that was the case, then Qin Cang was really terrifying.
“I’ve been dead for many years, and I don’t have a lot of time left. But I’m really happy for my master that the Flower Burial Sword has found a new owner.” The Profound Wither Great Saint smiled.
His emotions were real, which made Lin Yun feel sad for him. He asked, “Is there any way I can preserve your soul?”
Shaking his head, the Profound Wither Great Saint smiled. “You’re a good kid. I have no attachment to this world anymore. Now that I have met you, what other regrets do I have? I’m just a mere strand of my soul, and you should be happy that I can finally be free.”
“But…”Lin Yun gritted his teeth because he felt like he had known the Profound Wither Great Saint for a long time. So he didn’t want the Profound Wither Great Saint to leave just like that.
“I don’t have much time left. So give me the key.” The Profound Wither Great Saint took the key from Lin Yun and said, “You should be able to sense the restriction on this key. In fact, this key itself exists for the Great Saint Origin. I will put the Great Saint Origin in this and place the key in your body. When you unlock each restriction, you will be able to absorb parts of the Great Saint Origin.”
“That also means that I can already start refining the Great Saint Origin now?” Lin Yun asked.
Nodding his head, the Profound Wither Great Saint replied, “Yeah. Normally speaking, you shouldn’t be able to refine the Great Saint Origin at your cultivation, and each refinement will be dangerous. You’ll even die if you’re not careful. So you have to be prepared before unlocking each restriction. Otherwise, not only will it not benefit you, it might even damage your foundation.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.” Lin Yun nodded his head. With the Great Saint Origin, it was more than enough for him to catch up to the top-tiered geniuses in the Kunlun Realm.
Why was Qin Cang so strong? This was because he was born in the Kunlun Realm, unlike Lin Yun, and his foundation was a lot stronger than his own. Qin Cang was only the first on the Empyrean Ranking, and there were still a lot stronger geniuses on the Elysium Core Ranking. He knew that Qin Cang wasn’t the strongest genius, and he would see more the further he goes in the future.
The Profound Wither Great Saint looked at Lin Yun and was shocked, “There is golden light in your aura ocean. Did you reach the Seven Flowers Convergence in the Heavenly Soul Realm?”
Lin Yun didn’t hide it from the Profound Wither Great Saint and answered him truthfully. Hearing that, the Profound Wither Great Saint smiled. “According to what I know, even in the Golden Era, there weren’t many people who can achieve the Seven Flowers Convergence. With your current foundation, you can undo the first restriction.”
When he spoke, he activated the key in his hand and a terrifying crack spread out on the mountain. When a light shone from the abyss under the crack, each beam of light was so terrifying that they looked terrifyingly sharp, like the edges of divine weapons.
At the same time, a terrifying aura rose from the abyss, but it was fortunate that the Profound Wither Great Saint was beside Lin Yun. Otherwise, he would be lying on the ground by now. Raising his head, there was a sphere of light that looked like a golden sun emitting a divine aura.
Right at that moment, a majestic voice resounded. That was the Great Saint Origin that the Profound Wither Great Saint left behind after he died. The power was too ma.s.sive, and it had far surpa.s.sed Lin Yun’s imagination.
“Come!” The Profound Wither Great Saint wore a grave expression and the Great Saint Origin soared to the sky, before entering the Profound Wither Key.
“Lin Yun, are you prepared?” When the Great Saint Origin entered the key, the Profound Wither Great Saint pushed with his hand and the key stabbed into Lin Yun’s chest before entering his heart.
Suddenly, Lin Yun’s hair fluttered in the wind and he released a roar. He was enveloped in a golden light that dyed the heavens and earth in gold and his blood was starting to boil.
“Lin Yun, calm down and circulated your astral energy to fuse your heart’s blood with your Profound Wither Key! Otherwise, you’ll die if the Great Saint Origin spreads out!” The Profound Wither Great Saint’s grave tone resounded within Lin Yun’s ears.