Chapter 14: Sword Smelting
Two prison officials in blue robes appeared immediately in the cell.
Before the cell door was even opened, two flying swords of different colors flew through the small ventilation window and stabbed towards Zhang Shiwu on the stone bed like lightning.
Zhang Shiwu was lying on the stone bed. His energy sea was penetrated and bound by special seal chains, and steel wire was threaded through his body so he could not even kill himself. But the surface of his body started to burn. Red energy waves appeared and bloomed like roses. Facing the two small swords coming through the window, he smiled and did not move.
Yet to the utter shock of the two prison officials, the two flying swords inexplicably stopped in the air, unable to advance! Only now did the two prison officials remember there was a kind of sword manual in the world called the Thought Sword.
Just like the Heart Thought Sword that Yi Xin of Mind Chamber Sect used during the Min Mountain Sword Trials, these cultivators cultivated the mind.
.
When one’s body was out of control, their extraordinary willpower and mental power could gather primal energy and transform them into powerful sword essence.
In the next moment, the two prison officials vomited blood. They lost their connection to the two flying swords. The two flying swords were pushed together by the red energy waves like a pair of scissors.
Crack, crack, crack!
The dragon restraining chains pa.s.sing through Zhang Shiwu’s energy sea were cut. As these metal chains were pulled out of the body, blood flowed out along the wound immediately.
In the next moment, there were faint popping sounds coming out of Zhang Shiwu’s body. Those steel wires that had stabbed deep into his body, trailing along his meridians and stopping his vital energy from flowing all charged out of his body and floated like willow branches around him. He smiled and sat up.
The blood flowing out of his body was strangely controlled by his thought to merge back together with the primal energies of the universe that had gathered. Then they shot outwards like red ribbons.
There was an enormous shock. The heavy iron door was sent flying outwards.
The two prison officials vomiting blood, and the six prison officials who came up behind them were all sent flying by the iron door. The red ribbons flew like they were alive, moving more than a hundred feet towards Lin Zhujiu who was in the deepest cell.
Shen Xuan still remained motionless. The mixture of energy and blood flew strangely by him and formed an odd yet beautiful scene.
When the first red blood ribbon fell into Lin Zhujiu’s body, his rotten body gave off a fresh presence.
“Blood Sacrifice. The Ba Mountain Sword Field managed to find such a method, I do not know how much effort those people in hiding expended trying to save you.” Shen Xuan sneered as he looked at Lin Zhujiu starting his regeneration in the water.
“This means that I am not a failure as a human being.” Lin Zhujiu laughed.
His body floated out of the water. The seal weapons imprisoning his body, including the steel wires and gold chains buried in his body were all squeezed out.
These steel wires and thin chains did not fall down after they left his body. They danced and flew, quickly weaving together in an intimidating manner to form a sword shape.
Shen Xuan frowned deeply. The sword forming in front of Lin Zhujiu gave off a powerful lifebond presence and an indescribable presence of flesh and blood.
He started to understand. In the past years, these things had imprisoned everything in Lin Zhujiu’s body. But everything in Lin Zhujiu’s body had been nurturing and refining these things.
This was a sword that Lin Zhujiu used ten years to nurture with energy and also his blood and flesh! The sword had just formed, and had not yet tasted an enemy’s blood. This was its most dangerous time!
The steel threads and fine chains grew more condensed in front of Lin Zhujiu until there were no more gaps. A deep red longsword took form, and shone red light.
Shen Xuan’s expression gradually changed.
The droplet of water silently floated in front of Bai Shanshui, vibrating but hesitant.
Du Qingli watched Bai Shanshui with one eye, the strength in his gaze growing stronger.
But Bai Shanshui put her hands behind her back and smiled at him. “Do you know? I actually do not need to win against you.”
Du Qingli’s concussion had not yet faded. He stilled, not understanding the meaning.
“I only need to keep you here,” Bai Shanshui said coolly, “That is enough.”
Du Qingli did not think her words were correct but he inexplicably had a bad feeling. So he had to determine victory.
In a blink, the primal energies of the universe that had acc.u.mulated for many years in his body surged out. An invisible giant seemed to appear between him and Bai Shanshui that suddenly blasted forward.
A visible energy wave charged at Bai Shanshui at terrifying speed.
Bai Shanshui did not move. The droplet of water started to change, turning to countless water droplets and then water bubbles which wrapped Bai Shanshui up in layers.
The impact hit the layers of bubbles. The layers of power were worn down between each layer of bubbles yet none of the water bubbles popped.
Du Qingli’s gaze turned shocked.
“The sword essence of Cloud Water Palace is the strongest and the softest.” Bai Shanshui stood in the glowing water bubbles and looked at him as though from many worlds away.
Du Qingli’s body started to turn cold. He found that he and most of Changling’s cultivators had made a serious mistake. Previously, they had seen Bai Shanshui’s most rigid side and never discovered her softest side.
“You will still not retreat?” Du Hongtan looked with sympathy at Zhao Si.
The enormous monument slashing towards him had slowly tipped upwards. Black sand surged into his hand, and then spilled out as black energy from his hand to the enormous monument. His hand seemed to be glued to the monument.
He was moving up.
The giant monument was also tipping upwards, and the weight also pressing towards Zhao Si’s end. In his view, when all the weight of the monument was pressing towards her, she would nott be able to bear it and her body would explode into pieces.
“While I really hope you will continue and die here … you will really do that?” He continued to address the silent Zhao Si with clear sympathy.
Zhao Si still did not respond.
However, Du Hongtan abruptly looked back. He felt a dangerous presence.
The moment he looked back, some of the black sand-like energy flowing like a waterfall behind him suddenly gathered to form multiple stalks of bamboo that then produced deep red flowers.
Du Hongtan’s expression changed dramatically. His hand quickly left the enormous monument and slapped back.
Boom!
A burst of black energy appeared in the empty s.p.a.ce behind him, and then burst out over dozens of feet.
Within the black energy, a quiet woman in deep red robes appeared. She held an ancient zither. She slowly looked up, blood trailing out of the corners of her mouth. But her eyes were pure black and also flowing with black energy.
“Eldest Miss Shang?” Du Hongtan said in disbelief.
The quiet woman did not answer. Her hand moved on her instrument. Dozens of black strings flew and disappeared into the air.
Du Hongtan shouted angrily. The falling black sand flew in layers around his body. Multiple stalks of bamboo grew stubbornly in the black sand.
Zhao Si narrowed her eyes slightly, her two fingers left the enormous monument and gripped at empty s.p.a.ce.
.
The enormous monument suddenly burned, turning into liquid metal and drenching the spinning black sand. White smoke gushed out.
Du Hongtan’s shouts continued, Zhao Si continued to advance.
As the monument disappeared, red light flashed at the core. The iron marrow had formed a scorching red little sword. The Zhao Sword Furnace were the best at smelting swords.
Zhao Si gripped this just forged sword and stabbed hard into the black sand ahead.
Du Hongtan stopped breathing completely. This was his home, where he was most strong. Yet for Eldest Miss Shang, this was also her strongest place.
Zhao Si’s burning sword, like a blood sun, was also the bane of yin and ghost energy. He could not stop it nor could not be a match for the two of them working together. He could only watch the small sword pierce into his body.
Plop!
His body was pierced through by this small sword. In the next moment, his entire body started to burn.