259: Chapter 258 Symbiosis

Cold Frost Master.

His expression was gloomy, and as his gaze fell upon Han Qing, a flicker of complex emotion passed through his eyes—relief, worry, and a hint of an indescribable... fear.

"Han Qing," he spoke, his voice calm, "your state—"

"Is excellent," Han Qing interrupted him. "Better than ever before."

Cold Frost Master fell silent for a moment before slowly saying, "Your Dao Heart—"

"I don't need it," Han Qing interrupted again, his voice terrifyingly calm. "At the Sword Discussion Assembly, I don't need a Dao Heart. I only need power. Power sufficient to kill Jiang Hanzhou."

Cold Frost Master looked at him and remained silent for a long time.

Then, he nodded. "Fine. Since you have made your decision, I will say no more. But remember this, Han Qing: Jiang Hanzhou is no ordinary opponent. His Divine Intent Heavenly Saber is specialized in slashing the Divine Soul. Though your Sword Gu is powerful, the symbiotic connection between your Divine Soul and the Sword Seed is his greatest opening."

Han Qing's pupils constricted slightly.

"Symbiotic connection?"

"Correct." Cold Frost Master took a Jade Slip from his sleeve and handed it to Han Qing. "This is intelligence I obtained from Tianji Peak at a great cost. The essence of the Divine Intent Heavenly Saber is not to slash the Physical Body, but to slash the Divine Soul. Although your Sword Gu is already bound to your Divine Soul, the core of that binding is that half-piece of the Sword Seed."

He paused, emphasizing every word: "If he uses the Divine Intent Heavenly Saber to slash your Sword Seed during the battle—"

Han Qing's expression changed drastically.

"Your Divine Soul and the Sword Seed will shatter simultaneously," Cold Frost Master said indifferently. "At that point, no matter how many Sword Gu you have or how strong your cultivation is, you will be nothing more than a walking corpse."

Han Qing took the Jade Slip and sent his Divine Sense into it.

Inside the Jade Slip, the principles, power, and weaknesses of the Divine Intent Heavenly Saber were recorded in dense detail. One passage, marked in blood-red font, was particularly striking:

"The Divine Intent Heavenly Saber uses the Divine Soul as the blade and True Intent as the edge to slash into the opponent's Sea of Consciousness, severing the Divine Soul and extinguishing their life force. Its greatest weakness lies in the need to lock onto the opponent's Divine Soul Origin. If the opponent's Divine Soul is deeply bound to an external object, the moment the Divine Intent Heavenly Saber severs that bond, it will cause a violent Backlash against the user."

A sharp light flashed in Han Qing's eyes.

"Backlash?"

"Correct." Cold Frost Master nodded. "If Jiang Hanzhou slashes your Sword Seed with the Divine Intent Heavenly Saber, his Divine Soul will endure a Backlash of power equal to your own the moment the symbiotic connection is severed. At that point—both of you will be severely wounded, but he does not have a Sword Gu."

Han Qing was silent for a moment, and then he smiled.

The smile was faint, yet it contained an indescribable ferocity.

"So, at the Sword Discussion Assembly, I don't need to defeat him," he said slowly. "I only need to... let him slash me."

Cold Frost Master looked at him, a hint of relief flashing in his eyes. "It is good that you understand."

Han Qing tucked the Jade Slip into his robes and turned to walk out of the cave.

After a few steps, he suddenly stopped and said without turning back:

"Elder Hanshuang, after the Sword Discussion Assembly—regardless of whether I win or lose, Heavenly Sword Peak must fulfill its promise."

Cold Frost Master's brow furrowed slightly. "What promise?"

"To exterminate Blood Shark Island," Han Qing said indifferently. "That is the Wager. If I win, Jiang Hanzhou will cripple his own cultivation and be expelled from the Sect, and Heavenly Sword Peak will fulfill its promise to send troops to Blood Shark Island. If I lose—Heavenly Sword Peak must fulfill the promise even more, because as long as Jiang Hanzhou lives, Blood Shark Island must die."

Cold Frost Master was silent for a long time.

Then, he slowly nodded. "Fine."

Han Qing said no more and strode out of Cold Abyss Cave, disappearing into the morning light.

Cold Frost Master stood at the cave entrance, watching the receding figure for a long time.

Then, he spoke slowly, his voice so low only he could hear it:

"Han Qing, do not blame me."

"The glory of Heavenly Sword Peak is more important than your life."

He turned and walked back into the depths of Cold Abyss Cave.

Inside the cave, the sealed fragment of the Sword Seed flickered slightly in the darkness.

Red Fire Peak, Lihuo Hall.

Master Xue Mu stood in the hall with his hands behind his back, his gaze fixed on the massive map of the East Sea region on the wall.

The map was marked with dense red dots; every red dot represented a scout from Blood Shark Island.

"Master."

Jiang Hanzhou walked in from outside the hall and knelt on one knee.

"Rise." Master Xue Mu turned around, his gaze lingering on Jiang Hanzhou for a moment, a flash of relief in his eyes. "The Early Stage of the Dragon Fetus Realm, a stable Foundation, and the perfect Fusion of four types of True Intent—not bad."

He paused and said seriously, "But there has been a change on Han Qing's side."

Jiang Hanzhou looked up at him.

Master Xue Mu took a Jade Slip from his sleeve and tossed it to Jiang Hanzhou. "This is intelligence intercepted by Tianji Peak. Han Qing has consumed blood gu pills, and he took—three of them."

Jiang Hanzhou took the Jade Slip and sent his Divine Sense into it.

A moment later, his brow furrowed sharply.

"Three blood gu pills... Late Stage of the Dragon Fetus Realm..."

"More than that," Master Xue Mu said in a heavy voice. "He has completely bound his own Divine Soul to that half-piece of the Sword Seed and refined at least three hundred Intent-Devouring Gu into his body. Right now, rather than a Cultivator, he is more like a vessel for the Sword Gu."

Jiang Hanzhou's pupils constricted slightly.

"Although his cultivation is only at the Late Stage of the Dragon Fetus Realm, the power of his Sword Gu is enough to directly contend with a Cultivator at the Peak of the Dragon Fetus Realm," Master Xue Mu continued. "Furthermore, his Sword Gu specifically devours martial Dao True Intent—your four types of True Intent will be the best nourishment in front of him."

Jiang Hanzhou was silent for a moment before slowly asking, "Master, does the Sword Gu have a weakness?"

Master Xue Mu looked at him, a hint of admiration flashing in his eyes.

"It does." He took another Jade Slip from his sleeve and handed it to Jiang Hanzhou. "The core of the Sword Gu is not the insects, but the Sword Seed. Han Qing's Sword Gu is an evil thing cultivated with the half-piece of the Sword Seed as its Foundation, the Intent-Devouring Gu as its flesh, and his own essence blood as nourishment."

He paused, emphasizing every word: "The strength of the Sword Gu lies in the symbiotic connection between the Divine Soul and the Sword Seed. But its weakness also lies there."

A sharp light flashed in Jiang Hanzhou's eyes. "Symbiotic connection?"

"Correct." Master Xue Mu nodded. "Han Qing's Divine Soul is deeply bound to the Sword Seed; if the Sword Seed exists, he exists; if the Sword Seed perishes, he perishes. But the binding is bidirectional—if someone can use a Divine Soul attack to sever this connection, the Sword Gu will instantly lose control and Backlash against Han Qing's Divine Soul."

He looked at Jiang Hanzhou, his gaze like a torch. "Your Divine Intent Heavenly Saber is the key to severing this connection."

Jiang Hanzhou remained silent for a long time.

Then, he spoke, his voice calm: "Master, although my Divine Intent Heavenly Saber can slash the Divine Soul, Han Qing's Sword Gu has three hundred Intent-Devouring Gu guarding his Sea of Consciousness. If I use the Divine Intent Heavenly Saber to slash his Sword Seed, those Intent-Devouring Gu will simultaneously Backlash against my Divine Soul."

"Correct." Master Xue Mu nodded. "That is the greatest difficulty. The moment the Divine Intent Heavenly Saber slashes into Han Qing's Sea of Consciousness, you will face the simultaneous attack of three hundred Intent-Devouring Gu. Although your Divine Soul has condensed a Divine Soul Armor, the impact of three hundred Intent-Devouring Gu is enough to tear your Sea of Consciousness to pieces."

He paused, looking directly at Jiang Hanzhou. "Therefore, you cannot slash directly at his Sword Seed. What you must slash is not the Sword Seed itself, but the connection between the Sword Seed and Han Qing's Divine Soul."