40: God-Slaying Sword Soul
Ye Chen stepped toward the altar like a moth to a flame, resolute and tragic.
He abandoned all defense, pouring all his mind, will, and even his life Origin into the qingfeng sword in his hand, as well as the mysterious resonance with the dark-gold broken sword at the center of the altar!
"Buzz—!"
The qingfeng sword erupted with an unprecedented brilliant light. The dark-gold patterns on the blade seemed to catch fire, and an ancient Sword Intent—a mixture of sadness, anger, unyieldingness, and endless desolation—erupted! It was no longer a transmission of fragments, but a relatively complete torrent of consciousness that forcibly surged into Ye Chen's Sea of Consciousness!
"My name is... 'Zhutian'... I slay gods and slaughter demons to protect this world... Yet I was plotted against by a traitor, my sword broken and my Soul wounded... Sealed in this place, using my remnant body to suppress the demon..."
"You... carry my fragments... have a Luminous Sword Heart... you are qualified... to inherit my will..."
"But the demon Soul is about to awaken, and the traitor's descendant is here... I must borrow your body to channel my remnant power and purge the evil!"
The grand consciousness exploded in Ye Chen's Divine Soul like thunder! Countless broken images flashed: the sky cracking, gods and demons falling, a betrayal that swept through the heavens, a dark-gold ancient sword piercing the star river, only to wail and break under a sneak attack from behind... The amount of information was immense, impacting Ye Chen's Divine Soul with such intense pain that it nearly shattered! But with his Luminous Sword Heart, he was like a small boat, holding onto the last trace of clarity in his spiritual terrace amidst the turbulent waves, frantically absorbing and understanding this Legacy from ancient times!
He understood! This Immortal Cave was the battlefield where the ancient master of the 'Zhutian Sword,' a supreme being known as the 'Sword Venerable,' had perished along with his nemesis, the 'Shadow Demon Lord,' and used his own broken sword and remnant body to Seal the Demon Lord's remnant Soul! And Lin Hong's ancestor was actually one of the traitors who had betrayed the Sword Venerable, causing his ultimate failure! The dark corrosion sword fragment and the demon summoning token in Lin Hong's hands were exactly the tokens passed down from that traitorous lineage!
"So that's how it is..." A sharp light of insight erupted in Ye Chen's eyes. "Lin Hong, your Lin family's ancestor was actually a traitor who betrayed his master for glory!"
As soon as he said this, Lin Hong, who was smugly channeling his hand Seals with all his might, suddenly had a drastic change in expression, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. "You... what nonsense are you talking about?!"
The shock in his heart was beyond measure. This was the Lin family's greatest secret; how could Ye Chen know about it?!
"Whether it's nonsense or not, you know very well in your heart!" Ye Chen stopped looking at him, focusing all his mind on communicating with the silent 'Zhutian' broken sword at the center of the altar. "Zhutian Sword Venerable above, I, your Junior Ye Chen, am willing to inherit your Legacy, slay demons, and purge the traitors!"
In a moment of inspiration, he used the qingfeng sword in his hand as a guide and his Luminous Sword Heart as a bridge to completely project that unyielding will toward the center of the altar!
"Rumble—!"
The entire altar shook violently! The dark-gold broken sword stabbed in the center, like a Dragon that had been sleeping for ages, suddenly awakened! A terrifying Sword Intent, far purer and more domineering than the demon Soul, as if it could sever Karma and destroy all laws, soared into the sky!
Though the sword was broken, its prestige remained! The Sword Intent transformed into a physical dark-gold light, instantly dispersing the Devilish Qi Lin Hong had summoned with the dark corrosion sword fragment. It even suppressed the Shadow Demon Lord's remnant Soul, which had just awakened and was letting out greedy howls beneath the altar, causing it to emit a terrified shriek!
"No! Impossible! How can you activate the Zhutian broken sword?!" Lin Hong's eyes nearly split from rage, his face filled with unbelievable fear and madness. He felt his connection with the dark corrosion sword fragment and the demon Soul being forcibly severed by that vast Zhutian Sword Intent!
"With my remnant Soul fragment, I shall help you slay the evil!"
A weak but incredibly firm consciousness separated from the Zhutian broken sword, turning into a condensed dark-gold stream of light that instantly merged into the qingfeng sword in Ye Chen's hand!
"Zheng—!"
The qingfeng sword emitted a heaven-shaking sword cry as if it had been reborn! On the blade, the dark-gold patterns completely came to life, as if they had turned into miniature star rivers! The length of the sword remained unchanged, but the aura it emitted instantly transcended the scope of a spirit weapon, carrying a trace of... divine weapon majesty! Though it was only a trace, it was enough to shake heaven and earth!
At this moment, the qingfeng sword was no longer just a fragment; it had become a temporary vessel for a wisp of the zhutian sword soul fragment!
Ye Chen felt a vast and boundless power, which perfectly resonated with his sword heart, feedback from the qingfeng sword and instantly fill his entire body! His previous injuries were all healed, his consumed spiritual power was instantly replenished, and even his cultivation Bottleneck shattered under the impact of that power!
Kaiyuan Realm, Fourth Level!
But this was only the beginning! That power continued to frantically boost his cultivation, tempering his Physical Body and Divine Soul!
Fourth Level Middle Stage... Fourth Level Peak... Fifth Level!
The infusion of power only slowly subsided once it reached the Peak of the Fifth Level of the Kaiyuan Realm! Ye Chen felt that his strength had undergone an earth-shattering change! His total spiritual power and purity had increased several times over, his physical strength was comparable to a Yao Beast of the same level, and his Divine Sense range had expanded tenfold, enough to cover a thousand feet!
More importantly, his understanding of the Dao of the sword had reached a brand new height under the baptism of the zhutian sword soul fragment! That wisp of 'Nirvana' Sword Intent seemed to have found its source, becoming more solid and profound!
All of this seemed long, but it actually happened in the blink of an eye!
"No!! This is my power! The power of the Zhutian Sword! It belongs to my Lin family!" Seeing Ye Chen's aura skyrocket like a sword god descending to the world, Lin Hong let out a desperate and mad roar. He suddenly bit his tongue and spat a mouthful of essence blood onto the dark corrosion sword fragment, "Demon Lord! Help me! Devour him! Reclaim the Zhutian Sword!"
Under the stimulation of Lin Hong's essence blood, the suppressed Shadow Demon Lord's remnant Soul let out an even more violent roar, forcibly breaking free from part of the suppression. It transformed into a twisted, malicious black shadow, like a giant mouth covering the sky, and lunged to devour Ye Chen! Everywhere it passed, space itself seemed to be corroded!
Facing this terrifying demon Soul devourment, Ye Chen slowly raised the qingfeng sword in his hand.
At this moment, the qingfeng sword seemed to have a life of its own, its tip pointing directly at the demon Soul.
Ye Chen's eyes were terrifyingly calm, as if reflecting the ancient starry sky.
He didn't use any complex sword moves; he simply integrated the power he had just obtained, the will of the zhutian sword soul fragment, the insights from his Luminous Sword Heart, and that wisp of 'Nirvana' essence into this one simple strike.
Then, he slashed out.
"Zhutian—Nirvana."
An extremely condensed dark-gold thread, which seemed capable of swallowing light, sound, and even thought, extended from the sword tip. It silently sliced through space to meet the sky-blotting black shadow of the demon Soul.
There was no earth-shaking collision, no roar of energy explosion.
Before that dark-gold thread, the black shadow of the demon Soul, which contained endless evil and destruction, seemed to have met its ultimate nemesis. Like snow under a blazing sun, it couldn't even let out a scream before it began to rapidly melt, disintegrate, and annihilate from the point of contact... finally, it turned completely into nothingness!
One strike, the demon Soul was nirvanic!
The residual Zhutian Sword Intent spread out, purifying and dispersing the dense, ancient Yin-fiend Death Qi around the altar. The entire underground palace seemed to become a bit brighter and cleaner.
"Pu—!"
Lin Hong, whose mind was connected to the demon Soul, suffered a heavy blow as the demon Soul was annihilated. He spat out a large mouthful of black blood, his aura instantly withering to the extreme as he slumped to the ground. The dark corrosion sword fragment in his hand also lost all its luster, cracking into several pieces of ordinary iron with a snap.
He looked up at Ye Chen, who stood holding his sword and emitting an aura that made his Soul tremble. His eyes were filled with endless fear, regret, and despair.
Ye Chen slowly walked up to him, the tip of the qingfeng sword pointing at his brow.
“The descendant of a traitor deserves death.”
His voice was cold, devoid of any emotion.
Lin Hong opened his mouth, wanting to beg for mercy, wanting to say something, but before that absolute Sword Intent and killing intent, he couldn't even utter a single word.
A flash of sword light.
Lin Hong's pupils dilated instantly, then his spirit quickly dimmed. A small red mark seeped from his brow, and his body fell softly to the ground, no longer showing signs of life.
This Inner Court Genius, the descendant the Lin family had high hopes for, had fallen right here in this ancient sealed land.
Ye Chen didn't even look at his corpse, turning his gaze toward the center of the altar. After releasing the last sword Soul fragment and assisting Ye Chen in annihilating the demon Soul, the 'Zhutian' broken sword seemed to have exhausted its last bit of power. The light on the blade completely faded, becoming plain and unadorned, as if it were just a piece of ordinary iron.
But the merit of suppressing ten thousand demons and protecting this world was eternally etched in this place.
Ye Chen bowed solemnly toward the altar.
"Sword Venerable Senior, rest in peace. Once this matter is settled, I will surely cultivate hard and not fail the will of Zhutian."
He felt that the wisp of zhutian sword soul fragment in the qingfeng sword had not disappeared but had instead gone dormant like a seed, merging with his sword heart and waiting to sprout in the future.
This trip, though a narrow escape from death, had yielded gains far beyond his imagination!
Not only had his cultivation broken through two levels in a row, reaching the Peak of the Fifth Level of the Kaiyuan Realm, but he had also gained the recognition of the zhutian sword soul fragment, the essence of his qingfeng sword had been enhanced, he had learned of ancient secrets, and he had eliminated the major threat that was Lin Hong.
He collected his thoughts, picked up Lin Hong's Storage Pouch and the shattered dark corrosion sword, and took one last look at the silent Zhutian broken sword and the altar before turning around and striding away the way he had come.
When he stepped out of the Immortal Cave and was bathed in sunlight again, he felt as if a lifetime had passed.
He knew that killing Lin Hong would not be the end of it. The Lin family, and even the forces behind them, would certainly not let this matter rest.
The winds and clouds of the Inner Court would likely be completely stirred up because of his actions today.
But, so what?
Ye Chen gripped the qingfeng sword in his hand, his eyes firm and sharp.
His sword had already begun to show its edge. His path was destined to be filled with thorns and challenges.
But since he had inherited the Sword Venerable's will, he would naturally forge ahead with courage and slash through all obstacles in his path!