The finishing touch

This scene!

It moved Gu Chenxian.

Even Zhong Qing felt a sense of shock deep down.

Though he had been in the True Domain for a short time, he knew the meaning of a sword to a sword cultivator.

It was not just a weapon; it was something they regarded as their life.

It could be said that the True Domain sword cultivators' love for swords was already etched into their bones.

Sword Spiriter had previously carried the Reverse Scale and was subjected to forceful snatching, but even if she would rather die, she was unwilling to hand it over.

This was certainly because the Reverse Scale was a precious treasure of the sect, but it also represented a certain sentiment of hers.

However, at this moment, the sect's most treasured Reverse Scale, which that girl had protected with her life, was now thrown out by her without hesitation.

Previously, Lingjian Sect and Gengjin Sword Sect seemed ready to fight to the death over the Sword Dao inheritance.

But at this moment, they all cast aside their prejudices and unhesitatingly sacrificed their precious swords, which they had refined for many years, just so that Heavenly Question could advance.

It had been many years since Zhong Qing had felt the taste of being shocked.

But at this moment, it undoubtedly caused a great impact on his heart.

In his impression, people were self-serving.

And selfish.

Yet now, countless people gave up their enormous self-interest, just to fulfill others.

This, undoubtedly, refreshed some of Zhong Qing's worldview.

It also indirectly proved the powerful personal charisma of his precious Disciple.

Gu Chenxian's gaze swept over everyone, and after a long while, he cupped his fists towards them, solemnly saying, “Thank you!”

“Why is Sword Immortal Lord so polite to us!”

“If thanks are to be given, it should be the hundreds of millions of living beings in my True Domain who thank Lord!”

Peak Lord Shi Ying, the peak master of Lingjian Sect, laughed heartily.

At this time, his hands were empty.

The Juque, which had accompanied him for tens of thousands of years, had also been sacrificed by him.

Normally, he would treasure this sword immensely; even a slight scratch would make him heartache for a long time.

If it were damaged, it would make him heartache to death.

But at this moment!

He only felt that it was worth it!

As soon as these words came out, they immediately drew widespread agreement from everyone.

“That’s right! Sword Immortal Lord, please do not say this, otherwise, it will truly shame us.”

“Anyone in the world can accept a thank you from Sword Immortal Lord, but only the living beings of my True Domain cannot bear it!”

Every word and every sentence came from the heart, from the lungs, powerful and resonant.

Under everyone's concerted efforts!

A unique pressure belonging to an Emperor Weapon emerged from Heavenly Question.

It was undergoing a drastic transformation.

At this moment, everyone's attention was completely drawn to Heavenly Question!

...

“Can it succeed?”

This was the question everyone was concerned about at the moment.

“Buzz...”

Tianwen Sword continued to hum, and an Emperor-level majesty slowly began to emerge from it.

The sword light was vast, as if it wanted to illuminate the heavens and the earth.

It was also as if a terrifying fierce creature was about to be born from chaos.

It was on the verge of a complete upgrade, becoming a complete Emperor Weapon.

However, as time passed, and as all the essence of sword intent was absorbed, it was still just a little bit short of a complete upgrade.

The difficulty of a divine weapon advancing from Saint-level to Emperor-level surpassed everyone's imagination.

Even though Tianwen Sword had absorbed tens of thousands of years of sword dao essence from the Sword Tomb, and even though everyone present had sacrificed their own divine weapons of protection.

It was still just that little bit short!

This bit seemed very, very close, so close that it seemed only one step away from a complete breakthrough.

But it also felt very, very far.

Because there were no more divine swords capable of generating sword intent for it to absorb among the people present.

“Who else has a divine weapon?”

Some people's eyes turned red!

If they failed to strike while the iron was hot and temper enough sword intent essence in one go to allow Tianwen Sword to complete its upgrade, then everything they had done before would be in vain.

At this moment, they were even more nervous than the parties involved.

They yearned even more for Heavenly Question to succeed in its advancement.

“In the end, it's still not enough!”

Gu Chenxian looked at the long sword in his hand, his brows slightly furrowed, and his heart couldn't help but feel lost.

He had Saint-level items, and quite a few of them.

But what Tianwen Sword could absorb and grow from could only be divine weapons capable of nurturing sword intent.

That kind of situation, where success was just one step away, but that one step was precisely the key to determining success or failure, was undoubtedly the most disheartening.

For a time, an endless sense of sorrow and disappointment permeated the scene.

Countless people's eyes turned red!

Just one step, one step!

But why was this one step so difficult?

Zhong Qing took a slow sip of wine.

He had originally thought that the divine weapons sacrificed by these people would be enough.

But he didn't expect that at the critical moment, it was still a little short.

He could see the importance of this divine weapon to his future precious Disciple.

As someone who was to be his master, he naturally helped as much as he could.

Thinking of this!

Zhong Qing chose not to steal his Disciple's thunder, but instead chose a Saint-grade longsword, gently tapping it, and the longsword silently flew through the air.

With Zhong Qing's assistance, Heavenly Question, which was only a step away from fully advancing to an Emperor-grade divine weapon, unleashed a brilliant sword light ten times brighter than before.

“Buzz...”

As a sword hum sounded, like a heavenly melody, it pierced through heaven and earth, resounding throughout the entire True Domain.

A supreme aura, filled with grandeur and vastness, carrying endless power, completely bloomed from Heavenly Question.

At this moment!

Heavenly Question had completely completed its advancement.

From a Saint-grade divine weapon, it had completely transformed into an Emperor-grade divine weapon.

That sword hum seemed to declare to heaven and earth the appearance of an Emperor Weapon!

“It... it's done!”

This scene naturally fell into everyone's eyes.

Countless people felt the vast Emperor's might, and each one was overjoyed and exhilarated.

A wave of cheers, like a mountain roar and a tsunami, erupted at the scene.

It was so difficult!

It was so awe-inspiring!

They had not only witnessed the birth of an Emperor-grade divine weapon but had also personally participated in it.

This sense of accomplishment made them feel honored.

It also made them curious as to who had provided the final push.

Countless people looked at each other.

Zhong Qing just quietly drank his wine, neither claiming credit nor speaking, as quiet as an outsider.

However, while others might not know who had helped Heavenly Question complete its final step of advancement, Gu Chenxian, as the master of Tianwen Sword, saw that it was Zhong Qing's doing.

This filled him with surprise.

“It was him?”

How could Gu Chenxian forget Zhong Qing?

After all, this was the only person Gu Chenxian had encountered in the lower realm whose appearance and temperament could rival his own.

He had even declared that he would take him as his Disciple.

Every detail of their meeting still surfaced in his mind, leaving a deep impression on him.

What Gu Chenxian didn't expect was that the final spark that helped his Tianwen Sword advance was provided by such a person.

Moreover, with his strength, he could sense that Zhong Qing's crucial push was extraordinary.

It was far beyond the flying swords sacrificed by the others earlier.

In other words, the sword Chu Fan sacrificed might not have been comparable to Heavenly Question originally, but its quality was not inferior to Heavenly Question, which was currently breaking through.

He nodded to Zhong Qing from afar.

Now that the Heavenly Question divine weapon had initially advanced, he needed to quickly find a place to go into seclusion and strive to complete the initial fusion and refinement of Tianwen Sword as quickly as possible.

Just as he was thinking this.

Lord Yu Wanfeng, the Sect Master of Saint Sword Sect, stepped forward and respectfully said, “Sword Immortal Lord, now that Tianwen Sword has just advanced to an Emperor-grade divine weapon, it needs a quiet environment to refine it. If Lord does not mind, may you move to Saint Sword Sect, so that my Saint Sword Sect may have the opportunity to serve Lord.”

Gu Chenxian did not feign modesty and refuse.

Instead, he nodded to him in acknowledgment and said, “In that case, I am much obliged!”

...

A grand and spectacular struggle for the Sword Tomb inheritance thus ended with Gu Chenxian's appearance and his retrieval of the companion sword he had buried twenty thousand years ago.

This time, none of the people who came to contend for the inheritance gained anything.

After all, all the sword intent essence in the Sword Tomb had voluntarily been offered to Heavenly Question, and with the loss of the sword intent essence, the so-called divine weapons naturally turned into a pile of scrap metal, and the so-called inheritance naturally disappeared with it.

Not only did they not obtain the inheritance, but they also lost the divine weapons they had painstakingly refined day and night.

For a sword cultivator, losing their destined divine weapon would reduce their combat strength by at least thirty percent.

This wave, for those who came to compete for the Sword Tomb inheritance, outwardly seemed like a total loss.

However, not a single person had the slightest complaint.

Because an Emperor Weapon had been born in the True Domain.

This held extraordinary significance for the True Domain.

It was foreseeable that with an Emperor Weapon, the True Domain's future luck would undoubtedly greatly increase, and the entire True Domain's future achievements in the way of the sword would also rise accordingly.

As the Sword Tomb incident concluded, everyone slowly began to leave one after another.

In the mountains!

Sword Spiriter looked at Zhong Qing and said, “Benefactor, it was Ling'er's fault for making you come all this way for nothing this time.”

“My Lingjian Sect has a small branch in Wanjian City.”

“If Benefactor doesn't mind, would you consider staying there for a few days? It would allow Ling'er to fulfill her duties as a host and express her apologies.”

Zhong Qing took a sip of wine: “Miss Ling'er is joking.”

“I came here this time simply to broaden my horizons and gain some experience.”

“There's no need to apologize!”

As soon as these words came out, Sword Spiriter's eyes curved into crescent moons.

Having spent a few days with Zhong Qing, she knew that his words meant he held no ill will towards her whatsoever.

“Then, Benefactor, would you be willing to give Ling'er a chance to thank you for saving her life?”

Zhong Qing thought that his precious Disciple would probably still need to refine the divine weapon, and would not have time for three to five days.

And he himself had nowhere to go.

He nodded to Sword Spiriter at once.

Just like that, Zhong Qing temporarily stayed at the Lingjian Sect's branch.