Chapter 243 - In This Life, The Heavens are Aiding Me!
Next up, Yun Xiao gave a brief rundown to the guests from the Eternal Sword Prison about the state of affairs in the Divine and Demon Continents. This, of course, included the recent great war between the two continents and the meddling of the devils in it.
Yun Xiao didn't spill all the beans, though. Instead, he painted a picture in his favor, depicting the demons and devils as vile and brutal creatures. He portrayed Gu Baiyi and the Sword Cultivators from the Eternal Sword Prison standing before him as saviors of the world.
"The Endless Netherworld and the Eternal Sword Prison both have their eyes on the Demon Continent. But I'm nowhere near strong enough to stand against them..." Yun Xiao mused. "The only chance I have is to fuel their hatred for each other, let them fight tooth and nail, and then seize my moment. That way, the humans of the Divine Continent can stay out of the fray."
Yun Xiao was crystal clear about this. If the foreign Sword Cultivators and devils teamed up, both humans and demons would be at a severe disadvantage.
A legend from the heavens had indeed put both continents in peril. But the irony was, whether it was the opening of the Endless Netherworld portal or the gateway to the Eternal Sword Prison, both stemmed from the Great Merciful Tribulation triggered by him. So, was he a wild card or a savior?
Yun Xiao didn't have the luxury to ponder such fateful questions. He knew one thing for sure—he had to take responsibility.
"In the end, what I'm really short on is time!" Yun Xiao gritted his teeth. No sooner had he thwarted a dire threat than the foreign Sword Cultivators and devils showed up! The pace was so relentless that Yun Xiao barely had a moment to catch his breath.
"Yun Xiao, you led the human army and slaughtered over 10 million demons yourself? No wonder you could build 1,000 layers of Sword Aura even in the folds of the Nine Hells." The white-browed sword cultivator listened to Yun Xiao's summary and gained even more respect for the young man. "Now I see why Gu Baiyi made an exception to take in a male disciple. With your talent in swordsmanship, you'd shine even in the Sword Ruins."
"Beyond your innate talent, it's downright astonishing how a young boy like you had the bravery to lead your people against the demons." The other elder Sword Cultivators showered Yun Xiao with praise, showing no disdain for him despite his being a native of these parts.
During their chat, Yun Xiao got the scoop on their identities. The white-browed old man turned out to be the leader of the group, a top-notch Sword Cultivator from the Eternal Sword Prison, respectfully called Old Bai by the others.
The rest of the elders seemed to be from the Sword Ruins of the Eternal Sword Prison, known as Sword Judges—a formal title in the prison, symbolizing a great master of the Sword Dao.
Gu Baiyi was also a Sword Judge. But as for his self-proclaimed title of Sword God, that seemed to be more puffery than fact.
Apart from Old Bai and the other Sword Judges, there were a few younger Sword Cultivators tagging along, eyeing Yun Xiao curiously.
After a bit of mingling and small talk with Yun Xiao, everyone remained cordial, without delving too deep into each other's business. For Old Bai and company, the real meat and potatoes were to verify the existence of the Heavenly Land.
After trekking across the Demon Continent for a while, they confirmed it: the core of this enormous continent was formed out of a violet crystal as far as the eye could see.
"If a crystal vein this big isn't the Heavenly Land, what else could it be?" Old Bai mused, gazing at the unbreakable purple crystal underfoot, his eyes sparkling with intrigue.
"Grandpa, the real pickle is how do we get our hands on this Heavenly Land? It's too massive to lug back to the Eternal Sword Prison, right?" The question came from a young man in white, different from Yun Xiao's attire.
Yun Xiao's garb, crafted by Zhao Xuanran, was modest and simple. But this young man's white robe, embroidered with floral patterns and clouds and woven with magic fabric, served both as elegant clothing and armor.
He was Bai Wuque, a famed prodigy of the Eternal Sword Prison, with sword energy in his eyes as deep as the ocean, an unmatched handsome figure with the looks of a beautiful youth. In terms of swordsmanship and the path of cultivation, he was evidently a notch above Qian Die. His sharpness could even overshadow Yun Xiao!
"As for the Heavenly Land, our knowledge is limited to legends. Our ancestors recorded that it might possess a core. If one could control that core, maybe, just maybe, they could control the Heavenly Land," Old Bai said gravely.
"Where is this core?" Bai Wuque asked.
"That, we don't know. We don't even know how it exists," Old Bai admitted, looking over the vast violet landscape. "Figuring this out and seizing the initiative is our task."
After their arrival, they learned that the Heavenly Land had also opened a portal to the Endless Netherworld. So, Old Bai sent back new intelligence to the Eternal Sword Prison. This was something Yun Xiao couldn't stop.
"Old Bai, esteemed Sword Ancestors, I have a way to obtain this Heavenly Land." Suddenly, a nondescript young man in a grey robe stepped forward!
Yun Xiao had already noticed him. Among the younger group, he was the least conspicuous, with unkempt hair and stained clothes, a far cry from the likes of Bai Wuque and the other refined young men and women, both in temperament and background. Yet, his clear eyes and handsome features were approachable.
As the gray-robed youth spoke up, Bai Wuque seemed displeased, his voice chilly, "Sword Slave, do not speak nonsense." Though not loud, his voice carried a warning.
The elders, too, paid no heed to the gray-robed youth, indicating their disregard for him.
"Please forgive him, everyone. My Sword Slave here was hit in the head by a falling broken sword the other day, and ever since, he's been a bit off, often speaking incoherently," Bai Wuque explained.
"After the Sword Baptism Ceremony, we'll replace him," Old Bai said.
"Right!" Bai Wuque nodded.
From their conversation, it was clear they were headed to the Sword Ruins for the Sword Baptism Ceremony. Being close to the entrance, they were summoned first, which explained why they brought along a lowly sword slave.
After finishing their discussion, the grandfather-grandson duo continued to probe the mysteries of the Demon Continent while awaiting further instructions from the Eternal Sword Prison.
"Old Bai's cultivation level must have surpassed the Dao Heart Realm!" Yun Xiao mused to himself. Such a fearsome Sword Cultivator, a terror in both the Divine and Demon Continents, was like a sword hanging over his heart. Uncomfortably close!
"That sword slave named Ling Chen seems to have something special about him," Blue Star suddenly remarked softly.
"Oh?" Yun Xiao perked up and discreetly glanced over. He saw the gray-robed youth standing at the edge, head bowed, fists clenching and unclenching as if he were weathering an inner storm.
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"Hisss!" Ling Chen felt like he'd been struggling in a dark vortex for a million years. He was attached to an ancient, nine-colored sword! This sword had nine segments, each adorned with an age-old figure of an Immortal and Devil, and carved with an eternal dao law.
Each dao law pulsated with the power of space, almost like real worlds!
These were a million years of loneliness, isolation, and hardship!
"Zi Xuan! I treated you like a brother, yet you attacked me when I was weak from transcending tribulations, stealing my Immortal Sword Bone and robbing me of my Divine Cosmic Sword!"
Countless times he came close to soul disintegration, but the hatred in his heart and the nine-colored sword kept him clinging on. For a million years, the hatred in his heart grew more and more monumental, like nine infernal volcanoes converging upon that nine-colored sword!
This sword, breaking through countless realms, fell from the highest heavens, descending into the dust of the mundane world. Finally, a light appeared ahead!
BUZZ! The gray-robed youth, facing this light, jolted, his eyes suddenly regaining clarity.
"Who am I?" Two different sets of memories collided in his mind. "I am the lord of the Divine Sky Sword Court, the once-celebrated Divine Sky Sword Emperor! One immortal, one sword, I vanquished all across the vast universe. Yet, I was betrayed by my sworn brother, stripped of my Immortal Sword Bone, and robbed of my Sword Soul!
"I am a mortal Sword Cultivator, born a Sword Dao prodigy, sparking anomalies at birth. Envied by many, I was stripped of my sword bone, robbed of my Sword Soul, reduced to a wasted life, a mere Sword Slave..."
As these memories merged, Ling Chen realized he had been reborn!
"This body, too, is named Ling Chen!" He stood in the corner, his heart turbulent with emotions. A million years of relentless perseverance had led to this day. Even as the former Divine Sky Sword Emperor, the long-lost sensation of being alive still stirred him wildly.
"Hmm?" Ling Chen extended his hand, and suddenly, a nine-colored Sword Soul appeared! This Sword Soul, with its nine segments, each resembled a miniature world, brimming with spatial power, standing like statues of Immortals and devils.
"The Divine Cosmic Sword! It has reincarnated with me, becoming my Sword Soul..." Ling Chen's eyes went wide. This was the sword of ultimate spatial power from the ancient era! In his past life, he had spent tens of thousands of years without unraveling its mysteries, only to be betrayed because of it, dying with a heart full of resentment.
"With this sword, I'll once again ascend the heavens with the Sword Dao, surpassing my past life."
Clutching the nine-colored Sword Soul, Ling Chen's eyes blazed with the resolve of the former Divine Sky Sword Emperor.
"In this life, I'll settle scores swiftly. Those who deserve death will meet their end! In this life, if I meet my beloved again, I'll have no regrets! The day I return to the highest heavens, Zi Xuan, you'll pay a price a thousandfold!"
A divine radiance surged in Ling Chen's eyes, the nine-colored Sword Soul resonating with him. But soon, a bitter smile crossed his face: "This new body of mine is quite frail. Seems like the journey back to the heavens starts from scratch."
He closed his eyes. When he opened them again, his brows furrowed, and he muttered coldly, "Qin Tian, you exploited your status in the Sword Ruins to steal my sword bone for your son! Qin Luo, you took my swordsmanship talent and now shine as a top talent of the Sword Ruins! I will make you pay for this blood debt!"
He was the Divine Sky Sword Emperor, and also the mortal Ling Chen! The grievances of his past life were buried deep in his heart, but the hatred of this life would be avenged first!
"Bai Wuque, think you can bully a sword slave? I remember now; you're Qin Luo's friend." They knew his true identity but spared his life only to humiliate and oppress him repeatedly. If not for the contributions of his parents to the Sword Ruins, his fate would have been even worse! It was because his parents vanished that Qin Tian dared covet his sword bone...
"Now, without enough strength, I must cultivate quietly! With the Divine Cosmic Sword as my Sword Soul, the Sword Baptism Ceremony is my chance. If I can make the sword resonate nine times, I can become the Sword Prince of the Ruins, take a master, protect the Dao..." Ling Chen's gaze was deep, his goal firm.
"Wait." Suddenly, Ling Chen looked down at the violet crystal of the land, his eyes lighting up. "The Divine Cosmic Sword seems to react to this land? Such a miraculous thing in this mundane world?
"If I can absorb this Heavenly Land, the Divine Cosmic Sword will surely grow stronger." He smiled. A million years later, fortune finally smiled upon him. "In this life, the heavens are aiding me!"
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