Chapter 302: Green Hats All Around!
"Qin Cheng, wait for me!" Sun Yuanhai hastened his steps, catching up with the tall, slender man ahead.
They stood together on a cliff. Behind them lay a deep valley and a cave. Around this cave, there were twenty or so Sword Cultivators scattered about, guarding Ling Chen as he searched for the core of the Heavenly Land.
The two handsome middle-aged men stood side by side. Longtime friends with little clout in their families, they had no secrets between them.
"Why did Exile Ling have us come out? Is he about to use some secret technique to explore the cave?" Sun Yuanhai chuckled. He was a cheerful soul, a family man, and in the Sword Ruins, known as a great guy. His children, raised by his gentle hands, were proof of his care.
"Maybe." Qin Cheng pursed his lips, his tone neutral.
"What's wrong? Something on your mind?" Sun Yuanhai clapped his shoulder. "Let me guess... it's about the Immortal Sword Rankings, right? Don't worry, Brother! Trust in Exile Ling. Once he gets the Heavenly Land, he'll turn defeat into victory."
"You're that optimistic, huh?" Qin Cheng glanced back, shaking his head. "From what I've seen, his quest for the core of the Heavenly Land doesn't seem to be going that smoothly."
"Good things take time." Sun Yuanhai gritted his teeth. "We're both sons-in-law with no say. We just follow their lead. If they've made a choice, we brothers have no say... True, Exile Yun might be stronger, but his brutal and unprincipled nature is also a fact. Exile Ling, at least, is gentle as jade and acts judiciously! He's always polite to us, unlike Exile Yun, who doesn't even spare us a glance."
"Let's hope so." For some reason, a shadow lingered in Qin Cheng's heart.
The vast Demon Continent was like a real hell, oppressively bleak.
"Taking the Heavenly Mirror means openly betraying the Sword Ruins. For the sake of Exile Ling, I wonder if it's worth it," Qin Cheng sighed.
"Shush! Don't let others hear such rebellious talk!" Sun Yuanhai said nervously.
"I know, Yuanhai." Qin Cheng hooked his arm over Sun Yuanhai's, a hint of warmth and affection in his eyes. "I'm lucky to have you in this life."
"Don't talk nonsense. Qinglian might be a nightmare, scolding and beating you, but at least she bore you children, right? For men of our standing, marrying up is already a blessing. Be content with what we have!" Sun Yuanhai comforted.
"Right" Qin Cheng's expression turned bitter as he looked at his friend. He said no more, turning his gaze into the dark landscape ahead. Suddenly, his eyes locked onto a speck of light.
"What's that?" Qin Cheng pointed at the light.
"Don't know. Let's check it out," Sun Yuanhai noticed it too.
The light was unmistakable! They floated over without using their Sovereign Swords.
"A wooden sword?"
At first, they didn't care much, but when they landed and saw the sword, they were dumbstruck.
"The Calamity Seal Sword?!"
Their eyes bulged, and they gasped in disbelief.
"Impossible! Absolutely impossible! I must be seeing things!" Sun Yuanhai shook his head.
Finding this was like stumbling upon billions of Immortal Jades in the wilderness; how could it be possible? But Qin Cheng, utterly shocked, didn't think twice. He knelt, grasped the sword's handle, and yanked!
BOOM! The sword moved slightly before crashing back down.
"So heavy!" Qin Cheng's face trembled.
"Let me try!" Sun Yuanhai grabbed the Calamity Seal Sword and jerked it up! He managed to lift it, but staggered, nearly dropping it.
Clearly, this was a top-tier magic treasure, too powerful for them to control. And then, the sword's runic inscriptions shifted, resisting their hold with the power of desolation.
"Qin Cheng!"
"Yuanhai!"
Their eyes met, both nearly losing their minds.
"By the gods, it's the Calamity Seal Sword!"
They exclaimed in unison.
"Heavens! How is the treasure of the Calamity Seal Purgatory here? Could there be a second Calamity Seal Sword in this world?"
"Or maybe an Inscription Cultivator came here and lost it? But that's... impossible..." Qin Cheng's heart raced.
"Qin Cheng..." Sun Yuanhai's voice trembled, "We found it. Can we... keep it for ourselves?"
"Impossible! Don't even think about it! This is too strange. We can't handle the fallout!" Qin Cheng said sternly.
"So..."
"We need to take it to Exile Ling quickly, let them handle it! Getting credit for this find is enough!" Qin Cheng said sensibly.
Sun Yuanhai struggled, as if parting with a piece of his own flesh, then nodded firmly.
"Let's go!"
The two, one in front and one behind, lifted the heavy Calamity Seal Sword.
"This treasure's too heavy to fit in a Bag of Holding!"
Their hearts raced as they strained forward, rushing towards the cave.
"Qin Cheng, we've done a great deed," Sun Yuanhai said excitedly.
"Indeed, a gift from heaven..."
Though Qin Cheng didn't show it, his heart was overjoyed. He thought that after this feat, maybe his wife would treat him a bit better? At least give him some face in front of others. Their joy was written all over their faces at this moment, one of the happiest in their lives.
"Qin Cheng? Sun Yuanhai? What is that?" several Sword Cultivators, attracted by the commotion, asked in surprise.
"Take it to Exile Ling for assessment!" Sun Yuanhai said with a smile.
"It looks like the Calamity Seal Sword?"
"What?"
Hearing the words Calamity Seal Sword, the Sword Cultivators standing guard were all stirred.
All twenty or so of them rushed over, staring dumbfounded at the sword.
"It's the Calamity Seal Sword!"
"Quick! Get it into the cave!"
With this extraordinary find, everyone was in a frenzy.
Qin Cheng and Sun Yuanhai felt their worth in the eyes of their peers. They were already anticipating the admiring gazes of the women they loved... a rarity for them.
"Qinglian!"
"Xuxu!"
Nearly thirty people rushed like a gust of wind into the cave.
Everyone was so excited, not even noticing their own shouts.
"Exile Ling, the Calamity Seal Sword!"
These words, like thunder on a clear day, echoed deep into the cave.
Every face was alight with joyous surprise! Especially Sun Yuanhai, his eyes were almost crescent moons from smiling.
WHOOSH! Over twenty people shouted excitedly as they looked inside.
Deep in the cave, three figures that had been clinging together suddenly separated!
All they saw was bare, white skin.
"Uh..."
The smiles on the faces of the twenty-odd Fate Ocean Realm Sword Cultivators suddenly froze.
Qin Cheng and Sun Yuanhai halted in their tracks! The Calamity Seal Sword crashed to the ground with a thud After that, a deathly silence engulfed the cave.
Qin Cheng and Sun Yuanhai's eyes were wider than when they found the Calamity Seal Sword, but now their pupils were fractured, even oozing blood. From ecstasy to agony, from heaven to hell, it happened in an instant. The shock from the three naked figures was like swords piercing their hearts.
"Get out!" Ling Chen, unfazed, was wrapped in his dark violet robe. Interrupted at a crucial moment, he was understandably upset.
"Alright..." Qin Cheng and Sun Yuanhai, as if caught in a whirlpool, cast a dim look at Ku Qinglian and Feng Xuxu. These two women, their faces tinged red and cold, dressed neatly, almost simultaneously shouted, "Out!"
The two men felt as if a thousand swords had pierced their hearts! They turned around, as if in a trance, and ran outside like madmen. The others stood frozen in place.
"What's this?" Ling Chen took a few steps forward, his eyes locking onto the wooden sword in surprise.
"The Calamity Seal Sword from the Calamity Seal Purgatory, found by those two..." the remaining Sword Cultivators said.
"The Calamity Seal Sword?" Ling Chen and the two women were utterly astonished.
"Get out, and make sure those two are alright," Ling Chen instructed Ku Qinglian and Feng Xuxu.
With his insight, he could see the Calamity Seal Sword was useful for his current level of cultivation!
"Yes!" Feng Xuxu and Ku Qinglian took one more shocked look at the Calamity Seal Sword, their eyes filled with a strange light, and then they headed outside!
The two graceful figures chased out of the cave, their higher cultivation naturally locking onto their respective men.
"Stop!" Ku Qinglian shouted coldly.
Qin Cheng and Sun Yuanhai shuddered, turning around in a daze.
The four stood facing each other in the wind. Eyes met eyes!
Ku Qinglian grabbed Qin Cheng's lapel, speaking earnestly, "You should know what Exile Ling means to us. When he commands, we have no room to resist."
"I understand..." Qin Cheng's gaze dimmed, with him deflating like a punctured ball.
"Don't be so deadbeat, as if I've done something wrong!" Ku Qinglian clenched his lapel. "I'm doing this for our family, for you! If I hadn't agreed, would he have spared you? Qin Cheng, please be sensible, be realistic! In this world of survival of the fittest, with a heavenly path at my feet, how could I ruin my family's millennia of fortune for one person's dignity?"
"Yes, you're so noble. I'm unworthy." Qin Cheng's head drooped; his eyes bloodshot, tears fell freely.
BAM! Ku Qinglian slapped his face, angry, "Talking like that, you still don't understand my sacrifice for this family! All these years hiding behind me, indulging in pleasures, what have you contributed?"
"What have I contributed?" Qin Cheng thought of a lifetime of endurance and compromise, his heart breaking. "I'm worthless, sorry... I just hope you'll shut the others up don't let our children know about this." He fell to his knees, his soul seemingly lost.
"Y-you Get lost!" Ku Qinglian kicked his face and walked away.
"What about you?" Feng Xuxu looked indifferently at Sun Yuanhai.
"Sorry for disturbing you, go on with your next half..." Sun Yuanhai bowed deeply.
"You useless thing! Exile Ling is a million times better than you! One time with him beats a thousand with you!" Feng Xuxu glared at him and turned to leave.
Having made sure their men were alright, Ku Qinglian and Feng Xuxu hurried back to see the Calamity Seal Sword. They had evidently forgotten who had brought the Calamity Seal Sword in the first place.
THUD! Sun Yuanhai collapsed to the ground too. They looked towards the cave, eyes filled with blood.
"Yuanhai... Even Exiled Sword Immortals can die, right?" Qin Cheng suddenly said.
"Brother, please, don't talk nonsense," Sun Yuanhai said, trembling.
"..." Qin Cheng glanced at him with dim eyes. Then he suddenly started laughing, blood from his eyes trickling down his cheeks.
From the cave, they could faintly hear the sounds of revelry... Everyone was cheering for Ling Chen, including two shameless women. Yet the two heroes of the hour were now like clowns. Despite the vastness of the world, there was nowhere they could hold their heads high.
"Sigh..." Sun Yuanhai bit his lip until it bled. "For the sake of the Exiled Sword Immortal, they've all gone mad... Why aren't we two worthless ones mad as well?"
Their silence contrasted starkly with the frenzy inside the cave. Just then, they shivered.
"Someone's coming!" They felt a chill, quickly hiding.
Peering through a crack, they saw hundreds of people heading towards the cave. All of them were at the Fate Ocean Realm!
"It's the Inscription Cultivators!" Sun Yuanhai whispered, trembling.
"And devils... Clearly, they've teamed up," Qin Cheng's voice also shook.
"We must warn Exile Ling..."
Just as Sun Yuanhai was about to panic, Qin Cheng suddenly grabbed him, hissing through clenched teeth, "Warn, my foot!"
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