Chapter 066 - Lin Chen, the Sword Princeling
The Sea of Swords, an immortal island sitting amongst the clouds. Endless white clouds gathered to form an expansive sea, and from afar, it seemed as if myriad swords hovered above the clouds. Beneath the roiling mists, palaces and pavilions emitted radiant colors, akin to heavenly immortal courts.
To the mortals below, the Sea of Swords was the legendary heaven. Heavenly Immortals, who could fly and tunnel through the earth, possessing a heavenly eye and ears that could hear all, who slayed demons and protected the Dao... Of course, all of that was a total lie. These Immortals were too busy trying to comprehend the heavens. They hardly cared about the life and death of mortals.
To the east of the Sea of Swords stood a sword-shaped tower, as straight as a mountain peak, with aura currents surging around it, exuding an immense and upright aura that pierced the heavens.
The sword-shaped tower, known as Sword Heaven, had a long history in the Sea of Swords. Before the Forbidden Tower was established, it was the orthodox of swordsmanship for over a thousand years, with a profound foundation.
Now, outside the bustling Sword Heaven, a portly middle-aged man in a yellow robe knelt at the entrance.
Under the scorching sun, large beads of sweat dotted his face and his complexion was slightly pale, perhaps from kneeling too long. His hands and legs were also somewhat trembling. Outside Sword Heaven, where crowds ebbed and flowed, his behavior naturally drew the attention of many sanctified Sword Cultivators.
Those who could cultivate in Sword Heaven were swordsmanship geniuses selected from all over the land, with a Sword Soul of at least Mid Comet grade as the threshold to Sword Heaven!
Even a talent like Jiang Yue, who could be a Sword Venerable's disciple in Azure Spirit, was still not enough for Sword Heaven!
An Immortal island in the clouds, abundant with spiritual energy, could hardly be compared with the cave heaven and blessed land formed by the earthly veins of Azure Spirit, could it?
So, all cultivators in the Sea of Swords were accustomed to practicing above the clouds, like standing at the pinnacle of all living beings, accustomed to standing high and looking down upon others.
Then, a young man stepped out of Sword Heaven’s entrance! The youth stood upright, eyes as dark as stars, garbed in a dust-free white robe, his aura captivating! What caught the eye was the five-foot sword scabbard he carried on his back, cast from black iron, with surging sword intent and seemingly very heavy.
People cultivated Sword Souls, they didn't need a sword scabbard! So, the sword-bearing youth was somewhat unusual.
However, this person clearly had a reputation. So, others showed respect, made way for him, and regarded him with admiration. Moreover, no one was curious about what was in his sword scabbard, evidently knowing a bit of the inside story.
As soon as the sword-bearing youth exited Sword Heaven, his eyes narrowed and he noticed the kneeling portly man!
“Who kneels before Sword Heaven? What is this?” the sword-bearing youth asked a woman beside him.
“Replying to the Sword Princeling... Apparently, he's an elder from the Azure Spirit Sword Sect's Sword Pavilion, who came to see the Great Sword Venerable Ning Yan. He has been kneeling for three days!” the woman responded.
“He wants to see Aunt Ning?” the youth’s face was impassive.
“Yes! He also said that Azure Spirit Sword Pavilion has produced a young man who may have a Planet grade Sword Soul and has shattered their Sword Inheritance Stone.” The woman shook her head and laughed.
“Breaking the Sword Inheritance Stone makes you Planet grade? Has their Sword Inheritance Stone become tofu dregs after all these years?” The corner of the youth’s mouth lifted slightly.
“These frogs at the bottom of the well are indeed somewhat amusing.” The woman chuckled.
“It's really corrupting public morals!” The youth with the sword strapped to his back advanced toward Elder Wang, a chilling light flashing in his eyes.
Elder Wang had been kneeling for quite some time, enough to make the world spin before his eyes.
He sighed internally, "These Sword Heaven folks are truly detached from the mundane world, haughty and disrespectful. Three days on my knees, and no one pays me any mind, alas!"
Just then, an iron boot stepped heavily onto the back of his hand.
"Heavy!" Elder Wang's palm immediately turned purple and blue, his face twitching with pain. Whose boot could be so unforgiving? More so, who would step on a person? He lifted his head, intending to argue.
SHING! At that moment, a cold white Sword Soul pointed precisely at his throat!
Instantly, a chill sweat soaked Elder Wang, his face turning a deathly pale. He couldn’t clearly see how many layers of Sword Aura was on that Sword Soul, only feeling an ice-cold sensation seeping into his bones. However, he clearly saw two circling Sword Rings wrapped around it.
Two Sword Rings! Having two Sword Rings indicated that this person's Sword Soul had surpassed the Comet grade! It was Moon or even Planet grade!
"Elder Wang pays his respect to Sword Princeling Lin Chen!" Recognizing the sword and the person, Elder Wang hastily spoke out.
"Scram." The youth with the sword said coldly, gazing down with profound indifference in his eyes.
"Yes!" Elder Wang’s voice trembled.
“Next time I see you kneeling here, your head stays but your body goes tumbling down into the Sea of Swords.” The youth continued.
“Yes! This lowly one will remember!” The light dimmed in Elder Wang’s eyes. He knew, having encountered this Sword Princeling all hope was utterly lost! Only at this moment did the youth lift his iron boot.
Elder Wang lowered his head to see his chubby hand now a mangled, bloody mess. "Sigh..." With a face of desolation, he rose. Holding tight to the letter in his hand, he prepared to leave amidst a sea of peculiar gazes.
Then, a crisp, cold female voice chimed in.
"Lil Chen!" A woman called out.
"I pay my respects to Aunt Ning." Lin Chen responded.
“Aunt Ning? Ning Yan?” Elder Wang stealthily turned back, just in time to see a woman emerge from the imposing doors of Sword Heaven!
She wore a long, black and red dress that swept the ground, her hair done up high, and her face stately and composed. Although she was a woman of mature years, her excellent upkeep and graceful demeanor were captivating.
“She resembles Lil Ran...” Elder Wang thought silently to himself. Finally, he saw her in person! But regrettably, he dared not speak more, nor even dare to look longer.
Unexpectedly, the woman named Ning Yan turned to look at Elder Wang, her voice calm, “He wanted to see me, right?”
“Yes, Aunt Ning.” Lin Chen answered, neither humble nor arrogant.
“How did you step on his hand?” Ning Yan looked at the youth.
The sword-toting young man paused briefly, declaring, "Sword Heaven is not some mundane government office, but a sacred land of the swordsmanship path. How can one kneel at its gates to seek favors? Such acts tarnish its demeanor, so I punished him! If I've made an offense, I hope Aunt Ning understands."
At this, Elder Wang felt a pang of surprise. "I hadn’t expected the mother of Lil Ran to speak up for me," he thought, "Perhaps, with time, her hatred has ebbed somewhat!"
While he mulled this over, Ning Yan, the dignified woman known to him, approached, her sacred and pure aura slightly overwhelming him. Feeling somewhat unclean in her presence, his bow deepened involuntarily.
"You’ve misunderstood, Lil Chen," Ning Yan said suddenly to the young man.
Misunderstood? What did she mean? Elder Wang felt another jolt of confusion.
"Are you Zhao Jianxing’s man?" Ning Yan's voice, now cold and detached, lingered before him.
"Yes!" Elder Wang replied, tension straining his voice.
SLAP! Suddenly, a sharp slap struck across Elder Wang's face. He cried out in pain, tumbling to the ground with five crimson finger marks now embellishing his cheek.
"Go back and make it clear to him. If he dares to send anyone here again, I'll personally go to Azure Spirit and obliterate him!" Ning Yan spoke icily.
"...Yes!" Elder Wang closed his eyes, a bitter sadness welling within. Oh, the despair! How many years has it been, her daughter has grown up, yet why such unyielding ruthlessness still? Inebriation led to mishaps, but surely, Zhao Jianxing wasn’t solely to blame.
Elder Wang wanted to mention that the letter was written by Zhao Xuanran, that the Sect Master had shattered his sword, his life hanging in balance... But he thought better of it. Another word, and he feared for his life.
This woman would surely kill him without hesitation. He felt that murderous aura.
After delivering her slap, Ning Yan pulled out a silk handkerchief, wiped her hand, cast a disgusted glance at Elder Wang, and then said to the young man with the sword, “What I meant was, you hit him too lightly.”
"Yes, Aunt Ning!" The young man offered a faint, mirthless smile.
Witnessing this, Elder Wang dared not linger. He bowed, muttered a farewell, and with dimmed eyes, turned to leave. He hadn’t taken more than a few steps when someone approached him.
"Elder Wang!" The newcomer was a middle-aged man with a beard.
It was the innkeeper from the Azure Spirit Sword Sect's Cloud Pavilion!
"Elder Shangguan Jia of the Second Sword Peak?" Elder Wang blinked in surprise.
"Yes! My sister sent me to find you. After you left, a major incident occurred in Azure Spirit!" Shangguan Jia, visibly excited, announced.
"What happened?"
"That Yun Xiao, only sixteen and having spent just six days in total in Azure Spirit, guess what happened?" Shangguan Jia, carried away by his enthusiasm, seemed oblivious to the eyes of the bystanders.
"Speak!" Elder Wang urgently commanded.
"The night you left," Shangguan Jia began, a robust laughter warming his words, "he first slew the avatar of the Northern Wilderness Demon Emperor, Moon Fairy. Then he butchered a thousand-year-old serpent demon and, without missing a beat, crippled Zhang Jian, Yao Manxue, and Ye Tiance—all three Sword Venerables!"
"He's just sixteen! With just the power of the Divine Sea Realm, he crippled someone in the Origin Core Realm. And believe it or not, he performed eleven steps with the Ten-Step Scale!" Shangguan Jia couldn’t stifle his laughter, it was just too audacious and splendid a tale to hold back.
"Truly?" Elder Wang tried his best to suppress the excitement surging in his heart, but his voice betrayed a trace of his emotion, rising slightly higher than he'd intended.
What had brought him to the Sea of Swords? Was it not a plea for help? Now, with Ye Tiance down, was there still a need to plead?
Admittedly, Ye Guying was strong, but he was now alone and isolated. At the very least, they were safe for the time being.
In this moment, all of Elder Wang’s frustrations and suppressions found release, and even his half-flushed face cracked into a smile.
"Eh, your hand, your face, how did they get injured?" Shangguan Jia paused, a perplexity dimming his mirth.
No sooner had his words fallen than a beautiful woman in a black dress flashed into existence among them.
"Sixteen years old? Six days? Origin Core? Eleven steps on the Ten-Step Scale?" The black-dressed woman questioned in succession, her eyes, cold as ice, fixed on Shangguan Jia.
"Yes!" Shangguan Jia bowed his head in shock, his mind calculating the extent of Elder Wang’s injuries.
"If a single word you’ve spoken is false, you will die. Do you understand?" The black-dressed woman spoke coldly.
"Absolutely true!" Speaking of Yun Xiao, Shangguan Jia still possessed a sliver of confidence.
"Whom does that disciple study under?" The woman pressed, her gaze unyielding.
"The Sect Master of Azure Spirit, Zhao Jian..."
"That’s enough," she pursed her lips, turning to Elder Wang with an extended hand, "Give me the letter."
"Yes!!" Elder Wang's palm trembled, his face alight with ecstatic relief.
The black-dressed woman took the letter, her brow furrowing as she scanned it, "Is this a letter from Zhao Jianxing? The handwriting is clearly that of a woman!"
Elder Wang paused, stunned. Indeed, she hadn’t read a single letter sent over these years.
"Sword Venerable, this letter was written by Xuanran," Elder Wang humbly informed.
"Xuanran, who is that?" The woman inquired, an icy chill lining her words.
A lump formed in Elder Wang's throat, an inexplicable sorrow welling in his heart. He mourned for that young girl. With tears mingling in his voice, he uttered, "Great Sword Venerable, that girl... she’s already twenty-two years old now..."
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