Chapter 870: Chapter 870: Jade Solitary Sword
To Chen Guan’s surprise, the one who arrived wasn’t just the woman; there were three more figures with her. Shockingly, they were also humans, three men.
The four figures landed on the platform one by one, each possessing the ability to traverse the skies and the earth, moving with astonishing speed.
"Fourth Sister, what happened? Was that sword hum just now from the Jade Solitary Sword?" One man, tall and thin with a hunched back, stared at the Jade Sword on the opposite peak and asked with uncertainty.
"It’s definitely the hum from the Jade Solitary Sword, but that Yu Guzi is no longer around. No one in the world knows the ’Celestial Jade Fragment Sword Technique’ anymore. The Jade Solitary Sword shouldn’t be able to break the seal, so how could it emit a sword hum?" Another man, barely over three feet tall, who looked like a big-headed doll, said with wide eyes.
"Could it be that the power of the Jade Solitary Sword has grown strong enough to surpass the ’Celestial Jade Fragment Sword Technique’?" The man with a large belly, chubby face, and big ears thought for a moment and then dismissed the idea: "Impossible, Yu Guzi’s ’Celestial Jade Fragment Sword Technique’ was specifically created to control the Jade Solitary Sword, and for a thousand years, it’s been snugly sealed without a problem. The Jade Solitary Sword, without external energy replenishment, should only grow weaker, not stronger."
"Theoretically, that’s correct, but why then did the Jade Solitary Sword emit a hum?" asked the thin man, turning his gaze to the woman.
The other two men also looked at the woman.
The woman glared at them: "How would I know if you guys don’t? I arrived just before you did, so my knowledge is no greater than yours."
The man with the large belly said, "Fourth Sister, you’ve been cultivating here for some time. Naturally, you’d know more about the Jade Solitary Sword’s situation than we do."
"Right, right, you often visit the Jade Solitary Sword. You must have gleaned some insights from the ’Celestial Jade Fragment Sword Technique’ and should be able to tell what exactly is going on with the Jade Solitary Sword," the doll-faced man chimed in.
However, the woman just snorted: "If the ’Celestial Jade Fragment Sword Technique’ were that easy to understand, why haven’t you guys tried it?"
Before the three men could say anything, the woman continued: "Yu Guzi was a terrifying figure. When he attacked our Immortal Mountain Sect, he nearly wiped us out, leaving just the four of us alive. If it weren’t for the Jade Solitary Sword’s backlash against its master, we might not have survived either."
The woman rolled her eyes before continuing: "If I could see through the ’Celestial Jade Fragment Sword Technique’ and control the Jade Solitary Sword, I wouldn’t be hiding here; I’d be out there slaughtering those Sky Secret Spirits with glee."
The other three agreed this made sense. The thin man said hesitantly: "The fact that the Jade Solitary Sword emitted a sword hum is an ominous sign. If the Jade Solitary Sword breaks free, its ferocity may make our survival unlikely."
"And what can we do about it? Can you destroy the Jade Solitary Sword or escape from the Immortal Mountain Sect?" the woman retorted, pursing her lips.
"If we could destroy the Jade Solitary Sword, we wouldn’t leave it here. Leaving is out of the question too; the Sky Secret Spirits outside aren’t something we can contend with. Going out would be a death sentence..."
The four of them discussed for a long time but couldn’t come up with a useful plan, deciding only to take turns watching the Jade Solitary Sword to see if it would exhibit any further anomalies.
Chen Guan, who was eavesdropping on their conversation, gleaned quite a bit of useful information.
It was now certain that this was indeed the Celestial Secret Realm. Unexpectedly, there were human factions within the Celestial Secret Realm.
According to the four, the Immortal Mountain Sect originally had at least thousands of members before nearly being wiped out by the Jade Sword’s master.
The owner of the Jade Sword, Yu Guzi, was eventually backlashed by the Jade Solitary Sword, sealing it here. As for his own fate, it was unknown.
Chen Guan speculated that Yu Guzi was likely dead. If not, why wouldn’t he come for the Jade Solitary Sword?
"The woman’s strength is already mysterious, with the power to split mountains and gather clouds. Her three fellow disciples seem no less formidable. Such powerful humans are even terrified of the Sky Secret Spirits and dare only to hide within the Immortal Mountain Sect, never venturing out. Just how formidable are those Sky Secret Spirits?" Chen Guan pondered with alarm.
"Yu Guzi was likely a Sky Secret Spirit himself, slaughtering so many from the Immortal Mountain Sect single-handedly and almost wiping them out. It shows just how terrifying the power of a Sky Secret Spirit is." Chen Guan mused, growing more apprehensive.
The good news was that, for the time being, there appeared to be no Sky Secret Spirits in this place, only the four men from the Immortal Mountain Sect.
In that case, he might have a chance to retrieve the Liquid Elemental Energy.
But that wasn’t possible anytime soon. With these four taking turns watching the Jade Solitary Sword, even if Chen Guan had extraordinary abilities, he couldn’t possibly steal the Liquid Elemental Energy under their noses.
Chen Guan decided he would have to wait for an opportunity to arise before attempting to retrieve the Primordial Energy from the pool.
As for the reversed ’Celestial Jade Fragment Sword Technique,’ Chen Guan dared not use it again.
The Jade Solitary Sword was so vicious that if it were to break free, he feared he would come to a bad end.
It had dared to backlash against its own master, Yu Guzi, so how much more easily against a human like Chen Guan?
A month passed while the four took turns guarding the Jade Solitary Sword, keeping a vigilant watch. Chen Guan found no opportunities.
"Waiting like this, who knows how long it’ll be?" Chen Guan said, coming to his stone cave again, peering outside. He saw the doll-faced man sitting on the opposite platform, eyes trained intently in his direction, and felt very frustrated.
Chen Guan pondered how he might manage to retrieve the Liquid Elemental Energy under the watchful eyes of those four, even if just a little to aid his cultivation.
"If only Gao Weiqiang were here. Unfortunately, he hasn’t awakened his seventh sense yet and can’t enter the Great Cave Heaven." Chen Guan thought, reconsidering: "But maybe coming here doesn’t require the seventh sense. I could take my ring out to find him and bring him into the ring’s space. I’m just unsure if his talent would allow those four from the Immortal Mountain Sect to overlook his presence..."
Pondering over this, Chen Guan suddenly smacked his forehead: "Right, I completely forgot. I don’t need to bring Gao Weiqiang here. I just need to mimic his ability, modify my Secret Law so those from the Immortal Mountain Sect ignore me or can’t even see me. Then I could retrieve the Liquid Elemental Energy."
"No, being invisible isn’t secure enough. Like Gao Weiqiang, I need to lower my presence, ensuring they overlook my existence. That’s the only safe way." Chen Guan thought swiftly, considering how to modify his Secret Law to achieve total safety.
Though Chen Guan thought this method feasible, he didn’t act rashly. He wasn’t sure what abilities the humans within the Celestial Secret Realm might have; what if someone could see through such low presence?
