Chapter 495 - 476: The Shadow Since Ancient Times

Chapter 495: Chapter 476: The Shadow Since Ancient Times

"Worthless trash..."

Bai Zichen recalled his Star River Sword Array and deactivated his Five Crystal Glaze Body, collapsing unceremoniously onto the ground.

’Since the Abi Heavenly Prison Demon Sword is willing to negotiate, I don’t have to worry about it trying to escape.’

’If it didn’t have something in mind, why would a Tier Five Flying Sword haggle with a mere Early-Stage Nascent Soul Cultivator?’

’Judging by how Blood God True Monarch abandoned the sword to flee without hesitation, he must have been certain that the Abi Heavenly Prison Demon Sword could never be controlled by another.’

’It would surely erupt with its Origin Power, break free of its restraints, and return to the Blood Sea.’

’So, the Abi Heavenly Prison Demon Sword probably wasn’t bluffing. It really does have that kind of power.’

Bai Zichen’s vision swam with stars. Inside his Qi Sea, Nascent Soul Xiaobai lay listlessly, and sharp, stabbing pains pulsed through his entire body.

In his desperation, a single Top-Grade Spirit Stone hadn’t been enough, so he had resorted to directly absorbing the violent, Fire Poison-laden Spiritual Power of Luofeng Mountain.

Thankfully, he had cultivated the Fire Dragon Returning Essence Scripture to the Perfection Realm, giving him an extraordinary tolerance for Fire Element Spiritual Power.

Any other Nascent Soul True Monarch would have had the Fire Poison invade their heart, damaging their foundation and causing their Cultivation to regress.

A spectral Fire Dragon coiled behind Bai Zichen. With each breath that sounded like rolling thunder, wisps of fire emerged from his body, only to be devoured by the dragon in a single gulp.

It would likely take several years to completely purge the Fire Poison from his body.

At the same time, there wasn’t a single part of his body that didn’t ache; he felt as if his bones would fall apart if he exerted even the slightest force.

Thinking of this, he shot a glare at the Abi Heavenly Prison Demon Sword and said resentfully, "Then go talk to the ’worthless trash’ yourself. See if it agrees to give up its spot in the Sword Box for you."

All eleven Flying Swords filed back into the Sword Box. Two of the Thunder Sound Swords had been snapped in half during the final clash.

Even when empowered by the Sword Array, the Tier Three bamboo Flying Swords were far too fragile against a Tier Five Flying Sword.

The gap was even greater than the one between a Tier Three and a Tier One Flying Sword.

Only the Ziwei Dazzling Thunder Sword was left. It landed in his hand, crackling with vigorous electrical light and Thunder Radiance, a stark contrast to the other Flying Swords.

"Xiaozhi, this sword says it wants the entire Sword Box for itself, and that all of you are worthless trash unqualified to enjoy the Pure Qi... Here, you can talk it out amongst yourselves and see who’s truly qualified."

The Ziwei Dazzling Thunder Sword leaped up with a sharp cry, its blade dissolving into a furious mass of lightning.

From a small cluster in his palm, it instantly expanded into a Thunder Pool, brewing with a heart-pounding, destructive aura.

"A Tier Four Flying Sword? Even if you’re the best of them, you’re nothing. Between Sword Spirits, a single Tier of difference is an eternal Celestial Chasm. Unless your master, upon advancing to Divinity Transformation, is willing to bestow the first wisp of Grotto Heaven Spirit and the power of Heaven and Earth upon you, you have but a one-in-ten chance of advancing to Tier Five..."

The Abi Heavenly Prison Demon Sword was right. The difference in Tiers between Flying Swords was even more distinct than between Magical Treasures.

A single Tier’s difference was equivalent to the gap between a Top-Grade Spiritual Treasure and a Top-Grade Heavenly Spirit Treasure.

The former could be found in Nascent Soul Major Sects with tens of thousands of years of history, or in Sects that had once produced a Divinity Transformation Great Power. There were quite a few of them throughout the Cultivation Realm.

But a Top-Grade Heavenly Spirit Treasure was another matter entirely. One only had to look at the Descent Great Powers; many of the Divine Weapons in their hands were not Top-Grade Heavenly Spirit Treasures.

This was enough to know that even in the Upper Realm, not everyone possessed a Treasure of this Tier, let alone in the Human World.

Without the boon from Heaven and Earth during a Divinity Transformation Great Power’s breakthrough—the moment their Grotto Heaven World forms—a Tier Four Flying Sword forcing its way to Tier Five would only end in its own destruction, its spirit annihilated.

"However, you’re quite decent for a Tier Four Flying Sword. You actually managed to block several of my strikes in that Sword Array without breaking. Back in Ancient Times, even Heaven-Reaching Spiritual Treasures were damaged beyond use by my blade. If you behave, this venerable one might even spare a wisp of Pure Qi for you..."

As the Black-Red Demon Dragon spoke, its voice trailed off, and it made an almost human-like head-scratching gesture.

"This aura... You seem very similar to a certain senior... You are Venerable Purple Thunder!"

The Abi Heavenly Prison Demon Sword shot up abruptly. The Demon Dragon vanished, shrinking into what looked like a black earthworm.

The blade itself began kowtowing repeatedly, its formerly domineering voice now as meek as a kitten’s.

"Back then, before the Ten Lands of Fengdu, when you displayed your divine might and slew three Demon Venerables and two Ghost Venerables, I was there... I have never forgotten the Venerable’s heroic bearing!"

Bai Zichen perked up his ears, listening with great interest.

’So the Abi Heavenly Prison Demon Sword really has crossed paths with the Ziwei Dazzling Thunder Sword before. Though, over a hundred thousand years ago, it probably wasn’t even qualified to stand before Xiaozhi.’

In that era, Descent Great Powers from various realms were commonplace, treating the Human World like a proving ground. Each Descent Cultivator was stronger than the last.

Those Demon Venerables and Ghost Venerables might have only displayed the power of Divinity Transformation Perfection, but that was because they were constrained by the Laws of Heaven and Earth and could not cross that boundary.

In reality, among the top-tier figures, there was no shortage of Void Refining Cultivators.

Just like the Ancient Demon in the Northern Domain’s Burial Immortal Valley, who possessed a Void Refining Cultivation in the Heavenly Demon Realm.

Therefore, even among those at the Divinity Transformation realm, their true strengths could be worlds apart.

Bai Zichen could be considered the successor to that Upper Realm Sword Immortal, as he had obtained the three most important inherited Treasures from the Secret Realm.

But that Sword Immortal’s origins were a mystery and his whereabouts unknown, unlike other Descent Great Powers who had clear objectives and allegiances.

The mysterious Sword Immortal had appeared suddenly, roamed many places in the Human World, and never took the initiative to participate in the great wars between the races during Ancient Times.

At first, some tried to drag him into the conflicts, but as he demonstrated his astonishing power time and again, all the races began to give him a wide berth.

He traveled all over the Cultivation Realm, as if searching for some crucial item.

He took no disciples and established no lineage, and few stories of his deeds have been passed down.

Only a few Secret Realms related to him remained as proof of the Upper Realm Sword Immortal’s existence.

’Ten Lands of Fengdu...’

Bai Zichen silently committed the name to memory. ’Since it’s related to that Sword Immortal, I’ll definitely have to go see it in the future.’

The place was far away in the Western Realm. It had been shattered by an Ancient Great Power, its Spirit Veins severed, and was also a famous Desolate Land in the Cultivation Realm.

It was rumored to be connected to the Netherworld and hold the secrets of reincarnation.

There were even precedents of Nascent Soul True Monarchs becoming trapped within, only emerging from Fengdu hundreds of years later.

The moment they escaped, their lifespan was exhausted, and they instantly crumbled into a pile of white bones.

Since then, its fearsome reputation has spread far and wide, a warning for the living to stay away.

"I don’t remember you, but if you want to enter the Supreme Qingwei Sword Box, you have to follow the rules here... One sword, one spot. No exceptions. This was established by the old master, and it is the new master’s rule as well!"

A clear, childlike voice rang out. Whether it was provoked or simply no longer hiding its abilities, the Ziwei Dazzling Thunder Sword could now speak, instead of just conveying its meaning through emotions.

"It is your good fortune to be able to serve the new master... A Flying Sword like you, born from the will of the Blood Sea, would only have one fate in the Earth Immortal Realm: to be brought to the Upper Demon-Slaying Platform, have your Sword Spirit ground away, and then be gifted to a Mountain Guardian Divine Envoy. By entering the Supreme Qingwei Sword Box to be nourished by Pure Qi for a millennium, you won’t be rejected by the Earth Immortal Realm when you ascend with the new master in the future."

After speaking, the Thunder Radiance shot directly into the Sword Box and fell silent, disdaining to say another word.

"How is that possible? How... It’s one thing for the Sword Box to be left behind, but Venerable Purple Thunder is that Sword Immortal’s Lifebound Flying Sword! How could it have been left in the Human World!?"

The Abi Heavenly Prison Demon Sword had descended with a Void Refining Demon Venerable of the Blood Demon Race from the Heavenly Demon Realm. It had personally witnessed the scene where that Sword Immortal drew his sword, looked around, sighed, and then cut down five Divinity Transformation Perfection Great Powers.

All of them were big shots with Void Refining Cultivation in the Upper Realm, yet they were as fragile as paper before the mysterious Sword Immortal. Whether it was their Hundred-Refined Demon Bodies or their Formless Ghost Bodies, they and their Protective Treasures were all blasted to dust by the Thunderbolt.

The scene had left such a profound impression on the Abi Heavenly Prison Demon Sword that it could recall it instantly even after more than a hundred thousand years.

It hadn’t recognized it earlier because the Ziwei Dazzling Thunder Sword’s appearance and displayed power were so different from how they were in the Ancient Era.

But that aura of supreme, absolute destruction that annihilated all things—it would never mistake that.

The Abi Heavenly Prison Demon Sword’s original master had hidden in the back and managed to escape with his life. He later mentioned the incident when discussing it with several other Demon Venerables.

They had their suspicions about the identity of that impossibly strong Sword Cultivator, but they were all evasive, and no one dared to speak their name.

However, they did mention the Ziwei Dazzling Thunder Sword and the Supreme Qingwei Sword Box, which was how the Demon Sword learned their names.

Ten thousand years later, that Blood Demon Race Demon Venerable was trapped in an encirclement by three Human Race Divinity Transformation Perfection cultivators. They fought for fifteen years, and he was killed a total of ninety-nine times.

In the end, he detonated his Demon Body and attempted to use Blood Escape to flee, but one of the opposing Divinity Transformation Cultivators summoned a Taiyin Treasure Mirror, which pinned his Blood Shadow and froze him in place.

Ultimately, with no hope of escape, the Blood Shadow self-destructed. The Abi Heavenly Prison Demon Sword, however, managed to escape back to the Blood Sea by burning all of its Origin Power, as its opponents’ attention wasn’t on the Flying Sword.

It hid in a node deep within that connected to the Heavenly Demon Realm, remaining there for tens of thousands of years.

By the time it had mostly recovered and returned to the world, it found that ages had passed and everything was completely different.

The era of Descent had ended, the Ascension Platform had vanished, and the connection between the Upper Realm and the Human World was almost completely severed.

The Abi Heavenly Prison Demon Sword’s hopes of returning to the Heavenly Demon Realm were dashed. It could only return to the Blood Sea to slumber until, restless after long inactivity, it was awakened and brought out by Blood God True Monarch.

"How could Venerable Purple Thunder acknowledge you as its master? Could it be... are you that Sword Immortal’s successor?"

The Demon Sword turned to look Bai Zichen up and down.

"Back then, several Demon Venerables speculated that Venerable Purple Thunder must be a Tier Six Flying Sword, a Heaven-Opening Treasure, to be able to instantly kill them with a single strike while also being restricted to the Divinity Transformation Perfection Realm... How has it become a Tier Four Flying Sword now?"

"When I found Xiaozhi, it was only Tier Three. It only recovered to Tier Four in recent years... Perhaps it was dormant for too long and needs to awaken slowly."

Bai Zichen made an excuse for the Ziwei Dazzling Thunder Sword, fearing that if the Abi Heavenly Prison Demon Sword knew its Tier had actually fallen, it might get other ideas.

’The Demon Sword’s heart was filled only with a shadowy reverence born from the Ancient Era; it wasn’t like the Moon Xuan Sword, which was ecstatic like a lackey meeting its boss.’

’If it learned that the Ziwei Dazzling Thunder Sword could currently only display the power of a Tier Four Flying Sword, it probably wouldn’t be so easy to deal with.’

’Right now, his only leverage over the Abi Heavenly Prison Demon Sword was the Ziwei Dazzling Thunder Sword and the Supreme Qingwei Sword Box. If this Tier Five Flying Sword was determined to leave, he truly lacked the ability to force it to stay.’

’An Early-Stage Nascent Soul Cultivation was still far too low in the face of a Tier Five Flying Sword.’