Chapter 386: The Shocking Truth of the Sword Fragments

Chapter 386: Chapter 386: The Shocking Truth of the Sword Fragments

Chapter 386: The Shocking Truth of the Sword Fragments

"Why do you have this sword?!"

The two voices rang out in perfect unison.

Rhain and the old man’s remnant soul stared at each other, their eyes filled with identical looks of astonishment.

In the space between them, the two broken, silver sword fragments circled one another, as if rejoicing in their reunion.

Standing a few paces away, Lyra looked back and forth between the ancient Alchemy Venerable and Rhain. Her delicate brows knitted together in deep confusion.

"What is going on?" Lyra asked, her crimson eyes fixed on the floating pieces of metal. "It’s just a broken sword. Why are you both acting as if the sky is falling?"

Neither Rhain nor the old man answered.

The remnant soul drifted closer, his translucent eyes locking onto the two fragments for a very long time.

The complex emotions of grief, reverence, and profound sorrow swirled within his gaze.

Finally, the old man slowly raised his head.

"

Rhain," the old man spoke in a heavy voice. "Do you remember when I told you that I had come to these desolate lands in search of something?"

Rhain’s dark grey eyes narrowed. He gave a firm nod.

"It was this," the old man revealed, pointing a translucent finger at the dancing fragments. "I traversed half the world and stepped specifically to find this exact sword fragment. It is the very reason I was ambushed, hunted, and ultimately killed."

The revelation struck Rhain like a heavy hammer.

A single broken fragment of an unnamed sword had drawn an Alchemy Venerable to his death, and caused a war between supreme experts?

"Where did you get your fragment, young man?" the old man asked, suppressing the lingering shock in his ancient eyes.

"From the founder of my academy," Rhain answered truthfully. "He left his lifelong inheritance in a tower, and this fragment was hidden among his treasures. He told me it was an extraordinary item he found in a deadly ruin in his youth, but he never uncovered its true use."

Rhain frowned deeply. "I have also tried to analyze it, but I couldn’t see a single thing that made it special. It simply looked like an ordinary piece of dead metal."

The old man let out a melancholic laugh.

"Of course you couldn’t see through it," the old man sighed. "Unless you possess a cultivation that transcends the saints, no one can easily see the truth of this blade."

The remnant soul looked at Rhain, his expression turning incredibly solemn. "Do you have any idea whose sword this originally was?"

Rhain simply shook his head.

The old man took a deep breath, his expression solemn as he spilled out the world-shaking secret.

"This sword," the old man declared reverently, "belonged to the first Sovereign of the world. The Sun Sovereign."

The old man’s voice fell like a thunderclap exploding in the hall.

"Ten thousand years ago," the old man continued, his eyes reflecting the bloody history of a forgotten era, "during a great battle between humans and demons, the Sun Sovereign perished. And during that world-shattering clash, his supreme weapon was broken into five fragments, scattered across the different corners of the world."

"Since then, every major power in the Central Continent has been desperately trying to find these fragments. It is said that whoever gathers all five pieces will obtain the Sun Sovereign’s ultimate legacy."

Rhain stared at the two silver fragments hovering in the air.

He was entirely speechless.

He had thought the founder’s sword fragment was merely a high-tier artifact, perhaps something at the Mystic or Emperor grade.

He had never imagined it was something linked to the very first Sovereign of the world!

"Why would the founder of a remote academy in the Solathane Dynasty possess something of this magnitude?" Rhain murmured inwardly.

"Do not overthink it," the old man said gently, noticing Rhain’s turbulent thoughts. "Destiny works in mysterious ways. Perhaps it is simply fate that two of the five fragments have now gathered in your hands."

The old man looked deeply into Rhain’s eyes.

"When you eventually leave these remote lands and travel to the Central Continent, you must seek out a faction known as the Holy Light Fortress. Inform them about these two sword fragments, and they will know what to do."

"Holy Light Fortress," Rhain repeated, meticulously carving the name into the depths of his memory.

With a wave of his hand, Rhain carefully stored the two dancing sword fragments securely into his spatial ring.

With the monumental revelation settled, Rhain’s dark grey eyes fell upon the third and final item he had retrieved from the old man’s spatial ring.

It was a simple jade token carved with a swirling pattern of life and death.

"Senior, what is this token?" Rhain asked.

The old man smiled a warm nostalgic light returning to his eyes.

"Before I came to this desolate land, I established a small sect in the Central Continent. I called it the Samsara Elixir Sect," the old man explained. "I have been trapped in this basin for nearly a thousand years. I do not know how my people are faring, or if my sect even still exists."

The remnant soul looked down, his voice carrying a trace of deep regret. "When I left, I was in a great hurry. I never appointed a successor. I have no idea who is leading my sect right now."

The old man then raised his head, his gaze locking squarely onto Rhain.

"I am giving this token to you, Rhain. With this, I officially appoint you as the Sect Master of the Samsara Elixir Sect, and my sole successor."

Rhain was visibly dumbfounded.

His looked at the ancient Venerable in sheer bewilderment.

"Senior?" Rhain asked, genuinely perplexed. "How can you hand over your entire legacy and your sect to me? You barely even know me."

To hand over a sect founded by an Alchemy Venerable to a nineteen-year-old youth he had hardly known for a month?

It was simply absurd.

The old man threw his head back and let out a hearty laugh.

"Barely know you? Hahaha! I have seen exactly what I needed to see!"

The old man stroked his translucent beard with a grin.

"Let me tell you a little secret about the trials you just faced," the old turned and glanced at Lyra, who was still in a daze, and slowly revealed a shocking secret: "The first two trials you experienced were actually prepared specifically for this little girl from the very beginning."

"What?!" Lyra exclaimed in surprise.

"The bloodline of the Blazing Sun Clan flows in her veins," the old man explained calmly. "And members of that family can only have their bloodline awakened when faced with a true life-or-death situation and subjected to extreme pressure. My original intention was to use the pressure of the trial to force out her Physique. But what I never expected was..."

The old man looked at Rhain, shook his head with a wry smile, and said, "In the first trial, your performance was simply monstrous! You actually shouldered all the pressure of the entire trial by yourself! This forced me to have no choice but to forcibly increase the danger of the second trial to a point where even you absolutely could not pass it alone. And just as I expected, in that life-or-death situation, this girl was finally forced to unleash her potential and successfully awaken it."

Rhain’s eyes widened slightly in realization.

No wonder the Level 8 Domain Master eagle had appeared out of nowhere.

It wasn’t random bad luck.

The old man had deliberately orchestrated the threat to push Lyra to the brink of death!

Lyra also stood shocked with her mouth slightly parted. The life-and-death despair she had suffered was nothing more than a calculated setup by this dead old man just to awaken her physique!

"Once her physique awakened, my primary objective was cleared," the old man continued, shifting his gaze to Rhain. "I could have simply handed over my inheritance then. But I decided to create the Third Trial solely for you, Rhain."

"For me?" Rhain asked in surprise.

"Yes," the old man nodded firmly. "Your strength and your monstrous talent were proven beyond any doubt. But to hand over my life’s work, I wanted to test your character."

The remnant soul looked at Rhain with profound admiration.

"And you indeed didn’t disappoint me. Your decisiveness, your resourcefulness, and your willingness to stand up for those weaklings who are of no use to you even when you yourself are in danger... all of this proves that you are definitely qualified to take over the heavy responsibility of my Samsara Elixir Sect! With such a character, you are born to be a ruler wielding power!"

The old man pointed at the token in Rhain’s hand.

"Are you willing to accept this?" The old man looked at Rhain expectantly.

Rhain fell silent for a brief moment.

An Alchemy Venerable’s sect in the Central Continent.

Even if the old man humbly called it a "small sect," a faction established by an existence of this caliber would undoubtedly possess staggering power and resources.

He would be a complete fool to refuse an established power base in the strongest continent of the world.

Rhain stepped forward, clasping his hands respectfully.

"I accept."

"Excellent," the old man smiled in relief.

He then gestured toward the perfectly preserved physical corpse sitting against the wall.

"I have one final request, Rhain. Please take my body with you. When you eventually reach the Central Continent, bury me within the grounds of my sect. I wish to return home."

Rhain looked at the lifelike corpse of the fallen Venerable.

Understanding understood the deep sorrow of a man who had died thousands of miles away from his home, Rhain offered a solemn bow.

"I swear it, Senior. You will return home."

With the utmost respect, Rhain carefully stored the old man’s physical body into his spatial ring.

Seeing his body secured, the old man’s soul form flickered, looking visibly weaker, yet his ancient eyes were filled with peace.

"I have waited in this desolate realm for centuries," the old man whispered softly, "I am truly happy that the two of you came here. My last wish to pass my inheritance to suitable candidates has been fulfilled, and I have found a capable man to lead my legacy."

The old man then turned his gaze to Rhain.

"As the founder, to help you lead my sect properly... I shall give you my very last gift."

Rhain was stunned.

He had already received the alchemy knowledge, the sword fragment, and the sect master token. What else could possibly be left?

But before Rhain could even ask, he noticed something.

The old man’s soul body was rapidly shrinking!

Rhain’s eyes widened as he instantly understood what the old man was trying to do.

"My soul power will eventually dissipate into nothingness in the next few years regardless," the old man spoke, his voice growing incredibly weak, "Instead of letting it waste away in this empty palace, it is better used to help you!"

"Senior!" Rhain wanted to step forward to stop the old man.

"Do not mourn for me," the old man smiled faintly as his form continued to compress. "Although my soul power has eroded over the centuries and remains at less than one percent of my peak... for a Core Formation youth like you, it will be more than enough to break your limits."

The old man’s final words echoed like a divine blessing in the grand hall.

"May it help you reach the late stage of Domain Master Realm!"

He casted a final glance at the two youths.

"Remember my name, I am Venerable Augustus!"

As the last syllable fell, the old man’s entire soul body completely collapsed.

It shrank down into a blindingly bright ball of highly concentrated, pure soul energy.

Swoosh—!!!

With an unstoppable momentum, the glowing sphere of energy shot forward, slamming straight into Rhain’s chest and sinking instantly into his spiritual sea.