Chapter 077 - If You Ride a Tiger, It's Hard to Get Off!
The Sea of Swords, the Forbidden Tower. A black tower pierced the clouds, its body adorned with various runes, emanating a chilling and solemn aura that kept ordinary folk at a respectable distance. Surrounding the dark tower, numerous palace courtyards and pavilions lay scattered.
"Yun Xiao!" Holy Son Chu, gritted through those words, fists tightly clenched, eyes brimming with malice, as he marched forward, head bowed. A strip of white cloth was bound around his head, swathing the bloody holes that were once his ears. Even after half a day, the pain from the wounds twisted his features. Witne$$ th€ birth of thïš c0ntent, streaming forth from n0v!lbin★
"Chu Yan." Ahead, a middle-aged man in a black robe stood outside a hall, waving toward the Holy Son, "Where have you been? Come here at once!"
"Master Xiao...!" Holy Son Chu’s heart skipped a beat. Subconsciously adjusting the bandage on his head, he then advanced toward the black-robed man.
Xiao He did not scrutinize him closely, instead turning and entering the hall while remarking, "That girl Lin Lin from Sword Heaven was looking for you. She’s been waiting quite a while."
"Lin Lin?" Holy Son Chu's expression tightened abruptly upon hearing the name.
"Brother Chu!" Hardly setting foot in the courtyard, a charming young girl dressed in a short, goose-yellow skirt dashed over. Delightfully cute with cherry lips, a sculpted nose, bright eyes, and radiant teeth, she was utterly captivating.
The moment Holy Son Chu returned, she naturally took his hand, complaining, "You promised to go to the painting exhibition with me today. How could you stand me up? Ugh! I’m mad!"
Her words broke off suddenly, and with a soft "Eh," her lovely face tensed slightly. "Brother Chu, why is your head wrapped in a bandage? Are you hurt?"
"Chu Yan, you're bleeding?" Master Xiao He, too, noticed. From his perspective, he could faintly see blood seeping through the bandage.
Holy Son Chu offered an awkward smile, shaking his head in dismissal. "It’s nothing, just a minor injury!"
"It looks like your ear is hurt?" Lin Lin frowned slightly, her face painted with concern.
"It's fine, it's fine... they’re still there!" Holy Son Chu replied through gritted teeth, but uttering those words felt like bleeding inwardly. How could he admit in front of this girl that admired him that his ears were gone? Wouldn’t his majestic Holy Son image collapse instantly? A man without ears, what elegance and gallantry could he talk about?
"Chu Yan, who did you fight with?" Xiao He’s gaze cooled.
"Yeah, Brother Chu, who dared to cross you? We’ll mobilize the Forbidden Tower and Sword Heaven to hunt him down together!" Lin Lin, hands curled into small fists, spoke with a hint of fury.
"This..." Holy Son Chu found himself in a quandary.
Xiao He's gaze grew colder, his voice grave. "Who dares lay a hand on my protégé, Chu Yan? Just name them, and I'll extinguish them! If they have a protector, I'll destroy them too!"
"No need!" Holy Son Chu offered a sheepish smile, saying, "He's just a waste. If Ning Yan weren't shielding him, I would've slaughtered him already!"
"Ning Yan?" Xiao He frowned, puzzled. "Does that woman have a sick mind, daring to oppose you?"
"Auntie Ning?" Lin Lin’s eyes flashed a sliver of disgust. "Who is she protecting?"
Both stared solemnly at Holy Son Chu as he clenched his teeth for a lengthy moment.
"Is he someone from my Sword Heaven, Brother Chu? Tell me quickly, I'll punish him for you!" Lin Lin, holding onto Chu Yan’s hand, pouted.
Finding himself between a rock and a hard place, Holy Son Chu, stiffening his resolve, began with a cold laugh, "It’s a young man from the Azure Spirit Sword Sect, named Yun Xiao. He once shattered the Rank Two Sword Inheritance Stone with his Sword Soul, hailed as a prodigy that defies the heavens. Ning Yan has taken a liking to him and wants to bring him back to Sword Heaven."
"He's already in Sword Heaven? I’ll go slaughter him now!" Lin Lin spoke fiercely.
"No need." Holy Son Chu chuckled, saying, "He’s merely waste. I’ve taught him a lesson, nearly crippled him."
"Your injuries..." Lin Lin gazed at him, her heart aching visibly.
A sly, cold chuckle slipped from Holy Son Chu’s lips. "Clearly, she's oblivious. I purposefully kept her in the dark, sending her to make a fool of herself in Sword Heaven!"
This wasn’t merely a matter of disgrace. Xiao He intoned, his voice slicing through the still air like a dagger, "This could bring about her own demise!"
"Yes! All part of the plan!" The light of murderous intent flickered in Holy Son Chu's eyes. With Ning Yan dead, no one would speak of the disgrace.
The folks of Sea of Swords held no trust for the words of an Azure Spirit Sword Cultivator.
"I daresay, the Tower Lord regards Ye Guying as even more precious than his own life! We must report this promptly!" Urgency bled through Xiao He’s voice.
"Indeed!"
The pair hastened toward the Forbidden Tower.
"You mentioned Yun Xiao shattered the Rank Two Sword Inheritance Stone?" Xiao He queried as they trotted.
Holy Son Chu snorted, nonchalant. "I could break it too, hardly noteworthy! With Sword Heaven and the Forbidden Tower allied in fury, he's as good as dead. Does the rank of his Sword Soul even matter?"
"Well, yes!" Xiao He scoffed, "Unless he also manages to blow up the Rank Four Sword Inheritance Sword Stone!"
"And if he does?" Holy Son Chu paused, puzzled.
"Well, I wouldn't know, for throughout the history of the Sea of Swords, no Star grade Sword Soul has ever arisen!"
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Azure Spirit, Sword Pavilion. As dusk draped its gentle shroud over the land, three thousand Sword Cultivators returned, an illustrious homecoming that beckoned jubilant cheers and a spectacle that hadn’t graced these grounds in a millennium!
There, amidst the throng, a young man in white became faith personified to the onlooking multitude.
Ultimately, tens of thousands of Sword Cultivators gathered in front of the graves of the Seven Prodigies of the Sword Pavilion, raising their swords, pouring out libations, and paying heartfelt respects.
"May your souls finally find peace and rejoin the cycle of reincarnation," they whispered, a collective murmur that danced with the wind.
"Senior brothers and sisters... if fate allows, may we meet again in the next life," Zhao Xuanran, kneeling before the graves, tears jeweling her eyes, whispered her farewell.
Seven serene spirits, faces painted with tranquil smiles, dissipated into the ethereal embrace of the mountains and rivers of Azure Spirit...
"Brother!" Cai Maomao, after chasing for what seemed an eternity, collapsed to the ground, his tears falling like relentless rain.
Death was immutable. Except for Yun Xiao.
After the sacrificial toasting, Zhao Xuanran stood, her eyes, gleaming with unwavering resolve, swept across the tens of thousands of Azure Spirit Sword Cultivators.
"For three years, Azure Spirit has failed the people of the thousand mortal nations. When mortals are in distress, it is our unshirkable duty as Sword Cultivators to lend aid. Henceforth, in accordance with the will of our predecessors, I decide to utilize the full strength of Azure Spirit, leaving no one behind, to enter the mortal realm and eradicate demons!" Her sword lifted, pointed to the heavens with determination gleaming in her eyes.
"We will not return to Azure Spirit until the demons are annihilated!"
Tens of thousands of Sword Cultivators, swords raised, united in resolve, shared a singular creed. Entering the mortal realm to eliminate demons, they could not wait a moment longer! This, this was the true spirit of Azure Spirit! A moment of undeniable righteousness enveloped them!
"Junior Brother Yun! Take care..." The woman in the black gown soared upwards on her Sovereign Sword, her figure dancing in the wind, her skirt and long hair twirling in tandem. Her luminous skin and bright eyes shone equally under the moonlight, and her delicate form seemed a dream in the lunar glow. The fluttering strands of her hair brushed past her cheeks, prompting Yun Xiao to involuntarily savor the lingering fragrance they left behind.
The path of immortality was vast and surreal like a dream. Yet Zhao Xuanran was so achingly real! Her strong liquor, her gentleness, her delicate scent...
"Take care!" A trace of a smile lingered perpetually at the corner of Yun Xiao's mouth, immortalized in that moment.