Borrowed Sword

Chapter 75: Dao Ancestor’s Prophecy

Chu Huaixu stood within a dense fog, closing his eyes, carefully listening to the trembling cries of swords around him.

“These swords placed below should all be sword embryos newly forged by the Artifact Refiners,” he thought.

There was spirituality within the sword bodies, but they had not yet matured, not enough to be considered Sword Spirits.

“On the contrary, I—clearly just a person—already have something similar to a Sword Spirit inside my body.” He smiled helplessly.

Now he could completely confirm why the surrounding spiritual pressure had no effect on him, and instead even made him feel comfortable.

The reason was simple: this spiritual pressure came from the overwhelming number of Artifact Spirits gathered here.

Hidden Spirit Mountain belonged to Artifact Spirits!

And yet… he also had one within him.

Mm, coming to Hidden Spirit Mountain felt just like returning home.

Moreover, the mountain even had formations to nurture Artifact Spirits, preventing the spirits of relics left behind by seniors from dissipating into the heavens and earth.

Therefore, it was no wonder he felt at ease.

I am also being nurtured…

Chu Huaixu was someone who could think openly. He even joked to himself: “Other seniors, after passing away, leave their Life-bound Treasures here to await a destined person. When I die, will it be enough for me to simply lie down here together with my Sword Spirit?”

He shook his head, dismissing these messy thoughts.

Fixing his gaze, Chu Huaixu once again dashed swiftly up the mountain.

As he ran, the trembling sounds of Spirit Swords echoed endlessly around him.

But his footsteps never halted for a moment.

These swords had all, without doubt, chosen him—within their fear was mixed a trace of submission, and even longing to be taken away, to become his Spirit Sword!

“But my ambition does not lie here.”

At the 3333rd stone step of Hidden Spirit Mountain, Chu Huaixu stopped in his tracks.

“Along the way, there were a total of 549 swords!” He had just counted.

“Unfortunately, most were merely low-grade Spiritual Artifacts, with not even a handful of mid-grade ones.”

Chu Huaixu did not even try touching them.

The reason was simple: he always felt that if he touched them lightly, the swords would be flung away, and even the strands of spirituality within them would be completely erased.

These past few days sparring with Liu Chenggong, his heart had been a mix of joy and worry.

Chu Huaixu was very clear that the little sword in his Sea of Consciousness was unusual—he now seemed to have an immense restraint over Sword Cultivators!

Even Liu Chenggong’s Cangsong Sword, a mid-grade Spiritual Artifact, could be flicked away with just a tap from him.

He even suspected that as his cultivation grew, the small sword in his Sea of Consciousness would not only be able to sever illusions and falsehoods, but also cut down spirits!

——To destroy the Artifact Spirit of someone’s Life-bound Treasure!

However, Chu Huaixu’s current cultivation was too low, and this little sword within his Sea of Consciousness was far too special, already awakened with 【Sword Heart Clarity】.

He could control it, but not perfectly.

Clearly, this mystical power was of a far higher order than himself.

It was not that the Sword Spirit was disobedient.

“After all, it looks sickly, lacking vitality, without much emotion day and night.”

Today, its sudden tremor must have been due to the uniqueness of Hidden Spirit Mountain.

In fact, cases of Sword Spirits quarreling with their Sword Cultivators did exist…

If they had too much spirituality and intelligence, this was the price.

At this moment, Chu Huaixu lowered his head, glanced at the charred-black wooden token on his waist, and took another step forward.

At this point, leading to the mid-mountain area, there was a semi-transparent barrier visible to the naked eye.

Carrying the Pass Token, he naturally passed through—it felt like pushing through a thin film.

Ask-Dao Peak, Main Hall.

Sect Master Xiang Yan sat upon the Sect Master’s Throne, while the other elders were seated below according to rank.

The Seventh Elder Shen Man was still comprehending Dao in the Bamboo Forest, but the rest of the mountain’s high-level figures were all present.

This pleased Chu Yinyin greatly.

“Hmph! At last, you’re finally willing to bring me along this time!”

If they again pulled that nonsense about those below Seventh Level being unworthy of knowing, then she would make them open their dog eyes wide—she would break through a realm on the spot right in front of them!

Right now, she sat in a very improper posture upon a grand chair. Being a hall chair, it was built with imposing craftsmanship—tall and large. Her pair of little short legs could not even reach the ground, dangling in the air and swinging back and forth.

The Sixth Elder Li Chunsong stood at the center of the hall, already rubbing his hands wildly.

Chu Yinyin perked up immediately upon seeing him: “Aiya! Don’t bother with all that preamble, everyone knows you want to gamble! Quick, quick, everyone pay up our fines to the Enforcement Elder!”

She even began rushing the proceedings.

One by one, fines drifted onto the desk of Enforcement Elder Lu Pan. Satisfied, he nodded, confiscated them, and then said sternly:

“A country has its laws, a sect has its rules. Our Dao Gate forbids private gambling dens. These fines will all go into the treasury—this must not happen again!”

Finishing, he calmly paid his own fine as well.

Hmph, I, the Enforcement Elder, must naturally set an example!

Li Chunsong, seeing this, shot a look of approval toward his Little Junior Sister—he could save himself some breath.

Chu Yinyin again rushed the flow: “Sixth Senior Brother, what are we gambling on this time?”

“How about… gambling on how far Chu Huaixu and Han Shuangjiang can climb up the stone steps?” proposed the Benevolent Gambling King.

“Boring, boring! Too petty!” The little short legs protested first.

She said aloud: “With just that bit of spiritual pressure on Hidden Spirit Mountain, at worst it might make them dizzy, nauseous, want to vomit. As long as they persist with determination and perseverance, climbing to the peak won’t be an issue!”

“How far they go will only depend on where they choose their desired Spirit Artifact.”

Chu Yinyin raised her head and glared at her senior brothers and sisters: “Besides, aren’t you all just waiting for Chu Huaixu to take that sword? Stop pretending!”

Her tone was sharp, intentionally exposing them.

You didn’t let me join before—this time I’ll reveal you all!

But Sect Master Xiang Yan suddenly spoke up at this moment, his voice shrill and grating: “Little Junior Sister, you cannot say it like that.”

“You and I both know very well what that sword truly is.”

“Indeed, with the Great Calamity approaching, and the 【Origin Spirit Realm】 about to open, the sects will soon hold the First Realm Grand Competition.”

“At such a time, if our Dao Gate has someone who can descend the mountain with that sword, then the problem of the Origin Spirit Realm will be resolved. For the entire Xuanhuang Realm, this is an immense blessing.”

“Yet our Dao Gate values destiny and fate. We will not force him to claim that sword.”

“After all, that sword—cough cough! Dao Ancestor’s sword is far too special!”

“For the one who takes it, whether it be blessing or curse, who can truly say?”

Chu Yinyin pouted, muttering, “For the one who takes it, of course it’s not a blessing!”

The others, hearing this, fell silent without rebuttal.

A year ago, the Seventh Elder Shen Man had by chance received Dao Ancestor’s inheritance, within which she saw a maxim left behind by the Dao Ancestor.

All the high-level members of Dao Gate had read these maxims.

In Dao Ancestor’s words, that sword was called the Sword of Salvation.

But the one who took the sword was called—the Sword Attendant!

From those three words, much could already be inferred.

For the Xuanhuang Realm, the Sword Attendant was one of the saviors spoken of in Dao Ancestor’s maxims.

But for that Sword of Salvation, he was merely an attendant.

Was it man wielding the sword, or the sword wielding man? The meaning was clear.

The Dao Gate high-level knew well that the rumors were true—this sword left by Dao Ancestor was indeed a sword that devoured its master!

It had consumed many lives.

The first it devoured was none other than the Grandmaster of Artifact Refining from a thousand years ago, the Ninth Level powerhouse who had personally forged it!

It was an absolute Evil Sword, restrained only because Dao Ancestor had been powerful enough to suppress it.

No one present could do the same.

Even the Little Martial Uncle before his fall in realm could not, nor could the present Sword Sovereign!

At this point, with Chu Huaixu’s extraordinary displays, and considering that he had been brought back to the mountain by the Little Martial Uncle as the prophesied savior, everyone had nearly confirmed in their hearts that he was the Sword Attendant mentioned in Dao Ancestor’s maxims.

But just as Xiang Yan said, Dao Gate valued destiny and would not force him to claim the sword.

Like Li Chunsong and Nangong Yue—just earlier, in front of Chu Huaixu—they had not mentioned a single word.

Everything depended on personal choice; everything was fated!

If Dao Ancestor’s maxim was true, then Chu Huaixu himself would choose that sword—this was his own will.

They could not interfere too much, otherwise they would bear the karmic burden.

Surely the lives of the masses were not fate, but his was not?

His life should be his to decide.

The hall fell into brief silence, until the Dead Gambling Dog tentatively spoke: “Why don’t we gamble on that instead?”

Chu Yinyin, the most mischievous by nature, feared nothing, dared anything.

Thus, the little short legs hopped down from the grand chair, took two steps forward, and said: “Fine, then I’ll bet that Chu Huaixu can claim that sword!”

With someone leading, naturally others followed.

Zhao Shuqin, his small eyes narrowing as though entering meditation, gave a slight nod: “I think so as well.”

“Indeed, indeed,” Sect Master Xiang Yan agreed.

Voices of agreement came one after another—everyone thought Chu Huaixu would take that sword.

This left Li Chunsong speechless.

“Everyone! Not a single one of you is betting he won’t take it?”

Then what the hell are we gambling for!

Nangong Yue, lounging to the side, propped up on one arm against her chair, her body soft and languid.

She turned her gaze toward the flustered Li Chunsong and said: “Sixth Senior Brother, these are Dao Ancestor’s maxims—how could Dao Ancestor be wrong?”

To keep the wager alive, the Dead Gambling Dog was desperate, nearly blurting out blasphemy.

Fortunately, Li Chunsong did not lose his reason. Between offending Dao Ancestor and offending the Little Martial Uncle, he chose the latter, loudly declaring:

“What if! I’m only saying what if! What if Little Martial Uncle, when he went down the mountain to find someone—what if he found the wrong person?”

The Sixth Elder glanced around, lowering his voice: “You all know what Little Martial Uncle is like—he’s… he’s unreliable!”

Sect Master Xiang Yan hurriedly waved his hands, objecting: “Sixth Junior Brother, don’t spout nonsense. Although Little Martial Uncle is… uh… in daily matters, when it comes to great affairs, Little Martial Uncle is still dependable!”

Hearing this, Chu Yinyin fanned the flames at the side.

“Li Chunsong, you can just bet the opposite, why try to rope us in? Right? Just bet it yourself!”

The Dead Gambling Dog’s face flushed red, both hands rubbing faster and faster.

On Earth, there was a saying among gamblers: Bet against the odds, and you’ll own a villa by the sea!

Without doubt, Li Chunsong had the same rotten attitude.

He wasn’t afraid of losing—he was long accustomed to it. He simply enjoyed the thrill of small-time gambling.

Clenching his teeth, he shouted: “Fine! Then I’ll bet that Chu Huaixu won’t take that sword!”