Borrowed Sword

Chapter 79: Evil Sword and Heart Sword

At the summit of Hidden Spirit Mountain, the sword left behind by the Dao Ancestor gleamed under the sunlight, dazzling to the eyes.

No one knew what Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures this sword was forged from. It looked like nothing more than an ordinary Bronze Sword, only showing a dark bluish-black hue.

It was not particularly beautiful, standing in stark contrast to the ethereal 【Zhegutian】.

Yet it was so overwhelmingly powerful, powerful enough to disdain every single person.

Chu Huaixu had nearly staked half his life just to barely reach the mountain peak.

However, even on this platform, that Spiritual Pressure had not dissipated—it still lingered.

The sword stood high above.

The sword bore itself with haughtiness.

Even though it was imprisoned within this mountain, it refused to remain sealed in a Sword Scabbard. Instead, it hovered above the stone platform, always higher than any who came before it.

At this moment, Chu Huaixu suddenly recalled something.

“Hidden Spirit Mountain has a Restriction that forbids flight.”

“None below the Ninth Realm can fly!”

Yet this sword could still float.

Earlier, Chu Huaixu had thought that there was some force atop the mountain guiding him forward, a subtle pull from the void.

Now, he could confirm that this was not from the sword.

It possessed only arrogance, disdain, hatred, and fury.

“I even suspect, if it weren’t sealed by layers of Restrictions, would it fly over and chop me down directly?” Chu Huaixu thought.

He felt the chances were extremely high.

But regardless, finally! He had finally laid eyes on the sword spoken of only in legends!

Looking at it, Chu Huaixu suddenly grinned.

At this moment, his features were twisted by the crushing Spiritual Pressure. His smile was far from pleasant—rather, it looked sinister.

From expression alone, no one could guess what he was smiling about.

Blood still flowed from his seven apertures, yet his self-healing ability was so strong that it wasn’t a serious issue.

Chu Huaixu kept smiling like that.

Though he could only look up at it in awe, the sword grew increasingly furious, increasingly hateful.

For in Chu Huaixu’s eyes lay undisguised mockery.

“This Bronze Sword is ugly as f*ck!”

Back on Earth, Chu Huaixu had once seen the real Sword of King Goujian of Yue.

The Sword of Goujian, from the Spring and Autumn period, was a bronze blade.

Its hilt flared outward into a circular ring, within which were eleven concentric circles spaced merely 0.2 millimeters apart.

The blade was covered in a lattice of black diamond-shaped patterns, and near the guard on one side, there was an inscription in bird-seal script: “King Goujian of Yue made this sword for his personal use.”

That world-renowned Bronze Sword indeed carried an aura of majesty.

But the sword before him now?

Though forged from some unfathomable, world-defying materials, giving it extraordinary might, its form was utterly plain.

It was only slightly longer than a common Bronze Sword.

Its blade bore no distinctive markings.

The passage of years had left no trace on it, which only meant it hadn’t become uglier from rust.

To Chu Huaixu’s mind, for a so-called Number One Sword under heaven—you should either be simpler, more reserved, or more domineering, more fierce.

But this middling, awkward appearance? Hard to evaluate.

Yet with just one look, Chu Huaixu began to believe one particular version of the legends.

He started to believe this was indeed an Evil Sword!

Before seeing it, the Spiritual Pressure on the climb could still be explained as a test of the sword.

But seeing its bearing now, feeling the killing intent rushing at him, Chu Huaixu instantly accepted the claim of it being an Evil Sword.

Moreover, within his Sea of Consciousness, the Black Small Sword was vigilant toward this Bronze Sword.

For Chu Huaixu, though he had transmigrated into this world, he still carried some of the silly tendencies of a gamer.

For players: being strong was temporary, but being handsome—that lasted a lifetime.

Some Spiritual Artifacts might be mediocre in every other aspect, but if they looked cool, their value rose.

No big deal—just think of it as buying a skin.

What, you expect a cheap skin to boost your stats that much?

“Doesn’t matter, you’re the Number One Sword in the world. I won’t despise you.”

Like a cripple struggling to walk, Chu Huaixu began inching forward.

Compared to the mountain climb, moving on flat ground was far easier.

Still, this mountaintop platform was large.

He shuffled for a long while before finally reaching the front of the sword.

Dried blood streaked his face.

Fresh blood welled under the invasion of Spiritual Pressure.

But just as he had shouted earlier, he truly did not fear pain.

This made the floating sword despise him all the more.

Inside the Dao Gate’s grand hall, many were bewildered.

Today, the Bronze Sword’s behavior was strange.

They knew it was arrogant, for it had always looked down upon them as well.

But the hatred its Sword Spirit displayed today felt excessively strong.

With their cultivation, their Spiritual Sense was immensely sharp, and thus their perception of weapon spirits was even keener.

“Why do I feel… the Sword Spirit carries hatred?” Nangong Yue, a Grandmaster of Artifact Refining, spoke.

This was stranger still.

Everyone knew it was an Evil Sword. That it wanted to kill Chu Huaixu was understandable.

But why… would it feel hate?

Standing atop the mountain, Chu Huaixu bore the 【Heart Sword】. His sensitivity toward weapon spirits was equally acute.

Thus, every emotion of the Bronze Sword was clear to him.

He raised his head, speaking with difficulty. His voice remained hoarse and broken, trembling beyond control, yet he forced himself into calm:

“You hate me?”

“I know why you hate me!”

Chu Huaixu laughed. He laughed again, laughing even more wildly and freely.

Because he sensed that the killing intent of the Bronze Sword had grown stronger, and its hatred had deepened as well.

Damn it, he cultivated the 《Dao Canon》!

The complete version of the 《Dao Canon》!

The very same 《Dao Canon》 cultivated by the Dao Ancestor!

“Seems the legends were true.” Chu Huaixu thought.

“The Dao Ancestor had always been suppressing this Evil Sword!”

Then how could it not hate him!

The winds atop Hidden Spirit Mountain howled furiously.

Chu Huaixu struggled to raise his right hand.

Though the sword floated, it was not too high.

If he just stretched out his hand, he could touch its tip.

The veins on Chu Huaixu’s hand bulged, and the Black Small Sword within his Sea of Consciousness surged with battle intent.

After reaching the mountaintop, he had originally wanted to find out where that guiding pull from the void had come from, or from what.

But it certainly wasn’t from this ugly sword!

Yet the Spiritual Pressure was too overwhelming. His body and his Sea of Consciousness were both on the verge of collapse.

That vague pull—he could no longer sense it, buried beneath the pressure.

Then, in an instant, the Spiritual Pressure released by the Bronze Sword vanished completely.

A flicker of doubt crossed Chu Huaixu’s eyes.

But he quickly understood.

This sword had sensed that he was reaching to touch it.

It was bound to this mountain, unable to move an inch.

So, it was waiting.

All along, Chu Huaixu had touched many swords.

Now that he had reached the summit, he clearly hadn’t come just to look at this one!

What was there to look at?

Especially since it was so ugly.

Chu Huaixu firmly believed that this sword could not kill anyone at present.

“For the past thousand years, every generation’s Sword Sovereign has ascended the mountain to ask the sword. This is known throughout the world.” he thought.

“If it still had the ability to kill, none of those Sword Sovereigns would have returned alive.”

“With such overwhelming demonic might, how could it ever pass up the chance to slaughter?”

“Since the Dao Ancestor left it here, it must be safe.”

“At most, all it can do is release some Spiritual Pressure, and even that only seeps through the Restrictions in part.”

“But… in that case, how did the Sword Sovereigns duel with it when they came to ask the sword?”

That was not something Chu Huaixu’s current realm could answer.

Sword Sovereigns throughout history had at least been Eighth Realm powerhouses.

He closed his eyes, feeling the emotions his 【Heart Sword】 conveyed.

“Fine, I’ll go with you!” he rasped, suddenly opening his bloodshot eyes.

Chu Huaixu’s fingertip touched the Bronze Sword’s blade—

and in the next moment, his entire body was blasted backward!

Previously, when he touched those other Spirit Swords, they flew away because their Sword Spirits were shaken, dragging the swords along.

Now, the same had happened to him.

The Heart Sword within his Sea of Consciousness was far too feeble, too weak.

It had not yet reached its full potential—it was barely just beginning.

This outcome did not surprise Chu Huaixu.

Even top-grade Spirit Swords had only managed to make him stagger half a step back. How could this one not?

But f*ck, it hurt!

Though he crashed hard to the ground, he did not care.

The real damage was nearly total collapse of his Sea of Consciousness!

Just now, his vision went black, as if his spiritual world was being torn apart.

His brain felt like it was about to explode!

Yet Chu Huaixu did not regret it.

For the instant his finger touched the Bronze Sword, the system prompt rang in his ears.

“【Ding! You have completed the passive mission—Sword Spirit Oppressive Might.】”

Moreover, with the disappearance of the Spiritual Pressure, he finally discovered the source of that mysterious pull!

And he realized something else—his 【Heart Sword】 was apparently no lower in rank than the Bronze Sword’s Sword Spirit!

Only, his was like a half-dead remnant, while the other was in its prime.

Chu Huaixu struggled to his feet, staring at the lofty sword.

It still looked down upon him with undisguised arrogance, hatred, enmity, and killing intent.

Now, after blasting him away once, its Sword Spirit showed even a trace of mockery.

“You seem awfully pleased with yourself, don’t you?” Chu Huaixu said.

He patted the dust off his robes, then wiped his face with a relatively clean sleeve, clearing away some of the bloodstains.

The winds atop the mountain roared, snapping his black robe and whipping his long, jet-black hair behind him.

With bloodshot eyes, Chu Huaixu stepped forward again.

The sword floated in midair, releasing no pressure, unconcerned with blasting this ant away once more.

Seeing his current miserable state, its spirit was undoubtedly amused.

Yet Chu Huaixu did not reach for it again. Instead, he suddenly lunged with all his speed—

and seized the Black Bead hanging from the Sword Scabbard!

That pull came from the Black Bead.

The pitch-black Sword Scabbard lay flat on the stone platform, simple and unadorned.

The bead itself showed no sign of wonder, its texture dull and opaque.

Having been blasted back just now, Chu Huaixu had already made his decision and found his answer.

This Black Bead was his choice.

For it resonated with the Spiritual Energy within him born from the 《Dao Canon》!

Chu Huaixu grasped the bead in his right hand, while his left rested on the Charred-black Wooden Token, ready to crush it at any moment to activate the teleportation array and return to the foot of the mountain.

Yet at that instant, an anomaly occurred.

The Sword Scabbard lay sealed on the stone platform by Restrictions, immovable.

The Black Bead still appeared utterly ordinary, like a mortal trinket.

But the black cord binding it to the Sword Scabbard had not snapped.

A Mystical Power only Chu Huaixu could perceive spread from the Black Bead, draining all the Spiritual Energy from his body.

The bead, clutched in his hand, tore the entire pitch-black Sword Scabbard free with a pull.

The seal instantly broke, and the Sword Scabbard crashed into his arms.