Longzang

Chapter 1041 Facing Calamity Alone
When I opened my eyes again, it was dawn.

Sunlight streamed through the window and crept onto Wei Yuan's eyelids. His eyes twitched, and he slowly opened them. He looked around blankly, then suddenly sat bolt upright, turning to look, only to find the space beside him empty; Zhang Sheng was nowhere to be seen!
Wei Yuan was shocked. He instantly expanded his divine sense to its limit, covering a radius of a hundred miles, but still could not find Zhang Sheng. However, a wisp of sword energy suddenly flickered on the table, catching Wei Yuan's attention.

He then noticed a letter on the table.

A great unease welled up in Wei Yuan's heart. He first checked the time in the bustling world and found that it was already the morning of the second day.

He only remembered that he was extremely tired, and a wave of weariness washed over him, so he wanted to take a nap. Before he knew it, it was the next day. With Wei Yuan's keen perception, how could he not know that something serious had happened?
He forced himself to remain calm and slowly opened the letter on the table.

"A rival in the path of the sword has issued a challenge, seeking a fair fight to determine the first step on the path of the sword. As a swordsman, since it is a fair fight, how can I back down?"
But there's one thing I've thought about for a long time, and I feel I should tell you so you can understand the whole story.

The enemy is a petty villain, bound to have hidden ambushes. But they have obtained the karma of your mortal bloodline, and use it as a curse to decide your life or death, somewhat similar to the actions of the witch clan in the past. They use this to blackmail you, demanding a battle.

I have calculated with my sword heart that if you come with me, there is no chance of survival. If I face this calamity alone, there is still a glimmer of hope. That hope depends on whether my sword heart is as clear as water and whether my Dao heart is as firm as steel.

By the time you read this letter, the final battle will have ended. Before this life-or-death struggle, I will indulge myself with you completely one last time. If we cannot return, we can cherish it as a memory for the future.

If I am defeated, I will destroy my soul and spirit, severing my path to reincarnation, so as not to give the enemy any opportunity. If the other party threatens me with my broken body or reincarnation, I must refuse! By entering the game with my own body, I will surely shake the foundation of their immortal realm, and you will be able to uproot them in the future and avenge me.

If we win this battle, there's no need to say more; from now on, I will walk alone under the heavens!

Oh, and you can be added to the list too.

Wei Yuan felt as if he were encased in ice. He slowly rose, and the tables and chairs around him suddenly turned to dust. Then, everything in the study silently crumbled, as if an invisible annihilation barrier was expanding. In the blink of an eye, the entire study was completely destroyed, and the dust continued to spread outwards.

In an instant, the divine senses of many cultivators from the Primordial Palace turned towards this direction, unaware of what had happened. However, the moment all their divine senses touched the slowly expanding annihilation barrier, each cultivator let out a muffled groan, their divine senses feeling as if they were being scorched by raging fire, all of them being swept back and suffering considerable injuries.

Wei Yuan then realized what was happening and reined in his rapidly losing consciousness.

He stood in the empty space, holding the letter in his hand, slowly activating his divine sense to ponder where things had gone wrong. Judging from the letter, the other party had likely obtained the key cause and effect, allowing them to unleash the Great Cause and Effect Curse once more.

Moreover, the cause and effect seem to be related to his mortal bloodline, so the power of the spell far exceeds the original Great Cause and Effect Spell, and apart from Wei Yuan's bloodline, no one else can share the burden.

Therefore, upon receiving the invitation to the final battle, Zhang Sheng decided to personally enter the fray and take on this life-or-death ordeal for Wei Yuan.

Wei Yuan tried to recall his mortal bloodline, but he couldn't remember anyone, as if his life before the age of six was a blank. This meant that this karmic connection had either been erased or taken away. Moreover, this person's methods were extremely terrifying; they could not only affect the present but also rewind the past and erase what had already happened.

Wei Yuan pondered deeply, yet he still found the truth somewhat unbelievable. He now possessed immense karma, and with the formation of the prosperous realms and the initial integration of the Six Grotto-Heavens, it was truly magnificent. If the karma of an ordinary cultivator was like a pebble that could be tossed around at will, then Wei Yuan's karma was like a mountain range, located in the highest heavens, immovable and untouchable.

Even the Immortal Lord Yan Shi cannot so completely erase Wei Yuan's mortal bloodline and karma. Wei Yuan's life in the mortal realm is now as if it has vanished. However, Wei Yuan still remembers Feng Yuanjun and his birthplace, Ye County. Whenever he visits Ye County, he can always find some clues. Previously, following the conventions of the cultivation world, Wei Yuan severed this karmic connection, intending to reconnect it only after reaching the highest realms, or even ascending to the Immortal Heaven. But now, he has to do it sooner.

To arbitrarily alter the bloodline of a cultivator in the mortal realm is a grave taboo in the cultivation world, an act that incurs the wrath of both humans and immortals. Clearly, the other party had no such scruples.

The other party seemed to have no scruples whatsoever.

A tremendous anger slowly formed in Wei Yuan's heart, then transformed into an eternal chill. Those people weren't without flaws; some were in the limelight. And among them was a key figure: Prince Ji.

Wei Yuan composed himself and immediately ordered the exchange of all relevant information about the Martial Ancestor's plans within the Taichu Palace. He also prepared to pay his respects to Yan Shi and the Palace Master of the Sword Palace. These two Immortal Lords were difficult to restrain using conventional methods and likely knew more than others.

Wei Yuan wanted to know what kind of scheme the Martial Ancestor had orchestrated, and just how great the price was for overthrowing a monarch. The fortunes of billions could be enough to slay immortals. What about billions, or even tens of billions? Would that be enough to change dynasties?

Having given the order, he suddenly turned around and saw the void dissipate, revealing Zhang Sheng covered in blood, surrounded by four immortal swords, who lifted her from the void. The moment she stepped out, Zhang Sheng collapsed into Wei Yuan's arms, unable to support herself any longer!
Wei Yuan instinctively hugged her tightly, only to find his hand covered in blood! Then he noticed her left sleeve was empty; her arm was nowhere to be seen. On her abdomen was a gaping wound, sword energy constantly arising and ceasing, flesh and blood continuously regenerating and festering. Besides this, Zhang Sheng had several other sword wounds, some deep enough to expose bone.

Upon seeing Wei Yuan, Zhang Sheng forced a smile and said, "Put me down, I want to... stand..."

"Treat the injury first..."

"Now that I'm back, I'm not going to die. This battle... yielded pretty good results..."

Zhang Sheng now held two broken swords in his hand, which he then tossed to the ground. The broken swords were broad and heavy, exuding an ancient charm, and faint chanting of scriptures echoed around them after they landed.

Zhang Sheng said, "It turns out there was more than one Buddha sword, but this one has been broken by me. From now on, their Buddha swords are incomplete and they must come to our Buddha Sword Peak to complete them."

"Is the Buddha Sword that powerful? Didn't they tamper with it?"

"Of course they moved. They secretly hid Yu Jing, but I used the Immortal Slaughtering Sword Formation to trap him and kill him along with the Buddha Sword."

Zhang Sheng spoke casually, but Wei Yuan could see that her soul was unstable, and the Sword Tomb of the World showed signs of decay, as if a thousand years had passed.

After recounting his battle record, Zhang Shengfang said, "My injuries are a bit severe, you..."

Then there was nothing more to say.

Wei Yuan was shocked. Upon closer inspection, he discovered that Zhang Sheng was standing with his hands behind his back, already unconscious.

(End of this chapter)