Sword Sect Outer Sect

Chapter 359 Magic Weapon
"What are you doing?" Song Yan frowned. "Are you out of your mind?"

Burning like karmic fire is no joke, especially since this is just a phantom without any spiritual power to protect it.

However, the figure ignored his shouts.

His steps were slow but firm, and with each step he took, his figure became a little more ethereal, but his indomitable spirit became even more awe-inspiring.

The blazing white flames touched the edge of the phantom, emitting a chilling burning sound.

The figure paused noticeably for a moment, but its will to move forward remained undiminished.

Finally, its figure completely disappeared into the heart of the raging fire.

For a moment, the flames on the entire mountaintop seemed to pause, but then they burst forth with an unprecedentedly intense light.

The fiery flames licked and burned the illusory figure, its outline rapidly thinning and becoming transparent in the pool of fire, as if it would evaporate completely at any moment.

The intense pain distorted the already indistinct face, but a strange sight also occurred.

The figure's hands held the Cloud Abyss Sword Bamboo tightly and firmly.

The bamboo was not burned. Under the tempering of the karmic fire, the bluish-gray luster flowing on the surface of the Cloud Abyss Sword Bamboo suddenly subsided and emitted a buzzing sound.

The surface of the sword bamboo exudes a warm, jade-like luster.

Song Yan was taken aback.

Unable to use his spiritual power, this senior chose to guide the flow of karmic fire with his own obsession.

He seemed to be using his own body as a medium and a mold for forging.

Now, the karmic fire can only bring him pain, but cannot kill his obsession.

Flame became an extension of his will, and a tool for him.

Song Yan couldn't help but gasp; this completely overturned his understanding of weapon refiners.

What kind of obsession must one have to achieve this?
As he was lost in thought, the Cloud Abyss Sword Bamboo in the fire pool began to slowly change.

Under the burning flames, the sword bamboo gradually split into two parts, one of which was slowly lifted up by a figure.

Strands of deep blue light began to merge into the blade of the flying sword.

With each ray of light incorporated, Qiu Ren's radiance became more restrained, and the sword's resilience, spirituality, and the sense of connection between mind and spirit all increased at an astonishing rate.

The light emanating from the purple spirit miasma on the sword seemed to be stimulated by this golden and woody aura, with purple light flowing and reflecting the deep green bamboo energy.

The other part of the bamboo, closer to the root, embodies the resilience of the entire sword bamboo, and its verdant color becomes even deeper and more restrained.

Under the forging of flames, it slowly deforms.

Finally, a sword sheath about three feet long and entirely bluish-gray gradually took shape.

It is covered with fine cloud-like veins, exuding a tough aura. The ends of the scabbard still retain the natural curve of bamboo joints, adding to its ancient and vigorous feel.

Song Yan hadn't seen a sword sheath in the cultivation world for a long time.

Nowadays, most flying swords are stored in Qiankun bags and used to kill enemies as soon as they are unleashed.

After sword cultivators disappeared, sword-nurturing tools such as sword boxes and sword gourds became rare.

Sword sheaths are even rarer. As far as I can remember, only the swords of ordinary martial arts swordsmen have sword sheaths.

The figure grew fainter and more transparent under the burning karmic fire, until it was almost just an outline, swaying uncertainly, as if it might disappear at any moment.

However, his hands remained as steady as a rock.

It is unknown how much time has passed, but all the brilliance began to fade, the Qiu Ren flying sword above the fire pool slowly sank, while the scabbard in the fire pool began to slowly rise.

The Qiu Ren Flying Sword is slowly returning to its sheath.

I don't know how much time passed; it might have been a moment, or it might have been a long time.

The flying sword was completely embedded in the scabbard, fitting together perfectly, as if they were born as one.

Where the sword blade meets the scabbard, a warm, bluish-gray luster flows and fades like ripples on water, eventually returning to silence.

Only a hint of sharpness remained, lurking within its sheath, subtly sending shivers down one's spine.

"Zheng——!"

A tremendous pressure suddenly erupted from the flying sword!

Song Yan's pupils contracted instantly, and his mind was shaken.

"This is... a magical artifact?"

"Low-grade magic weapon..."

He couldn't believe it.

In the common knowledge of the cultivation world, magic weapons are objects that only Golden Core cultivators can refine, and only when driven by the spiritual power of Golden Core cultivators can they unleash their true power.

The highest-grade spiritual artifacts that Foundation Establishment cultivators can use are top-grade spiritual artifacts.

In fact, many Golden Core cultivators only use high-grade spiritual artifacts as a stepping stone before they find suitable materials to refine their natal magic treasures.

However, judging from the power and spiritual energy emanating from the flying sword Qiu Ren before them, it had clearly surpassed the category of spiritual artifacts.

This flying sword has gone through forging, failure, breakage, silence, repair, and reforging...

A thousand years later, it has actually undergone a complete transformation and become a low-grade magic weapon.

In a moment, Song Yan snapped out of his reverie and looked at the figure in the fire pool.

The figure did not move; it remained in the fire pit, kneeling there, looking up at the flying sword.

He is now merely clinging to a whim and has no way to personally experience the sharpness of this flying sword.

Song Yan remained silent for a moment, then casually made a gesture.

"Come."

The bluish-gray flying sword transformed into a streak of light, appearing in front of Song Yan and hovering in mid-air.

As my fingertips traced its surface, it felt cool and smooth. The mountain and river patterns on the scabbard, with their swirling clouds, exuded a spiritual quality amidst its ancient simplicity.

With a thought, the sword was drawn.

The light on the entire summit of Wujinzang Mountain seemed to dim for a moment, but it was then illuminated again by the bluish-gray radiance flowing from the sword.

Even without channeling spiritual power, simply drawing the sword reveals its chilling sharpness.

Unlike the dazzling brilliance of the flying sword when it was first repaired, it now possesses a deep and profound inner strength. On the spine of the sword, the patterns of the purple spirit miasma stone and the cloud abyss sword bamboo blend together, transforming into strange and mysterious patterns.

Logically speaking, with only the Foundation Establishment stage cultivation and lacking the extraordinary secret techniques of Gou Sheng, he should not be able to truly control magical treasures.

But Qiu Ren is extremely special. Originally, it was just a broken flying sword that could barely be called a magic weapon.

After being refined by itself and repaired by the Purple Spirit Miasma Stone, it reached the grade of a spiritual weapon.

Normally, even if a magical artifact is not upgraded, the imprint of divine sense and spiritual power will fade or even disappear during the process of reforging and enhancing its power, requiring the cultivator to refine it again.

However, for some reason, the spiritual power and divine imprint on it have not dissipated due to the advancement of the magic weapon.

Does that mean I can also slightly unleash the power of this magic weapon?

Thinking of this, a strong wind suddenly arose on the mountaintop, and countless sword energies surged forth, converging on the sword.

Instantly, the sword shone brightly, a deep halo flowed, and the sword intent of "Mirror Flower Water Moon" naturally circulated.

The surrounding mountains and rocks seemed to be veiled in a thin gauze, and the light was slightly distorted, giving people a dreamlike and illusory feeling, making it difficult to distinguish between reality and illusion.

A sudden inspiration struck Song Yanfu; with a slight flick of his wrist, he casually swiped forward.

A dreamlike, ethereal purple-blue sword aura instantly traversed the sky, slicing through distant mountain rocks.

With a soft thud, the rock split in two.

The sword energy pierced through the rocks, its momentum undiminished, before disappearing into the distant void, leaving only a ripple that lingered for a long time.

With a thought, he retrieved his flying sword.

Qiu Ren returned to its sheath, its sharpness and illusion instantly concealed, reverting to its unassuming, ancient appearance. Within the pool of fire, the hazy figure, tempered by the karmic flames, had long since flickered between light and shadow, leaving only a blurred outline.

He maintained the posture of supporting the sword with his hands until the sword sheath was completely closed. At that moment, the phantom trembled slightly and slowly lowered his hands.

Song Yan clearly saw that on that blurry outline, a faint yet distinct expression seemed to emerge.

My obsession has finally dissipated, and my long-cherished wish has been fulfilled.

He was merely an obsession, and of course he wouldn't know that he had borrowed the spiritual power of some treasure to have this opportunity to fulfill his long-cherished wish.

But it doesn't matter, his wish came true.

Under the scorching heat of the fiery inferno, the figure suddenly flickered and then silently melted into the pool of fire.

The flames in the pool seemed to soften at this moment, and their surging momentum slowed down.

At this moment, the Yin-Yang Realm was calm and quiet, and the figure was no longer seen by the fire pool on the mountain peak.

Only a flying sword remained in its sheath, humming softly.

The imagined sword-wielding illusion never appeared, and he vanished from the world completely.

Song Yan remained silent for a moment, then bowed slightly towards the fire pit.

For him, the flying sword Qiu Ren is now extremely unique from any perspective.

This was the first magical artifact in his life, and the only flying sword among all the flying swords collected by the Endless Treasury that had a scabbard.

But it originated from a deep-seated obsession that dates back thousands of years.

"Uncle Yan..."

Song Yan pondered the name as his divine sense withdrew from the Yin-Yang Realm.

Perhaps, after some time, I should visit the Yan family again at Beiya Mountain.

We went to the grave of this "Uncle Yan" to pay our respects and express our gratitude.

After leaving the Yin-Yang Realm, Song Yan summoned Qiu Ren from the Endless Treasury. He didn't use his spiritual power, but simply held it in his hand and played with it for a while.

After confirming that the divine sense and spiritual energy imprint were still there, he put them away.

Right now, I certainly don't have the ability to fully unleash the power of this magical flying sword. I should focus on cultivating properly.

He then stepped into the quiet chamber of the cave.

……

In the Qin family's secret place, bamboo curtains hung low.

"Fairy Qin, please come in directly."

Zhang Xingming's voice was devoid of emotion; he was merely a temporary guest, maintaining only the most basic politeness towards Qin Ying.

He sat on a bamboo mat, holding a scroll of paper in his hands. Judging from the title, it didn't seem to be a proper Taoist book.

Qin Ying walked slowly into the pavilion, her expression somewhat uncertain.

"Senior Zhang."

Zhang Xingming didn't look up at her once, but just kept flipping through the book in his hands, reading with great interest.

The Demon Ruins do not have such messy miscellaneous books and unofficial histories.

"What brings Fairy Qin Ying here?"

Qin Ying pondered for a moment, seemingly choosing her words.

"Senior Zhang, I have a favor to ask."

"explain."

Zhang Xingming gave a perfunctory reply, turning another page in his hand.

"This junior humbly requests Senior Zhang to take action and kill someone."

"Oh? Who is it?"

Qin Ying took a deep breath and slowly replied, "Song Yan."

Upon hearing this name, Zhang Xingming paused in his reading, his gaze finally shifting from the book to Qin Ying's face.

His eyes narrowed slightly, and he asked with some curiosity, "Song Yan, I've heard of him, your fellow disciple."

"good."

Qin Ying nodded: "The sword talisman I lent to Xin Shan is now in his hands."

"Oh?"

Zhang Xingming frowned slightly: "What's going on?"

Qin Ying then told him everything that had happened in the forbidden area of ​​Dongyuan Sect.

"According to him, he obtained the sword talisman by killing Sheng Nian, but now Sheng Nian is nowhere to be found and there is no way to verify it."

"Compared to what he said, I am more suspicious that Sheng Nian killed Xin Shan and he deserves some credit."

Qin Ying said, "Sheng Nian and Song Yan may have known each other before."

If Qin Ying had followed his original plan, there would have been many ways to kill Song Yan.

For example, you could spend some time finding evidence of his connection with Sheng Nian, report it to the sect, and clean house; you wouldn't even need to do it yourself.

But that won't work now. I've heard that the great one from the Yellow Springs Path has already emerged from seclusion, and there probably isn't enough time.

But as long as Song Yan was alive, she was uneasy, worried that Sheng Nian might have obtained some information from Xin Shan, that the two of them might have communicated with Chen Linyuan, and that all her hard work would have been in vain.

With each layer of thought she took, the murderous intent in her heart intensified; if this child was not eliminated, the consequences would be endless.

That's why they took the risk, hoping Zhang Xingming would intervene and extinguish this spark to prevent future trouble.

However, Zhang Xingming's face did not show any agreement; instead, it was filled with indifference, as if he was not in a good mood after hearing these words.

"Fairy Qin Ying, please forgive me for not being able to agree."

He began by saying, "I am timid and afraid of alerting the enemy."

Qin Ying's heart sank, but he maintained a respectful expression: "Senior, why do you say that? This boy poses a great threat, and it's best to get rid of him as soon as possible."

"This junior believes that with his Foundation Establishment cultivation, if senior were to take action, he could surely eliminate him with overwhelming force and without a sound. How could you say that you are alerting the enemy?"

Silently?

Zhang Xingming chuckled, but didn't offer any further explanation. He simply turned his attention back to the book in his hands.

"Fairy Qin Ying, please make yourself at home."

Qin Ying's expression stiffened for a moment. She hadn't expected Zhang Xingming to refuse so decisively, without even giving a reason.

She didn't believe the idea that she was timid and afraid of alerting the enemy.

Killing a Foundation Establishment cultivator with a Golden Core cultivation level is as easy as crushing an ant. Even now, with a Golden Core sword talisman to protect him, he's still just a slightly stronger ant.

However, she could not argue with Zhang Xingming's decision, so she could only lower her head to hide the resentment in her eyes: "Senior is far-sighted, it was the junior who did not think things through."

Sensing the other person's intention to dismiss her, she stood up, bowed, and turned to disappear behind the bamboo curtain.

The pavilion returned to silence, and Zhang Xingming's expression shifted between anger and uncertainty.

For the Demon Ruins to conquer the border region, the first and most crucial step is to destroy the Dongyuan Sect and take over the Chu Kingdom.

Everyone believed that he was also one of the demonic cultivators involved in this matter, but that he had arrived earlier than expected.

But in reality, this matter had absolutely nothing to do with Zhang Xingming.

He was sent here by the higher-ups of the Underworld to kill someone.

And this person is Song Yan.

(End of this chapter)