Fangxian Heretical Path

Chapter 283 The Daughter's Choice: Sword Demon
Buzz!
Under the combined suppression of the three, the Nine Tribulations White Sword's decline became increasingly apparent.

The group of people scattered around, their faces filled with joy.

"This plan is indeed feasible. Even though this sword is a Nine Tribulation Magic Weapon, it has neither a master nor any pills or spirit stones. In this way, it can be worn down in seven days to fourteen days."

This sword must be depleted of its spiritual energy; it can only submit to us.

Fang Shu held a banner and spoke eloquently.

Upon hearing this, Zong Qingxue and Jiao Lulu nodded in agreement.

As Fang Shu had predicted, the three of them became increasingly adept at cooperating with each other. With the help of the thousand-year-old spiritual medicine in Fang Shu's possession, they were able to replenish their true energy in a timely manner, no matter how much they consumed.

Even through this repeated consumption and nourishment, the three of them refined their true energy, gaining considerable benefits.

However, the hard work over the past few days, especially for Fang Shu himself, has taken a toll on his mental strength. He is like a bowstring, taut and unable to relax, and there is a sign that he is about to break.

But the more this happened, the more Fang Shu's fighting spirit soared.

He stared intently at the white sword in the formation without blinking: "A mere artifact dares to challenge others. Let's see who can outlast whom!"

His behavior changed Zong Qingxue's opinion of him, who had initially thought he was frivolous.

The woman narrowed her eyes, watching Fang Shu, who was becoming increasingly excited, and thought to herself:
"I didn't expect this kid to be such a determined person, not at all inferior to us sword cultivators. No wonder he was able to cultivate his current magical power from an ordinary novice."

at last.

Seven days passed in the blink of an eye.

During this period, many immortals initially climbed the mountain, hoping to gain an advantage. However, later on, it seemed that because the Nine Tribulations White Sword was suppressed, the spiritual energy on the Golden Mountain became more restrained and no longer shone brightly, so not many people came.

clank!

The Nine Tribulations White Sword seemed to realize that if it continued, it would undoubtedly be defeated, and its actions began to become quite impatient.

The thunder and lightning above Jinshan grew increasingly frequent.

This sword seemed poised to break its limits at any moment, as if it were about to cause a desperate, all-or-nothing outcome.

Zong Qingxue was the first to notice this, and opened her eyes, softly exclaiming:

"Beware!"

"Yes." Fang Shu and Jiao Lulu dared not be careless and immediately became alert.

Sizzle! Suddenly, the Nine Tribulations White Sword could no longer hold back. It raised a sword light and swept it horizontally towards Fang Shu and the others.

"retreat!"

Fang Shu's alarm blared, and he immediately used his divine sense to inform the two people on either side. However, he did not retreat immediately. Instead, he waved the banner in his hand even more forcefully, causing the surrounding Gu worms to rush forward and entangle the Nine Tribulations White Sword tightly.

As long as the banner remains undamaged, even if all the Gu worms are killed, it will be fine.

To Fang Shu's surprise, the situation was even better than he had expected. Before the white sword's light could even break out of the formation, a sudden flash of lightning appeared in the sky, striking the sword light hard.

The sharp sword light shattered on the spot, failing to strike Fang Shu and the others, but instead breaking the platform on the ground.

The greatest damage suffered by Fang Shu's Gu formation was only from the Gu worms killed when the secret realm's lightning broke through.

This situation surprised and delighted all three of them.

Zong Qingxue landed to the side, her eyes sparkling as she watched, and couldn't help but exclaim, "The secret realm reacted so quickly, Fellow Daoist Fang's plan is truly feasible!"

Jiao Lulu stared at the way the white sword was being slashed, her gaze constantly shifting between the white sword and the square bundle, feeling even more astonished.

Even though Fang Shu had made a solemn promise before, now, relying on the rules of the secret realm, they actually managed to "beat" the white sword so badly that it was powerless to fight back.

This situation truly left her feeling bewildered.

Fang Shu was slightly surprised when he saw this.

The reason he wanted to win over Zong Qingxue and Jiao Lulu was not only to gather the two women's true energy and magical power, but also because he wanted the two women to help him share the burden of Bai Jian's counterattack.

After all, before the deaths of the Er family patriarch and others in the underground palace, they still displayed genuine Foundation Establishment strength, and only then did the lightning of the secret realm strike.

Of course, he was confident that he had the protective magic weapon and the Gu formation, so he wouldn't really let the two women die. At most, he would just make Zong Qingxue's flying sword useless in the process.

As a result, the lightning in this secret realm came suddenly and fiercely, giving the white sword no room to run rampant, and many preparations could be put aside.

Fang Shu pondered to himself: "Could it be because when the old ghost of the Er family and the Dragon Master fought, they were in the underground palace. The underground palace at least provided some isolation, but this golden mountain was directly exposed to the outside, and there were no arrays to isolate it from the outside. That's why the secret realm reacted so quickly?"

But he only pondered for a moment before withdrawing his attention.

Regardless of the reason, since this white sword is completely out of its element and refuses to acknowledge a master, it deserves to be bullied by the group.

Fang Shu rallied his forces and decided to continue trapping the white sword.

To his even greater surprise, this sword was truly unruly. After being struck by lightning, it was enveloped in its own lightning and leaped up from the shattered dueling platform in a rage, pointing its sword at the sky above the secret realm.

This sword not only failed to conceal its aura, but instead its sword energy surged, as if it wanted to defy the rules of the secret realm.

Then, a dense barrage of lightning, like a torrential downpour, fell from the sky, engulfing the entire dueling arena.

Fang Shu and the others first felt a pure white scene in front of them, and then their ears were ringing loudly, almost deafening them.

Such momentum and such a turbulent situation left the three of them momentarily stunned.

Fang Shu had no time to feel secretly pleased. He gasped and immediately pulled his Gu worms back into the banner, dispelling the Gu formation to prevent his Gu worms from being needlessly killed off.

Amidst the interplay of light and electricity, the Nine Tribulations White Sword was engulfed in lightning. As expected of an artifact that was only one step away from "complete formation," it was still able to navigate through the lightning, albeit with some stumbling and wobbling. It was nothing like the useless ancestor of the Er family.

Even so, the mournful clanging sounds still emanated from the sword.

The three of them came to their senses and were filled with doubt.

Fang Shu and Zong Qingxue, in particular, frowned and began to worry that the white sword was too arrogant and might be destroyed by the lightning of the secret realm.

Fortunately, after a few more breaths, the mournful sword sound became faint, and the white sword also withdrew its aura, seemingly submitting to the "majesty of heaven".

The thunder that had been raging all around had also subsided considerably.

Even so, lightning continued to strike, trapping the white sword and preventing it from escaping, as if it wanted to completely destroy this presumptuous fellow.

Clang!

A sword cry, seemingly divine, emanated from within the sword and simultaneously reached the ears of Fang Shu and the other two.

It was speaking as if it were a human:
“I acknowledge… I only respect the way of the sword… I acknowledge killing heretics…” The three were stunned at first, and then Zong Qingxue and Jiao Lulu both looked at Fang Shu’s face.

Fang Shu snapped out of his daze, his face immediately turning awkward.

Without a doubt, the heretic that the swordsman was referring to was none other than the one who was in charge of this battle.

The vague message he sent was to get Zong Qingxue or Jiao Lulu to promise that they would acknowledge Fang Shu if they killed him.

Buzz!

Without hesitation, Fang Shu flew backward, facing the two women. Two spiked arrows flew out from his body in one breath, ready to fight and escape down the mountain at any moment.

When Zong Qingxue and the other woman saw his actions, their expressions changed.

Jiao Lulu was also holding the drum at her waist, subtly increasing the distance between herself and Zong Qingxue, clearly wary of her.

"If this woman dares to harm Brother Fang, I will join forces with Brother Fang to kill her," she thought to herself.

Anyway, she wasn't a swordswoman, and her cultivation was the weakest among the three. Only if she had lost her mind would Jiao Lulu join forces to deal with Fang Shu.

Zong Qingxue noticed Jiao Lulu's movements, and her brows immediately furrowed.

In contrast, the Nine Tribulations White Sword on the shattered dueling platform was still enduring the lightning, its blade creaking and groaning, clearly not long to last.

Its sword's cry, high-pitched and resonant, reached the ears of the three:

"Quickly agree... If it's possible, I will... If not, I'd rather die a glorious death..."

This fiend actually insisted that Zong Qingxue agree to this matter before he would be willing to live a little longer; otherwise, he would rather suffer on the dueling platform and be destroyed by the lightning of the secret realm.

Fang Shu heard the sword's cry from the object, and he was slightly surprised.

This sword seems truly unruly!
At the same time, he became increasingly wary of Zong Qingxue. As soon as she nodded in agreement, he would immediately pounce on her and kill her quickly.

To prevent this woman from joining forces with that Nine Tribulations White Sword and truly endangering his life!

As a result, Zong Qingxue was stared at warily by the two men. She hesitated for less than three breaths before letting out a long breath, her face cold:
"Since you, senior, respect the way of the sword, do you know that we sword cultivators would never be threatened by anyone!"
"If you're going to die, then die. What's the point of all this noise?"

The words fell.

The woman simply put away her sword, placed it in her hand, and slowly stroked the broken and damaged parts of the sword. She even closed her eyes slightly, looking as if she couldn't be bothered with the affairs of the outside world.

Zong Qingxue's action immediately attracted the attention of Fang Shu and Jiao Lulu.

Fang Shu, in particular, had a flicker in his eyes, somewhat surprised that this woman would give up the Nine Tribulations White Sword that was about to be obtained, and so decisively at that.

If it were him, he would probably hesitate and struggle with the decision several times.

However, Fang Shu was not a talkative person either. Since this woman dared to give up the benefits that were within his grasp, he agreed.

He immediately raised his voice and shouted:
"Alright! Senior Sister, rest assured, if you do not fail me, I will certainly not fail you."

We will not allow this thing's attempt to sow discord to succeed.

Zong Qingxue had already closed her eyes, but upon hearing Fang Shu's words, she couldn't help but open them again and glared at Fang Shu fiercely from a distance of more than ten feet.

But she didn't correct Fang Shu's choice of words, lest it make her seem sarcastic; she simply sneered:

"If that's the case, why are you hiding so far from me? Hurry up and deal with this sword."

Fang Shu smiled, showing no embarrassment. He gently waved the Hundred Gu Banner of the Dragon Spine, letting the Gu worms go first, before slowly stepping forward and returning to the fighting arena.

At this moment, the Nine Tribulations White Sword on the sword platform was even more listless, and its blade began to twist, clearly indicating that it was about to be unable to withstand the blows from the secret realm.

A series of rapid sword cries emanated from it, almost hysterical, prompting the three people outside the sword platform to lend a hand.

Later on, it could no longer take flight and was instead firmly locked to the sword platform by the lightning.

This creature stopped making demands and began to wail mournfully, as if it would acknowledge any of Fang Shu's or the others who rescued it.

When Fang Shu and Zong Qingxue heard this, they exchanged a glance and both felt that the time was right. They could now consider rescuing the white sword to avoid destroying it and wasting its precious resource.

However, this secret realm of lightning is not something they can easily touch.

The Nine Tribulations White Sword could endure more than ten breaths in that environment, but they probably couldn't even last one breath.

Just as the two were about to communicate with the white sword again, the situation suddenly changed. A shrill scream suddenly rang out from inside the Nine Tribulations White Sword.

The sound was filled with resentment, like a human voice or the clang of a sword.

Immediately, the two saw a phantom suddenly appear on the white sword. The figure had opened its eyes, and although its appearance was blurry, they could see the panic, astonishment, and despair on its face.

"Save me...save me...I can pass on the supreme swordsmanship to you..."

The voice was much clearer than the sound of the sword's cry earlier.

"This is... a sword spirit?" Fang Shu's heart stirred, and his face showed surprise.

Meanwhile, Zong Qingxue's expression changed repeatedly, first appearing solemn, then filled with relief.

She said, "It is not a sword spirit, but rather the lingering remnant soul left behind by someone from the past. It is hiding inside the white sword and disguised as a sword spirit. Now, under the pressure of the secret realm, it has finally been forced out."

Upon hearing this, Fang Shu frowned slightly.

As far as he knew, the lineage of sword cultivation relied heavily on the tools of predecessors, rather than scriptures and texts, and was said to be passed down from one generation to the next.

But I've never heard of anyone attaching their lingering remnants of their soul to a sword, and hiding it so well that it's only now coming to light.

Clearly, the remnant soul of that predecessor likely harbored ill intentions!

Just as Zong Qingxue finished transmitting her voice, the lightning that had been relatively restrained on the dueling platform suddenly surged again, and a rough golden bolt of lightning descended from the sky, striking the illusory figure directly.

It seems that the reason the secret realm has been attacking the white sword for so long is because it has its eye on the remnant soul inside the sword.

With a scream of agony, the phantom was instantly annihilated, its soul scattered and transformed into streaks of light.

The white sword it was attached to also hummed and vibrated, and the tendon restrictions on the sword body actually collapsed inch by inch. Its momentum plummeted and it fell to the sixth tribulation in one breath.

It could no longer withstand the thunder, and with a snap, it was overturned and flew towards Fang Shu and the other person.

Fang Shu and Zong Qingxue were standing outside the platform when they suddenly woke up and got up together.

One person lunged at the white sword, while another grabbed at the streaks of light.

(End of this chapter)