After being chosen by the Ice Queen

Its body is coiled like a mountain, with many scales peeled off, revealing the flesh underneath, where something resembling coral or crystals grows.

A giant serpent covered entirely in dark, metallic scales. No, not just one; eight slender heads covered in metallic scales lurked in the darkness. Seven of the heads were intertwined and drooped to the ground, while only the head in the very center stood tall and proud.

It was chained to the rock wall with iron chains engraved with runes, and it exuded an extremely fierce aura.

This is definitely not a living Yamata no Orochi. Kito Gou collected those special materials to feed or improve this monster!

"What...what the hell is this?" Chiba Rin's face turned pale; even she was terrified by this bizarre creation.

The cicada-shaped blade in Gu Yan's hand emitted a soft buzzing sound, its surface glowing intermittently. Meanwhile, the Orochi core within his body trembled like never before, threatening to burst forth and merge with the deformed creature before him.

"Hiss—Gah—!"

The giant serpent hissed, seemingly sensing the same power within Gu Yan. The other lowered heads were also startled awake, banging against the rock walls and chains. Eight pairs of fiery eyes simultaneously locked onto Gu Yan.

"It's been alerted! Watch out!" Chiba Rin shouted sharply.

Just as Gu Yan raised his knife, footsteps and the sound of a gun being cocked came from the cave entrance. The Dark Crow guards outside had clearly noticed the commotion.

"Go get the materials. The Divine Steel and Demon Blood Crystal marked on the blueprints should be in those boxes. I'll hold it off from the guards at the entrance." Chiba Rin made a decision instantly, his eyes flashing with a desperate, reckless glint.

"No! Together!" Gu Yan gritted his teeth. The monster gave him an extremely dangerous feeling, and it was clearly targeting him.

"Enough talk! Go!" Chiba Rin charged towards the raised snake head, his black sword flashing like a waterfall, aiming straight for the neck. "Your sword needs an upgrade. Get the item first, then come help me!"

Gu Yan knew this wasn't the time to argue. He stomped his foot, his movements as swift as lightning, unleashing his full power of his sense of danger. In an instant, he locked onto a metal box radiating intense energy fluctuations and a seemingly ordinary wooden box that reeked of a sweet, metallic scent. He wielded his Cicada-Slaying Blade, channeling his power to cleave the flow of energy, and easily cleaved open the lock.

Inside the metal box were three fist-sized pieces of strange metal, their surfaces a deep, starry blue. In the wooden box were several irregularly shaped crystals, about the size of pigeon eggs, emanating an eerie rainbow light from within. The two most important materials on the Daodaozhai inventory list were clearly visible.

Gu Yan quickly put both of them into the specially made leather pouch he was carrying.

"roar--!"

The serpent's head withstood Chiba Rin's blade, the black rain leaving a trail of sparks and deep gashes on its metallic scales. The giant serpent, in pain, suddenly spewed out a cloud of dark green poisonous mist. The mist filled the air, causing the rocks to sizzle and corrode.

Chiba Rin hurriedly retreated, holding her breath, but her arm was still stained with a trace of poisonous mist, and her sleeve was instantly corroded.

At the same time, four Dark Raven assassins rushed in from the entrance and opened fire on the two.

Bullets flew everywhere, and Gu Yan hurriedly rolled to dodge, while simultaneously slashing his knife to deflect stray bullets, sparks flying.

He had to leave immediately. Gu Yan's mind raced. He grabbed his leather pouch, about to rush over to meet up with Chiba Rin. Suddenly, he felt a tightness in his chest, and out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of an inconspicuous, long, rectangular stone box at the very bottom of the pile of supplies. On the surface of the stone box was an extremely simple pattern—a cloud pierced by a sword-shaped symbol.

Almost instinctively, Gu Yan braved the hail of bullets and rushed forward, intending to pry open the stone box with his thin blade.

The moment the cicada's claw touched the stone box, the previously dusty box suddenly shone brightly, ancient runes flowing across its surface. Gu Yan sensed something and placed his hand on it; instantly, the runes dimmed and shattered. An aura that stirred the power within Gu Yan flowed out—could it be…?!

A surge of sword intent soared into the sky, majestic yet carrying the awe-inspiring power to slay all calamities. The poisonous mist in the entire cave was instantly cleared away. The eight heads of the giant serpent let out a mournful cry and retreated. A palm-sized fragment, neither gold nor jade, warm and smooth like bone, appeared, its shape clearly showing it was part of the sword tip.

Fragments of the Ame-no-Murakumo sword, imbued with the divine power to sever calamities!

Gu Yan grabbed the fragment; it was cool to the touch, and the chilling sword intent resonated with the thin membrane of sword intent within his body, as if blending seamlessly with water and milk. Gu Yan even felt that the trace of the rule of severing contained within the fragment was spontaneously surging into his body.

"Gu Yan!" Chiba Rin's shout came. She had already killed a gunman, but her arm was poisoned, making her movements somewhat slow, and she was forced to retreat repeatedly.

Gu Yan stuffed the fragment into his leather pouch, a fierce glint in his eyes. He poured the Zhuyin Breath, which had become exceptionally active due to its resonance with the Kusanagi Sword fragment, into the Cicada's Lair with all his might!

The slender blade emitted a clear, resonant hum, emanating a strange blade aura tinged with starlight and blue light. The air around the blade seemed to be sliced ​​open, distorting slightly.

【Shadow Erosion - Flow Interruption】is infused with the 【Calamity Slash】 power of the Ama-Kusanami!

"cut!"

Gu Yan let out a low shout, his figure like a phantom, instantly covering several meters. The blade light drew a perfect arc, slashing towards the seam connecting the central snake head and the body.

There was no resounding clang of metal clashing; it was as if a hot knife were slicing through butter. The metal scales and muscles that could withstand the slashing of the black rain were easily cut through like paper by this blade light that combined the power of the Candle Shadow and the power of the Kusanagi Sword! Blood gushed out like rusted machine oil.

"Hiss—!!!" The central snake head let out an extremely shrill scream, its huge body twisting wildly, while the other seven heads also thrashed about in agony, causing the chains to rattle and the rock wall to collapse.

This sudden and devastating blow caused the assassins who were besieging Chiba Rin to pause in surprise.

"Go!" Gu Yan seized the opportunity to rush to Qian Ye Lin's side, supporting her with one hand and stuffing the antidote pill into her mouth. With his other hand, he swung his sword, and a condensed blade aura slashed towards the cave entrance, forcing back the two assassins who were trying to intercept him.

Gu Yan and his companion had no intention of continuing the fight and fled desperately towards the passage they had entered through.

They ran wildly along the passage, climbed the iron ladder, rushed out of the inner palace, and traversed the cliff... They dared not stop for a moment. Only when they disappeared into the forest and left their pursuers behind did the two of them collapse against a giant tree.

Gu Yan's hand holding the thin blade trembled slightly. The starlight and blue light on the blade had faded, and it had returned to the shape of an ordinary narrow blade. But upon closer inspection, the blade seemed to have gained a faint, indescribable spirituality.

He touched the leather pouch in his arms, which contained divine steel, demon blood crystals, and a fragment of the Kusanagi sword.

The system voice suddenly rang out.

[Obtained key item: 'Ama-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi: Broken Star' (Fragment)]

[Item Description: A small fragment of the Kusanagi Sword (Ama-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi). It contains the power of mythological concepts such as 'severing calamities,' 'commanding the weather,' and 'purifying evil spirits.' Though only a fragment remains, its divine nature is not extinguished.]

[Item Status: Slightly Active (Resonates with the Holder)]

[Note: This item can be used as a very high-level forging material, or you can try to awaken its inherent divinity in a specific way.]

Almost simultaneously, the task panel also changed:

Side Quest: The Promise to Find the Sword (In Progress)

[Current progress update:]

Clue Collection (2/?): Obtain the map linking "Yu Neng Qi Lu Island" and "Shin Giri"; obtain the fragment of "Ama-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi: Remnant Star".

[Task Evaluation Improvement: Due to the acquisition of items highly relevant to the task objectives, the task's weight and potential rewards have been increased.]

[Special energy and inherited resonance detected...]

The divine essence of the fragments of the 'Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi: Remnant Star' is undergoing a low-intensity fusion reaction with the 'Breath of Candlelight (Newborn)'...

[The divine essence of the fragments of 'Ama-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi: Remnant Star' is actively suppressing and purifying the core resentment imprint of 'Yamata no Orochi's Afterimage (Fragment)'... Purification progress: 0.1%...]

[Warning: The fusion and purification process requires maintaining energy balance and mental stability. Forcibly accelerating it may lead to unknown risks.]

[Based on the stimulation of fragmented divinity and the pressure of actual combat, the skill 'Shadow Erosion' undergoes a mutation and advancement...]

[Acquired prototype of new skill: Slash of Calamity (Beginner)]

[Skill Description: A special attack formed by fusing the profound temporal power of the Candlelight Breath with the conceptual prototype of the Kusanagi Sword's "Severing Calamity." It has additional special attack effects against targets with "Abnormalities," "Evil Spirits," and "Conceptual Contamination," and the attack carries a weak divine purification and rule-severing characteristic.]

[Current state: Extremely unstable, requires extensive practice and energy nurturing to stabilize.]

Gu Yan secretly calculated that he had gained quite a lot this time. He recalled the stone box containing the Kusanagi Sword; it must have been sealed, which explained why he hadn't noticed it before. As for the other fragments, according to his internal senses, they vaguely felt like they didn't belong to this world… that was rather strange. However, the next step was to ask Totosai to forge a sword.

After resting, the two continued their journey under the cover of night, heading towards the tavern.