Demon Sword Immortal

Bai wiped the sweat from his brow with the back of his hand.

There was no need to preserve them anymore. She waved her hand, ripped off a large number of roots, cut them all open, and frantically poured demon blood onto the branding iron.

When the demon blood comes into contact with the sword embryo, some of it will evaporate. A large amount of smoke mixed with scarlet flames rises up, and you can vaguely see some of the essence blood being absorbed by the sword embryo.

“A thousand-year-old demon…it shouldn’t have more than a thousand years of cultivation.”

Bai Xiang looked up at the egg sheath.

"Without a soul, I don't know if this can be considered a complete 'Demon Pool'?"

But it doesn't matter.

She was simply looking for a handy weapon; whether she was seriously pursuing the path of 'sword forging' was something she no longer cared about.

Just as Bai Xiang was about to continue, he suddenly sensed a cry for help.

"Do not……"

"Please, don't..."

What's going on?

Bai Xiang kept moving his hands and looked up at the egg sheath again.

The sound grew louder and louder; upon closer listening, it seemed to be coming from the broken ends of the roots.

Focusing his spiritual power on his eyes, Bai Xiang glimpsed a semi-transparent female phantom hanging on them.

"Chai Xuan?"

Bai Xiang was taken aback at first, then a smile crept onto his face.

"Oh, you really are very lucky..."

"Don't even think about it! Listen to me!" Chai Xuan's remnant soul spoke rapidly: "I was originally going to be eaten by it... stored in a corner of its egg sheath... Now I'm essentially living and dying with this thing, you only need to take a little bit of my essence blood, there's no need to give it all away!"

Bai Xiang remained silent, so she quickly added, "I know it was wrong of me to steal the Bai family's opportunity, but didn't you get all the benefits too?"

“I’m dead… and I’ve become like this. I’m afraid my father was also killed by you.”

"You also killed the Cicada Ancestor and obtained the Zhenyuan Sword Embryo, so you can directly attempt to forge the sword here!"

"You've already gotten enough! So let me go! Spare my life!"

"I, Chai Xuan, swear on my remaining soul that as long as you spare me and find me a new body, I will serve you as my master for all eternity! I will do anything you ask!"

"Physical body?" Bai Xiang frowned. "Just tell me who you want."

“Xu Xi!” Chai Xuan’s eyes widened, and she perked up.

"I've calculated it... We're about the same age, and she's had her life essence drained, leaving her weak. Maybe I can succeed!"

"Is it just 'maybe'?" Bai Xiang questioned. "Where did you get this body-snatching technique? This is not something you should know!"

“Naturally… it was a serendipitous encounter I had elsewhere…” Chai Xuan’s eyes flickered slightly, then she urged her, “What do you think?”

"This is how to maximize profits!"

"I'll also vouch for you... You won't lose out—huh!???"

Before she could finish speaking, Chai Xuan's remnant soul let out a miserable scream as Bai Xiang stabbed her with a red-hot sword blank, burning a hole in her soul.

"What is that!" Chai Xuan screamed, "It can actually damage the soul...!?"

"Ah!!!" Another scream.

"I have no interest in trading with trash."

Bai wanted to withdraw the Qi from his sword, his yellow eyes filled with indifference.

You still want to serve me as your master?

Excuse me.

You do not deserve.

"what!!!"

"Oh!!!!"

"Ahhhhhh!!!!!!"

She deliberately didn't kill Chai Xuan in one go, but instead used the sword embryo imbued with Qi to burn her more than ten times.

At first, Chai Xuan tried to explain and plead, but in the middle, she became desperate and started cursing. In the end, she cried out, only asking Bai Xiang to give her a quick death.

Only at this point did Bai Xiang realize the point was lost. The Qi on the sword embryo surged, engulfing Chai Xuan's last remaining soul and instantly shredding it into nothingness.

She treated it as if it were a small matter, without pausing, and continued to forge the outline of the sword blank.

Once shaped, it is clamped into a nearby water pool for quenching.

After quenching, the separated materials are used to forge the sword guard and cylindrical grip, and then the pins are inserted to fix them in place to prevent slipping.

There's no need to wait for further processing of the sword hilt; simply grasp the wrist and let the blood flow freely.

"Chichichichi...!"

The blade emitted wisps of white smoke.

Bai Xiang enveloped the sword with his essence and qi, and finished polishing it in just a few breaths.

Thus, a three-foot-long sword, with an overall appearance identical to the cloud-patterned wooden sword, and also a brand-new sword in the style of the Han sword, was finally born.

Compared to the original Zhenyuan sword, the inscription on the blade is gone.

The sword blank seemed a bit too wide and long. After the new sword was forged, it shrank by a size, and its size and length were just right.

Then, leather was wrapped around the hilt. Holding it, the silky, perfect, and smooth feeling was transmitted directly from the palm of the hand, finally satisfying Bai Xiang.

After trying it out, I found that this sword indeed inherited the 'tradition' of wooden swords. Qi could be directly poured into it, and tiny heart meridian tissues remained inside, which were proliferating.

Bai Xiang brandished his sword in mid-air, unseen blades of energy slicing through the darkness and the air, emitting low, mournful cries.

It's time to name it.

Just as she was about to sheathe her sword, she suddenly realized there was another step involved.

What should I choose?

She was initially unsure, but then she caught a glimpse of the ancient book she had abandoned in the distance.

Oh……

So, this long-cherished wish of millions of years, in the end, still boils down to immortality...

"'The Realm of Non-Thoughts'."①

She suddenly spoke, her golden eyes fixed on the sword blade.

"I am looking forward."

"To endure eighty thousand calamities with you."②

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① The Realm of Neither Perception Nor Non-Perception: A Buddhist term. It is one of the 28 heavens, the fourth heaven in the Formless Realm of the Three Realms. It is also the highest heaven in the Three Realms, with a lifespan of 80,000 great kalpas.

②The Great Kalpa of 80,000: Human lifespan begins at 84,000 years, decreasing by one year every hundred years. It decreases to ten years, then increases by one year every hundred years until it reaches 84,000 years. This cycle of increase and decrease constitutes one small kalpa.

Twenty minor kalpas make up one intermediate kalpa, and eighty intermediate kalpas make up one major kalpa. A major kalpa is approximately 268.768 billion years.

The Eighty Thousand Great Calamities is eighty thousand 268.768 billion years.

References:

"Furthermore, in this world, twenty intermediate kalpas will be destroyed, twenty intermediate kalpas will be emptied, twenty intermediate kalpas will be formed, and twenty intermediate kalpas will be established and remain." — *Yogācārabhūmi-śāstra*

"After twenty intermediate kalpas, the world 'establishes' itself; after twenty intermediate kalpas of establishment, it 'abids'; this combined is called the Formation Kalpa. After twenty intermediate kalpas, the world 'destroys' itself; after twenty intermediate kalpas of destruction, it 'empties'; this combined is called the Destruction Kalpa. A total of eighty intermediate kalpas are collectively called the 'Great Kalpa.'" — *Abhidharmakośa*

Chapter Seventy-Five: Return (Part Two)

Hearing a rustling sound, Huang Qian subconsciously opened his eyes and woke up with a start. He sat up abruptly, his right hand instinctively reaching for his waist.

I didn't touch it.

After touching my shoulder again, I felt nothing at all.

He glanced instinctively at the bushes beside him, grabbed his broadsword, and squinted at the words 'Black Mane' engraved on the hilt. Only then did his mind settle down, and he began to reflect on the series of actions he had taken since waking up.

When in a dangerous situation and suddenly waking from unconsciousness, it is generally considered a grave mistake to immediately act impulsively. One should first continue to feign innocence, assess the situation, understand the environmental factors, and ascertain one's physical condition before making a decision.

How could I have been so reckless...?

Huang Qian shook his head inwardly, feeling that his thinking ability was somewhat sluggish and his physical condition was not as good as before.

Crack!

The sound of flames burning firewood.

Looking up, Huang Qian saw a huge bonfire with a giant wooden branch stuck in it. On the branch was a dressed cicada demon, its shell shiny from the heat.

Bai Xiang sat alone opposite the campfire, while two other people lay at the nine o'clock and three o'clock positions from Huang Qian, one of whom seemed to be Cao Chuan.

"The captain has woken up."

Bai Xiang had tied her white hair into a ponytail and had changed back into her tight-fitting battle suit. She was also wearing armor and vests on her chest and other parts of her body. As she turned the giant tree branch, she looked at Huang Qian and said, "There is a water bag next to the captain. You can drink a couple of sips to calm down."

Huang Qian indeed found the water pouch. He glanced at Bai Xiang, and without any formalities, he gulped down half of it.

"...Tell me what happened." After finishing his drink, he stared at Bai Xiang, his expression very serious. "Where are the others? Where is Liang Wenbo?"

"They're dead." Bai Xiang stared at the leaping flames. "They're all dead."

Without delay, he described the prepared plot in detail to Huang Qian, who was astonished.

What? You're saying this place is your Bai family's demon-raising ground? And there's a thousand-year-old demon pool hidden inside, and you're plotting against us?

What? Chai Xuan actually has such a conspiracy? The right-wing protector of the Demon Immortal Path in the south, 'Yi Tianzhi,' is actually the incarnation of her father, Chai Jingyuan?

What? This Chai family father and daughter actually went to Shenming Dojo to visit, just to explore the legendary 'Nine Tribulations Method', or even whether the 'Zhenyuan' sword embryo really exists?

Holding the "Chaoyuan Huaqi Jing" that Bai Xiang handed over, which was supposedly found on Chai Jingyuan, Huang Qian felt his brain was overwhelmed by too many shocks and went completely blank for a short time.

After the initial shock, Huang Qian couldn't help but ask Bai Xiang, "If that's the case, then how did you..."

He was genuinely curious.

If what Bai Xiang said is true, then after they and the others were trapped at the bottom of the egg sheath, she would have to face many threats alone.

First, there's Chai Jingyuan, a demonic being who is already at the third tribulation level and is suspected of having cultivated the 'Nine Tribulation Techniques: Transformation of Qi'. And then there are the demonic immortals and their followers under his command.

Secondly, there is Chai Xuan, who, although not yet at the Nascent Soul Realm, has absorbed the power of a three-hundred-year-old demon pool, making her cultivation and combat strength surpass those of ordinary Visualization Realm and Divine Integration Realm cultivators.

Then there's the most terrifying Thousand-Year Demon Pool, which is supposedly an old monster at the 'Ultimate Wisdom Realm'!

How did Bai Xiang manage to bring the three of them out safely while facing numerous threats all by himself?

He glanced around and, judging from the air circulation, realized that he was no longer underground.

After asking these questions, he found that Bai Xiang's gaze was somewhat strange.

“That’s not how it is.” Bai Xiang paused, “I killed them all.”

She spoke casually, but Huang Qian's hand trembled, and he dropped the water bag on the ground.

“This matter is complicated,” Bai Xiang added. “Does the Commandant still remember the bronze cicada? If I’m not mistaken, it was a method to attract insect swarms… I haven’t encountered any of the Demon Immortal Sect’s people, so it’s highly likely that Chai Jingyuan has already used this method to eliminate them.”

"Moreover, I have not made no progress."

She drew the 'Feixiangtian' from behind her, and the moment it was drawn, it burst forth with a snow-white, cold light, which made Huang Qian squint his eyes and exclaim in his heart that it was truly a fine sword!

"I have forged the sword." Bai Xiang held the sword upright in front of him, flicked his finger lightly on the blade, producing a trembling sound, and at the same time used his Qi to condense a faint phantom of a cicada demon.

It's not the wingless, ground-rolling cicadas of the insect swarms, but the adult cicadas depicted in the "Amazing Cicadas" scroll.

Its body was as hard as armor, and its wings were transparent. After dissipating, all the imagery was attached to the blade, as if the sound of the sword was the sound of a cicada, and the night was startled by its sound.

That's a brilliant move!

Huang Qian finally realized: "So when you and I encountered the insect swarm, were you at the time of enlightenment?"

Bai Xiang nodded, but Huang Qian's heart was in turmoil.

What kind of inexplicable talent is this?