The elder with the long beard’s gaze slightly tightened, "Yes."
Earlier, the night was too deep and being suddenly brought here, he was somewhat nervous and didn’t dare to examine carefully, thinking he was merely amidst a field of barren graves.
It wasn’t until now, under the moonlight, that he saw the broken swords on the graves, and he remembered that Elder Xun Ziyou had once mentioned a Sword Tomb in the Back Hill Forbidden Area of the Taixu Gate.
And there was something he had always wanted to do.
Mo Hua felt slightly relieved in his heart, and requested:
"Elder, I know of a senior who also practiced swordsmanship, and it’s very possible that he is buried in this Sword Tomb. I wish to return this senior’s relics to their rightful owner. May I?"
Buried in the Sword Tomb...
The elder with the long beard was startled.
In this Sword Tomb, those buried were from the generations of Taixu Gate who, having practiced Divine Thought into sword, sacrificed their lives, slaying demons and resisting evil, thus damaging their Life Soul and dying suddenly.
This child, does he have such roots? Could he also be... a descendant of a Divine Way Sword Cultivator?
The elder looked at Mo Hua with a much warmer expression.
He nodded, sighed, and said, "Alright, go on."
Mo Hua’s expression brightened with joy and he immediately cupped his hands in gratitude, "Thank you, elder!"
Then he proceeded toward the surrounding Sword Tombs.
What he wanted to return was Senior Dugu Xuan’s broken sword.
According to Senior Xun Zixian, practicing Divine Thought into sword harms others and oneself, especially as it injures the Life Soul; therefore, once injured, it is very hard to heal.
In the Taixu Gate, those who practiced Divine Thought into sword mostly met unfortunate ends, either dying young or ending in distress.
And Senior Dugu Xuan once fought a life-and-death battle with the fallen River God, the incarnation of the Great Wilderness Evil God, in the blood-colored fishing village. Though he eventually subdued the Evil God’s spirit, his own Lifebound Sword unfortunately broke during the battle.
This meant he suffered grave injuries, wounding his foundation.
Since then, Mo Hua hadn’t found any other clues related to Senior Dugu Xuan.
Thus, he speculated that this genius of Taixu Gate, who had also practiced Divine Thought into sword, likely "died young."
And those Sword Cultivators practicing Divine Thought into sword who died mostly were buried in the Sword Tomb Forbidden Land. New ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄhapters are published on novel⸺fire.net
Mo Hua had obtained his broken sword and deduced Cause and Effect from it, learning the Transforming Sword Skill and Soul-Shocking Sword, acquiring this senior’s mantle, so he thought of repaying this kindness by finding a day to come to the Sword Tomb and return the broken sword to its rightful owner.
After all, Sword Cultivators regard their swords as their second life.
Returning the broken sword, allowing it to accompany its master buried in the grave, also settles a Cause and Effect.
Senior Xuan, if aware, should feel gratified.
Mo Hua searched back and forth among the Sword Tombs nearby.
But the Sword Tombs only had swords and graves, no markers or names, so Mo Hua had no idea which Sword Tomb belonged to Senior Xuan.
He thought to ask the long-bearded elder guarding the Sword Tomb.
But this elder’s cultivation was too strong, his aura intimidating, he was like a sign saying "strangers keep away," and Mo Hua, unfamiliar with him, didn’t dare to ask much, so he could only search on his own.
But after searching repeatedly, he still found nothing.
Perhaps having spent too long, the long-bearded elder became evidently impatient.
Mo Hua had no choice, after thinking for a moment, he dug up some soil himself, built a simple little mound, as a "new grave."
Then he secretly retrieved from the Storage Ring the broken sword suppressed at the bottom of the Blood Pool in the blood-colored fishing village and placed it on the new grave he just made, forming a new "Sword Tomb."
Just as Mo Hua withdrew the broken sword, the previously impatient long-bearded elder suddenly sensed a mysteriously familiar aura.
He raised his eyes and saw the broken sword Mo Hua had placed on the mound, his expression changed drastically, and his entire body was visibly trembling.