The light that had enveloped the Wuyou Sword dimmed, and the seal was lifted.
Gu Baiying rushed in, and Tian Fangfang called out, “Junior Sister! How are you?”
Zanxing bent down to pick up the long sword that had fallen to the ground. Meng Ying was astonished: “The sword spirit on this sword…”
“It’s gone,” Zanxing said softly.
The Wuyou Sword had vanished forever from this world. The father who had yearned to avenge his daughter had finally been freed from his purgatory after all these years.
Would the person who was erased as a sword spirit find rebirth? No one knew. Perhaps he would, and he might reunite with his daughter at some point in the future.
Gu Baiying grabbed Zanxing��s arm: “How did you do it?”
Zanxing was taken aback.
The youth’s gaze was so sharp that even the concern it carried was overlooked. He asked, “The Wuyou Sword’s sword spirit was evil, and Meng Ying couldn’t subdue it. How did you manage to subdue it?”
Men Dong nodded: “Yes, Yang Zanxing, when did you become so capable?” He was suddenly enlightened, “Have you been secretly working hard behind our backs?”
Everyone looked at her with curiosity. Zanxing’s fingertips involuntarily curled up, but soon she sighed: “Didn’t you notice that something is missing from my hand?”
She opened her hand, and seeing the puzzled looks from everyone, she said slowly, “The ring that the Snake Shaman gave me, which could reveal people’s memories, is gone. In a moment of urgency earlier, I snatched the sword from Senior Sister Meng. The snake ring itself slipped into the sword’s body, and then I saw the Wuyou Sword’s memories…” She paused, “The sword spirit of the Wuyou Sword was born from Chai Sang’s sacrifice of his own soul.”
Zanxing recounted everything she had seen in the sword spirit’s memories and then half-truthfully added, “After seeing Chai Sang’s memories, the Wuyou Sword briefly regained its consciousness. Chai Sang suppressed the evil sword’s qi and begged me to erase him for his release. So I used my own qi to destroy the sword spirit.”
“That young master from the general’s mansion is really too much! He owes a debt, and he was so arrogant even after committing such crimes! If it weren’t for his desperate situation, how could Chai Sang have sacrificed his soul? He was so pitiful!” Men Dong, who was young, was immediately filled with righteous indignation after hearing the whole story. Wiping his tears, he said angrily, “It was too easy on the general’s people for him to die like this!”
“But, are there really diagrams that can create sword spirits in the world?” Mu Cengxiao’s concern was elsewhere. “If such a diagram were to fall into the hands of the immortal cultivation world by accident, and everyone followed Chai Sang’s example, it would cause chaos.”
“I’ve never heard of such a sword-making method before,” Meng Ying frowned slightly. “I suspect this diagram might be from the Demon Realm. When we return to the sect, we need to inform the sect master to prevent future disasters.”
Everyone nodded in agreement. Gu Baiying said nothing, only stared at Zanxing, as if seeing through her lies. Zanxing felt somewhat guilty but maintained her composure as she met his gaze. Given her current delicate position and the Xiao Yuan Pearl on her, this wasn’t the best time for full disclosure.
After a moment, Gu Baiying looked away and said, “Alright, be more careful next time.”
“Yes,” Men Dong added with irritation, “You rushed in without a word, and I thought you were done for. You really scared me. Even if you want to sacrifice yourself, you can’t disregard the consequences. If something had happened to you, how would we explain it to Sixth Master?”
Zanxing had no words. She couldn’t tell them that she hadn’t intended to play the hero earlier. Who would have known that the Xiao Yuan Pearl would suddenly take an interest in the qi in the Wuyou Sword?
“Everyone, let me interrupt,” Tian Fangfang waved his axe and said with a smile, “The sword spirit of the Wuyou Sword is gone. However, even without the sword spirit, this sword is still a top-tier spirit weapon. How about we sell it at the Hua Jin Pavilion and split the spirit stones?”
Zanxing replied, “… That might not be appropriate.”
Tian Fangfang decided, “Then how about you take 60% and we split the rest?”
Seeing Zanxing’s lack of response, he gritted his teeth and said, “What about 70%? Is that acceptable?”
“The sword spirit was erased by Yang Zanxing, so it rightfully belongs to her. The Wuyou Sword belongs to Yang Zanxing,” Gu Baiying interjected before Tian Fangfang could continue.
“Martial Uncle, Junior Sister uses a staff, so it’s not suitable for her to take the sword!” Tian Fangfang still wasn’t satisfied.
Gu Baiying gave him a cold look and said, “What’s inappropriate about it? We can melt it down and forge it into a staff.”
It was clear that he was determined to give the sword to Zanxing.
Meng Ying thought for a moment and agreed, “Since the Wuyou Sword actively requested Junior Sister to erase its sword spirit, it shows that it recognizes her and is destined for her. Moreover, Junior Sister’s Panhua Staff is no longer usable, and we haven’t found a suitable spirit weapon in the sect’s armory. Melting down this sword and forging it into a staff might be more in line with Junior Sister’s preferences. Junior Brother, do you have any objections?” She asked Mu Cengxiao.
Mu Cengxiao shook his head, “None.”
“I don’t either,” Men Dong quickly added.
“I do,” Tian Fangfang muttered quietly, “But it doesn’t matter.”
The matter was settled.
Zanxing considered it for a moment and did not refuse. After all, her own Panhua Staff, which was barely held together, was indeed unsightly. There weren’t many suitable staffs in Pingyang Town, so it was better to use this one.
Just as she was about to put the Wuyou Sword into her Qiankun Bag, she suddenly felt a sharp pain in her palm. The red mark, which had recently shown no signs of growing, began to writhe, as if something was about to burst forth from her palm.
Zanxing couldn’t help but hiss.
Gu Baiying paused and looked at her, asking, “What’s wrong?”
Zanxing’s face went pale with pain. Before she could speak, there was a loud boom as the mountain of swords made from spirit weapons suddenly seemed to be torn open from within, causing the entire Sword Mound to collapse from the inside out.
“Be careful!” Gu Baiying pulled Zanxing back with one hand and grabbed Men Dong with the other.
The sound of clattering was incessant. The surface of the Sword Mound, covered with discarded spirit weapons from cultivators, revealed a pile of white bones underneath. These were likely the remains of cultivators who had died under the Wuyou Sword, now collapsing like a crumbling wall.
“There’s something here!” Men Dong suddenly pointed to the bottom of the pile of bones. As soon as he spoke, a crack appeared beneath his feet. Zanxing’s expression changed sharply, and she grabbed his hand, saying, “Careful!��
Men Dong had just managed to steady himself when Zanxing felt her own footing slip. Instinctively, she reached for the nearest person without looking, but her body fell downwards, accompanied by the sound of wind in her ears. Then everything went black, and she could see nothing.
The Sword Mound ceased to collapse.
The shifting bones slowly settled, no longer falling further. However, someone was missing from the scene.
“Junior Sister Zanxing is gone!” Tian Fangfang exclaimed anxiously. “She fell down from here!”