Chapter 271: Unexpected Turn
The muscular man stood there, dumbfounded.
Wasn't that stance just now supposed to signal the beginning of a fight? Why did the opponent disappear again?
He quickly came to his senses: Luo Wusheng had never intended to spar with him at all.
"But this way of appearing and disappearing without warning... it's definitely not teleportation."
Combining it with the way he'd fought the Soulblade Specter earlier, vanishing and reappearing just as mysteriously, along with the intel he'd gathered...
'Sure enough, it's an Artifact with space manipulating properties.'
'This increases the likelihood that he really is the Holy Saint of the Demon Sect.'
The muscular man's gaze flickered, but he didn't seem too bothered by the fact that he hadn't managed to engage Luo Wusheng.
He had, after all, been specifically waiting here for that powerful young man.
Even his own team had been sent back.
Exhaling a deep breath, he held onto his heavy sword, sitting down cross-legged.
"So be it... with his strength, I might not even have a chance to force him to use that artifact for further confirmation."
"...The Holy Saint of the Demon Sect, Luo Wusheng, arrived in the capital about a month ago, taking over the Demon Artifact Pavillion. His talent for Artifact Refining is as astonishing as his cultivation talent, quickly making the Demon Artifact Pavilion the top Artifact Pavillion in the capital."
"As for his strength... aside from his Demon Sect techniques, he mainly uses an incredibly powerful artifact, which seems capable of transforming into multiple forms. It's known to take the form of a cannon similar to an ancient war cannon and a massive blood-colored longblade..."
"He also possesses a space manipulating Artifact obtained from the Netherkin..."
Murmuring, the muscular man rubbed his chin, a memory of that sudden, ghost-like figure flashing in his mind—the single slash that cleaved through the giant Soulblade Specter's head.
'It's similar, but further confirmation is still needed.'
'But Night Crow had added some notes in the intelligence report... This was the candidate that he and Wutong favored, and now Her Majesty also had some interest in him...'
'I'll wait and observe a little longer.'
The muscular man recalled the young man's veiled companion, a Peak Master of the Sword Sect.
Lost in thought, he unconsciously revealed a mask with an indistinct design in his hand.
...
Within the secret realm.
Luo Wusheng's figure appeared, and his hand was quickly held from below by a gentle pull.
Ling Shuangxue sat beside him, raising her head slightly.
"How was it?"
Her voice, striving to sound calm, reached Luo Wusheng's ears.
Feeling the cool, delicate touch of his wife's soft hand, Luo Wusheng's face softened, and he gently sat down beside Ling Shuangxue.
"Nothing unusual sensed in the outside world… perhaps when I subdued the Soulblade Specter with the Sword Emperor's broken blade, the broken sword gained some benefit, and in return, repaired the spatial rift in this secret realm."
He sounded as if he were comforting her, though his guess wasn't without merit.
After all, his connection with the Sword Emperor's broken blade hadn't yet reached a deep level, so he couldn't fully grasp what the broken sword might have done when it absorbed the Soulblade Specter.
But it has been nearly two days now, and this delay…
'And those successive Heaven-grade Soulblade Specters… it's odd.'
After all, even this Soulblade Specter he had encountered was something that hadn't appeared in the original work.
If this Soulblade Specter displayed the same level of power as before, and he wasn't present to handle it, letting it wreak havoc would surely cause quite a stir. The original story would likely mention such an event.
Taking a step back, his original purpose in coming to Daybreak City was simply to act as a storyteller for a few days to collect some recognition value. But now…
Not only has his [Phantomless 2.0] finished charging up, but he's also obtained the Sword Emperor's secret realm and its broken sword, achieving mastery in sword intent.
Most importantly, he has advanced his relationship with the protagonist's master—someone he previously thought he'd never interact with—to this point.
Even the dual cultivation boosted his progress in devouring the tribulation lightning and refining the golden blood…
Although he's triggered a rather risky flag, the benefits he's reaped have far exceeded his initial expectations for these few days.
Lost in thought, he suddenly felt the hand he was holding tighten slightly.
"…Has anything else happened outside?"
Ling Shuangxue sensed her husband's concerns in the slight furrow of his brow.
Luo Wusheng shook his head lightly.
"I heard there's another Heaven-grade Soulblade Specter in Jianlin City... But a few mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivators are already dealing with it, so it's probably been handled by now. Besides, the Sword Emperor isn't about to break another sword in such a short distance, right?"
He spoke in a joking tone, then seemed to remember something. "By the way, you mentioned getting injured on the way from the Sword Sect to Daybreak City, which is why you needed me to accompany you in subduing the Soulblade Specter... What kind of injury was it?"
Ling Shuangxue hesitated briefly at his question.
She hadn't even fully processed Luo Wusheng's casual mention of the earlier topic when the latter question brought back a flood of memories.
"I was ambushed by a mysterious cultivator along the way... Their strength was on par with mine, but I fell behind by a move in the end, resulting in an injury. The person left right after that."
She had thought the whole incident strange, but with everything that happened since then, she'd pushed it out of her mind, especially now that her injury was fully healed and the Soulblade Specter secured.
Then again, without that injury, what would she be like now?
She unconsciously leaned closer to the young man beside her.
At that moment, something seemed to dawn on Luo Wusheng.
"What did this mysterious cultivator look like?"
Had he not been mindful of his wife's feelings, he would have asked directly if that mysterious figure happened to be a "white-haired bratty girl with starry eyes."
In his mind, if someone was orchestrating things on this trip, giving him so many advantages, it would only be the Head of the Heavenly Divination Tower.
As for her connection to Ling Shuangxue… that white-haired girl had once provoked the little pink fox before, so it wouldn't be too surprising if she pulled a stunt like this, though he couldn't quite grasp what her motives might be.
However.
The answer he received caught him completely off guard.
"Hmm… He appeared middle-aged, bald, didn't look much like a cultivator at first glance, dressed in coarse cloth, and wielded a sword without much technique. Probably not from Sword Province…"
With her Nascent Soul-level memory, Ling Shuangxue swiftly provided a reply.
She soon noticed the boy beside her tense up.
Before she could guess why, she saw a wide-bladed wooden short sword appear in Luo Wusheng's hand. A message surfaced upon its surface:
[I have left the Sword Sect.]
Seeing the words appear, Luo Wusheng let out a long breath.
He naturally put an arm around the woman beside him, who shivered slightly.
"…Let me tell you a short story."
He pressed a gentle kiss to Ling Shuangxue's forehead and spoke softly.
The beautiful fairy nodded quietly, looking down.
And so, after leaving a response on the wooden short sword and putting it away, the storyteller began narrating a tale meant for her ears alone.
The wooden blade transformed into an ancient guqin, playing a melody that soothed and quieted the heart.
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Note: Link to the character Illustration:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1lkIcPnCxeyuyZA4Kkb621dPC05UvWjhD
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