Chapter 278: The Sword Emperor's Broken Blade: Burp
Ji Yanyao frowned.
Earlier, though she had promptly stopped the old Nascent Soul cultivator from activating his sword formation, her method was exceedingly straightforward—she simply subdued him with a single strike and followed up by using a binding technique to immobilize him.
Completely dismantling an unfamiliar ancient formation wasn't easy, so using a simple and brute-force approach was the most practical solution in this situation.
However, she hadn't expected that this old man would inexplicably break free of the binding technique at this moment and, without hesitation, activate the formation outside the forest!
Even Ji Yanyao hadn't been able to react in time to the sudden development.
But a figure had already stepped in front of her.
Clang!
The sound of metal striking metal reverberated.
The black-clad young man had risen at some point, erecting a faint golden barrier of light.
The menacing sword energy struck the barrier, causing sparks to burst forth. The light quickly dimmed and then shattered.
Luo Wusheng, his expression calm, raised his hand to meet the remaining force of the sword energy.
The energy dispersed, but a deep wound was left on his hand. Blood welled from the cut, intertwining and slowly healing under the effects of his Hemal Sanguine Technique.
Yet, Luo Wusheng's actions didn't stop there. With a wave of his other hand, a surge of spiritual energy shot out toward the muscular man nearby, who hadn't yet reacted.
The Six Gates officer stumbled as the spiritual force pulled him slightly off balance.
In that moment, another devastating sword energy grazed past his arm.
"Wha– what just happened?"
The muscular man, narrowly avoiding being cut down, looked bewildered but quickly adjusted his stance and assessed the situation.
The old Nascent Soul cultivator, who moments ago had been completely immobilized, was now a hundred feet away. Six flying swords hovered around him in midair, radiating intense sword energy that enveloped the forest.
"So it really is an ancient sword formation… The sword energy just now was equivalent to a mid-Nascent Soul strike."
Ji Yanyao frowned slightly as she stepped forward to stand beside Luo Wusheng. She glanced at the wound on the young man's hand, her spiritual energy surging around her. "What happened? How did he break free of my binding technique?"
Hearing her question, Luo Wusheng's mouth twitched slightly, and he let out a light sigh.
"Something on me happened to resonate with the cultivation technique he practices..."
In truth, just moments ago, everything had been going according to his expectations. Even the Greed Attachment had already been fully absorbed by him.
As a result, the old Nascent Soul cultivator who called himself the Six Sword Daoist had begun to regain his rationality, gradually suppressing the greed that had overtaken him.
However, even though the man's rationality returned, allowing him to realize that some of his prior actions were uncharacteristic, he paradoxically accepted his current predicament as a matter of course.
The moment he realized his attempt to steal had failed spectacularly, leading to his own subjugation, the partially rational old man panicked.
But his ability to break free of the Daoist binding technique wasn't entirely due to his emotional state.
Luo Wusheng felt a pang of frustration as he placed his hand on his waist.
The next moment, a pitch-black broken sword slowly emerged from his side, grasped firmly in his hand.
"...It accidentally resonated with the spiritual energy inside that old man and helped him break the binding."
To be precise, after Luo Wusheng devoured the Greed Attachment with his secret technique, the Sword Emperor's broken sword seemed to sense something and became unusually agitated, sparking the resonance.
As a result, the old man broke free of the Daoist binding technique. In his panic to escape, he even paid a significant price to instantly teleport a great distance, catching Luo Wusheng off guard.
Ji Yanyao looked thoughtfully at the pitch-black broken sword in Luo Wusheng's hand.
'So, his earlier interaction with that man was due to this sword's resonance? But what is this sword? He's never had a broken sword like this before... Is it the rumored special artifact he used to deal with the Soulblade Specter in the city?'
She refrained from asking further, her expression growing more serious.
"Thank you for stepping in just now... However, with the formation now fully activated, breaking it won't be easy. I'll—"
"No, it will be resolved soon."
Before the young woman could finish her words, the boy's calm statement cut her off.
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The old Nascent Soul cultivator's energy surged violently.
Forced teleportation had cost him part of his essence, leaving his mind in disarray.
Ever since he was bound by the immobilization technique, all senses in his body, apart from his vision, had been sealed—even sound was inaudible. Combined with the inexplicable grogginess clouding his mind, he felt as though he had merely woken from a dream and found himself in this precarious situation.
Yet the purpose of the "dream" remained clear in his mind.
'Seize that peerless artifact capable of wielding divine artifact-level power?'
Now that he was awake, the thought struck him as absurd.
After all, while his sword formation was powerful, it was nowhere near the level of that earth-shaking slash.
He had lived cautiously for countless years, surviving the Ancient Heavenly Gate and acquiring the unparalleled Six Sword Absolute Array. Even then, he maintained his prudence, never daring to provoke those he shouldn't. Each move he made was with utmost caution.
The older he got, the more fearful he became—this was his true nature. Even after ascending to Nascent Soul, his behavior remained unchanged.
And yet, this time, he was tempted by that once-in-a-lifetime artifact.
The artifact's immense power… combined with the fact that its owner was merely at the peak of the Golden Core stage. Even if this Golden Core cultivator was unusual, his Six Sword Absolute Array should still have a chance to subdue them.
As long as he had the opportunity to set up the formation… and as long as the artifact wasn't used again…
His chances of success weren't insignificant. That was why he had dared to act this time.
Still, something about this line of reasoning felt off to him. But he quickly dismissed the thought, turning his focus to a new dilemma.
What should he do now?
Should he escape? Or continue pursuing his initial goal?
Gazing at the three people caught in the sword formation—particularly the young man, Luo Wusheng, who had sustained minor injuries from deflecting a single sword energy and was now wielding nothing more than a broken blade—the old cultivator felt his heartbeat quicken.
Perhaps… it wasn't entirely hopeless?
The greed that had not yet been fully suppressed began to stir once more.
'It'll be fine. As long as I keep enough strength to escape…'
Terrifying sword energy began to coalesce slowly.
But before it could take form, the young man tossed the pitch-black broken sword in his hand forward.
A surge of black mist erupted from the blade.
Within the swirling mist, a massive figure began to take shape, its twisted head emerging as it opened its grotesque, gaping maw.
ROAR!
The old cultivator froze, his gaze turning vacant.
"No… impossible… This Soulblade Specter…"
His voice trembled, but the colossal Soulblade Specter, formed from the black mist, was already pointing its blade at him.
In the next instant, the sword formation's energy didn't just dissipate—it was drawn entirely into the body of the gigantic Soulblade Specter, as though irresistibly consumed.
The massive misty blade then slammed into the old cultivator, who had no time to react, let alone escape.
A deep, gong-like sound reverberated as the blow landed.
Before the dazed and utterly incapacitated Nascent Soul cultivator could comprehend what had happened, a massive hand formed of black mist reached out, gripping him tightly.
And with a casual motion, it hurled him into the grotesque maw of the Soulblade Specter.
Burp—
Receiving the feedback from the connection with his broken blade, Luo Wusheng fell into deep thought.
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Note: Link to the character Illustration:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1lkIcPnCxeyuyZA4Kkb621dPC05UvWjhD
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