Under the gloomy sky,
Jiang Yu stood on the arena, his back to the heavens, the dark clouds casting a somber shadow, yet his expressionless face could still be seen.
With a golden dragon holding a sword, he suppressed the divine will of the imperial realm, as if he were the very center of the entire Imperial Capital.
Little Princess Jiang claimed she was full of spirit, but as she climbed up the steps, she was actually in a panic, her mind blank, the images of that day flickering before her eyes.
Just then, Ke Mo jumped onto the stage, his voice booming:
“Eyes of the Void are invincible, why borrow the bones of others?”
“Thanks, big brother Ke, I get it now!”
Jiang Chulong was momentarily stunned, then suddenly broke into a smile.
She carefully took off her sunglasses, tucking them into her dress, and pulled out a strip of cloth to wrap around her eyes, tying it tightly with a knot.
“Chulong, you’ve got to give it your all, you know!”
“Tonight we feast on rice, with four dishes and a soup!”
Ke Mo, being carried off by the Sky Patrol, didn’t resist but kept chattering away.
“Yep!”
Jiang Chulong turned back, seriously looking at Jiang Yu.
The oppressive divine will that had choked her moments ago now felt conquerable, for with big brother Ke’s words, she had already gained the upper hand in the clash of energies.
She gripped the Qingye Sword, her Consciousness Soul sprouting like little seeds, scattering around the venue, quietly growing within her heart.
“You’ve already fulfilled your worth; you can retreat, hide your name, and live out the rest of your life in peace.”
“You shouldn’t have come back, and definitely shouldn’t be standing opposite me.”
Jiang Yu was indifferent to her transformation; these words seemed more like a self-talk to him.
Having stood atop the clouds too long, he didn’t care about the weeds sprouting beneath him.
He wanted to tell the heavens, tell everyone who knew of this matter.
He was more qualified than anyone to be the master of the Sword Bone, the master of the Divine Sword of the Celestials, and the master of the City of Divine Beings.
These few words caused a brief interruption in his energy flow.
What a good opportunity!
Jiang Chulong’s eyes only saw his flaw; she unsheathed the Qingye Sword and thrust it straight out with determination.
This strike infused her entire essence, the intent of slashing the dragon manifesting as a torrent of power in her grasp, surging forth.
The sword light flickered, from weak to strong, embodying many shadowy sword techniques, piercing aimed at Jiang Yu’s face.
Yet, the closer the sword tip got to Jiang Yu, the slower it became.
The weight of divine will sat upon her like a mountain; every inch she advanced felt like an enormous toll on her essence.
It was like sword intent cutting through the walls of ‘Imperial Realm’, struggling to breach forward.
Smack—
Watching the sword tip weaken before his eyes,
Jiang Yu raised his hand, a dragon’s roar echoing softly; his palm, like a dragon claw, seized it firmly.
A sharp divine light blossomed from his chest, encircling the sword form, instantly transferring onto the Qingye Sword.
Jiang Chulong was jolted back several steps, droplets of bl**d fell from her fingertips onto the ground.
The Qingye Sword fell to the ground.
“Qingye….”
The Qingye Sword in his hand suddenly transmitted threads of sword energy, attacking its own master, escaping her control.
Jiang Chulong bit her lip and looked up.
It was the Sword Bone that belonged to her,
…
Below the stage.
“Imperial Sword Bone.”
Xie Xuan sighed heavily.
“I still remember when she was born, thousands of swords bowed down, ancient Da Shang, with gods controlling winds and rains, gods controlling the sun; I thought that the child of Master Su Jun would also become a weapon spirit in the sword….”
“Where did swordsmanship come from?”
Ke Mo stared intensely at the arena, instinctively sensing something was off.
Winds and rains, the sun, rivers—these things existed since the dawn of time.
Yet swordsmanship was clearly not one of them.
But still, swordsmanship truly existed.
As Li Mo was puzzled, Ying Bing softly explained to him:
“Initially, it didn’t exist; swordsmanship wasn’t derived from oneself. Some say it was brought by celestial beings, others say it comes from generations of powerful human souls returning to the skies, leaving their essence in the world, just like the Dao of the Gods, the Dao of Arrays, and the Dao of Forging.”
“So, they are all incomplete.”
Xie Xuan nodded to add, “The Cold Fairy is right; this sword bone can be said to be part of swordsmanship, the essence mastered by Master Su Jun.”
“Then how did it end up with Jiang Yu?” Master Zang Ai scratched his head.
“He snatched it.”
“Whoa!” Master Zang Ai spouted carelessly.
Li Mo took a deep breath; Little Jiang winning was impossible; he just hoped she wouldn’t get hurt too severely.
But he couldn’t rush in to help, and if he used the Divine Sword of the Celestials, he might end up shackled by the Imperial Sword Bone too.
At that moment, he felt a cold, delicate hand suddenly held in his own.
“Chulong will grow up eventually.”
“Rebirth and beyond, she can do it.”
“….”
Li Mo felt uncertain but nodded and continued watching the arena.
Smack—
The Qingye Sword was kicked in front of Jiang Yu, and a hint of a grin finally crept onto his lips:
“Pick up your sword, if you can still hold it….”
Before he finished, Jiang Chulong bent down, gripping the Qingye tightly; cuts began to appear on her slender arms, her fair skin stained red with bl**d instantly.
Yet she still held on firmly.
“Just like your mother, stubborn as a mule.”
Jiang Yu’s tone suddenly turned cold; he finally drew the sword, brilliance radiating from the sword bone in his chest, coloring the weapon in dazzling light.
The dragon scales on the sword seemed to flare up in anger.
He raised the sword; he didn’t use any sword techniques, relying solely on the brute strength of the sword bone to smash down.
Clang—
Clang—
The sword fell brutally, again and again.
Jiang Chulong was battered back, feeling as if she had forgotten all swordsmanship, as if she had never practiced at all and couldn’t attack at all.
Having a sword bone is just that unfair!
It would be too easy for Jiang Yu to defeat Jiang Chulong, yet he deliberately chose to do it this way.
After all, this was once the essence of sword armor.
Jiang Yu’s palm reached out again, ready to grab Jiang Chulong by the neck; his four pupils all turned vertical, trying to see through her frail body to find out if she truly…
At this moment,
The Qingye Sword suddenly lifted weakly; Jiang Chulong seemed to be desperately struggling for her last breath.
Ding—
A mournful cry echoed, as the Qingye Sword shattered mid-air under the Zunlong Sword.
Yet suddenly, Jiang Yu felt a sharp pain in his eye, the sword bone in his chest throbbed again.
The shattered Qingye Sword, fragmented blades seemed to infuse new power, scattering like countless blades of grass in the sky, each appearing to be wielded by someone, carrying a formidable sharpness.
His divine intent expanded, intending to shake off these sword-like fragments.
But then, a broken sword suddenly arrived.
Though the sword had cracked, something else had pieced it back together.
That something shared the same roots as the Imperial Sword Bone, but it was two extremes.
The most broken and fragile thing now emanated a terrifying sharpness, capable of severing everything; the stronger one felt this blade, the weaker one regarded it as completely ordinary.
Swish—
A strand of hair sliced in two.
Jiang Yu seized the neck that Jiang Chulong had offered to him.
But a thin red line emerged on his cheek, trickling with faint golden bl**d.
At that moment, Li Mo heard a notification beep in his ears.
[Congratulations, Host, you have successfully invested in Jiang Chulong, aiding her Sword Bone’s recovery.]
[Congratulations, Host, you have successfully invested in Jiang Chulong; her Dragon-slaying sword technique has reached mastery.]
