Chapter 123: Taming the Sword |
The Imperial Dragon Divine Sword seemed to possess a spirit of its own, and the closer it drew to Cang Yinyue, the more restless it became.
Countless streaks of cyan sword light appeared to gather along the blade, its sharp edge flashing into existence and tearing through space, as though intent on slaughtering and destroying everything around it.
Li Musheng raised an eyebrow, and a vast, overwhelming aura immediately enveloped the entire Imperial Dragon Divine Sword.
Visibly to the naked eye, the three-zhang blade as vivid and lustrous as jade seemed to bear a terrifying force beyond what it could endure, bending rapidly into an inconceivable angle.
In an instant, the entire bronze palace filled with a mournful hum resonating from the sword. The brilliant sword light dimmed swiftly, and the enormous blade blazing with cyan radiance looked as though it might snap apart in the very next moment.
"Keep moving and watch yourself. I'll break you in two."
Li Musheng said in an unhurried tone.
Bu Chengyang and Ah Bin, watching from not far away, both felt their hearts clench with a jolt. They were terrified that Li Musheng would truly commit such a devastating waste and shatter this divine sword right before their eyes.
For a martial artist who walked the path of the sword, this would honestly be more agonizing than breaking them in two.
The sword energy surrounding it dispersed, and even the blazing cyan luminescence radiating from the blade swiftly reined itself in.
In the end, all that remained suspended in mid-air within the bronze palace was a single cyan, translucent three-zhang sword, hanging motionless with a slight curve.
Li Musheng's brow relaxed. He flicked a finger across the distance, and in the next moment the bent Imperial Dragon Divine Sword snapped straight and restored itself, then moved obediently to hover before Cang Yinyue.
Faced with the enormous sword before her, Cang Yinyue understood what Li Musheng intended, yet felt she was entirely unworthy of accepting such a precious gift. She immediately tried to turn her head and decline.
But the next moment, Li Musheng's voice reached her ears, saying, "Don't move, Miss Cang. If your face gets scratched, I'm not taking responsibility."
Then Cang Yinyue found that she had suddenly become unable to move, not so much as a single step.
Very quickly, the tip of the jade-clear cyan sword gave her a light, gentle stroke across the center of her brow.
As a faint coolness swept over her, at the same time, the martial True Qi within her body was drained away against all resistance, every last bit of it absorbed entirely by the Imperial Dragon Divine Sword before her.
Her consciousness blurred and wavered for a brief moment. It seemed as though a world-shaking dragon's cry resounded in her ears, and then a terrifying, overwhelming force of pressure descended upon her, an aura of dominion over all directions and submission of the five seas that felt as though it would crush and grind her entire being to nothing.
Yet this sensation came as swiftly as it left. When she slowly opened her eyes, she found herself lying on the floor of the bronze palace.
Beside her lay a cyan sword of great size.
At that moment, Cang Yinyue suddenly felt a strange sensation she could not quite explain, as though a faint, almost imperceptible connection had formed between herself and the Imperial Dragon Divine Sword lying at her side.
"You're awake? You were out for about half an incense stick's worth of time. We need to go and collect the Azure Dragon True Qi next."
Li Musheng had appeared at her side at some point, and was studying her with a measured look.
Then he rubbed his chin and asked with curiosity, "How do you feel?"
Cang Yinyue quickly got to her feet and bowed hastily, saying, "Your Highness, this sword..."
However, Li Musheng waved a hand and raised an eyebrow, saying, "Don't be so fussy about it. When something is given to you, you accept it. Remember that serving me well in the future matters more than anything else."
The Imperial Dragon Divine Sword was of no use to Li Musheng, and rather than letting it gather dust or letting it fall into someone else's hands, giving it to Cang Yinyue made far more sense. Her martial Dao cultivation was, after all, becoming increasingly inadequate by this point.
Cang Yinyue opened her mouth slightly, but seeing Li Musheng's tone that left no room for argument, she slowly lowered her head.
After her mother and brother had left, she had always been alone in her pursuit of revenge, with no friends and no family, carrying nothing in her heart but hatred. It had been many years since she had felt any warmth or goodwill from another person.
Yet from the moment she met Li Musheng, her heart seemed to have found warmth again after a long absence.
It was only that he had given her far, far too much. She feared she would never be able to repay it for as long as she lived.
"According to those Great Qi remnants and the two elderly eunuchs, the Imperial Dragon Divine Sword can indeed elevate the cultivation of its master, though it still requires a catalyst. Spend some time getting accustomed to the sword, and there should be a pleasant surprise waiting for you later."
Li Musheng said with a thoughtful expression, offering Cang Yinyue this word of advice. Then he turned and beckoned toward Bu Chengyang and Ah Bin not far away, saying, "Stop standing there in a daze. There's still work to be done."
Hearing this, both of them quickly agreed and came hurrying over.
Yet when their gazes landed on Cang Yinyue and the Imperial Dragon Divine Sword lying at her side, the envy and jealousy blazing in their eyes was almost uncontrollable, as though they had swallowed a hundred lemons whole.
They had originally assumed that no matter how formidable Li Musheng was, he would be unable to make a divine sword of such power accept a master whose martial Dao cultivation was as meager as Cang Yinyue's, or allow someone so weak to wield such a weapon.
Yet reality had slapped them squarely across the face once again. Li Musheng had expended virtually no effort whatsoever, simply overpowering all resistance with brute force, and had accomplished the whole thing with ease. It was enough to make their jaws drop.
So startling was the sight that Ah Bin, upon witnessing it, immediately and without hesitation made up his mind to betray his sect, wholeheartedly willing to attach himself to Li Musheng's coattails as a devoted follower. But to his immense disappointment, he was flatly and righteously refused.
The reason given was that his martial Dao cultivation was too weak. But the moment Ah Bin's eyes landed on Cang Yinyue's strikingly beautiful face, he understood everything at once, and his heart turned to ash.
Looks were everything. What a pity he had not been born a woman and was no great beauty himself.
Cang Yinyue's martial Dao cultivation was clearly even lower than his, yet she had won Li Musheng's favor. It did not take much thinking to conclude that the relationship between those two was definitely not ordinary.
Li Musheng was naturally unaware of the jumbled thoughts rattling around in Ah Bin's mind. With the Qingshan Tower members and the others dealt with, the real business he now wished to attend to was getting his hands on the Azure Dragon True Qi sealed within the underground mechanisms.
After all, this was a matter of transcending the martial Dao, something he cared about deeply.
"In order to help the Azure Dragon Elder obtain the Azure Dragon True Qi, we did conduct some investigation into the mechanisms beneath Dragon Lock Well Ward. If I am not mistaken, the core of the mechanisms should lie directly beneath the ancient well at the center of the ward."
Bu Chengyang, facing Li Musheng, held nothing back, saying, "The core is the most critical and vital point of the mechanism, and at the same time its most vulnerable spot. It is precisely where the Imperial Dragon Divine Sword should be used to channel out the Azure Dragon True Qi."
"However, the mechanisms crafted by the Hall of Lu the Artisan are rather unique. Even though it is the core, it cannot be carelessly damaged. Otherwise, it could very easily produce the opposite result and trigger the mechanisms to destroy this entire area."
Hearing this, Li Musheng gave a light nod, saying, "Then let's go take a look first and try the method you described."
He then turned his head to look at Cang Yinyue beside him, saying, "Miss Cang, bring the Imperial Dragon Divine Sword. I'll need it shortly."
With that, he took the lead and headed out of the bronze palace with Bu Chengyang.