Chixiao

Ancient trees, stretching endlessly, rose from the earth, their swaying branches and leaves forming a dense, intricate net that effectively blocked out all sunlight.

“Have you found any clues?” Luochen inquired, her gaze fixed curiously on Su Yue, who was meditating beside her.

Opening her eyes, Su Yue slowly exhaled, then gently shook her head.

“None,” Su Yue replied. “That subtle, profound aura remains incredibly faint, its presence equally indistinct no matter where we search within this forest.”

“This forest is nothing but an endless expanse of trees,” Luochen grumbled, a hint of frustration in her voice. “Where are we supposed to find any trace of the Chixiao Sword here?”

Trees? Su Yue’s thoughts paused.

It suddenly struck her: Weren’t these trees unusually dense, and every single one of them a Phoebe zhennan?

Phoebe zhennan? A sudden idea began to crystallize in Su Yue’s mind.

Summoning her flying sword, she deftly sliced into the trunk of an ancient tree nearby, sending wood chips scattering in every direction.

With a swift clap of her hands, the single flying sword instantly multiplied, splitting into over a dozen replicas, each soaring towards a different Phoebe zhennan tree in their vicinity.

If a certain bald lumberjack knew this technique, he’d be unstoppable, Luochen mused, a faint smile touching her lips.

Luochen watched the spectacular display unfold, a sense of awe washing over her.

A faint smile graced Su Yue’s lips as she opened her eyes. “I’ve found it,” she declared.

One of the flying swords had sliced into a tree trunk, yet, unlike the others, what splattered forth was not wood chips, but a viscous, crimson blood.

“Wh-wh-what? This tree is bleeding!”

Luochen’s brow furrowed in alarm, and she instinctively stepped back, positioning herself behind Su Yue.

“Senior Sister, you truly need to catch up on your theoretical studies,” Su Yue remarked, a hint of exasperation in her tone.

Su Yue offered a helpless sigh.

Reflecting on her years of idleness, Luochen felt a blush creep across her cheeks.

“That was… self-study… self-study,” Luochen stammered defensively. “How can a scholar’s diligent pursuit of knowledge be labeled as truancy?”

“This is a Blood Phoebe,” Su Yue stated, rubbing her forehead at Luochen’s stubborn insistence.

“While it bears a striking resemblance to an ordinary Phoebe zhennan, its core is not composed of wood,” Su Yue explained. “Instead, it’s a dense network of intertwined blood vessels, through which actual blood flows.”

Dipping a fingertip into the crimson fluid, Su Yue rubbed a trace of the blood between her fingers. “Blood Phoebe is incredibly valuable, worth a thousand gold pieces,” she continued, “and serves as the primary ingredient for many powerful elixirs.”

“Even more intriguing,” Su Yue added, “legend dictates that the Chixiao Sword was immersed in the blood of a ten-thousand-year-old Blood Phoebe for seven consecutive days, which is how it acquired its distinctive, crimson hue.”

“Could these Blood Phoebe trees have been planted by Li Wansheng?” Luochen wondered aloud.

“Most likely,” Su Yue confirmed with a nod.

“Now, let us discover just how many Blood Phoebe trees he truly cultivated.”

Su Yue pressed her palms together, and from behind her, an innumerable host of flying swords materialized out of thin air, scattering in every direction.

“Myriad Swords Unleashed!”

“So many,” Su Yue murmured.

Su Yue muttered to herself, astonished that there were over a dozen Blood Phoebe trees here. She knew that if news of this discovery spread, it would undoubtedly ignite a brutal, bloody conflict.

Yet, what connection did these Blood Phoebe trees truly hold with the Chixiao Sword?

With a shift in her thoughts, Su Yue ascended into the air, diligently recording her findings.

Once her Junior Sister descended back to the ground, Luochen, her curiosity piqued, hastened to her side.

She observed the luminous points, each marking the location of a Blood Phoebe tree, scattered haphazardly, seemingly devoid of any discernible pattern.

“Hold on, Junior Sister,” Luochen interjected, her voice sharp with realization. “Don’t you think these luminous points, if connected, resemble the shape of a sword?”

As Luochen’s finger traced across the air, the points of light began to connect, one after another, startlingly forming the distinct outline of a sword.

However, the sword’s tip appeared to be conspicuously absent.

“If there is meant to be a sword tip,” Luochen speculated, “then it should be located precisely here.”

Following Luochen’s gaze, Su Yue saw a lone Phoebe zhennan tree standing majestically in that exact spot.

This particular Phoebe zhennan dwarfed all the others, its massive trunk so wide that it would take several people linking arms just to encircle it.

Yet, Su Yue distinctly recalled that she had not encountered this colossal tree during her earlier “Myriad Swords Unleashed” technique.

Upon closer inspection, she confirmed her suspicion: the trunk bore no sword marks whatsoever.

A silent understanding settled within Su Yue.

“Senior Sister,” Su Yue began, “I believe this very tree might be the Blood Phoebe in which the Chixiao Sword was once immersed, and the sword itself is now contained within.”

“Oh, really?” Luochen responded, intrigued. “So, Junior Sister, what do you intend to do?”

“Cut it down.”

With a swift, powerful swing, Su Yue’s sword plunged three inches deep into the colossal trunk, and a steady stream of blood began to seep down the blade.

Su Yue clicked her tongue, a wry expression on her face. “It’s quite tough,” she observed.

“Allow me,” Luochen offered.

Luochen drew forth her Lihun Sword; she had been eager to test the extent of her current strength anyway.

“Sword of Wind and Thunder!”

Luochen channeled every ounce of her strength, driving the sword deep into the trunk. Yet, midway through splitting the colossal tree, her momentum faltered.

She quickly realized a rather unfortunate truth.

“It’s stuck,” Luochen admitted, scratching her head sheepishly.

After a considerable struggle, the two of them finally succeeded in felling the massive tree.

The world around them suddenly shifted.

The surroundings plunged into instant darkness, and the vast expanse of Phoebe zhennan trees across the mountains transformed into a multitude of solemn tombstones.

The tree directly before them had undergone the same transformation, but with one crucial difference: a sword was impaled within the tombstone that now stood in its place.

The sword itself was entirely crimson, radiating a faint, blood-red luminescence.

Illuminated by the subtle glow, Luochen was able to clearly discern the inscription carved into the tombstone.

“Tomb of the Sword God, Li Wansheng.”

“Senior Sister,” Su Yue noted, “the surrounding tombstones also bear names.”

At this, Luochen extended her divine sense.

Names were indeed carved upon the surrounding gravestones, many of which Luochen did not recognize. However, without exception, they all belonged to prominent figures from Li Wansheng’s era.

Their shared fate was that each had met their end beneath the blade of this very Sword God.

As Luochen pondered this grim realization, golden, shimmering characters suddenly flickered into existence in the air beside the tombstone.

“White robes brighter than snow, a sword gleaming like frost, a swift ride through autumn winds from the imperial lands.”

“Half a lifetime of glory, yet empty pride, crushing every genius with unbridled arrogance.”

“A single errant thought shattered mountains and rivers, leaving only mournful cries echoing across the vast wilderness.”

“The sword concealed within Blood Phoebe to atone for this enmity, the soul returned to the Southern Frontier, buried beneath the setting sun.”

The calligraphy was bold and powerful, its strokes imbued with such potent sword intent that it seemed to spill forth from the very words.

For some inexplicable reason, Luochen found the handwriting strangely familiar.

“Li Wansheng,” Su Yue murmured, her voice barely a whisper. “He was a preeminent figure in the cultivation world a century ago, one who achieved the Ninth Transformation through the Way of the Sword.”

“At the pinnacle of the Eighth Transformation, he was unrivaled in his era. To seize the opportunity for enlightenment, he journeyed into a forbidden land, seeking the ancient fiend, Taotie. After a grueling battle, he ultimately slew Taotie, thereby achieving the Ninth Transformation. However, their devastating clash impacted dozens of towns, resulting in innumerable casualties.”

“Following his Ninth Transformation, Li Wansheng’s Dao Heart achieved perfect clarity. Ashamed to face the world, he chose to withdraw from society. Some claimed he had perished, while others believed he had ascended to immortality.”

As Su Yue spoke, the shimmering golden characters above the tombstone transformed once more.

“He who is fated, may draw the sword.”

“Senior Sister,” Su Yue declared, her eyes gleaming with determination, “I wish to try.”

“Very well,” Luochen affirmed, drawing her own sword and bracing herself.

Su Yue bowed respectfully before Li Wansheng’s tombstone, then slowly extended her hand to rest upon the crimson blade of the Chixiao Sword.

In the very next moment, the tranquil silence of the clearing was shattered by the resonant hum of the Chixiao Sword. The sword’s blood-red glow surged outwards, enveloping Su Yue; her skin turned crimson, and the intricate network of her pulsating veins became vividly apparent.

Luochen remained silent, offering only a silent encouragement to Su Yue while simultaneously preparing to wield her Lihun Sword for a second time, should the need arise.

Should the Sword God harbor any malevolent intent, this would be her sole recourse.

Fortunately, the sanguine glow enveloping Su Yue gradually receded, and the resonant hum of the Chixiao Sword softened into a faint whisper.

Eventually, the world once again fell silent, the girl and the sword locked in what seemed like a silent contest of wills.

“Clang!”

With a resounding metallic clang, the keen blade was drawn from its sheath.

Su Yue had successfully extracted the Chixiao Sword from the tombstone.

“That’s incredible, Junior Sister!”

Luochen’s heart swelled with delight, affirming that her Junior Sister was indeed extraordinary.

“This… this is the Chixiao Sword,” Su Yue breathed.

Su Yue’s fingers slowly caressed the sword’s blade, the viscous, blood-like crimson appearing to ripple and flow beneath her touch.

With a mere thought, the Chixiao Sword instantly diminished in size, shrinking to that of a small amulet, which Su Yue then fastened to her person.

“It can do that?”

Luochen eyed her own Lihun Sword with a mixture of exasperation and envy.

“Why can you only grow larger, but never shrink?”

“Still, according to its own words, my sword should be of an immortal grade, which means mine is ultimately superior.”

As she pondered, the surrounding landscape began to brighten.

All traces of the Blood Phoebe trees had vanished, as though they had never existed at all.

Only the miniature Chixiao Sword, now nestled in Su Yue’s palm, served as a tangible testament to the events that had just unfolded.

“Thank you, Senior,” Su Yue uttered, bowing once more in the direction where Li Wansheng’s tombstone had stood. Luochen, following her lead, also offered a respectful bow.

“Senior Sister, I owe you a great deal for your help this time as well.”

“Oh, I didn’t do much,” Luochen replied, playfully sticking out her tongue. She was confident that even without her intervention, Su Yue would have eventually deduced the Chixiao Sword’s location.

As they made their way back, the corners of Su Yue’s lips remained perpetually upturned in a joyous smile.

“Why are you so incredibly happy?”

Luochen affectionately ruffled her Junior Sister’s hair. “It’s rare to see you smile with such unbridled joy,” she remarked. “Does acquiring the Sword God’s divine weapon truly make you this happy?”

“No,” Su Yue replied, shaking her head gently. “What truly brings me joy is knowing I’ve taken another significant step closer to achieving my ultimate goal.”

“Goal? What goal is that?”

“My goal, you see, is to one day be strong enough to protect you, Senior Sister.”

“After you achieved your Sixth Transformation, I felt I had fallen even further behind in reaching that goal. However, I’m slowly but surely catching up to you now.”

“Is that so?” Luochen chuckled softly, covering her mouth. “I’ll be waiting.”