Eternal Swordmaster
Chapter 479 - 473: Dark Sun 8

Chapter 479: Chapter 473: Dark Sun 8

"There’s no need for courtesy. Take me to the corresponding cell."

Lin Xin said casually.

The prison steward nodded quickly, ushering the three of them into the dark prison and swiftly through a series of restrictive gates. Soon, a specialized cell emerged in the depths of the prison.

The cell was filled with black water, and the pungent, spicy scent wafted from all around. The walls of the prison cell were patterned with lines of black and red.

These were the suppressive formations designed to restrain a prisoner’s cultivation strength.

Hua Shenxi leaned against a corner of the wall, enveloped in shadow. Like a statue, he remained silent and unresponsive.

Lin Xin and his companions stood at the entrance of the cell, silently observing the figure in the corner.

"Hua Shenxi, the Sect Master has come to see you personally. Get over here," the prison steward barked without a trace of politeness.

The figure in the cell slowly walked forward, stirring up ripples and the sound of splashing water.

By now, Hua Shenxi had long lost his once handsome and dashing appearance. His face was a sickly yellow, and one of his eyes, for reasons unknown, had been gouged out, leaving behind nothing but a bloody hole.

"Lin Xin, it’s you."

Hua Shenxi looked towards Lin Xin standing outside the cell.

He was dressed in a rough grey robe, filthy and unkempt from top to bottom.

In stark contrast was Lin Xin, who stood outside dressed in the black and white Daoist robes of a Sect Master, his back carrying four formidable sword instruments that were clearly exceptional, and his body faintly enveloped in strands of a vast and boundless aura.

The two men, one exuding luxury and the other in disarray, were clearly on different levels.

"Tell me where Nan Shunqing is," Lin Xin said, cutting to the chase without any small talk.

"......"

Hua Shenxi watched him, his expression calm as he gave a slight shake of his head.

"In the ambush battle back then, I personally knocked Nan Shunqing off the cliff to his death in Yun Clouds, likely beyond the Yang Membrane."

"You didn’t go to search for him?" Lin Xin continued to inquire.

"I did search, but alas, I found nothing," Hua Shenxi shook his head. "However, there is a token that remains in my family’s treasury, which I acquired from him, bearing a strange symbol. You must have collected it by now. Beyond that, I have no other knowledge." Hua Shenxi was extremely cooperative, spilling everything he knew.

With nothing more to say, the two fell into silence.

After a moment of quiet, Lin Xin glanced at Hua Shenxi’s blind left eye.

"How did he lose his eye?" Lin Xin asked the prison steward, noting that when Hua Shenxi had been imprisoned, both his eyes had been intact.

The steward trembled, a nervous smile flickering across his face.

"To report to the Sect Master, perhaps he gouged it out himself. This prisoner was acting abnormally from the moment he was imprisoned, distinctly different from the others, inexplicably digging out his own eye to feign a severe injury... Such behavior can be understood..."

Thump!!

The twin sister slapped the steward.

Like a war hammer, her hand landed heavily on his chest, and the sound of breaking bones clattered loudly.

The steward was smashed against the wall like a piece of paper, spewing out blood immediately.

If it hadn’t been for a protective aura and other defenses, that single blow could have pulverized him into a lump of flesh on the spot.

"Sect... Master...!"

The prison steward tried to speak, but he was immediately silenced by a stern look from the twin sister, leaving him trembling and unable to utter another word.

"Using private punishment and daring to deceive the lord right to his face – he’s lucky you didn’t tear him apart on the spot," the twin brother sneered.

Lin Xin didn’t so much as glance at the steward, soon having Sword Hall disciples step forward to take the steward away to be dealt with by the Punishment Hall, according to the sect’s rules and punishments.

"Do you have any last wishes?" Lin Xin asked Hua Shenxi calmly.

"Last wishes?" Hua Shenxi paused, then after a moment of silence, he asked, "Is there anyone left of my Hua Family?"

"Aside from you, one slip managed to escape to the Golden Jade Sect," Lin Xin replied indifferently.

"The victor becomes king, the loser the bandit; it’s the natural order of things," said Hua Shenxi softly. "What do you want me to do before you will let them go?"

Lin Xin’s eyes flickered.

"I have a technique, called the Soul-Damaging Pact..."

About an hour later.

Four silhouettes slowly emerged from the dark prison.

Lin Xin led the way, followed by the twins in blood-red robes, and lastly, a mysterious figure draped in a black robe.

"As for the Golden Jade Sect, you shall handle it yourself," Lin Xin instructed.

The figure at the end nodded slightly, then suddenly turned into a flash of golden light and vanished from sight.

"With this matter resolved, it’s time to attend to the long-awaited distant guest," Lin Xin said.

Hua Shenxi, under the effect of the Soul-Damaging Pact, became bound by a contract akin to those used by the demon race against the human race. The human race, being one of the myriad living beings, was not much different from the other demon races.

The so-called ’spirit of all things’ was merely the human race’s own way of glorifying themselves.

In fact, many members of the demon race shapeshift into humans merely to adopt the powerful cultivation techniques created by the numerous cultivators of the human race.

In the Outer Regions, there are also many demons that shapeshift into other strange races, not limited to the human race.

The twins also willingly took on the form of the human race after being forcefully subdued by Lin Xin following their defeat.

The same was true for Keke Sai and his companions.

The Soul Pact is a master-servant contract between members of the human race. Its conditions of fulfillment are exceptionally troublesome, requiring the full and willing cooperation of the contracted. Over time, the contracted gradually lose their rational minds, becoming special existences akin to the demon race. This is because the Soul Pact itself was originally adapted from the soul contracts of the demon race.

Lin Xin flew toward Sword Hall Peak with the twins in tow.

As they descended from the clouds, they were immediately met by Dugu Lin, who stood alone, sword in hand, guarding the entrance to the mountain’s formation. She quietly looked up at him.

"Sister Dugu Lin, is there something you need?"

Lin Xin responded with a gentle smile.

"Can’t I come and find you if there’s nothing wrong?" Dugu Lin replied indifferently.

"How could that be?" Lin Xin was always gentle with her. After all, since they had first met, this sister had always lent him her strength to guard the manor, persevering for so many years. This friendship was not comparable to any other relationship.

"Tell me the truth, how did you come by your current strength?" Dugu Lin asked soberly, her tone grave.

"What answer do you want to hear?" Lin Xin chuckled, "All I can tell you is that the strength and cultivation I have now came at a cost far more complex than you imagine. It’s not because I’m possessed by some demon lord."

Dugu Lin stared at him for a while, then a small silver-white bowl-like magic artifact appeared in her hand.

"This is the Silver God Chapter, capable of imprinting one’s spirit and soul. Do you dare let it shine its light on you?"

The Silver God Chapter was a device Lin Xin had heard of, specifically used to identify reincarnated Great Cultivators, a treasure to determine their new incarnations.

If there were reincarnations, there must be a way to discern such cases. The Silver God Chapter was one of the more commonly used methods.

"Why not?"

Lin Xin chuckled, reaching out to take the silver bowl.

The moment he took it, the bowl quickly began to secrete a clear liquid with a faint fragrance.

The liquid increased in volume, soon filling the bowl to the brim.

Lin Xin held the Silver God Chapter level before his face in his hands.

After hovering for a hundred breaths, he returned it to Dugu Lin.

Dugu Lin peered into the bowl to see Lin Xin’s face imprinted within.

"No double image..."

She exhaled in relief; this meant that Lin Xin truly was not possessed by any demon lord.

In her heart, she greatly relaxed. With Lin Xin’s current cultivation, even if he really was possessed by a demon lord, who would be able to object?

The Tong Tian Pine Patterned Sword had been gravely damaged and needed time to recover its elemental energy.

The elemental energy accumulated over many years had depleted by a third in the confrontation with the Vermilion Bird Divine Seal, and naturally, the recovery time was not going to be short.

"Alright then, is there anything else?" Lin Xin saw Dugu Lin’s expression soften and asked softly.

"A team claiming to be from the Desolate Jade Pavilion has arrived at the sect and wishes to see the Sect Master," Dugu Lin said, quickly bringing up another matter.

"The Desolate Jade Pavilion?"

Lin Xin’s eyes narrowed slightly; it seemed like the second batch of resources promised from their last trade had arrived, and they should all have been exchanged for Demon Talisman Seeds.

"This is indeed fortuitous; seldom do good things come alone, but when they do, they come in pairs," he said with a laugh.

***********************

"Hahaha! Red Flower Taoist Master, I trust you’ve been well."

Inside the Sword Sect’s Sect Master study, Lin Xin and two old men with blue beards took their seats.

One of the elders, with bushy hair and a hearty laugh, warmly greeted Lin Xin.

"Pavilion Master Meng, what’s with this new look?" Lin Xin instantly recognized the speaking elder as none other than Meng Qi, the branch Pavilion Master of the Desolate Jade Pavilion.

Compared to the last time they met, his beard had completely turned blue, a deep blue as if it had been thoroughly dyed through and through.

Meng Qi, with a smile, waved his hand, and an invisible barrier isolated their surroundings. Coupled with the already secure grand formation in the Sect Master’s study, they quickly achieved a high degree of secrecy in their space.

"A mishap with my cultivation technique; let’s not talk about that. What should I call you, Red Flower Taoist Master, or Daoist Yuan Mo?" said Meng Qi in a relaxed tone.

"That depends on whether the Pavilion Master has brought everything I need this time," Lin Xin jested in return.

Meng Qi chuckled, flicked his wrist, and a black diamond-shaped crystal stone gently flew to Lin Xin, landing on the table.

"Three hundred and thirty whole Demon Talisman Seeds, all here. You didn’t have much material left from before; after the remaining materials were converted, we could only exchange for these Demon Talisman Seeds."

Lin Xin picked up the stone to inspect it, then nodded with satisfaction and put it down.

"But if it’s only for such a trivial matter, would it not be overkill to trouble the Pavilion Master to come personally?"

Meng Qi’s smile faded slightly,

"First, congratulations on your breakthrough in strength, Red Flower Taoist Master. However, the reason for my visit is to inform you that Tian Yun Dao has been repelled, Red Spine Sect holds off Jade Pure Dao, and although they’re currently preoccupied, the fact that you killed one of their Vice Banner Masters has escalated the matter. Heavenly List’s number eight, Keichen Yao Girl, has already set out with her subordinate Tengvine True Monarch."

"Keichen Yao Girl, Tengvine True Monarch..."

Lin Xin’s expression grew solemn.

Having clashed with many Yuan Jing, he now had some understanding of the ominous weight implied by the Heavenly List.

The fact that Quan Sheying, despite her formidable strength, had yet to earn a place on it, spoke volumes of its prestige.

"Just how strong is a Heavenly List master?" he mused, asking the question.