Evil Venerable of the Sword Dao
Chapter 203 - 097 - The Tale of Rune Sword Spirit

Chapter 203: Chapter 097 - The Tale of Rune Sword Spirit

The giant sword vanished, and the Qiankun Young Master left, killing her own subordinate with a shocking display of strength, yet she issued a ten-year challenge.

This event made almost everyone present feel very strange.

Among them, only Chen Tianjian looked toward the distant skies, pondering, seemingly guessing something faintly.

Hou Yan looked at Zhou Yan’s expression, then at Chen Tianjian, smart as he was, he also seemed to understand something at this moment.

"Master, Chen has failed! The Qiankun Young Master didn’t even glance at me. In her eyes, Chen doesn’t even qualify to compete!"

Despite his unwillingness, Chen still said this with great sadness, biting his teeth.

Perhaps, Chen himself did not care much about his own gains and losses, but losing face for his master made him immensely guilty.

The young boy’s large eyes were filled with self-blame and anger at this moment, but this anger was not directed at others, but at himself.

He hated his own incompetence.

He didn’t know that his expression, not only made Zhou Yan feel uncomfortable, but also Hou Yan, Cai Xuan, and others felt somewhat sad.

But no one spoke, because this was something that even the Emperor Qi Sword Body must encounter. Although understanding his own incompetence was painful now, it was better than being killed in a single move later on and having the lineage severed.

Zhou Yan patted Chen’s head, speaking earnestly, "Isn’t there still ten years? It doesn’t matter if you are not as good as others now, as long as the Heart of Invincibility remains upright, ten years is enough!"

Hearing Zhou Yan’s words, little Chen’s gaze immediately became even more resolute, his small body exuding a bone-deep confidence.

"Master, in ten years, Chen will definitely win! Chen will absolutely not let the Emperor Blood you painstakingly left for Chen be taken away by someone else!"

Chen’s voice was tender, but his words were resonant.

At this moment, no one doubted Chen’s abilities and determination.

In Chen’s heart, the Emperor Blood was deliberately left by Master Zhou Yan. If not for this, he believed, no one could resist the temptation of that Emperor Blood.

Though young, he was not completely ignorant.

"Good! With such a belief, your master is also relieved!"

Zhou Yan was very gratified.

"Zhou Lingzhe, I didn’t expect, that Bloodline to appear. About this, you should take it more lightly. Sometimes, fate likes to play jokes on talented individuals."

Chen Tianjian pondered for a long time, and finally sighed, speaking somewhat ruefully.

According to what he knew, that Qiankun Young Master was initially the one Zhou Yan fancied.

Not only that, it could be said their relationship was that of childhood sweethearts.

But now, one was Zhou Yan’s disciple, and the other was Zhou Yan’s once most dearly beloved. If one must die, perhaps the most difficult to bear would be Zhou Yan.

Chen Tianjian knew this secret, but he did not reveal it, because he could feel that Zhou Yan did not just care about that woman, but he also greatly cared about Chen.

Thus, a brutal future was inevitable.

However, the inheritance and Emperor Blood were items meant for Awakening and breaking the shackles of Heaven and Earth; without these, probably both of them would die.

Not only that, even Zhou Yan himself would also face such a dreadful challenge.

The Emperor Qi Sword Body’s condensation of the Sword Soul, it seemed like a simple matter but was actually quite helpless.

"Right, perhaps this is a curse of fate! After all..."

Zhou Yan’s words trailed off, unable to continue, because he had thought of something—the words spoken by the ancient ancestor of the Zhou family.

That antique-level ancestor of the Zhou family once said, his great-grandfather was the mastermind behind the Emperor Qi Sword Body and Ni Chang Fairy; so now, is this situation really that strange?

Or perhaps, this is not a coincidence, but something man-made?

"You must be wondering why I know all this because my great-grandfather, with a single thought turned demon, is the one who betrayed the Emperor Qi Sword Body!"

"This is an inevitable feud, an inevitable calamity. Now it has come upon you, let’s see how you handle your fate."

"If you overcome it, you’ll become the second Emperor Qi Sword Body. If not, you only have the path of demise."

"The only help I can offer you is to take good care of your father."

...

The words of the true ancestor of the Great Zhou family still echoed in his ears, as if just spoken.

Yet because of this, Zhou Yan became even more silent.

Zhou Yan did not delve deeper, because if he really continued to think about it, then the situation could become unimaginable.

Zhou Yan withdrew his thoughts, then changed the subject, saying, "Now, my understanding of ancient arrays has deepened a lot more than when I was at Ancient Tomb Mountain, and I have some confidence in the prohibitions of the Emperor Sword Wuji lineage. Are you willing to give it a try?"

"Brother, if you are confident, then naturally it would be good. Without this prohibition, though we will face many cultivators heading towards the Accumulated Feather Cold Ice Abyss Desolate Land, attracting countless dangers and putting our clan at risk, this is also an opportunity. Only under the pressure of danger are there greater opportunities for progress, so if possible, we certainly wouldn’t mind if the prohibition is lifted."

Hou Yan replied somewhat excitedly.

His words also caused the other disciples’ eyes to light up with eagerness.

Initially, these disciples had somewhat looked down on Zhou Yan’s low realm. However, after he had conveyed an understanding of a certain Tao and its secret techniques, they had been profoundly convinced! Now that Zhou Yan mentioned he had a way to solve the ancient prohibitions, his status in their hearts rose once again, becoming somewhat unfathomable.

"Of course I’m confident. I’ve taken note of everything here, and breaking the outer layer of the prohibition isn’t difficult. It only requires refining a few top-grade Spirit Level rune Sword Spirits."

Zhou Yan gave it some thought before speaking.

"What? Top-grade Spirit Level, Sword, Sword Spirit... This is almost impossible! We don’t have any Artifact Sword Cultivator so powerful in our clan. The only one skilled in artifact refining, ’Elder Hou Wanxiao,’ can only refine top-grade Sword Spirits, but to refine a top-grade Sword Spirit, even in the entire Great Domain, they are renowned figures, worshiped by billions!"

Hou Yan was slightly moved, unable to help but say.

"A top-grade rune Sword Spirit isn’t a real top-grade Spirit Level Sword Spirit, it just contains runes of Sword Spirits, so it’s not that difficult. There’s no need to find someone else; I can refine it myself."

Zhou Yan knew why Hou Yan had said this because an Artifact Sword Cultivator capable of refining Sword Spirits needed to control powerful flames and be a True Spirit Level genius and also need to reach the basic Sword Spirit Realm, which accounted for the rarity and preciousness of such figures.

This time, in breaking the array that Zhou Yan mentioned, needed rune Sword Spirits, and specifically top-grade ones, the difficulty of this task could likely be even greater than the array itself.

Thus, for Hou Yan and others, breaking the array seemed hopeless.

Hou Yan thought of these things, which explained why he seemed somewhat resigned.

However, when he heard Zhou Yan claim that he could refine a top-grade rune Sword Spirit, it would be false to say he wasn’t shocked. His facial muscles twitched twice before he managed to suppress the praise he wanted to express.

It seemed Zhou Yan’s extraordinary capabilities had numbed him so much that he felt somewhat powerless in what to say.

Not only Hou Yan felt this way, but even Chen Tianjian, Cai Xuan, and others were all stunned. Clearly, Zhou Yan’s abilities had once again struck them as incredible.

A young man, not even twenty-one years old, having such monstrous capabilities! How could this be possible!

Beside Zhou Yan, Little Chen looked at Zhou Yan with extremely enthusiastic, admiring, and prideful eyes, very excited.

"Brother, all this then will trouble you. Let us know whatever materials you need," Hou Yan sighed continuously.

He initially thought he had repaid Zhou Yan’s kindness, but now, it seemed he owed even more.

"No worries, brother. I’ll prepare a list of materials later, and you’ll know when you see it. The prohibition of the ancient array, let’s set it three days after refining the rune Sword Spirits."

"Everything shall be decided by you, brother."

...

"Elder Wan, for this rune Sword Spirit, I ask for your help and coordination with Zhou Lingzhe."

In the Wuji Sword Pavilion, Hou Yan bowed slightly to an old man with a lean figure yet possessing a fierce flame Sword Intent.

This old man had gone through endless vicissitudes. His face bore deep and mottled marks etched by the years, and his body bore various scars burned by flames and eroded by the Tao, wounds that were irreparable.

"It doesn’t matter. I’ve seen everything in my life. As long as it can break the prohibition and bring fortune to future generations, I have no complaints. But Clan Leader, are you sure this Zhou Lingzhe can truly refine rune Sword Spirits? And at a top-grade level? Artifact Refining is no child’s play!"

The old man voiced his doubts.

"As for that, I have full faith in Brother Zhou Yan’s words. Since he said so, it must be possible,"

Hou Yan hesitated slightly before speaking.

His tone wasn’t exactly confident, but he believed Zhou Yan’s words; Zhou Yan definitely wouldn’t speak without basis.

"Well, it looks like you trust his capabilities a lot, but seem somewhat unsure if he can refine it himself. However, don’t worry, from your words, this person really seems capable. I hope he won’t disappoint me or make this trip in vain."

The old man sighed lightly, not saying much else, but his dim eyes showed that he didn’t really believe Zhou Yan could refine the rune Sword Spirits.

As for agreeing, he just didn’t want to let a junior be disappointed.

In fact, he had already decided that since the other party was genuinely helping his lineage, even if there was a mishap, he would take all the blame himself, claiming any failure in refining was due to his inadequate cooperation. This way, the other party wouldn’t be doubted for his capabilities, having a dignified way to step down.

Elder Wan had even come to this thought, so naturally, his interest wasn’t high.

Hou Yan seemed to sense this, and he sighed softly, saying, "Elder Wan, Zhou Yan is the most talented person I have ever seen, bar none! So if he says he can refine it, let’s just wait and see! Perhaps, the challenges you face in artifact refining might also break through, breaking another cultivation restraint!"

"Hehe, breaking restraints? If it truly breaks the restraints, indeed it would be good and could extend life by six hundred years! Though it’s no longer possible. The sadness of Artifact Sword Cultivators lies in the Path of Artifact Refining; once unable to break the restraints, one’s entire life won’t see improvement."

Elder Wan gave a bitter smile, his voice tinged with melancholy and hopelessness.

As the only Artifact Sword Cultivator, he hadn’t even left a lineage behind, not because he didn’t want to, but because he hadn’t found a suitable True Spirit Level genius for the path of Artifact Sword Cultivator. Furthermore, even if there were suitable cultivators, they were unwilling to embark on the path of Artifact Sword Cultivator, as while the status was high, the comprehension required was much more challenging compared to other paths.

Hou Yan naturally knew this, so after Elder Wan spoke these words, he had nothing more to say, only leaving behind a sigh of melancholy.