Evil Venerable of the Sword Dao
Chapter 332 - 197: Soul Slash

Chapter 332: Chapter 197: Soul Slash

The sky was fickle, with the Sound Symbol Ancient Array in the Secret Land emitting a sharp, piercing essence.

The ash-gray Heavenly Vault was as heavy as a mountain, bearing down on Wan Zichen’s heart, making the atmosphere feel oppressively solemn.

After the mention of the woman named "Gu Xi," Zhou Yan’s emotions visibly changed, so much so that even the surrounding Heaven and Earth felt oppressive to Wan Zichen.

Wan Zichen had thought about leaving, but the thin, golden Short Sword in Zhou Yan’s hand could potentially kill her in the instant she attempted to flee—even though she had recovered to the peak of the Sword Soul Three Heavens, and even though she was a True Spirit Level genius, one of the very top echelon, she was acutely aware of her inferiority to Zhou Yan.

Since Zhou Yan could kill her but also saved her, she reasoned that he would at least spare her life after she had helped him.

Wan Zichen had thought a lot about it, and with a hint of hesitation, but the moment her gaze met Zhou Yan’s, her heart was profoundly shaken.

Because in those lifeless gray eyes, she saw a deep well of emotion.

How could a cultivator of the Heartless Sword Dao possibly have feelings?

Yet the Zhou Yan before her was displaying rich emotions, which even seemed to imbue the Heartless Sword Dao with a sort of spiritual Ascension.

Suddenly, Wan Zichen found herself envying this woman named "Gu Xi."

"This must be an astoundingly beautiful and brilliant woman, otherwise how could she have caused such an emotionless and cruel man to lose his composure like this?"

Wan Zichen thought to herself, and without any hesitation, she began to manifest her own Soul.

The phantom of her Soul was indistinguishable from Wan Zichen herself to the naked eye.

But Zhou Yan could feel it.

Zhou Yan glanced at Wan Zichen, suppressed the emotions that had surfaced for a moment, and then he gathered the Purple Flame to form an invisible Sword.

"Severing a part of the Soul is very painful; you should prepare yourself mentally," Zhou Yan said after a moment of contemplation.

"Go ahead, do it. If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t be alive. Being of some use to you is comforting to me," Wan Zichen said politely, completely shedding any inherent pride because all that she could be proud of meant almost nothing in the eyes of Zhou Yan.

Even her self-assured beauty could not draw a second glance from Zhou Yan.

"Alright."

Zhou Yan nodded, his gaze fixed steadfastly on the Soul of Wan Zichen, and then his hand slowly reached out to grasp the Purple Flame-formed Light Saber.

His movements were slow, yet swift.

Even the White Fox Bai Ying, who could clearly see Zhou Yan’s movements, felt it a bit abrupt, as if time itself had been irregularly altered.

White Fox Bai Ying’s eyes widened in astonishment at the scene, seemingly wanting to say something, but hesitated for a long time and failed to utter a single word.

"Swoosh—"

A Sword Light, with an air as if it connected to the Heaven and Earth Dao, suddenly pierced through the edge of Wan Zichen’s Soul.

"Ah—"

Wan Zichen’s Soul let out a piercing scream of agony, so excruciating that, even with her extremely strong willpower, she could not bear it and nearly went mad with pain.

It was then that Zhou Yan immediately performed the Undying Rebirth Technique on Wan Zichen, infusing it onto her, while a powerful wave of Lonely Sword Intent steadied her heart.

Then, Zhou Yan cast the Undying Rebirth Technique two more times in succession, almost wholly restoring Wan Zichen.

However, with a strand of Soul missing, the sense of being incomplete and deficient caused Wan Zichen’s Realm to fall from the Great Perfection State of the Sword Soul Realm with Three Souls and Seven Spirits to just achieving Great Success in the Triple Realms, resulting in a flaw in her Realm.

Zhou Yan then channeled the Residual Soul into the Heavenly Dao Soul Stone, and extracted the Life Soul Aura from Gu Xi’s Life Soul Token, transferring it into the Heavenly Dao Soul Stone.

Zhou Yan was very careful and meticulous with all of these actions.

Only after everything was completed, and no anomalies occurred, did Zhou Yan finally let out a sigh of relief.

At this time, Wan Zichen also recovered from her suppressed state.

Her purple Spirit Armor gown was soaked with sweat, making her slender and exquisite figure emerge faintly visible, extremely seductive.

But she wasn’t thinking about her state, let alone any seductive appeal.

Her beautiful eyes were filled with unspeakable fear and uncertainty, like someone who had narrowly escaped death.

For a True Spirit Level genius of the Sword Soul Realm to have such an expression showed just how torturous the Soul Slash had been.

"Zhou Lingzhe... is it, is it done?"

Wan Zichen asked, her breathing light, her voice filled with overwhelming concern.

"Mm, it’s done. No need for thanks, Zhou Yan, I owe you a favor."

Zhou Yan’s gaze shifted to Wan Zichen, his tone softening slightly as he spoke.

"That’s good, that’s good... As long as it’s done. Such pain is truly unforgettable; it’s etched deeply into my bones. I believe I will never forget it for the rest of my life. If it hadn’t been completed, I don’t know if I could have endured the agony of Soul Slash a second time."

Wan Zichen lamented endlessly.

Zhou Yan sighed and said, "I know the pain all too well, which is why I genuinely meant what I said earlier. If you were unwilling, I would have let you leave safely without laying a hand on you. This kind of pain, I myself have gone through it three times, and can truly empathize."

"Zhou Lingzhe, being able to help you is actually quite comforting to me. After all, if Sister Bai Ying hadn’t saved me, and you hadn’t taken care of me, I wouldn’t be alive today. Though I am merely a Residual Soul now and no longer intact, I am still alive. Being alive means there is hope, right?"

Wan Zichen smiled gently and softly spoke.

"Yes, to be alive is to have hope. Given your state, let me teach you a path of cultivation; then you will understand that even severing a soul is not necessarily a bad thing."

Zhou Yan thought for a moment, saw that Wan Zichen was receptive, and decided not to press further. He continued, "That feeling of imperfection that comes with being a residual soul torments the heart at all times. I too felt that same way. But imperfection is the true Great Perfection."

"Tao begets one, one begets two, two begets three, three begets all things; all things have life and death, some live or die, others die or live, and it is all part of creation. The mortal world spans three thousand zhang; with greed or killing, sorrow or joy, cause and effect entwined in an endless cycle, shaping the vicissitudes of life. These cycles give rise to immeasurable epochs, which are the beginning of the Life Tribulation Dao, surpassing the ordinary Heavenly Dao, the Dao of all things..."

"The help you gave me may seem small in the eyes of others, but to me, it surpasses everything. Hence, I pass on the ’Tao begets one’ Dao that I have comprehended to you. How much you can grasp will depend on your own ability."

"I attained the Heart of Nature and Unity of Heaven and Man by sublimating from this very foundation."

Zhou Yan watched as Wan Zichen’s talent had been damaged by the act of Soul Slash, her realm unable to break through barriers, and his heart was inclined to help her.

Seeing Wan Zichen’s potential wasted without a hint of resentment, instead believing that to be alive held hope and expressing gratitude, Zhou Yan’s perception of her began to change.

She was a woman who understood the bigger picture and valued loyalty. Such a woman should not become a waste because of him, Zhou Yan.

And so, Zhou Yan sincerely wished to help her stand again.

As soon as Zhou Yan’s words left his mouth, Wan Zichen at first seemed confused, but then her eyes suddenly widened, her gaze fixating on Zhou Yan with shock, horror, and eventually fanaticism and obsession until she finally had a moment of Sudden Enlightenment.

She stood motionless, sensing bit by bit.

Even though this part of the world was not in accord with the principles for Enlightenment, she still found a different way to comprehend the Heavenly Dao.

After a while, her fragmented soul managed to autonomously become whole again, and not just that, but it further split into another soul, directly forming a Void Body!

Here, she directly stepped into the Sword Void Realm, achieving the first variation of the Sword Void Realm.

And this was merely the passing of a Dao taught by Zhou Yan.

This scene was also observed by White Fox Bai Ying, who listened and saw much, comprehending a great deal, yet without such an obvious and intense progression as Wan Zichen’s.

Clearly, demon beasts’ comprehension of the Dao grasped by humans could not compare to that of humans themselves.

Moreover, with Bai Ying already at a higher realm, progress was even harder. It was already quite an achievement to have a great understanding.

Zhou Yan, seeing both White Fox Bai Ying and Wan Zichen in the midst of Sudden Enlightenment, didn’t enter the Sound Symbol Ancient Array for the time being, but instead picked up the golden Short Sword and started to feel it carefully.

Unlike a typical long sword, this was a Short Sword, very light and thin, through which ran a golden color.

But a very powerful aura flowed faintly on the sword.

The moment Zhou Yan sensed it, he felt as if there was an Abyss within the sword, unfathomably deep and inscrutable.

"This sword... at the very least surpasses the level of a High Grade Soul Artifact, perhaps... it is a Top-grade Soul Artifact, or something even beyond that..."

Zhou Yan contemplated carefully, then felt that the Runes on the Soul Artifact were ancient, similar to those of the Void Ancient Scripture.

"This is... the paired sword of the Vitality Sword Dao—the Vitality Sword!"

"Void Ancient Scripture... Vitality Sword Dao... Heart Universe Sword Dao... This Sword Dao actually has a Yin Attribute, no wonder Ji Tianxu was somewhat enchanting."

"However, this Sword Dao is quite suited for Xi’er to practice."

Zhou Yan delved into his analysis, combining the inheritance gained after the Purple Flame Burning and careful comprehension of the Void Ancient Scripture, he came to a strange conclusion—Vitality Sword Dao, Heart Universe Sword Dao, were more suitable for women to cultivate.

And this sword was the corresponding inheritance sword, capable of carrying energy, transforming the body, and creating an invincible Heart Universe Sword Body.

With a heart like the Heavenly Vault, shaking all directions, reducing mortals to ants, commanding respect across the Ten Thousand Realms.

Such is the Heart Universe Sword Body.