Feng Zikang's expression was grim; he fully understood the destructive power of this sword strike. The sword lights manifesting before him shattered one after another, yet his heart remained perfectly calm. A faint golden arc flashed into existence and then vanished, only to be immediately broken apart by that crimson sword light!
"Seal!"
The final obstruction to the crimson sword light was the colossal, enlarged original form of the iron sword. It morphed into the shape of a shield, plunging itself directly in front of Feng Zikang. The crimson sword light, now taking the form of the Grand Magister Wu Wuyang, pointed a single finger, poking a hole through the iron sword. His face was a mask of sheer astonishment.
Cold sweat beaded on Feng Zikang’s brow.
He knew that what stopped this strike was not the iron sword itself.
It was the Grand Magister!
He himself had halted the sword light, a look of profound agony contorting his features.
"Ah—"
The Grand Magister suddenly let out a piercing scream, clutching his chest as he tumbled backward toward the sky. A hole had brutally pierced the surface of the iron sword.
"So, so that's it!"
Pity and joy mingled on Feng Zikang’s face; he finally grasped the entire sequence of events.
The Sky-Devouring Ancient Sword let out a grating, cracking sound. This single thrust had inflicted massive damage upon it, nearly nullifying all the sword souls it had painstakingly devoured. The web of scars covering the blade, as dense as spider silk, revealed that it had reverted to the exact state it was in when Feng Zikang first obtained it.
Perhaps even worse off.
Yet, Feng Zikang felt no sorrow. The pity in his eyes vanished in a flash, immediately replaced by sheer excitement!
The Grand Magister rolled on the ground, emitting continuous lamentations.
"For a person to commit suicide... there truly is no stopping them,"
Feng Zikang sighed, gazing down at the fallen Grand Magister while gently stroking the iron sword in his hand.
"Abomination! Why do you still linger, when it is time to return!"
The Grand Magister suddenly snapped his eyes open, ceased struggling, and his body transformed once more into a streak of red light, shooting towards Feng Zikang!
Mo Fenghuang gasped in alarm!
Feng Zikang made no move to dodge or evade, merely tossing the iron sword lightly into the air. The red light lunged directly toward the iron sword. With a resounding crash, they merged into one!
"Heh."
Feng Zikang chuckled softly, feeling a sudden, violent surge in his mind as it became filled with the consciousness of this sword.
It was the memory of the Sword Soul!
The Grand Magister was, in fact, merely the Sword Soul of the Sky-Devouring Ancient Sword!
This much Feng Zikang finally understood at the moment he shattered the Sky-Devouring Ancient Sword and saw the entity collapse, wounded. It explained why he wasn't a living being, why he was immune to the deathly aura of chaos, and why he exuded overwhelming sword intent even without practicing sword arts—he was naturally imbued with sword energy.
Feng Zikang felt his head buzzing as the indomitable Sword Soul recounted its story.
It once served a master who was peerless under heaven, one who had slain countless foes, causing his sword to gradually awaken its sentience and evolve into a Sword Soul.
As a Sword Soul, it admired its master deeply, and the master, in turn, treated it with great care, never regarding it merely as an implement, but as a genuine person.
The master even took it on as a disciple, imparting every sword art and divine ability he had learned throughout his life.
The master always smiled, proudly declaring his ambition to forge a sword technique unrivaled in the world, and he finally succeeded!
"Starfall Great Extinction Sword Art!"
The name of this sword art manifested within Feng Zikang's mind.
It was indeed the Starfall Great Extinction Sword Art.
After his master gathered all the sword techniques and divine arts that caught his eye from various sects, he focused his cultivation and finally created a technique that shocked heaven and earth, causing ghosts and gods to weep, surpassing all predecessors.
The stars overhead were brilliant, like the unique essence of the sword arts from every school, infinitely varied and magnificent.
But when the Extinction was unleashed, the stars dimmed.
The complete collection of 13,500 forms was enough to extinguish the stars, and enough to annihilate any other sword technique!
Its master stood at the zenith of the cultivation world.
He gained countless worthy rivals, as well as dear friends and a lover. If time had stopped right there, none of the subsequent events would have transpired, and the lonely Sword Soul known as the Grand Magister would never have existed.
However, the master suffered a dual betrayal from his trusted friends and his beloved.
It recalled the master's fury and resentment. In a single night, he cleaved apart one hundred thousand Heavenly Mountains, then sheathed his sword with a long sigh, resolving to detach himself from worldly affairs and devote himself solely to the Way of the Sword.
Shortly thereafter, his master, the genius of the sword, refined the 13,500 forms of the Starfall Great Extinction Sword Art into a single, truly consummate move.
If time had frozen at this juncture, then this single person and this single sword, though lonely, could at least have found solace in each other.
But change struck again.
His lover was imprisoned by a group of bald monks on false charges, held captive within the Seven Treasures Pagoda Mountain!
"Seven Treasures Pagoda Mountain?"
Feng Zikang recalled the story of the Zen Master Wulei, recalling that terrible night. Now knowing that the Grand Magister was the Sword Soul of the Sky-Devouring Ancient Sword, he understood he was bound to hear this part of the tale eventually.
His master and the Sword Soul, a lone force against many, charged up the Seven Treasures Pagoda Mountain, slaughtering every single monk in that foremost sacred site of Buddhism and rescuing the imprisoned woman.
The story ended there. Though bloody and tragic, it still seemed to conclude as a perfect ending.
Alas, stories differ from reality.
Reality is destined to continue muddling forward; it rarely halts abruptly at a single perfect moment.
He was betrayed once more.
While besieged by countless Nascent Soul masters from the myriad factions, his master finally grasped this truth. His spirit shattered; even the sword that sustained his life could no longer be wielded.
It was less that he was killed by those Nascent Soul masters, and more that he chose to die.
His form and spirit were utterly destroyed, doomed to eternal damnation.
The Sky-Devouring Ancient Sword snapped into several pieces, its core shattered, emitting a mournful cry.
That was the ending.
For its master, it was the conclusion.
But the Sword Soul refused to accept it. In a state of confusion, it detached from the sword body. For some unknown reason, it inexplicably gained a physical form and was saved by Dazhan in the Southern Barrens, transforming into the all-powerful Grand Magister.
It had lost the majority of its past memories; the only clear objective remaining was to save its master!
The last vestiges of its master’s consciousness were condensed within the Sword Soul; if its physical form could be reconstituted, its master would also have a chance to resurrect!
That is why the Sword Soul orchestrated the Nine Dragons convergence, and even constructed the Seven Treasures Pagoda to suppress the Mandate of Heaven. Alas, the Dragon Qi gathered by the convergence was insufficient. It then attempted to cultivate a dragon in the Southern Barrens, but failed again.
This Heaven Burial Blood Sacrifice, a technique relying on vital blood backlash, was its final, desperate gamble!
Unexpectedly, this last move drew Feng Zikang—and its original body.
The Sky-Devouring Ancient Sword!
The Sword Soul itself had an incomplete spirit; those memories were vague. Upon seeing the Starfall Great Extinction Sword Art, it vaguely felt familiarity, and only upon seeing the remnant of the Sky-Devouring Ancient Sword and hearing that name did it suddenly awaken, turning and fleeing in a frenzy.
However, it was injured again during a fierce battle with a Nascent Soul level demonic beast. By the time it returned, the memory was gone.
It wasn't until Feng Zikang spoke the words again, especially "Zhan Chuan destroyed the remnant iron sword!" that the instinctual attraction fully awakened its essence.
The sword body and the soul merged!
"So... the events in the Southern Barrens were actually like this."
Feng Zikang let out a bitter laugh, finding the situation somewhat ridiculous.
The myriad factions had plotted endlessly in the Southern Barrens, yet their efforts were undone by the minor turmoil created by a single remnant soul of a sword belonging to that man. That man truly possessed boundless divine power.
Feng Zikang recalled the aura of that man and felt his own spirit stirred.
Gongzi Yiwu!
The creator of the Starfall Great Extinction Sword Art was precisely him. He inherited the vast Xuanjie Realm, transforming the 13,500 forms of the Starfall Great Extinction Sword Art into a single move; even a mere illusion of it terrified Huo Zhongguang into unconsciousness.
He had also wiped out every monk on the Seven Treasures Pagoda Mountain, the foremost holy land of Buddhism, in a single night, leaving only a young novice, the current Zen Master Wulei, to propagate his fearsome renown.
Even today, Zen Master Wulei, now a Core Formation expert and Abbot of Baima Temple, would tremble with trepidation and lingering fear just by uttering his name.
What immense prestige! What towering achievements!
"Speaking of which, I truly share a peculiar fate with this Gongzi Yiwu,"
Feng Zikang’s lips curved into a mysterious smile.
He possessed the Sky-Devouring Ancient Sword, he practiced the Starfall Great Extinction Sword Art, and he even inherited the Xuanjie Realm that Gongzi Yiwu once held.
"I just hope I don't meet the same tragic end as him."
Feng Zikang smiled faintly, yet he still pondered how the Sky-Devouring Ancient Sword and the Starfall Great Extinction Sword Art fell into the hands of General Lu.
Calculating based on the timeline, when Gongzi Yiwu was besieged by the numerous Nascent Soul masters, General Lu's cultivation was still low; he couldn't have been a main attacker. How he obtained these two treasures remained a mystery.
Especially since the Starfall Great Extinction Sword Art was incomplete; he only knew three forms and intended to learn the rest.
Unfortunately, he never succeeded. General Lu ultimately abandoned the sword for the saber, achieving mastery only with the latter.
Feng Zikang shook his head. These puzzles would eventually be solved. If he couldn't figure them out now, he wouldn't dwell on them. He picked up the Sky-Devouring Ancient Sword and examined it closely.
With the Sword Soul returned, the hole that had been poked was now silently mended. The dense, web-like cracks had vanished, and even the shape of the sword had subtly changed, becoming more antique and elegant.
Alas, it remained merely a broken sword. It seemed he would still have to absorb other magical artifacts to slowly repair it.
Feng Zikang sighed, lamenting the magical artifacts wasted by the Sword Soul. He didn't need to think hard to know these were the very items the Sky-Devouring Ancient Sword had consumed long ago, taken by the Sword Soul. It was a pity they had all been rendered useless by that Hundred Ills and Hundred Deaths Pox.
Otherwise, if he could swallow them all at once, who knew how much the Sky-Devouring Ancient Sword might have grown. He recalled how Gongzi Yiwu, wielding this iron sword in those days, swept across the world, slaying untold numbers and collecting countless magical artifacts, possessing an arrogance that scorned Nascent Soul masters—a vision that inspired yearning.
Even so, the Sky-Devouring Ancient Sword had recovered to an Eighth-Grade Yellow Rank magical artifact, perfectly suited for Feng Zikang's current Mid-Foundation Establishment cultivation. He chuckled. If it continued to absorb magical artifacts, the sword could grow alongside his cultivation, which was quite convenient.
The most joyous realization was that the sword now came with an innate divine ability.
Unity of Man and Sword!
He could merge with the Sky-Devouring Ancient Sword to become a powerhouse of Man-Sword Unity. When executing the Starfall Great Extinction Sword Art in that state, it should be significantly more potent, boosting its power by over thirty percent!
Feng Zikang was overjoyed and laughed unrestrainedly!
"Junior Brother Zikang!"
Mo Fenghuang was bewildered. Feng Zikang had clearly been at a disadvantage throughout the fight, but suddenly the Grand Magister fell, transformed into a red light, and was absorbed by the iron sword. Then Feng Zikang stood frozen for a long time. She had no idea what had transpired.
Alarmed, she called out.
Feng Zikang smiled faintly and descended. "Senior Sister Mo, I was just reviewing the battle with the Grand Magister. I gained some insight and got carried away. Please forgive my rudeness!"
Mo Fenghuang paused. "So, Junior Brother had an epiphany. I must have been rash!"
She had always called him 'little brother' due to his youth, but seeing his heroic bearing now, the term simply wouldn't leave her lips. Even calling him 'Junior Brother' felt like an overstep.
A master's confidence and an air of noble bearing—qualities she had only witnessed in her father and a few other seniors—were subtly emanating from Feng Zikang.
Hearing that Feng Zikang had gained further understanding after the battle, she immediately felt regret, worried that she had disturbed his moment of sudden enlightenment.
Feng Zikang laughed heartily. "Senior Sister need not worry. My comprehension is complete; it's all fine now!"
With the Heaven Burial Blood Sacrifice concluded, the reason for the restless stirring of the controllable demonic beasts naturally vanished. The Southern Barrens, just as suddenly as it erupted into chaos, settled back into peace.
The disciples of the Grand Magister returned from their rampage to find their master gone. Confused and lost, they dispersed after living for a short time in the fabricated Seven Treasures Pagoda Mountain.
As for Feng Zikang, he naturally returned with Mo Fenghuang to Liyue Cave. With the Grand Magister returned to his Sword Soul form, many of the wicked enchantments naturally dissolved. The cave dwellers awoke, filled with deep remorse, and rushed to beg forgiveness from Mo Fenghuang, Man Jiao, and Little Stone.
"Miss Mo, we were bewitched, that's why we committed such foolish acts!"
"Please, carve us up into a thousand pieces and avenge the Chieftain and the Elders!"
"We are despicable scum!"
Amidst the remorse of the villagers, Mo Fenghuang, Man Jiao, and Little Stone could only endure their pain and offer comfort, recognizing that the villagers had not acted of their own free will.
Mo Fenghuang assumed that Feng Zikang had destroyed the Grand Magister, and she told the villagers as much.
When the villagers heard that the immortal being they worshipped had actually vanquished the Grand Magister and averted the catastrophe of the Southern Barrens' rampaging beasts, their awe intensified. Their reverence became even more profound, and they never dared to show the slightest disrespect again.
Feng Zikang could only shake his head, finding it both funny and exasperating, and let them have their way.
In a few days, he was scheduled to return to the Central Plains, while Mo Fenghuang intended to remain there to fulfill the dying wish of Mo Li.
For some inexplicable reason, her heart clung to him, unwilling to let Feng Zikang depart.
"Why? Why do I harbor such shameful thoughts?" Mo Fenghuang recalled the beautiful intimacy of the moment Feng Zikang rescued her, and a wave of shyness washed over her face.
At that time, she didn't know why—perhaps due to the cold—but she had shamelessly clung tightly to Feng Zikang. Skin touching skin, pressed close, sent a shock through her entire body, making her heart flutter with budding desire.
Immediately afterward, she thought of Mo Li, and guilt flooded her.
Just as the young girl's heart was fluttering with confusion, Man Jiao burst in clumsily.
"Immortal Lord, Immortal Lord! Word has come from the other hamlets—Commander Wu Ji of the Military Governor's office has rebelled!"
"What?"
The first one to leap up was naturally Luo Kedi.