Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations
Luo Qingwu placed the Xuanche Sword over her knees before she swallowed one of the pills she carried with her. She focused on her breathing and worked to replenish her sword Qi and mana.
Fearsome mana wasn’t her forte, but her swordplay and techniques were ferocious and powerful and consumed large amounts of her mana.
Zhuge Zhan watched Luo Qingwu and a sparkle flashed across his eyes. The Saintly Celestial Primordial Sword Formation was extremely powerful, and its offensive capabilities were petrifying. A single misstep and both of them would perish under the sword.
Even though Luo Qingwu’s mantras and mana were far superior to other nascent soul stage cultivators and she was far more adept with swordplay and even defeated a host of immortal soul stage sword cultivators from Mount Shu, she was still in mortal danger before the immense power of the Saintly Celestial Primordial Sword Formation.
He had some understanding of Luo Qingwu’s level of mastery. He sensed the sword mind around Luo Qingwu’s body and roughly understood what she intended to do.
The purple-robed youth beside him, after her intense battles with Mount Shu’s great sword cultivators, benefited much more than if she were battling other people.
She was attempting to break through to the immortal soul stage!
It was imperative for her to ensure her own safety under the vast pressure from the Saintly Celestial Primordial Sword Formation so that she could make that step successfully and ascend into the immortal soul stage.
Zhuge Zhan’s personality meant he undoubtedly held Luo Qingwu’s choice in high regard. However, he was the Celestial Sect of Wonders’ honorary elder and he had been politely treated by Lin Feng and Luo Qingwu over the years. His daughter, Zhuge Wanqiu, had also been personally mentored by the Celestial Sect of Wonders.
It was Zhuge Zhan’s obligation to ensure Luo Qingwu’s safety in this expedition to Mount Shu.
He knew very well that this young girl was Lin Feng’s youngest disciple and was very likely to be his closing disciple. In normal days, from Lin Feng all the way to Xiao Yan, Zhu Yi, Wang Lin, Shi Tianhao and even Yue Hongyan doted on her.
She was born with the Pure Yin Being and her life ever since entering the Celestial Sect of Wonders had been smooth-sailing. Whether it was her speed of cultivation or her battle prowess, many people of her generation were unable to match her.
From forming the Natural Supreme Dao Foundation and the erection of the Natural Supreme Crucible, to the strange scenes with the Purple Pill as she was forming the aurous core and to attaining the nascent soul in the end and her acquiring of the Holy Light of Creation were unprecedented.
In some sense, ever since she joined the Celestial Sect of Wonders and became Lin Feng’s direct disciple, she could be said to be the “prized princess”, a prodigal talent and a wonderchild for the Divine Lands and the human world of cultivation.
Ever since she started plying the craft under Lin Feng, Luo Qingwu had a smooth journey and her future was boundless.
The immortal soul stage was a near-impossible hurdle for other people. For Luo Qingwu, juxtaposed with her talent, intelligence and the efforts she had displayed over the years along with her currents status, forming the immortal soul may not be an absolute certainty but her chances of success were far greater than her chances of failure.
Today’s battle was highly mutable and kept changing and wasn’t lucid at all. However, it didn’t deteriorate to the point where Luo Qingwu had no choice but to directly face the Saintly Celestial Primordial Sword Formation and take the precarious risk of breaking through inside this dangerous sword formation.
The Cang Ming Swordmaster had entered the sword formation at this point. If he temporarily turned his attention from the Tiangang Swordmaster to their side, Luo Qingwu could perish right here and now at any moment.
Zhuge Zhan eyed the purple-robed young girl beside him and said, “Are you certain, little girl? You don’t have to take this risk. Even if you have no choice, your senior brother Xiao Yan is already on the way.”
A casual smile broke out on Luo Qingwu’s face. “I am very grateful for your love and concern. However, I am not taking an uncalculated risk nor am I trying to be heroic.”
“I have always been aware of the love from my master and my senior brothers, senior sisters and from you and the others. Without you guys, I will not be here today.”
“Master once said before that he can protect me now, and he can also protect me for eternity.” There was a trace of silent determination within her serene and gentle gaze. “This is my master’s strength and also my good fortune. However, if I spend my entire life under his protection like a little girl who can never grow up, then I will be blemishing him and tarnishing his reputation and I will never be stepping on my own path.”
“I will always be a little child before my master. However, when I’m outside, I’m my master’s disciple and I will fight for the glory of the Celestial Sect of Wonders!”
Luo Qingwu closed her eyes and her expression became tranquil once more. “Big senior brother is indeed on his way here. However, this doesn’t mean we should stay here and do nothing, and this shouldn’t be an excuse for me to take the easy way out. I am also responsible when the sect needs me.”
Zhuge Zhan laughed heartily as he heard her words and exclaimed, “Good! What a great speech! You are just like me. Since that’s the case, then you have to take care of yourself – a sword like you has a great and limitless future, you cannot fall here.”
With that, he changed his mana and streaks of green light bore through the seven-colored long rainbow and landed upon Luo Qingwu’s body.
Luo Qingwu flashed a radiant smile and said, “I am not afraid of the rain and of the storm wherever my sword intends to go. I am not afraid of the test of ice and scorching fire, and I am unafraid of bending and of ruin.”
“If this is my end, then it only goes to show that I have been too lazy before this. It means that I have always been a decayed piece of wood and not a well-made piece of steel and I will never be an extraordinary sword.”
Green lights poured all over and spiraled around Luo Qingwu’s body.
These radiances didn’t seem sharp at all, and they were the sword radiances formed by the Cang Ming Swordmaster and his direction of the Saintly Celestial Primordial Sword Formation. It appeared like it could pierce through anything. Even though most of the sword formation’s power was used to fight against the Tiangang Swordmaser and re-forge the Saintly Celestial Sword, in addition to Zhuge Zhan’s efforts to control its power, he couldn’t release too much sword radiance at once.
However, the moment these green lights touched her body, she could still feel intense pressure.
This was especially so as she had released her nascent soul. Her nascent soul was directly faced with the green sword radiances at this moment, and she felt as if she was isolated in a barren world and there was nothing else around her. Everything else was just blue skies and the sprawling heavens above.
In this world with nothing inside, there were chilly sword Qi and sword mind that permeated throughout.
They appeared formless and invisible, but they were actually omnipresent. This was far more frightening than the Grand Moon Four Sword Realms, the pinnacle of the Grand Moon Sword Passage.
The sword mind contained within the Grand Moon Four Sword Realm was like dust and could enter any surface, and it was everywhere.
However, in this sword radiance world, the sword mind became like the air that people breathed from day to day and the spiritual energy that cultivators came into contact with every day. Everything inside appeared to be formed by limitless sword Qi, and all life in this world were tightly enveloped within and there were no loopholes or gaps to be seen.
This was the true form of being formless and invisible, yet it was omnipresent and permeated everything.
There were sensations in all the pores of her body even if she didn’t move, let alone if she was breathing, as if there were uncountable sword edges touching her body.
Luo Qingwu’s expression changed the light shadow above her head, which had the exact same physical appearance as she did, was just waltzing about inside the green light at this moment.
Over the entire process, the green sword radiance changed continuously, and the entire world of green light started to transform. It was eventually converted into a green light sword, and danced in the void along with Luo Qingwu’s nascent soul.
Sword radiance surged around as her clothes billowed in the sky.
The Grand Moon Swordmaster, the Shaoshang Swordmaster, the Guanchong Swordmaster and the Shaoze Swordmaster watched on and they immediately realized what was going on. “She wants to form the immortal soul inside our Saintly Celestial Primordial Sword Formation?”
The others were different, but the Guanchong Swordmaster’s typically stoic face immediately changed into one of surprise and fury. His eyes betrayed a feeling of reminiscence.
The scene before him now triggered the deepest parts of his memory.
Back when Xiao Yan destroyed the Guanchong Sword and left him severely injured, when he was faced with the pressure from third-level immortal soul stage cultivator Jie Luoshi, suddenly broke through the bottleneck in the heat of battle and successfully reached the immortal soul stage. Subsequently, he used his newly formed immortal soul avatar to force back the third-level immortal soul stage sword cultivator.
Luo Qingwu’s actions were like déjà vu for him and made the Guanchong Swordmaster think about those regrettable events all those years ago.
“This is too much!” The Grand Moon Swordmaster directed his sword and the Grand Moon Sword broke into uncountable thin lines as they launched themselves towards Luo Qingwu. The Guanchong Swordmaster and the others made similar actions as they attacked Luo Qingwu.
Zhuge Zhan grunted as he raised his hand to block the green lights coming from the Saintly Celestial Primordial Sword Formation. He extended his other hand and pressed it against the Grand Moon Swordmaster and the others.
An enormous rainbow surged across the sky, and its seven colors immediately separated into seven different rays of light. The seven colors were all distinct, and the long rivers of different lights burst forth side by side.
These seven rays of rainbow light intertwined with each other and exuded a virtual and ever-changing concept of power. They positioned themselves before the Grand Moon Swordmaster and the others, and blocked every single one of their various attacks against Luo Qingwu.
Even the innumerable air strands from the Grand Moon Swordmaster were entangled within the seven-colored rainbow and couldn’t draw themselves out.
At the same time, Luo Qingwu took out a small porcelain bottle. She drew a light breath after opening it and a streak of cloud energy drifted out, which she quickly swallowed.
Luo Qingwu’s cosmic form appeared behind her at this moment and it was also enveloped by the flowing green sword radiance.
Under the green light’s intense pressure, the faintest of cracks even started to appear on her cosmic form.
However, this girl’s spiritual altar was completely clear and she was experiencing an unprecedented clarity.
Images of the countless events of her life flashed by in her head as she reminisced the most important event of her life – it was during the year that her Heavenly Yin Spiritual Pearl was shattered and she fell from the clouds right into the abyss within her family, and when she joined under Lin Feng and eventually remade her Pure Yin Being.
She could still remember the indifferent and gentle-looking youth clad in purple standing before her, and he was just smiling calmly.
For whatever reason, what was originally a dramatic event that took her from the most painful of sorrows to the happiest of times, everything became casual and placid under the calm smile of this purple-robed youth.
The corners of Luo Qingwu’s mouth also curved into a faint smile as she whispered, “I will always remember you, master, for giving me another life.”
Her physical body suddenly stood up from her crossed-leg position as she gripped her sword and went onto her knees in the direction of Mount Kunlun.
At this moment, she could feel that distinct clarity of the door to the immortal soul stage that had been so obscure before this. Her nascent soul fused itself with her cosmic form, and burst through that looming gate!
She broke through the giant gate in the void and received the baptism of nature and the great laws of the world. Luo Qingwu’s cosmic form started to break apart and transformed into beads after beads of rune seeds. Every seed flickered with boundless sword radiance and radiated brightly.
In the next moment, these rune seeds transformed into an enormous Taiji Diagram in the void – it was half white and half black as the two colors intertwined with one another and spiraled around.
Streaks and streaks of sword radiance shot into the sky from the Taiji Diagram. There appeared to be a light shadow prancing about within the layers of sword radiance, as if the entire world was following her rhythm.
A song broke out just like that within the Saintly Celestial Primordial Sword Formation, and the tone was crisp and clear.
“The exchange of blades above the Yin-Yang Sea, half in the earth and half in the sky. Purple energy surges in Mount Kunlun, riding the sword over the world for all of eternity.”