Chapter 231: Divine Artifact [PART 1]
Xiang Yu carefully traced the intricate blueprints of the teleportation rune along the sword’s surface. The delicate pattern required absolute perfection, and every stroke demanded his complete concentration.
This was proving to be monumentally more difficult than crafting talismans. No wonder those ancient practitioners had eventually abandoned runes in favor of the simplified talisman method. The complexity was staggering, and the margin for error practically nonexistent.
The first major challenge came from the sword itself. The pseudo-divine weapon’s incredible durability made it nearly impossible to engrave anything onto its surface. Ordinary tools would have been completely useless against such a high-grade artifact. Fortunately, his Abyssal Void Flame proved capable of cutting through even this formidable material, allowing him to make the necessary marks.
But even with the flame solving the material problem, tracing the pattern remained brutally difficult. When creating talismans, he could work through his spiritual sea, where his consciousness operated with near-perfect precision. Here, he was forced to rely on his physical hands, which introduced countless variables and potential mistakes. Every tiny tremor, every slight miscalculation could ruin hours of painstaking work.
The concentration required was absolutely insane. He had to maintain laser focus while simultaneously controlling his flame’s intensity, guiding his hand with surgical precision, and keeping track of the complex runic pattern that twisted and curved across the blade’s surface. One wrong move, one moment of lost focus, and the entire thing could be ruined.
If he messed up now, recovery would be nearly impossible. While the mistake might not necessarily destroy the sword outright, erasing the partially completed pattern and starting over would be an absolute nightmare.
"How is he going to upgrade it?" Li Yao asked, as she watched him work. "Will it become a divine weapon now?"
[That could happen, but the chances are quite low,] the Empress responded. [Although the weapon is just a step away from being a divine weapon, that step is like a chasm.]
However, as she continued observing Xiang Yu’s work, doubt began creeping into her assessment. She found herself reconsidering her initial judgment. The original sword had been refined using the complete cultivation base of a Void Traversing realm expert, which meant it contained substantial amounts of void energy. This void energy was what gave the blade its incredible sharpness.
From the looks of the rune Xiang Yu was drawing, wasn’t that a... Before she could complete her thought, everything suddenly went wrong.
Xiang Yu was just putting the finishing touches on the rune’s final blueprint section when suddenly, a brilliant flash of golden light erupted from the sword, moving so impossibly fast that he couldn’t react in time. The explosive force launched him backward through the air like a ragdoll, sending him hurtling toward the cave walls.
Had he messed up the pattern in the end? The thought flashed through his mind as he flew through the air.
Before he could slam into the cave wall, Li Yao materialized behind him in a blur of movement, catching him safely in her arms.
"Senior brother, that’s..." Li Yao spoke, her voice trailing off as she gazed past him at the sword.
Xiang Yu quickly extricated himself from her princess carry, ignoring the embarrassment to focus on the spectacular sight before them. The sword was now floating freely in the air, completely surrounded by swirling golden energy that pulsed and crackled, causing even the air around it to distort.
In the next second, the golden bubble of energy began collapsing inward, being absorbed directly into the sword’s core. Then, without any warning, a massive golden beam erupted from the blade, piercing straight through the cave’s roof and even penetrating the protective barriers he had carefully set up both in the cave and around the sect. The brilliant column of light shot skyward like a beacon, reaching toward the heavens.
[Oh, no!] the Empress exclaimed in alarm.
Instantly, she materialized from Li Yao’s body, teleporting next to the sword. Her hands quickly enclosed the weapon within a blue sphere of condensed energy. Through the translucent sphere, they could still see the sword radiating intense golden energy, fighting against its containment like a caged beast.
The Empress’s face showed visible strain as she began compressing the blue sphere, forcing the golden energy to contract and diminish. Her face showed incredible strain as she wrestled with the tremendous power, gradually reducing the chaotic energy until it finally disappeared entirely.
The floating sword then dropped into her hands, completely transformed. It was no longer the brilliant azure weapon it had been before. Instead, it had become a dark void that reflected no light. While it hadn’t quite reached the level of the Abyssal Void Flame’s light-absorbing properties, it was definitely moving in that direction.
She breathed a deep sigh of relief when the sword finally calmed down. Only then did she turn back to face Li Yao and Xiang Yu, who were both staring at her with wide eyes.
[Umm, well, how do I say this...]
...
The three of them sat in a rough circle on the cave floor. Xiang Yu found his gaze shifting between the Empress and Li Yao. He had to admit, he hadn’t expected the Empress to reveal herself to him like this, even though he already somewhat knew of her existence.
From their explanation, he could say he knew a little more about them but still nothing much he hadn’t already guessed about them.
"Senior brother, you have to trust me!" Li Yao suddenly exclaimed. "I didn’t mean to keep a secret from you, she forced me to keep quiet about everything. You have to believe me!"
Without waiting for his response, she threw herself directly into his arms, clinging to him.
The Empress immediately facepalmed at this display, her expression showing pure exasperation. This girl had no backbone whatsoever. How was she supposed to become the Human Empress like this?
"It’s okay," Xiang Yu said gently, patting her head. "I’ve always known my Yao Yao was blessed by the heavens."
"You really think so?" Li Yao asked, her voice muffled as she snuggled deeper against his chest.
"Would I lie to you?" he replied with a genuine smile, continuing his gentle head pats.
She beamed at his words, her entire face lighting up with pure joy as she continued snuggling against him.
"Why do I feel like this girl is taking advantage?" Xiang Yu wondered silently.
Turning his attention to the Empress. "What exactly happened to the sword?" he asked, his tone becoming more serious.
The Empress raised her palm, and the weapon materialized there.
[The sword has advanced to the divine level,] the Empress explained.
"That beam from earlier..." Xiang Yu began.
The Empress cut him off before he could finish his question. [That’s right, the sword was announcing its birth to the world. Many powerful cultivators have probably already detected the emergence of a divine treasure.]
Xiang Yu’s expression shifted to one of pure horror. The color drained from his face as he processed what this meant. "Does that mean..."
[Don’t worry,] the Empress interjected quickly, sensing his growing panic. [I managed to hide its aura before it could be completely exposed to the world. They just know that a divine weapon has appeared somewhere in the eastern continent, not exactly where it is.]
Xiang Yu wasn’t convinced by her reassurance. That distinction didn’t make much difference. Anyone powerful enough to covet such a treasure would likely be at the Void Traversing realm or above, and cultivators at that level could easily cover entire continents with their divine sense. This was just delaying the inevitable.
[Don’t worry so much,] the Empress said, reading his concerned expression. [I’ve used some of my own energy to cover up the traces more thoroughly. They won’t be able to discover its exact location for a very long time.]
Her expression then shifted to a smile. [Do you want to check it out?] she asked, extending the weapon toward him.
Xiang Yu carefully received the sword from her hands, surprised by how it felt in his grip. Li Yao, who had been pressed against his chest, shifted her position to sit between his legs so she could observe the divine weapon more closely alongside him.
The blade felt unexpectedly light in his hands, as if it barely existed at all. Curious about its properties, he decided to activate his appraisal to examine the weapon’s details more thoroughly:
[Name: Void Sword]
[Type: Artifact]
[Grade: Low-Level Divine Artifact]
[Info: An extremely sharp sword that can cut through space]