Divine Sword Elder was buried at the back of Zhenwu Mountain.
Ning Qi took out the Longxiao Sword and laid it to rest alongside Divine Sword Elder. This was the sword Divine Sword Elder had loved most in life. Though he had lost it to Ning Qi during the Ten-Year Duel, it now returned to its rightful owner. As far as Ning Qi was concerned, the Longxiao Sword was no longer of any use to him.
Zhuang Chen called out gratefully, "Ninth Senior Brother."
Then.
Zhuang Chen personally erected a tombstone for Divine Sword Elder.
He kowtowed respectfully a few times.
In misfortune, there was a trace of solace—his Master was able to pass away peacefully. As long as he wished, he could still come and visit him.
Though Zhuang Chen's gaze was sorrowful, there was also a firm resolve. He remembered everything that had happened that night, remembered the twisted face of his once-gentle Senior Brother. In his heart, he quietly swore to get justice for his Master.
Daoist Longshan sighed softly, brushing his hand over Zhuang Chen's head.
"Little Ten, from now on, Zhenwu Mountain is your second home. It was Divine Sword Brother's home too. With him here, you won't be alone."
Zhuang Chen nodded hard.
"Yes, Master."
Luo Wentian and the others all looked at Zhuang Chen with concern. Toward this newly added Tenth Junior Brother, each of them felt a touch of pity and sympathy.
"Little Ten, just stay here in the Zhenwu Sect from now on. If anyone bullies you, just come to your senior brothers—we'll take care of it for you!"
Looking at the many kind-hearted senior brothers and sisters, a warm current surged in Zhuang Chen's chest.
And then, waves of exhaustion swept over him. He fainted on the spot.
After so long on the run and sustaining serious injuries, Zhuang Chen had been holding on with sheer willpower. Now that Divine Sword Elder's affairs were settled, he'd finally hit his limit.
Everyone was shocked.
Daoist Longshan and Ning Qi examined him carefully.
Daoist Longshan let out a breath of relief at first, but then frowned. Things inside Zhuang Chen's body weren't looking good.
"What a vicious power... it destroyed his foundation and even shattered the sword bone inside Little Ten's body. He'll live, but the question is whether he can still cultivate." Ŕ𝙖𝐍օＢÈ𝙎
Everyone was alarmed.
If he truly couldn't cultivate anymore, it would be another devastating blow for Zhuang Chen.
Daoist Longshan looked at Ning Qi. So did the others. They all knew Ning Qi was skilled in both medicine and alchemy—he might have a solution.
Ning Qi spoke softly.
"I don't know yet. We'll have to try. Put Tenth Junior Brother in the Seeking Dao Courtyard first. I'll stabilize his injuries."
He was somewhat confident, but couldn't make any guarantees yet. Besides, this wasn't the right time to go into detail. Luckily, he had studied Zhuang Chen's innate sword bone during the Heaven-Man Ceremony and had used it as a foundation to create the secret art Innate Sword Body.
For now, everything hinged on that technique.
Everyone quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
They trusted Ning Qi—if he didn't say there was no hope, then hope remained.
Daoist Longshan ordered the disciples to disperse and stand guard. The enemy was lurking in the shadows, their strength unknown. Though Divine Sword Elder had said there were no Heaven-Man Realm experts, caution was still necessary.
He himself returned to the Seeking Dao Courtyard with Ning Qi.
"Little Nine, I keep feeling the group that attacked the Divine Sword Sect is similar to the one that annihilated Xue Mei Manor. There may be some kind of connection between them," Daoist Longshan said in a low voice.
There were things he couldn't say in front of everyone earlier.
Ning Qi gave a slight nod.
"I feel the same. Blood Rain Pavilion might just be a smokescreen."
There were too many similarities. Both cases involved uncovering some secret truth and then being wiped out. If it turned out that Ning Qi's father had discovered something like the Human Blood Pool back then, the two cases would almost certainly be linked.
After a moment's thought, Daoist Longshan made a decision.
"I'm heading down the mountain now. I'll go check the Divine Sword Sect ruins myself. Maybe I'll find some clues. I'll also stir up a bit of noise so those people know I've left the Zhenwu Sect."
Ning Qi immediately understood what Daoist Longshan was planning.
As long as Daoist Longshan stayed on Zhenwu Mountain, the enemy in the shadows wouldn't dare act. But if they confirmed he'd left, things would change.
From the outside.
Zhenwu Sect only had a few True Disciples at the White Mist Realm.
As for Heavenly Sword True Person, such an aged monster nearing the end of his lifespan might not act for minor matters—or even stay on the mountain at all.
After all, there was precedent. When Daoist Longshan was in closed seclusion attempting to break into the Heaven-Man Realm, the Three Fiends of Iron Ridge and several Qi Origin Realm cultivators had launched a night raid on Zhenwu Mountain. Yet, the Heavenly Sword True Person never appeared. Everyone knew his first appearance was during Old Demon Lin's attack.
Ning Qi nodded.
"This plan is worth trying. It might lure the snake from its hole. Go ahead, Master—leave it to me. I'll need some time to treat Tenth Junior Brother and restore his sword bone anyway."
He had just looked over Zhuang Chen's condition—it really wasn't good.
Now was the perfect time to revive the sword bone. If he waited until after Daoist Longshan returned, it might be too late. Zhuang Chen could end up crippled for life. So this was the best course of action.
Daoist Longshan looked at the unconscious Zhuang Chen and sighed.
"Little Ten is a pitiful one. Little Nine, if you have even a shred of hope, do everything you can to revive his sword bone."
Ning Qi answered solemnly.
"I will do my best."
He'd always had a good impression of Zhuang Chen. Now that they were fellow disciples, he would care even more. It was tradition—just as his own senior brothers and sisters had cared for him when he first came to the mountain.
Daoist Longshan departed.
Ning Qi turned his gaze to Zhuang Chen, lying unconscious on the bed, and instructed White Ape.
"Tiansheng, go get Golden Silver Grass, Phoenix-Tail Flower, Purple Vine..."
He needed some herbs to stabilize Zhuang Chen's injuries.
White Ape moved quickly, eyes filled with worry. Although they had a rough first meeting, he and Zhuang Chen had gotten along well afterward. Zhuang Chen was one of the few who knew part of White Ape's strength. Seeing him in this condition made White Ape angry.
He ground the herbs into juice and had White Ape help Zhuang Chen drink it.
Then he dropped a few silver needles that moved swiftly over Zhuang Chen's body, pricking various points.
Although Zhuang Chen was still unconscious, the pale color in his face gradually returned. With Ning Qi's medical skills, such external injuries weren't an issue. The real problem was the sword bone.
Ning Qi exhaled gently. Streams of Qi extended from his fingers as he began a more detailed examination of Zhuang Chen's condition.
A moment later.
Surprise flickered in his eyes.
He had discovered—
After the innate sword bone shattered, part of its fluctuations had actually become more distinct than when he examined them before. Ning Qi instantly committed those special fluctuations to memory and compared them with his Innate Sword Body technique.
Right away, he realized that the version he had previously developed was still flawed.
Which made sense. His studies of White Ape and Zhuang Chen had only scratched the surface. Without access to their full power, he couldn't dig deeper. Now, by accident, part of the sword bone's essence had been revealed.
"Also, I didn't notice it earlier, but looking closely now—it seems Little Ten's sword bone is trying to reassemble itself?"
That was quite strange.
But he also realized that the reassembly was only a weak trend and faced massive resistance. Without powerful external intervention, it would most likely fail.
"But still, this is far better than I expected. If I study these fluctuations and improve the Innate Sword Body technique to resonate in reverse, I might be able to encourage the bone to reform. It has high feasibility."
"And once the bone reforms, Little Ten might be able to unlock more of its potential."
"In a sense, this is breaking down to rebuild—but the cost is far too heavy."
Looking at the sleeping Zhuang Chen, whose brow was still furrowed, Ning Qi sighed softly.
…
Daoist Longshan gave strict instructions to the disciples to remain on high alert, then left the mountain, heading straight for the old Divine Sword Sect grounds. He wanted to begin his investigation there and see if those people had left any clues behind.
Also, the destruction of Divine Sword Sect would cause quite a stir in Qingzhou.
Though the Great Yan Dynasty was chaotic now, the fall of a first-rate power that housed a Core Formation Realm expert would definitely draw attention.
Daoist Longshan did not conceal his movements.
Three days later.
News of the Divine Sword Sect's destruction began to spread. Daoist Longshan's involvement in helping an old friend investigate the culprits also sparked interest.
In a small, unremarkable courtyard within a nearby county town near Zhenwu Sect, a hidden chamber was filled with several figures.
Each of them radiated formidable aura—all were Core Formation Realm experts.
If anyone found out, they would be shocked beyond belief. Who could imagine so many powerful cultivators gathered in such a small town?
The leader spoke.
"Innate sword bone is excellent material for raising the Blood King Gu. If we can retrieve it, it'll be a huge merit. Now that Daoist Longshan has left Zhenwu Sect, this might be our chance."
He scanned the room, his gaze heavy with pressure.
A middle-aged man with a scarred face said grimly:
"Daoist Longshan may be gone, but Zhenwu Sect still has the Heavenly Sword True Person!"
A seductive woman echoed him.
"That's right. Heavenly Sword True Person is a powerhouse on the Heaven-Man Ranking. Even if we all attacked together, he could probably wipe us out with a flick of his hand."
The leader shook his head.
"No, the Heavenly Sword True Person likely won't bother with a small matter like this. I've studied both his known appearances—each time, it involved an attack by a Heaven-Man Realm expert and Zhenwu Sect facing extinction. Even when Daoist Longshan went into closed seclusion to break into the Heaven-Man Realm and several Qi Origin Realm cultivators attacked, he didn't appear."
"This time, our target is only the sword bone. We won't harm anyone else. That might not trigger the Heavenly Sword True Person."
"Besides Daoist Longshan and the Heavenly Sword True Person, Zhenwu Sect only has a few White Mist Realm True Disciples. One Core Formation Realm expert is enough to easily snatch the sword bone. That in itself is a message to Daoist Longshan—to make him hesitate."
Silence fell over the room.
"But in the end, that's just your guess. What if the Heavenly Sword True Person does show up? If he captures us, it'll ruin everything."
The leader was prepared. He took out a pill sealed in wax.
"This is the Heaven-Sense Gu. Swallow it. If it detects an abnormal fluctuation of Heaven and Earth energy nearby, it will shatter instantly, releasing deadly poison and breaking your chains. At that point, don't hesitate—crush your Core and die. Don't fall into enemy hands."
Everyone's expression turned grim.
They weren't afraid—just aware. The importance of the sword bone surpassed even a Core Formation Realm cultivator's life. The leader must've received orders from above in recent days.
"So who's going?"
Someone finally asked the question on everyone's mind.
The leader glanced around, then let out a long breath.
"Same as always—draw lots."