Chapter 302
Chapter 302 - The Moon
The Sword Cocoons Sword Silk Array Formation had 74 permutations, and Zhong Yue had only learned the first 27. If he wanted to learn the complete Sword Cocoons Sword Silk Array Formation, he would have to be personally taught it by Shui Zian himself.
Even if it were only 27 Sword Cocoons, it was already appallingly strong; refining the Sword Cocoons for some time, he was now quite familiar with them and was eager to see their unleashed power.
The Sword Cocoons was the only malefic weapons that had a low requirement for the user's cultivation base. This set of malefic armaments value the user's intelligence and their control of the Yuan Shen over the depth of their cultivation base.
The higher the intelligence, the easier it was to master the permutations in the Sword Cocoons Sword Silk Array Formation. One could even make different variations and changes of their own; the stronger the Yuan Shen, the better the user could control the tiniest changes of the Sword Cocoons.
Every new sword silk that was added to the array formation would increase its power by a fold, but the difficulty to effectively control it would also rise accordingly.
Among all of those living in this world, only one man could cast the complete Sword Cocoons Sword Silk Array Formation. And that man was the progenitor of the Sword Cocoons Array Formation, Shui Zian!
The moment Zhong Yue acquired the first 27 styles from Tan Zhen, he knew that this was a sword art was incredibly hard to master. The 27 styles were his limit back then; but now, as he was stronger than before. Casting the 27 styles was never so easy for him.
He manipulated the 27 Sword Cocoons, every one of them was miles long. They floated inconspicuously in the air, nearly imperceptible to the naked eye.
“Elder Shui’s Sword Cocoons are really one of a kind.”
Zhong Yue praised while his heart was still feeling awestruck toward the Sword Cocoons. When he reached out his soul to the Sword Cocoons to refine them, he could feel them screaming in his ears. He could feel the bloodlust that tempted him to kill and slaughter every living thing that crossed his sights!
A spirituality existed within these Sword Cocoons. They had their own thoughts, and although they were primitive, it was undeniable that they existed. The sword was a medium created with only one purpose—to kill. It wasn't designed to be an ornament for artistic appreciation; it was an instrument of death, whose sole purpose was to reap the lives of all who obstructed their master's path. After all the blood that these weapons soaked in, a natural killing intent was born in the Sword Cocoons as a result th
at begot the basic sentience within them!
The Ten Malefic Weapons wouldn't accept a master that could be defeated. They wouldn't allow a loser to control them, which was why they devoured the masters they deemed to be weak to free themselves from their master's control!
The Swords Gate magnates that forged the Ten Malefic Weapons were at the peak of their lives. They've reached to the limits of their talents and couldn't advance further anymore, which was why they were driven to look for a new means to increase their prowess — the soul weapons. They have forged their soul weapons, refined and pushed them over the limits, and in the end, making their soul weapons stronger than themselves. Eventually, their soul weapons turned into demons.
However, in stark contrast, the divine weapons were very different. Those that crafted them were the gods. There was no doubt that they would have the ability to have full control over their weapons; furthermore, the spiritualities of the divine weapons were not as extreme as the Ten Malefic Weapons.
This should be why the Ten Malefic Weapons would kill their own masters, after all, who can guarantee that they can remain invincible for their whole lives?
Zhong Yue kept the sword silks, placing the Sword Cocoons back to the Yuan Shen secret realms. Right now, countless Qi Practitioners were swarming out from the border of the South Barren, heading toward the battlefield. Following the heels of the Qi Practitioners were the border armies, they searched all over the place for Zhong Yue and Qiu Jin'er, while the border governor informed the Heaven Marquis Palace of Zhurong Changkong's death.
Upon hearing the news, the Heavenly Marquis Palace went into a rage, and then more news started flowing in. Zhurong Changkong's murderers were the traitors of Swords Gate, Zuo Xiangsheng and Tian Yanzhong. They were now on the wanted list of Swords Gate, and the elders were in pursuit.
They were wanted for stealing all the Ten Malefic Weapons of Swords Gate.
Suddenly, the Zhong Li Celestial Race's Heavenly Dharma experts all swarmed out in search for the duo. After all, even the celestial races were moved by the golden opportunity to snatch the mighty Ten Malefic Weapons as their own.
In comparison, the Qi Practitioners going after Zhong Yue and Qiu Jin'er were far fewer in number. There were only the Xiao Mang, Zhong Li, Kui Long, and the demon race.
Thanks to Tian Yanzhong and Zuo Xiangsheng, the pressure on Zhong Yue and Qiu Jin'er was a lot lighter now. They were traveling toward the West Barren, while on their way, Zhong Yue had taught the 27 sword styles to Qiu Jin'er. The two of them practiced on their way and Qiu Jin'er now also mastered the 27 sword styles.
Her Yuan Shen was the Gou Mang, and she was also an Innate Spirit Body. Undoubtedly, her Yuan Shen would be strong; in addition to her clear mind, it wasn't hard for her to learn them.
Zhong Yue handed over 27 Sword Cocoons for her to refine. The duo then started practicing their sword arrays, the combo between two sword arrays wasn't something one would like to tamper with. Zhong Yue and Qiu Jin'er were both feeling happy in their hearts for the strides they made in their strengths.
During the night, the two of them were still traveling in the dark. Qiu Jin'er was practicing the 27 sword styles, and the sword silks sliced through the air stealthily, silent like specters. Zhong Yue was unsettled; he couldn't help but remind her again and again, "Junior martial sister, you mustn't be defeated while wielding the Sword Cocoons. If you lose a battle, the Sword Cocoons will deem you unworthy as their master and will kill you. It is very dangerous!"
Qiu Jin’er nodded, she said, “Someone’s catching up to us, again.”
“It’s fine.”
A gentle smile transformed the seriousness on Zhong Yue's face, and he said, "As long as it's not the Heavenly Dharma experts or the magnates, those that can stop us down might have yet to exist in this world."
The two of them maintained their usual pace, unaffected by the pursuers behind them as they strode to the middle of a valley. The moon was dangling high above the sky when the pursuers caught up to them; the outbreak of the battle suffused the valley with bursts of auras. Under the moonlights, one could perceive the shadows of the sword silks soaring in the air like dragons, lashing all over the places and ravaging on the mountains as if they were tofu!
It was two sword arrays that had intertwined together, unleashing their powers out at their victims!
It was a tragic scene, a miniature presentation of hell in this world of mortals. Countless cultivators had cast out their soul weapons, fighting against the sword arrays for their survivals.
All of a sudden, the sword silks disappeared right before their eyes. They shrunk into thin threads that were nearly imperceptible; the Qi Practitioners instantly plunged into a state of chaos and disorder, not knowing what to do as they couldn't even see the sword arrays and find the sword silks.
The sword silks perforated the soul weapons, and the Qi Practitioners were reduced into mists of blood in the sword arrays.
“Junior martial sister, let’s go.”
Zhong Yue and Qiu Jin'er kept their Sword Cocoons and walked away, leaving behind the huge holes in the mountains as the evidence of the battle that was staged here.
The moon was high above the sky when suddenly the moon was slowly brightening, Zhong Yue looked up, and his face changed drastically. He quickly pulled Qiu Jin'er down onto the ground and covered them with the Kui Long's cowhide.
Qiu Jin’er was shocked, she said, “Senior martial brother, what is it?”
“Shhh, quiet!” Zhong Yue was anxious as he replied.
The moonlights shone down as the moon suddenly got brighter, all of a sudden, there was another moon flying toward them from far. The light of the two moons mixed together, and a bizarre scene of two moons appearing together was presented before their eyes.
The second moon flew to the valley where the battle took place, it stopped and hovered above the battlefield for a few moments before it started flying again. But this time, light rays were blasting down onto the ground, quaking the earth!
The light rays were raining down to the ground as the moon followed the trails of Zhong Yue and Qiu Jin'er, ravaging the lands of dozens of miles before the light rays hit on the Kui Long's cowhide. They could feel as if countless arrows were raining down on them.
The moon flew out for another few thousand miles before it suddenly turned smaller and shot down to the mountains.
After a long time, Zhong Yue lifted up the Kui Long's cowhide, and Qiu Jin'er glanced around. Her heart thumped in shock as uncountable needle holes paved throughout the whole land. It looked like this whole piece of land was a huge hornet's nest!
All these needle holes were shot by the light rays of that flying moon!
If it weren't for Zhong Yue who realized it quickly enough and cloaked them with the Kui Long's hide, they would have become sieves by now!
"That moon, it is from one of the four magnates of Xiao Mang Celestial Race, Xiao Yuan of the Yin, Qing, Yuan, and Que."
Zhong Yue's heart still undulated in shock. He heaved a breath and said, "She didn't come in person but commanded her people to bring her soul weapon along. If they saw us, they will then cast out the moon. There must be some Xiao Mang expert behind us while we were battling in the valley. They found us and cast out the moon in an attempt to kill us."
Qiu Jin’er was enlightened, the Xiao Mang experts were only tasked to bring the moon along and cast it out when they found them, after which, Xiao Yuan would control her soul weapon from far and kill them.
“Senior martial brother, it’s too dangerous here, we need to get back to Swords Gate as soon as possible….”
“Of course we will, but since Xiao Yuan made her move, we should also return the favor.”
Rays flashed in Zhong Yue's eyes, a Sword Cocoon suddenly flew out and turned into a sword silk while Zhong Yue cast out the beast god inner core from his psyche ocean and took out the tattered copper lamp. He placed the copper lamp on the sword silk, and the sword silk bolted away like a flash of lightning and disappeared into the woods.
"Xiao Yuan's biggest mistake is that she didn't come in person. If she did come, then I'll surely run as far as I can. But since she isn't here, her control over her soul weapon wouldn't be as smooth as usual."
Zhong Yue manipulated the sword silk with his psyche and traveled over hundred miles. In the woods far away from them, there was a mini-moon dangling above the trees.
Two Xiao Mang experts raised their heads and looked at the moon above them, one of them said smilingly, “This forsaken Zhong Shan Clan member must be dead by now? He is killed by the moon of our senior Xiao Yuan before he could even go far … Senior martial brother?”
A cold chill suddenly went down his spine. He quickly turned and looked at his partner to see three heads falling from his senior martial brother's necks. Something had decapitated his partner!
Immediately afterward, he felt a thin thread curling on his necks, and the next thing that entered his visions was his own body with blood gushing out from his broken necks.
Before his heads even touched the ground, a tattered copper lamp appeared right beside the moon. On the top of the copper lamp was a round, shiny inner core that held a divine aura. There was a faint image of a blood-red Xiang Dragon swimming in the inner core.
The beast god inner core revolved rapidly, and a strong force of attraction came within the copper lamp —Shua!— the moon was sucked into the copper lamp!
Pu-tong, pu-tong, pu-tong … the Xiao Mang experts' heads finally touched the ground, and their bodies collapsed down. Their heads rolled on the ground; meanwhile, the copper lamp was dragged away by a sword silk after it sucked away the moon.
A few moments later, Zhong Yue raised his hand and reclaimed the sword silk. He looked at the tattered lamp in his hand as it quietly hovered above his palm.
The beast god inner core then flew straight back into his forehead and disappeared into his psyche ocean.
“Junior martial sister, we may leave now!”
Zhong Yue stored the copper lamp into his secret realms and laughed, "Xiao Yuan is probably on the verge of going crazy now as her dearest soul weapon has been stolen. She might even personally come for me, which is why we must return to Swords Gate as fast as possible!"