Chapter 1523: Son of Heaven’s Sword
All the powers in the entire Fiend King Court were shocked.
In the ancestral grounds, the elders opened their eyes, exclaiming, “Another divine weapon has come into being?”
Their eyes were filled with blazing radiance. What kind of an item was a divine object? Even the Fiend races’ royal family only had a single one, the Sun Slaying Bow! The number of divine weapons in the world was pitifully small. Every single one had tremendous power that could affect the balance between different powers.
The Great Elder was startled and was about to head out to take a look, but the Second Elder stopped him, saying, “Forget it. How can the lifespan you have left be squandered away repeatedly like this? No matter how powerful a divine weapon is, it cannot make us live longer.”
The Great Elder felt that made sense. After all, they relied on a special place like the ancestral land to rest; only then could they slow down the rate of their lifespan’s deterioration. They would use up quite a bit of their lifespan each time they left.
They had just left once yesterday. If they went out again today…
Sigh, we’re too old. We can’t do it that often.
“What Old Second says is right. Then, I will send some people outside to look around first,” the Great Elder said. The elders’ place of seclusion always had some servants standing guard outside, awaiting instructions. Finding out what happened first before acting would save them some longevity.
“Don’t call me Old Second!”
“Alright, Old Second.”
“...”
…
The expression of the Elf King, who had been looking in a mirror, suddenly changed. He looked up in the direction of the sword energy. He vanished from his original location, and a moment later, he reappeared near the Imperial Palace.
The Peacock Wise King, the Little Golden Peng King, Hu Qianxiao, and other strong individuals also rushed over when they heard the news. However, they were all stopped by the Imperial Palace’s guards. Only the three kings who had special statuses were allowed in.
…
Inside the Imperial Palace, Zu An put away the Tai’e Sword.
When it had just been upgraded to immortal-grade, the sword glittered like frost and snow. It looked sharp and fierce. However, now that it had broken through into the deity grade, the cold light had disappeared; it returned to its previous simple and profound appearance.
A streak of divine light swirled along the sword’s surface. One could vaguely make out a dragon’s figure within. There was also a seemingly endless pressure emanating from it. It was clearly just a sword, and yet it seemed as if it carried the weight of the world.
Mi Li excitedly exclaimed, “I didn’t expect to see the Tai’e Sword at its peak again!”
Zu An turned around, and blood almost gushed out of his nose. Mi Li had walked out from behind the screen out of excitement. Her clothing was very light, with her soft and smooth skin on full display.
It was as if a young lady dressed in a tank top and booty shorts also had an incredibly mature temperament. At that moment, Zu An seemed to have witnessed the majesty of towering peaks and elegant rivers in Mi Li’s body.
Zu An had often seen bikinis in his previous world, so Mi Li’s outfit wasn’t really that skimpy in comparison. Still, that was before factoring in who was wearing it. Normally, Mi Li wore thick layers of splendid clothes, which was why the sight carried such a powerful visual impact.
Mi Li’s eyes widened. She reached out her hand and sucked her clothes back onto her body, then snapped, “Have you seen enough yet?”
“Not at all!” Zu An exclaimed, his eyes burning a bit. He didn’t know why, but he felt as if he were burning up inside. All sorts of random thoughts rushed into his mind.
Yang Guo and Xiaolongnu were also disciples[1]…
Also, what was that again? Riding your master…
Mi Li noticed that Zu An’s gaze was so fierce it was almost tangible. She could even feel it on her skin. Her expression immediately became a bit unnatural as she said, “You were using the White Lotus True Flame for so long, and you were always in front of the furnace, which is why your inner energies are much livelier now. You should quickly gather your thoughts and calm yourself down.”
Zu An realized something. He had just absorbed Sir Fu’s cultivation, so his energies were already a bit unstable. He had finally managed to tame it after tossing and turning with the Second Empress all night. But now, he had used up a ton of energy refining the divine weapon, causing the suppressed energy to run amok again.
When the divine sword came out of the furnace, he had been enveloped in its power, making him feel restless. He wanted to vent his excess energy.
In order to shift his attention, Mi Li looked at the Tai’e Sword in his hands and asked, “Do you know what kind of power the Tai’e Sword has now that it has returned to its peak?”
“Don’t tell me the Domain of Power can now be used on earth immortals?” Zu An asked, his eyes lighting up. He thought about how useful the Domain of Power had been in the past when it was just a heaven-grade weapon. Now that it was deity-grade, it wasn’t entirely inconceivable for it to be able to face an earth immortal.
Mi Li shook her head and said, “The domain has increased in its power, and there’s no longer a limit to its uses, but earth immortals all have their own domains. Furthermore, which one of them lacks a powerful will? There’s little chance of the domain defeating them on its own.”
When she saw Zu An frown, she continued, “You don’t need to feel disappointed, because the Domain of Power is just one of the Tai’e Sword’s secondary functions.”
“Oh. Then what is its strongest function?” Zu An asked, getting a bit excited. The Domain of Power was already so great; how amazing was its primary function going to be?
“It’ll make the power of your sword stronger,” Mi Li replied.
Zu An was completely confused. Any decent weapon would have that kind of effect, right?
Mi Li knew he had misunderstood when she saw his expression. She explained, “The Tai’e Sword is the sword of the son of heaven. It uses the heaven, earth, mountains, and rivers as the form of the sword. The higher your status, the closer you are to being a ruler, and the more you can use the world’s resources as your own. The power of this sword will also increase accordingly. Currently, you are the Fiend races’ Regent, someone who only has a single person above you, but countless people below. Together with your noble title on the human side, you can just barely release the power of the Tai’e Sword. Of course, if you become a true monarch, its power will grow even greater.”
“The mountains and rivers as a sword?” Zu An repeated, looking at the longsword in his hands. He couldn't help but be a bit shocked. Just how great would its power be when he used it?
“I’m going to test out my new home,” Mi Li said. She wasn’t used to looking so messy in front of Zu An, especially when his bulging muscles were making her feel strange things too. “You’ve already gathered almost all of the things I need. I need to sleep to recover my strength and prepare for that day.”
After saying that, she didn’t wait for Zu An any longer. She turned into a streak of light and entered the Tai’e Sword. The sword vibrated a bit in response.
Zu An was confused. Didn’t I only gather two of the materials? She didn’t even tell me the last one. Why do I feel as if she’s already sure I can find it?
Suddenly, he sensed some ki rippling outside. He grabbed the Tai’e Sword and rushed into the sky. At the same time, three figures appeared near him. It was none other than the Great Elf King, the Peacock Wise King, and the Little Golden Peng King.
“Which wind brought all three of your respected selves together?” Zu An asked, looking at them coldly. They had clearly come with unkind intentions.
The Peacock Wise King and Little Golden Peng King’s gazes both landed on his sword. However, the Great Elf King’s gaze stopped on Zu An’s exposed upper body instead. He frowned and said, “Your face is pretty normal, but all of those muscles really don’t match the standard of a beautiful man.”
“Where did you obtain that divine weapon from?” the Little Golden Peng King asked, his gaze no longer as calm as before. His eyes were filled with longing.
“This sword is named the Tai’e Sword. It’s a weapon that has accompanied me for a long time. What, does the Little Golden Peng King wish to give it a go?” Zu An replied indifferently.
Even though the Great Elf King looked down on Zu An’s muscles, he still moved closer to him. His intentions were clear. If they were going to fight, he was going to stand by his son-in-law.
The Little Golden Peng King shivered inwardly, saying, “Regent must be joking. We merely came out of curiosity, and had no thoughts of seizing it.”
Of course, if they had arrived and discovered that the divine weapon was in the hands of a weak individual, they wouldn’t have minded killing that person and taking it for themselves. But Zu An really was someone they couldn't see through. Just his accomplishments the previous night had already left them all shaken. Now, he had another divine weapon! Who would dare to mess with him?
Could it be that he was still holding back last night?
The three kings couldn't help but think of that. When they looked at the half-exposed man in front of them, they suddenly felt as if he had become even bigger and taller.
The Peacock Wise King added with a smile, “That sword energy made this one think that something dangerous happened here in the Imperial Palace. As it is the Regent’s possession, there is naturally no problem.”
He seemed to recall that Nanwu and Zu An seemed to have had something between them in the past. Since she couldn't become the Crown Princess anymore, what about a different path?
They exchanged some perfunctory greetings, then bid each other farewell. They even agreed to help Zu An take care of the aftermath and send off those who had come to find out what happened.
Zu An had a strange expression. He only felt the energy within him surging crazily. He really wanted to give the upgraded Tai’e Sword a try. Unfortunately, these guys hadn’t even given him a chance.
…
Meanwhile, in the Imperial Palace of the human race, Emperor Zhao Han’s eyes were closed. Suddenly, he opened his eyes and looked north. He muttered to himself, “Another divine weapon has appeared?”
That was the Fiend races’ territory. Another divine weapon on their side wasn’t good news for the humans.
His mood immediately worsened when he thought of that. He shouted toward the door, “Little Wen, why has Sang Hong and Zu An’s group not returned yet?”
Outside, Eunuch Wen replied respectfully, “Sir Sang’s group seems to have been held up by some affairs.”
Zhao Han sneered. “First, it was a Fiend race spy, then a vicious monster attack. Now, there is some bandit attack… With all of this dilly-dallying, do they treat this emperor as a fool? Give him the order that he has ten days to return to the capital. Otherwise, there is no need for him to ever return!”
1. Yang Guo and Xiaolongnu are the protagonists of the novel ‘The Return of the Condor Heroes’ by Jin Yong. Yang Guo joined the Ancient Tomb School as Xiaolongnu’s disciple, and the two developed a romantic relationship. A romantic relationship between master and apprentice is regarded as highly taboo according to the prevailing norms of the wulin (martial artists' community). ☜