Chapter 123: Subjugation

The Dragon-Subduing Divine Sword seemed to possess a spirit; the closer it drew to Cang Yin Yue, the more restless it became.

Countless emerald sword lights appeared to gather within the blade, its sharp edge suddenly flashing and tearing through space, attempting to slaughter and destroy everything around it.

Li Musheng raised an eyebrow, and a vast, overwhelming aura immediately enveloped the entire Dragon-Subduing Divine Sword.

Visible to the naked eye, the three-zhang blade, green and jade-like, seemed to bear a terrifying power it could not withstand, bending rapidly into an incredible angle.

In an instant, the sound of swords buzzed and mourned throughout the entire bronze palace; the brilliant sword light quickly dimmed, and the massive, glowing emerald blade seemed ready to snap apart at any moment.

"Move again, and I'll break you."

Li Musheng spoke leisurely.

Seeing this scene, Bu Chengyang and the other person nearby felt their hearts suddenly tighten, fearing Li Musheng would truly waste a treasure and destroy such a divine sword right before their eyes.

For a martial artist who cultivates the sword, this was even more painful than having their own bodies broken.

Fortunately, the Dragon-Subduing Divine Sword was indeed a divine artifact with great spirit; seeming to understand Li Musheng's terror, it immediately fell silent.

The sword qi surrounding it dissipated, and even the brilliant emerald glow radiating from the blade quickly receded.

Finally, in the half-air of the entire bronze palace, only a three-zhang giant sword, green and translucent, remained, suspended motionless while bent.

Li Musheng's brows relaxed; he flicked his finger lightly in the air, and in the next moment, the bent Dragon-Subduing Divine Sword suddenly straightened and recovered, then, as if guided by his will, arrived before Cang Yin Yue's eyes.

Facing the massive giant sword, and understanding Li Musheng's intention, Cang Yin Yue did not feel she deserved to accept such a precious gift and immediately tried to turn her head to refuse.

But in the next moment, Li Musheng's voice entered her ears:

"Miss Cang, don't move. If you scratch your face, I won't be responsible!"

Then, Cang Yin Yue discovered she suddenly could not move, unable to shift her feet even an inch.

Quickly, the tip of the emerald-clear giant sword lightly grazed her forehead.

As a faint coolness swept over her, the martial arts true qi within her body was, against her will, completely consumed and entirely absorbed by the Dragon-Subduing Divine Sword before her.

Her consciousness wavered and blurred for a moment; a thunderous dragon roar seemed to sound in her ears, followed by a terrifying, oppressive pressure descending upon her, an aura of awe-inspiring dominance that subdued the four directions and five seas, as if it would crush and grind her entire body flat.

However, this feeling came quickly and left just as fast; when she slowly opened her eyes, she found herself lying within the bronze palace.

And beside her lay a giant emerald sword.

At this moment, Cang Yin Yue suddenly felt a strange sensation, as if a faint, barely-there connection had formed between herself and the Dragon-Subduing Divine Sword beside her.

"Awake? You've been asleep for half a stick of incense. We must go now to retrieve the Azure Dragon True Qi."

Li Musheng, having appeared beside her at some unknown time, gazed at her and studied her for a while.

Then, he rubbed his chin and asked curiously:

"How do you feel?"

Cang Yin Yue hurriedly stood up and bowed hastily, saying:

"Your Highness, this sword..."

However, Li Musheng merely waved his hand and raised an eyebrow, saying:

"Don't be so fussy. Take what is given to you; remember, serving me well in the future is more important than anything else."

The Dragon-Subduing Divine Sword was of little use to Li Musheng; rather than letting it gather dust or benefit someone else, it was better to give it to Cang Yin Yue, after all, her current martial arts cultivation was indeed somewhat insufficient.

At this moment, Cang Yin Yue opened her mouth, but seeing Li Musheng's unyielding attitude, she slowly lowered her head.

Since her mother and brother left, she had been alone in seeking revenge, with no friends, no family, and only hatred in her heart; for many years, she had never felt kindness from others.

But since meeting Li Musheng, her heart seemed to feel the warmth of long-lost days once again.

Yet what the other party had given her was truly too much; she feared she would find it difficult to repay it in her entire life.

"According to those remnants of the Great Qi and the two old eunuchs, the Dragon-Subduing Divine Sword can indeed enhance the martial arts cultivation of its owner, but it still requires an opportunity. You should properly acclimate yourself to this sword; there should be a surprise later on."

Li Musheng spoke with a thoughtful expression, instructing Cang Yin Yue, then turned and beckoned to Bu Chengyang and A Bin nearby, saying:

"Stop staring; there is still work to be done next."

Hearing this, Bu Chengyang and the other immediately agreed and hurried over.

However, when their gazes fell upon Cang Yin Yue and the Dragon-Subduing Divine Sword beside her, their eyes were almost mad with envy and jealousy, as if they had eaten a hundred lemons.

They had originally thought that even if Li Musheng was incredibly powerful, he could not make the Dragon-Subduing Divine Sword recognize as its master a martial artist with low cultivation like Cang Yin Yue, allowing the weak opponent to control such a divine artifact.

But reality had slapped their faces hard; Li Musheng had spent almost no cost or effort, simply using overwhelming force to subdue ten thousand techniques, easily accomplishing all this, which nearly made their jaws drop in shock.

In fact, seeing this scene, A Bin immediately and resolutely chose to defect from the Pan Sect, willingly wanting to become a pendant on Li Musheng's thigh, but unfortunately, he was refused with righteous indignation.

The reason given was that A Bin's martial arts cultivation was too weak, but when A Bin saw Cang Yin Yue's incredibly beautiful face, he understood everything and immediately felt his heart turn to ash.

Appearance is everything; unfortunately, he was not a daughter, nor did he look good.

Clearly, Cang Yin Yue's martial arts cultivation was even lower than his, yet she received Li Musheng's favor; one need not think to know the relationship between these two must be abnormal.

Li Musheng naturally knew nothing of A Bin's chaotic thoughts; with everyone at Qingshan Tower already dealt with, the serious matter he now wished to do was to obtain the Azure Dragon True Qi sealed within the underground mechanisms.

After all, this was a great matter concerning the transcendence of martial arts, and he cared deeply about it.

"To assist the Azure Dragon Elder in obtaining the Azure Dragon True Qi, we have indeed investigated some of the mechanisms beneath the Long-Subduing Well Quarter; if my guess is correct, the core of the mechanism should be located beneath the ancient well in the quarter."

Facing Li Musheng, Bu Chengyang, at this moment, held nothing back, saying:

"And the core of the mechanism is the most critical and important part, yet also the weakest point, making it perfectly suitable for the Dragon-Subduing Divine Sword to guide the Azure Dragon True Qi."

"However, the mechanisms crafted by the Lu Gong Temple are extremely special; although it is the core, it cannot be easily destroyed, otherwise it may have the opposite effect, triggering the mechanism to destroy this place."

Hearing this, Li Musheng nodded lightly:

"Then let us go see first and try the method you mentioned."

Then, he turned his head to look at Cang Yin Yue beside him and said:

"Miss Cang, bring the Dragon-Subduing Divine Sword; we will need this thing later."

Having spoken, he led Bu Chengyang out of the bronze palace first.

(End of this chapter)