Chapter 758

"Pavol: 'Thank you, General, Kalewara is deeply honored.'"

"Please, this knight and the envoy members, together, go to Gong Zao Si, there——"

"Before Huaiyan's words had finished, Yunli rushed out from the crowd like a gust of wind and fire, interrupting: 'No, that sword contains light...'"

'"Yunli!" General Huaiyan opened his eyes, stared at her sternly, "This guest has brought back your father's legacy; hurry and thank him!"'

'"I never expected this sword to come from your father; being able to return it to its rightful owner is——"'

"Pavol was greatly surprised, but the admiration and respect on his face had not yet fully faded when Yunli's decisive words froze him. The entourage members behind him exchanged bewildered glances, at a loss."

'"Grandfather!"'

"Yunli glared ferociously at the sword case, gritted her teeth, and said word by word: '... Now give me that demon sword, I want to melt down the calamity left by that person!'"

'"Yunli!"'

"General Huaiyan was truly angry this time, his snowy beard trembling slightly."

'"Do not be rude! Quickly apologize to the guest who has come from afar!"'

"Yunli's shoulder jerked. She knew her grandfather's temper all too well—although she could usually play around and be willful, she had never been indulged when it came to the sect's external reputation, etiquette, and principled matters. She also knew she had just been addled by the demon sword, making a fool of herself in front of the guest."

"She bit her lower lip hard, then swiftly turned and bowed to Pavol behind her, saying, 'Sorry!'"

'"But——" the girl lifted her head, her almond eyes blazing with an unextinguishable fire, still stubbornly refusing to back down: "Sorry is sorry, but I will still personally sever… this demon sword! I will never let it fall into anyone's hands!"'

"——"

"The Legend of Luo Xiaohei."

'"Demon sword…… what is that?"'

"Jiulao twisted the thin, long whisker on his chin, looking quite curious."

'"I don't know, maybe it's some monsters transformed—no, the Immortal Ark has no monsters, perhaps it's related to Suiyang?" Nezha stared fixedly at the PS display, constantly working the game controller to pull off combos.'

'"The sword‑forging craft of the Immortal Ark is probably completely different from Earth's; they likely embed some technology into the swords. Do you think it's possible that the crystal cores they implanted have generated some kind of self‑awareness… like those screw‑gum robots, manipulating humans to commit crime?"'

'"You actually know this much?" Nezha, who was playing and chatting at the same time, couldn't help laughing, "You don't usually pay special attention to Luofu Immortal Ark, do you? The Spirit Lodge doesn't seem to have much going on."'

"Jiulao let out a soft hum: 'What do you know? This is my grand strategy of "pre‑arranging a layout for the monsters in the universe"; of course I need to know more about things beyond Earth. Moreover, don't you think the myriad cultures of Luofu Immortal Ark are similar to ours? In the future, the earthly fairies might even migrate there.'"

'"Alright, think what you like, but in my view Luofu Immortal Ark is far more dangerous than Earth, so forget about immigration…… letting the monsters travel and broaden their horizons is about enough." Saying that, Nezha glanced at the man silently fiddling with the game controller beside him, "Infinite, what do you think?"'

'"Hmm, anything goes."'

"——"

"Huaiyan slowly closed his eyes and let out a deep sigh."

'"Yunli, you go out first."'

'"……"'

"Yunli lowered her eyelids in dejection and walked out silently."

'"It's only because we considered this situation that we kept it from her; we didn't mean to cause complications, but instead we made a mess—could it really be fate's doing?" Huaiyan said to Xing, "Xing, could you trouble yourself to follow Yunli?"'

'"General, is it really alright for me to get involved in your family affairs?"'

'"There's nothing wrong with it, thank you for the trouble."'

"General Huaiyan seemed to have grown even older, yet he rallied his spirits and continued to entertain the extraterrestrial envoys."

"Outside the Si Chen Palace, Yunli was secretly hiding in a corner, constantly wiping away her tears."

"She simply didn't want anyone to see, so even the sound of her sniffling was faint."

"Xing silently watched for a while, until……"

'"Stop looking, speak!"'

"Even without turning around, Xing could picture Yunli's clenched lips and her almond eyes veiled with a mist of stubbornness."

'"Oh dear, are you about to drop little pearls?"'

'"If you want to cry, I can help you." Yunli took a deep breath, turned around, and said, "You're not here on Grandfather's orders to find me, are you? …You definitely are."'

'"You've already learned to jump in with answers."'

'"First, let's agree: I'll stand guard here, seize the demon sword when the guards are off‑guard, and then melt it down before anyone reacts! You can't stop me, no one can." Yunli's tone was utterly resolute.'

'"If you don't explain clearly, no one will help you."'

'"…You're sent by Grandfather, and he certainly doesn't want you to help me." Yunli said, "That's a demon sword—have you heard of demon swords?"'

"——"

"The Funeral of Frieren."

'"Demon sword…… is it like the sword used by the Demon King?"'

'"Idiot, how could there be a Demon King on the Immortal Ark?"'

'"I mean a weapon like the hero's sword—only specific people can wield it, then it erupts with boundless power—come to think of it, it's indeed quite similar to a sword that can choose a 'king'."'

"Halturk gestured in mid‑air, imitating the weapon previously used by the hero Shinmir; that weapon was all too familiar to Frieren."

'"No, the demon sword Yunli speaks of is not the same as Shinmir's hero's sword." Frieren corrected, "Shinmir used that sword to defeat the Demon King, so that sword is the 'hero's sword'; the focus of the tale is on Shinmir, not the sword. But the demon sword Yunli mentions, I fear, is truly able to manipulate and influence a person's existence."'

"Filien furrowed her brow in thought: 'How strange……'"

'"Perhaps the so‑called demon sword itself has a will?"'

"Frieren looked at Filien: 'Do you remember the contestant in Suiyuan who was possessed by Suiyang earlier? The so‑called demon sword is probably also related to Suiyang. Pavol earlier said this is a sword that can choose a "king"; I suspect the Suiyang residing in the blade is itself a king gifted with governance, and whoever grips the sword gets possessed by Suiyang… amounting to gaining a physical form.'"

"——"

'"A sword with magic power? A demon's sword?"'

'"Literally speaking, that's not wrong. The so‑called demon sword—even if one has never trained in swordsmanship, merely gripping the hilt will cause profound, mysterious sword techniques to flash in the mind; even a weakling who can't tie a chicken can unleash astonishing power and wield the blade at a speed beyond the naked eye."'

'"Perhaps March 7 could master swordsmanship and graduate in a day."'

"Yunli shook her head, her expression grave: 'I'm not joking with you, and what I'm about to say isn't some far‑fetched tall tale… although one who possesses the demon sword can instantly attain sword skill like a seasoned expert, this all comes at a price.'"

'"It's like constantly adding fuel to a furnace: with each strike, the sword‑bearer gradually has their blood marrow drained by the sword in their hand, day after day, inexhaustible, until the oil runs out and the wick burns dry. Not long after, it's no longer the person wielding the sword, but the person becomes a corpse animated by the sword, their head filled with thoughts of bloodlust and slaughter."'

""Just like being occupied by Year Yang?""

""Have you heard of Year Yang? That's good, saves me from lengthy explanation. The truth of the demonic sword is exactly this: there was an artisan obsessed with sword‑forging who cast Year Yang into the gold and iron, hoping to make the weapon a sentient thing.""

""So Lone Cloud is also a demonic sword?""

Yunli firmly nodded, a flash of resolve in their eyes.

""I know I did wrong at the sword‑giving ceremony. But I've thought it over carefully; if I don't cause trouble, that demonic sword will cause trouble soon—so I might as well be the one to cause trouble!""