Chapter 83: The Person in the Sword Box

About two hours passed, the white light on the Sword Box began to fade slowly, and Zhang Nuo's body had miraculously recovered; his previous heavy injuries were swept away.

Not only that, when he circulated his cultivation technique, he discovered that the second layer of the "Shangqing Sword Art," which he had struggled to cultivate without a breakthrough, had actually broken through within the short two hours the Sword Box spent healing him!

Recalling the pure Spiritual Qi the Sword Box had continuously poured into his body, Zhang Nuo seemed to understand a little.

"May I ask for the senior's name! Why are you hiding inside my Sword Box!"

Zhang Nuo stood up, stretched his limbs, and feeling no abnormalities, only then did he speak to the Sword Box:

"Your Sword Box? Hmph! This Sword Box belongs to this old man!"

From within the Sword Box, a disdainful cold snort suddenly rang out! Immediately, the entire Sword Box trembled, actually breaking free from Zhang Nuo's palm and hovering in front of him.

Standing blankly on the spot, Zhang Nuo did not dare to speak again; listening to the old man's words, it seemed he was the true owner of the "Nine Dragon Sword Case"!

The "Nine Dragon Sword Case" rotated slightly in mid-air, and the old man's voice sounded again.

"Kid, to tell you the truth, your aptitude is average. Originally, this old man didn't fancy you at all, but that 'Mysterious Heaven Gold-Devouring Insect' of yours is a treasure. It is precisely for the sake of the Spirit Insect that this old man took action to help you!"

Upon hearing the name "Mysterious Heaven Gold-Devouring Insect," Zhang Nuo's mind went 'buzz.' Aside from the deceased Zhu Tong, no one else knew he possessed a Spirit Insect. Now, the old man in the Sword Box had exposed his secret in a single sentence.

"May I ask for the senior's name!"

Although he was panicked inside, Zhang Nuo did not show it on his face. He neither admitted nor denied it, but instead pressed the old man for an answer.

"Hehe! Little doll, you're quite calm. It seems these years of seclusion have allowed your temperament to grow. Telling you is no harm; this old man is named: Chunyangzi! I am the last owner of the 'Nine Dragon Sword Case'!"

As if he could see Zhang Nuo's expression, the old man named Chunyangzi inside the Sword Box gave a cold laugh and then stated his name without any hostility.

"The last owner of the Sword Box?"

Zhang Nuo muttered to himself, recalling what Lin Fan had told him before—that this Sword Box had been broken for thousands of years. Could it be that thousands of years ago, this old man who called himself Chunyangzi already possessed this Sword Box? By this calculation, wouldn't his age be over a thousand years old, and his cultivation level be at an unimaginably high level?

"Junior pays respects to Senior Chunyangzi. I truly did not know that Senior was inside the Sword Box earlier. Please forgive me for any offense!"

Suddenly, cold sweat appeared on Zhang Nuo's forehead, and his heart pounded incessantly. He never expected that such an inconspicuous Sword Box would contain such an old monster!

"Haha! Kid, your reaction is quite fast! But rest assured, this old man never had any intention of killing you; otherwise, would you still be here today?"

Seeing that Zhang Nuo was very tactful, Chunyangzi laughed heartily inside the Sword Box. After the laughter, he continued:

"This old man is now just a Remnant Soul, without a physical body, having parasitized this Magic Treasure for thousands of years. If it weren't for your Spirit Insect producing the White Profound Crystal Stone to repair the Sword Box, I fear that in another hundred years or so, this Remnant Soul of mine would have extinguished itself!"

Zhang Nuo let out a long breath. So the other party was just a Remnant Soul existing within the Sword Box and not the original person; there was nothing to be afraid of after all. But suddenly, as Zhang Nuo's thoughts turned, he felt some confusion.

The Sword Box had existed in Lin Fan's hands for many years; why had he never discovered the Remnant Soul of Chunyangzi hidden inside? Did Chunyangzi have some other means?

"Senior, there is one thing Junior has never been able to understand. Back then, my master Lin Fan once scanned the interior of the Sword Box with his Divine Sense, so why did he not discover Senior's existence?"

"Oh! That kid at the Golden Core stage?"

Chunyangzi seemed to recall something and said with a sudden realization. Zhang Nuo couldn't help but smile bitterly upon hearing this. "Kid at the Golden Core stage"—was this how Chunyangzi referred to Lin Fan? It seemed he didn't put Lin Fan in his eyes at all, and his tone was truly arrogant.

However, calculating by time, Chunyangzi's cultivation level would not be too low, perhaps even reaching an absolutely terrifying level, so such a form of address was not surprising.

"Exactly!"

Zhang Nuo replied respectfully.

"When his Divine Sense entered the Sword Box, I disguised this Remnant Soul of mine as 'Killing Intent'!"

Once these words were spoken, Zhang Nuo immediately understood. No wonder Lin Fan had said there was Killing Intent inside the Sword Box; it turned out it was all faked by Chunyangzi. But soon, Zhang Nuo thought of another question.

"Since the 'Killing Intent' was faked by Senior, then the reason I went berserk back then had nothing to do with killing intent? That was..."

Before Zhang Nuo could finish his sentence, Chunyangzi gave a light laugh and said:

"It was this old man! Back then, seeing you being forced into that state by two ants at the Foundation Establishment stage, I was afraid you would die at their hands, so I used the last of my Remnant Soul's power to borrow your body!"

Now Zhang Nuo finally understood the full truth of the matter; it had nothing to do with "Killing Intent" at all—it was all Chunyangzi's doing.

"Why did Senior save me?"

When someone offers a favor, there must be a request. Zhang Nuo would not be naive enough to think that this old monster saved him out of pity.

"I already answered this question before; it is entirely because of your 'Mysterious Heaven Gold-Devouring Insect.' If you were not the carrier of the Spirit Insect, this old man would absolutely not have taken action to save you. After all, existing in the form of a Remnant Soul, my life's source energy is already scarce; how could I waste it easily?"

Chunyangzi was quite straightforward and did not hide behind excuses to fob Zhang Nuo off. Nodding slightly, the other party's frank and open explanation made Zhang Nuo feel much more at ease.

"Junior has just obtained the Spirit Insect and does not yet know what miraculous uses it has?"

Since this Chunyangzi was a powerful being, he must know everything about the Spirit Insect. There was no need to speak in riddles in front of an expert, so Zhang Nuo boldly asked about the Spirit Insect.