Chapter 157: 151 Separation of Person and Sword

"Killing..." the Sword Smith repeated, eyes narrowing slightly, and said, "Very... interesting. At this very moment, does killing make you feel joy from the bottom of your heart?"

"Joy?" Ai Xin muttered, "I don't know if it's true joy. When I kill, my heartbeat accelerates, my blood boils, and I feel light and incredibly comfortable. After killing, I want to kill more; I can never kill enough. This must be joy, right?"

"Besides, there is killing and then there is killing. What truly makes me feel thrilled is killing with gold... for example, drowning people with gold!"

He sat up straight, his speech quickening: "I sit at the highest point, letting the gold flow downward, flowing into a river, burying everyone below in gold. A Golden City formed beneath my feet. I am so excited, my whole body trembling, more excited than when I sleep with a woman. My sword shines with light, and the gold ingots glitter above my head."

"Only then did I realize gold is so beautiful. Yes, if you hadn't reminded me, I wouldn't have thought of it—so that's how it is! I thought I was excited because I saw so much gold, but thinking about it now, that's not it. What excites me is seeing people buried in gold."

"The molten gold flows beneath their feet, sticking to them, spreading from their insteps upward. They are trapped in the golden quagmire, screaming and struggling. But it is useless, because the gold wraps around them, and in the end, they turn into golden statues, their expressions from before death perfectly preserved. So desperate, so miserable. That is truly... so exciting!"

By the end, the corners of his mouth split open, revealing a mouthful of ghastly white teeth, and he almost jumped up to do it all over again just as he described.

The Sword Smith listened quietly, showing no expression, and said slowly: "The entire Huangjin Shanzhai outside is submerged in gold, and many people have been drowned by the gold. I thought your Sword Image had lost control, but according to you, it was intentional?"

Ai Xin actually began to think, saying: "No, at first it was uncontrollable. I was too depressed and couldn't feel any joy at all, so the Sword Image lost control, and the gold flowed out without my command. But later, when I saw them in such pain, my mood became pleasant, and I could control the sword again. However, if I stop killing, I become irritable again. So why bother controlling it?"

At this moment, he said in a half-joking tone: "This is also to blame on the young master for coming too late. I was feeling bitter and had to find some fun. If you had come a day or two earlier, I wouldn't have attacked this mountain stronghold. After all, Jiming Mountain is still under Baixiong Mountain. Peng Duanhai is a piece of trash, but if he makes a fuss to the Big Brother, I would have a headache too."

The Sword Smith smiled slightly and said: "If I had come earlier, I naturally would have changed your Sword Image. But since you now take joy in killing, the new Sword Image would still require killing, so wouldn't it be the same?"

Ai Xin thought about it and laughed: "That's true, you're right! But then I wouldn't have to do it on the mountain. How many people are in the stronghold? They run too fast, and I haven't killed many. If I changed my Sword Image, my state would definitely be better than it is now. Then I could go down the mountain and find any village or town, slaughtering them one by one—how many could I not get? If you had come a few days later, I would have been so frustrated that I would have had to go down and drown a few towns."

The Sword Smith smiled: "That means I came at just the right time."

Ai Xin squeezed out a flattering smile and said: "Of course, you are the timely rain. About the Sword Washing..."

The Sword Smith said: "Don't be in a rush, let me make it clear to you. First, after Sword Washing, all previous accumulations will be gone. The Sword Technique you are used to will also disappear, and you will have to comprehend it from the beginning."

Ai Xin's face turned ugly, and he said: "This... can't it be kept? I really like the Golden Swamp move at least."

The Sword Smith said: "You can develop something similar. But if you change to a new Sword Image later, all Sword Techniques must be rebuilt around the new Sword Image. The old Sword Technique definitely cannot be kept."

Ai Xin's face shifted between green and red, and he slapped his thigh: "Out with the old, in with the new, let it be. Sorry to trouble you, young master."

The Sword Smith said: "The second thing—is time. My Sword Washing cannot be done in a day or two. It will take at least several days. Moreover, I have a lot of work on hand, and I always do this kind of work one by one. Yours is scheduled for three months from now..."

Ai Xin stood up abruptly and said: "How can this be? I can't wait even a day! You cannot delay..."

The Sword Smith said: "Who among those who find me can afford to wait? But if you don't wait and I don't wait, who will wait? I have at least ten things on hand as urgent as yours. You need to be scheduled later."

Ai Xin shrieked: "That won't do—how much money do you need? I can pay, but my matter must be moved to the front! Actually, since you've come up the mountain, don't leave! If anyone gives you trouble, I'll block them for you! No matter what, I must be first! Now, take my sword—" He reached out and handed the sword he had been clutching tightly to the Sword Smith, fearing he wouldn't take it.

For a moment, he felt it was improper to give the sword to someone else, but immediately he felt he was overthinking. This Sword Smith came from a great clan, was learned and knowledgeable, and had countless methods; no matter what, he was far superior to himself. If he didn't give him the sword, how could this disaster be resolved?

Besides, at least for now, the Treasure Sword was still his own sword; with a single thought, it would fly back to his hand. And the Huangjin Shanzhai was his home turf; all the gold obeyed his commands, and he was surrounded on all sides—was he afraid this person would fly to the sky?

At this moment, Ai Xin was like someone who had found a cheap house in a prime location, feeling he had picked up a huge bargain, only to hear the agent say that more than a dozen people were looking at it together and negotiating, and it could be sold at any time. Anxious and afraid of missing out on this deal, he hurriedly paid the deposit.

He still added one sentence: "While you are working in the room, don't go out. I will be right outside; if you need anything, call me. Food, clothing, housing, and transportation will all be delivered to the room for you. Just set your mind at ease."

The Sword Smith held his sword, his face serious, and said: "Only this once, not to be repeated. You stay outside and are not allowed to leave. Come to collect the sword in three days; if I don't see you, you will bear the consequences yourself. Hmph, if I weren't curious about your new Sword Image, I would never give you this opportunity. Taking joy in killing—what kind of Sword Image will that be?"

Ai Xin thought to himself that this kid had been threatened by him and had to back down, yet still had to save face. Since he needed him, what did it matter to give him some dignity? He smiled respectfully: "Good, good, I'll be right outside. Just focus on washing the sword for me, and a generous gift will follow. Thank you!" Having said that, he bowed and went out the door.

The Sword Smith said softly: "No need to thank me for that."

Once outside, Ai Xin was in a great mood, his steps light, as if he were about to fly.

Outside the door was gold covering the ground. Earlier today, he had been a bit tired of looking at it, but now he wasn't annoyed; instead, he felt a bit of attachment—in a few days, it would no longer belong to him.

It was truly a bit sad.

For a moment, he even thought he had rediscovered his love for gold.

No, no, he couldn't think like that. What if he comprehended the sword again and came up with that damned gold again? He must get rid of this nightmare.

Then, starting from today, he would take a step toward a new life.

He hopped forward as light as a swallow.

One step,

Two steps,

Three steps—

Boom!

Cyan-white Thunder Light instantly submerged him.

At the same time, the Sword Smith in the room activated the Art Tool in his hand.

Exile—

Three miles!

The instant his figure disappeared, the Thunder Light swallowed the small house. The dosage of lightning was too great; the entire stronghold's buildings were wrapped in it, as if experiencing a volcanic eruption, and the mountaintop was leveled.

Three miles away, the young Sword Smith revealed his figure.

Ignoring the Thunder Light rising into the sky behind him, the Sword Smith immediately poured the prepared spring water onto the Treasure Sword.

Termination Spring!

Termination Spring would forcibly terminate all Rune Formulas. Of course, the sword was not governed by Rune Formulas, but the sword's materials were connected by Rune Formulas. Theoretically, enough spring water could cause all the materials on the sword's surface to crack and fall off. It was just that those Rune Formulas were protected layer by layer, requiring a great deal of spring water and all-around soaking to penetrate the protective layer and reach the Rune Formulas.

The Sword Smith didn't have that much spring water, but he knew how to choose a clever node to pour it on. That was the weak point of the Rune Formula's protective layer, where the spring water could most easily penetrate.

Such fragile nodes were always hidden and concealed, extremely difficult for outsiders to discover. But in front of the Sword Manual, the sword had no secrets.

"Crack—"

A crack appeared on the Treasure Sword, and liquid seemed to be flowing within the fissure.

The first layer of earthen material was already on the verge of collapse.

Just then, the Treasure Sword suddenly erupted with golden light and flew rapidly in one direction.

It was not fleeing because it sensed a crisis, but was being summoned from that direction.

However, although it flew fast, there was a Time Jar waiting for it ahead.

The Treasure Sword dove into the mouth of the jar and was trapped inside.

Sword Technique—Jar Storage!

The Sword Smith moved the jar inside, feeling it trembling. Clearly, even a Sword Technique-level Jar Storage could not trap a crumbling sword for long.

"Good grief, even if the Sword Guest disdains you and wants to wash you away, you still want to return to the Sword Guest's side?" The Sword Smith shook his head lightly. "I should have just washed you away back then. You wouldn't have recognized any Sword Guest at that time."

Just joking—Sword Washing is not a task for a single day or night, especially for a sword whose Sword Guest is still alive. Not to mention that during the journey, various materials were incomplete; attempting Sword Washing right under the Sword Guest's nose was truly like a mouse poking a cat's nostrils—suicide.

Furthermore, what if it dragged on until the Sword Smith who actually came to keep the appointment arrived on the mountain? Wouldn't everything be exposed then?

The Chain Lightning Talisman they prepared was more reliable.

During that previous bout, it had unintentionally given them an idea for crafting a High-Energy Thunderbolt. That was to continuously use Superposition on the Thunder Symbol, writing a Termination Talisman on every Thunder Symbol; this way, they could safely keep stacking them, and finally pour the Termination Talisman over all of them together to detonate them all at once.

Of course, there was also the matching Dharma Artifact Time Jar to store the Thunderbolt Talismans that were at the threshold of explosion, and finally throw them all out together.

This time, what they had prepared was a grand gift package of five Hundred-Style Lightning Talismans. To craft this treasure, they had nearly blown themselves up.

However...

The Sword Guest really is tenacious; even such a powerful explosion didn't kill him—if he had died, the Treasure Sword would have dimmed itself and would no longer want to return to the Sword Guest's side. And the people on the mountain had long since withdrawn, with no one left to deliver the finishing blow.

Whether delivering the finishing blow or courting death, that is also a question.

The sword inside the Time Jar became increasingly agitated, and cracks appeared on the surface of the jar.

The Sword Smith reached out a hand and took out another Time Jar.

"I'll just wear you out; I have plenty of Time Jars, let's see you... ah."

He stopped his behavior of continuing to store it in the jar and wearing the sword down to the end.

In the distance, a charred figure came stumbling over.

"Gathering Treasure Sword, your unfaithful Sword Guest who refuses to die has come looking for you."