Chapter 658: Time

Destruction called Tang Zhao over so directly; Tang Zhao hesitated for a moment, but still went over.

As of now, Tang Zhao could be considered to know nothing about Destruction, and his heart was still somewhat nervous. But thinking about it, he remained calm—the Dazai said he was brought by Jinwu to watch the forging of the Jinwu Sword; Tang Zhao naturally did not believe that, but if it were said that Destruction was sent by Jinwu, it would be somewhat believable.

Although it might have fallen, it was, after all, from the same source, was it not? Jinwu was unable to attend to everything, so calling Destruction over to assist, what was unreasonable about that?

When all is said and done, Jinwu is still Jinwu; in the bottom of his heart, Tang Zhao was willing to believe in Jinwu.

Tang Zhao went over, also carrying the Jinwu Sword.

If he said he didn't trust Destruction and hid the Jinwu Sword, it would be nothing but self-deception. Having already arrived inside the Time Barrier, Tang Zhao had almost no trump cards left to contend with Destruction; his trump card was the Jinwu Sword in his hand, which legend said could control Jinwu's three Sword Intents, including the Jinwu Sword that was currently shining upon Jinwu Dianxia.

Actually, Tang Zhao also wanted to know, how did the operation work when Jinwu said that forging the Jinwu Sword could allow Destruction to break free from pollution and return to its original form? Could it be that it was just like a straw, one suck, and then Destruction would enter by itself?

Destruction watched Tang Zhao walk over and retracted its wings, which had seemed to be exploding, becoming as quiet as a crow perched on a tree branch. Its gaze shifted between Tang Zhao and the Jinwu Sword, full of deep emotion.

It didn't go so far as to hallucinate the Dongjun of those years upon seeing Tang Zhao's face, but it did indeed stir up memories...

Or rather, it couldn't be called memories; after all, when Dongjun was alive back then, it was only a Sword Intent and had no consciousness.

It could only be said to be an imprint carved into its Soul.

The Dongjun in that imprint had not faded even after all these years.

At this moment, Tang Zhao bowed respectfully and said, "Greetings, Your Highness Destruction."

He naturally still harbored reservations, but he maintained the proper etiquette, trying his best not to let Destruction see his reservations.

However, Destruction still saw them, but thought to itself: This child is not bad; although he has a heart of caution, he is polite and does not make people feel embarrassed at all. He is a well-bred, good child.

Of course, when it saw Zheng Yun's respectful but guarded appearance back then, it was furious; it could only be said that it found Tang Zhao more pleasing to the eye now, so anything was fine.

It didn't even look at that Jinwu Sword at first, but looked at Tang Zhao and said, "I heard you once met Xiao Xiangyang and also inherited the Growth Sword Intent?"

Xiao Xiangyang... that Sunflower of Xiangyangzi?

Tang Zhao said, "Yes. I once met Senior Xiangyangzi at the former residence of Ruyi Sword Palace; thanks to its guidance, I obtained the Growth Sword Intent and used it to fight for a period of time. However, it has now returned to the Jinwu Sword."

He pointed to the Jinwu Sword; in the process of forging the Jinwu Sword, he had slowly stripped away the Growth Sword Intent and returned it to the Jinwu Sword.

Now the Jinwu Sword's Sword Momentum was full, but two of the three Sword Intents were incomplete and could not exert ten-tenths of their power, because the two Sword Intents were respectively out there stirring up wind and rain; only when they returned to their positions would it truly become the original Jinwu Sword.

The Dazai was lucky; if the Jinwu Sword had been in its prime, how could he have been allowed to keep even the last shred of his life?

Destruction sighed, "The three of us should actually be the same, but after that catastrophe, I and Shine separated and became independent; only Growth never had the chance to take human form and was always just a Sword Intent. I think if it could have taken human form, it would probably have been the one with the best temperament."

It paused and asked, "Is the Growth Sword Intent not good? You gave it back so easily?"

Tang Zhao said solemnly, "The Growth Sword Intent is very good and gave me great help, the legacy of which lasts until now. But firstly, the return of the Jinwu Sword is a matter of importance, and secondly, I still have my own path; for the sake of my future, I had to part ways."

He did not just say what it wanted to hear; this was the truth.

The Growth Sword Intent stayed in the Jingxing Sword for several months, bringing him not only the growth of Sword Essence and the improvement of his strength, but also the reflection and realization bestowed by an Immortal Sword's Sword Intent. That was, after all, the Sword Intent of the Jinwu Sword Immortal; it carried within itself mysteries close to the laws.

Tang Zhao had been comprehending the Growth Sword Intent for these two months and had found his own direction; he was just waiting for the Growth Sword Intent to leave, and a new Sword Intent was ready to emerge.

Comprehending a second Sword Intent on one's own is extremely difficult. Even for a peerless genius, it requires accumulation calculated in decades or centuries, which a Sword Hero's lifespan simply cannot support. Even the direct disciples of those powerhouses in Suiyu and Tianwaitian tend to snatch... or accidentally obtain a Sword Intent and then follow the path to anchor and comprehend a third Sword Intent; otherwise, it would be an exaggeration to say that a Sword Immortal appears in the Human World every five hundred years.

This is also the reason why the Human World has long been unable to produce Sword Immortals. One cannot comprehend a second Sword Intent on one's own, and the methods to seize Sword Intents from the Waijie are not passed down; the second Sword Intent is already a major difficulty, let alone the third.

Tang Zhao carried Growth for several months, saving himself decades of path-finding.

This was like the surging power Jinwu left behind just now; although Tang Zhao went all-in with a nuclear fusion, he was by no means left with nothing to show for it.

That Immortal Sword power circulated within Tang Zhao's Jingxing Sword and was digested by the Jingxing Sword, greatly increasing the upper limit of his Sword Essence; this significance was also extraordinary.

From now on, when Tang Zhao trains his Sword Essence up again, it will not be pioneering but recovering. It is like how increasing one's internal energy takes years of hard work, but after a great battle consumes that energy, it only takes a few days of meditation to recover; the difference in speed cannot even be calculated by multiples.

This alone saved Tang Zhao how many years of effort.

It can be said that although Tang Zhao is not the successor of the Jinwu Sword, the benefits he received from the Jinwu Sword are no less than those of the next successor. Since encountering the Jinwu Sword, it has been a heaven-sent miracle, no less than the opportunity when he was chosen by Xing Ji.

Among the three Sword Intents of the Jinwu Sword, Growth and Shine both gave him immense benefits, so then Destruction also...

*Ahem*, anyway, Tang Zhao never thought that at all.

Destruction is already miserable enough; could it still be exploited?

Hearing Tang Zhao's words, Destruction said, "So you mean you voluntarily offered up Growth? It wasn't that Shine persuaded you to take it out for the 'greater good'?"

Tang Zhao frowned and said solemnly, "I believe you know Jinwu Dianxia better than I do, so you shouldn't ask that."

Destruction laughed shortly; Tang Zhao answering like this was also not unexpected.

After all, he is the child that Shine specifically wanted to take care of.

Destruction was silent for a moment and said, "How much longer does this Time Barrier of yours have?"

Tang Zhao was somewhat surprised, calculated the time, and said, "One more day... less than a day, ten hours."

Destruction said "Oh," and said, "Then let's stay here for a day."

Tang Zhao said, "Ah?"

Destruction said, "What's wrong? Isn't the time here separate? Staying here doesn't affect the outside, does it?"

Tang Zhao said, "It does, but the sword has already been forged, so there's no meaning in staying inside..."

Destruction's raspy voice was somewhat lazy, saying, "No meaning, isn't that even better? I rarely have time that is completely meaningless and belongs entirely to myself. Just lying here quietly waiting for time to pass, what a luxury this is? If I don't cherish it well today, I don't know if there will be another day."

Tang Zhao thought of what Jinwu said about the return of the three Sword Intents and suddenly understood what it meant—Destruction probably knew its own fate and had already accepted it, only it still lingered on the passage of time.

By reason and sentiment, he should not destroy this precious moment of leisure that Destruction had accidentally obtained.

So he nodded and said, "Alright, do you need me to accompany you?"

Destruction said idly, "If you don't accompany me, where do you want to go? In a rush to fight? I advise you to rest a while; your days ahead are still long, and there will be plenty of big and small battles, all of which are troublesome things. When that time comes, it won't be easy for you to find time to enjoy leisure."

Tang Zhao thought about it and it was indeed true; he had been through consecutive battles while forging the sword, his vital energy had been expended and recovered several times, and he had exhausted much of his energy, so why not rest and wait for his state to recover before going out.

Seeing Destruction transform into a crow and sprawl on the ground, Tang Zhao also lay down.

Destruction suddenly said, "Don't just rest, release your Sword Momentum and let me see?"

Tang Zhao thought, didn't you just tell me to rest? He said, "Why release the Sword Momentum? Wouldn't it be better to bring in the light from outside?"

Destruction said, "What's the point of the light outside? White light, golden light, red light; haven't I seen enough light? I want to see green hills and clear waters, blue skies and white clouds, and all living things, the wild geese in the sky, the swimming fish in the water; the more lively, the better."

Seeing Tang Zhao's surprise, Destruction asked, "What, does Shine only like light? Does it not look at other things?"

One glance reminded Tang Zhao that while in the underground of Yunzhou, the Jinwu often watched the worldly scenes of Yunzhou and the lives of the aquatic creatures; it had even planted a massive Fusang Tree in its own territory, with lush green leaves and vibrant vitality, without turning it into an ocean of light.

All Jinwu are the same; they are suns themselves, yet they love all things in the world.

Just as Tang Zhao was about to agree, Destruction said, "Are you worried about those Sword Essence? I will provide them." As he spoke, he draped his wing over the Jinwu Sword.

The Sword Essence circulated wildly, and the Jinwu Sword grew bright.

Tang Zhao hurriedly said, "Your Highness, this consumption..."

This consumption is not small!

In order to build this barrier and leave behind the power to activate the Jinwu Sword, the Jinwu had weakened itself significantly.

Moreover, for Sword Deities like them, this kind of consumption is irreversible, at least until they leave Yingyuan; if used now, there will be less to use in battle later.

Destruction said, "Of course I know. When I pitted my power against Shine before, I discovered his strength was hollow, and I knew he had spent his power elsewhere; in truth, he was already greatly depleted inside, but others didn't know. So it was he who begged me, not I who begged him. Now that I have done everything he asked of me, I consider myself to have labored hard, and now I shall consume a portion of my power to enjoy myself. After working so hard for so many years, shouldn't I enjoy myself?"

Tang Zhao watched as Destruction's Sword Essence vanished rapidly; his body was shrinking imperceptibly, and the black Shadow attached to the vanishing parts was instantly melted away by the brilliance of the Jinwu Sword.

He suddenly guessed—perhaps once Destruction melted his entire body into the Jinwu Sword, the "purification" would be complete.

With the support of Destruction, the Momentum of the sword unfolded effortlessly, still dominated by light. Destruction shouted, "You build the Momentum of the sword; add all the scenery you have seen, heard, and imagined, the more beautiful and magnificent the better, and make this place like a fairyland! As a reward, I can instruct you on how to use the Destruction Intent within the Momentum of the sword. What you used just now was far too crude."