Chapter 566: The Peerless Good Sword, The Defeated and Perished Sword

In the mountains, mist swirls.

Wu Wudi sits cross-legged atop a green boulder, his breathing steady and long, the Qi within his body circulating like a rushing river. Suddenly, he opens his eyes, his tiger-like gaze sharp as lightning, and lets out a long roar. The sound shakes the surrounding peaks, and the resulting sonic wave kicks up a hurricane of air, spreading in all directions, actually snapping large trees within a radius of several dozen zhang at the waist.

"My injuries... have finally recovered."

Wu Wudi rises to his full height, standing between heaven and earth like a god or a demon. He prides himself on his robust physique, yet during his duel with Yu Liancheng, he had used the method of trading injury for injury many times.

He had not expected the opponent's physique to be even stronger than his own. After a round of fighting, he suffered both internal and external injuries, and subsequently falling into an illusion, the wild surging of his internal energy further aggravated his wounds.

Only today has he finally returned to his original state.

Recalling that battle, Wu Wudi still feels a lingering fear. Especially that final, indistinguishable illusion, which left him in such a sorry state, also made him realize that his state of mind was far from keeping pace with his cultivation of the Martial Dao.

During these days of healing, amidst the Ao family's forest, his state of mind seems to have improved.

Wu Wudi's eyes show a thoughtful look as he considers how to take his Ten Great Martial Daos a step further, so that next time they meet, he can probe just how strong that fellow really is.

After reflecting on that battle over these past few days, Wu Wudi has realized that the opponent was able to fight him to a draw using only the Ten Great Martial Daos. If he were to bring out his true skills, he would likely be even more unfathomable and difficult to match.

"A weapon is an extension of one's limbs. My ancestor defeated Yun Dingtian using the Heavenly Mandate Blade; perhaps I can create a weapon that integrates my ten types of Martial Dao. Since I possess ten supreme arts, this weapon cannot be a single blade or sword, but something that can be combined to fully display what I have learned..."

Wu Wudi is no simple brute; otherwise, he would not have mastered ten types of Martial Dao, and he already has a prototype in mind for his future weapon.

"Hm?"

Just as he is thinking about his future weapon, a strange sensation suddenly arrives. It feels as if a shackle he had carried since birth has been broken; his body feels unprecedentedly light and agile, and even his spirit is cleared. The martial arts problems that had previously trapped him now have solutions.

"This is... is this the curse that has entangled my Wu family for over three hundred years being resolved?"

Wu Wudi is inexplicably astonished.

He quickly guesses the reason.

And he is indeed correct; Yu Liancheng shattered the Great Evil King, and the curse carried by the Great Evil King naturally dissipated into thin air.

Without the shackles of the curse, the astonishing talent of the current Wu Wudi can finally be fully unleashed.

"Yu Liancheng? It seems I owe you another favor."

There are likely not even a handful of people in the world capable of destroying the Great Evil King, and Yu Liancheng is one of them. Since the Great Evil King happened to be in the opponent's hands, Wu Wudi has already guessed that it was Yu Liancheng who used special means to destroy it.

"The favor I owe, I will repay. But before that, I will try to... defeat you."

Wu Wudi certainly understands that the opponent did not shatter the Great Evil King for his sake or the Wu family's; his own curse was merely incidental. But regardless, he must acknowledge the favor.

The men of the Wu family have always been clear about gratitude and grudges.

"When the time comes, I will let you see the supreme weapon most suited to the Ten Great Martial Daos."

As Wu Wudi's thoughts flow, a burst of energy travels from the soles of his feet directly into the ground, sharp as a blade and sword. A moment later, he carves the pattern of a box into the ground, and inside the box are ten strange weapons.

These weapons are all very bizarre; they appear unrelated, yet they faintly fit together. It seems these ten weapons can be assembled in different ways to form even more terrifying weapons.

It turns out that with the Wu family curse lifted, Wu Wudi's inspiration flowed like a spring, and he had already envisioned the divine weapon most suited to him.

—The Heavenly Dao Battle Box!

Baijian Villa.

Yu Liancheng has already shattered the Great Evil King.

Previously, the Great Evil King had sensed its own doom, which is why it had been frantically venting its baleful energy along the way and attempting to escape. Yu Liancheng had simply tossed the Great Evil King to Di Er Meng, making her carry it the whole way.

That day, while Di Er Meng was in the Life and Death Gate, although she was unconscious, she indirectly witnessed the effect of the Demon Heart Crossing; Yu Liancheng had used demonic energy to clear her eight extraordinary meridians.

If Di Er Meng were willing, she could also enter the demonic path. Yu Liancheng used the Great Evil King to let Di Er Meng further control the demonic nature within her; once the demonic nature lost control, he would intervene to suppress it.

Now, Di Er Meng is able to initially control her demonic state.

If she were to coordinate her demonic state with the "Instant Dream Blade," even an expert as renowned in the Edo as Jian Mo would likely end up with his head severed if he were the least bit careless.

And Di Er Meng has not been training for long; one can imagine that when she comes of age, she will be a female blade king who dominates the world.

As for why Yu Liancheng wanted to shatter the Great Evil King, it was because the evil nature of the Great Evil King was too strong; otherwise, Zhong Mei and the others might have suffered Qi deviation and died during the forging process.

"You, you say you had Baijian Villa forge a sword for you, and this evil blade is one of the materials?" Zhong Mei, stunned by Yu Liancheng's actions, only reacted after a long while.

"Correct." Yu Liancheng nods.

"If the evil blade is only one of the materials, then... there must certainly be other materials?"

Zhong Mei's breathing becomes slightly rapid, his eyes shining, feeling very tempted. This evil blade is already a top-tier sword-forging material in the world, so the other corresponding materials surely won't be inferior. For a swordsmith, being able to forge a divine weapon means dying without regrets, and to forge a divine weapon, materials are of the utmost importance.

The glowing blade box changes shape in mid-air, transforming into the appearance of a bowl.

"This is the second material, the Divine Stone, one of the Four Great Strange Stones."

Swish!

Another long, chillingly cold blade appears.

"This is the third material, White Dew, one of the Four Great Strange Stones, and also the world-renowned Snow Drink Saber."

Bang!

A crystal-clear, dazzling, and extremely beautiful crystal stone appears out of thin air.

"This is the fourth material, Ice Soul, one of the Four Great Strange Stones."

Every time Yu Liancheng brings out an item, everyone present is shaken. Because with the release of the Fear List, every one of these items is known to countless Edo figures.

The Four Great Strange Stones are all treasures, especially that Divine Stone, which is rated extremely highly. Now, this person has actually gathered three of the stones and, supplemented by a peerless evil weapon, intends to refine an unprecedented divine weapon.

"These materials can be called the best in the world, and I believe they can forge a peerless sword. However, three of the Four Great Strange Stones have been gathered, but one is still missing. It is always imperfect." Speaking of this, Yu Liancheng fixes his gaze on the giant sword that seems to be sealed by ten thousand iron chains: "Therefore, I shall retrieve the final strange stone, Black Cold, myself."

Having said that, he takes a step forward.

Lady Ao immediately shows a look of difficulty.

Clearly, Yu Liancheng intends to retrieve the yet-to-be-born Peerless Good Sword. The Peerless Good Sword is the work of three generations of effort from the Sword Villa and is their hope for rising again; it must not be lost.

But having witnessed Yu Liancheng's absolute strength in killing Jian Mo with a wave of his hand, her group going up against him would simply be throwing their lives away.

"Stop!"

Yu Liancheng has only taken two steps when two figures block his path.

They were precisely the two sword slaves who guard the swords, Leng Yan and Wen Nu. As sword slaves tasked with protecting the Peerless Good Sword, both could risk their lives for it, unlike Lady Ao who considered too much.

Leng Yan's twin swords simultaneously left their sheaths behind her back, gripped by a pair of slender hands. Both swords struck out together, unfurling a dense, impenetrable sword net to intercept Yu Liancheng. As the swords emerged, they were icy and cold, as if to freeze and kill everything before them.

Meanwhile, the massive Wen Nu also held a giant sword, swinging it across the air; the fierce Sword Qi, like a violent gale, swept toward Yu Liancheng.

Yu Liancheng steadied his body, his palm reaching out first to gently press against Wen Nu's giant sword, then with a flick, the giant sword uncontrollably collided with Leng Yan's sword net. Their offensive collapsed simultaneously, and struck by the recoil of their opponent's attack, they stumbled backward.

"As a guest, one should listen to the host. Since you two do not wish for me to approach, then I shall stand here." Yu Liancheng wore a smile, following the flow of the situation as if he were the friendliest of guests.

Then, using his fingers as a sword, he unleashed a move of the Heaven Mandate Sword Dao: Sword Thunder Like Galloping. The Sword Qi struck out like lightning, tearing through the sky, crossing a distance of several dozen zhang, and slamming heavily into the giant black sword wrapped in thousands of chains.

Boom!

Following an explosive sound, the giant black sword developed cracks, and amidst the crisp sounds, it shattered into countless fragments. Yu Liancheng reached out and grabbed. His five fingers curled in the void, as if snatching something from the giant black sword. Yet his hands were empty, as if there were nothing at all.

"Good, worthy of being the 'Panic of Panic', you found the true essence of the Peerless Good Sword in an instant. However, I wonder if you have the eye to find the true body of the Peerless Good Sword from the thousands of swords in this Sword Pool." As the most skilled swordsmith, who should have been the most concerned about the Peerless Good Sword, Zhong Mei did not move to stop Yu Liancheng.

"What is difficult about this?"

After speaking, Yu Liancheng casually made a beckoning gesture, and a pitch-black sword light flew through the air, to be gripped by one hand; it was the heaviest, darkest, and most inconspicuous one.

Immediately, Yu Liancheng injected his true essence into the black sword. Suddenly, the Sword Qi soared to the heavens, and an icy aura unique to the Peerless Good Sword filled the entire Sword Pool, actually causing the ten thousand swords present to tremble and sway in unison. Yet this time, it was not out of fear, but in worship, like commoners kneeling before an emperor.

And the Peerless Good Sword was, by nature, a peerless sword; aside from the likes of the Hero Sword and Wushuang Sword, it was worthy of the worship of the vast majority of swords.

"The Sword Qi soars to the heavens; although it is not yet sharpened, it is truly extraordinary. It is worthy of being the Peerless Good Sword." Yu Liancheng held the pitch-black Peerless Good Sword, his tone carrying a hint of praise.

"No." Zhong Mei retorted: "The true Peerless Good Sword should be flawless and without defect. At the very least, it requires ten more years of my carving to bring it to perfection, where it cannot be improved further."

Yu Liancheng laughed heartily, casually stabbing the Peerless Good Sword into the ground, and said: "Zhong Mei, using the Peerless Good Sword as a foundation, could you create the world's strongest sword using the materials of the other divine weapons?"

"That is certainly possible. The Four Great Divine Stones, plus that evil blade, without a doubt, could indeed forge a sword that surpasses the Peerless Good Sword. Once it is born, its sharpness will overshadow all the swords in the world. Whether it is the Hero Sword, with its righteous spirit and enduring nobility, or the Wushuang Sword, which has no equal and can illuminate the sun and moon, neither could compare to even one-tenth or one-hundredth of this sword. For any swordsmith, this would be an irresistible temptation and molten fire, but unfortunately..."

Speaking to this point, Zhong Mei sighed: "Please allow this old man to refuse."

Before Yu Liancheng could speak, Lady Ao's expression changed slightly: "Master Zhong, why is that?"

Lady Ao had already realized that the villa's talent was withered, and after the death of Jian Mo, there were no experts to protect them. With only orphans and widows left, even if they could forge the Peerless Good Sword, it would only be making wedding clothes for others, or even inviting disaster by harboring a treasure. It would be better to submit to Yu Liancheng; at the very least, it could ensure their wealth would continue.

If the other party could pass down a peerless martial art to Tian'er, then the rise of Baijian Villa would not be impossible. Conversely, if they offended Yu Liancheng for no reason, then the future of Baijian Villa would be fraught with difficulties.

Zhong Mei's expression darkened slightly, and he sighed: "It is not that I am unwilling to forge it, but that I have grown old and lack the energy. It is already difficult enough to use the next ten years to polish the Peerless Good Sword to perfection. A divine weapon of that caliber is far harder to forge than the Peerless Good Sword. The Peerless Good Sword consumed the lifeblood of three generations; if I were to truly forge this sword, even if I had sufficient energy, I fear that even exhausting my entire life would not be enough to complete it."

"So that is how it is." Yu Liancheng nodded slightly, and then his arm reached out, producing an incomparable suction force. Zhong Mei's figure immediately became like grass in the wind, uncontrollably pulled toward him.

Finally, Yu Liancheng's hand grabbed onto Zhong Mei's head.

Everyone was startled, thinking that Yu Liancheng was killing someone over a disagreement—this was not a rare occurrence for martial arts experts. Zhong Mei also felt his whole body turn cold, but he was unable to resist Yu Liancheng's methods and could only close his eyes and wait for death.

However, the pain of death did not come; instead, a vast and boundless power surged into his body, and it was upright and mellow, actually making him feel an indescribable comfort.

"Done." Yu Liancheng tossed Zhong Mei aside.

Zhong Mei opened his eyes, and the first thing he saw was everyone staring at him in a daze, as if they had seen something incredible. Among them, Lady Ao's beautiful eyes were the brightest, faintly flickering with a look of longing.

"You... how..."

Zhong Mei was confused; in his surprise, he did not notice that his voice no longer sounded as aged as before, but was instead thick and deep.

Leng Yan was perceptive; without a word, she handed a bronze mirror to Zhong Mei.

Zhong Mei reached out to take the bronze mirror, only to find that many of the wrinkles on his hands had vanished, and his muscles were knotted, strong, and powerful. When he looked into the bronze mirror, it was even more incredible.

The person in the mirror seemed to have become twenty years younger; his hair and beard had turned from white to dark, and the wrinkles on his face had smoothed out. After carefully sensing it, the Qi and Blood within this body were vigorous, no less than when he was young.

Yu Liancheng said calmly: "I imagine you should have the energy to forge it now."

Zhong Mei finally reacted from the shock and joy, nodding repeatedly: "Yes, of course I can." In his tone, there was a rare trace of trembling.

"If you lack anything, just tell me." Yu Liancheng said calmly: "Of course, I know that as a single swordsmith, it is difficult to complete this sword. In a few days, I will find you some helpers."

"Good, good."

"The Peerless Good Sword only contains half of the strange stone Black Cold, and the other half of the Black Cold is also in Baijian Villa. I will go and retrieve it later."

The other half of the strange stone Black Cold had been used to cast the Defeat and Death Sword.

This sword was ominous. When the sword was about to be completed, nine of the ten swordsmiths involved in the casting were successively killed by the fierce, defeated, and murderous aura within the Defeat and Death Sword. Therefore, the ancestor Ao Ri and the only remaining swordsmith gave up on completing this extremely fierce and evil sword, and used the remaining half of the cold iron, following the shape of the Defeat and Death Sword, to cast another peerless cold sword, which became the later Peerless Good Sword.

Because this matter had passed many years ago, and was strictly forbidden from being spread, only a very small number of people in the entire Baijian Villa knew about it, and the place where the sword was buried was even more secret; even Lady Ao and Zhong Mei did not know.

But after seeing Yu Liancheng's god-like methods, Lady Ao and the others revered him as a God and dared not have the slightest doubt.

That afternoon.

Yu Liancheng arrived at the depths of Baijian Villa, before a forbidden ancient tomb.

The ancient tomb had a high, arched dome, and the tombstone was nameless. Around the ancient tomb, not a blade of grass grew; life was extinguished, faintly similar to the Zheng Xie Dao, and it also faintly emitted an ominous and inauspicious aura. Staying here for long was like being pricked by needles and stabbed by swords, making one feel uncomfortable all over.

Yu Liancheng looked at the ancient tomb, his mind moved, and the power of the Earth-Level Maha circulated in the air, stirring the ultimate Yin energy between heaven and earth. Under extreme compression, carrying an aura of destruction, it slammed into the stone tablet.

Boom!

With a loud bang, the stone tablet shattered.

At the same time, countless Sword Qi soared into the sky, wailing and whistling. Across the sky above the entire Baijian Villa, one could see sword lights like vengeful souls and fierce ghosts, dragging out traces that made one's heart tremble. But with a wave of Yu Liancheng's sleeve, he blasted away all the sword shadows.

Looking down, inside the stone tablet lay countless ruined swords.

It turned out this was a Sword Tomb, containing swords that had never been born and had been abandoned; no wonder there was such deep and resentful Sword Qi.

Besides this, there was also a coffin cast from strange metal lying in the ancient tomb. Waves of murderous aura overflowed from the coffin, actually more terrifying than the Sword Qi of all the ruined swords before. Among the swords Yu Liancheng had seen, it was only inferior to the Great Evil King.

Yu Liancheng blasted another Earth-Level Maha over, breaking open the metal coffin.

And a rough black sword embryo appeared before him, its shape similar to the Peerless Good Sword, emitting wisps of ominous black gas.

—Defeat and Death Sword!