Chapter 69: The Terrifying Jue Sword

Seeing Duan Fengyun's unwilling expression, Zhong Mei thought for a moment and prepared to tell the two the origin of the Jue Sword, hoping to make them retreat in the face of difficulties.

"The Jue Sword is a peerless demonic sword with extremely strong demonic nature.

Legend has it that back then, the ancestor of the Ao Family, who was already a Royal Sword Casting Master, inadvertently obtained a piece of ten-thousand-year-old strange iron hidden deep in volcanic lava—Fierce Flame.

The Ao Family ancestor originally wanted to forge Fierce Flame into a sword for the Emperor and even named it 'Jue' to show his determination to be loyal to the Emperor.

Who would have thought that anyone who touched it would have their blood sucked dry and turn into a dried corpse.

It turned out that this ten-thousand-year-old strange iron was a fossil left behind after the death of a Blood Demon from the ancient era; it needed blood to nourish its existence, and it was further discovered that only the extremely fiery blood of a Fire Qilin could open its seal and forge it into a sword.

The Ao Family ancestor believed that this sword had an extremely potent Evil Qi and was difficult to control; once forged into a sword, it would surely bring disaster to the world.

Therefore, before it was even finished, he sealed and buried it within the Ao Family ancestral tomb and established an ancestral precept, ordering his descendants not to forge it and to worship the sword every year to ensure the peace of the world.

Generation after generation, the Ao Family has been worshipping this peerless demonic sword while worshipping their ancestors.

It is said that when the Jue Sword reaches its maximum power, it can cause the wielder's Origin Soul to leave the body, reaching the realm of Demon Qi Leaving Form.

Young hero, are you sure you want to retrieve this sword and let it see the light of day again?"

After hearing Zhong Mei recount the horror of the Jue Sword, Youruo also persuaded Duan Fengyun:

"Why don't we just give up on this Jue Sword? This sword is too eerie; I believe you can still become a Martial Arts Myth without it."

Duan Fengyun patted Youruo's hand and replied:

"You have to have confidence in your man. I am the man who will become the number one Martial Arts Myth in the future; what is a mere Jue Sword compared to that?"

Upon hearing this, Zhong Mei shook his head and continued:

"The young hero's personality is indeed stubborn. I wonder if such a personality can conquer this peerless demonic sword.

The opening of the Jue Sword requires the Fire Scale Sword to extract Qilin Blood, and you happen to be the wielder of the Fire Scale Sword; perhaps all of this is fate."

Seeing Zhong Mei's implication, Duan Fengyun felt he had a chance.

He certainly wouldn't tell Zhong Mei that the Fire Scale Sword had already shattered during his battle with Jian Ao.

But fortunately, he had kept all the broken pieces; when the time came, having the broken sword should be enough to complete the extraction of the Qilin Blood.

"Master, I must take the Jue Sword. Since it is Heaven's will, I believe I can control this sword. Please, Master, tell me more."

Duan Fengyun looked at Zhong Mei with a firm expression.

Seeing this, Zhong Mei knew that if he didn't reveal the whereabouts of the Jue Sword today, he probably wouldn't be able to leave.

He walked to the tomb stele and, touching it, said:

"When the ancestors of Sword Casting Villa sealed the Jue Sword, to prevent its demonic nature from growing, they sealed it inside this stele.

This stele is called the Town Stone Stele and was bestowed by the royal family; it is precisely by relying on this stele that the Ao Family has been able to suppress the demonic nature of the Jue Sword."

After speaking, Zhong Mei turned and left.

Now that Duan Fengyun knew what he wanted, he naturally would not stop Zhong Mei from leaving.

After Zhong Mei left, Duan Fengyun immediately formed his hands into palms and struck the Town Stone Stele repeatedly with the Cloud-Plucking Palm.

Unable to withstand the fierce palm intent of the Cloud-Plucking Palm, the Town Stone Stele began to fall apart.

As the Town Stone Stele shattered, the object hidden inside slowly revealed itself.

At this moment, in the eyes of Duan Fengyun and Youruo, a half-finished sword was stuck inside the Town Stone Stele.

One could see that the hilt of this half-finished sword was deep green, and the blade was thick and bright red, as if the person who forged the sword had not yet successfully polished the raw material.

This sword gave one a feeling of being heavy and eerie just by looking at it.

"Hahahaha, Jue Sword, I have finally found you."

Duan Fengyun laughed loudly.

Then he took a deep breath, gripped the hilt of the Jue Sword with his right hand, and exerted force with his whole body to pull the Jue Sword out of the Town Stone Stele.

Duan Fengyun held the Jue Sword in his hand; he had never experienced this feeling of holding the Jue Sword before.

The feeling the Jue Sword gave him was one of aggression, a feeling of wanting to ruthlessly devour everything in front of him.

Duan Fengyun did not notice that his sanity was being subtly influenced by the Jue Sword.

Youruo noticed that Duan Fengyun's aura was gradually rising, and then she saw his eyes gradually turning blood-red.

Seeing that Duan Fengyun was about to lose his sanity under the influence of the Jue Sword, Youruo's loud shout pulled Duan Fengyun back from the edge of the cliff.

Duan Fengyun closed his eyes, sat cross-legged, and muttered:

"The heart is like ice, the sky collapsing causes no alarm.

Everything changes yet remains fixed, the spirit is calm and the Qi is still.

No dust or dirt adheres, no worldly appearances stain.

The Void is serene and quiet, completely empty of things.

Being and non-being generate each other, difficulty and ease complete each other.

Forget both the self and the object, merging into the Great Void.

Heaven and Earth are boundless, all things are one.

Flying flowers and falling leaves, the mind is as open as a valley.

A thousand worries, just as they descend upon the heart.

Immediately smooth the brow, the spiritual platform is clear and leisurely.

The heart has no obstacles, the mind has no attachments.

Release the heart and set the spirit free, silent and soulless.

Water flows and the heart is not startled, clouds drift and the mind is unhurried.

With one heart not burdened by things, one is naturally carefree through the ages."

What he was muttering was precisely Nie Feng's family-transmitted mantra—the Ice Heart Formula.

Choosing to practice this Ice Heart Formula in Lingyun Cave that day was indeed the right decision.

Reciting the Ice Heart Formula repeatedly and relying on its effects, he gradually shook off the influence of the Jue Sword, and his eyes returned to clarity.

He stood up, took off his outer garment, wrapped the Jue Sword tightly in it, and said to Youruo:

"Let's go, we are returning to Huo Family Manor first to retrieve the Fire Scale Sword."

Youruo had not expected that he would still be reluctant to give up the Jue Sword, and she asked skeptically:

"Are you still planning to go to Lingyun Cave to find the Fire Qilin, and then use the Qilin Blood to open the Jue Sword?"

Duan Fengyun knew what Youruo was worried about; he took Youruo's hand and said:

"Didn't I tell you? You must have confidence in your man and believe that I will be fine."

Seeing that Duan Fengyun was so certain, Youruo said no more, and the two of them returned to Huo Family Manor with the Jue Sword wrapped in layers.

Just as the two walked outside the gate, Bu Jingyun rushed out holding the Peerless Sword.

It turned out that the Peerless Sword had sensed the arrival of the Jue Sword; feeling its status threatened by the Jue Sword, it kept trembling.

Not knowing the reason, Bu Jingyun picked up the Peerless Sword and was guided by it to the main gate.

Seeing the object wrapped in layers in Duan Fengyun's hands, Bu Jingyun guessed that this was likely what was causing the Peerless Sword's abnormality.

"Junior Brother Duan, Youruo, come inside first. Let's go in and talk."

Bu Jingyun said.

The three of them walked into the house, and because of the Peerless Sword's earlier abnormality, Qin Shuang and Nie Feng were already in the courtyard.

"Junior Brother Duan, you've returned. Did you have any success on this trip?"

Qin Shuang asked with concern.

"Haha, when I set out, success is guaranteed. Look."

Duan Fengyun laughed heartily and shook the bundle in his hand.

To satisfy everyone's curiosity, Duan Fengyun unwrapped the layers, revealing the appearance of the Jue Sword.

After the Jue Sword met the Peerless Sword in Bu Jingyun's hand, both swords kept trembling, as if they wanted to start a battle.

After Bu Jingyun forcibly suppressed the trembling of the Peerless Sword, he said to Duan Fengyun:

"Junior Brother Duan, this sword of yours is quite sinister, isn't it?"

Duan Fengyun nodded and told everyone about meeting Zhong Mei at Sword Casting Villa, being told the origin of the Jue Sword, and how he had been influenced by the Jue Sword to lose his sanity.

Feeling that the Jue Sword was too evil, Qin Shuang spoke up to dissuade him:

"Junior Brother Duan, this sword is so extreme and can even affect the wielder's sanity; you had better quickly seal this sword back up."

Duan Fengyun shook his head and replied dismissively:

"Senior Brother Shuang, that is where you are wrong. A precious sword matches a hero; I have always believed there are no bad swords, only bad people. As long as I can conquer the Jue Sword, then it will be a peerless divine weapon that can be used by me."

Seeing Duan Fengyun so stubborn, the others knew that given his personality, once he had made up his mind, the outside world could not change it.

"Junior Brother Duan, what are your plans next?"

Qin Shuang really wanted to know Duan Fengyun's next move.

"I returned this time to retrieve the fragments of the Fire Scale Sword. I plan to go to Lingyun Cave in a few days to find the Fire Qilin and then use the Qilin Blood to activate the Jue Sword."

As expected, Duan Fengyun's answer was just as he had anticipated.

"Junior Brother Duan, Lingyun Cave is filled with dangers, and that Fire Qilin is an extremely terrifying and dangerous exotic beast. You must not act rashly."

Knowing the terror of Lingyun Cave and the Fire Qilin, Nie Feng advised him.

"Senior Brother Feng, you don't need to worry. On this trip, I only want to take some of the Fire Qilin's blood to use; I won't be killing the Fire Qilin. I certainly have means to save my life, so don't worry."

Duan Fengyun replied.

Seeing that Duan Fengyun had said as much, Nie Feng said no more.

At this moment, Bu Jingyun stepped forward and said:

"Junior Brother Duan, the Peerless Sword in my hand and the Jue Sword in yours both belong to Sword Casting Villa, and the two swords seem to refuse to submit to one another.

Why don't we have a spar to see whose sword is the greatest masterpiece of Sword Casting Villa."

As a swordsman, Bu Jingyun could not help but feel his hands itch when seeing such a magical Jue Sword, and he wanted to have a contest.

"Alright, Senior Brother Yun, let's have a contest, but let's stop once we make our point."

Duan Fengyun readily agreed.

The two junior and senior brothers stood facing each other, each holding one of the two most magical peerless swords in the current martial arts world.

With a loud shout, the two engaged in battle.

The Peerless Sword was already considered a divine weapon with fierce Sword Qi, but unexpectedly, the Jue Sword was even more fierce.

The two collided with their swords, and both felt their hands go numb; the two swords from Sword Casting Villa were evenly matched.

Duan Fengyun smiled and prepared to continue attacking with his sword, but at this moment, an accident occurred.

Suddenly, several red tentacles grew from the hilt of the Jue Sword, and the tentacles wrapped around Duan Fengyun's right arm.

Duan Fengyun felt these tentacles sucking his fresh blood; it was just as Zhong Mei had said, this sword would suck the blood of its wielder.

Seeing this, Bu Jingyun hurriedly used the Peerless Sword to strike the Jue Sword away from Duan Fengyun's hand, and the Jue Sword returned to normal the moment it left Duan Fengyun's hand.

"Junior Brother Duan, this sword is too dangerous; you should give it up."

Bu Jingyun was also shocked by the sinister nature of the Jue Sword; it was the first time he had seen a sword that backlashed and devoured the wielder's blood. This sword was too dangerous.

Duan Fengyun smiled, took off his clothes, walked over to the Jue Sword, and wrapped it up in layers once again.

"Senior Brothers, don't worry. According to what Zhong Mei said, after using the Qilin Blood to open the Jue Sword, it should no longer backlash against the wielder, so I will head to Lingyun Cave as soon as possible."

Duan Fengyun said.

"In that case, let the four of us go together; if we encounter any danger, we can look out for each other."

Qin Shuang proposed, and Bu Jingyun and Nie Feng also nodded.

Duan Fengyun replied with emotion:

"Good, thank you, fellow senior brothers. With our brothers united, our combined strength can snap metal."