Chapter 145: Sword Intent of the Sage

A sudden surge of clarity washed over Zhou Qi. He no longer deliberately focused on the dancing phantom of the sword, nor did he strive to comprehend the all-encompassing sword intent.

Maintaining a tranquil and unperturbed mind, as if simply gazing at an ordinary landscape, he drifted and wandered slowly amidst this sword dance, gradually experiencing the subtle transformations between the sword intent and its underlying artistic conception!

He suddenly realized that he seemed to understand something. The phantom was trying to convey a message, laden with lingering grievances and bitter frustration. Every single movement and stance appeared to be piercing forward, but in reality, it was an expression of fury born from the inability to protect the human race. It was as if the phantom was simultaneously battling enemies and guarding something precious.

Unwittingly, Zhou Qi became completely immersed in the experience, failing to notice a beam of light suddenly shooting forth from the wordless jade stele and enveloping him. The light vanished, and with it, Zhou Qi disappeared from where he stood.

"Zhou Qi..." Huangfu Xiu and the others cried out in alarm. How could he have suddenly vanished without a reason? Could there be some hidden danger in trying to comprehend the sword intent?

The phantom upon the jade stele continued to dance, but Zhou Qi's figure was nowhere to be seen.

"Could it be that he comprehended the Sword Immortal's sword intent and obtained the Sword Immortal's legacy, which is why he was sucked into the wordless jade stele?" a cultivator guessed aloud.

As soon as these words were spoken, the others felt it was highly probable.

"Nonsense! This is likely a trial set by the Sword Immortal and the path leading to the next trial," Huangfu Xiu rebuked. If Zhou Qi had truly inherited the legacy of the Sword Immortal, he would likely become the target of universal jealousy, and a joint effort to eliminate him would follow.

Zhou Qi was currently a rogue cultivator. Once he left this place, if any major factions coveted the sword in his possession and the heritage he had acquired, the trouble would be immense. Furthermore, he had already made enemies with the Holy Son of the Heavenly Dao Sect, the Holy Maiden of the Xianxia Sect, and the Daoist Child of the Daoist Sect, not to mention his uncle who was hunting him down. If things continued this way, where would there be any foothold left for him in the Huangxuan Domain?

Upon hearing Huangfu Xiu's words, the others also found them quite reasonable. After all, having traveled all the way from the Sword Graveyard to this wordless jade stele, there were no other paths available, and according to their respective maps, this was definitely not the final stop.

With this thought in mind, everyone rallied their spirits and began attempting various methods to enter the wordless jade stele.

Before long, a beam of light carried Dao Fan away. As the Daoist Child of the Daoist Sect, his natural talent and comprehension were naturally beyond question. Furthermore, having already cultivated killing intent, he was able to draw inferences about other things by analogy. Moreover, his ideal of revitalizing the human race aligned with that of the Sword Immortal, so it was only natural that he won the Sword Immortal's approval.

Seeing yet another person disappear into the wordless jade stele, the rest of the group was greatly encouraged. It seemed that what Huangfu Xiu said was true; this truly was the gateway leading to the next trial.

Inside the wordless jade stele, Zhou Qi sat cross-legged, not daring to move a muscle. This place felt like a void of nothingness, completely shrouded in sword intent. He could feel the ubiquitous sword intent brushing past his skin, sending shivers of apprehension through his heart.

Before him stood a phantom, swaying gently.

"Senior?" Zhou Qi probed cautiously, receiving no response. Clearly, this was merely an imprint left by the Sword Immortal, devoid of consciousness.

"What is a sword?" The phantom suddenly spoke, its voice rumbling and echoing throughout the entire space.

***

"The sword is the sacred artifact of antiquity, supreme and noble, revered by both men and gods alike," Zhou Qi replied.

"What is a sword?" The voice grew louder.

"A sword is an instrument for killing, a lethal weapon for taking lives," Zhou Qi answered again.

"What is a sword?" The voice was deafening.

"Every blade of grass and every tree can be a sword. Where the heart points, there lies the sword!" Zhou Qi shouted back in a loud voice.

Finally, the voice ceased, but shortly after, the deafening sound resonated once more.

"What is the purpose of wielding a sword?"

"To slay enemies and protect those I hold dear." Zhou Qi answered firmly without hesitation. He did not know whether the Sword Immortal would be satisfied with this answer. Given the environment in which the Sword Immortal lived, the most fitting answer should have been to slaughter foreign races and protect the human race.

However, Zhou Qi refused to act against his own conscience. Times had changed; the human race now held the supremacy, and foreign races had nearly been hunted to the point of becoming protected species. If a foreign race were ever to invade the human race, he would naturally raise the sword in his hand and carve out a bright and clear world for his people.

Once the phantom finished asking, it fell silent once more.

Zhou Qi could feel the surrounding sword intent shifting. It was no longer razor-sharp and piercing; instead, it took on a profound weight and affinity. From this sword intent, he sensed the momentum of shattering the heavens and realms for the sake of protection, as well as the spirit of fearless sacrifice and total devotion.

Silently, Zhou Qi comprehended it, gradually immersing himself bit by bit, attempting to understand the underlying emotions and transform them into his own sword intent.

In another space, Dao Fan was similarly facing the three consecutive questions posed by the Sword Immortal's phantom.

"What is a sword?"

"An instrument of slaughter," Dao Fan replied.

"What is a sword?"

"An object used to exterminate foreign races?" Dao Fan was well aware of the era in which the Sword Immortal lived, knowing that to gain approval, he had to cater to those sentiments.

"What is a purpose of wielding a sword?"

***

"To annihilate foreign races and revitalize the human race."

Dao Fan secretly patted himself on the back in praise. True to his expectations, once he finished his reply, the phantom ceased its questioning.

The ubiquitous sword intent suddenly turned extremely violent, brimming with a murderous aura. Dao Fan was terrified; could it be that the Sword Immortal was displeased with his answer and intended to obliterate him?

However, he was overthinking. The sword intent did not attack him; the overflowing murderous intent was simply a choice made by the Sword Immortal based on his response.

Overjoyed, Dao Fan sat cross-legged on the ground to slowly comprehend and refine it.

Before the wordless jade stele, many cultivators were still sitting cross-legged. Soon after, Jiang Yiyi, Shui Bing, Huangfu Rou, and Gao Shiyu were all swept away by beams of light.

It was these four beauties once again. While the others remained relatively calm, Li Xing could not help but grow extremely anxious. This Saint's mystic realm seemed to deliberately oppose him, making him appear inferior in every possible way. In his original imagination, he should have swept through and conquered every single place he visited.

Yet now, leaving aside Jiang Yiyi—since she was peerless under heaven and naturally destined to be the Holy Maiden of the Heavenly Dao Sect—who on earth was this nobody Zhou Qi, that he could continuously overshadow him? His heart was filled with lingering resentment and frustration.

Harboring these tumultuous emotions, he looked at the wordless jade stele once more, only to find that his state of mind happened to align with the emotions of the Sword Immortal's phantom. Finally, following closely behind the four beauties, the light from the wordless jade stele engulfed him and carried him away.

Huangfu Xiu grew deeply anxious. He was not worried because he himself had failed to enter, but rather because he had no idea what the situation was inside. Zhou Qi had entered long ago, and among those who followed, three were Zhou Qi's sworn enemies.

He blamed himself for not telling Huangfu Rou to lend a helping hand should Zhou Qi encounter any danger.

"Sigh," he breathed out a heavy sigh, looking helplessly at the jade stele. At that moment, a beam of light radiating from the stele filled him with nervous agitation, terrified that a moment's delay might mean Zhou Qi was already dead or dismembered.

Shortly after, Dao Hui and the young monk also successfully entered.

Dao Hui harbored a suppressed frustration within his chest as well—a lingering discontent toward Dao Fan. As the former Daoist Child of the Daoist Sect, he had naturally also cultivated his physical body and refined killing intent; he simply had not connected it to this particular trial. Seeing Dao Fan enter only made his mind even more unsettled.

It was not until now that he finally calmed his mind, silently merging his process of comprehending killing intent with this sword intent, successfully entering the jade stele.

The remaining cultivators grew increasingly anxious, yet they refused to give up. According to previous experience, rushing yielded no benefits whatsoever.