Volume 1 Chapter 29 Scavenging in the Chaos

Long Zhan searched the crowd for Zhao Wujiang and Li Yunrui, but found neither. His heart sank, and a sense of bitterness welled up within him.

"Where on earth has that dog Zhao Wujiang gone?"

Could it be that he never intended to enter the Sword Casting Division at all? Perhaps he went off to make things official with Li Yunrui? Damn it, his Seventh Princess!

"Long Zhan!" Ling Qingxue’s cold voice rang out like a thunderclap at the critical moment. "Steady your mind; the mission is what matters!"

Long Zhan nodded, realizing he had lost his composure, and hurriedly steadied himself. Ling Qingxue then looked toward the Sword Nurturing Pool where the Heavenly Sword rested. "Jian Donglai is guarding it. We must find a way to lure him away."

In another corner, Li Yunyi was grumbling. "These bastards! How dare they fight under my father’s nose!" He was preparing to flee the Sword Casting Division to summon reinforcements when the main gate suddenly slammed shut. It was a classic "luring the prey into the trap" scenario.

A streak of sword energy shot out, piercing his shoulder blade. Li Yunyi groaned and collapsed to the ground. Not far away, Zhao Wujiang saw clearly that it was Jian Donglai who had struck, while Ling Qingxue had been the one to launch the previous attack before joining the fray with Long Zhan.

"What a mess," Zhao Wujiang muttered. He had intended to stay out of it, but Li Yunyi had stumbled right next to him.

"Brother! How do you happen to be here too?" Li Yunyi’s eyes lit up.

"Yeah... what a coincidence..." Zhao Wujiang smiled on the surface, but cursed inwardly.

"By the way, brother, that *Spring Palace Hundred Flowers Records* of yours was truly brilliant. The positions of the jade maidens were quite a sight to behold."

Zhao Wujiang’s face twitched. We are in a life-or-death situation, and this idiot is still thinking about smut? He didn't realize that Li Yunyi was simply terrified and felt like a drowning man clutching at a piece of driftwood by finding a fellow scoundrel. Zhao Wujiang couldn't be bothered with him.

Jian Donglai was intentionally letting the two factions slaughter each other, hoping to reap the benefits. As the pile of corpses grew, they were all, without exception, tossed into the Sword Nurturing Pool. Zhao Wujiang watched as the light from the Heavenly Sword intensified, its aura of slaughter growing ever stronger.

"It seems the time is nearly upon us..."

***

Zhao Wujiang prepared to sneak over, but was pulled back by Li Yunyi. "Brother, where are you going? Why don't we just play dead?"

Before Zhao Wujiang could answer, Long Zhan’s voice echoed through the crowd: "Everyone! My scouts have discovered that the Sword Casting Division has been using the corpses of martial arts masters to sacrifice to the sword. This Jian Donglai is likely planning the same thing again—he wants us to kill each other!"

Long Zhan looked righteous. Since things had reached this point, he decided to expose Jian Donglai’s plan to stir the waters completely. He wanted the brainless martial artists to fight Jian Donglai while he seized the opportunity to step into the Sword Nurturing Pool.

"Jian Donglai!" a master from the Floating Life Demon Sect roared. "You want to use us as sacrifices!"

"Sacrificing us! Jian Donglai, you are courting death!"

Once prompted by Long Zhan, the crowd quickly grasped the situation. Enraged, they charged toward the Sword Nurturing Pool. Jian Donglai raised a white eyebrow, slightly surprised that Long Zhan had seen through his plan. "The boy has some talent," he thought, but mostly he felt disdain. Victory was already in his grasp; what did it matter if his plan was exposed? Could these people really come and go as they pleased in the Sword Casting Division?

He raised a hand, and his subordinates swarmed forward. He even jumped into the pool himself. "Today, I shall personally ensure that all of you provide a blood sacrifice to the Heavenly Sword!"

The battle turned white-hot. Zhao Wujiang noticed that as more people fell, their blood seemed to seep into the Sword Nurturing Pool. A hazy white mist, thick with the scent of blood, began to rise around the pool. This was no mere pool for nurturing swords; it was a sword tomb—a graveyard for the swords and for those sacrificed to them!

Because of his earlier outburst, Long Zhan had drawn the ire of the Sword Casting Division. Zhao Wujiang shook off Li Yunyi, crept to the side, and pretended to be dead. He curled up in a corner and slowly wiggled his way past the combatants. Along the way, he managed to scavenge two secret manuals and three purses. Not knowing what was inside, he tucked them into his robe. With no time to think, he continued to crawl toward the Heavenly Sword. With everyone else locked in fierce combat, it was the perfect moment to strike!

The two pools of water—one blue, one red—were now boiling, as if they were about to burst into flames. Sure enough, he saw the Heavenly Sword now surrounded by red and blue fire, as if completing the final ritual.

"Come to me!"

Just as he prepared to leap into the pool to claim the sword, a strike of sword energy slashed toward him. Zhao Wujiang barely dodged in time. He quickly shifted his position and leapt back out of the pool. Immediately after, a pair of slender, jade-like feet descended from above, blocking his path. A fragrant breeze washed over him.

***

Zhao Wujiang froze for a moment. Looking up from those smooth legs and the white silk dress, he caught sight of Ling Qingxue’s icy gaze.

Ling Qingxue gritted her teeth and sneered, "Surprised? I’ve had my eyes on you for a long time!"

"Mercy, fair lady! I’m one of the good guys."

But as he spoke, his disguise, weakened by the high temperature and the blast of sword energy, fell away, revealing his true face. Seeing this, Ling Qingxue snarled, "So it was you! Zhao Wujiang!"

"It’s not me, you have the wrong person!"

Zhao Wujiang tried to approach the sword again, but Ling Qingxue surged with lethal intent and sharp sword energy. "Trying to steal the prize? Ask me first!"

Zhao Wujiang was a notorious figure among the younger generation in the capital. Though his reputation was poor, notoriety was still fame. With him present, it was hard for Long Zhan to take center stage. But this kid was resilient and full of tricks. Had she not been on guard, he might have swiped the Heavenly Sword already! This boy was a slippery one.

"Zhao Wujiang! Pay with your life!"

"Damn it, you crazy bitch! Don't push your luck!"

Zhao Wujiang was getting desperate. His martial arts were inferior to Ling Qingxue’s, but he was certain that after taking his full-force blow earlier, she hadn't fully recovered. Her complexion confirmed it; although she looked as cold and exquisite as a fairy, her pale skin had the pallor of a corpse rather than the luminous white of moonlight, indicating internal injuries.

"You want to fight to the death? Bring it on!"

With a kip-up, he drew a short blade, intending to take care of the woman who was ruining his plans. Ling Qingxue, thinking he was truly going for the kill, moved to parry. Yet, to her utter shock, instead of stabbing at her, Zhao Wujiang slashed his own palm with the blade.

Ling Qingxue was stunned. She didn't know what he was doing, but he had just cut himself!

As the blood dripped, a cunning smile spread across Zhao Wujiang’s face. He splattered the blood toward the Heavenly Sword in the center of the tomb. The droplets passed through the red and blue flames, coating the blade before being instantly evaporated by the heat.

"I’m in the zone, fully in the zone! Today is the day the villain strikes back!"

As his voice fell, the Heavenly Sword erupted with blinding light, as if it had truly awakened.

"I am the master of my own destiny today! Sword, come to me!" Zhao Wujiang shouted!