Fate-Defying Demon Emperor

In a rocky crevice, a faint glimmer of light flashed, which Su Han’s keen senses immediately captured.

There were no famous swords here, not even broken ones, making him wonder what could possibly be hidden within. The crevice was very narrow, and after several attempts, Su Han finally extracted the object inside: a palm-sized jade gourd.

The jade gourd was caked with dust and somewhat damaged, not fully intact. After Su Han cleaned off the dust, its true appearance was revealed. It was a deep green all over and smooth to the touch like silk, but it had several cracks that made it look incomplete.

The jade gourd emitted no special light, nor did it contain any powerful Sword Intent. Aside from feeling somewhat heavy in his hand, it seemed to have no other remarkable attributes.

However, given that it came from Myriad Sword Mountain, where nothing exists but renowned swords, why would there be a jade gourd like this here?

Su Han tried infusing it with Demonic Qi, but there was no reaction. Trying with Spiritual Energy yielded no effect either.

Next, Su Han invoked his Slaughter Sword Intent and even executed the Myriad Swords Returning Origin Technique, unleashing One Sword Breaks Myriad Spells, but still, there was no response.

This result suggests only two possibilities: either the jade gourd is too damaged to display any formidable power, or I haven’t found the Manipulation Method.

Since this jade gourd came from Myriad Sword Mountain, it must be related to the Myriad Swords Sect. I should check the memories of the Tai Cang Sword God for clues.

Unwilling to give up, Su Han focused his mind and began to search through the Tai Cang Sword God’s memory inheritance.

The memories he had acquired were largely undigested. The memories of a Godfiend were overwhelmingly vast, as boundless as the sea, and Su Han simply lacked the time and energy to digest them all. Therefore, he would usually only skim over them briefly, prioritizing memories of Divine Methods and consulting ordinary memories only when necessary.

Su Han’s mind was like a library, with each book representing the memory inheritance of a Godfiend. Although Su Han was the librarian, it was clearly impossible for him to commit every book to memory.

Found it!

Soon, Su Han located the memory concerning the jade gourd.

"The Sword Nurturing Gourd. A secret treasure of the Myriad Swords Sect, its existence known only to successive sect masters. It was an object from beyond the heavens, suspected to be a Divine Artifact, and possessed the miraculous ability to nurture swords. By absorbing the Spiritual Energy of heaven and earth and the Sun and Moon Essence, it could nourish a supreme Divine Sword. Even a Mortal Sword placed inside could be continuously nurtured into a Saint Sword, an Emperor Sword, or even a Divine Sword. It was rumored that it could nourish up to nine swords at once, forming the Divine Slaying Sword Formation, a power unmatched throughout the heavens and earth. Unfortunately, throughout history, the most anyone had ever nurtured was five swords."

HISS!

Su Han drew in a sharp breath, astounded by the origin and miraculous effects of the Sword Nurturing Gourd. This treasure had such an eminent history, being the secret heirloom of the Myriad Swords Sect, its existence known only to the sect master.

It was well known that every major power had its own Inherited Supreme Treasure. For example, the Heavenly Sword Dynasty’s Sword-Shaped Imperial Seal was not just an Emperor’s Armament but also a symbol of status. The Myriad Swords Sect was no different, but the Sword Nurturing Gourd was a secret treasure that existed apart from the sect’s Inherited Supreme Treasure.

Even the Flying Immortal Great Emperor might not know of the Sword Nurturing Gourd’s existence. This is a truly exceptional treasure.

In the memories of the Tai Cang Sword God, he too had once possessed the Sword Nurturing Gourd. The record of nurturing five swords was his own creation. However, the swords he had nurtured were only Emperor Swords, not Divine Swords. Even so, unleashing all five at once was enough to render him invincible.

Later, when the Tai Cang Sword God underwent Ascension and left the world, he attempted to take the Sword Nurturing Gourd with him. Unfortunately, he failed, and the gourd remained with the Myriad Swords Sect.

From the Tai Cang Sword God’s memories, Su Han learned how to use the Sword Nurturing Gourd. It primarily used Sun and Moon Essence as its energy source to nurture swords. Most precious of all, it could nurture any sword, regardless of its material or Attribute—even a demonic sword.

However, nurturing a sword required a great deal of time and effort. Sun and Moon Essence was not easy to acquire. If one relied solely on absorbing daily sunlight and moonlight, it would take an impossibly long time to nurture a sword even once. Thus, it was necessary to seek out treasures that contained Sun and Moon Essence.

Su Han tried the method described by the Tai Cang Sword God but found the Sword Nurturing Gourd still showed no response. All his attempts were like stones sinking into the ocean.

It seems the Sword Nurturing Gourd is severely damaged and needs Sun and Moon Essence to repair it.

He had the correct method of use, but the gourd remained inert. This left only the first possibility: it was broken.

Unfortunately, Su Han currently possessed no treasures containing Sun and Moon Essence. The Sun Holy Stone in the sky would be suitable; if he used that stone, he could probably nurture his Soul Severing Sword directly to the level of an Emperor Sword. But the Sun Holy Stone was a Supreme Treasure of the Myriad Virtual Realm. Moreover, the massive stone contained terrifying Sun Fire Essence. Even if the Flying Immortal Great Emperor allowed Su Han to take it, his current strength was nowhere near enough to even approach it.

Never mind. I’ll look for treasures containing Sun and Moon Essence after I leave this place. As long as I know the method, I can repair it sooner or later.

Su Han held the Sword Nurturing Gourd in his hand but did not immediately put it into his Bronze Ring. The gourd’s current state had its benefits. At the very least, the Flying Immortal Great Emperor wouldn’t be able to detect its true nature later.

All of my actions on Myriad Sword Mountain have been under the watchful eye of the Flying Immortal Great Emperor. I don’t believe I can hide the fact that I obtained the Sword Nurturing Gourd from him. Its current broken, unusable state is a good disguise. I’m sure the Great Emperor won’t try to claim my prize for the time being.

Getting the Sword Nurturing Gourd makes this trip worthwhile!

With the Sword Nurturing Gourd in hand, Su Han no longer lingered and turned to leave Myriad Sword Mountain.

He was not a descendant of the Myriad Swords Sect, nor was he a pure Sword Cultivator, so the mountain held no sword inheritance for him. But as the successor to the Tai Cang Sword God, he had acquired the even more precious Sword Nurturing Gourd. As fate would have it, who could say that Su Han had lost out?

"Father, I was unable to obtain a sword inheritance, but I did unexpectedly find a jade gourd. I present it for your appraisal." Su Han returned to the Flying Immortal Great Emperor’s side and proactively presented the Sword Nurturing Gourd, a tactical move of advancing by retreating.

The Flying Immortal Great Emperor had already noticed Su Han’s actions. He took the Sword Nurturing Gourd to inspect it, but even with his power, he couldn’t find anything unusual. Moreover, the gourd was a complete mystery to outsiders. After studying it for a moment, the Great Emperor returned it to Su Han.

"Although it’s not a renowned sword inheritance, since it comes from Myriad Sword Mountain, it is surely a treasure of some kind. This is your fated opportunity; keep it safe."

With these encouraging words from the Great Emperor, Su Han finally accepted it back.

"Since Myriad Sword Mountain does not have an inheritance suitable for you, let us go to the ancestral shrine. Hopefully, the forefather will see fit to bestow one upon you."

Without another thought, the Flying Immortal Great Emperor led Su Han away from Myriad Sword Mountain and toward the next place of opportunity.