Chapter 632 - 344: Qinghua Rain, Head-to-Head, Cloud-Grasping Hand
"Is this really the final place for forging swords?"
Hu Shanjiu stood in the massive cave, raising his head for a careful look.
This cave, though underground, was bathed in moonlight!
For the ceiling above was not rocky, but a lake, a lake whose gem-like waters had miraculously not cascaded down!
Hu Shanjiu looked up, seeing the shimmering reflections, the darting fish, the swaying aquatic plants, and glimpsing the sky’s full moon through these waters. He could even hear the waves above and feel the moisture in the air.
And beneath this lake, within the vast cave, there stood a giant tree!
The tree was pallid and withered, its roots twisted and gouty, protruding above the ground. Hidden beneath the mass of roots were colorful gems and medicinal soil, half-exposed at the base were tripods and bronze chests, while the roots pressed down upon piles of white bones crowned with high-brimmed headpieces!
And from its roots, absorbing all these gems, soil, tripods, and chests, the tree bore Immortal Swords atop its branches!
The sword hilts were like leaf stalks, connected to the tree.
The sword bodies were like leaves, pointing towards the sky!
The voice of the Ancient Immortal echoed in Hu Shanjiu’s mind.
"This tree is called the Sword Casting Immortal Root, and every millennium it can forge a sword embryo.
"The sword embryo survives only for a night, and if not fused with a Sword Soul by then, it will wither away."
Hu Shanjiu instinctively looked up to count the swords growing from the tree’s crown.
"One, two, three... twelve, thirteen..."
Twelve swords had already withered away.
The thirteenth had just matured, vibrantly green!
This meant the tree had been waiting beneath the lake for thirteen thousand years!
"The Sword Soul resides in the Dream Immortal Realm, cultivating for ten thousand years, mastering every form of swordsmanship, excelling in every aspect!
"The sword body experiences day and night in the real world, undergoing the seasons’ changes, absorbing the sun and moon’s essence, honing itself through time and enduring over ages!
"And after this tree matures for thirteen thousand years, once it withers twelve swords and bears the thirteenth, finally this night comes, as sword body and Sword Soul unify, forging an Immortal Sword, named [Chixue Qianshan]!"
Hu Shanjiu’s uncle, like a ghostly figure, weightless and entranced, floated upwards towards the newly matured sword embryo.
...
The labyrinthine underground caves were pitch-dark and somber.
Guan Yuexi spread her Divine Sense, darting swiftly like the wind!
Shhh...
She suddenly stopped, pressing her long sword against her waist. Her Divine Sense detected a burly man in black standing in the shadows at the crossroads ahead!
"Guan Yuexi? Beihai Boss?
"Hahaha, meeting you here is truly fate."
Guan Yuexi frowned, her voice cold.
"Tie Futu?
"Even the third in command of the Dark World comes here to explore?"
The third in command of the Dark World had somehow infiltrated this underground cave labyrinth!
He grinned.
"No need to worry, we are not enemies for now.
"Let’s each seek our treasures first; there’s plenty of time to fight afterward."
After speaking, he turned and merged into the shadows.
Guan Yuexi breathed a sigh of relief.
Her mission today was to find the Sword Grinding Holy Land Inheritor, to provide protection and cover, and she didn’t want to engage in unnecessary fights!
But since Dark World members were here, the Red Blood Secret Sect, Gu Insect Valley, and Giant Food Mountain forces... likely sent people too?
Suddenly, a rustling sound, and a white Immortal Beast carrying a large bundle caught up to her, landing on her shoulder.
Guan Yuexi smirked.
"This... Immortal Beast... Immortal Beast Brother, there’s no need to pillage those fake treasure troves, they contain worthless things. Let’s hurry and find the real treasure trove!"
White Ears, dressed in Immortal Qi Vine Armor, tilted his head, full of disdain.
The real treasure trove?
The real treasure trove was already visited by Little Flower Arm and Pang Youyou!
The task given by his master was to plunder these fake treasure troves!
...
Inside a fake treasure trove.
The bow-legged Immortal Thief Heir, ears burning red and steaming, picked up an Immortal Brush and threw it on the floor.
Grabbed an Immortal Inkstone, and "clang," smashed it into the corner.
His face twisted with anger and frustration.
"Damn him!"
The Immortal Treasure’s aftertaste had already leaked; following the scent would lead right to it.
But these heaps of fake treasure troves, damn it, they muddled the Immortal Treasure’s aura, damn it, they stirred up the waters, completely disrupting the Immortal Treasure signals in West State!
Where on earth was this real treasure trove hidden!?
...
In the gigantic cave.
Uncle Sword Soul hovered around the newly matured sword, flying up and down, his face full of longing, several times reaching out to touch, but then withdrawing his hand.
"He dared not touch it.
"Once he touched the sword, once fusion began, it would trigger a grand celestial celebration, attracting all the Immortal Thief Heirs!
"Including Sequence Six, Yangpeng Lake!
"And even another Sequence Six, Li Chengjing!"
The Ancient Immortal Master explained to Hu Shanjiu.
Hu Shanjiu nodded.
He knew what he had to do, how to do it.
He circled the tree a few times, noticing the skeletal remains beneath it.
These... were the Life Chart sacrifices offered during the sword forging process!
Among them, some had the Life Chart [Sever Ties], some [Stone-Resilient Bamboo], and others [Celestial Mountain’s Lone Lotus]... each Life Chart bestowing the sword with either sharpness or resilience, each with its purpose in the forging process.
And one Life Chart named [Dark Water Bulrush] served to... cloak the celestial celebration upon the Immortal Sword’s forging, allowing it to come into being without a sound!