Chapter 264: Xuanyuan Sword
’Borrow or use the Power of Law?’
Cheng Yuan gasped. The Old Dragon King had opened a whole new world to him!
"Come. I will take you to pay respects to the founder of our Xuanyuan Sect."
The Old Dragon King turned and walked toward the deepest part of the training room, and the three quickly followed.
On the wall in the deepest part of the training room was a handprint.
The Old Dragon King pressed his palm to the handprint.
K-CHUNK, K-CHUNK.
The grinding of gears echoed through the room.
A downward passage suddenly appeared in the floor.
At the end of this passage was a majestic and imposing great hall.
The vessels within the great hall were made of either stone or bronze. They looked as if they had endured the ravages of time, exuding an air of ancient elegance and solemn majesty.
In the center of the hall’s rear stood a bronze statue, a full five meters tall.
The Old Dragon King’s expression grew solemn. He knelt on one knee and bowed before the bronze statue. "Disciple Huangfu Yanyi, 97th-generation successor of the Xuanyuan Sect, brings 98th-generation successor Cheng Yuan and two Named Disciples to pay our respects to the Founder."
THUD, THUD.
The Dragon Lord and the Dragon Head knelt and bowed in unison.
Cheng Yuan also quickly knelt and bowed.
’So the Old Dragon King’s lineage comes from the Xuanyuan Sect of Ancient Times!’
’The Celestial Witch Inheritance records that the Xuanyuan Sect was the greatest Sect of Ancient Times. Its founder was the first Enlightened One of that era, who held sway over the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands! He even defeated the Demon God Chi You!’
’So the Old Dragon King’s name is Huangfu Yanyi.’
’And the Dragon Lord and the Dragon Head are only Named Disciples?’
’While I’m the next successor?’
’Is it because of my Sacred Body?’
After the ceremony, the Old Dragon King gestured for the three to rise. He then pointed to the sword beneath the bronze statue and said in a deep voice, "Xiaoyuan, that is our Xuanyuan Sect’s Divine Artifact, the Xuanyuan Sword. Try and see if you can draw it! If you can successfully draw the Xuanyuan Sword, it will become your Lifebound Magical Artifact."
’The Xuanyuan Sword?’
’The foremost of the Ten Great Divine Artifacts of Ancient Times?’
"This..."
Cheng Yuan quickly waved his hands in refusal. "Master, the Xuanyuan Sword is too precious! I can’t accept it!"
A snort of laughter escaped.
From the side, Li Baizhan and Yang Qianhuan couldn’t help but chuckle.
"Junior Brother, drawing the Xuanyuan Sword isn’t that easy," one of his seniors said with a laugh. "Back in the day, your Second Senior Brother and I used every ounce of our strength, and we only managed to pull it out by less than two centimeters. Don’t overthink it. Just treat it as a test and give it your all."
Huh?
’It’s that difficult?’
"I understand."
Cheng Yuan took a few steps forward and stood before the Xuanyuan Sword. It was plunged into a bronze pedestal, its entire blade buried, leaving only the hilt exposed.
Cheng Yuan took a deep breath, placed his hand on the hilt, and let out a mighty roar, "Rise!!"
For his first attempt, Cheng Yuan was only testing the waters. He didn’t channel any True Essence, relying solely on his physical strength.
A resounding CLANG echoed!
In an instant, Cheng Yuan had drawn the Xuanyuan Sword two-thirds of the way out, with only the final third remaining in the bronze pedestal!
The sight nearly made everyone’s eyes pop out of their sockets!
Li Baizhan and Yang Qianhuan began to question their very existence.
’Is the gap between an ordinary War Body like ours and a Sacred Body really this massive?’
They had given it their all just to pull it out by two centimeters, yet Cheng Yuan had drawn two-thirds of it in a single breath!
Even the Old Dragon King was stunned!
’When I first tried to draw the Xuanyuan Sword, I only managed to pull it out a third of the way. Is this little guy’s talent really twice as great as my own was?’
"Xiaoyuan, you’ve done well. Very well. As long as you cultivate diligently, I believe you will be able to claim the Xuanyuan Sword very soon!"
Cheng Yuan grinned. "Master, I can take the Xuanyuan Sword right now. I haven’t even used my True Essence yet!"
The Old Dragon King was nearly rendered speechless.
’What in the world?’
’This kid didn’t even use his True Essence just now?’
Cheng Yuan’s words nearly shattered the Old Dragon King’s worldview!
’I thought I had already estimated his abilities highly, but I still ended up underestimating him!’
’This level of talent... it completely eclipses what I had at his age!’
"Then hurry and use your True Essence!"
"Yes, Master!"
Cheng Yuan channeled his Celestial Witch True Essence with all his might and gripped the hilt!
This time, Cheng Yuan drew the Xuanyuan Sword out with ease!
But a moment later, his expression changed dramatically!
Before he channeled his Celestial Witch True Essence, the Xuanyuan Sword had felt pleasantly cool to the touch.
However, after he channeled his Celestial Witch True Essence, the sword suddenly became scorching hot, raising several blisters on his palm!
The temperature of the hilt continued to climb!
TSSSSS...
Cheng Yuan’s entire palm was being scorched!
Cheng Yuan let out a subconscious, muffled grunt. He released his grip as if he’d been shocked by lightning, and with a loud CLANG, the Xuanyuan Sword fell to the floor.
Cheng Yuan stared at the Xuanyuan Sword in astonishment, completely baffled as to what had just happened.
The Old Dragon King, Li Baizhan, and Yang Qianhuan exchanged glances, their expressions turning grave.
A well-concealed flash of killing intent even flickered in Li Baizhan’s eyes!
The Old Dragon King asked in a low voice, "Xiaoyuan, what happened?"
Cheng Yuan pulled out a small medicine bottle and quickly applied its contents to his palm. He gave a bitter smile. "I don’t know what happened either, Master. Before I used my True Essence, everything was normal. But as soon as I did, the hilt became scorching hot. It seemed... to be rejecting me."
The Old Dragon King’s eyes flickered for a moment. "Qianhuan," he said calmly, "take Xiaoyuan to get his hand treated."
"Yes, Teacher!"
As Yang Qianhuan led Cheng Yuan away, Li Baizhan’s eyes glinted with undisguised killing intent.
"Teacher, why did the Xuanyuan Sword reject Cheng Yuan? Isn’t it meant for a Sacred Body?"
The Old Dragon King said gravely, "According to the records in the Xuanyuan Skill Collection, there were three types of Sacred Bodies in the Ancient Times: the Xuanyuan Divine Body, the Demon God Body, and the Ancestral Witch True Body."
"Teacher, then Cheng Yuan is...?"
"Based on my judgment, he must be of the Ancestral Witch Lineage. If he were of the Demon God Lineage, the Xuanyuan Righteous Qi in my body would have immediately shown hostility."
The Ancestral Witch Lineage?
Li Baizhan’s brow furrowed deeply.
The Ancestral Witch Lineage was exceedingly cruel. During the Ancient Times, they committed so much slaughter that they nearly drove humanity to extinction!
’If someone like him is allowed to take charge of Dragon Flame, won’t it lead to irreversible consequences?’
Li Baizhan was deeply repentant. "This is my fault, Teacher. I failed to investigate Cheng Yuan’s background thoroughly before bringing him to you."
The Old Dragon King smiled and waved his hand dismissively. "Baizhan, you are not to blame. Even I was mistaken just now. I thought he possessed a pure Xuanyuan Divine Body."
"Teacher, what should we do? Kill him, or imprison him? Please, give the order."
The Old Dragon King shook his head gently. "The Demon God Race and the Great Witch Race were lost to the river of time long ago. We shouldn’t carry the hatreds of the Ancient Times into our present day!"
"But Teacher, we must learn from history! If our leniency leads to turmoil under heaven, we will all become villains in the eyes of history!"
The Old Dragon King’s gaze grew distant. "Baizhan, this is no longer an age of simple black and white. It doesn’t matter if a cat is black or white, so long as it catches mice. Besides, Cheng Yuan possesses an immense Power of Merit. This proves that not only has he never used the Witch Power within him for evil, but he has actually performed many good deeds! If Cheng Yuan can use his Ancestral Witch Power to protect the Dragon Country, to become our nation’s sharpest blade, then why shouldn’t we let him?"