Boom, boom—!! The moment Lin Jiu gripped the sword, a massive shockwave erupted, sweeping across the heavens and earth. The mountaintop where the sword stood was instantly destroyed by the explosive force. As the surge of aura expanded, Lin Jiu held tightly onto the sword, her body descending layer by layer with the rippling shockwaves until the entire bone mountain was obliterated.
The shockwave continued to expand in all directions, obliterating any skeleton it touched, both white and crimson, into ashes. Where the white bones vanished, strands of pure white aura slowly rose into the air, lingering as if bidding farewell to the world with a serene smile.
In contrast, the disappearance of the crimson bones brought forth piercing, spiteful wails that stabbed the soul.
Sensing an opportunity, Lin Jiu tightened her grip on the Glazed Crimson Sword, absorbing the final remnants of resentment into her spiritual sea, fueling the blooming of the seventh petal of her karma lotus!
The dense resentment surged toward her, and the seventh petal of the lotus bloomed rapidly, solidifying!
The crimson haze of resentment in the space thinned considerably, finally revealing faint traces of an azure sky. Lin Jiu exhaled softly, carefully raising the Glazed Crimson Sword to examine it. It was a slender, beautiful blade, only two fingers wide, crystal clear and translucent like ice or frost, with a faint tint of blood. The hilt was made of the same material, cool to the touch, like a piece of high-quality, translucent jade.
Lin Jiu raised an eyebrow slightly, thinking, ‘This sword… it’s mine now, right?’
The sword stirred faintly, and the aged voice of Wu Mengxia’s remnant soul resonated in her mind: ‘This sword is called ‘Red Beauty,’ forged by my ancestor Wu Nishui. The sword has long been spiritually attuned, and after dwelling in the underground tomb for generations, it has absorbed the will of the ancestral spirits, creating this sword spirit space. Though I failed to defend Qianqi Pass and perished, my spirit was somehow drawn here by the sword, along with all the resentment of my fallen comrades…’
‘Alas! You, a living soul, were also drawn here, proving that you are destined to wield this Red Beauty. Take it and show it to the world beyond! Young one, I bless you with a bright future.’
Lin Jiu clasped the hilt of the sword and said, “Old man, there’s no need to worry. You did what your ancestor did. He was a hero, and so are you. Since you’ve entrusted me with this gift, I will make sure to set things right for you. Rest assured and watch over from the heavens.”
A ripple of crystal-clear light flowed along the blade. A wisp of white aura rose into the sky, joining the other spirits, slowly dissolving into the resting realm of the departed souls.
Lin Jiu exhaled lightly, narrowing her eyes as she gazed into the distance.
‘It isn’t over yet.’
Sure enough, the remaining crimson resentment in the air began to gather toward one spot.
Lin Jiu’s eyes narrowed, and she held the sword upright before her. This sword, which had accompanied countless heroic spirits for millennia, was imbued with righteous energy, perfectly suited to dispel evil.
Lin Jiu had sensed something was wrong. The battle Wu Mengxia fought was no different from the one his ancestor Wu Nishui had fought thousands of years before—both were last-stand defenses of Qianqi Pass, and both were determined to hold on until the reinforcements arrived.
The only difference was that Wu Nishui’s reinforcements arrived, while Wu Mengxia was betrayed by the Wang family. If there was blame to be assigned, it should not fall on Wu Mengxia.
Lin Jiu believed that the soldiers who died defending Qianqi Pass must have been as brave and selfless as their predecessors, meeting death with courage and honor. As such, there shouldn’t have been such vicious, festering resentment. Something was clearly amiss.
She tightened her grip on the sword. Wielding it felt strange—if she had to describe it, the sword felt as if it were made of water. Every ounce of her strength flowed effortlessly through the blade, transmitting to every inch of it, while the sword, in turn, fed back every subtle sensation to her, as if they were connected in mind and spirit.
Crimson light swirled within the glazed surface of the sword. As Lin Jiu raised the blade to the tip, the entire sword became as clear as water, with only a trace of blood at the sword’s point. It was the color of a hero’s blood. Wherever the sword tip passed, the crimson resentment in the air evaporated with a hiss, like bubbles bursting on a searing hot iron.
Lin Jiu lightly tapped her toes on the ground, sword in hand, and gracefully dashed toward the gathering point of resentment. Though she had not yet reached the true realm of cultivation, with each stride, she could leap over five meters with ease. The brief sensation of soaring filled her with exhilaration—flying on her own felt far more liberating than being carried by someone else.
The sword in her hand felt weightless, almost as if it were giving her an extra boost. She adjusted her breathing and movements to match the sword’s natural momentum, becoming more in tune with it. As the red blade sliced through the air, Lin Jiu borrowed its momentum and leaped forward, soaring a full ten meters ahead!
The place where the resentment gathered was now within reach. Red mist swirled, twisted, and menacingly formed a colossal crimson skeleton, so large its head was out of sight!
Lin Jiu quickly gripped the sword with both hands and held it in front of her chest. The sword emitted a wave of pure, righteous aura, dispersing and absorbing the encroaching mist of resentment. The eighth petal of the karma lotus trembled within her spiritual sea, showing signs of opening.
Sensing that the goal that she had been looking forward to was within grasp, her heart raced with excitement!
Victory was right before her eyes!
Lin Jiu swiftly leaped forward, taking three large strides, landing at the foot of the still-forming giant skeleton. She held the sword with both hands, raised it to eye level, and slashed directly at the giant’s ankle.
Screeech—the sharp sound of the sword meeting bone echoed, grating on the ears.
Feeling resistance from the bone, Lin Jiu instinctively poured all her aura from her dantian into the sword, simultaneously activating the karma lotus. She connected the two forces through her body, using herself as a conduit.
In an instant, a powerful suction force surged from her spiritual sea, channeled through the translucent blade and directly into the towering skeleton.
A distant roar echoed from high above as the giant skeleton abruptly lifted its leg, yanking Lin Jiu into the air.
She felt herself rising rapidly, the ground shrinking beneath her. It was too late to retreat now. Tightening her grip on the sword, she drove it deeper into the skeleton, wedging it firmly between the bones as she desperately absorbed the overwhelming resentment within the massive creature.
The sky and earth returned to their natural colors. All the lingering resentment within this sword’s spirit realm had condensed into this colossal skeleton. The giant raised its bony leg high into the air before pausing slightly and then slamming it down toward the ground.
“Hiss—” Lin Jiu gasped, feeling like she was plummeting in an out-of-control elevator, helpless as the ground rushed toward her.
At that critical moment, the majestic battle hymn echoed once again through the void. Countless transparent lights converged. Like snowflakes, they clung to the surface of the giant skeleton, slowing its movements.
Catching her breath, Lin Jiu quickly pushed back the hair plastered across her face and repositioned herself, stepping onto the skeleton’s foot. Gripping the sword with both hands, she stabbed it deep into the bone!
With her, the karma lotus, and the crimson sword working in unison, a wave of pure aura washed across the land. Like hail melting under the summer sun, all the remaining resentment rapidly dissolved.
But it wasn’t enough. Though the countless heroic spirits aided her and the combined forces of the karma lotus and the sword were dispelling the resentment quickly, the remaining power in the giant skeleton’s foot had not yet fully dissipated. It continued to drag Lin Jiu, determined to crash into the ground.
‘So close… just a little more…’ Lin Jiu felt a wave of helplessness. Because of her low cultivation, she was unable to fully unleash the power of the karma lotus and the crimson sword.
Just as she braced herself to jump off and prepare for a rough landing, a cool sensation suddenly spread across her forehead, and a breeze seemed to whisper in her ears.
Wei Liang’s cold, low voice came from nowhere. “I’ll charge you interest for this.”
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