Chapter 69 - 61: Outer Path One Sword, Fatal One Sword

Chapter 69: Chapter 61: Outer Path One Sword, Fatal One Sword

[Name: Fang Heng (Growth Potential)]

[Identity: Sword Cultivator]

[Talent: Fifth Grade Earth Dao Foundation Establishment (Wind)]

[Cultivation: Peak of Qi Cultivation]

[Talent Divine Techniques: Nameless Sword Intent (Locked), Cyan Mist Gang Wind (Locked)]

[Skills: Traceless Sword Technique (Breaking Realm), Wind Riding and Sword Control Skill (Great Success/Locked), Wind Travel Spell (Great Success), Basic Forging Skill...]

[Note: The Ink Spirit’s Realm cannot exceed that of the Ink Flood Dragon Sword itself.]

Looking at Fang Heng’s status panel, Lu Chen could not help but sigh in admiration. Fang Heng truly lived up to his reputation as a Sword Cultivator genius born with Sword Intent. Even if he had only been a marginal figure slacking off year-round within the Cyan Cloud Sect, judging by the power displayed on his panel, he still hadn’t tarnished his title.

This panel was the result of Fang Heng’s cultivation being suppressed to the Qi Cultivation Stage, all because the Ink Flood Dragon Sword itself was only at the First Realm in Grade. Otherwise, it would be equivalent to Lu Chen carrying a Foundation Establishment Stage Dao Protector with him at all times.

It was extremely fortunate that he had been fighting the Evil Sword Chiwei, which had seized Fang Heng’s body. If he had fought Fang Heng at his peak, Lu Chen felt he might have struggled to even get close to him. After all, setting aside the Divine Power Magic that Fang Heng had mastered, just the Sword Control Skill—the hallmark of a Foundation Establishment Stage Sword Cultivator—would have been incredibly difficult to handle. His previous victory was truly all thanks to Chi Wei being quite "helpful"!

The more dazzling Fang Heng’s panel looked, the stronger Lu Chen’s desire grew to raise the Ink Flood Dragon Sword’s Grade and unlock Fang Heng’s full power. After all, who would refuse such a fearless and exceptional fighter who also possessed a certain degree of growth potential? However, to upgrade the Ink Flood Dragon Sword, it needed to continuously devour the blood of enemies. Currently, Lu Chen simply wasn’t encountering that many foes, so he had no choice but to temporarily set the matter aside.

At this moment, he focused all his attention on the Ink Spirit Fang Heng. After a series of simple experiments, Lu Chen discovered that the Ink Spirit was essentially a deathsworn who retained his pre-death combat abilities and a certain degree of consciousness. Even though he looked practically identical to someone who had returned from the dead, he was merely a copy of Fang Heng—much like a clone.

"The dead... ultimately cannot be brought back to life," Lu Chen mused.

"Unless they are willing to accept such a half-human, half-ghost existence."

With that said, Lu Chen had the Ink Spirit return to the Ink Flood Dragon Sword. After resting for a moment, he followed the stairs up to the third floor of the Sword Pavilion. This was also the final accessible area of the pavilion, as the remaining upper floors had been completely obliterated by that terrifying Outer Path One Sword, reduced to ruins.

Desolate, solitary, and riddled with devastation... This was Lu Chen’s first impression upon arriving on the third floor.

The space was not only less than half the size of the second floor, but the number of Sword Boxes stored here was also vastly diminished. Unlike the other two floors, where Broken Sword Remains were still scattered about, Lu Chen couldn’t find the remains of a single Spirit Sword here. He figured this was because the weapons stored on this floor had belonged to Golden Core Stage Sword Cultivators, meaning they were existences with fully awakened Sword Spirits. Thus, when the Sword Pavilion came under attack, the Spirit Swords here had all flown out on their own to fend off the enemy.

Looking at the empty third floor, a vivid image naturally surfaced in Lu Chen’s mind. It was a tragic yet heroic scene: hundreds of swords taking flight together, yet not a single one returning.

"Just what kind of terrifying existence was that Outer Path Great Power, to actually force the Cyan Cloud Sect into such a desperate corner?"

Lu Chen closed the empty Sword Box in front of him and walked straight toward the depths of the third floor. Before long, he spotted a peculiar Sword Stele that had been cleaved cleanly in half. For some inexplicable reason, the moment Lu Chen laid eyes on it, he was instantly captivated. Only, what drew him in wasn’t the Sword Stele itself, but the sword trace lingering on its surface.

At this very moment, Lu Chen’s Cyan Lotus Flower Pupil activated subconsciously, beginning to copy the residual patterns of the sword trace.

An unknown amount of time passed before Lu Chen suddenly felt the scene before his eyes shift abruptly. A figure with an indistinct face appeared out of nowhere right in front of him, swinging a sword.

"Ah!!!"

A flash of cold light erupted. Lu Chen let out a wretched scream and clutched his eyes as two trails of bloody tears slid down from the corners. Covering his eyes, he fell to his knees in agony. It took him a long time to recover. When he finally looked back at the fissure left on the Sword Stele, his heart pounded with lingering fear. Just the residual might of a Sword Intent that had lingered for who knew how many years had managed to cross the vast river of space and time, nearly blinding him with a single strike. Lu Chen couldn’t even fathom just how terrifying the true power of that sword strike must have been.

"Are these so-called Evil Demon and Heretic Dao truly all twisted, demonic-looking beings that revel only in slaughter?" he wondered aloud.

"Even a pure and orthodox Sword Cultivator wouldn’t necessarily be able to cultivate this kind of Sword Intent, right?

"Perhaps, just as the Outer Path Chi Wei said back then, in their eyes... we are the Outer Path."

Lu Chen wiped the blood from the corners of his eyes, staggered to his feet, and looked at the in-game prompt.

[Your Cyan Lotus Flower Pupil has recorded the special move, Outer Path One Sword. Although you have gained a slight comprehension of it, you do not possess an entry-level method for it...]

[Outer Path One Sword (Special)]

[Cultivation Requirements: Possess a Dao Entry Level Sword Skill; Cultivation reaches the Golden Core Stage]

[Note: The special sword strike of an ancient Outer Path Great Power. Although many years have passed, it is still not a Realm that a mere Qi Refining cultivator can pry into.]

A Sword Form that could only be learned at the Golden Core Stage—was this strike really that terrifying?

Looking at the Description of the Outer Path One Sword, Lu Chen felt deeply shocked. However, even though he couldn’t learn this domineering sword strike, thanks to his Cyan Lotus Flower Pupil, he had managed to temporarily record a trace of the residual Sword Form’s spiritual essence. At this thought, a bold idea popped into his head.

As the old saying goes, if you don’t court death, you won’t die. Knowing that he wouldn’t actually die inside the Dungeon, Lu Chen couldn’t help but feel a bit adventurous.

"Why don’t I... try and see if I can Copy this sword strike?" he muttered to himself. "Let’s just give it a try. It’s not like I’ll die in the Dungeon anyway..."

With that in mind, Lu Chen directly channeled his Cyan Lotus Flower Pupil to its absolute limit. The next second, he felt as if something had taken control of his body. He watched from a third-person perspective as he swung a sword toward the Sword Stele not far away. There were no flashy moves. From his omniscient viewpoint, Lu Chen saw himself execute what looked like an incredibly ordinary sword strike. Yet, this seemingly ordinary strike produced an indescribable sense of terror. An invisible streak of Sword Qi erupted from the Ink Flood Dragon Sword and smashed ruthlessly into the Sword Stele.

BOOM!

Watching the third floor of the Sword Pavilion quake violently and staring at the smooth, deep cut that almost pierced right through the floor, Lu Chen was utterly astounded. This strike... was this powerful?

Just as Lu Chen wanted to observe more, his consciousness was violently yanked back into his body. What immediately followed was a heart-piercing, excruciating pain. It was an ultimate agony—as if every meridian in his body had been shattered inch by inch, and his Spiritual Root had been violently torn apart. It left Lu Chen unable to even let out a scream before he passed out on the spot. But in the split second before he collapsed, Lu Chen fully realized one thing: while this strike was certainly terrifying, it was also extremely lethal to the user. It didn’t just claim the enemy’s life; it claimed his own as well!

Not long after Lu Chen fell to the ground, an abrupt anomaly sounded from the Sword Stele in the distance, followed by the appearance of a shallow sword trace on its surface. The location of this trace was exactly where Lu Chen’s Sword Qi had struck just moments ago. To be able to leave a mark on the Sword-Suppressing Stone... Lu Chen had no idea what a terrifying feat he had just accomplished. Because only someone who had cultivated Sword Intent could achieve such a thing!

...