Chapter 138: The Illuminated Sword Heart
He slowed his circulation again and again. He could even clearly feel a sharp intent slowly condensing within each of his eyes. The slightest misstep, and losing his sight entirely would be the lighter consequence.
He did not know how much time passed before the two streams of sword qi finally stabilized.
“Now.”
No longer hesitating, Song Yan opened both eyes and lightly swept his sword fingers before him.
The sword qi that had been about to rush about wildly suddenly thickened like honey, slowly spreading along the eyeballs and eye sockets.
The searing pain from before instantly turned to a tingling numbness.
It was as though ten thousand lanterns blazed into light before his eyes.
He quickly closed his eyes, quietly waiting for all the strange sensations to subside.
This process lasted for roughly the time it took an incense stick to burn.
Song Yan opened his eyes.
Sharp sword gleam seemed to flow and swirl within his twin pupils.
“It worked!”
Joy rose in his heart as he slowly channeled the sword qi.
“Void-Viewing!”
Song Yan felt a cold sensation seep slowly from his brow ridge, though he did not know when it had begun.
Before long it crossed his temples and reached his pupils.
A faint pricking pain returned, and he could not help but close his eyes.
But soon, the discomfort vanished without a trace.
In the darkness, Song Yan lowered his gaze and slowly attempted to open his eyes.
“…”
They were a pair of golden eyes, with a golden lotus pattern suspended within each.
Both eyes were filled with razor-sharp edge.
Even a gaze devoid of emotion could make one’s blood run cold in the dead of night.
“Void-Viewing!”
The moment the Void-Viewing Sword Eye activated, the sword qi began to slowly dissipate.
He slowly lowered his head. A cluster of flame ignited in his palm with spiritual energy.
Within his vision, fine threads of crimson spiritual energy intertwined and flowed, composing this flame.
He glanced to the side, looking at the spirit stone positioned at the center of the Spirit Gathering Formation in the room.
Misty spiritual energy flowed gently within it.
The Untethered Vessel flew out from the sword case, hovering before him. Sword qi circulated and danced across its surface.
Those streams of sword qi that previously could only be captured and controlled with divine sense now appeared as clear as ink strokes traced upon the air.
How wondrous indeed…
He looked here and there, pacing about the room.
Song Yan at this moment was no more mature than Xiao He who had just received a new toy.
“Yan Yan… what are you doing?”
Xiao He poked a small snake head out from the heap of tangled blankets on the bed, watching her with great curiosity.
Song Yan turned his head to look at Xiao He. “Looking at you.”
Within the Void-Viewing field of vision, Xiao He’s demonic energy was extremely restrained, with almost none leaking outward.
Strangely, she was not circulating any technique to suppress her aura.
“Looking at me? So am I pretty?”
The little snake grinned mischievously, wriggling about in the small blanket.
Song Yan chuckled. The sword qi dissipated, and his eyes returned to their original appearance.
“Of course you’re pretty. Xiao He is the cutest.”
He gently tapped the little snake’s head. “In two more days, we can go back.”
“Yay~”
Xiao He had long since stopped wanting to stay here. She had barely spent two days in her new home within the Abyssal Abyss Sect before being brought to this place she found thoroughly detestable. She rarely came out these days.
Xiao He loved flowers, grass, and trees. She loved green mountains and clear waters.
Changping was clearly the opposite of such a landscape.
Hearing that they could return soon, she happily swam about within the blankets, occasionally letting out little giggles of suppressed laughter.
…
Two days later, all matters in Changping were concluded.
Master Sanjue led the cultivators of the Huadu Temple to perform rites for the departed souls of Shiguping.
The Buddhist dharma was profound, purifying the residual resentment. A wordless stele was erected upon the ruins of Shiguping.
The belongings of the many cultivators who had perished within the Infernal Purgatory were also collected one by one.
The Changping Administrator reported to the Chu Capital, temporarily designating Shiguping as a forbidden zone.
Affected by this, the neighboring Cheng Family Village and Caoyuan Township were also methodically relocating to other places.
The cultivators of the six sects had basically all completed their reward exchanges.
The cultivators departed with their respective elders, preparing to return to their sects.
In the Nourishing Virtue Courtyard, one could see cultivators from different sects exchanging pleasantries and bidding farewell.
A young disciple of the Solar Arrow Sect clapped Li Qingfeng on the shoulder. “Fatty Li! Next time we meet, you’ll surely be an inner disciple.”
“Isn’t that obvious?”
Li Qingfeng nudged Song Yan, who stood beside him, with his elbow and declared without shame, “We’ve got connections up top, you know.”
Song Yan’s exploits within the Infernal Purgatory had long since been distorted beyond recognition in the retelling.
There were even rumors circulating that “this person might be the reincarnation of the Northern Demon Infant.” His fearsome reputation had truly spread far and wide.
However, when these “serious” accounts reached the ears of Song Yan’s acquaintances…
The way they retold them, the flavor changed somewhat.
“Northern Demon Infant,” “Daoist Demon Lord,” “Extreme Path Devil”—they tossed these titles out with abandon.
The gossip of strangers would not harm Song Yan in the slightest.
But his friends’ teasing was agony.
The surrounding cultivators burst into laughter. Only those who knew him well understood just how absurd those rumors were.
Having spent so many days together in a harsh place like Changping, it was indeed easy to forge deep friendships.
“Ah, right—Tao Ge, your sect’s Pear Fall Courtyard has a girl named Sheng Yun. She’s my sister.”
Song Yan produced a Cosmos Bag and handed it to the cultivator surnamed Tao. “Could you pass this to her?”
It was something Sheng Nian had asked him to deliver before, and he had added some spirit stones and pills of his own.
“Got it. Don’t worry, not a single thing will be missing.”
The cultivators of the Abyssal Abyss Sect and the Solar Arrow Sect were the last two groups to leave.
“Elder Xu, thank you for your care during this time.”
Xu Ziqing and Cong Yuzhen, representing the younger generation of Foundation Establishment cultivators from their respective sects, had basically worked together throughout the days in Changping.
“We’re all old friends. There’s no need for such pleasantries.”
“When we meet again at Dragon Pool Mountain, I hope Senior Cong will go easy on us.”
Xu Ziqing laughed heartily after speaking, did not linger further, and departed with the group of Abyssal Abyss Sect disciples.
His flight artifact was a great disc formed from a floating cloud.
Song Yan gazed down at Changping gradually receding below, his heart stirred with emotion.
The journey to Changping had been like a dream.
When he first came here, though he knew there would be some danger, he had never imagined being drawn into such a catastrophe.
From the moment he obtained the Twin Yin Pearl onward, it seemed that everything had made each of his decisions fraught with peril.
Looking back now, even rummaging through the garbage heap at the Fire Workshop Stronghold to search for formation pearls—just the memory of it—seemed dull and ordinary.
Now when he recalled it, all he felt was the bitterness of struggling to survive for a few meager spirit stones.
At the time, he had thought it was just the most ordinary day of his life.
But now, his Dao heart was complete, and his sword intent had taken form.
He raised his eyes slightly. The sea was vast, the sky boundless.
The natal flying sword had been condensed—the first realm of the sword path.
The human heart is supremely perceptive; the sword heart is illuminated and clear.
The tribulations and hardships along the path of longevity did not make him feel oppressed or despairing.
Instead, they sparked a thread of excitement.
If a person only ever did things within the scope of their current ability, they would never truly progress.
Methodical cultivation, accumulating spiritual energy—that was merely growth.
Only by constantly pushing to accomplish things beyond one’s current capability could one forge ahead with courage and press forward undaunted.
That was what it meant to be a sword cultivator.
(End of chapter)