Devour

Chapter 429: Ten Thousand Swords Monument

Cheng Bai asked in surprise, "Agent? Could it be that the Bone Sword Tomb has another official city lord?"

The sword maniac hesitated to speak and shook his head slightly.

Master Li hesitated and continued, "There once was... the last city lord was buried at the highest point of the sword tomb. The so-called 'burial of bones' refers to her remains."

"Her? It seems the last city lord and Master were acquainted." Cheng Bai thought to himself as he followed the other heroes towards the corridor behind the Sword Fragrance Pavilion. On the way, he quietly asked Chang Yufeng, "Is Senior Sword Maniac ranked high on the Sage List?"

Chang Yufeng quietly responded, "Sword Mad City Lord is ranked eighth among the seventy-two sages, even higher than my master!"

Cheng Bai pondered, "Sword Madman alone is powerful enough to surpass the combined strength of all the elders of Jing'ao Island and Great Saint Master Wang. The Burial Bone Sword Tomb is among the top ten sword sects, and its reputation is well-deserved."

The sword maniac walked ahead with steady steps and suddenly said, "The Great Wisdom Master of the Buddha's teachings is tempering his sword in front of the Ten Thousand Swords Monument, just as he wished. Everyone, could you please rest for a moment before going over to pay your respects to the sword spirit?"

"The Ten Thousand Swords Monument will mobilize countless sword spirits. It will take a long time, at least until nightfall." Master Li thought for a moment and instructed, "Take us to the Bone Burial Peak first."

After leaving Jianxiang Pavilion, I saw that the road behind the building was divided into three branches: upper, middle and lower.

The sword maniac introduced as they walked: "Upwards is the Bone Burial Peak, in the middle is the Ten Thousand Swords Monument, and downwards is the Sword Spirit Pit. Remember, the lower the terrain, the more dangerous it is!"

People who had never been there thought that the sword maniac was just reminding them of the dangerous terrain, and since he was confident in his unique skills, they didn't take it seriously.

The team ascended the winding mountain path, where broken swords lay scattered on both sides. Most of the swords here shone with a cold gleam, showing little rust. At first glance, they looked like they had been damaged recently.

Chang Yufeng, intent on winning the favor of the beautiful woman, approached Yao Shuang and said softly, "Junior Sister Yao, do you know that every night in the sword tomb, the sound of swords resonates like human voices. These are the sword spirits that refuse to be abandoned and are searching for their former masters."

Yao Shuang watched intently as the broken swords trembled softly in the wind, a sound like weeping. Something moved her, and she instinctively took out her own broken flying sword and stroked it thoughtfully.

Chang Yufeng was well-informed. Seeing her lost in thought, he took the opportunity to encourage her, saying, "There are many areas in the Burial Bone Sword Mound for burying old swords, but only the Burial Bone Peak has the best spiritual energy, which can protect swords and sword spirits from decay."

He paused deliberately, then continued, "Miss Yao, if you wish to find a burial place for your beloved sword, you should be aware that the Sword Guards usually do not allow outsiders to enter. Now that the Sword Mad City Lord is leading the way, why not seize this opportunity and bury it here on the Bone Burial Peak?"

Yao Shuang turned around and looked around. She saw the peaks and mountains shrouded in auspicious mist, and the scenery was far more tranquil and beautiful than before. She asked, "Sword Crazy City Lord, may I bury my sword here?"

The sword maniac stopped and glanced at the broken sword in Yao Shuang's hand. His gaze lingered on the broken crystal core and asked, "Has this sword ever been sacrificed with human blood?"

Yao Shuang's fingertips trembled slightly, and she said truthfully, "It was my own blood."

"Bury it." The sword maniac was not surprised. He turned and looked at the mountaintop, which was shimmering with a faint white light in the afterglow of the setting sun. His voice was calm and indifferent. "The sword burial on this peak is the most mysterious. Have you thought it through?"

Yao Shuang nodded slightly and resolutely found a clean mudstone area beside the road. She first brushed off the dust with her sleeves and washed her hands with the clean water she brought with her. Then she solemnly inserted the two broken swords into the cracks in the rock.

As the sword sank into the ground, wisps of black mist suddenly seeped out of the cracks and lingered around the broken sword.

Yao Shuang felt a chill in her heart. She quickly took the purple-red ribbon from her hair and tied it to the hilt of her sword. She leaned over and bowed three times to the sword. With each bow, the black mist faded a little. After three bows, it turned into a faint white light and dissipated.

"What is that?" Cheng Bai's spiritual eyes were different from those of ordinary people. He could see through all kinds of subtle things. He suddenly saw a phantom with a human head and a dragon body swimming in the white light!

It wrapped around the broken sword and lingered on the broken crystal core for a while, as if with deep attachment, and then it slipped into the crevice of the rock like a ghost and disappeared.

Master Li's mastery of the double pupil technique was extraordinary, and he had obviously noticed the strange changes, but he remained calm and said, "Humans ascend to higher places, while spirits return to sleep underground. Let's go!"

The team continued to move forward and soon reached the top of the Bone Burial Peak, where only lonely graves were seen.

In front of the tomb, a yin-yang iron sword was inserted as a monument, reflecting a strange light that was sometimes black and sometimes white in the setting sun. Its shadow, elongated by the oblique light, also changed dynamically, like a watchman sinking into the long river of time.

Cheng Bai looked closely and saw a line of words engraved on the sword's spine: "The Tomb of Ao Qiushui, the last lord of Xiaoyao Lingjian City."

The font is powerful and vigorous, penetrating three inches into the iron, and it is obvious that it was carved by a master with the finger force!

The more he pondered, the more familiar it seemed. Cheng Bai thought, "The brushwork, the verve, the momentum, soars to the sky... Yes, it's exactly the same style as the couplets in Yanbo Tower and Danxin Pavilion. It must have been written by the Master."

The sword maniac stood a little distance away from the tomb, his yellow robe rustling in the wind as he pointed out, "This is the highest point of the Bone Sword Burial Mound. From here, you can overlook the entire city."

The heroes paused to watch, the ancient city ablaze with splendor under the setting sun. The countless broken swords within the city reflected the molten gold of the setting sun and the crimson purple of the evening clouds, creating a vibrant, ever-shifting halo of light, as if the sword spirits, unwilling to slumber, were unleashing their final, silent cry.

Everyone stopped outside the tomb, only Master Li walked forward silently to sweep the grave.

He first took out a plain white silk handkerchief, carefully brushed away the dust and debris on the grave, gently wiped the words on the long sword that served as the inscription, and then flicked the sword with his fingers, the sound like a dragon's roar reaching the sky.

Afterwards, he carefully selected the fish meat prepared yesterday from the thorn-patterned Yishou Gui, put it in several porcelain bowls, and neatly arranged them on both sides of the tomb. Then he lit three incense sticks and bent down to worship.

"Sword Saint Ao Qiushui, the scholar is here to visit you!"

Three wisps of green smoke floated in the air. Master Li muttered to himself as he inserted the incense into the soil in front of the tomb. He held up the Luan-patterned Changsheng Lei and generously poured the precious Purple Dew Flame in the Lei into the front of the tomb.

The wine seeped into the soil, emitting strange fluorescent light and spreading bursts of rich wine aroma.

Cheng Bai saw this and thought it was a pity. He sighed, "Throwing away so much good wine, they have such a good relationship!"

Guo Xieke pulled Chang Yufeng over and spoke to him in private, "Disciple, I've never seen the Master take this matter so seriously. I'm afraid he and the Sword Saint buried at the summit have a secret past, and it's definitely not an ordinary friendship!"

Chang Yufeng said suspiciously, "Xiaoyao Spiritual Sword City... Could this be the name of the predecessor of the Buried Bone Sword Tomb? The master's family sword technique is called 'Xiaoyao Spiritual Sword Technique'. The two names are so similar! There must be a connection."

Duanmu Jun shook his head and sighed, "It's hard to say. Over a thousand reincarnation epochs ago, how many events happened in the Bone Sword Burial Tomb? How many people still remember the glory of the past?"

Bei Tingjun's beautiful eyes flashed with longing, and she couldn't suppress her gossipy thoughts. She covered her mouth and whispered, "Judging from his movements and eyes, Master Li must have had a crush on Sword Saint Ao City Lord back then. I think they were from the same sect and fell in love, but due to grudges and obstruction from their elders, they were eventually separated by Yin and Yang... That's absolutely true!"

She sighed repeatedly, "Oh my! Your Majesty, what a poignant story! I am so envious!"

"Don't overthink it. Perhaps the truth is far beyond your imagination and not what you think it is at all." Cheng Bai replied with a wry smile, then thought, "Master, you said you're looking for the power left here. What could it be?"

In a short while, Master Li packed up and returned to the group. He looked up at the sky and calmly instructed, "The Sword Fragrance Pavilion is hosting a Hundred Fish Feast tonight. Everyone, come and enjoy it."

Duanmu Qi was waiting nearby, and with nothing to do, he wandered around. He paused as he gazed towards the base of the Burial Bone Peak, pointed excitedly into the distance, and exclaimed, "Look! What treasure is that?"

The heroes had extraordinary eyesight. Even in the hazy dusk, they could still see a giant stone tablet standing at the foot of the peak, vast and thick like another small mountain.

There were no words engraved on the stele, but a large number of swords were densely inserted, cleverly arranged to form a huge ancient character - "sword"!

The light in front of the monument became stronger and brighter, and suddenly formed a golden light column that went straight into the sky, connecting the sky and the earth, like a spiritual light from the sky descending into the world. Its brilliance made the flowing clouds dim and the setting sun lose its luster.

"That seems to be a sharp sword light." Cheng Bai deduced the mysterious changes in the light column, traced its source, and verified his lifelong knowledge. He couldn't help but understand, "This is similar to tempering a magic weapon with gold and water, but it's not as simple as simply strengthening the material."

The sword maniac knew a little about the details of the strange phenomenon and said truthfully, "I heard that it is a magic weapon that was just sent from Ziwei Emperor Star, specially prepared for the Great Wisdom Venerable. The sword is named 'Wisdom', which symbolizes the severing of ignorance and troubles. It is a top-grade soul weapon."