Chapter 465: A Famous Sword Underfoot at the Start

Chapter 466: Fear's Guidance

The sound of a sword humming?

Gu Qingyi, the sword-bearing guest, stepped onto the ground strewn with white bones, slightly furrowing his brows as he gazed into the distance.

The sword, Hui Pu, in his arms was buzzing excitedly, as if thrilled to have found its old rival.

At this moment, Gu Qingyi finally confirmed his suspicion.

"A famous sword emerging in Bai Ku?"

"This place isn't an ancient site from the past, and the entire heterodimensional space has only existed for a few years."

"How could a famous sword appear here?"

Though his mind was filled with countless doubts, he suppressed the void-like sword waves and took a light sniff, his expression subtly changing.

"Yanmang?"

Such an intense fiery aura could only belong to the third-ranked sword on the list, "Yanmang," among the twenty-one famous swords!

But how could Yanmang be here?

Gu Qingyi pondered in confusion.

He even recalled that the last time this famous sword appeared was several hundred years ago.

Historical records about its previous wielder were vague, vaguely mentioning only a fire-element refining master.

"Was it a Sheng Di?"

Gu Qingyi was puzzled.

In the Zang Jian Zhong, records of all famous sword wielders were very clear.

But those Sheng Di powerhouses...

It wasn't just the Sheng Di among sword cultivators; records of Sheng Di from all paths in the world were completely absent.

Gu Qingyi remembered this vividly.

Once, he had specifically asked his master about it.

The answer he got was just one phrase: "Tianji Pingbi."

If it followed the normal process, Gu Qingyi couldn't possibly forget Yanmang's previous wielder.

Because Zang Jian Zhong documented the history of these famous swords.

But if it involved a Sheng Di powerhouse and "Tianji Pingbi," perhaps that explained it.

"Still, it's strange."

"If it's 'Tianji Pingbi,' then Yanmang is even less likely to appear in this small place."

"The sword of a generation's Sheng Di..."

"Having 'You Si Jian' in a mere Bai Ku is already an unprecedented event—how could there possibly be another famous sword like this?"

Gu Qingyi slowly descended from the pile of bones, staring in the direction where the sword waves rippled, his brows furrowed in thought.

"Could it be that a famous sword lost in the void fragments collided with the Bai Ku small world and emerged here?"

"But the chances of that are even slimmer than a sword falling from the sky!"

He silently lifted his head, his brows knitting even tighter.

"You Si Jian" plus "Yanmang"...

If all this was just coincidence, he had nothing to say.

But having been trained by his master to think from the perspective of a chess master, Gu Qingyi felt this matter was far from simple.

This sword absolutely did not emerge normally!

Despite that, he still felt a slight temptation and lifted his foot slightly, only to slowly lower it again.

He turned back.

In the other direction, an even more terrifying and murderous aura spread, emitting a deadly allure.

The ominous sword, You Si Jian!

"If things go as expected, my junior brother probably won't dare defy the master's orders and will stick with the target."

"But with second brother's temperament, he's likely unable to resist."

"Since he's going there, then I don't need to go out of my way."

Gu Qingyi nodded slightly, reaffirming his goal, and headed toward the direction of You Si Jian, though his steps were hesitant.

Deep down, he still couldn't believe that this famous sword would appear so bizarrely in Bai Ku.

But if he followed that unrealistic idea in his heart...

"Who threw the sword?"

At the same time, elsewhere.

Deep within a dark mineral vein, Gu Qing'er and Gu Qing San, each with two swords, stopped their actions, their faces covered in dust and grime.

Large amounts of spirit crystals were scattered around them.

These were excellent materials for refining weapons.

Even just using them to make a rough blank could rival a sixth-grade spirit sword.

If refined further by a skilled refining master, it might even produce a fifth-grade or fourth-grade king-level spirit sword.

And there were so many spirit crystals here.

One could imagine that once they finished mining this batch, each of them would likely end up with one or two fourth-grade spirit swords.

Even so, after hearing the sword humming, the two stopped and exchanged glances.

"Second brother, if I heard right, that's a famous sword?"

Gu Qing San showed shock in his grimy face.

They had come to Bai Ku just for You Si Jian.

Finding a spirit crystal mine was already an extra gain.

Who would have thought this rundown place would also see a famous sword emerge?

This Bai Ku—was it really just an ordinary heterodimensional space?

It was practically a rare treasure land!

Gu Qing'er was trembling all over.

With a clang, he sheathed the two spirit swords on his back into the sword wheel and gently drew the "Jue Se Yao Ji" from the center.

He didn't unsheathe it fully, but the faint tremor from within confirmed his suspicion.

"A famous sword!"

He nodded emphatically.

Gu Qing San hesitated, looking at the two spirit swords in his hands.

"Second brother, the master assigned us to get You Si Jian."

"We're wasting time mining here—if big brother finds out, we'll definitely be punished."

"And now, if we're going after that famous sword..."

Gu Qing'er placed a firm hand on Gu Qing San's shoulder and said gravely, "Junior brother, do you know what my dream is as your senior brother?"

Gu Qing San's expression turned gloomy.

He glanced at the sword wheel on his second brother's back and thought to himself, You really dare to dream—big brother wouldn't even say he wants nine famous swords, and here you are fantasizing about it.

"I know, but priorities matter..."

"If a person loses their dreams, what's the point of living?" Gu Qing'er interrupted, looking up with an air of wisdom, only to get specks of crystal dust in his eyes.

He sighed, enduring the sting in his eyes, and continued his lecture:

"As sword cultivators, if we lose our path of the sword, how can we forge ahead fearlessly?"

Gu Qing San's expression grew serious, and he bowed with clasped fists: "Second brother, you're right. I support you—go and claim the famous sword that belongs to you!"

"You still don't get it."

Gu Qing'er shook his head: "The emergence of a famous sword will surely cause a massive stir, and by then, the entire Bai Ku will be in turmoil."

"Big brother knows my dream, and master knows it too."

"They'll definitely support me in seeking the sword!"

"So?" Gu Qing San tilted his head, not understanding.

"Ah."

Gu Qing'er sighed helplessly.

"You still don't get it?"

"To put it bluntly, by the time I get there, there'll be plenty of people trying to snatch the sword."

"If it were just me..."

He left it at that.

His junior brother wasn't stupid; he could figure out the rest.

Gu Qing San suddenly realized, "But second brother, if I go with you, what about the master's orders?"

"What do you think big brother would say if he knew you started by my side but ended up with me dying alone under the famous sword?" Gu Qing'er said with a pained expression.

Gu Qing San felt a chill run down his spine.

"Second brother, you're joking. You're so skilled—how could you die?"

"Die? Why not?"

Gu Qing'er smiled and held up the "Jue Se Yao Ji" higher.

In the dim mine, that eerie crimson glow became even more unsettling.

"Have you forgotten how I got this sword?"

Gu Qing San fell silent.

He seemed to see again the scene of thousands vying for it, only to leave a mountain of corpses and a river of blood.

Jue Se Yao Ji...

It truly lived up to its name!

That night was the first time Gu Qing San had seen big brother draw his sword and the first time he had seen him injured.

It was only when big brother summoned that final, world-suppressing absolute ice lotus in the face of death that everything finally calmed down.

"I'll go with you!"

Gu Qing San nodded solemnly.

Bai Ku wouldn't repeat that tragedy.

After all, if a famous sword emerged in a heterodimensional space, the number of contenders would be limited.

But as long as it was a famous sword, even that "limited" number was relative.

"For the dream!"

Gu Qing'er waved his hand, collected the spirit crystals from the ground, and flew out of the cave.

"For second brother's dream!"

Gu Qing San gritted his teeth and followed suit.

"A famous sword."

From within the chest of an ordinary-looking man, a low voice suddenly emerged.

Tap, tap.

The man continued walking along the mountain path, leaving trails of sluggish black decay behind him.

"Zhong Qu, a famous sword!"

The low voice sounded again, now with a hint of suppressed anger.

The man named Zhong Qu finally stopped, letting out a sinister chuckle: "Didn't you say you only wanted 'You Si Jian'?"

"I've come all this way, and now you're telling me you want a famous sword too?"

"That's for you to use!" the low voice retorted.

"Heh, for me to use?"

Zhong Qu laughed mockingly: "You make it sound so nice. If it were really for me, would we be in this state now?"

"Don't think I don't know what you did after taking over my body last time!"

"It was just an accident." The voice in his chest lowered.

Zhong Qu said nothing and kept walking.

"A famous sword!"

The voice grew louder again, accompanied by a faint stabbing pain in his chest.

"Pah!"

Zhong Qu spat out a mouthful of blood, paused in his steps, took a deep breath, and turned back.

"This is the last time."

In the red-clothed team, Xin suddenly turned his head and looked back.

"He's gone."

"Not here." Another person scanned with their spiritual sense and confirmed it.

"Damn it."

"This guy must have been lured by that thing—hasn't he already got one..."

Xin gritted his teeth and looked at the elder beside him.

"Shou Ye, watch the team. I'll go find him."

"A famous sword emerging—how dare he?"

Shou Ye nodded slowly.

"Go ahead."

"A famous sword?"

Luo Lei Lei glanced at her brother Shuang Xing.

"Mm."

Lei Shuang Xing used his cane to probe the way, moving forward quickly as if the earlier sword wave eruption had nothing to do with him.

Luo Lei Lei was curious.

"Isn't that a famous sword? Aren't you tempted?"

Her eyes fell on Lei Shuang Xing's soul-drawing staff.

No ancient sword cultivator would pass up such an opportunity.

Even if he already had the first famous sword.

"If a famous sword changes hands in Bai Ku, once it's out, won't it still end up with the sect leader?"

Lei Shuang Xing paused, then continued without looking back: "He's coming anyway."

Luo Lei Lei was startled.

"Oh, right."

Something that could predict outcomes in advance was truly boring!

Throughout Bai Ku, the emergence of the famous sword disrupted many plans, drawing various groups.

Not just the major sword cultivators.

Even disciples from the Spirit Palace and some ordinary family heirs.

Whether they knew about famous swords or not, they were curious and wanted to witness the heavenly phenomenon.

For a time, people from all directions converged toward the famous sword.

Xu Xiao Shou landed in front of Yanmang.

By now, he could clearly see the sword's outline.

It was an extraordinarily shaped sword.

Xu Xiao Shou had never seen such a structure before.

From the hilt to the guard, it resembled a coiling serpent, opening its maw at the blade.

The blade itself was like the serpent's tongue.

Accompanied by drops of black-red lava falling, the void seemed distorted by the heat, unable to bear the sword's intensity.

"What a strong fiery aura..."

With just one glance, Xu Xiao Shou dared say that few fire-element items in the world could rival this sword.

Even as a grandmaster, he had no confidence in picking it up.

Whoosh.

The fiery lava pillar finally dissipated under their gaze.

As the light faded, the lava on Yanmang's blade stopped dripping. The ferocious serpent form seemed to cool instantly, turning to stone bit by bit.

Following that, the tongue-like blade also cooled.

The entire sword transformed from its flamboyant, ferocious state into a dark-red form.

Its shape was still striking, but compared to before, it had dropped several levels.

Even its power seemed slightly weaker.

Xu Xiao Shou frowned.

"This is..."

"Self-concealment of a famous sword."

Yu Zhi Wen explained: "The power a famous sword unleashes is too formidable, enough to tear apart an entire small world."

"Thus, the moment it emerges, it's sealed by the heavens."

"That's 'Tian Hui of famous swords.'"

She paused and added: "What ancient sword cultivators called 'Attunement and Heavenly Release' liberates that power."

"Then self-concealment..." Xu Xiao Shou asked, puzzled.

"Self-concealment is the second seal that occurs after a famous sword emerges."

"At this point, it has fully emerged, and as a weapon of calamity, these swords are sentient."

"They know that fully displaying their form and power will incite competition from the world."

"That's how the calamity arises."

"So, for their own safety and the world's, under heavenly guidance, famous swords undergo this 'self-concealment' process."

"I see." Xu Xiao Shou suddenly understood.

Yu Zhi Wen hesitated, a flicker of uncertainty in her eyes.

"There's something I don't know if I should say."

"Go ahead." At this point, Xu Xiao Shou couldn't not listen.

"I think..."

Yu Zhi Wen looked at Yanmang, now cooled and in its dark-red sword form, and said slowly: "I feel its appearance here is a bit strange."

"Oh?"

Xu Xiao Shou sensed that the sword's emergence would attract many, but he wasn't anxious. "Why do you say that?"

"I don't know."

Yu Zhi Wen shook her head, stopping herself before speaking further: "Maybe it's just intuition, or maybe an illusion."

Xu Xiao Shou: "..."

Truth be told, he always believed in intuition.

He hadn't before, but as a refining master attuned to the heavens, intuition could sometimes predict the future.

But to give up the famous sword in front of him just because of "strange"?

Xu Xiao Shou felt he couldn't do it.

In fact, no one in the world could.

"No special indications..."

Xu Xiao Shou glanced at his information panel.

No unusual prompts.

He checked his body's condition.

In peak state, fully recovered.

And anomalies...

Before the assassin's attack, he had felt a sudden unease.

But with something this big happening now, everything was fine.

Xu Xiao Shou concluded that not taking this sword would mean he was out of his mind.

"It should be cooled now."

Looking at Yanmang, now floating silently in the void, struggling and trembling but unable to break free, Xu Xiao Shou found it odd.

He finally dared to extend his spiritual sense and "perception" toward it.

Whoa!

In an instant, a profound sense of attunement arose.

Without much wait, Xu Xiao Shou felt himself drawn into the sword's exclusive world.

It was a world of molten lava.

Fire and incineration were its essence.

Above a sea of scorching lava, a massive sword several zhang long and wide hovered in the void.

This sword was peculiar.

It resembled a large cross with a blade embedded at the base.

The straight guard had three coiling Yanmang on each side.

The serpents were ferocious, their maws agape, lava dripping and scorching the void.

The remaining hilt was formed by the intertwined bodies of the six serpents, nearly as long as the blade itself.

"What a cool sword!"

Perhaps due to preconceptions, knowing it was a famous sword.

Xu Xiao Shou felt he absolutely loved the sword before him.

Its exaggerated shape, ferocious presence, and immense power—all struck deep in his heart.

"Get it!"

The thought surged uncontrollably in Xu Xiao Shou's mind.

Unaware, his eyes had turned slightly red.

"Under compulsion, passive value +1."

A message suddenly popped up on the information panel, shattering the illusion.

Xu Xiao Shou was startled.

He blinked hard, thinking he might have misread it.

But facts were facts—the panel's information wouldn't refresh unless updated.

"Compulsion?"

Xu Xiao Shou's heart skipped a beat.

Was the famous sword compelling him to take it?

Did it sense they were a good match and want him as its wielder?

"No!"

His pupils contracted as he realized something was wrong.

This was impossible!

There were plenty of fire-element sword cultivators better suited than him.

And was a famous sword so naive?

Did it not know he was just an ant—or at best, a slightly standout ant?

It absolutely knew!

This was a famous sword!

How could it humble itself and beg him to be its wielder?!

"Compulsion..."

Xu Xiao Shou carefully pondered the word.

If it were "guidance" or "direction," maybe it wouldn't be so bad.

But...

Compulsion?

A negative term?

Was someone trying to compel him to take this sword?

"Something's off!"

Xu Xiao Shou stepped back in alarm and looked at Yu Zhi Wen, thinking women's intuition was spot-on.

Yu Zhi Wen was baffled by his stare, her face flushing slightly as she turned away: "What?"

"Nothing..."

Xu Xiao Shou absentmindedly replied, his eyes returning to Yanmang's blade.

Was he overthinking?

Was anyone here?

No!

And the sword's emergence—from refining in the heterodimensional depths to breaking through—he had witnessed it all step by step. Everything seemed logical.

Even with no doubts, Xu Xiao Shou remained cautious.

Things he couldn't figure out were few, but each involved someone like Sang Lao's level.

For a famous sword, he couldn't measure it with his own logic.

This tier of item, even if not sentient, was likely a key piece in some great power's game.

Touching it might drag him into an unknown vortex.

"What do you mean by strange?"

Xu Xiao Shou asked Yu Zhi Wen.

Yu Zhi Wen had just said it casually, but seeing Xu Xiao Shou take it seriously, she thought deeper.

"How could Yanmang be in Bai Ku?"

"I remember this place only opened a few years ago."

"When a famous sword loses its wielder and returns to heavenly refining, it takes decades at the shortest, or hundreds, even thousands of years at the longest."

"Honestly, it shouldn't emerge right now."

Seeing Xu Xiao Shou's serious expression, Yu Zhi Wen paused and added: "But You Si Jian shouldn't be here either, and it is. So..."

"I don't know anything. You can just think of it as me talking nonsense."

Yu Zhi Wen worried her words might influence Xu Xiao Shou's judgment, making him think she didn't want him to take the sword.

After all, a famous sword was right there.

Saying it couldn't have emerged was absurd.

Xu Xiao Shou clenched his fist slightly.

He probed the sword with his spiritual sense again, and that immersive illusion returned.

A desire arose from nowhere, growing deeper.

"Get it!"

At the same time.

"Under compulsion, passive value +1."