Chapter 2046: Sword Heart Turmoil

The Dragon Clan is the only surviving beast race in the Abyss, and they have stubbornly resisted the erosion of Abyssal Dust to this day, relying on their powerful Dragon God bloodline.

The Abyssal Dragon Clan reveres the Ancestral Dragons, and Hua Qingying was intimately familiar with the aura of even the strongest among them. So when Yun Che's dragon breath and dragon soul manifested, she was naturally utterly shocked.

One anomaly after another, defying comprehension, appeared on Yun Che. At this point, even from Hua Qingying's high vantage point, she dared not imagine who the "master" who bestowed all this upon him truly was—or perhaps, what incredibly powerful ancient remnant soul.

When the words "ten years old" and "over a hundred years have passed" entered her ears, Hua Qingying's brows twitched slightly.

The coinciding age and timeframe... made her instantly think of a person, and the momentous event that had shaken a mighty Divine Kingdom back then.

But this thought was fleeting; it wasn't enough to make her truly investigate.

"You... how could you..."

It took Hua Cairi a while to finally compose herself and suppress the surprise in her heart. Her voice slightly urgent, she said, "How could I blame you? This is your secret; you shouldn't tell me... and you absolutely must not let anyone else know, or it could invite unpredictable danger."

Hua Cairi's lack of blame, replaced by concern, clearly eased Yun Che's demeanor. "Don't worry, Sister Qu," he said, "I never wish to disobey my master's instructions. Whether it's the profound light energy or the dragon soul, since I entered the world, I've only ever revealed them in front of you."

This trust was not only exclusive and unconditional but also directly concerned Yun Che's fate and safety. Even with her limited experience, Hua Cairi fully understood how precious this trust was.

Her heartstrings were touched once again. It was still a strange sensation, yet different from any previous time. Almost subconsciously, she blurted out, "Why... why do you trust me so much?"

Yun Che stood frozen, a hint of confusion even appearing on his face, as if he himself didn't know why.

His lips moved slightly. "Perhaps, this is what my master once called 'uncontrollable emotion.'"

Hua Cairi parted her lips, her eyes rippling with an emotion she herself didn't perceive.

After speaking softly, Yun Che seemed to immediately sense the impropriety. He quickly half-turned, abruptly and stiffly changing the subject: "Speaking of age, I still don't know how old Sister Qu is..."

"No... you're not allowed to ask!"

Hua Cairi's reaction was unexpectedly strong. She instantly turned her face away. "You, you, you... Your master must have taught you that asking a woman's age is rude. Anyway, just call me Sister... Sister Qu."

Her posture was haughty, but a closer look revealed a faint blush spreading to her ears.

"Alright." This reaction was somewhat unexpected, but Yun Che quickly agreed, raising a hand to assure her: "I promise never to ask again... Three Abyssal Beasts are approaching from the right."

"I'll handle it!" As if seizing the opportunity to escape the awkward atmosphere, Hua Cairi spun around. Her Glazed Cloud Sword flew out, carrying a jade light. The trail of light was dazzling, yet miraculously produced no sound of tearing through the air.

With a faint, almost imperceptible hum, two approaching Abyssal Beasts were instantly severed. The sound of their broken bodies hitting the ground seemed exceptionally loud by comparison.

The sword's gleam swirled back, not touching the third Abyssal Beast at all. But just as the jade-white sword body floated gracefully back to Hua Cairi's back, that Abyssal Beast abruptly shattered into more than a dozen pieces in mid-air, its severed sections as smooth as a mirror.

Before the Abyssal Beast could even let out a roar, it scattered and fell, then dissolved into diffused Abyssal Dust.

It had not been long since Hua Cairi grasped the first sword form of Heaven-Folding, but her progress was astonishingly fast, approaching silence and invisibility.

She had constantly thought that if she could master the first sword form of Heaven-Folding before the end of their training, it would surely greatly surprise her Father God.

"How impressive."

Yun Che's soft sigh reached Hua Cairi's ears. His gaze shifted from where the Abyssal Beasts' aura had dissipated, landing on her Glazed Cloud Sword behind her. "Sister Qu," he said, "I've always been curious, what kind of sword art do you cultivate?"

"The sword might and intent released by your sword seem to not only transcend space but also deceive... or rather, distort perception?" Yun Che asked, his face full of unconcealed wonder. "I also cultivate the sword, and my master has explained many sword paths to me, but none possess such a miraculous realm as yours, Sister Qu."

Hua Cairi's lips moved, unsure how to respond for a moment.

Facing Yun Che, who had repeatedly given her his unreserved trust, her deception would undoubtedly lead to layers of deep guilt.

But if she uttered the words "Heaven-Folding Sword," her identity would very likely be exposed.

"This is... a sword art cultivated exclusively by my family," Hua Cairi could only reply. "It is indeed different from other sword paths. I've only just achieved a small degree of mastery; I'm still very, very far from my father and aunt."

Yun Che didn't press further. His eyes slowly narrowed, and he mused, "Transcending space, distorting perception, slaying enemies without a trace or sound... such sword intent is truly captivating. I wonder if my sword can also glimpse its mysteries."

Hua Cairi quickly shook her head, fearing he would waste his effort on it. "This kind of sword intent," she explained, "requires multiple fully mastered sword intents as support, guided by a special sword art. It's absolutely not something ordinary cultivation and comprehension can achieve."

As she finished speaking, she realized Yun Che had already closed his eyes, showing no reaction to her words.

He raised his arm, and the Heaven Punishing Ancestral Divine Sword, which had appeared at some point, emitted a vermilion divine light.

Hua Cairi's jade hand lifted slightly, but seeing his focused expression, she ultimately didn't stop him.

In an instant, Yun Che's brows twitched, his sword body trembled slightly, and sword intent surged forth.

Where his perception reached, the sword might, along with the sword intent, swept directly ten zhang away and erupted there... with no deviation from his perception.

Hua Cairi wanted to dissuade him again, but found that Yun Che had once more closed his eyes in concentration, as if deeply engrossed.

She could only helplessly purse her lips.

To cultivate the Heaven-Folding Sword, one must first cultivate the Heaven-Asking Sword, Heaven-Pacifying Sword, and Heaven-Controlling Sword, all to great mastery, before becoming qualified to comprehend the Heaven-Folding Sword... but this is merely a qualification. To truly grasp the Heaven-Folding Sword Intent, in addition to extremely high talent and comprehension, immense serendipity is also required.

One breath, two breaths... ten breaths.

Yun Che suddenly opened his eyes. The Heaven Punishing Ancestral Divine Sword vibrated lightly again, and sword intent flowed.

*Bang—*

Within his perception, a condensed sword intent directly covered three zhang ahead... but the roar of the sword might erupted above that three-zhang distance.

The sword might was very weak, insufficient to break a stone, but it made Hua Cairi's beautiful eyes widen in astonishment, completely stunned.

High in the sky, Hua Qingying's skirt swayed, and her toes actually dropped half an inch, almost causing her aura to leak.

"Whew—" Yun Che gently exhaled. "It is indeed a bit difficult... Huh? Sister Qu, what's wrong?"

Her wide, beautiful eyes were like two full moons no longer stingy with their radiance, reflecting the ultimate beauty and purity of the mortal world... but such a posture appearing on the Heaven-Folding Divine Maiden seemed rather undignified.

It took several more breaths for the Heaven-Folding Divine Maiden to finally recover from the shock that threatened to shatter her understanding. Her lips opened and closed several times before she managed to say with such difficulty, "You... how... how did you do that?"

At the same time, Hua Qingying also let out a soft murmur: "How could this be..."

Although, it was merely an extremely forced, very weak and light wisp of sword intent, completely unusable in actual combat.

Yet, it was, for an instant, a genuine Heaven-Folding Sword Intent!

Hua Fuchen, the contemporary Divine Venerable of the Heaven-Folding Divine Kingdom, only grasped the first wisp of Heaven-Folding Sword Intent after cultivating the sword for four hundred years.

Hua Qingying, whose sword talent far surpassed Hua Fuchen's and who was known as the "Sword Immortal," took seventy-seven years.

Hua Cairi, the first in the Heaven-Folding Divine Kingdom's history to possess a perfect divine core, and whom Hua Qingying described as having the highest sword talent in history, took nine years... and this nine-year achievement was a miracle destined to shake the past and present, forever etched in the history of the Heaven-Folding Divine Kingdom.

And Yun Che...

He was not from the Heaven-Folding Divine Kingdom, had no foundation in the Heaven-Asking, Heaven-Pacifying, or Heaven-Controlling Swords, and could not possibly have touched the Heaven-Folding Sword Art...

Yet...

Yet...

Hua Qingying had never before so utterly disbelieved her own senses.

And for the first time in her life, her understanding of the sword path, which she was most proud of, most familiar with, and which had almost seamlessly integrated with her very being, underwent a tumultuous upheaval, enough to cause cracks to spread.

Seeing Hua Cairi's state of shock, Yun Che also appropriately feigned surprise: "This doesn't seem too difficult. Sister Qu, is there... anything strange about me?"

"Not... too difficult?"

Hua Cairi shook her head vigorously, momentarily incoherent. "But... but... you didn't... you didn't cultivate... you... you don't even have a sword art. How could you... how could you possibly..."

"Sword art?" Yun Che shook his head, his eyes clear and earnest. "My master never taught me sword arts, nor did he ever let me cultivate any."

Lisha: "?"

Hua Qingying: "?"

"Why... why not?" Hua Cairi asked subconsciously, filled with boundless confusion.

Yun Che replied, "My master said that sword arts are all dead, while sword intent is living. If one uses a dead sword art to drive sword intent, what is wielded will only be a rigid, dead sword."

"But if there's no sword art, how does one develop sword intent? And how does one cultivate the sword?" Hua Cairi murmured.

Yun Che raised his arm, and the Heaven Punishing Sword flashed faintly again. "Sword intent should originate from the heart, from the body, from the sword, and need not originate from a sword art."

"..." This theory of the sword path was something Hua Cairi had never heard of.

Not just Hua Cairi; even the Sword Immortal Hua Qingying had never heard of it.

After all, it was all Yun Che's fabrication.

Deep within her soul sea, Lisha let out a soft sigh.

She finally understood why Yun Che had previously asked her to tell him about the Heaven-Folding Sword Art.

It was indeed yet another rather underhanded tactic.

And Hua Cairi's extreme reaction undoubtedly demonstrated just how successful he had been.

Facing Hua Cairi, who was not only un-enlightened but even more stunned and bewildered, Yun Che explained again, "The sword path my master taught is indeed quite unusual. I only gained a slight understanding after years of comprehension."

"After barely touching what my master calls the 'harmony' realm, I can, upon perceiving the sword intent wielded by others, transcend their required sword foundation and sword art, and apply it in harmony with my own sword heart, sword body, and sword form."

"That was the case just now."

Hua Cairi couldn't understand, yet she vaguely felt it was too profound and unfathomable, so profound that she couldn't grasp it.

If anyone else had said the same thing, she wouldn't have even listened. But just now, from mere inches away, she had personally witnessed Yun Che release that wisp of Heaven-Folding Sword Intent.

"The swords I typically use are all grand and unconstrained, wielded at will, never bound by sword arts," Yun Che continued. "Sister Qu's cultivated sword intent is mysterious and astonishing, but it's clearly not suitable for me. It's more fitting for a graceful, fairy-like woman like Sister Qu."

He spoke with an air of nonchalance and ease, completely disregarding the young woman opposite him whose sword heart was shattering.

"Clear your mind!" Hua Qingying's voice suddenly rang in Hua Cairi's ears.

Like jade falling into an icy spring, Hua Cairi's soul sea and gaze instantly became clear.

"He is an anomaly by nature; his peculiar sword path is unique to him. Do not let this shake or question your own sword heart."

The divine voice entered her soul, swiftly dispelling all of Hua Cairi's unusual thoughts.

But it absolutely could not dispel her accumulating astonishment towards Yun Che.