Chapter 402: Turning Roads and Changing Peaks, the Sorrow of Rain Threads

From the sky, a torrent of spiritual energy once more poured down.

Amidst the somber, gray ruins, Liu Junzhuo's tall figure stood rigid, as if struck by lightning. Her white robes, torn from battle, hung in shreds, while streams of spiritual energy mingled with crimson blood, soaking her heavy black skirt as they flowed over her slender, graceful muscles and seeped into the muddy debris.

The scent of blood was dispersed by the strong wind, leaving only a pervasive, cold sword intent in the air.

The Silver Sword hovered by Ning Changjiu's side.

It was like a small silver bird returning to its perch.

Ning Changjiu finished speaking with a faint smile, then calmly looked at Liu Junzhuo.

“How… how could this be?”

Though the summer wind typically carried warmth, it now brought an inexplicable chill. As the breeze swept by, something seemed to waver within Liu Junzhuo, and her body, usually as straight as a sword, swayed ever so slightly.

“I specifically nurtured this sword… how could this happen…”

“Didn’t Liu Xiwon tell you?” Ning Changjiu asked.

“Tell me what?” Liu Junzhuo asked, her delicate brows furrowing.

Ning Changjiu said, “The material of this sword… if I’m not mistaken, it’s her hair.”

She returned to Nanzhou, retrieved the strands of hair that had fallen into the stream years ago, forged them into this sword, and gifted it to Liu Junzhuo.

This was the most precious sword Liu Xiwon could possess.

It was meant to be a peerless divine sword, but Liu Junzhuo’s opponent happened to be Ning Changjiu.

The Silver Sword flew erratically around him. Ning Changjiu reached out, gripped it firmly with his five fingers, and held the slender silver sword securely in his hand.

“Hair…” Liu Junzhuo was stunned. She watched Ning Changjiu’s effortless grasp of the sword and, bewildered, asked, “What exactly is happening?”

Ning Changjiu sighed and said, “Xiwon isn’t human; she’s a spirit—the spirit of the Sword Sutra. Later, during my battle with the Sinful Monarch, when I pulled the Silver Sword from my body, the scripture itself was completely consumed, merging into this very sword. Thus, the book spirit became the sword spirit…”

Ning Changjiu then briefly recounted the subsequent events, concluding, “In short, Liu Xiwon is my sword spirit. She is, in essence, a part of me, and this sword, of course, is too.”

Liu Junzhuo remained stunned for a long time before slowly emerging from her state of shock.

“How could this be… Xiwon, she…”

She knew Liu Xiwon was a spirit, but she had never conceived that her silver form had originated as a split from someone else’s consciousness.

Now, using this sword against Ning Changjiu felt akin to 'a flood washing away the Dragon King's temple'—an internal conflict.

With a mere gesture, the Dragon King reclaimed the floodwaters.

Although this sword was far from the complete Silver Sword, its revelation dealt a fatal blow to their combat morale.

While Liu Junzhuo was still dazed, Ning Changjiu flung the sword forward.

They were already close, and when the sword struck, Liu Junzhuo reacted slowly. She crossed her arms to shield herself and met the blade. Amidst the humming clang of the sword, Liu Junzhuo groaned again, her body propelled backward by the impact of the Silver Sword.

She desperately channeled her spiritual energy, attempting to resist the sword's momentum, but it was futile.

She pressed down on the sword with her arms, then let out a clear cry. The surrounding air rapidly crystallized into ice, swirling around her. As she struggled against the sword, Ning Changjiu’s white robes blurred past; his figure, like a thrown sandbag, struck a direct punch into Liu Junzhuo’s protected arms.

Her body was sent flying backward once more, slamming into the mountainside behind her.

The Silver Sword gracefully flew back, carving agile arcs around him. Ning Changjiu touched his glabella, his Taiyin Eye locking onto Liu Junzhuo’s position. The Silver Sword then shot directly towards the mountainside, piercing straight towards the woman impaled within.

Liu Junzhuo’s spiritual power was far from depleted; overwhelming spiritual energy still surged within her. Yet, under constant assault, once she lost the advantage, it became incredibly difficult to retaliate as long as her opponent maintained the pressure.

The Silver Sword struck.

Liu Junzhuo’s already shredded sleeves were completely torn away, and blood streamed freely from her pale arms.

She bit her silver teeth, her sword heart wailing ceaselessly. She knew that if this continued, even with ample spiritual energy, her injuries would eventually overwhelm her.

Sensing the world around her, her once unwavering sword heart finally entertained a fleeting thought of retreat.

“I must not die…”

“The greater good must prevail…”

“If this were an honorable duel, how could I possibly lose…”

Such thoughts surged through Liu Junzhuo’s mind.

The Silver Sword pressed her through the mountain, causing another majestic peak to tilt and collapse. Liu Junzhuo then formed a sword lock to hold the Silver Sword in place, shrouded herself in myriad sword lights, and descended, fleeing close to the ground.

In many historical records, tales of epic battles lasting three days and three nights, seven days and seven nights, or even a hundred days of bloody combat often conceal the fact that most of the time was spent in a game of cat and mouse.

Especially for those who had mastered techniques like 'golden cicada shedding its shell' or covert hibernation, escaping and hiding for three to five years was entirely possible.

However, despite the dazzling brilliance of Liu Junzhuo’s sword light, it could not evade Ning Changjiu’s Taiyin Eye.

Soon, a golden arrow flared with magnificent light, illuminating the canyon like a sun. It shot over the peaks, relentlessly pursuing Liu Junzhuo’s retreating figure.

Liu Junzhuo truly had no idea what kind of technique this was. She casually tore open space, her body vanishing into its layered depths, but the golden arrow pursued her with undiminished speed. The sound of space shattering was like breaking mirrors, a grating, teeth-jarring noise.

Having nowhere left to hide, Liu Junzhuo had no choice but to turn and forcibly confront the arrow.

The golden light shattered before her eyes like fireworks, illuminating her skin as if it were spun from golden silk.

Liu Junzhuo’s body was likewise pressed down by this force, dragged and slammed into an even deeper gorge within the valley.

She pointed her fingers and conjured an invisible sword-rope, hooking it onto the cliff face. Using this raw method, she forcibly halted her falling body.

But the golden arrow gave her no such opportunity.

The Divine Bow of the Golden-Winged Great Peng could unleash up to nine consecutive arrows.

This was now the sixth arrow.

However, Liu Junzhuo had no confidence she could endure all nine arrows.

The golden light approached again. Liu Junzhuo’s sword-rope was instantly severed, and her protective sword domain ripped open. In a single thought, she unleashed a thousand more swords, inundating the golden arrow like a tidal wave and dimming its radiance.

Within the canyon, sword light flickered intensely.

Liu Junzhuo barely managed to deflect this arrow, without a moment to even catch her breath. Above, terrifying golden light flared again, illuminating the entire canyon. This scene was like a sun plummeting into the valley. Liu Junzhuo’s pupils constricted; unable to resist further, she was forced down and slammed into the earth.

Water surged, shattered rocks flew, and the valley’s inherently unstable geological veins were directly breached. Liu Junzhuo’s body plunged into the chasm, falling with the broken stream to an unknown destination.

Ning Changjiu uttered a sound of surprise.

He stood on a mountaintop, the massive bow resting against the rocks, its string still vibrating. Yet, Liu Junzhuo had miraculously vanished from his Taiyin Eye’s perception.

What happened?

He had only seen Liu Junzhuo use her authority to sever the golden arrow at the last moment, after which her image vanished from his sight.

Ning Changjiu continuously searched the valley with his Taiyin Eye, but he could not pinpoint her location.

Without hesitation, he rose with his sword and soared towards the valley.

Liu Junzhuo herself did not know where she was.

She felt herself continuously sinking within a void, surrounded by countless bright shards, like broken pieces of glazed glass. This involuntarily brought to Liu Junzhuo’s mind her first visit to a temple as a child, where she saw ghost statues painted eerie green, with eyes as large as bronze bells.

Sandalwood incense burned unevenly, smoke curling before her eyes, blurring the faces of the divine and demonic statues.

“Do these evil spirits live in hell?” the little girl asked in a childish voice.

“No, they say evil spirits live in the sky… They hide behind the clouds, secretly watching the human world,” a voice like an old grandmother’s replied.

“Above the clouds? Why do they hide so high?”

“Because clouds are the sky’s fence… We are the livestock they’ve imprisoned, and they must constantly watch over us.”

“Then… will we be killed?” The little girl was a little scared.

“Yes… once the sheep grow fat, they are killed by the evil spirits. This is a law that has persisted for thousands of years,” the old woman’s voice was slow.

“One, two, three, four… why are there only eleven ghosts?” the little girl asked.

“Because one ghost shattered itself, it refused to remain a ghost… It wished to become a true deity. We all call him the Saint, and it was he who told us the story of the livestock,” the old woman reminisced, her voice aged.

“Grandma, are you also a ghost? My parents said that when they were little, you were always protecting our family outside,” the little girl asked curiously.

“Grandma isn’t a ghost, Grandma is a demon. I’ve lived for nearly two thousand years, and now, I’m close to death…”

“Don’t die, Grandma!”

“Don’t worry, it’s not true death. As long as he lives, how could we truly die? If there’s still a chance, I’ll be able to see little Junzhuo again.”

“Junzhuo?”

“Yes, this is the name your future master gave you.”

“Junzhuo…”

Liu Junzhuo opened her eyes.

She looked upwards.

Above was a profound darkness, faintly glowing, much like looking up from the deepest parts of the ocean.

She slowly sank, and the surrounding glass fragments appeared like fish with fine, colorful scales.

But Liu Junzhuo clearly knew this wasn’t the sea.

Where was this?

Liu Junzhuo was deeply immersed, as if she had fallen into an ocean of her own memories. Within these three hundred years of memories, one by one, nodes began to illuminate.

Those nodes were like the pillars of a house, supporting her completely and firmly.

This was a power system Liu Junzhuo had never experienced, even after three hundred years of sword cultivation. It was akin to the feeling when she had once bid farewell to her grandmother, stepped out of the dark house, and felt the light hit her face.

The world became increasingly silent.

Conversely, something akin to a lifeblood flowed into her body, making her cold sword-body burn intensely. At one moment, she suddenly felt as though this 'ocean' had become hers.

“Master, she appears to be entering our divine realm…” The Eldest Disciple Sister raised her head, squinting her eyes as she gazed at the tattered figure of the woman within the divine realm’s fault line. She spoke slowly.

“That is not our realm,” the Second Disciple Brother said. “Those are ownerless fragments of the shattered divine realm from when Yuanfu was slain long ago; they have nothing to do with us.”

The Eldest Disciple Sister observed intently for a moment, confirming her junior brother’s words.

“But those fragments of the shattered divine realm seem to be accepting her,” the Eldest Disciple Sister said. “He is currently in battle with our junior brother; if she gains this enormous opportunity, our junior brother might be in danger.”

The Second Disciple Brother chuckled, “Young people should face more challenges.”

The Eldest Disciple Sister looked towards Ye Chanpalace, “Master?”

Ye Chanpalace, with her eyes closed, had the slender moon revolving gently behind her. She opened her eyes, gazed at the silver-haired girl confined by the dragon bones of the death prison, and softly said, “Let them be… Before the lunar eclipse, we shall not meddle in mortal affairs.”

The Eldest Disciple Sister nodded lightly, “Yes.”

Ning Changjiu stood on the cliff, looking down.

He shot another arrow into the abyss created by the collapsing rocks, but it was like a stone sinking into the sea, vanishing without a trace.

Could it be that some secret realm was still concealed within this Southern Desolation?

This was where Yuanfu’s divine realm had once fallen; perhaps secrets related to Yuanfu were indeed hidden here.

Ning Changjiu hesitated, wondering whether to personally risk venturing inside.

The heavy rain continued to fall relentlessly.

While healing his injuries using the authority of time, he summoned the Golden Crow, intending for it to fly near the abyss and consume the darkness within.

But as soon as the Golden Crow flew out, it seemed to sense danger, immediately turning back. Simultaneously, the heavy rain before him suddenly became dazzlingly bright.

The heavy rain was illuminated by a single sword light.

Boom!

Below, thunder roared, and shattered rocks and colossal boulders were swept up, spiraling skyward like a true enraged rock dragon, roaring and howling as it violently surged towards the heavens.

Ning Changjiu rapidly retreated, pulling back a thousand zhang.

Within the rock-dragon-like torrent, a pair of sword-like eyes gleamed.

Those were Liu Junzhuo’s eyes.

Blood still flowed from her body, yet the light emanating from her skin radiated unparalleled sanctity. Liu Junzhuo’s graceful figure was enveloped in this holy light, and the tip of every strand of her hair reflected a bright glow.

Her entire demeanor had transformed. If, upon falling into the abyss, she was a ghost approaching death, then what now ascended was a divine maiden illuminating the very heavens!

Of course, this absolute divine aura rapidly faded. Eventually, Liu Junzhuo seemed to find a certain balance, and her eyes regained their luster.

She gazed at the white-robed young man a thousand zhang away and murmured, “The gamble isn’t over yet. I have new stakes.”

Ning Changjiu’s eyes narrowed slightly. He felt the aura emanating from his opponent—was that… a divine realm?

She had acquired a small, shattered fragment of an ownerless divine realm!

Ning Changjiu was astonished, wondering why in other people’s stories, the righteous side typically gained immense opportunities in adversity to turn the tide of battle, yet for him, it was completely reversed.

If his story were merely a tale in a book, then the author must harbor profound ill will towards him… certainly not a good person!

But he was not a character in a book, and their battle was far from over.

Liu Junzhuo stood before him, now wielding a fragment of a divine realm. This was an unforeseen variable, yet one he had no choice but to confront.

Ning Changjiu had made up his mind: if he couldn't defeat her, he would risk the destruction of the Fetal Spirit Well and forcibly activate his own Golden Crow Divine Realm!

“A gamble, then…” Ning Changjiu took a deep breath, stepped forward, and declared, “Then I will make you lose absolutely everything.”

Hum—

A strong wind suddenly roared through the forest, bending the trees on both sides extremely low. Everything between them was instantly cleared, and their two figures blurred into streaks, colliding!

Liu Junzhuo’s sword was conjured effortlessly, infused with elements of wind, rain, thunder, and lightning, and plated with a layer of sacred radiance.

Ning Changjiu, on the other hand, wielded the Silver Sword with greater proficiency. Though only a portion of the full Silver Sword, it was still the divine blade that had once battled the Sinful Monarch, its essence already soaring higher than the heavens.

Their power instantly reached its zenith; even the slightest overflow of their aura carried the destructive force to level mountains and shatter peaks.

At this gambling table, they pushed all their stakes forward.

No one could discern their movements; even an observer would only perceive the chaotic flow of elements and immense, piercing sword energy. The torrential rain above was periodically pierced, allowing glimpses of the clear sky beyond. The sound of mountains exploding echoed ceaselessly. Among the shattered peaks, there was light and rain, chaotic flying debris, and constantly colliding prismatic light.

This world seemed like an unbalanced dream.

Their sword lights intersected in the vast sky, their endless afterimages trailing like threads, resembling a massive spider web.

With the power of the fragmented realm as a supplement, Liu Junzhuo, who was originally at a significant disadvantage, finally managed to unleash her full potential, even suppressing Ning Changjiu at times and nearly securing victory.

Fortunately, Ning Changjiu had patiently observed her for three days prior, thoroughly comprehending the Sword Pavilion’s sword techniques. Otherwise, he might have already suffered defeat.

However, the power of a fragmented realm was not something everyone could wield.

Although Liu Junzhuo had acquired it by chance, she was not its true master. Therefore, this fragmented realm was like a poison; drawing power from it was akin to drinking poison to quench thirst, and she constantly endured its backlash.

Now, she faced only two options: swiftly defeat Ning Changjiu, or gain the fragmented divine realm’s recognition and merge with it.

Liu Junzhuo temporarily chose the former.

She wielded an invisible sword, summoning myriad phenomena and unleashing all she had learned in her lifetime. Each surge of sword energy had frost as its foundation, from which bloomed infinite, immense power.

The countless peaks were like firecrackers and fireworks, and the sword energy was the fuse. The explosions of mountain rock were a magnificent sight.

Ning Changjiu was relentlessly pursued and driven back by the frenzied Liu Junzhuo. This wasn’t due to his inability to retaliate; rather, he had clearly observed the divine realm’s backlash against Liu Junzhuo.

He too wanted to prolong the fight, waiting until his opponent’s divine aura waned and approached exhaustion.

Unlike him, Liu Junzhuo did not possess the Taiyin Eye. If Ning Changjiu truly intended to hide, she would indeed need to expand her divine sense to search for his whereabouts, which would be extremely taxing on her mental energy.

The Golden Crow enveloped Ning Changjiu as he moved swiftly through the complex mountain terrain.

Liu Junzhuo, however, suddenly stopped.

She hovered in the air, closed her eyes, and the fragmented realm within her mind cracked open like a bolt of lightning, rapidly extending and expanding at an astonishing speed.

Since Ning Changjiu chose to avoid her direct assault.

Then she would use this time to fully integrate into this fragmented realm, allowing it to accept her.

How could she make the divine realm accept her?

Constructing a true divine realm requires complex and complete mythological logic. But if a complete divine realm is a city, then this fragmented realm might be just one house within it. Entering a city-realm requires a pass, but entering a house only requires a key.

What, then, was her key?

Liu Junzhuo concentrated for a moment, and in a flash, an inspiration struck her.

She remembered her carvings on the wall.

Those paintings were also so-called myths.

And the protagonists of those myths were all herself.

Perhaps she could use these myths to deceive the divine realm and enter it!

“Lord Mu fought the evil dragon!”

Liu Junzhuo spoke thus, feeling a touch of shame, but the anger in her heart had long since overwhelmed it. She cried out indignantly, as if such an event had genuinely occurred in history.

Her words became law.

Within the fragmented realm, a brilliant pillar of light ignited. Inside the pillar, an azure dragon coiled and leaped, inciting disaster. This was an event that had genuinely occurred in history, and the fragmented realm automatically selected it. However, at Liu Junzhuo’s command, the protagonist of the myth was replaced by her.

As the mythological light pillar ignited, the backlash she had been experiencing instantly weakened. She extended her hand towards the foam-like realm fragment.

But another anomaly occurred.

Liu Junzhuo hadn’t even fully stepped in when the mythological light pillar within the fragmented realm slowly began to collapse.

She spun around abruptly, seeing the young man in tattered white robes, his golden eyes fixed on her from a distant mountaintop.

With his gaze, the pillar of mythological logic collapsed.

Only those who had personally witnessed that history, received accurate memory transmissions, or read true historical records were qualified to overturn false mythological logic.

Just as that year in Linhe City, when he gazed upon Lady Bai’s divine pillar, its mythological logic fractured, and the divine realm consequently collapsed.

Liu Junzhuo’s heart chilled. She did not immediately pursue Ning Changjiu, but instead shouted again: “Lord Mu, Nirvanic Fire slays the Heavenly Python!”

The divine pillar rose again, a divine python ascending in flames, shimmering with vibrant light. The one who slew the python transformed into her.

Similarly, this divine pillar collapsed under Ning Changjiu’s gaze.

“Lord Mu sculpted humans from clay!”

It collapsed.

“Lord Mu filled the sea!”

It collapsed.

“Lord Mu drank river water and chased the sun!”

“You’re nothing like the great god Kuafu; such false mythological logic couldn’t even fool a child…” Ning Changjiu mused, then shattered another pillar of myth.

Of course, even these well-known stories could not be made to collapse with a mere glance by anyone who had not deeply witnessed history.

Liu Junzhuo watched as the pillars of myth were repeatedly destroyed, her composure fraying.

She couldn’t comprehend how her opponent, who was merely twenty years old, could have ‘personally’ witnessed these events.

Could it be that he was also the reincarnation of an ancient deity?

How could that be…

The backlash grew increasingly severe, and Liu Junzhuo staked everything.

“The land suffered a great drought; Lord Mu shot down nine suns.”

This time, the pillar of myth didn’t even manage to rise.

Because the true protagonist of that legend was standing right before her eyes!

“Ah, Miss Mu…” Ning Changjiu sighed, gripping the Silver Sword before him. He said, “When I was little, I heard many stories about people who might stumble into overnight wealth but entirely lack the ability to retain it. They would quickly squander their earnings in gambling dens, brothels, and other dens of vice, becoming impoverished once again…”

“This fragmented realm is your enormous opportunity.”

“Unfortunately, you don’t possess the ability to truly master it…”

The Golden Crow flew past his eyes. With the divine bow in hand, as the string tightened, the eighth golden arrow was nocked. He closed and squinted one eye, taking aim at Liu Junzhuo.

Liu Junzhuo watched him nock an arrow, and as she recalled the mythological pillar that had failed to rise, a terrible conjecture suddenly formed in her mind…

Could it be!

She had no time to think. Ning Changjiu’s golden arrow roared forward once more, crashing towards her.

Time seemed to rewind a thousand years.

This divine realm appeared like a sun suspended in the sky.

The arrow destined to destroy it flew forth.

Liu Junzhuo was unwilling to yield. She no longer attempted to make the divine realm accept her; instead, she enveloped herself with the entire realm, charging towards Ning Changjiu in a manner akin to self-destruction.

White light surged skyward, utterly destroying the thousand peaks.

An unknown amount of time passed.

From the sky, threads of spiritual rain once again drifted down.

They settled like feathers on Liu Junzhuo’s exposed shoulder blades. Her elegant back, covered in mud and blood, was like a beautiful jade obscured by dust. She let out a soft groan, her slightly numb fingers twitching. She struggled to rise, but just as her body began to arch, a sword swiftly knocked her back to the ground, leaving her face up to the murky sky.

“Ah…”

A pained groan escaped Liu Junzhuo’s throat.

In her blurred vision, Ning Changjiu’s figure swayed unsteadily.

She had lost after all…

All her strategies were exhausted; she had even gained an immense opportunity, yet in the end, she still failed.

At this moment, many insights emerged within her Dao heart. Unfortunately, these insights could no longer be transformed into true power.

Ning Changjiu was likewise incredibly weak. His body felt light and ethereal, as if an immortal about to ride the wind away at any moment.

“I know you want to be a good sword cultivator…”

Liu Junzhuo heard him say this.

“But the Sword Saint is the true demon. He has deceived all of you. He is the Dark Lord’s sole puppet in the mortal world, the harbinger of disaster who will bring the Black Sun… Do you know what the Black Sun is? Once the Black Sun arrives, the entire world will become a withered, desolate ruin, just like these thousand peaks. At that time, all living beings will cease to exist.”

“You don’t have to believe me; I’m not inclined to persuade you…”

“But I won’t kill you. I will pierce your Qi Sea, giving you the chance to witness everything that follows… The collapse of faith is cruel. I hope that by then, your sword heart will be resilient enough.”

Ning Changjiu spoke thus.

As the victor, he raised his sword and aimed it at Liu Junzhuo’s Qi Sea.

With one strike, Liu Junzhuo would be rendered powerless.

To the victor go the spoils. She had indeed suffered a complete defeat.

She closed her eyes, emitting only a faint, thread-like groan from her nose.

Just as the sword was about to fall, a voice suddenly rang out.

Ning Changjiu looked up.

“Wait… wait!”

In the distance, a short-haired girl came running frantically. She screamed loudly, her figure, attempting to ride a sword, stumbled and fell from exhaustion. She struggled to her feet, then knelt on the rough, rocky ground, looking imploringly at Ning Changjiu, covered entirely in mud and water.