Chapter 1188: Asking the Sword

Xu Yang burst out laughing. "No need to rush. If things unfold as we expect, there will be some conflict within this Sword Forge, and I might truly have a chance to demonstrate my power."

In reality, having reached his current level of power, Xu Yang didn't need any pretense or showmanship to make his intentions known. On the contrary, he preferred to conclude this expedition in the most low-key manner possible, simply by focusing his efforts on a few specific princes.

However, things didn't go as planned. Apart from the Fifth Prince, other figures like the First Prince and Second Prince seemed to be subconsciously gravitating towards each other, bringing their most powerful guardians to concentrate in the same area. They were implicitly and explicitly wary of potential targeted actions from the Fourth Prince.

Soon after, Xu Yang and the Eight Gates team, led by the Fifth Prince, also began to move steadily towards the area where the other princes were gathered.

"Hahaha, Fifth Brother, I never thought that after being a slob for most of your life, you'd still look as dashing and distinguished as you did in your youth once you tidied yourself up!"

The First Prince, a short, stout man with a seemingly benevolent and worldly demeanor, took the initiative to speak to the Fifth Prince. Their exchange naturally drew the attention of the other princes, who all turned to look in their direction.

"Hahaha, Eldest Brother, you jest. Perhaps people naturally experience some change in mindset when they reach middle age. I also feel I've idled away most of my life, and it's high time I settled down and did something meaningful."

"Oh, hearing Fifth Brother's words, are you planning a significant move next? Or do you intend to develop your influence in a certain area? If Fourth Brother can assist, feel free to tell me."

At that moment, the Fourth Prince, after seeing to his other martial arts acquaintances, arrived in the southwest corner where the princes were gathered, protected by several top swordsmen, and spoke directly to the Fifth Prince.

"Fourth Brother, long time no see. It's rare for all seven of us brothers to gather like this. It's a pity, though, that Third Brother is nowhere to be seen."

The Fifth Prince's sudden remark was met with an unexpected snort from the Sixth Prince, who had always maintained a cold expression. "I heard, Fifth Brother, that you've been quite close with Third Brother lately. Could it be that Fourth Brother organized such a grand event today, yet our own brother isn't here to show support? Or did you simply neglect to inform Third Brother?"

Clearly, the Sixth Prince's seemingly casual words were a direct jab at the Fifth Prince. He knew very well that Third Brother's absence today was most likely related to the Fifth Prince.

After all, the Third and Sixth Princes were full brothers, and they would naturally unite their forces. However, this time, the Sixth Prince's Qin King Token had fallen into Xu Yang's hands due to the Fifth Prince's secret machinations, causing the Sixth Prince to harbor deep animosity towards the Fifth Prince throughout.

"That's not true," replied the Fifth Prince. "I personally issued an invitation to Third Brother and sent my direct disciple to deliver it to Brocade Villa." As soon as he finished speaking, the refined, sword-wielding young man standing beside him stepped forward and respectfully added:

"Indeed, I can vouch for that. I personally delivered the invitation to His Royal Highness the Third Prince. At the time, the Third Prince readily agreed and promised to attend, but for some reason, he still hasn't appeared."

"Nowadays, each of us brothers has our own affairs to attend to. Perhaps Third Brother genuinely couldn't make time, and as brothers, we should understand.

Oh, by the way, Fourth Brother, I intend to participate in the Blood Pool trial this time. I also wish to seek a divine weapon that matches my personal attributes and cultivation foundation. My previous sword developed a crack during a spar with a subordinate, so this time I hope to acquire a heavy sword to wield the Extreme Cold Sword Dao I've recently been studying."

Hearing the Seventh Prince's words, the Fourth Prince immediately smiled. "Of course, Seventh Brother. This Sword Forge, at its core, belongs to us brothers. As long as your strength and destiny align, you can naturally retrieve the divine weapon most suitable for you from within the Sword Dwelling."

Xu Yang clearly saw that the Fourth Prince had been waiting for this moment the entire time. He needed an opportunity – for one of his royal brothers to proactively request to 'ask the sword' – only then would he have more room to maneuver.

"Seventh Brother, come with me. I will personally guide you in 'asking the sword'."

Without further hesitation, the Seventh Prince followed the Fourth Prince directly onto the void sword platform at the very center of the Sword Pool. Standing there, there was a height difference of about 50 meters between them and the blood-red, lava-like pool below, which was filled with crimson-gold water.

A scorching heat still permeated the surrounding space. The others remained below the sword platform, observing, their heads slightly tilted back as they watched the subsequent actions of the two figures on the 50-meter-high void sword platform.

"Embrace the One and hold steadfast to your essence. Use your most powerful spiritual energy to condense the strongest sword qi you can unleash. Then, let this sword qi hover over the surface of the Blood Pool below, covering it with your unique sword dao aura. The sword whose aura is most akin to yours will resonate most intensely; that will be the divine weapon most suitable for you.

Of course, if your sword qi causes a particular sword to fly directly into your hand, it signifies that the corresponding sword has awakened its own Sword Soul, which would be an extraordinary gain, rare in a century.

However, in the nearly ten thousand years since our Sword Dwelling was founded, fewer than ten swordsmen have obtained a peerless divine weapon with an awakened Sword Soul by 'asking the sword' here. In this generation, only my master, Sword Sovereign Jian Yunqing, the sect master, successfully 'asked the sword' and chose such a peerless divine weapon. I wonder if Seventh Brother possesses such strength and destiny."

The Seventh Prince, however, did not harbor such intense greed. His intention was simple: merely to retrieve a sword that suited him. Yet, he never dreamed that the moment the sword light he had condensed flew into the Blood Pool below, countless swords surrounding the pool would begin to stir wildly.

This agitation was a chaotic, uncontrollable surge, completely unrelated to the Seventh Prince himself. In other words, the emergence of this power had little to do with the Seventh Prince; he was merely being used as a puppet by the forces manipulating events from behind the scenes.

Xu Yang and Xiao Hua instinctively sensed that something was wrong at that moment. They exchanged a glance, prepared for battle, and were ready to act at any moment. They had no intention of letting the Seventh Prince take the blame for no reason. They needed to make the situation as chaotic as possible to create more opportunities for themselves.

As expected, Xu Yang soon realized that all the agitated sword qi in the Blood Pool, under the control of a special force, began to converge furiously at a central point. Clearly, the orchestrator behind the scenes intended to direct all this chaotic energy solely towards the Seventh Prince. Xu Yang's goal, naturally, was to find a way to make the hidden manipulator lose unified control over all the sword qi in the Blood Pool, thereby dispersing the converging energies again and redirecting them to attack everyone inside the entire building. This way, the Seventh Prince would not be the one to bear the brunt, but rather the Fourth Prince and Jian Minqing, the person in charge of the Sword Forge. If the situation spiraled completely out of control and the endless sword qi in the Blood Pool began to violently attack everyone, then the Fourth Prince and the Sword Sect would have only one course of action: seal the Sword Forge, trapping everyone within the Sword Tower.