Chapter 753: The Heir of Qiangu Nüdi
"What a powerful sword strike—truly unstoppable and indestructible."
The sword strike that Lin Yue had just unleashed burst forth with unmatched might. In an instant, it shattered thousands of sword energies and nearly knocked the Demon Sect's life-taking swordsman down to the foot of the mountain.
The power of that single strike was utterly unparalleled, unstoppable and indestructible, leaving all the heavenly prodigies and outstanding talents on Scholar Mountain stunned and awestruck.
Many among them secretly calculated: if they were to face Lin Yue and that sword strike just now, what would the outcome be?
The results of their calculations sent cold sweat pouring down their bodies.
That sword strike was simply not something a Fish-Dragon Realm cultivator could withstand. If it had been them, their bodies would likely have been split in two by the sword energy.
Of course, it also indirectly proved that the Demon Sect's life-taking swordsman was indeed formidable. He had taken Lin Yue's strike head-on and yet emerged unscathed.
"How can he be this strong?"
"Wasn't Lin Yue's sacred energy already depleted? Wasn't he severely injured?"
"Hadn't his sword already broken? Why do I feel that this sword is even more terrifying? No, his sword..."
Finally, the crowd realized something was amiss. Their gazes snapped toward the white ancient sword in Lin Yue's hand.
Xue Wuye narrowed his eyes, then two sharp beams of light surged from his pupils, growing incredibly bright. "That is a Thousand-Mark Sacred Artifact-level sacred sword. No, it seems to be more than just a simple Thousand-Mark Sacred Artifact..."
The power of that sword strike just now could only have been unleashed by a Thousand-Mark Sacred Artifact. Any cultivator who had seen such an artifact could confirm this.
The key point was that none of those present could identify the origin of Lin Yue's sword.
A Hundred-Mark Sacred Artifact could serve as the clan-guarding war weapon of a Half-Saint family.
A Thousand-Mark Sacred Artifact could become the clan-guarding war weapon of a Saintly clan.
Every Thousand-Mark Sacred Artifact possessed devastating power. If wielded by a Saint, a single strike from thousands of miles away could utterly destroy an entire city.
Thus, any Saintly clan that possessed a Thousand-Mark Sacred Artifact could secure its family, deterring other forces from acting rashly.
After all, no one could afford the retaliation of a Thousand-Mark Sacred Artifact.
Because of the immense power of Thousand-Mark Sacred Artifacts, when the First Central Empire was established, it specifically instructed the great Confucian scholars of the Confucian Path to gather information from all sides. After continuous verification and revision, they compiled records of all Thousand-Mark and Ten-Thousand Pattern Sacred Artifacts into a book.
This resulted in the court-issued "Thousand-Mark Sacred Artifact Register" and "Ten-Thousand Pattern Sacred Artifact Register."
Every piece of information about each Thousand-Mark and Ten-Thousand Pattern Sacred Artifact was recorded in them. Therefore, everyone was well aware of every powerful sacred artifact, and only in extremely rare cases would a new Thousand-Mark Sacred Artifact emerge.
For a Fish-Dragon Realm cultivator to possess a Thousand-Mark Sacred Artifact was almost impossible.
Even the Demon Sect would not dare let a Fish-Dragon Realm cultivator carry a Thousand-Mark Sacred Artifact while traveling the world. Losing one would be more heartbreaking than losing a Saint.
Yet, the impossible was now happening before their eyes.
Lin Yue actually possessed a Thousand-Mark Sacred Artifact-level ancient sword. How astonishing was that?
"It's not a Thousand-Mark Sacred Artifact..."
Shengshu Cainü gently shook her head, searching her mind for information about that sword.
Suddenly, as if she had thought of something, her beautiful eyes emitted a starlike glow, and she exclaimed in admiration, "Could it be... that sword..."
It wasn't just Shengshu Cainü. In the Divine Maiden Tower, the Saintly ancestors of various major forces had also sensed something and harbored their own guesses.
However, the aura emitted by the Void Sword was not yet strong enough, so they could not be certain.
Zangyue Sword Saint, clad in a purple Daoist robe, stood tall and imposing. His deep eyes gazed toward Scholar Mountain. "Sect Leader, Lin Yue's white ancient sword... I sense it is quite extraordinary. It might be that sword from the Middle Ages."
Liangyi Sect Leader Ning Xuan Dao stood shoulder to shoulder with Zangyue Sword Saint and nodded. "You mean the sword that killed a god?"
Zangyue Sword Saint said, "It's still unclear, but in the past year, Lin Yue's cultivation has advanced by leaps and bounds, his training speed terrifyingly fast. It's very likely he has obtained the inheritance of that existence."
Ning Xuan Dao was slightly startled and took a deep breath. "If that's the case, the Liangyi Sect must do everything to protect Lin Yue. Those who covet that sword and the inheritance of that existence are countless. We cannot allow any mishap."
"No wonder he refused to take me as his master."
Zangyue Sword Saint smiled faintly. All his previous doubts now felt like a sudden revelation.
Ning Xuan Dao said, "I finally understand a bit why Grandmaster Taiyi valued Lin Yue so much. Perhaps he had already seen some clues."
Since Zhang Ruochen had taken out the Void Sword, he had naturally prepared himself mentally for being recognized.
However, he believed that the Liangyi Sect would invest even more effort to protect him. The heir of Qiangu Nüdi was certainly no less significant than the disciple of Empress Chi Yao.
Thus, no matter how stirred the old-timers of various forces were, or how varied their thoughts, Zhang Ruochen remained quite calm.
"Winning with a Thousand-Mark Sacred Artifact-level sword is hardly a display of true skill." Snake Two, clad in a loose black robe, stood on the steps above Zhang Ruochen's head.
The cool wind on Scholar Mountain blew her black robe upward, revealing two long, snow-white legs.
From Zhang Ruochen's position looking up, he could see straight to the roots of her thighs, large expanses of white skin, and even the astonishingly curved contours of her buttocks.
Zhang Ruochen smiled slightly. "By your reasoning, I should defeat all the Demon Sect's experts with my bare hands to prove my true skill?"
As Zhang Ruochen and Snake Two faced off,
A Le, carrying his iron sword, walked up from the mountainside and appeared below Zhang Ruochen. "His sword is a Thousand-Mark Sacred Artifact, but my sword is no ordinary item either. So, I did indeed lose to him in that last battle."
Only then did someone notice that the rust-covered iron sword in A Le's hand was completely intact.
It had clashed with the Void Sword and hadn't broken, meaning it was at least a Thousand-Mark Sacred Artifact.
Tonight's Realm Son Banquet was full of strange occurrences, leaving even Half-Saint-level ancestors wide-eyed in shock.
A Le's gaze was extremely sharp. He continued, "But in the next battle, I will definitely defeat him."
Mu Lingxi immediately stepped out, positioning herself between Zhang Ruochen and A Le. She looked at A Le and shook her head in persuasion. "A Le, this battle ends here."
"Why?" A Le asked.
If it had been anyone else, A Le would have ignored them. But Mu Lingxi had a debt of gratitude toward him. If she hadn't recommended him to the Demon Sect's main altar, he would never have achieved such high accomplishments.
Mu Lingxi said, "If you two fight with all your strength, you won't be able to hold back your swords. One of you will surely die."
Mu Lingxi knew that once she said this, the Demon Sect's cultivators would suspect her relationship with Lin Yue, and might even put her on trial and punish her.
But she had to step forward.
Because if Zhang Ruochen and A Le's battle reached the point of life and death, Zhang Ruochen would hesitate when striking, but A Le would not.
Whoever hesitates dies.
Mu Lingxi absolutely could not let that happen. She had to stop it.
"I am not afraid of death," A Le said flatly.
A Le also had a conviction in his heart: even if he had to die, he would stop Lin Yue from ascending Scholar Mountain. Because Lin Yue was an enemy of the Divine Sect.
Zhang Ruochen raised the Void Sword, turned around, and looked at A Le. "Since battle is unavoidable, I can only give it my all."
Mu Lingxi bit her lip, extremely frustrated. She couldn't understand why Zhang Ruochen was being so stubborn.
A Le was stubborn because he was naturally that way, and he didn't know Zhang Ruochen's true identity. He had to defend the Divine Sect's dignity and stop its enemy.
But Zhang Ruochen, you should see the situation more clearly than anyone. Why do you have to clash with A Le? Why are you being so stubborn too? You're already so badly injured—how can you still fight so desperately?
Mu Lingxi was looking at the problem purely from her personal emotions, but Zhang Ruochen had to consider the Liangyi Sect. He could not afford to retreat even half a step.
If he retreated now, all his previous efforts would be meaningless.
In truth, being able to fight a life-or-death battle with A Le, even with great danger, felt incredibly exhilarating to Zhang Ruochen. He believed that apart from today, he and A Le would never have such an opportunity again—to fight with all their might, without any reservations.
Just like Xuanji Sword Saint and Jiuyou Sword Saint, who risked life and death to push their Sword Dao to higher realms. Even if they died in battle, they would feel immense satisfaction.
Only top-tier sword cultivators could understand how thrilling and exciting a evenly matched life-or-death battle could be.
This battle seemed inevitable. The auras of Lin Yue and A Le grew stronger and stronger.