Chapter 893: Sword Saint Possession
The two continued forward, and gradually, they could see broken swords—some stuck in the ground, some buried beneath the soil, others shattered into sharp fragments.
On the black plain, the swords grew more numerous, densely arranged. Even a Half-Saint's spiritual power would struggle to count them all. It was truly an ocean of swords.
Some swords were as small as embroidery needles, yet exquisitely crafted, emitting a faint radiance.
Others were over ten meters long, wider than a door plank, as if made for giants.
...
And this was only the surface; who knew how many swords lay buried underground?
Just as Zhang Ruochen and Ling Feiyu stepped into this area, the swords on the ground sensed the presence of a Sword Saint. They all trembled, producing a rustling sound.
The tips of every sword pointed toward Ling Feiyu, swaying slightly as if paying homage to her.
When a Sword Saint appeared, ten thousand swords must bow.
From the layered clouds above, an aged voice came: "The burial ground of the Skyward Sword Lineage. What purpose does the bearer of the Sky-Burying Sword have in coming here?"
Ling Feiyu took out the Skyward Sword, holding it in her hand, and said, "I have come not to disturb the spirits of the predecessors. Rather, a degenerate has appeared in the Skyward Sword Lineage, possibly colluding with the Undying Blood Clan, intending to rescue the Underworld King."
At the word "degenerate," Zhang Ruochen felt a slight displeasure.
"Rumble."
From afar, powerful auras surged forth, manifesting as sixteen humanoid shadows.
In an instant, Zhang Ruochen felt sixteen immense forces pressing down on him, sinking him into the ground.
He fully activated his Saint Qi to resist the sixteen forces, while gazing at the distant figures, deeply puzzled: "What's going on? Could it be that the past masters of the Skyward Sword Lineage haven't died?"
One of the tall figures spoke in a deep voice: "How can the sword bearer chosen by Xuanji be so unworthy, colluding with the Undying Blood Clan?"
"I have faith in Xuanji. The sword bearer of our Skyward Sword Lineage would not fail to distinguish right from wrong."
Another short, thin figure stared at Ling Feiyu and asked, "Girl, you claim the new sword bearer of the Skyward Sword is colluding with the Undying Blood Clan. Do you have evidence?"
Someone dared to call Ling Feiyu "girl"—if this got out, it would shock countless people.
Ling Feiyu said, "No evidence."
The sixteen figures immediately erupted.
"Since there's no evidence, how can you say the Skyward Sword bearer is colluding with the Undying Blood Clan?"
"Little girl, your audacity is too great. If I were still alive, this slander alone would warrant your death sentence."
"I said we should trust Xuanji's judgment."
...
Zhang Ruochen stared at the distant shadows, hearing them scold Ling Feiyu, and felt his scalp tingle. Could they really be a group of ghosts?
Ling Feiyu frowned slightly but showed no anger, saying, "Precisely because there's no evidence, I brought him here. I hope the predecessors can communicate with the Skyward Sword, ask its spirit, and determine whether Zhang Ruochen has colluded with the Undying Blood Clan."
The spirit of the Skyward Sword possessed high intelligence. If Zhang Ruochen wore the sword, the spirit would surely know what he had done before.
Through the sword spirit, much information could be uncovered.
The short, thin figure reached out, grabbed the Skyward Sword, and took it.
About half an hour later, the short, thin figure burst into laughter that echoed across heaven and earth: "Girl, you dared to doubt the character of the Skyward Sword Lineage's sword bearer. You've only humiliated yourself."
"I have communicated with the Skyward Sword's spirit. The new sword bearer has not only not colluded with the Undying Blood Clan but has killed several Half-Saints of the Undying Blood Clan, including a direct royal member."
"Such an upright and unyielding sword prodigy, and you say he's in league with the Undying Blood Clan? I cannot tolerate this."
The other figures also radiated anger.
A hunched figure said, "Unacceptable. He must apologize. This cannot end so easily."
"Fight. We must fight."
"Insulting the sword bearer of the Skyward Sword Lineage—I, for one, will not stand for it."
...
Ling Feiyu naturally trusted the words of the Skyward Sword Lineage's ancestors. After all, the past sword bearers of the six lineages had all guarded the Underworld King Sword Tomb, sharing the same conviction that the Underworld King must not escape.
Thus, Zhang Ruochen's suspicion was almost cleared.
Then, the other sword bearer, Xiang Zhengfeng, was likely the problem.
After some thought, Zhang Ruochen roughly understood.
The sixteen masters of the Skyward Sword Lineage had indeed died.
However, a Saint's soul, with a special carrier, could be preserved for a long time—hundreds or even thousands of years.
Only "consciousness" was difficult to maintain.
Once a Saint died, the consciousness in their soul could only last a short time. Once it faded, the soul became a dead spirit.
Even the Golden Dragon, at the Great Saint level, had its soul's consciousness persist for only eight hundred years after death.
That the consciousness of the sixteen Skyward Sword masters had survived until now must be due to the special power of the sword tomb.
"Truly unexpected. Though the masters have passed for years, they remain so passionate. When alive, they must have valued their honor greatly."
Zhang Ruochen coughed twice, looked at the sixteen shadows in the clouds, and bowed respectfully: "Disciple Zhang Ruochen pays respects to all masters."
The hunched figure said impatiently, "You can pay respects later. Now, you have something more important to do."
"What?" Zhang Ruochen asked.
"What? You've been wronged and beaten. Don't you feel any anger? Don't you want to reclaim your dignity?"
That master had clearly learned from the Skyward Sword's spirit that Ling Feiyu had shattered Zhang Ruochen's bones, hence his anger.
Zhang Ruochen glanced at Ling Feiyu, his expression somewhat awkward, and said, "With my current cultivation, reclaiming my dignity would be difficult..."
"No 'difficult.' I can help you crush her."
Before he finished, the hunched figure rushed toward Zhang Ruochen.
"Soul Possession."
In the next moment, Zhang Ruochen slowly rose into the air, feeling his entire body enveloped by a vast surge of Saint Qi. Power filled him, as if he could split the world with a single sword.
From afar, a hundred-zhang-tall humanoid holy shadow stood at the center of a sea of swords, radiating an awe-inspiring majesty.
Zhang Ruochen floated at the shadow's brow, using the Skyward Sword as a medium. His body merged completely with that master's soul.
Then, the aged voice entered Zhang Ruochen's ears: "Excellent! You've cultivated the Five Elements Chaos Body and have the protection of divine marks. With that, you can borrow as much power as you need."
"How is this possible?"
Zhang Ruochen was astonished. He hadn't expected a master's soul to possess him.
The master said, "In the sword tomb, the six sword bearers, with their sacred swords in hand, can borrow the souls of past masters."
"The stronger your physique and cultivation, the more soul power you can borrow."
Zhang Ruochen asked, "Can I borrow the souls of all sixteen masters at once?"
"Of course, but with your current cultivation, bearing even one master's soul is already remarkable."
Zhang Ruochen was stunned. Even if it weren't sixteen Sword Saints possessing him, just three would allow him to contend with the world's heroes.
The master guessed his thoughts and added, "Don't be so surprised. If the six sword bearers didn't have such formidable abilities in the sword tomb, the Underworld King would have been rescued by the Undying Blood Clan long ago."
"Eight hundred years ago, the Blood Queen tried to rescue the Underworld King. The six sword bearers, borrowing the power of past masters, joined forces and repelled her."
"Of course, the souls of the six lineages' masters can only remain in the sword tomb. Leaving here would cause their consciousness and souls to dissipate."
Hearing this, Zhang Ruochen's heart stirred, thinking, "Could the mission of the six sword bearers be to suppress the Underworld King?"
Calculating the time, the first master of the Skyward Sword Lineage appeared around the time the Underworld King was imprisoned.
"Fight! Today, we must teach that girl a lesson, or the Skyward Sword Lineage will lose face!" the master said solemnly.
Zhang Ruochen's gaze fixed on Ling Feiyu, and a surging battle intent rose within him. "Alright, let's fight."
He held no deep hatred for Ling Feiyu, only feeling that she was sometimes too domineering.
Even so, he didn't want to become her enemy, nor did he plan to teach her a lesson.
His desire to fight was purely for sword enlightenment.
After all, the state of Sword Saint possession was the optimal condition for understanding the sword, offering him immense benefits.
No other sword cultivator would ever have such an opportunity.
The thought of crossing swords with a Sword Saint excited him and made his blood boil.
Ling Feiyu's eyes narrowed slightly. "Are all the sword bearers of the Skyward Sword Lineage so arrogant? A mere first-rank Half-Saint, even with Sword Saint-level power, how much can he truly unleash? Challenging me—do you think you have a chance of winning?"
Even with Sword Saint possession, one only gained Sword Saint-level power. How much of that power could be used depended entirely on Zhang Ruochen's mastery of the sword.
A first-rank Half-Saint's sword realm, understanding of the sword, combat experience—all were worlds apart from a true Sword Saint.
Thus, even with Sword Saint-level power, Zhang Ruochen would be lucky to unleash even ten percent of it.
Under such circumstances, Ling Feiyu showed no fear, only finding the Skyward Sword Lineage's swordsmen utterly ridiculous. (To be continued.)