Chapter 903: The Boundless Divine Sword
Ling Feiyu was slightly surprised, not expecting Zhang Ruochen to be ready to sell Divine Blood so soon.
For her, this was naturally a good thing.
"What do you want? Sacred Stones? Sacred Pills? Sacred Dan? Or perhaps a Saint-level guardian?"
Having cultivated for three hundred years and being one of the nine great palace masters of the Demon Sect, Ling Feiyu had naturally accumulated vast resources and wealth, far beyond what ordinary Saints could compare to.
Of course, in her view, Zhang Ruochen was now making enemies everywhere, surrounded on all sides, and was in greater need of a Saint-level guardian to protect him in secret and guide his path. That was why she raised this point.
As long as Zhang Ruochen could afford the Divine Blood, with Ling Feiyu's status, it would not be difficult to invite a Saint to specifically protect him.
"If I could buy or trade those things from elsewhere, why would I use Divine Blood to exchange with you?"
Zhang Ruochen shook his head and said, "I hope the Sword Saint can spar with me in swordsmanship. One exchange, ten drops of Divine Blood. What do you think?"
Ling Feiyu naturally understood that Zhang Ruochen's purpose in inviting her to practice swordsmanship was definitely to comprehend the sword during the process of their exchange.
Sparring with a Sword Saint was the fastest way to comprehend the Sword Dao.
As long as Zhang Ruochen's comprehension was high enough, he could learn from Ling Feiyu's sword techniques during the exchange.
One must know that even the direct disciples of a Sword Saint rarely had the opportunity to spar with their master. This shows how rare such an opportunity was.
"One exchange, ten drops of Divine Blood, that is indeed a fair price."
Ling Feiyu nodded lightly and added, "You need to understand one thing: when I spar with you, it is not to feed you moves or teach you the Sword Dao. It is a true exchange, and I will absolutely not hold back."
For a Sword Saint to agree to spar with a low-level Half-Saint was an immense honor for that Half-Saint.
Zhang Ruochen was naturally quite delighted and said, "Of course. Only when we fight with full force can you reveal your true skills."
Seeing Zhang Ruochen's confident demeanor, Ling Feiyu felt somewhat displeased and said, "Even if I suppress my cultivation to the same level as yours, how many of my moves can you block?"
"To tell you the truth, last time in the Sword Grave, I didn't even use half of my strength. If I had used full power, you probably wouldn't have been able to block even a single move."
Zhang Ruochen was very clear about the gap between him and a Sword Saint, so he said quite frankly, "Even a single sword move from a Sword Saint is enough for some sword cultivators to ponder over for a lifetime."
The Way of Time and the Way of Space were too profound. At Zhang Ruochen's current realm, delving deeply into them could easily lead to getting lost in the chaotic flow of time and the shifting void of space.
Therefore, Zhang Ruochen decided to focus on the Sword Dao at the Half-Saint realm.
Later, when his cultivation reached the Saint realm and his Spiritual Power became stronger, it would not be too late to comprehend the Way of Time and the Way of Space.
Of course, Zhang Ruochen's cultivation of the Space Domain and Time Sword Art was also laying a foundation for the future.
Ling Feiyu agreed to spar with Zhang Ruochen for two reasons.
First, naturally, for the Divine Blood.
The value of Divine Blood was extremely high, and it was impossible to buy on the open market. Every drop of Divine Blood was extremely precious to her.
Second, Ling Feiyu still remembered the Time Sword Art that Zhang Ruochen had displayed in the Sword Grave.
Zhang Ruochen wanted to learn from her, but didn't she also want to learn from Zhang Ruochen?
If she could comprehend something from the Time Sword, her Sword Dao would surely reach a higher level.
Because each had what they needed, the two reached an agreement.
Zhang Ruochen naturally would not spar with Ling Feiyu right away, since they had just fought not long ago. Fighting again now would likely not bring much change.
Therefore, Zhang Ruochen planned to go to the Sword Grave first to improve his cultivation and Sword Dao.
After making some progress, he would come back to spar with her.
Seeing that Zhang Ruochen was going to the Sword Grave, Ling Feiyu said, "Earlier, I took Xiang Zhengfeng to the Sword Grave as well, to meet the ancestral spirit of the Skyward Sword lineage for verification. The sword spirit of the Skyward Sword did not detect any contact between Xiang Zhengfeng and the Undying Blood Clan."
A puzzled expression appeared on Zhang Ruochen's face, and he said, "How could that be? Could it be that Xiang Zhengfeng had contact with the Undying Blood Clan before obtaining the Skyward Sword?"
At this moment, Zhang Ruochen thought of Xuanji Sword Saint's fourth disciple, Feng Han.
Wasn't Feng Han a pawn placed by the Undying Blood Clan beside Xuanji Sword Saint? If Feng Han had obtained the Sky-Soaring Sword, the sword spirit of the Sky-Soaring Sword would not have known that he had been in contact with the Undying Blood Clan.
"Relatively speaking, I trust you more. So, I have used my authority as the sword holder to imprison Xiang Zhengfeng in the Nether Prison," Ling Feiyu said.
Zhang Ruochen did not ask why Ling Feiyu trusted him so much; he just gave her a deep look. Then, he left the cave dwelling and headed for the Sword Grave.
Ling Feiyu acted quite domineeringly; this was not the first time Zhang Ruochen had seen it.
Therefore, it was not surprising at all that she had imprisoned Xiang Zhengfeng in the Nether Prison.
Ling Feiyu did not enter the Sword Grave to watch over Zhang Ruochen; she only took the Sky-Soaring Sword and kept it temporarily with her.
Entering the Sword Grave, Zhang Ruochen did not immediately go to pay respects to the ancestral spirits of the Skyward Sword lineage. Instead, he came to the top of a volcano.
He released Xiao Hei and had it set up a rather profound concealment array at the crater.
After the array was successfully set up, Zhang Ruochen entered the Cosmic Divine Wood Map, came to the base of the Sky-Connecting Divine Tree, and took out the Abyssal Ancient Sword.
"Abyssal," Zhang Ruochen called out.
On the surface of the black sword body, a three-inch-tall humanoid shadow emerged, with a pair of black wings. Its appearance was quite handsome, bearing a seven-tenths resemblance to Zhang Ruochen.
The sword spirit said, "I know you must have many doubts and many things you want to ask me. But I'm sorry, I probably can't answer you."
"Why?" Zhang Ruochen asked.
The sword spirit said, "Because not long after you died, the body of the Abyssal Sword was severed, and I fell into a deep sleep. I only woke up today."
Zhang Ruochen's brow furrowed deeply. "Did Chi Yao use the Blood Drop Sword to sever you?"
The sword spirit shook its head, its voice filled with melancholy. "My bond with Blood Drop is no less than yours with Chi Yao. The feelings of swords are more sincere than those of humans. Chi Yao would kill you, but Blood Drop would never sever me."
Zhang Ruochen shook his head. "Is there any weapon in the world that can sever you?"
"Of course there is, for example, the Boundless Divine Sword," the sword spirit said.
"The legendary Boundless Divine Sword actually appeared in the Kunlun Realm?" Even with Zhang Ruochen's composure, he showed a shocked expression.
The sword spirit said, "That's right."
The Boundless Divine Sword was one of the ten great divine artifacts of ancient times. It was said to be forged from the fundamental substance of space.
Even an ordinary person, holding the Boundless Divine Sword without using any Saint Qi, could slash open a rift in space with a gentle wave.
"Boundless" meant without spatial boundaries.
The ten great divine artifacts were legends from very ancient times, rarely appearing even in the medieval period. How could the Boundless Divine Sword have appeared out of nowhere eight hundred years ago, and how could it have severed the Abyssal Sword?
Zhang Ruochen asked, "Who was the master of the Boundless Divine Sword?"
The sword spirit shook its head. "The Boundless Divine Sword flew in from beyond the heavens. I tried to escape but couldn't. After the sword body was severed, I fell into a deep sleep and lost consciousness. That sleep lasted eight hundred years."
Zhang Ruochen put the Abyssal Ancient Sword away again, feeling quite disappointed. Not only had he failed to get any useful information from the sword spirit, but he had also added more doubts.
In the following time, Zhang Ruochen took the Withered Wood Pill and prepared to heal his injuries first.
After taking the Withered Wood Pill, just one night was enough for Zhang Ruochen's injuries to fully recover.
Zhang Ruochen did not immediately start cultivating the second level of the Time Sword Art. Instead, he began to refine the Divine Blood, planning to first raise his cultivation to the peak of the first-order Half-Saint.
During his fight with Feng Qin, Zhang Ruochen had deeply realized how frustrating it was to clash with an opponent whose realm was far above his own.
If, at that time, Zhang Ruochen had possessed the cultivation of a peak first-order Half-Saint, he would have handled the situation much more calmly and would not have been so severely injured.
Over the next month, Zhang Ruochen refined the Divine Blood while also cultivating the Dragon-Elephant Prajna Palm and Sword Three.
By practicing palm techniques and sword techniques, he accelerated his absorption of the Divine Blood.
One month later.
Zhang Ruochen sat cross-legged at the base of the Sky-Connecting Divine Tree, completely enveloped by clouds of Saint Qi, as if sitting at the center of chaos. Sword-shaped sword Qi revolved around his body.
His cultivation had reached the peak of the first-order Half-Saint, increasing his power by at least seventy percent compared to the early first-order Half-Saint stage.
In addition, Zhang Ruochen's Sword Dao had also improved, reaching the fourth level of Sword Three.
Now, Zhang Ruochen's strength had greatly increased. If he were to fight Feng Qin again, even without using the Thousand Ripple Annihilation Force, he would have full confidence in defeating him.
Having reached the peak of the first-order Half-Saint, further breakthroughs were very difficult.
Therefore, Zhang Ruochen did not continue cultivating. Instead, he left the Scroll World and returned to the top of the volcano in the Sword Grave.
One month in the Scroll World was only three days in the outside world.
For three days, Xiao Hei had been keeping watch outside.
Of course, it had not been idle. It had been setting up various arrays around the volcano: defensive arrays, offensive arrays, illusion arrays, concealment arrays... Counting carefully, it had already set up nine grand arrays.
Zhang Ruochen was curious and asked, "Xiao Hei, what are you doing?"
"The situation in the Nether King Sword Grave is becoming more and more unstable. Naturally, I must prepare for the worst and establish a hiding place in advance. Able to attack, able to retreat. In the future, if the Undying Blood Clan really breaks in, we can hide here."
Xiao Hei's two claws were busy nonstop. "What about you? Are you going to pay respects to the ancestral masters of the Skyward Sword lineage?"
Zhang Ruochen thought for a moment and said, "There's no rush for that. My cultivation and Sword Dao have made some progress. I'll go spar with Ling Feiyu once and see how strong she is when she goes all out." (To be continued.)