Chapter 907: Nine Lives, Nine Deaths, Nine Cycles of Reincarnation
"Everyone, quiet down." A stone statue of an ancestral master standing at the top of the altar spoke, and immediately, the other ancestral master stone statues shut their mouths, saying no more.
It must be known that the higher the position of a stone statue, the higher the seniority it represented.
The stone statue standing at the very top was undoubtedly the first-generation ancestral master of the Skyward Sword Lineage.
The first-generation ancestral master's figure was quite gaunt, with a high, straight nose bridge, a deep lightning mark imprinted on his brow, and eyes that emitted a flame-like radiance.
Even though it was merely a stone statue, it still gave off an immensely oppressive aura.
The first-generation ancestral master's gaze fixed on Zhang Ruochen, and he said, "Zhang Ruochen, do you know the origin of the Nine Lives Sword Art?"
"Disciple does not know," Zhang Ruochen replied.
The first-generation ancestral master continued, "The entire Kunlun Realm has four great sword dao sacred lands: the Sword Pavilion of the Taiji Dao, the Martial God Mountain of the Martial Market Bank, the Ten Thousand Fragrance City by the Snow Willow River, and the Wang Clan of the Nether King Sword Grave. They are known as the Sword Pavilion, Sword Mountain, Sword City, and Sword Clan."
"Sword cultivators can only learn sacred art-level sword techniques at these four sword dao sacred lands. Among them, the Sword Pavilion possesses the 'Wordless Sword Manual,' which encompasses all sword techniques under heaven and is the foremost of the four sword dao sacred lands."
"The Wang Clan of the Nether King Sword Grave was also immensely glorious ten thousand years ago, not only producing ten sword saints but even a Great Saint among sword saints."
"However, in recent years, the Wang Clan has failed to produce top-tier sword dao geniuses, with a gap between generations, leading to their gradual decline. Among the four sword dao sacred lands, they can only be considered the bottom."
"The Wang Clan has a total of six sacred art-level sword techniques, with each of the six sword bearers cultivating one of them, passed down from generation to generation."
Zhang Ruochen asked, "Why did the bearer of the Heaven-Burying Sword simultaneously cultivate both the Nine Lives Sword Art and the Nine Deaths Sword Art?"
The first-generation ancestral master continued, "In truth, what is called the Nine Lives Sword Art and the Nine Deaths Sword Art are actually the same sword technique, known as the Nine Lives, Nine Deaths, Nine Cycles of Reincarnation Sword Art."
"However, the Nine Lives, Nine Deaths, Nine Cycles of Reincarnation Sword Art is extremely difficult to cultivate. Even sword saints rarely achieve mastery. Therefore, the ancestral master of the Heaven-Burying Sword lineage split it into three simpler sword techniques: the Nine Lives Sword Art, the Nine Deaths Sword Art, and the Nine Cycles of Reincarnation Sword Art."
"As for you wanting to break the first move of the Nine Lives Sword Art, it can be said to be both difficult and not difficult. Our Skyward Sword lineage's True One Thunderfire Sword Art has a move that can counter it."
Zhang Ruochen's heart stirred, and he asked, "How long would it take to master the True One Thunderfire Sword Art?"
"The True One Thunderfire Sword Art is no simpler than the Nine Lives, Nine Deaths, Nine Cycles of Reincarnation Sword Art. Even with your talent, without twenty years of hard cultivation, you cannot hope to achieve anything," the first-generation ancestral master said.
Zhang Ruochen smiled helplessly and said, "Disciple has already declared that I can break the first move of the Nine Lives Sword Art within three days. Tomorrow is the appointed time with her. It seems I won't be able to break her sword technique."
"That's not necessarily true."
The first-generation ancestral master added, "I witnessed your battle with her. At that time, you used a sword technique that incorporated the power of time. If you can merge the moves of the True One Thunderfire Sword Art with the power of time, you might still have a chance to break that move."
Hearing the first-generation ancestral master's words, Zhang Ruochen's eyes lit up.
The difficulty of cultivating the True One Thunderfire Sword Art lay not in learning the sword moves themselves, but in comprehending the sword dao rules integrated into the technique.
As long as Zhang Ruochen could learn the sword moves and then incorporate the Time Imprint, why worry about being unable to break Ling Feiyu's Nine Lives Sword Art?
Next, the sixteenth-generation ancestral master taught Zhang Ruochen the moves of the True One Thunderfire Sword Art.
The sixteenth-generation ancestral master demonstrated it only once, and Zhang Ruochen had already grasped seven or eight out of ten.
After three demonstrations, Zhang Ruochen could perfectly control all seventy-two moves of the True One Thunderfire Sword Art.
"The moves of the True One Thunderfire Sword Art have all been taught to you. Whether you can break the sword moves of the Heaven-Burying Sword bearer now depends on your own comprehension."
After demonstrating the moves, the sixteenth-generation ancestral master flew back to the altar.
Next, Zhang Ruochen entered the Cosmic Divine Wood Map again to continue comprehending the True One Thunderfire Sword Art.
"Whoosh!"
Beneath the Sky-Connecting Divine Tree, a semi-transparent shadow identical to Zhang Ruochen separated from his physical body, condensing into another Zhang Ruochen.
That was a Half-Saint Doppelganger.
As long as one reached the Half-Saint realm, they could separate out one or more doppelgangers.
Next, Zhang Ruochen's original self and his doppelganger practiced the Nine Lives Sword Art and the True One Thunderfire Sword Art respectively, one attacking and one defending, continuing for five days straight.
After five days, Zhang Ruochen left the Scroll World, returned to Bamboo Knot Mountain, and challenged Ling Feiyu.
"Are you sure you can break my Nine Lives Sword Art?" Ling Feiyu sat cross-legged beside a spiritual spring stream, her beautiful eyes containing purple haze, sizing up Zhang Ruochen.
In just three short days, how much progress could Zhang Ruochen possibly make?
Zhang Ruochen stood in the distance, arms crossed over his chest, and said, "The Nine Lives Sword Art is profound and vast, with numerous variations. How could it be broken in just three days? However, I am still willing to give it a try. What if I get lucky and succeed?"
Ling Feiyu nodded slightly and slowly stood up.
Invisibly, a vast aura naturally emanated from her, surging toward Zhang Ruochen.
At this moment, she was like a boundless ocean, and Zhang Ruochen was a small boat on the sea.
Any random wave crashing down seemed capable of tearing Zhang Ruochen apart.
"Since you are so confident, how could I, this saint, not oblige you?"
Without any warning, Ling Feiyu flicked her sleeve, sweeping up the water from the nearby spiritual spring. With her hands opening and closing, nine hundred and ninety-nine water droplets coalesced into a liquid longsword.
"Whoosh——"
Her jade hand pushed forward, and thick sacred qi propelled the liquid longsword flying out.
The liquid longsword rushed before Zhang Ruochen and immediately disintegrated into droplets, forming nine hundred and ninety-nine light shuttles, charging at Zhang Ruochen at ten times the speed.
Just as Ling Feiyu made her move, Zhang Ruochen also thrust his sword forward, twisting his wrist, and immediately manifested the phantom images of nine sword moves.
"Clap, clap."
All the water droplets were sent flying by the Abyssal Ancient Sword.
The entire process was smooth and fluid, as if nine Zhang Ruochens were acting simultaneously. Yet, in the blink of an eye, the nine figures had already overlapped into one.
Zhang Ruochen immediately sheathed his sword, looking at the water droplets on the Abyssal Ancient Sword, revealing a hint of joy, and laughed, "The variations of Taixu Light Splitting are indeed many, but the most fundamental sword dao rules are only nine. With just nine sword moves, it can be broken."
Ling Feiyu's almond-shaped eyes showed a glimmer of surprise, and she said, "This is a move from the True One Thunderfire Sword Art, called Nine Returning to One..."
Ling Feiyu immediately shook her head and said, "No, you only learned the moves, not the sword dao rules. You merely used the power of time to execute the True One Thunderfire Sword Art in an instant."
"Regardless, I have still broken your move," Zhang Ruochen said.
Ling Feiyu smiled a rare, radiant smile and said, "Zhang Ruochen, if you and I were born in the same era, I might not necessarily be your match. But I have walked ahead of you after all. No matter how high your talent, you won't be able to catch up. You can break the first move of the Nine Lives Sword Art, but can you break the second move?"
Ling Feiyu never admitted defeat and had an extremely strong competitive spirit. Therefore, she immediately executed the second sword and attacked Zhang Ruochen.
"Blue Sea Azure Sky."
The second move of the Nine Lives Sword Art was bold and unrestrained, simple in execution, with no subtlety to speak of.
Ling Feiyu used her hand as a sword and slashed directly at Zhang Ruochen.
In Zhang Ruochen's eyes, it was as if the entire sky was pressing down on him. He could neither retreat nor advance, nor could he even raise his sword to block.
This seemingly simple move was even harder to break than "Taixu Light Splitting."
Forced into a corner, Zhang Ruochen had no choice but to use a move from the Time Sword Art again, swinging it out hastily.
"Boom!"
The Abyssal Ancient Sword collided with Ling Feiyu's arm, but it could not cut through the Lightning Mother Purple Robe. Instead, a powerful force surged through the sword body and struck Zhang Ruochen.
Zhang Ruochen flew backward to the right, crashing into the stone wall of the cave dwelling, sliding down, and kneeling on one knee, supporting himself with his sword, looking extremely disheveled.
With a crack, the hair crown on his head broke, and his long hair fell loose.
Seeing Zhang Ruochen in this state, Ling Feiyu nodded with satisfaction and said, "In just three days, your sword dao has improved quite a bit, comparable to a year of hard cultivation by another sword cultivator. However, it is still somewhat difficult for you to block my move."
Zhang Ruochen endured the pain in his body and slowly stood up.
If it were someone else with such arrogance, Zhang Ruochen would have found it quite repulsive. However, Ling Feiyu's arrogance was something he could not bring himself to dislike.
In truth, Zhang Ruochen understood very well that although the two seemed to be sparring, Ling Feiyu was actually teaching Zhang Ruochen sword dao.
Moreover, she seemed to intend to teach Zhang Ruochen the Nine Lives Sword Art.
"Regardless, you have still broken the first move of the Nine Lives Sword Art, and I will fulfill my promise."
Ling Feiyu took a small jade bottle from her Space Bracelet and tossed it to Zhang Ruochen, adding, "Inside the bottle is a Sacred Origin Pill, which can help you break through to the Second-Step Half-Saint faster."
Zhang Ruochen reached out and caught the small bottle, asking, "How many drops of divine blood?"
"One sword practice session costs ten drops of divine blood. One Sacred Origin Pill also costs ten drops of divine blood. You owe me a total of twenty drops of divine blood," Ling Feiyu said.
Zhang Ruochen took out twenty drops of divine blood, handed them to Ling Feiyu, and immediately left the cave dwelling, heading toward the Sword Grave.
"What a formidable sword dao prodigy. If he could join the Divine Sect, he might even contend with Ouyang Huan for the position of Divine Son."
Ling Feiyu held the twenty drops of divine blood in her jade-like, soft hand, her eyes emitting a deep, radiant light.
The Mu Clan did not dare to bring Zhang Ruochen back to the Moon Worship Demon Sect because they feared offending the forces behind Ouyang Huan.
However, Ling Feiyu was one of the nine palace masters, a figure with a strong background. Within the sect, there was no one she dared not offend, except for the sect leader.