Free Web NovelChapter 588: Chapter 83: This Signature’s Structure Feels Familiar
The cool and sharp blade gently pressed against the woman’s delicate skin, slicing through it as if cutting through tofu, penetrating into the muscle and bones, probing the mysteries within...
For some reason, a long string of images suddenly appeared before Zhao Chenlu’s eyes.
The Celestial Divine Sword remained at the woman’s chest, without advancing further, but Zhao Chenlu seemed to see all the subsequent steps.
It wasn’t foresight, but a recollection.
As people age, humans tend to fall into reminiscing.
On Xiangzhou Continent, where the average life span barely exceeds a century and even cultivators rarely live beyond a few hundred, the 17-year-old Zhao Chenlu, with hundreds of years of life experience, similarly finds herself prone to reminiscing.
Once upon a time, the Celestial Divine Sword had similarly sliced through her flesh, with its sharp edge piercing into her organs and bones, using its unparalleled sharpness to transfer vitality from the Demon Race to her wounded parts, cleansing all toxins and curses, and reviving the dead.
However, that technique was named "Penetration" by the Qing Province girl.
Honestly, thinking back now, the feeling was rather terrible—situations where one had to endure life-threatening injuries on the Immortal Demon Battlefield just to experience the intimate contact of the Celestial Divine Sword, and although she and the Shang Girl would jest about gladly dying for a taste of the Celestial Divine Sword’s "Penetration," they certainly wouldn’t do something so foolish in reality.
Beyond personal life and death, the lives of the Jiu Immortal Venerables were tied to the entire Jiuzhou immortal demon battle situation. They would not joke about the fate of the world, and besides, even they cherished their own lives and wouldn’t seek demise unless absolutely necessary.
Thus, each time they experienced the life-saving grace of the Celestial Divine Sword was in utter desperation, bearing unimaginable pain, thinking back on it now, the suffering before the sweet relief was truly nightmarish.
"So, what is your purpose for planning to dissect this rare specimen?" Zhao Chenlu posed her question after calming down, "Have you uncovered something astonishing?"
The Celestial Divine Sword emphasized efficiency, something deeply understood by the Jiu Immortal Venerables, especially during important matters, Wang Jiu rarely gets distracted, hence Zhao Chenlu didn’t harbor any other thoughts—though she did feel somewhat envious of the corpse lying on the recliner.
Wang Jiu pondered for a moment, bearing in mind Zhao Chenlu’s understanding was rather superior, and transmitted the jade’s contents through Heart Sword to Zhao Chenlu.
In an instant, an unbelievable expression appeared on the woman’s face.
"This is..."
Wang Jiu said, "Quite surprising, isn’t it? Even I was astonished, such a thing, even in the Jiuzhou Era, would be considered a monumental miracle, wouldn’t it?"
In his final sentence, Wang Jiu used a question because even he wasn’t clear about the standard for miracles in the Jiuzhou Era. His life in the Jiuzhou Era was rather unremarkable; aside from the Immortal Dao, his fifty-year life was solely dedicated, completely devoid of attention to worldly changes; even within the Immortal Dao, he was solely engrossed in the Sword Dao.
Unlike other enthusiasts of the Sword Dao, Wang Jiu wasn’t keen on industry dynamics, such as news of emerging talents or new sword techniques by masters...he paid no heed to these matters. Comparing various schools’ strengths, he preferred construction behind closed doors.
This attitude was considered a taboo by most, and those tales of seclusion for decades then emerging undefeated were merely stories; realistically, secluding for decades and re-emerging would be more akin to writing a fictional novel. In a highly civilized society characterized by extensive exchanges in the Immortal Dao, an individual’s wisdom could hardly surpass collective wisdom, more so accumulated over decades.
Wang Jiu was an exception because he acquired unmatched inherent talent from the Sword Pool, enough to single-handedly overpower collective efforts, and for matters he firmly believed, even if everyone opposed him, he’d persist, vice versa alike.
Zhao Chenlu, however, was utterly different; being Jiuzhou’s finest beauty, the former Zhao Yuming had relied not merely on her looks but on her unparalleled ability to navigate social trends, unmatched among the Jiu Immortal Venerables, even surpassing Shang Lanfei in her capability to create turmoil.
Therefore, Zhao Chenlu was an absolute authority in judgment regarding social opinion.
"Of course...it would cause a sensation, the dignified Saint Sect Leader, yet a concealed cross-dressing deviant, digging into this could directly boost magazine and newspaper sales tenfold!"
"Hold on, is your point of focus problematic? Moreover, strictly speaking, he’s or she’s not a cross-dressing deviant, merely has gender recognition differing from the norm."
Zhao Chenlu shook her head, "Rarely does dear you have shortcomings in perception, let me ask you a simple question, according to the theory he left in the jade, what’s the best outcome of time-space reversal? Physical rebirth, right? Based on that crude plan, theoretically, one should be fractured in the process of reversing time, but ultimately not only gained a perfect body at my six-seven point standard, even the skin, nails, hair were impeccably arranged, naturally, given a certain cause-and-effect relationship, these elements are understandable, but how do you explain this dress?"
"Huh?"
"No matter how time reverses or Yin-Yang is reversed, logically, even clothes shouldn’t reincarnate, right? This skirt was evidently prepared before his rebirth! Moreover, considering the style and texture, it’s something he meticulously arranged long beforehand, not something hastily crafted after upload; in other words, he was already a cross-dressing expert before uploading, what’s wrong in calling such a person a deviant?!"
"So that’s it, a cross-dressing pervert." Wang Jiu always accepted Zhao Chenlu’s conclusions without question, because he knew his own cognitive abilities had limits, so for things outside his expertise, he relied on expert judgment.
"However, the core of the problem is not whether he is a pervert, but in this process..."
"The process isn’t actually so unfathomable. What you find hard to understand is what exactly that mysterious force is, right?"
Wang Jiu was surprised and said, "By saying this, do you mean you know the answer?"
"Originally, I didn’t know, but after seeing this letter, I roughly guessed it... You missed the correct answer because of your tunnel vision; there was no need to dissect the corpse, the answer was right in front of you. In these ruins of the Immortal Demon Battlefield, what could have silently watched over humanity for so long?"
Upon hearing this, Wang Jiu finally realized the answer.
Besides himself, what other force could continue to exist in this twisted, chaotic time-space until now?
"...Ashamed."
"If anyone should be ashamed, it’s me for not being able to sense the presence of the one I loved most." Zhao Chenlu sighed, "Time is truly ruthless. Even the Dao Laws, once considered the truth, have become unrecognizable after ten thousand years. And the aura I once would never mistake, no matter what, I can’t feel it at all now. To be honest, I can’t feel it now either."
Wang Jiu was silent for a moment, then said, "I can’t feel it either."
This time it was Zhao Chenlu’s turn to be silent.
"You know the answer, yet you still can’t feel your own aura? Really? The Sword Intent of the Celestial Divine Sword is the closest thing in the vast universe to an eternal existence. Even the Demon Emperor couldn’t distort your Sword Intent back then, and now you can’t even feel it yourself? Impossible..."
Before she finished speaking, Zhao Chenlu could no longer hold back and unfolded her Primordial Spirit, capturing the surrounding changes to the utmost extent.
Then she instantly felt a slight prickling sensation, as if pricked by countless tiny needles. Upon closer inspection, she discovered that these needles, sweeping through the chaotic flow of time and space, were actually protecting her Primordial Spirit in a very gentle manner, safeguarding it from the fierce chaos. However, due to the inherent nature of Sword Intent, anyone sensing it would inevitably experience a bit of stimulation.
"It is indeed Sword Intent, but it feels very different from you back then, almost as if it has become more..."
Zhao Chenlu chewed on the tiny shards of Sword Intent that attached to her while carefully choosing her words.
The touch of the Primordial Spirit is difficult to describe with existing language. Those swirling shards of Sword Intent are so subtly intricate, not a complete and indestructible existence; they are fragments shattered by some great force. Yet, miraculously, they have not been completely exterminated. Even as mere powder, they have continued to exist in this form. Then, having been imbued in this sea for countless years, they have become unrecognizable.
Even Zhao Chenlu, who loved it most, and its original master could no longer sense its presence.
"In this way, Xiao Bai’s talent mystery might be solved as well," Zhao Chenlu said. "Back then, you immersed yourself in the Sword Pool and by a stroke of luck gained your talent. Perhaps Xiao Bai soaked in the Nether Sea and obtained your legacy? Even if it’s just one ten-thousandth, it’s enough to dominate the Xiangzhou Continent. Honestly, I’m a bit envious... This reincarnated body isn’t as useful as the previous one."
But Wang Jiu remained uncertain.
Zhao Chenlu’s hypothesis made sense; if his legacy truly lingered here, prolonged immersion might indeed result in a miraculous transformation into a Sword Dao genius.
Objectively speaking, such a possibility exists. Though it can’t be explained by any known theory, Wang Jiu himself was an inexplicable miracle, so he never denied the potential for other miracles to occur.
Nevertheless, he still felt there were too many unbelievable aspects within this.
Because the Nether Sea contained remnants of his Sword Intent, Xiao Bai was refined here, becoming the top genius in Xiangzhou?
If something so beneficial existed in the world, why not have Shen Qingming take a dip too?
At that moment, Zhao Chenlu suddenly let out a gasp.
"T-this, there’s a signature left behind here!"
"Yimila"
