Chapter 159
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Chapter 159: Bamboo Sword and Bright Moon
Ming He opened her eyes to a scene of oppressive darkness and a sky streaked with blood. The air was heavy with the chilling scent of blood and the acrid smoke of battle.
She slowly turned her gaze, taking in the cramped space enclosed by tattered boards. She lay on a bloodstained black stone slab, a thin layer of white satin beneath her—nothing more.
The relentless brutality of the battlefield of the heavens continually reshaped her understanding.
Propping herself up with the North Star Sword, Ming He gradually sat up and fixed her eyes on the woman seated cross-legged before her.
Nineteen, draped in flowing black clothes, sat on the bloodied ground. Before her lay a black array plate, its colorful array flags fluttering wildly in the howling wind, hinting at the profound mysteries of the Great Path.
It seemed she was deep in contemplation of formation mastery, all while keeping watch over Ming He.
Realizing this, Ming He felt a momentary pang of surprise. The absence of the Xuanyuan Sword, Jing Ying Sword, or Blue Sea Sword did not unsettle her. She simply sat cross-legged, adjusting the hem of her blue robe.
She laid the faintly golden North Star Sword, now tainted with the scent of blood, across her knees and closed her starry eyes. Focusing inward, she activated the Star Lock to examine her meridians, where she saw pure white spiritual energy mingling with swirling crimson blood energy.
That blood energy belonged to the other races.
More precisely, it was the blood energy of the Tian Yan Tribe.
Since leaving Tianwu East City, every time she killed a member of the Tian Yan Tribe, she felt a new trace of blood energy within her. This energy seeped through her meridians into her spiritual ocean, merging with her once-pure spiritual energy.
On her journey to the central pavilion, her Xuanyuan Sword and Jing Ying Sword had undoubtedly been drenched in blood countless times. The sheer number of Tian Yan Tribe members slain by the Big Dipper Seven Star Sword Array made it clear why her spiritual ocean now harbored this stubborn alien blood energy.
Alien blood energy.
Ming He frowned slightly, instinctively attempting to expel it using her Star Power. But after a moment, she realized it wasn’t so simple.
This alien energy clung to her like a persistent leech, unyielding to both Star Power and her vast spiritual energy. It was firmly rooted in her spiritual ocean, impossible to dislodge.
Yet, it was clear she wasn’t the only one afflicted.
Ming He recalled the actions of Ye Ke and others on the battlefield, her thoughts turning pensive.
If she wasn’t the only one invaded by alien blood energy, if everyone else experienced the same, then each kill of a Tian Yan Tribe member would add another trace of this energy to their spiritual oceans. How, then, had the human race endured for thousands of years?
The records of the human race made no mention of this, suggesting it was of little consequence.
Moreover…
Ming He slowed her breathing, her mind turning to another question.
Without the spiritual energy of heaven and earth on the battlefield of the heavens, how did the human race cultivate and achieve breakthroughs?
Heaven and earth spiritual energy, alien blood energy.
Like a stubborn leech.
As she pondered the connection, a flash of insight struck her. She felt the once-solid alien blood energy within her tremble under the force of her vast spiritual energy, a sign that it was beginning to dissolve and merge with her own.
All things in heaven and earth exist in mutual generation and restriction.
Ming He’s furrowed brow relaxed as she heard the woman’s clear, approving voice: “You’re right. It’s exactly as you think.”
Nineteen’s voice carried a measured rhythm, resonating with the melody of the Great Path: “Every time you kill a Tian Yan Tribe member, the black fog in the battlefield of the heavens thickens, and the human race’s spiritual ocean gains another trace of alien blood energy.”
“This is the Tian Yan Tribe’s final act of resistance as they die. Though that trace of blood energy is faint, it is incredibly difficult to eliminate and slowly consumes the pure spiritual energy of the human race.”
“The human race has exhausted every effort to remove it, but eventually, they wondered: if they couldn’t expel it, could they dissolve it and make it their own?”
The woman in black smiled faintly: “In the battlefield of the heavens, there is no spiritual energy of heaven and earth, but there is an abundance of alien blood energy. If the human race refines this energy to cultivate, then killing the Tian Yan Tribe becomes a path to continued growth and strength.”
She gazed at Ming He with bright, earnest eyes, her voice tinged with a hint of a sigh. “Ming He, your insight is correct.”
The human race held great expectations for Ming He, the young leader who had been recognized by the Star Lock. Part of her initial respect for Ming He was indeed due to the Star Lock.
Yet, as she observed the poised figure of the blue-clad woman sitting upright, she felt that the Star Lock was perhaps the world’s greatest misconception about her.
Even without the Star Lock, the title of young leader was one she rightfully deserved.
Ming He was the young leader of the human race, perhaps simply because she was Ming He.
With her unmatched grace and astonishing insights, she was destined to shine with the brilliance of nine heavens.
Thus, Nineteen, from a prestigious swordsmanship lineage, looked upon her and, for the first time, bowed her proud head in genuine respect, completing the formal greeting to the young leader.
Ming He, using the Star Lock to steady her fluctuating aura, slowly opened her eyes to meet the reverent gaze of the girl in black, her heart momentarily stilled.
She nodded and inquired, “Has the crisis in Tianwu East City been resolved?”
Ming He instinctively shook her right wrist, where the previous soreness had completely disappeared.
Though unsure of how long she had been unconscious, she knew that mere spiritual energy could not have healed her to this extent.
She looked at Nineteen, sensing the depletion of her inner spiritual energy, and a flicker of gratitude passed through her eyes. “So, the cultivation of the human race on the battlefield of the heavens relies on refining the blood energy obtained from the Tian Yan Tribe?”
“Yes,” Nineteen confirmed with a nod.
“Where is my sword?” Ming He’s gaze fell to the North Star Sword resting on her knees, her voice soft, her emotions momentarily adrift.
“The North Star Sword is the core of the Big Dipper Seven Star Sword Array, and it rightfully belongs to you.”
Nineteen chuckled lightly, “It has taken a liking to you.”
No sword would fail to admire a person with such a radiant heart.
“The Xuanyuan Sword, Jing Ying Sword, Blue Sea Sword, and Longquan Sword have been taken by the commander.”
“The violent energy and the blood energy of the alien races on the battlefield hinder the sword blade’s movement and disrupt the sword cultivator’s techniques.”
“They were taken for refinement and will be returned once the process is complete.”
Nineteen explained gently, her lips curving slightly at Ming He’s puzzled expression. “Do you remember the Phoenix Fire Seed you brought back from the Donghua Realm?”
The Phoenix Fire Seed from the Donghua Realm was said to be of the most intense heat, capable of incinerating all things in the world.
Ming He certainly had not forgotten.
Because of the Phoenix Fire Seed, she still owed a favor to Feng Xin, the leader of the Phoenix Clan.
Though she had later evaded it with clever word traps, the Blood Oath remained, and she was still indebted to Feng Xin.
“Your sword will be refined using the Phoenix Fire Seed.”
“The North Star Sword has already been refined with it, so its techniques will differ from those of the Xuanyuan Swords,” Nineteen asked with a smile.
Indeed, they would.
Ming He’s brows relaxed as understanding dawned within her.
No wonder, when she used the Xuanyuan Sword to cut through the air on the battlefield, she always felt an invisible barrier.
The North Star Sword would not face such resistance.
“The heavy armor you initially wore was also refined with the Phoenix Fire Seed.” Nineteen looked at Ming He, now clad in simple blue clothes, and lowered her gaze. “But with your current strength, there’s no need for the black heavy armor.”
Once Ming He had fully refined the murky blood energy within her, she would ascend to the pinnacle of the Human King stage.
From there, the Earth Emperor Realm would be within her grasp.
And beyond that…
The Great Emperor Realm.
Nineteen’s breath hitched as she murmured those words, her heart ablaze with fervor, which eventually settled into a knowing smile, holding back unspoken thoughts.
“What is it you wish to say?” Ming He asked, her posture erect, her breathing steady and calm as she spoke.
Her blue robes fluttered gently, exuding an aura as dignified as Qin Chu Yi’s, perhaps influenced by her, adding a touch of noble elegance that accentuated the jade crown adorning her head.
For a moment, Nineteen was lost in thought, recalling the sword cultivator she had first encountered in the cave—bright and radiant, yet still tinged with youthful naivety. The woman before her now was a far cry from that memory.
“Young leader,” Nineteen said with a respectful bow, “I have a plan, and I need your assistance.”
“What plan?” Ming He inquired, her gaze falling upon the girl in black, who had lowered her eyes. Her aura was restrained, her emotions unreadable.
“I wish to eradicate the dense black fog that shrouds the battlefield of the heavens,” Nineteen declared, her voice trembling with excitement, her eyes alight with ambition.
Knowing Ming He was not deeply versed in this matter, Nineteen patiently explained, “The sky above the battlefield of the heavens is cloaked in endless darkness and the black fog that clings to it.”
“No one knows the origin of this black fog. Yet, it obscures the vision of the human race and stifles our spiritual energy, greatly hindering our battles against the Tian Yan Tribe.”
“For thousands of years, with every Tian Yan Tribe warrior slain on the battlefield, the black fog has grown thicker.”
“It seems an insurmountable problem.”
“But now, the human race can refine the blood energy of other races to enhance our cultivation. All things in nature are interconnected; perhaps we can find a solution to this as well.”
Ming He paused, considering the confidence, boldness, and ambition in Nineteen’s eyes, then asked, “What do you propose?”
“The Ancient Formation of Heaven is a legacy of the ancient formation master. In my youth, I stumbled into a secret realm and was fortunate to inherit this knowledge,” Nineteen began, momentarily caught off guard by Ming He’s question, but she continued:
“‘Seal the heavens’ means to bind the world and transform it into a realm governed by formation.”
“If all goes well, it may not only dispel the black fog enveloping the myriad worlds.”
There would also be the violent winds, the alien blood energy, and the countless armies of the Tian Yan Tribe to contend with.
Nineteen exhaled deeply, quelling the storm of emotions within her.
She had never sought merely to defend.
After millennia of relentless struggle and bloodshed, she yearned for the human race to rise and stand tall among the myriad worlds, to demand why they had been so oppressed.
Survival of the fittest.
If one day, the weak were no longer the human race,
Then the myriad worlds would need a new name.
“The battle at the central pavilion has already set the Sealing Sky Formation in motion; we are but one step away from dispelling the black fog!” Nineteen clenched her fists, her expression resolute. “Just because it wasn’t possible then doesn’t mean it won’t be in the future.”
She fixed her gaze on Ming He, awaiting her response, the fire in her eyes burning brighter than ever.
This idea had taken root in her mind from the moment she inherited the formation mastery.
Back then, the human race was too weak to protect itself, and the grand formation could not be completed without the Star Lock.
So she had waited.
But now, Ming He had already reached the seventh level of the Human King stage.
She had arrived at the battlefield of the heavens.
From Tianwu East City to the central pavilion, Ming He had slain countless members of the Tian Yan Tribe.
The thick aura of blood energy enveloped her, serving as the perfect medium.
Using the blood energy of the alien race to dispel the black fog of the heavens, even knowing it was a daunting task, there was still a chance of success.
She would be the chess piece.
She herself was the eye of the formation.
Yet, all of this required Ming He’s assistance.
Back in the ancient cave dwelling, they had fought side by side, and Ming He had obtained the Star Lock. She had deepened her commitment to formation mastery, and each of them had gained something from the experience.
If they could fight together once more, bearing the banner of the human race, what kind of victory might they achieve?
Nineteen gazed at Ming He, her emotions churning within.
Ming He returned her gaze.
After a long silence, Ming He smiled and asked, “What do you need me to do?”
To dispel the black fog and bring the light of the sun, moon, and stars into the battlefield of the heavens.
What an audacious ambition!
But who could say it was impossible?
A warmth began to rise in Ming He’s chest.
She recalled her battle with Mu Xuan Ye in the ancient cave dwelling.
Thus, she did not consider her agreement to Nineteen’s request to be rash; it felt natural, and she was eager.
She longed to see the blazing sunlight illuminate the blood-soaked battlefield of the heavens, exposing the Tian Yan Tribe to the light. How breathtaking would it be when the deepest darkness clashed with the radiant moonlight?
It would surely be a sight to behold.
Nineteen felt a wave of relief, her lips curving into a radiant smile that dispelled the oppressive silence of the confined space: “Cultivate, grow strong, kill enemies.”
“I need you to unleash all your knowledge and skills, slaughtering countless Tian Yan Tribe members in that moment, condensing the blood energy within your heart, and then channeling it into the array flags using the power of the Star Lock.”
She rose to her feet, her expression more serious than ever: “This will be extremely difficult.”
Condensing blood energy within her heart meant she would constantly face the risk of being consumed by it.
Ming He also stood slowly, “It’s fine.”
She had the confidence.
Besides, Nineteen had only spoken of what she needed to do, not what she herself would have to endure.
As the one who would wield the array flags and command the ancient formation, the price Nineteen would pay was likely far heavier than Ming He could imagine.
If Nineteen could bear it, why couldn’t she?
“I will inform the seniors of the Earth Emperor Realm to do everything in their power to protect us and ensure the plan succeeds,” Nineteen said.
Yet, deep down, they both knew that escaping unscathed was impossible.
The only difference lay in the severity of the injuries… and the matter of life and death.
“Alright.” Ming He nodded.
“Then for the time being, you focus on refining the alien blood energy, and leave the rest of the arrangements to me.”
Breaking the Grand Formation of the Black Fog, of course, could not be settled in just a few words.
Nineteen had much more to do.
She needed to discuss specific matters with the powerful allies of the Earth Emperor Realm, to mobilize the human race cultivators from the Four Cities of Tianwu to guard the city walls while surrounding the central pavilion, and to figure out the movement patterns of the Tian Yan Tribe’s army as they unconsciously drifted through the battlefield…
That part could be left to her.
Ming He needed to heal her wounds at this moment.
If only Qin Chu Yi were here.
Nineteen thought to herself.
Although both were from the same clan, the Young Master of the Sword Pavilion was different from the Qin Clan, the leader of the Ancient Clan.
In terms of the above matters, if handed over to Qin Chu Yi, it should be done effortlessly and skillfully.
After all, she had been accepting her family’s inheritance as a successor since her birth, which naturally included how to manage a clan.
Qin Chu Yi was the chosen heir by the Ancient Emperor’s Tomb and was originally a candidate for the young leader.
Nineteen glanced at Ming He with a hint of envy, “Do you have any more questions?”
She had asked out of politeness, mentally prepared to take her leave, but unexpectedly, Ming He blinked and replied solemnly, “Yes.”
She stepped forward and grasped the bamboo sword that had been floating silently as if it didn’t exist, asking Nineteen, “Why doesn’t this sword need to be tempered?”
The Xuanyuan Sword, Jing Ying Sword, Blue Sea Sword, and Longquan Sword had all been taken by that leader, so why didn’t the bamboo sword need it?
Nineteen paused, looking deeply at the bamboo sword, “What is its name?”
“Bright Moon.” Ming He said.
This was the name she had given to the bamboo sword.
To grasp the Bright Moon at the Highest Point of the Heavens, bright and unparalleled.
“Why was it created?” Nineteen continued to inquire.
Ming He did not answer.
Nineteen then laughed lightly and turned to leave.
Why was it created? It was born because of Qing Yue.
The other swords required the tempering of the Phoenix Fire Seed, but the Bright Moon Sword did not.
It could only be because Yóu Lìng had thought of this day when she handed it to her.
She knew she would bring this sword to the battlefield of the heavens.
She even knew about the existence of the Big Dipper Seven Star Sword Array.
Ming He’s expression grew complex as she sat cross-legged again, lowering her gaze to sense the presence that connected her life force in the unseen realm, summoning a black figure that knelt before her, bowing its head in silence.
“Mu Nan Zhi.” Ming He softly called her name.
