Azure Nether Sword Record: Sword name Pengyun.
Ranked as a top-grade Earth-tier artifact, it was forged from abyssal cold iron and extreme ice essence, infused with the ancient Golden Peng's spirit.
It is three feet seven inches long and as heavy as Cold Pond profound iron.
It once slew 124 Dongxuan Realm cultivators, executed 36 Void Return Dao Lords, and caused the demise of three Tribulation Transcending Venerables.
Dao Lord Zisu's words had not yet finished.
Within Qing Feng's Sea of Consciousness, the Kun shadow churned.
Another streak of light pierced through the air, causing all swords to hum in unison.
...
Only now did Qing Feng realize that although he hadn't condensed a Sword Heart, myriad sword spirits bowed to him. It was because of the many karmic ties he had formed in his early years.
Just as he was about to break through the air to find Zisu and Qin Yue, he suddenly saw mist surging. An ancient bronze hilt appeared in mid-air, without dazzling light or pervasive sword intent, yet it caused all surrounding Earth-tier spirit weapons to retreat, as if seeing a monarch.
"What is this thing?" Qin Yue's dark hair slightly lifted.
Zisu gazed at the sword hilt, pondering, "I can identify all Earth-tier spirit weapons, but Heaven-tier ancient swords contain profound mysteries and will not reveal their true form without an owner."
"It's called Autumn Water."
Qing Feng's fingertips lightly tapped the void, and the ancient bronze hilt suddenly chimed clearly, transforming into a streak of light that hovered three inches above his palm. Instantly, the Sword Mound roared with the sound of water; the gentle tinkling of mountain springs intertwined with the thunderous roar of raging seas, forming a Dao rhythm.
A cicada-wing-like blade extended from the hilt, its form imperceptible to the naked eye, yet his divine sense saw its sharpness cleaving the void.
"A Heaven-tier spirit weapon?" Qin Yue's cherry lips slightly parted.
Qing Feng lightly grasped the hilt, and a vast sword intent seeped from his palm lines into his meridians. He suddenly felt a surge of battle intent in his spirit, even developing an impulse to discuss and test swords with Zisu.
"Is this cultivation truly Foundation Establishment Realm?" Dao Lord Zisu scrutinized the young man with piercing gaze, his dark Daoist robe moving without wind.
Qing Feng stroked the sword body and chuckled, "When has a divine weapon ever chosen its master based on cultivation level?" The sword body echoed him, emitting a moon-like glow that made the cinnabar between his brows appear even more vivid.
Dao Lord Zisu's wide sleeves unfurled, drawing in the Heaven and Earth's Qi refinement, and nine layers of restrictions instantly enveloped the entire Sword Pavilion: "The Heavenly Gang Big Dipper Array is complete. This sword shall be temporarily sealed in the Yaoguang position. When you form your Golden Core, I will personally unseal it for you."
The hilt spun in mid-air, emitting a clear, ringing hum, as if confirming something. Suddenly, the sword light flared intensely, and thirty-six star patterns emerged from the blue bricks, transforming into streaks of light accompanied by dragon-like tremors, disappearing into the earth's veins.
On the Cloud Viewing Platform, several elders simultaneously pressed their Natal Swords. In that instant, they had actually felt an urge to prostrate themselves before that sword light. Dao Lord Zisu's knuckles lightly tapped a jade chime, and the clear sound dispersed the restless sword intent within a ten-mile radius: "This child's demeanor truly resembles that of Master Ancestor Xuanwei back then."
Qing Feng's spiritual platform suddenly trembled slightly, and stars seemed to flicker in his Sea of Consciousness. He suppressed the unusual sensation, and by the time he looked up, his gaze had returned to clarity: "For tonight's matter, I ask Shibo to take care of it thoroughly."
The sound of something breaking through the air came from the horizon, and seven sword rainbows arrived in an instant. Dao Lord Zisu swept his whisk, and a blue mist immediately rose from the cloud-patterned stone steps: "They've come at just the right time, saving me the trouble of sending messages to each Peak."
"The anomaly of ten thousand swords saluting..." Peak Lord Qi Yuancheng of Danyang Peak's voice trailed off, as he was astonished to see a stellar map of the cosmos faintly appearing around Qing Feng, beside Zisu. Although only at Foundation Establishment cultivation, a profound Dao rhythm flowed between his brows.
"This child is Qing Feng," Dao Lord Zisu's fingertips condensed a Shadow Tracer , "He ventured alone into the Netherworld Valley as a mortal. Such a character is worthy of inheriting my Zhijian Peak's legacy."
Discipline Elder Mu Zhengting carefully observed the scene in the Trace Shadow: a blood moon hung in the sky, and a young man stood atop a mountain of corpses, holding a broken blade, with a slowly forming Asura Dharma Idol behind him. He subconsciously took half a step back, and the evil-suppressing jade pendant at his waist emitted a dazzling red light.
"Since he is a direct disciple of a Dao Lord..." True Lord Qin Heng's fingers in his sleeve calculated the heavenly secrets, but suddenly felt his fate plate vibrate, and hastily withdrew his divination technique, "This child's destiny is actually not within the Three Realms' fate?"
Dao Lord Zisu suddenly joined his fingers to form a sword, and a mighty sword intent soared straight into the sky. The myriad stars in the sky shifted accordingly, forming a Heaven-covering innate Eight Trigrams Array: "If word of today's matter leaves the Sword Pavilion, do not blame my Grand Void Sword for not showing fellow Sect member camaraderie."
In the Zhijian Peak's External Affairs Hall, the gray-robed elder at the registration desk flipped through the jade scroll, the wrinkles between his brows deepening: "According to Sect regulations, even a menial Disciple, anyone who resides permanently on Zhijian Peak must be registered and entered into the records."
Qing Feng, standing in the hall, lowered his eyes and mused, why are all the people on Zhijian Peak, from elders to Disciples, so unworldly, like wooden figures with stone hearts? Being so inflexible, their immortal path will likely encounter obstacles everywhere in the future.
"I was negligent," Dao Lord Zisu lightly flicked her wide sleeves, the dark golden cloud patterns on her dark Daoist robe subtly flowing, her frank demeanor as if speaking of an ordinary matter.
The managing elder and Mu Zhengting exchanged puzzled glances. As a vital area of the Sect, Zhijian Peak's mountain-protecting array rotated its talismans every three days, and unregistered individuals couldn't even touch the mountain gate.
However, this unusual occurrence, when attributed to Dao Lord Zisu, seemed somewhat reasonable; who didn't know that this Dao Lord often wandered, and of her four direct Disciples, three guarded the Northern Desolate Demonic Abyss, leaving only Shen Ti to guard the cave mansion.
"So, this child was merely a menial Disciple before?" Mu Zhengting's knuckles tapped the green jade table, "A Dao Lord taking a Disciple should at least have a procedure."
"I formally accepted him as my Disciple in the Bixi Mystic Realm," Dao Lord Zisu's fingertips condensed a wisp of sword qi, outlining the Sect's seal in the void, "This menial Disciple was originally running errands for Shen Ti, delivering sword cases. Who knew the Mystic Realm would suddenly change..."
"How could a menial Disciple enter a trial Mystic Realm?" Mu Zhengting realized before he finished speaking, "Was it Shen Ti being lazy again?"
Dao Lord Zisu nodded, and the several elders in the hall all shook their heads with wry smiles. Although this Dao Lord's actions were often unexpected, upon closer thought, they always remained within the bounds of rules, making it impossible to find fault.
"When the Qin family girl triggered the ancient sword monument, it was this menial Disciple, with a cultivation of Foundation Establishment Layer Four, who broke through the restrictions," Dao Lord Zisu's sword qi conjured the scene of that day, "The realm of Sword Intent Translucence, you all should know what that means."
Qing Feng and Qin Yue simultaneously stepped forward half a step, their waist jade pendants resonating with a clear sword hum.
True Lord Qin Heng's pupils constricted slightly, finally solving the mystery that had plagued him for days: to unlock the stone statue's inheritance, one must possess sword Dao talent that completely surpassed Qin Yue's.
And while Dao Lord Zisu's cultivation was heaven-reaching, in terms of innate sword bone purity, she was indeed slightly inferior to her Disciple.
"So that's it." True Lord Qin Heng's gaze towards Qing Feng suddenly became fervent, "It was actually this Qing Feng who comprehended the Translucent Sword Heart in the Mystic Realm?"
Dao Lord Zisu flicked her sleeves, retracting the sword qi illusion, and a gilded jade token steadily landed on the registration jade scroll: "I have already examined his bone structure; this child shall be my fifth direct Disciple."
"Where is that Disciple Qing Feng now? I must thank him in person," Qin Heng asked, looking around.
The elders present exchanged glances, all seeing astonishment in each other's eyes. First, there was Qin Yue, whose aptitude surpassed even Dao Lord Zisu's.
Now, an even more exceptional prodigy had emerged, one capable of causing the ten thousand swords, silent for a millennium, to resonate. Such a figure appeared as mysteriously as if out of thin air.
Dao Lord Zisu lightly raised her wide sleeves: "The young friend is still comprehending the profound mysteries of the Heaven Sword; it's not too late to speak with him after he emerges from seclusion."
Before her words finished, Mu Zhengting's brows had already furrowed into a frown: "How can Sect ceremonies be delayed? True Disciples must have their identities and origins clearly recorded; this is the foundation of establishing the Sect."