The First Immortal of Destiny

Chapter 623: Chapter 623: Capturing the Spirit Sword (Seeking Subscriptions)_1

BOOM!

It was asif the sky had collapsed and the earth had cracked. A terrifying explosion of sword Qi erupted, scraping off a layer of the ground and rocks within a hundred-mile radius and forming a sunken basin.

Fortunately, before the Taiyi Spirit Sword’s deadly strike, nearby cultivators, regardless of their strength, had already fled. Otherwise, the mere shockwaves would have sufficed to eradicate most of them!

Even Shen Mo was not spared. The backlash dealt him a severe blow. His inner armor and the Nine-Extreme Crystal Sand Energy within his Chakras failed to completely block the exploding sword Qi. Despite promptly equipping the Indestructible Body—a Destiny that amplified physical strength—his Dao Body was still riddled with holes. Countless minute strands of sword Qi burrowed deep within, wreaking colossal damage on his flesh and blood, bones, Chakras, and organs.

The hand gripping the Demon Slaying Sword was gravely injured. Flesh, bone, and everything else were pulverized into a messy pulp, then evaporated into nothingness under the residual force of the sword Qi.

However, the sword Qi that had penetrated his body was soon completely eradicated by the refining power of his Carefree Sword Intent and True Yuan. His ample blood essence primality, through the circulation of the Three-Heads Six-Arms True Immortal Technique, continuously repaired his damaged Dao Body. It regrew his pulverized arm and reorganized his chaotic Chakras.

Thanks to numerous enhancements, Shen Mo’s physical strength was comparable to that of a peak Golden Core Realm cultivator. If even he was in such a wretched state, the Taiyi Spirit Sword, having directly faced Shen Mo’s ’Demon Slaying Sword Style’—a strike he delivered using a self-sacrificial method—would naturally fare no better!

Normally, various close-combat magic treasures—such as magic swords, sabers, spears, halberds, and maces—boast resilience several tiers above other magical artifacts, let alone something made of mere flesh and blood. However, the strike unleashed by Shen Mo was simply too terrifying; it even faintly carried a sliver of the might of a Heavenly Monarch’s techniques! No matter how firm the Taiyi Spirit Sword was, it could not withstand such devastation. A very distinct notch appeared on its blade, and fine cracks spread across its body. The Sword Spirit within was also severely damaged, its gnosis nearly scattered.

When it recovered from its dazed state, it was alarmed to find Shen Mo gripping its hilt. Simultaneously, twelve Mountain Pearls, each as heavy as a mountain, began to whirl around it, hammering its body like blacksmiths forging iron. Under the continuous hammering of the Mountain Pearls, the small cracks on its body began to widen gradually.

If the sword body completely shattered, the Taiyi Sword Spirit within would surely perish with it. After all, a magical artifact and its Artifact Spirit are a unified existence. If the magical artifact is completely destroyed, even the most powerful Artifact Spirit would struggle to survive.

”Damn you, Evil Demon! Unhand me with your filthy hands! If not, don’t blame me for taking you down with me!”

The Taiyi Spirit Sword struggled violently in Shen Mo’s grip. The quivering of its blade conveyed its threat to Shen Mo.

However, with its unsharpened hilt gripped in his hand—equivalent to having its pigtail caught—it couldn’t escape Shen Mo’s terrifying physical strength. Even if it wanted to unleash its sharp sword Qi to sever his hand, it couldn’t do so for the time being. Not only did the continuous pounding of the Mountain Pearls brutally disperse the Mana it tried to gather, but an endless tide of foreign True Yuan also coated its entire body, constantly seeping deeper into the blade!

The Sword Spirit’s voice was neither masculine nor feminine, its gender indiscernible. Of course, Artifact Spirits don’t have genders, much like Flower Fairies.

Hearing its threat, Shen Mo merely increased the intensity of the Mountain Pearls’ pounding, casually replying, ”Now that you’ve fallen into my hands, your life and death are at my mercy. Yet you still act so presumptuously? By all means, show me how you plan to take me down with you!”

BUZZ!

The Taiyi Spirit Sword surged its remaining Mana, broke through Shen Mo’s True Yuan suppression, and unleashed a brilliant Sword Light at his palm.

The next moment, this Sword Light was blocked by the Demon Slaying Sword.

The Taiyi Sword Spirit then fell silent, no longer uttering meaningless threats.

In fact, if it were willing to face complete annihilation, it could extract all its Origin Power and use itself as a one-time-use magic treasure. Even if it couldn’t kill Shen Mo, it could still injure him.

However, even ants cling to life, let alone an Artifact Spirit like itself, whose gnosis was comparable to that of Human Cultivators. Naturally, it cherished its existence even more. It wouldn’t choose to inflict heavy damage on its enemy at the cost of its own annihilation unless driven to absolute desperation!

More importantly, its master was the founding ancestor of the Taiyi Sword Alliance, who had passed away from old age many years ago. Subsequently, no one in the Sword Alliance possessed the qualifications to refine it as their destined magic treasure.

Therefore, the Taiyi Sword was currently an unowned treasure. Its relationship with the Taiyi Sword Alliance was more akin to a friend of their ancestors looking after their descendants, rather than being subordinate to the Sword Alliance.

It had taken action this time at the request of Zhu Zhao, a Taiyi Sword Alliance Elder, to help him slay an evil cultivator who had stolen its former master’s painting scroll. However, not only did it fail to kill the enemy, but it also fell into the enemy’s hands!

Shen Mo had also gleaned some insight into the background of this Supreme Spirit Sword using ”Insight into All Beings.”

”Insight into All Beings” couldn’t inspect inanimate objects like magical artifacts. However, since an Artifact Spirit had been born within the Taiyi Sword—a type of creature among myriad living beings—he could naturally use this Special Destiny on it.

[Artifact Spirit: Taiyi Sword Spirit]

[Realm: Class IV Peak]

[Summary: This Sword Spirit’s original body was the destined magic treasure of the Taiyi Sword Alliance’s founding ancestor. After many years of nurturing, it developed gnosis, advancing to become a low-grade Spiritual Artifact.

Following its master’s death, it was enshrined in the Taiyi Sword Alliance’s central hall, drawing sustenance from the Sword Path True Intentions of generations of Sword Alliance disciples to continually strengthen itself.

It is proficient in over a hundred swordplay cultivation methods. Three of these have reached the ’Master’ level, five have reached the ’Elite’ level, and all others have reached the ’Senior’ level.

Sword Alliance cultivators regularly infuse it with True Yuan, leading to a substantial accumulation. It can engage and defeat enemies on its own.]

[Weakness: ???]

It’s worth mentioning that the realm of a wondrous existence like an Artifact Spirit is not the same as the grade of the magic treasure. A Cultivation Realm represents the distance a living being has traveled in pursuit of its own Great Path and also reflects its degree of mastery over that Great Path. When an Artifact Spirit is first born, its realm can range from Class I to Class IV. This depends on the original magic artifact’s characteristics, the Artifact Spirit’s level of gnosis, and the influence of its master’s cultivation level. Generally, it will grow stronger as the magic treasure’s grade improves.

The Taiyi Sword Spirit’s ability to possess a peak Class IV realm is undoubtedly linked to the cultivation level of its former master—the Sword Alliance’s founding ancestor—and the millennia of veneration by Sword Alliance disciples. For instance, the Sword Spirit within the Demon Slaying Sword that Shen Mo currently wielded was only at the early-stage of Class IV.

Of course, if an Artifact Spirit completely dissipates, the magic treasure will regress to the profound level. However, as long as its core essence remains undamaged, it will still be considerably more powerful than ordinary profound artifacts, and its chances of birthing a new Artifact Spirit will also be greater.

Seeing the Taiyi Sword Spirit fall silent, a mocking smile touched Shen Mo’s eyes. After placing numerous Prohibitions on it, he stored it separately in an empty Universe Bag.

He took out several Elixirs to restore his True Yuan, blood vitality, and soul, swallowing them all in one gulp.

Afterward, his sharp gaze fell upon the crowd watching the battle from hundreds of miles away. Among them was a burly Spirit Sea Realm Cultivator whose aura seemed somewhat abnormal. It appeared he had used an exotic treasure or a High-Level Talisman to conceal and distort his soul fluctuation.