Martial Dao: Peace by Force

Chapter 222: Chapter 162: God-Tier Substitute! Commencing Spirit Channeling

Wan Ze closed his eyes.

He took a deep breath.

One second later, he activated his Spiritual Form.

BZZZZZ!!!

Moonlight coiled around his wrist. The familiar tugging sensation washed over him, and in an instant, it was as if an invisible hand had yanked Wan Ze into another world.

...

Wan Ze opened his eyes and surveyed his surroundings.

This time, he had arrived beside a mountain stream. It was similar to the woods from last night, but not quite the same.

The environment was unfamiliar. He couldn’t see the ruined temple or the True Monarch Statue.

But he didn’t go exploring.

Because...

He spun around.

A figure in white was standing right behind him.

Wan Ze’s breath hitched.

She just stood there silently, her robes as white as snow, her long hair draped over her shoulders. Her eyeless face was turned toward him.

The moonlight shone on her, casting a long shadow on the ground.

’Wait!’

’She has a shadow. Does that mean she’s not a ghost?’

’No, this world can’t be judged by common sense.’

...

On the ground, the Broken Sword stood silently, its blade plunged into the scorched earth.

The moment Wan Ze appeared, the Broken Sword trembled violently.

The next second, it shot out of the ground with a WHOOSH and flew into midair. The blade quivered madly, its tip bobbing furiously at Wan Ze as if it were cursing him out.

’You bastard! How dare you come back?!’

”...” Wan Ze chose to ignore it.

The Broken Sword quivered even more violently, looking like it wanted to rush over and poke a few holes in him.

Just then, a hand closed around the hilt.

The Female Sword Immortal reached out and pulled the Broken Sword back.

The Broken Sword continued to tremble in her hand, its tip stubbornly pointing at Wan Ze as if it had suffered a terrible injustice.

The Female Sword Immortal gave her wrist a slight twist, and the Broken Sword immediately fell silent. However, the blade still twitched now and then, clearly sulking and aggrieved.

Seeing this, Wan Ze breathed a small sigh of relief internally.

’She didn’t attack right away. That means there’s room for negotiation.’

’It’s a shame my big bro the True Monarch Statue isn’t here. If negotiations break down, I’ll have to cut off my Spiritual Form and run immediately.’

Composing himself, Wan Ze clasped his fist in his palm and spoke. ”Senior, the two people you were looking for today are my friends. If they offended you in any way, I apologize on their behalf. If there is anything you need help with, please don’t hesitate to ask.”

’One should respect the dead,’ he thought.

’If I can help her fulfill her lingering wish, maybe she’ll finally be able to rest in peace.’

The Broken Sword twitched again, acting all high and mighty.

The Female Sword Immortal didn’t speak. She just tilted her head slightly, her bloody sockets facing him.

Wan Ze frowned.

’She can’t talk?’

He said thoughtfully, ”Senior, my two friends and I had no intention of disturbing you. Entering your residence was unintentional... Besides, your tomb was robbed over a thousand years ago. Every injustice has its perpetrator, and every debt has its debtor. This really has nothing to do with us.”

At this, a wave of malevolent energy suddenly erupted from the Female Sword Immortal.

The energy was bone-chillingly cold, and the air around them seemed to freeze solid.

The Broken Sword also went rigid.

Wan Ze’s heart tightened. He discreetly circulated the qi and blood in his body, ready to sever his Spiritual Form and flee at a moment’s notice.

But he didn’t retreat.

”If this is about my friend’s reckless words, I apologize on his behalf. I’ll make sure he comes to you tomorrow to bow and properly atone for his offense. What do you think, Senior?”

The malevolent energy didn’t dissipate, but it didn’t intensify either.

The Female Sword Immortal was silent for a moment, then she slowly shook her head.

Wan Ze’s heart eased slightly.

’As long as we can communicate, it’s fine.’

’I was worried we wouldn’t be able to.’

’Otherwise, Zhai Jia and Sun Beixi could forget about ever having a good night’s sleep again.’

”Senior, we can discuss the apology later,” he said, choosing his words carefully. ”If it’s inconvenient for you to speak, you could write it down.”

The Female Sword Immortal fell silent again.

After a moment, she released her grip, and the Broken Sword flew before her with a WHOOSH.

Raising her hand again, she used the sword as a pen, tracing on the ground.

A line of text materialized on the scorched earth... [Find my physical body, and I will spare you.]

Wan Ze stared at the words, his brow furrowed slightly.

’Her physical body?’

’This tomb was robbed over a thousand years ago. Where am I supposed to find it?’

’What if it was destroyed or burned long ago?’

Of course, Wan Ze didn’t dare provoke her. Instead, he chose his words carefully, ”Finding a physical body is no simple matter. It could take a very long time. And what if... the body has been destroyed...”

He trailed off, carefully observing the Female Sword Immortal’s expression.

The Female Sword Immortal did not get angry.

She lifted the sword again and wrote on the ground: [Body is incorruptible.]

Wan Ze looked at the three words and took a deep breath.

He immediately and decisively clasped his fist. ”Rest assured, Senior, I will make the arrangements at once. However, during this time, I ask that you do not trouble my two friends. They will be of great help in the search for your body.”

The Female Sword Immortal paid him no mind.

She raised her sword again and wrote another line: [Deception, death.]

As the last stroke was drawn, the Broken Sword erupted with a burst of Sword Intent. Its blade trembled, then shot forward with a WHOOSH to hover in front of Wan Ze, its tip nearly touching his nose. It swayed from side to side, then bobbed up and down. Its haughty air practically screamed, ’You hear me?! If you dare to deceive us, I’ll run you through, you little bastard!’

Wan Ze looked at the drama queen of a sword before him and impassively leaned his head back slightly.

Ignoring the Broken Sword’s exasperated fury, he turned to the Female Sword Immortal and said seriously, ”When entrusted with a task, one must see it through with all their might. However, I must ask Senior to provide some clues to aid our search.”

The Female Sword Immortal beckoned with her hand, and the Broken Sword reluctantly flew back to her grasp.

She wrote another line: [The body is in the east. I cannot sense it if it is too far. The one who stole my body has a tattoo on his neck, shaped like a snake...]

Wan Ze stared at the words, committing them to memory.

’The east?’

’Can’t sense it if it’s too far... that means there’s a limit to her Perception range.’

’A grave robber’s tattoo... a Snake Form tattoo?’

’This clue is very important.’

Wan Ze nodded and clasped his fist again. ”Thank you for the information, Senior. This junior will return and make arrangements. Farewell.”

With that said, his thoughts shifted.

He severed the Spiritual Form.

The Female Sword Immortal stood rooted to the spot, silently ”watching” the direction in which Wan Ze had disappeared.

The Broken Sword circled around her once.

Then it ”looked” at the Female Sword Immortal. ’Holy crap, he’s gone again?!’

...

「In the real world.」

Wan Ze sat up in the coffin and let out a long breath.

In the next room, Zhai Jia and Sun Beixi were pacing anxiously when they suddenly heard the communicator buzz.

Zhai Jia snatched it. ”Ah Ze?!”

”You can come over,” Wan Ze’s voice came from the other end. ”We have a deal.”

Two minutes later, Zhai Jia and Sun Beixi burst into the basement, staring at Wan Ze as if they’d seen a ghost.

”A deal? You made a deal... with that female ghost?” Zhai Jia asked in disbelief.

Wan Ze nodded.

”Holy hell!” Zhai Jia’s eyes were wide as saucers. ”Ah Ze, you... you... you can actually communicate with that thing? So Spirit Communicators really exist in this world!!!!”

Sun Beixi was also in shock, full of admiration. ”Brother Expert... you couldn’t be the reincarnation of some ghost or god, could you?”

Wan Ze: ”...”

Zhai Jia sidled closer and asked nervously, ”So, how did you talk to her? What does she want? If she really wants someone to marry her to repay a debt, I think Old Sun is a good candidate.”

Sun Beixi immediately panicked, looking like he was about to start cursing.

Fortunately, Wan Ze quickly explained the deal.

Basically, they had to find her physical body in exchange for their safety.

After hearing the explanation, Zhai Jia was stunned for a long moment.

Then he slowly said, ”So she doesn’t want to be married off.”

Sun Beixi couldn’t help but look over, at a loss for words... ’Holy crap, are you actually disappointed about that?’

”So what do we do now?” Zhai Jia asked.

Wan Ze smiled. ”First, we sleep. You two get a good rest. We’ll start the search tomorrow.”

Zhai Jia and Sun Beixi exchanged a look and breathed a simultaneous sigh of relief.

Tonight, at last, they would be able to get a peaceful night’s sleep.