Martial Dao: Peace by Force

Chapter 226: Chapter 163: Ultimate Again! Freeloading a Spiritual Art

That didn’t seem quite right.

It was more like a legendary... Cultivator.

The thought circled in Zhai Yu’s mind, but he didn’t voice it... because he felt the whole thing was absurd, and there was a more important matter at hand.

”Ah Ze... can you really communicate with her?” Zhai Yu took a step forward, looking at Wan Ze with an unprecedentedly serious tone.

Wan Ze nodded. ”More or less. Brother Yu, don’t tell me?”

A certain possibility occurred to him.

Zhai Yu’s next words undoubtedly confirmed Wan Ze’s suspicion. He took a deep breath and said, word by word, ”Last night, I didn’t believe it, and in the end... she came for me. Ah Ze, help me.”

Those last two words were a clean, crisp plea.

Wan Ze stared at him, stunned.

He couldn’t help but glance at Zhai Jia. ’Is this really your biological brother?’

Zhai Jia was holding back laughter at the side, his shoulders trembling. ”I thought he had the guts to take her on one-on-one.”

Zhai Yu ignored him.

Seeing this, Wan Ze gave a wry smile. ”Alright, I’ll talk to her today... but I couldn’t get in touch yesterday. I’ll try again today.”

Zhai Yu breathed a sigh of relief. Just as he was about to thank him, Zhai Jia suddenly spoke up. ”How about we let Brother Yu hold out for two more days? What do you say, Brother Yu?”

Zhai Yu whipped his head around to look at him.

Zhai Jia wore a serious expression, as if considering the bigger picture. ”If we disturb her so rashly, won’t the venerable lady get angry? We have to consider the swordswoman’s mood, right? Besides, Brother Yu has already endured one night. With your physique, another two days shouldn’t be a problem, right?”

Zhai Yu glared fiercely at him.

It was a look that could kill.

’Goddammit, if I get hacked to death, I’m taking you with me!’

Zhai Jia pretended not to see it and continued, ”Besides, if we let Brother Yu endure for two more days, we can use the opportunity to fish for more intel and see what she really wants...”

Before he could finish, Zhai Yu clamped a hand over his mouth.

”You’re not allowed to say another word!” Zhai Yu held one hand over his mouth and the other on his head, dragging him backward. Looking back with a smile, he said, ”Ah Ze, I’m counting on you. I’ll be waiting for your good news!”

As Zhai Jia was being dragged away, he didn’t forget to struggle and turn his head to shout, ”Ah Ze, actually, with Brother Yu joining... our search... will be more convenient... He’s a ready-made workhorse... Mmph mmph mmph—”

Their voices faded into the distance.

Wan Ze stood where he was, watching the two brothers’ retreating figures, and shook his head.

He then headed to the basement and lay down in the coffin again.

The bottom of the coffin was still ice-cold, the same familiar chill spreading through him.

Wan Ze closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and decisively activated his Spiritual Form.

”VMMMM!!!”

He couldn’t see the Moonlight, but he felt something wrap around his wrist, and the familiar pulling sensation arrived right on cue.

This was his first time entering that world during the day.

The moment he opened his eyes, Wan Ze was taken aback.

This world was still shrouded in night.

The red moon hung high overhead, larger and rounder than ever before, its dark crimson moonlight bathing the entire mountain forest.

The scorched earth glimmered faintly under the moonlight, and the outlines of the distant mountains were blurry.

But something was different.

The feeling was subtle, as if the darkness... had come alive.

In the places untouched by moonlight, the shadows writhed and breathed, silently closing in.

They had no shape, no sound, yet they made every hair on Wan Ze’s body stand on end.

’Shit! This seems like a bad time to be here!’

Alarm shot through Wan Ze’s heart.

Something was approaching in the darkness.

”SWISH!”

Just then, the air suddenly trembled.

A cold glint of light appeared out of thin air.

The Broken Sword flew in from nowhere, its body flashing with a frigid light as it slashed straight toward the writhing darkness behind Wan Ze!

”HISS—”

As the sword struck, the mass of darkness that had been closing in on the nape of Wan Ze’s neck suddenly collapsed. Like a puff of smoke scattered by a gale, it let out a faint shriek and vanished into the air.

Wan Ze spun around, his gaze sweeping over the empty darkness.

Then he looked at the Broken Sword.

The Broken Sword hovered in mid-air, its body trembling slightly. Its tip bobbed toward him, then swayed back and forth. The arrogant air it gave off was the very picture of it saying: ’See that? This great one saved your life again!’

Then, with a flick of its pommel, it shot back and settled within a set of white robes.

Wan Ze’s gaze followed it.

The Female Sword Immortal stood not far away, her white robes like snow, her long hair draping over her shoulders. Only the pair of bloody pits where her eyes should be seemed out of place.

After flying into her sleeve, the Broken Sword quickly fell silent, leaving only half its blade exposed. Its tip was still pointed in Wan Ze’s direction, as if it were staring at him.

Wan Ze composed himself and cupped his fist in greeting. ”Senior, I trust you’ve been well.”

The Female Sword Immortal didn’t speak, merely ”watched” him quietly.

Wan Ze was already used to this. He straightened up and gave a wry smile. ”My senior brother last night didn’t mean to provoke you, Senior. He’s just a bit too blunt and not very good with words. If he offended you, I apologize on his behalf.”

His tone turned serious. ”Furthermore, the fewer people who know of your existence, the better, Senior. It’s not that I don’t trust them, but this matter has huge implications. If word gets out, it will be detrimental to the search for your physical body.”

The Female Sword Immortal remained silent.

The Broken Sword, however, couldn’t hold back. It flew out of her sleeve and landed on the ground. Its tip scraped across the scorched earth, carving out a line of words: [Who dares cause trouble? I’ll cut them down!]

The writing was crooked, but it exuded an air of arrogance.

Wan Ze glanced at the line of words and said gravely, ”Since someone stole your body, Senior, their strength must be anything but ordinary. If we make too much of a commotion and tip them off, they’ll be on guard, and we’ll be powerless to do anything.”

The Broken Sword froze in place... That was a good point.

It seemed to hesitate, its tip tapping the ground a few times as if in thought.

Then it turned back to look at the Female Sword Immortal.

The Female Sword Immortal was motionless, only tilting her head slightly.

It seemed she, too, had been convinced.

Wan Ze’s confidence grew, and he continued, ”We’ve currently locked onto a few targets, but we still need to confirm them. During this process, we will try to keep a low profile and not attract attention. But...”

His tone shifted, and he paused.

The Female Sword Immortal continued to ”watch” him.

The Broken Sword grew impatient and began to scrawl frantically on the ground:

[Hurry up and say it! I’m getting anxious!]

Wan Ze found this amusing. He looked at the Female Sword Immortal, his gaze frank. ”I was wondering, Senior, if you might have any Cultivation Techniques you could impart?”

The Broken Sword froze.

’Oh no! Is this kid trying to get something for free?’

Unflustered, Wan Ze continued, ”You are aware of our level of strength, Senior. This junior is not trying to shirk responsibility, but if we do find your body and the enemy is lying in wait, with our current abilities, I’m afraid...”

He didn’t finish, but his meaning was obvious.

Admittedly, Wan Ze was taking a gamble.

But this ”request” was perfectly reasonable.

This woman wanted to find her body. Although she hid it well, her desperation couldn’t escape Wan Ze’s eyes.

This was her greatest weakness.

Moreover, she needed them.

The stronger they were, the greater the chance of finding her body, and the smoother the process would be.

The Female Sword Immortal fell silent.

Time ticked by, second by second, and the air around them seemed to freeze.

The Broken Sword hovered in mid-air, its body trembling slightly. It looked from the Female Sword Immortal to Wan Ze and back again, as if waiting for something.

It, too, could see that Wan Ze had a point.

’Damn my uselessness, I can’t even fly out of here.’

’I look to the heavens and seethe!’

Finally, the Female Sword Immortal moved.

She raised her hand.

She tapped her fingertip lightly.

A beam of sword light shot from her fingertip and entered Wan Ze’s forehead, between his eyebrows.

Wan Ze’s body shuddered slightly, and a data box instantly popped up before his eyes—

[Illustrated Guide: Void Spirit-Slaying Sword]

[Skill Beginner Level Requirement: All Attributes no less than 3.5]

...

Huh???

Wan Ze’s pupils contracted slightly.

’All Attributes no less than 3.5?’

His highest Attribute, Power, was currently 2.71, and his lowest, Intelligence, was 2.46. He was still a long way from 3.5. This threshold was absurdly high.

But for that very reason, he was both shocked and delighted.

The higher the requirement for the Beginner Level, the greater the potential of this Sword Skill!

This was something that surpassed Special Level... perhaps even Ultimate!

’Excellent!’

Wan Ze took a deep breath, suppressed his excitement, and cupped his fist again.

”Thank you, Senior.”

The Female Sword Immortal didn’t speak, only giving a slight wave of her hand.

Wan Ze understood. After asking for a few more details about her body, he cupped his fist once more. ”This junior takes his leave.”

With a thought, he severed the connection to his Spiritual Form.

”SWOOSH—”

His figure vanished into thin air.

...

The mountain forest fell quiet once more.

The red moonlight flowed silently.

The Broken Sword remained stunned for a moment, then zipped over and circled the spot where Wan Ze had disappeared several times. Its tip poked here and there, as if searching for something.

It found nothing.

It circled a few more times, but still found nothing.

Finally, it stopped. Its body leaned back, like a person taking a step back with their hands on their hips, completely dumbfounded.

’Still nothing!’

It turned back to look at the Female Sword Immortal, its tip frantically pointing at the spot where Wan Ze had vanished... ’Hey, where’d he go?! Where’d the guy go?! He just up and vanished again?! I’m so anxious! So anxious!’

The Female Sword Immortal stood rooted to the spot, motionless.

Those bloody pits were still facing the direction in which Wan Ze had disappeared.

She tilted her head slightly.

’An interesting... person.’