Spirit Ruin, Sword Coffin, Blind Swordsman

While the group worked feverishly inside the forging chamber, Lu Wuhen sat back in his chair, listening to the report from the subordinate below.

His fingers drummed softly against the table as he said indifferently, “At a time like this, they went to Meng Jiangchu to forge artifacts… Heh. Interesting. Could it be they didn’t even have spirit void artifacts of their own until now? They only have seven days, yet they need three spirit void artifacts… In that time, even the famed Five Yang Ghost Emperor could probably only produce a few crude, low-grade ones.”

The other figures in the study had long since withdrawn. They all knew better than to disturb Lu Wuhen at a time like this.

High atop the tower, Lu Wuhen walked to the window and leaned against the railing, gazing down at the mist-shrouded mountains below.

The spirit qi within the Lu family’s domain was no longer what it had once been, but none of that had anything to do with him. His mind was fixed solely on the martial stage wager against the Daxia Sword Sect, now six days away.

“Li Guanqi… truly strong, huh… Heh, interesting.”

Just then, an old man appeared without a sound from the shadows of the study.

Lu Wuhen did not turn around. He merely glanced back, displeasure clear in his voice. “Ancestor, I’ve told you before. Don’t enter my study without my permission.”

The ancestor was short and thin, with white hair and a white beard. He walked to the edge of the tower with a faint smile. “Wuhen, are you confident in this wager?”

The corner of Lu Wuhen’s mouth curled into a sneer. “No, no, Ancestor. What you should be asking is whether I’m ready to take over the entire foundation of the Daxia Sword Sect.” Lu Hengtian burst into laughter. Just as he had expected, his grandson’s ambition truly knew no bounds. “What do you plan to do next?”

Lu Wuhen turned his head to look at Lu Hengtian and smiled. “That’s none of your business.”

The old man took no offense. He chuckled, said a few words of approval, and turned to leave.

A faint smile touched Lu WUhen’s lips. Hands clasped behind his back, he gazed into the distance and murmured, “Li Guanqi and Ye Feng... Heh. Beating kids on a rainy day. Nothing better to do anyway. I’ll just play around a little.”

As he spoke, Lu Wuhen raised his hand, and two jade slips shot off into the distance. He turned and went back into his study.

The moment he turned around, two of the eight Lu clan branch heads opened their eyes at once.

Time passed swiftly. Over the past few days, an oppressive tension had settled over the Six Territories. Far too many sects and clans had received invitations to wager on the martial stage from the ancient clans.

And like the Daxia Sword Sect, every one of them answered with defiance, showing not the slightest courtesy to the ancient clan disciples who delivered the invitations. Some even provoked the messengers before beating them half to death. You’re trying to seize the foundation my sect built over a thousand years. Why would I treat you politely?

Yet beneath all the venting lay a deep helplessness. The ancient clans had cornered everyone under the banner of protecting the world.

However, among all the sects across the Six Territories that had received invitations, not a single one refused. Perhaps they had all foreseen a losing battle, yet not one chose to retreat.

Tang Ru of the Guanyun Pavilion made a decision no one had anticipated. He abandoned all profit and, drawing on the pavilion’s powerful intelligence network, united every sect within the Daxia Territory. Any resources they needed could be exchanged on equal terms, or even unequal ones if it came to that.

Because of this, the reputation the Guanyun Pavilion had built over months was eclipsed by what it earned in just a few days. It had truly won the hearts of the people.

Even Ji Yuchuan sighed in admiration. Tang Ru might not have been the very best in pure business acumen, but no one could match the way he paired it with the ability to win hearts. He was a remarkable man.

As for Qian Qiusui, her admiration for Tang Ru had grown into outright reverence.

Every day, Tang Ru stayed so busy that he scarcely had time for a sip of water.

Every sect and clan shared the same resolve. There was no backing down.

Even the Daxia Sword Sect was not spared. Lu Kangnian’s hair had been turning whiter by the day. Although the sect now had countless cultivators, among those under a hundred years old, only Li Guanqi and a handful of others could truly hold the line.

Li Guanqi was in seclusion. His clone, the illusory spirit, devoured hundreds of thousands of spirit stones every day.

Ye Feng and the other two had gone to the Divine Treasure Territory and had yet to return. The sect also still hadn’t found a fifth member for the wager.

At the Six Gates Holy Sect, Gu Huai approached the edge of a medicinal pool, his voice low. “Shiyu, have you decided not to help? You should know that every time our sect faced a crisis in the past, Young Friend Li from the Daxia Sword Sect always stepped in to help us. Now that the Daxia Sword Sect is in trouble, are you really going to stand by and do nothing?”

Seated at the center of the pool, Zhou Shiyu frowned slightly but said nothing.

Gu Huai sighed and shook his head, clasping his hands behind his back. “Sometimes I really don’t understand you. For the sake of the Six Gates Holy Sect, you were willing to risk certain death. But now that it concerns the Daxia Sword Sect, even when Young Friend Li told you that you wouldn’t have to bear the consequences, you still refuse to go! Forget it. Suit yourself!”

After the old man left, Zhou Shiyu finally opened his eyes and let out a long sigh. Zhou Shiyu was no ingrate. If Li Guanqi had asked him for a personal favor, he would not have hesitated to climb mountains of blades or plunge into seas of fire. A life-or-death gamble? He wasn’t afraid of that.

But this was the entire foundation of the Daxia Sword Sect. As an outsider, what right did he have to hold one-fifth of the decision-making power? Even if Li Guanqi reassured him that he wouldn’t have to bear any consequences even if he lost, that was not the point. Zhou Shiyu was not afraid of losing. He was afraid of losing something that belonged to others.

Despite Zhou Shiyu’s hesitation, Li Guanqi seemed completely unconcerned. Ever since his return, he had not contacted Zhou Shiyu again.

The days slipped by. Amid the suffocating tension, the ancient clans kept the Abyssal Demons of the Six Territories in check. The casualties were heavy, and even the ancient clans found it difficult to deal with the losses. And precisely because of that, their attention shifted more and more toward the sects of the Six Territories.

There had been more than a few clashes between the two sides lately, but both held back, trading injuries at most. Both understood that if anyone were killed by accident in these clashes, it could escalate into a full-scale uprising of every sect in the Six Territories against the ancient clans’ return. A collision between the old era and the new one was a price no one could afford to pay.

So in recent days, the ancient clans had all pulled back, waiting quietly for the appointed time.

On the eve of the Daxia Sword Sect’s wager with the Lu clan, the Meng family domain shook violently. Spears hummed and swords cried out in unison, erupting all at once.

With bloodshot eyes, Meng Jiangchu gripped his hammer and erupted into wild laughter. “Hahahaha! As expected of me! If I were at the Tribulation Realm now, all three of these spirit void artifacts would have broken through to the ninth tier!”

Meng Jiangchu was more than satisfied with the three masterpieces. After all, he had fused every one of them with Devouring Starstones. With that as their foundation, their grades would continue to rise as long as he kept feeding them rare forging materials, until one day all three could perfectly merge with their weapon souls.