Immortal Sword Master

Chapter 364: Chapter 360: King’s Remnant Spirit, Xie Liuyun

After a month of work, the Treasure Sword was finally forged.

The name Thunder Punishment Sword was well-deserved. In ancient tales, thunderbolts have always symbolized the Power of Heavenly Punishment.

For example, when great villains appeared, the heavens would strike them down with thunderbolts, punishing the wicked and purging demonic miasma. This was Celestial Punishment.

The Thunder Punishment Sword was exactly three chi, six cun, and five fen long—no more, no less. Its length corresponded to the 365 days of the year. The blade itself looked like a brilliant thunderbolt, trembling faintly as arcs of electricity pulsed across its surface, a perfect union of sharpness and overwhelming might.

”Thunder Punishment, are you satisfied with your name?”

Ning Jiang asked softly, his fingers gently brushing across the blade.

Instantly, the Thunder Punishment Sword vibrated, and a long chime echoed from within it. A feeling of joy transmitted itself into Ning Jiang’s mind, and he perceived it with perfect clarity.

The Thunder Punishment Sword was very pleased with its name.

This sword had a spirit!

It was just like the Celestial Thunder Banner Ning Jiang had forged, which contained a Thunder Spirit War General.

Of course, the Thunder Punishment Sword’s quality was still inferior to the Celestial Thunder Banner, and its sentience was not yet fully formed.

One hundred thousand years ago, Ning Jiang had seen powerful Magical Treasures that possessed Artifact Spirits. Their intelligence was no different from a human’s, and they could even speak and converse with people.

The Thunder Punishment Sword, however, only possessed a budding sentience. It had not yet matured to the stage of an Artifact Spirit.

To put it simply, the Thunder Punishment Sword already possessed life, but it was a lower form of life. An Artifact Spirit, on the other hand, was a higher form of life.

But this alone was enough to place it far beyond other Middle Grade Treasures.

Compared to the Thunder Punishment Sword, the Cyan Profound Sword that Wei Qingxuan was so proud of wasn’t even worth mentioning.

”Slash.”

With the Thunder Punishment Sword in hand, Ning Jiang executed a few casual slashes. Bolts of thunder blossomed and swept outward, their might far more tyrannical and overwhelming than that of the Snow River Sword.

The Thunder Punishment Sword possessed the Thunder Attribute, and since Ning Jiang cultivated the Nine Tribulations Celestial Thunder Body—also of the Thunder Attribute—the sword was a perfect match for him.

With this sword in his hands, his power increased by at least fifty percent.

”Go.”

Executing a Sword Technique, Ning Jiang sent the Thunder Punishment Sword shooting into the sky as a Flying Sword.

”What is that?”

Within the Celestial Sword Grand Canyon, numerous Sword Cultivators stared in shock. All they saw was a beam of thunderous light that reached from the earth to the heavens as it shot into the clouds.

The clouds were instantly torn asunder, leaving a fissure several hundred zhang long. The sheer power of it left everyone stunned.

”Return.”

With a mere thought, Ning Jiang recalled the Thunder Punishment Sword to his hand.

’If I had used the Thunder Punishment Sword in that battle, the One Sword Soars Immortal technique alone would have been enough to defeat Wei Qingxuan. I wouldn’t have needed Myriad Swords Return to One at all.’

Ning Jiang nodded in satisfaction. The power of this sword was almost comparable to that of an ordinary Upper Grade Treasure Sword.

After all, an Upper Grade Treasure Sword was the Weapon of an Earth Martial Realm expert.

He was certain that even Earth Martial Realm experts would be tempted by this Thunder Punishment Sword.

”A fine sword.”

Just as Ning Jiang was about to put the sword away, a voice suddenly echoed through the canyon.

”Hm?”

Ning Jiang’s eyes narrowed. Even he hadn’t sensed when the owner of the voice had appeared.

His gaze shifted, and he saw a figure on the stone wall gradually grow incandescent, emitting boundless beams of light. A moment later, the figure stepped out from the wall.

It was a middle-aged man with a plain face, dressed in simple cyan robes—the kind of person who would be instantly forgotten in a crowd.

But Ning Jiang’s brow furrowed slowly.

’A King’s Remnant Spirit.’

It was a wisp of a remnant spirit, similar to Golden Cicada. But compared to Golden Cicada, this one was far too weak. As a Celestial King, even Golden Cicada’s remnant spirit possessed terrifying power.

The King’s Remnant Spirit before him, however, only had the aura of the Immortal Realm.

”You have good Eye Power, young friend,” the middle-aged man said, looking at Ning Jiang. ”If the sword you forged hadn’t startled me, I’m afraid I would still be slumbering.”

Unlike Golden Cicada, his remnant spirit wasn’t powerful enough, so it had to remain dormant most of the time.

A remnant spirit was, after all, just a lingering wisp of power with limited Energy. If he remained awake constantly, the Power of his remnant spirit would slowly be consumed.

Even for a being of Golden Cicada’s Realm, after ten thousand years, the Power of his remnant spirit would be completely exhausted.

Only the remnant spirit of a Venerable could be truly eternal and undying.

”It seems you are the master of the Celestial Sword Grand Canyon, Xie Liuyun,” Ning Jiang said.

The middle-aged man had emerged from the murals on the wall, so he was clearly the one who had carved out the Celestial Sword Grand Canyon with a single sword strike.

And the Celestial Martial Realm King said to have created this place was named Xie Liuyun. He was even rumored to have a connection to the Death Mountain Range in Qing Province...

”Indeed, I am he,” Xie Liuyun nodded, then asked, ”Do you know how long I have been asleep?”

”Three hundred years,” Ning Jiang uttered three words.

The Celestial Sword Grand Canyon had appeared three hundred years ago.

Xie Liuyun was stunned for a moment, then gave a bitter smile. ”Three hundred years... I suppose everything has changed, and the people I knew are gone?”

At this, he seemed to recall something and quickly asked, ”Let me ask you, have any Blood Demons emerged from the Death Mountain Range?”

’Just as I thought.’

Ning Jiang, already knowing the answer, said, ”It’s rumored that within the Death Mountain Range, a Celestial Martial Realm King and the Blood Demon King perished together. That Celestial Martial Realm King... that was you, wasn’t it?”

”I’m surprised anyone still remembers me.” Xie Liuyun’s face betrayed no emotion as he spoke. ”It’s true, it was me. The Blood Demon King’s power was a cut above my own, so my only option was to take him down with me in mutual destruction. However, the Demon Race has countless tricks. I feared he might have left some contingency behind to stage a comeback.”

”Your concerns are not unfounded,” Ning Jiang said lightly. ”The Demon Race is indeed difficult to deal with. Their Life Force is exceptionally tenacious; many demons can only be sealed, not killed. More than a year ago, the Blood Demon King did indeed make a comeback, but I have already slain him.”

”You?”

Xie Liuyun was taken aback.

From the very beginning, he had found it strange. Upon seeing him, Ning Jiang had remained perfectly calm, neither servile nor arrogant. For the first time, this young man gave him the feeling that he was impossible to read.

And yet, Ning Jiang’s words inspired a sense of trust in him—a trust born from pure intuition.

”Then what’s the story behind the Celestial Sword Grand Canyon?” Ning Jiang changed the subject.

”Back when the Blood Demon King and I perished together, I was fortunate enough for a wisp of my remnant spirit to escape. After that...”

According to his account, after escaping as a wisp of a remnant spirit, he used what little Power he had left to carve the Celestial Sword Grand Canyon into the earth.

Here, he left behind his legacy—the Sword Techniques carved into the stone walls.

”Although I am dead, if I can pass my legacy on to future generations, then my death was not in vain.”

Every expert considered their legacy to be of the utmost importance.

No one wants everything they have achieved to be extinguished by death. As a dignified Celestial Martial Realm King, how could he bear for his Sword Techniques to be lost, with no one to inherit them?

After leaving his legacy, his remnant spirit had fallen into a deep slumber, only to be awakened by Ning Jiang just moments ago.