Chapter 129 A Gift (Bonus Chapter for 3000 Nutrient Solution) This sword...

"All resources in the sword cultivation world are centrally allocated by the Wanshan Sect. Breaking ties with the Wanshan Sect will be entirely detrimental to you. Of course, these are merely my suggestions; the choice is yours."

"However, if you encounter the acting leader of the Wanshan Sect later, do not be afraid to offend him just because he is my disciple. If he does something wrong, you can speak frankly. He is not the type to hold grudges."

Upon hearing this, the light in the eyes of the people standing in front of Li Chenjin dimmed instantly, as if they had lost their spirits.

After a long while, someone finally spoke up: "So... the Sword God doesn't want to come back? But where did we go wrong?"

"It's not that you've done a bad job, it's just that I still have some things to take care of," Li Chen said softly. "If I were to take on such a heavy responsibility as the 'Sword Cultivation World' now, I would inevitably feel constrained in many things."

"Furthermore, you don't always have to dwell on the past. This world is full of talented people, and every year new talents emerge. The title of 'Sword God' never belongs to any one person alone."

"Before I was born, there had already been many 'Sword Gods' in this world, hadn't there? And how many of those 'Sword Gods' can still be named now? It's just that every era has its own legends. So don't reject the birth of new legends because you miss the old ones."

Upon hearing Li Chenjin's words, one person hurriedly asked, "So the Sword God is leaving again? And won't he ever come back?"

Li Chen said apologetically, "Indeed, I will not be coming back. The only reason I am here today is to retrieve the sword I left here years ago. If you wish to reminisce with me in the future, you can find me at Wufo Temple in the Zen meditation world. I am doing very well in the Zen meditation world now, and I have even learned to brew tea, chant sutras, grow vegetables, and plant flowers."

"If you come again in the future, I can offer you some of my treasured teas, as well as the flowers and vegetables I grow in my backyard. They're growing very well, and you can try them too. As for swordsmanship training..."

She paused, then changed the subject, "The current acting leader of Wanshan Sect is actually quite good. You can go and learn from him."

Although they were complete strangers, Li Chen chatted with them as if they were old friends reunited, leaving them speechless for a moment. Some even had tears in their eyes, unsure whether they were moved or saddened.

After finishing his previous remarks, Li Chen turned to look at Shen Zhengyuan, paused, and said, "Although the spirit sword recognizes its master, it can be restored to normal with a little soothing. So I'll go in first to soothe it, and you wait for me here."

Shen Zhengyuan looked at her, his lips moved a few times as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he didn't say anything. He just nodded silently and watched her turn and walk away.

What had seemed perfectly calm ahead suddenly erupted with a sharp sword aura imbued with spiritual power the moment it sensed the presence of living beings.

Even though they were still far from the area covered by the sword energy, they were still overwhelmed by the powerful killing intent, making it hard for them to breathe.

The murderous aura nurtured from mountains of corpses and seas of blood was so pure it was chilling.

In an instant, several disciples turned pale and clutched their chests, feeling a tightness and weakness. It was as if two heavy jacks had suddenly been placed on their shoulders, causing them to bend over uncontrollably. Those with weaker cultivation even knelt down.

Even Shen Zhengyuan couldn't help but frown.

That intense killing intent seemed to be specifically targeting him, as if it were conscious, coiling around him like a venomous snake lurking in the shadows, plotting when to strike and kill him in one blow.

Fortunately, he was still quite far away. He only felt his spiritual energy surging within him, which caused him some discomfort, but it was still within a tolerable range.

If he had been any closer, he had no doubt that the sword energy would have torn his flesh apart, or even severed his head.

When he sensed that familiar killing intent and sword energy, the image of Li Xianghuan from back then uncontrollably surfaced in his mind.

He remembered that the first time he met Li Xianghuan was within the Dharma Cultivation Realm.

Even though the cultivation world was surrounded by protective arrays, with one killing array after another, it could not stop the figure who forcibly broke through the array with absolute power.

When he sensed that a magic array had been forcibly broken, he immediately appeared near the array and then saw the figure standing alone atop a tall building near the array.

The figure, holding a long sword, looked down at him expressionlessly; it was clearly Li Xianghuan, who had been waiting for him for a long time.

Li Xianghuan's gaze was sharp as a drawn sword, its edge fully revealed. When it fell upon a person, it seemed to pierce through that person's heart and see through all the dark schemes in their mind.

At the same time, that gaze was unusually cold, so cold that it seemed as if the people of the cultivation world were nothing more than soulless corpses in her eyes.

The twenty-odd people who had accompanied him at the time took several steps back uncontrollably after being glanced at by Li Xianghuan, and then lowered their heads, not daring to meet her gaze.

Although there were more than twenty people in the Dharma cultivation world, Li Xianghuan was only one person. However, in terms of momentum, Li Xianghuan single-handedly suppressed them into the dust.

Li Xianghuan seemed to be used to being feared by others, and quickly shifted her gaze to Shen Zhengyuan, who still dared to look her in the eye, and asked in a cold voice, "You are Shen Zhengyuan?"

Shen Zhengyuan was still stunned by her face. To be honest, although Li Xianghuan looked like she was going to cause trouble and was about to make a scene, she did have a face that amazed him.

However, his amazement was fleeting. After hearing her words, he quickly regained his senses and asked in return, "Who are you?"

Li Xianghuan looked down at him with a hint of disdain in his eyes, as if he thought that the patriarch of the cultivation world was nothing special. After chuckling, he said, "Li Xianghuan, the leader of the Wanshan Sect."

"Why would the leader of the sword cultivator world forcefully enter the magic cultivator world?" Shen Zhengyuan asked.

Li Xianghuan did not answer his question directly, but said, "I would also like to ask, as the patriarch of the magic cultivation world, why do you condone your disciples to plunder the treasures found by my sword cultivation world?"

Shen Zhengyuan had already heard of Li Xianghuan's abilities, but had never seen them before. Even now that they had met, he did not know the extent of Li Xianghuan's cultivation. Therefore, he did not want to start a war. Instead, he patiently explained, "Those demon cores were obtained by disciples of the Dharma Cultivation World through their own abilities, not because I condoned them."

"Oh?" Li Xianghuan slightly curled his lips. "Is that so? But those demonic beasts were clearly killed by my disciples. Your disciples from the magic cultivation world hid in the shadows and did not lend a hand, but when the demonic beasts were killed and my disciples were injured, you showed up to snatch them. Is that what you call skill?"

"It's a dog-eat-dog world, everyone has to rely on their own abilities," Shen Zhengyuan said calmly. "Your disciples have the ability to kill demonic beasts and obtain demon cores, that's your disciples' ability; my disciples have the ability to take away the demon cores you've obtained, that's my disciples' ability."

"In the cultivation world, true ability always prevails. If you can protect it, the demon core will naturally be yours; if you cannot protect what you have obtained, and it is taken away by someone more capable, you can only blame your own lack of skill."

A slight smile slowly appeared on Li Xianghuan's face, but that smile was not at all as gentle as Li Chenjin's; instead, it carried a strong sense of aggression and invasiveness.

Her gaze was fixed on him, and she chuckled, saying, "Alright, what a fine way to speak based on ability. Then let's do as Elder Shen says, and each of us will speak based on our true abilities."

With that, she twirled the longsword in her hand, and the moment spiritual energy flowed into the sword, a humming sound emanated from it.

The instant the buzzing sound rang out, dozens of sword cultivators suddenly darted out from various corners, riding their swords and stopping behind her.

"Did you hear that?" Li Xianghuan's smile deepened. "Ancestor Shen said that we should speak with real ability. In that case, we will gladly accept the treasures of the cultivation world."

"I am here to express my sincere gratitude to Elder Shen for his generous donation."

That was the first time he met Li Xianghuan, and also the first time they clashed.

However, everything happened too suddenly back then. The magic cultivation world was far less prepared than the sword cultivation world. In addition, Li Xianghuan's target was him, and he kept chasing him relentlessly.

After witnessing Li Xianghuan's abilities firsthand, Shen Zhengyuan's expression turned serious.

The figure belonging to Li Xianghuan moved like a ghost between the various killing formations. It seemed to be suppressed by the killing formations, but in the blink of an eye, it appeared behind him again.

Before he could react, Li Xianghuan had already thrust out his sword, which easily pierced through him, the cold blade going from his back to his chest.

It was indeed a rare and precious sword. He felt a chill in his chest, and before he could even feel the pain, he couldn't help but spit out a mouthful of blood.

Immediately following, along with the excruciating pain, Li Xianghuan leaned close to his ear and whispered in a barely audible voice, "This sword strike is my gift to Elder Shen as a token of our meeting. I hope Elder Shen will accept it with pleasure. And..."

"Please remember this in the future, Elder Shen."

Arrogant, fierce, and unruly.

Li Xianghuan is like a peerless sword drawn from its sheath, its sharpness fully revealed. It seems that anyone who gets close will be easily cut through flesh and blood, and their soul will be pierced by its sharpness, making people afraid to approach, afraid to look directly at, and afraid to confront her.

Not only him, but probably all those who were once familiar with Li Xianghuan never imagined that such a person would eventually become as gentle, warm, and compassionate as Li Chenjin.

They are clearly the same person, but now it seems that apart from their similar appearance, they have nothing in common. After all, the two of them are simply two extremes.

If one hadn't personally witnessed Li Chenjin stepping into the area shrouded in sword energy, yet remaining completely unharmed and instead clinging to her like a child admiring an elder, no one would have believed that Li Chenjin and Li Xianghuan were the same person.

So what did she go through?

As Shen Zhengyuan watched her disappearing figure, he suddenly felt remorse. He regretted that when he heard about Li Xianghuan's death, he had never paid attention to it or inquired about it.

When he had nothing, Li Chen appeared by his side.

But when Li Chenjin had nothing, he didn't even know that Li Xianghuan was the later Li Chenjin.

The person he was thinking about at that moment was completely unaware of his feelings and had never considered what Shen Zhengyuan might be thinking.

Her attention was entirely focused on finding the sword she had left there earlier.

After walking for an unknown amount of time, the rocks in the mountains began to become smaller and more fragmented.

Finally, the rocks even turned a fiery red, and their surfaces were covered and enveloped by a layer of pale white radiance. These were the marks left behind after the rocks had been eroded by the spiritual power and killing intent of the spirit sword for too long.

Deep within this dense forest, there was originally a valley formed by two high mountains, but now the mountains have disappeared, replaced by a large clearing filled with rubble. Even the cave that the Sword God once visited has vanished.

Now the place has become a fairly flat open space. Although the road is easier to walk on, everything looks pretty much the same, making it harder to find things than before.

As Li Chen tried to recall, she wandered around aimlessly. She didn't know how long she had been wandering in this open space, but finally, she saw something different from the surrounding rubble.

A short distance away, a long sword, its surface as green as jade, stood on the ground.

Half of its blade was buried underground, exposed to the elements, enduring countless storms. Yet, its edge remained sharp and cold, and the exposed portion shone brilliantly in the sunlight.

The sword, at this moment, was like a child eager to attract attention; its blade trembled incessantly, emitting clear, melodious hums, and at the same time, it emitted faint glows.

As the buzzing sound appeared, the wind around them suddenly intensified, echoing across the desolate open space, making it seem as if it were the sword crying.

It kept crying, as if it were telling her from afar about the hardships it had endured here all these years, the pain of being abandoned here by her for so many years.

Li Chen stood still, gazing at the long sword that was still trembling.

She gazed at it for a long time before slowly taking a step and walking slowly to the sword.

As she drew closer, the sword's tremors and hum grew more intense, as if it were truly telling its story of years of grievances in its own way.

Li Chenzhou stood there gazing for a long time before slowly taking a breath and saying in a hoarse voice, "Lanyue, leaving you here alone for so many years is my sin. Besides my master, you are the person I have wronged the most."

Sword God Li Xianghuan only had one sword by her side, a gift from her junior sister, who searched the world and presented her with it when she succeeded as the sect leader.

It is said that this sword was left behind by a sect leader of the sword cultivation world hundreds of years ago. Not only is it forged entirely from spirit stones, but it also contains the bones and inner core of a ten-thousand-year-old dragon, making it extremely tough, exceptionally sharp, and exuding a strong killing aura.

Once this poem was written, the name of the sword was decided: "Embracing the Moon".

Back then, she did not intentionally abandon her sword. If she could, she would naturally have left with the sword that had followed her for so many years. However, at that time, in addition to the magic array, there was also a giant snake that was almost transforming into a dragon.

When the giant snake emerged from the ground, its eyes were blood red and its body was filled with a strong malevolent aura. Now that I think about it, the magic array must have been set up for it. It's just that they were unlucky and were tricked into coming to this place.

The reason she was able to survive that killing formation was because the giant snake, attracted by the spiritual power of the formation, shot out directly from underground, blocking most of the formation's attacks for her, allowing her to forcefully break the formation.

But even with that giant serpent present, the cost of breaking the formation from the inside wouldn't be much less.

The moment the magic array was breached, a massive surge of spiritual energy rushed towards her, like a backlash, shattering her spiritual meridians and severely damaging her internal organs, nearly killing her on the spot.

Afterwards, severely injured and having exhausted most of her cultivation to break the magic array, she was naturally powerless to confront the giant snake head-on.

Even though it was also severely injured because it had burst out at the wrong time, causing its scales to crack, the snake that could become a dragon had a cultivation level and physical strength that she could not match.

Furthermore, since she was the main one who broke the formation, she was also the one who suffered the most backlash. Therefore, even though the giant snake was injured, its condition was much better than hers.

Having no other option, Li Xianghuan could only use the spiritual power within the Moon-Embracing Sword to forcibly seal it underground.

As the key element of the array that sealed the giant serpent, Lan Yue could only remain here indefinitely.

Over the years, although the giant serpent has been suppressed by Lan Yue, it can also take the opportunity to absorb the spiritual energy emitted by Lan Yue Sword for cultivation and healing.

So, after all these years, although it may not improve its cultivation level, it should be able to recover most of its injuries.

Therefore, once she pulls out Lan Yue now, the giant serpent will surely break the seal, and a fierce battle will be inevitable.

Although she said she wasn't afraid of war, her body probably couldn't withstand it.

She had already tried it when she was at Wanshan Sect. Although this puppet body was tougher than a normal person's body and could be used to circulate spiritual power, it could not withstand much.

If she used more than 20% of her cultivation, her whole body would start to ache. Therefore, she had always tried to control it, so she didn't know what would happen if she used more than 20% of her cultivation.

However, since it is a puppet's body, it will likely end up like the puppet she saw in the Weeping Dew Pavilion, scattered with broken limbs and fragments all over the ground.

But so be it, even if it's scattered into pieces. Anyway, since Shen Zhengyuan can create it, he can probably repair it well too.

Even if it can't be fixed, it doesn't matter.

At worst, she can die early and maybe meet her master in the afterlife, where she can ask him about the demon race. Then, on the seventh day after her death, she can appear in Shen Zhengyuan's dream.

However, if I were to send a message in a dream, it would probably not be appropriate to do so to Shen Zhengyuan.

After all, she was worried that she might have the chance to appear in a dream but not the chance to leave, so it was better for her to appear in Han Shannan's dream.

That kid has a good memory and wouldn't do anything to lock people's souls, so thinking about him makes people feel at ease.

Thinking of this, she raised an eyebrow, feeling much more relaxed.

She lowered her eyes to look at the still-humming Moon-Embracing Sword, slowly reached out and grasped the cold hilt. "Moon-Embracing, you have been left here by me for many years, enduring wind and rain. Now that we have just met, you are going to fight alongside me again. Just like me, you don't even have a moment of peace."

"You've really had a tough time having an owner like me."

After speaking, she suddenly tightened her grip on the sword hilt, the tendons and bones in her hand becoming clearly visible, as if she had used tremendous force. However, her expression remained calm and composed, as if she had not exerted much force at all, or as if this was just a trivial matter to her.

As the cyan sword was pulled inch by inch from the ground, the longsword in Li Chen's hand trembled more violently, the buzzing sound became more piercing, and the sword energy that spread out even shook the ground, creating cracks.

At the same time, the ground beneath her feet began to tremble, and the muffled sounds of heavy objects hitting the rock walls and the ground could be faintly heard from below. Meanwhile, a very deep breathing sound echoed around her, as if trying to make up for her current lack of breath.

The moment the longsword was completely unearthed, the tremors on the ground suddenly intensified.

Amidst the earth-shaking tremors, countless cracks began to spread, deepen, and split across the ground, as if something was about to emerge from those fissures.

After Li Chen regained her footing, she quickly retreated, but the cracks seemed to be chasing her, advancing inch by inch in the direction she was retreating, as if trying to drag her into the fissures that could bury a person alive.

She retreated dozens of steps, but seeing that the thing hidden underground was still relentlessly pursuing her, she simply stopped. The moment the cracks reached her feet, she lightly touched the ground with her toes and leaped into the air.

The Moon-Embracing Sword seemed to have come to life. After flying out of her hand, it twirled in the air before finally returning to her feet, supporting her body and standing in mid-air.

In that instant, the ground where she had been standing collapsed with a roar, and a huge snake head covered with silver-white scales slowly emerged from the abyss-like darkness.

Her image was reflected in the snake's scarlet eyes, and with each flick of its tongue, a cold, rotten, and foul stench wafted over.

The snake's head was enormous; Li Chen could barely see its eyes. Even with the sunlight shining into the "abyss" above her head after the snake's head emerged, she still couldn't see its entire body, demonstrating the snake's immense size and how many years it had lived.

Logically speaking, such a large snake would have caused trouble long ago if it wanted to. Why did it only suddenly attack after she arrived with her people?

It's really quite strange.

The author's note: (1) This is from Li Bai's "Farewell to Uncle Yun, the Proofreader, at Xie Tiao Tower in Xuanzhou".