Chapter 299: Chapter 16 The Last Obsession of the Sun Sword Master
“I learned about your life through the Dream of Millet.”
“Upon discovering that your wife was a demon, your first thought wasn’t to seek guidance from your Sect but to flee with your pregnant wife.”
“At first, I thought you were panicked beyond reason, but later I overturned that conclusion.”
“The reason is simple: your escape was carefully planned, you even managed to hide the Tai Yin Suming Sword well, which proves that you hadn’t lost your minds.”
“Therefore, the only reason you didn’t go to your Sect for help must be that your Sect was also unable to protect itself at the time.”
“That’s not it,” a voice suddenly came from the fire, “During that era, the Sun and Tai Yin Swords were under the control of the Emei Sword Sect, which is the Sect where I trained.”
“Within the Emei Sword Sect, there were numerous Sword Cultivator factions. My master was from the branch of the Daijiao Peak, not a major faction within the Sect.”
“That is to say,” Ling Yunpo immediately understood, “after your wife’s demon identity was exposed, the higher-ups within the Sword Sect tried to stabilize you two Sword Masters and didn’t come to seize you immediately; instead, they chose to eradicate your backing within the Sect first—your master’s lineage.”
“I failed my master,” said the voice within the fire.
“Cultivators from your master’s lineage were murdered one after another, alerting you,” continued Ling Yunpo, “You began to seek the truth and eventually discovered that your wife was a demon. You couldn’t bear such a reality, yet in this world, you had no other relatives, friends, or mentors, and that is why you desired to flee to the Eastern Emperor Demon Realm with your wife, to leave this world forever.”
“Even so, I remain a traitor,” the voice in the fire said, “What use is there in telling me all this?”
“I originally chose not to give the Sun True Obscure Sword to anyone, not just to protect Xiao Jing and my daughter with it, but also because I had no one to entrust it to.”
“Emei Sword Sect… My master’s mortal enemy, instigated several greedy elders, annihilating our entire lineage. I wished for the entire Sword Sect to die off.”
“It’s just that I died without being able to make it happen,” the voice lamented.
“Now, there is no Emei Sword Sect,” Ling Yunpo said softly, “Your enemies are no more.”
“Then whom do you think I should give the Sun True Obscure Sword to?” the voice in the fire asked lowly, “To you? You’re too weak to protect it.”
“I have a senior who is of Immortal Rank,” Ling Yunpo replied with a sincere expression, “He is outside and can wield the Sun True Obscure Sword.”
“In that case,” said the voice in the fire, “to take over the Sun True Obscure Sword, I have two conditions.”
“First: the Sun and Tai Yin Swords are precious treasures of the Human Race used to suppress the Demon Race and must not fall into the hands of demons. The wielder must be from the Human Race.”
“Second: even if it’s a human, I cannot give it to someone harboring ulterior motives; he must win my trust and approval.”
“Someone harboring ulterior motives?” Ling Yunpo asked softly.
“Cold-hearted and selfish, those who only think of themselves are such people,” the voice from the fire said.
In other words, heartless people won’t do, Ling Yunpo thought to himself, and out loud said, “That is not difficult.”
“My trust is easy to earn. I don’t even bother with those harboring ulterior motives,” said the voice from the fire, “The real difficulty is winning my approval.”
“Back then, I covered Xiao Jing’s escape to the Eastern Emperor Demon Realm, dying in battle against the pursuers outside the Boundary Gate. Now, only a single willpower remains in my dying body, muddled, upholding my struggle against the Sun True Obscure Sword, sealing the passageway between the realms of humans and demons.”
“My willpower is to make sure how Xiao Jing, who returned to the Eastern Emperor Demon Realm, as well as the daughter in her womb, are faring.”
The voice in the fire continued:
“She was seriously injured at the time and, lacking in elixirs for treatment, I forcibly pushed her through the Boundary Gate. I am very worried about her condition…”
“Stop!” Ling Yunpo hurriedly called out, “Brother Ouyang, Elder Ouyang, you have been an ancient figure from a hundred thousand years ago. To suddenly inquire about the status of your wife and children is indeed too preposterous!”
“Do you think I don’t know that?” the voice in the fire mechanically said. “A hundred thousand years have passed, and if our progeny has survived and has not embarked on the path of cultivation, they may well have proliferated for thousands of generations.”
“And yet you still make this absurd request?” Ling Yunpo was at a loss for words.
“This is an unfulfilled desire,” the voice in the fire said. “It is precisely because it is truly difficult to quell that my remnant body has persisted here for over a hundred thousand years.”
“Also,” Ling Yunpo continued to complain, “your wife and daughter are in the Eastern Emperor Demon Realm. How are we supposed to go there to find out about them? Unless you lift the obstruction of the Sun True Fire blocking the passageway.”
“That is not possible,” the voice in the fire asserted firmly. “Once the Sun True Fire is removed, any immortal can enter at will and snatch away the Sun True Obscure Sword… I cannot allow such a thing to happen.”
“If you don’t lift the Sun True Fire, we can’t get to the Eastern Emperor Demon Realm!” Ling Yunpo said frantically.
“Then first resolve my unfulfilled desire and gain my approval,” the voice in the fire said.
“Are you playing with a logical deadlock here?” Ling Yunpo felt like vomiting.
“… This is an unfulfilled desire,” the voice in the fire repeated. “I’m sorry, but Ouyang Zhao is already dead. I am merely his lingering obsession. To obtain the Sun True Obscure Sword, you must solve me.”
Ling Yunpo felt the urge to turn around and leave on the spot but managed to calm his emotions before asking:
“What about the Tai Yin Summoning Sword? Where did you conceal it originally?”
“It is the same as the Sun True Obscure Sword,” the voice in the fire said.
“The Tai Yin Summoning Sword is here too?” Ling Yunpo was startled at first and then realized what the other meant— “Resolve my obsession, and I will not only hand over the Sun True Obscure Sword to you but will also tell you the location of the Tai Yin Summoning Sword.”
So there’s no way around your damn obsession, is that it?!
“If I find your descendants, how can I confirm it with you?” Ling Yunpo asked with a sigh.
“Bring them here,” the voice in the fire said. “I have a way to confirm the bloodline relation.”
“As long as he is indeed my descendant, no matter what the outcome is from his perspective, I will accept it.”
“What if your wife is dead?” Ling Yunpo asked again. “If there aren’t any descendants left, what then?”
“Then find their remains,” the voice in the fire said. “The small scene was initially able to transform into a human and deceive the bloodline verification to enter the Emei Sword Sect because she possessed a Strange Object with immense sealing power. She used it to seal her own Celestial Fox Bloodline.”
“You can start with that Strange Object; perhaps it will lead you more quickly to your goal.”
“What is this Strange Object?” Ling Yunpo asked, his eyes unfocused.
“In ancient times, the goddess Nuwa refined six Heaven-Mending Stones, using five to mend the heavens and keeping one in reserve,” the voice in the fire said. “That Strange Object is indeed a fragment of the last Heaven-Mending Stone.”