Chapter 385: Unexpected Breakthrough
Not far off, the gigantic sword was impaled deep into the ground.
Although the exquisite blade was buried to the hilt, under the earth's surface the sword stood about ten feet in all, and it was one foot wide. Aside from the dark coloring, there were ruby red lines along the length of the metal masterpiece.
Even buried deeply in the ground, as it was, the giant sword was imposing and gave the impression that it was an aggressive beast of prey.
Above ground, the hilt stood as tall as Zen, and seemed impossible for any man to wield!
“It's the sword of Blood Fiend Emperor,” said Tia smoothly when she caught a glimpse of the sword. As far as she was concerned, this sword wasn't suitable for her, although it would be precious to most of the male warriors.
Since the sword was buried at the Cloud Road's exit, Tia had seen it many times before, as any disciple who had already passed the test.
Over the years, many members from Cloud Hall had unsuccessfully tried to pull the sword from the ground. Even the disciples who possessed superman strength couldn't budge it!
One of the many reasons no one had been able to retrieve the sword was its weight. Still, since disciples refining at the Illuminating Soul Realm lifted things much heavier than the sword, there must be another reason no one had pulled it out. It turned out that an enchanted barrier safeguarded the blade, and unless it was shattered, no one would be able to get the sword!
Because the burial place for the sword now was the heart of the plaza, the enchanted barrier protecting it vanished.
“I would think that the Blood Fiend Emperor was a human too, but, how was he able to wield such a colossal sword?” questioned Zen as he stared at it curiously.
Although Blood Fiend Emperor might found it not difficult to wield such a sword, it was still too long for any regular man. So, how could anyone battle enemies using it? It would be cumbersome, and when Zen visualized it, he was confused.
A brooding expression crossed Tia's face, and she added, “Well, of course, it belonged to the Blood Fiend Emperor. But, why would you think he wielded it himself? Couldn't his sword-spirit have been the one using it? After all, if his sword-spirit was immense or if the emperor infused the two, it would've been a tremendous help to him.”
“Sword-spirit?” echoed Zen questioningly. What Tia was saying intrigued Zen.
Since a puppet had ripped the Streamer Sword to pieces, Zen had been using the Blood Drinking Sword, which meant he didn't have a sword for his sword spirit, Lily.
As Zen had been looking at the giant sword, he'd been contemplating giving it to Lily.
However, it crossed his mind that even though Lily was slim and much taller than Tia, she might not be strong enough to wield it.
Seeing Zen's eyes light up in interest, Tia smirked and proposed, “Let me guess, you have a sword spirit too?” Sword intent and sword-spirit were entirely different things, and even though Tia had seen Zen's sword intent previously, she found it hard to believe that anyone at the nature level could possess a sword-spirit.
Even before Tia finished speaking, a form emerged from within Zen's body. The humanoid was nearly as tall as Zen, and as slender as Tia, with pointy ears on her perfect face.
“Wow! I see you really have a sword-spirit!” exclaimed Tia in surprised excitement. Tia didn't possess such power or skill at grade three of nature level, so, she underestimated Zen, never believing he might have such things, even though Tia did know Zen was exceptionally talented in the martial arts. She also never considered that he could be concealing his actual abilities from others.
He had a sword-spirit that had already taken human form.
Anger and jealousy were rising in Tia's heart at the sight of Zen's sword spirit, and she spat, “You're disgusting! You shaped your sword-spirit to look like a woman?”
Lily actually was a sexual woman. After all, She was a member of Demon Night.
The Demon Night relished their sexuality and adopted many customs that humans enjoyed. She generally wore very few clothes, leaving most of her body exposed. Her waist was slim, her legs seemed to go on forever, being long, fit and alabaster. Covering her breasts was a fabric made of leaves.
Tia held little respect for any female creature wearing clothes like that!
Generally speaking, Tia knew that sword-spirits altered themselves to suit their masters' will. However, Tia was wrong about Zen. Zen's sword-spirit was unlike any other, and he didn't manipulate her appearance at all.
Unsure how to defend himself against her wrongful accusations, Zen scowled in frustration.
Actually, Tia, was a woman of considerable insight, and she was aware that the sword-spirit had taken her form through special ways.
She walked up to Lily, and carefully examined her perfect face before she smiled coldly, and said, “Your sword-spirit is impressive. If you can use the Sword-Spirit Wielding Sword skill well, I don't doubt that the giant sword of the Blood Fiend Emperor will be yours!”
“Sword-Spirit Wielding Sword skill? What's that?” wondered Zen aloud.
“Don't act like a fool! You know darn well what it means! Your sword-spirit is capable of fighting alongside you while wielding a sword, and you can manipulate her like a puppet!” snapped Tia giving Zen an impatient look, as if he were a dolt.
Many warriors took a great deal of time, and put in a lot of effort into cultivating their sword-spirits so they could use them like a puppet in battles. However, although Zen had an interesting sword-spirit, he seemed to know nothing about any of this.
“Huh! Do you mean like this?” With that Zen tossed the Blood Drinking Sword to Lily. She caught the blade and suddenly changed from demure and quiet to an intimidating, aggressive looking adversary.
Until now, she had looked more like a delicate tree nymph, with no facial expression and being emotionless. However, as soon as she gripped the sword, her demeanor flipped, and she looked like a savage ready to slaughter anyone at Zen's order. She skillfully handled the Blood Drinking Sword.
She made eye contact as she gracefully danced in a rehearsed routine. Her beautiful body and sexy clothes didn't detract her will or ability to slay an enemy, instead, her every action entranced a foe.
Even women couldn't avoid her charm.
Tia watched, in dumbfounded shock while Lily swayed rhythmically.
Only a powerful, skillful sword-master could see how unique Lily's skill was.
Both Rocher and Kenneth saw she was skilled in the arts of the sword dance. However, Tia was even better at assessing talent than either of them. As an influential figure in the Central Region, unbelievably, she couldn't find a single flaw in her dance.
If Tia was a warrior who wielded a sword, she would definitely ask Zen to teach her to dance like that!
“Is this what you meant by Sword-Spirit Wielding Sword skill?” questioned Zen as he stared at Tia.
Staring back into Zen's eyes, Tia wondered if Zen deliberately ordered Lily to dance in such a seductive way. She paused momentarily and then replied, “Yes, it is! However, before you are able to brandish this giant sword, you will need to transfer some of your sword-spirit into it. That way, you can use it as much as you like!”
Zen focused, directing his mind to a singular thought, and as he did this, some red dots sparkled on Lily's body. He moved the sparkles from her to the giant sword.
Lily's body seemed paler, as the red rays shot from the blade's intricate lines.
“Rise,”
ordered Zen. Lily jumped and landed lithely on the hilt of the giant sword. Her long, pale hands pushed the grip, and the blade moved. She drew the sword, effortlessly.
Although the blade appeared to be too long for Lily, she balanced it comfortably, handling the sword as though it were created for her from the very beginning.
After she swung the sword, she thrust it back in the ground, and without hesitating, she became countless spots of sword-spirit before she returned to Zen's body.
“I want the giant sword,” stated Zen. Apparently satisfied with the sword, Zen smiled.
“Then, it is yours,” replied Tia smoothly. She actually wanted Zen to have the sword. If his sword-spirit was capable of wielding this sword, it could help Zen reach a higher martial arts level.
Just then, the sky's light dimmed, blocked by something falling to the earth.
Masses of meteorites and dark steels which were used to refine weapons were dropping from the air. Eventually, a verdant garden revealed itself, guided by the light. When the garden landed in a corner, Tia raised her eyebrow and hurried to it.
Effective herbs required a very long time to grow, and no one felt obliged to tend to them since the demise of the Blood Fiend Emperor. Thus, thousands of years had passed while the herbs grew, untended. They would be priceless on the market as long as they were intact with the changeable and severe weather.
“This is the herbal garden…” Before Zen finished his sentence, Tia turned, grabbed hold of Zen's hand, led him to the exit and threw him, muttering, “The herbal garden will never be yours! Wash up!”
Zen felt his body lift off the ground, and he sailed through the air. After the unusual flight, he landed in the dragon blood pool, and within a few seconds, Zen felt his skin burning.
He hadn't expected the dragon blood to be that hot.
Since Zen's body was designed for weapon refinery, he could endure regular fire, easily. However, blood of a dragon was far hotter than any regular fire. The experience was extremely strange for Zen.
However, the strange feeling only lasted a short time. As his body adjusted to the high temperature, he felt more comfortable, and it felt more like he were taking a hot spring bath.
All over him, Zen's pores opened as he soaked in the blood bath. As he soaked, he absorbed the nutrients contained in it. Relaxing, his eyes closed and he started to practice his martial arts. However, his mind opened, as he meditated.
Seeing Zen's eyes closed, Tia scowled as she began to gather herbs. To recover her strength fully, she still needed several essential herbs, and she hoped to find them amongst the herbs in the garden.
Approximately an hour later, Zen's eyes shot open, and his lower abdomen shook slightly. Life vitality flowed through him. Soaking in the dragon blood bath had inadvertently led to a breakthrough.