Cohabitation with Sword Spirit

Chapter 468 - 53: Take a Guess

April 30, 2018

Beautiful things always receive unjust favoritism.

The same actions, when performed by someone beautiful, are met with higher praise. For instance, if a virtuoso coincidentally possesses an appealing appearance, they will be lauded as both talented and beautiful. However, if it is the opposite, people will begrudgingly murmur that fate leaves no one stranded, a sentiment hovering between compliment and condemnation.

Similarly, even the most reviled criminal acts, if committed by someone with a beautiful face, will strangely see people’s revulsion fade significantly, with some even hoping, against reason, for her redemption or forgiveness.

Since the dawn of human civilization, ancestors sighed that this is a world where appearances matter. And over millennia, this fundamental truth has not changed. Humans have always been especially lenient towards beauty.

For a double share of beauty, naturally, there will be double the lenience.

And when two exceptionally beautiful women embrace in a kiss, the beauty of that scene can approach a multiplicative effect. In that instant, the aesthetic explosion is enough to make one forget all their crimes. Even if they were murderers or world-destroying demon kings, their beauty alone is enough for atonement.

This is the flaw of human nature, which Celestial Divine Sword had already deeply understood since the Jiuzhou Era, especially after personally witnessing Mr. Zhao colluding with Shang Lanfei in their unruly ways, recording every detail of the event as evidence of human disgrace.

And at this precise moment, as she recreates that past scene, the hundreds of thousands of onlookers are unsurprisingly moved by it, instantly forgetting all unpleasant memories related to Zhao Chenlu, with hearts filled only with a deep sense of emotion and joy.

Such pure thoughts, however brief, in that split second, were like some religious frenzy, sublimated into a vast and immaculate power of wish.

"We won."

When the torrential power, along the trajectory set by the Celestial Divine Sword, invisibly flowed into Zhao Chenlu’s body, the woman knew the outcome was settled.

This power was so immense that once it filled her being, it invoked an overwhelming sense of grandeur, as though she could sweep across the universe with merely a gesture. With her gentle breathing, the earth and sky resonated, continuously emitting a submissive wail. The surrounding time and space seemed to freeze, and Zhao Lingbo’s painstakingly crafted falling stars froze mid-air in an instant, with each star, every warped fragment of time, bound firmly to their place.

In that moment, it felt as though above or below, she alone reigned supreme.

This delicate sensation made Zhao Chenlu feel as if she were descending into a trance, enraptured within it.

It was an experience of a supreme power that she seldom encountered even in the Jiuzhou Era, an experience only attainable by a Void-Breaking Immortal, with cultivation that connected Heaven and Earth, and wielded the Dao Laws in their hands, to enjoy a transcendent eminence amid the mortal realm.

Throughout the endless history of the Jiuzhou Era, the only one capable of breaking through the final shackle to reach the other shore was Celestial Divine Sword. And esteemed as the Jiu Immortal Venerables were, they could only partially share in the supreme sensation when the Celestial Divine Sword began to ride its steed.

Now, an old dream revisited.

The way Celestial Divine Sword applied its power was exceptionally skillful. Even though Sword World was not even one percent rebuilt, it still instantly transformed the pure power of wish into Zhao Chenlu’s True Essence, and then along the paths already laid in her body, it circulated and fermented, turning into a divine technique intertwined with the external world.

This out-to-in divine technique, no matter how many times experienced, never ceased to captivate Zhao Chenlu.

The formation and application of True Essence, every detail of the divine technique’s construction and usage, were flawless, as if the Heaven and Earth Dao had personally demonstrated the path of the Immortal Dao for her. Any cultivator would be lost in this, as if the dreams and ideals pursued all life, now lay within reach.

Yet dreams, after all, are but dreams. Moments later, the mystical realm dissipated like smoke. The peak stance lasted only an instant and exhausted the united wish power of Golden Jade City’s millions, yet in that brief moment, Celestial Divine Sword was able to change the world.

Unbeknownst to all, the night sky had already faded, with millions of stars silently returning to nullity. The sudden radiance made tens of thousands in the square bow their heads and squint their eyes unwittingly.

When they reopened their eyes, everything in the sky had vanished without a trace. Zhao Chenlu, along with her kissing partner and their adversary Zhao Lingbo, had all disappeared in the air.

"What... what is the situation?"

Zhao Hongwu trembled, clutching the transfer talisman to Feiyan Mountain in his left hand, and holding a surrender letter titled "Grant me my life and I will serve you as beast or dog" in his right, anxiously wanting to know the final outcome.

Although from a rational deduction, once the united strength’s million wish power spiraled out of control, the outcome became obvious, but what if there was an unforeseen turn of events?

When the wish power went awry, it was precisely the moment Zhao Chenlu found herself in the most passive and perilous situation, Zhao Lingbo fully wielded the Broken Moon Sword Array, pressing Zhao Chenlu to the point where breathing became strenuous, it was a situation far too close to disaster... What if Zhao Chenlu did not possess the blood battle talent and the sublimation of the million wish power was slightly delayed?

"I cannot sense their fluctuations, it’s as if... they’ve vanished." Beside him, Zhao Hongwen, slightly calmer, secretly tucked away a surrender letter titled "I long foresaw Zhao Hongwu’s wolfish ambitions and have been closely following him, waiting for an opportunity to act," while saying, "They’ve vanished thoroughly, I can’t find any trace of them even using the Spirit Communication Technique, I suspect... they might have entered a space-time distortion just now."

"Space-time distortion? You mean... those star nodes of the Broken Moon Sword Array?" Zhao Hongwu was first surprised and then delighted, "That space-time distortion leads directly to the chaotic void, to infinitely distant places. If cast into the void, even a Daluo Golden Immortal would have difficulty returning to Xiangzhou! Doesn’t that mean they are doomed!?"

Zhao Hongwen made some calculations and said, "Though it seems incredible, this indeed appears to be the most likely development. Given that Zhao Lingbo has calculated everything, she must have foreseen the potential transformation of the united strength’s wish power. If she cannot slay Zhao Chenlu by conventional means, she may very well have flipped another trump card to bring Zhao Chenlu down with her. With Zhao Chenlu’s temperament, she would be utterly humiliated and angry by such betrayal. If Zhao Lingbo falls into her hands, a fate worse than death awaits her, so it might be better to perish together."

Although this reasoning appears utterly self-serving, Zhao Hongwu nodded repeatedly upon hearing it, "It must be like this, those three must have died together. Zhao Lingbo dared to launch a coup and plot against Zhao Chenlu, she must have planned everything from the start; otherwise, Zhao Chenlu wouldn’t have fallen into her trap from the beginning!"

"Furthermore, she absolutely has the means to perish together," Zhao Hongwen added, "Looking at the array map of the Broken Moon Sword Array, it essentially distorts space-time, drawing on the chaotic void’s True Sun Flame to counter Zhao Chenlu’s Moonlight True Essence. How it locates the True Sun Flame in the chaotic void is beyond me, but I analyzed a little of the space-time distortion part, and if scenario calls for it drenched with excessive True Essence in an emergency, it might trigger a siphon effect..."

"A siphon of space-time distortion?" Zhao Hongwu gasped, "Who knows where in the void it connects to the sun? Once the siphon effect triggers a chain reaction, the whole Golden Jade City could be sucked in!"

"Golden Jade City has the City Defense Array and will not be affected by the space-time distortion, but those who were at the center of the battlefield at that moment have no chance of escaping," Zhao Hongwen sighed, "Sigh, Zhao Lingbo indeed put her utmost effort into this battle. Zhao Chenlu, plotted against by a trusted personal maid to this extent, deserves her fate regardless."

——

"Mm, you’re not wrong, being plotted against to this extent, I do deserve this..."

At the same time, in a spherical dim space, Zhao Chenlu sighed self-deprecatingly.

Before the woman was a bright mirror, reflecting the clear daytime sky over the square, the worried expressions of the Zhao brothers, and the bewilderment of hundreds of thousands of people. Zhao Chenlu looked at the scene in the mirror, revealing an amused expression.

Beside her, Zhao Lingbo lay on the ground, her body involuntarily curling up, trembling, as blood oozed from all seven orifices.

When the Broken Moon Sword Array was breached, she had no time to flip any suicidal trump cards, she only felt that the sword array suddenly lost control, and then she was drawn by an irresistible force into this small and mysterious space.

"This is a hidden feature of the Broken Moon Sword Array, among the billions of stars, there’s one that doesn’t channel the True Sun Flame, but serves as a sanctuary left for me. As long as you can accurately locate it, you can hide inside when the stars strike, and pass safely... though I’ve never timely found it, each time I was hit scampering in panic."

"That’s because you never seriously practiced refining your Divine Sense according to my plan," Wang Jiu interjected appropriately, "Otherwise, using the Moon God Algorithm I perfected for you, you ought to be able to locate the sanctuary, allowing you to endure longer in a decisive battle."

Zhao Chenlu stuck out her tongue, "Endure longer, and I might not survive at all. Anyways, with your help, any problem is easily solved."

After speaking, Zhao Chenlu looked again at Zhao Lingbo on the ground.

"Now, let’s first resolve the issue between us."

Zhao Lingbo abruptly opened her eyes, her scarlet pupils showing not a trace of defeat, but a resolve of burn one’s boat in defiance.

"You really won’t kill me."

Zhao Chenlu smiled, "Before the problem is resolved, dying won’t be so easy for you. So, tell me, what is your reason for betraying me?"

Upon hearing the question, Zhao Lingbo smiled slightly.

"Care to guess?"