Cohabitation with Sword Spirit

Chapter 474 - 59: When Golden Wind and Jade Dew Meet

Upon hearing the words "chaos exploration," Zhao Chenlu’s eyes slightly narrowed into crescents.

As expected of an old comrade, you guessed it so quickly.

Wang Jiu added, "Heaven-Reaching Tower?"

"Hmm, for now, we can only build the Heaven-Reaching Tower. I have redesigned the blueprints, and with Xiangzhou’s resources, we can construct a Vermilion Bird Tower."

After calculating, Wang Jiu realized that the Vermilion Bird Tower was clearly not the optimal solution for the present. Considering Xiangzhou’s resources and the laws of heaven and earth, the Cyan Dragon Tower was evidently more advantageous for chaos exploration, although it required stricter conditions for the leader.

"Your Golden Moon Saint Spirit can’t be reconstructed?"

Zhao Chenlu replied, "This physical body’s innate limitations mean I can’t restart the Moon Spirit as smoothly as in my previous life. I’m quite helpless."

Wang Jiu suggested, "How about using the Sword Realm for marrow cleansing? It could bring your physical condition infinitely close to your past life’s standard."

"Too painful, no way."

Wang Jiu continued, "If you’re afraid of the pain, you could train two swordsmen to use the Righteous and Evil Sword Realm to reduce the impact of the marrow cleansing."

"In this era, where can we find swordsmen who understand the Sword Realm?"

"I remember I taught you the entire set of instructions."

"...You taught so many things at once back then, who could remember everything?"

"Shang Lanfei remembered it all. You even said you would never lose to her, so you must have remembered everything too."

"I... yes, I did remember everything back then, but because of reincarnation, I forgot."

Wang Jiu said, "I taught you the derivation process, so even if you forgot some parts, you could start from scratch and derive it again."

"I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have tried to be strong. With an Intelligence Index of only 8, it’s impossible for me to be as brilliant as you guys. I was just fobbing you off back then."

"It’s okay. I’ll organize it and teach you again."

"No, I want you to personally help me with the marrow cleansing~"

Their conversation flowed incredibly smoothly.

The girl standing nearby watched in bewilderment.

For the past year, she had lived alongside this pure white Sword Spirit, feeling joy and anger because of him. She thought they were already breathing the same air and sharing the same fate, but only now realized that she was merely an insignificant passerby in the Celestial Divine Sword’s long life.

She could never have such a conversation with Ah Jiu.

Her heart began to ache, but it was not unbearable, so she just watched silently, bearing the pain alone.

At this moment, a gentle voice suddenly came from beside her.

"It’s only a temporary lead."

Shen Qingming was startled to hear the voice and turned around to find Zhao Lingbo’s bitter smile close by.

"Although the young lady has never mentioned her affairs to me, they must have had deep connections and extraordinary experiences, which we can’t compare to. But that’s just an advantage from the past..."

Listening to this, Shen Qingming subconsciously nodded.

Unlike Zhao Lingbo, she was well aware of the Jiuzhou Era’s Immortal Demon War and knew that Ah Jiu and Zhao Chenlu’s tacit understanding was forged through countless life-and-death battles.

This was indeed something she couldn’t match despite the experiences of the past year, but...

"When did I fall so low as to huddle together with you for warmth!?"

After being scorned, Zhao Lingbo wasn’t annoyed and said, "Those in a disadvantaged position must unite all the strength they can to regain the upper hand. You... don’t want the one you fancy to be snatched away, do you?"

"What do you mean, the one I fancy? Stop talking nonsense!"

"Denying it is futile. My intuition is very sharp; I can tell at a glance whether someone is in love, and you’re overflowing with the aura of love."

Shen Qingming blushed deeply: "So what? Why do you say I like him... maybe I’ve fallen for Zhao Chenlu."

Zhao Lingbo was silent for a while: "Do you know, your ridiculous assumption not only insults your own intelligence, it also confirms your obsession with that White Sword?"

"You... alright, even if I’m a fetishist, so what? You, a masochistic pervert, aren’t qualified to judge me!"

"Mas... masochistic?! You, practicing the Immovable Tyrant Body, how can you call me a masochist?"

"It’s cultivation! Things of Immortal Cultivators, how can it be called masochism?!"

As the two unrelated persons were bickering, Wang Jiu and Zhao Chenlu’s conversation was coming to an end.

"So, you’re saying that by adding a Gang Wind Instrument on the Vermilion Bird Tower, we can control the tower without a Moon Spirit... Hmm, I agree with this plan. If we can integrate Xiangzhou’s resources, it should be completed in twenty years. By then, Ah Jiu, the reconstruction of your Sword World should be over one-tenth complete, enough to support us in opening up the Western Wilderness."

Wang Jiu said: "The south is dominated by Vermilion Bird, but you want to open the Western Wilderness, on what grounds?"

"I vaguely remember, before I returned to Xiangzhou, the fragments kept drifting to the west. Of course, I can’t be sure if my memory is accurate, but when there’s no direction, even a random guess is worthwhile."

"Then west it is." Wang Jiu wasn’t concerned about the direction, instead, he raised a more urgent question, "Do you think they’re still alive?"

"If even I can survive, then perhaps..." Zhao Chenlu said, "I just have a feeling that, among the nine, I shouldn’t be the one surviving."

"In terms of Immortal Dao Cultivation, you’re indeed not the strongest among the Jiu Immortal Venerables..."

Before he could finish, Zhao Chenlu interrupted, "In terms of cunning, I’m not as good as the Shang Girl; in magic refinement, not as good as the Old Boy Zhu Junsen; in real battle experience, I can’t compare to Shen Kaishan. If there was something special about me in that battle, it’s just that I was particularly lucky. But I don’t like this result, especially since... even the Shang Girl died, yet I survived purely by luck."

Wang Jiu remained silent for a moment, then said: "I witnessed their deaths myself, but in the battle with the Demon Emperor, with heaven and earth shattered and the Laws twisted, even causality was completely dissipated. During the final moments in my memory, countless incredible scenes appeared, so... the possibility of resurrection isn’t ruled out."

Zhao Chenlu smiled and said: "Indeed, miracles are bound to happen, and even if they really died completely, at least we should find their remains. They are heroes who saved human civilization, and in today’s revival of human civilization, they shouldn’t be forgotten without leaving a trace of their existence."

"Alright then, let’s do as you say and go to the Saint Sect first... but if it turns out they are indeed flawless, what will you do?"

Zhao Chenlu said: "What else can I do? Tell them the truth of history, reason with them and move them emotionally to help us. As long as the Sect Leader of the Saint Sect has basic conscience, they will definitely support me in building the Vermilion Bird Tower. With the help of the Saint Sect, my work efficiency will surpass that of dominating Xiangzhou alone and the project can be shortened to fifteen years."

At this point, Shen Qingming, noticing something amiss, interrupted, "Wait, you’re planning to have the Saint Sect gather all the resources of the continent to search for the possibly non-existent remains of the Jiu Immortal Venerables? They wouldn’t possibly agree!"

Zhao Chenlu asked: "Why wouldn’t they agree? As long as they have basic conscience, they should understand the principle of repaying kindness. The Jiu Immortal Venerables risked their lives to save the world back then, now what’s a few years of hardship for the survivors? Besides, exploring the chaos isn’t without benefits."

Shen Qingming said: "That’s unreasonable. No matter how great the Jiu Immortal Venerables’ grace is, to the people of Xiangzhou now, it remains a distant story from history, with no sense of realism! Sacrificing current benefits for such a matter..."

Zhao Chenlu replied: "If the Saint Sect thinks like you, it doesn’t deserve to be called an immaculate Saint Sect. Such impostors only deserve to be crushed by me."

"You... you’re simply being unreasonable."

Zhao Chenlu laughed heartily: "I’ve painstakingly cultivated in the Immortal Dao and beautified myself diligently. Do you think my aim in becoming the most beautiful woman in the world is to reason with others?"

This bandit-like logic instantly intimidated Shen Qingming.

Wang Jiu then asked: "You’ve crossed swords with the Sect Leader of the Saint Sect. How is their strength?"

"Stronger than me." Zhao Chenlu pondered for a moment, "They indeed possess Immortal Cultivation techniques beyond their time, but it’s just a slight edge. In several encounters with the Sect Leader, the gap was due to accumulated cultivation. Moreover, in recent years, I haven’t devoted enough time to practice. I’d put the Sect Leader between the Peak of Sea Overturning Realm and Earth Split Realm."

Wang Jiu asked: "No reservations?"

"None. Although I lost the duel, I could tell whether the opponent withheld any trump cards. The Saint Sect leads the time narrowly because it aggregates the most elite cultivators of Xiangzhou, possessing the most comprehensive and advanced research system, rather than holding some miraculous Primordial Relics... Besides, what Primordial Relic haven’t I seen?"

"In that case, I have complete confidence in concluding the matter within three moves."

Zhao Chenlu laughed: "That’s my thought as well. If you are willing to help, we don’t even need much preparation. We can immediately attack and wipe out the Saint Sect."

Wang Jiu didn’t rush into optimism and asked seriously: "Apart from the Sect Leader, what about the combat strength of others? And the sect’s forbidden mechanisms?"

"The Deputy Sect Leader’s strength is similar to mine, having limited impact at that level of battle. Besides, there are seventeen Guardians, all at peak Mountain-Overturning Realm if not higher. I haven’t thoroughly explored the sect’s arrays and mechanisms, but initially assess their comprehensive strength to be two to three times that of Golden Jade City. Under array support, including the Sect Leader, all the combat cultivators’ strength increases by at least thirty percent. In old terms, it’s comparable to the Black Demon Fortress."

"Oh, the Black Demon Fortress." Wang Jiu nodded knowingly, "If it’s only that level, give me a day."

Zhao Chenlu remarked: "A day, huh, that’s a bit long since once the Saint Sect faces danger, Heaven-Reaching City and the Three Academies will definitely not stand by. As for the strength of the Three Academies, based on what I know..."

As the two of them were engrossed in intense discussion, Shen Qingming on the side finally felt chills running down her spine.

What on earth are you two terrorists planning to do!?