novelraw Chapter 52 : The Sword Slave
Chapter 52 : The Sword Slave
Chapter 52: The Sword Slave
“Stop.”
Tantai Yuxian called out once more, her robes billowing as a torrential aura of pressure surged around her.
She nearly couldn’t resist taking action.
However, Shen Yanzhou still had no intention of stopping.
“I told you to stop.”
“It seems the Sword Immortal has agreed then?” Shen Yanzhou smiled faintly.
“You’ll regret this threat one day.”
Tantai Yuxian cast a deep glance at Shen Yanzhou.
As Shen Yanzhou had expected, she would never allow Shen Tian to die here.
Not merely because Shen Tian was her disciple, but because within Shen Tian’s body was the ‘Fruit of Humanity’ she had planted.
In the future, when the world’s human destiny surged and fortune gathered, dragons would soar and tigers leap — and upon Shen Tian’s body, there existed a clear, majestic momentum, one destined to stir the winds and clouds of the four directions.
As Shen Tian’s destiny rose, like clouds and wind moving in unison, like a flood dragon swimming through rivers, gathering the world’s human fortune, the Fruit of Humanity she had planted would gradually ripen as well.
But if Shen Tian were to die, then all she had poured into these past twenty years would come to nothing.
“How long is ‘one day’?”
Shen Yanzhou chuckled lightly, utterly unbothered.
Everything was still under his control.
Compared to cutting the knot here and now by killing Shen Tian directly, leaving a single wisp of true soul alive instead promised him greater benefit in the long run.
As long as Shen Tian lived, he would continue to hate him — providing an unending stream of negative emotion.
As long as Shen Tian lived, Tantai Yuxian would still have a thread of attachment, not so utterly severed as to become his mortal enemy.
Most importantly, Tantai Yuxian didn’t know that he was aware of the unique nature of this wisp of her soul.
To Shen Yanzhou, subduing Tantai Yuxian carried far greater meaning.
As for Shen Tian, he was no longer a threat — nothing more than a pawn that had lost its use.
“Let’s hope you’ll keep your word.”
Tantai Yuxian’s expression remained icy, the coldness in her eyes barely concealed.
“I swear upon my Dao Heart.”
“If I break this oath, may heavenly thunder strike me down, never to be reborn.”
Smiling, Shen Yanzhou raised one hand toward the heavens and took the oath.
Tantai Yuxian took a deep breath.
Tonight, it was difficult for her to maintain her usual serenity — her emotions had been led by Shen Yanzhou’s rhythm from beginning to end.
Yet seeing him take the oath earnestly, she said no more and began to swear as well.
At her current level, such an oath was never made lightly — especially not one sworn upon the Dao Heart.
Within the unseen, the oath would invoke the binding of karma; should she break it, her Dao Heart would collapse and she would suffer the backlash of Heaven’s Law.
As the two of them swore their oaths, from the boundless heights of the deep sky came a resonant response, and unseen threads descended — imperceptible to ordinary eyes — binding the two together.
With her cultivation, Tantai Yuxian naturally recognized these as threads of karma.
From Shen Yanzhou’s body, one of the threads coiled outward and fell into her palm.
If Shen Yanzhou failed to keep his promise, she could use this thread of karma to make him pay the price.
And from her body as well, a faint, delicate thread stretched toward Shen Yanzhou, falling into his hand.
“Ordinary people could never draw upon the threads of karma…”
“But right now, I’m borrowing Lin Qingcang’s power — and Tantai Yuxian stands at the absolute peak of this age.”
“Heh…”
“That suits me perfectly.”
Sensing the existence of the karmic thread, the corner of Shen Yanzhou’s lips curved upward.
Shen Tian, lying prone on the ground, had been listening to the two of them all along.
The shadow of death loomed over his head, paralyzing him with fear — he dared not move, nor utter a word.
He was truly afraid of dying.
He still had so many unfinished things, and he was unwilling to die here.
His hatred toward Shen Yanzhou made that unwillingness burn all the fiercer.
He still had to take revenge.
A gentleman’s vengeance was never too late, even after ten years.
In ancient times, there were those who endured the shame of lying upon firewood and tasting gall, or crawling between another’s legs — compared to that, what was this humiliation?
And as Shen Tian swore silently in his heart that if he survived, he would make Shen Yanzhou pay a thousandfold, ten thousandfold for today’s disgrace…
“Ah…”
A searing pain, as though piercing through his viscera and lungs, tore through him, forcing a miserable scream from his throat.
He only felt as if his meridians were being pierced by countless fine needles, while his Dantian and Ancestral Aperture were shattered by a terrifying surge of qi.
The once vast Haoyang True Qi accumulated in his body now rapidly dispersed, fading into nothingness within him.
“You… you crippled my cultivation…”
Shen Tian’s face turned deathly pale, filled with shock, anger, and fear.
His cultivation had been abolished; he could no longer sense the flow of true qi within his body.
Tantai Yuxian’s brows furrowed slightly.
Seeing this, she seemed to feel a faint trace of pity, but said nothing more.
“After all, this body of yours won’t be of any use in the future. Keeping your cultivation serves no purpose.”
Shen Yanzhou’s tone was casual, but his words made Shen Tian’s whole body go cold.
The next instant, Shen Tian felt a sharp pain in his spiritual platform.
It was as if his soul had been torn apart by an invisible hand.
His consciousness grew hazy and dim, darkness encroaching like sinking into the depths of an endless sea.
Moments later, Shen Tian completely lost consciousness.
In Tantai Yuxian’s eyes, Shen Yanzhou lifted his hand.
The overwhelming pressure of a Transcendent Rank crushed downward, easily shattering Shen Tian’s martial true soul, leaving only a single wisp of remnant spirit.
She had wanted to stop him, but recalling the oath Shen Yanzhou had sworn, she forcibly restrained herself.
Fortunately, Shen Yanzhou had kept his word—he hadn’t truly killed Shen Tian.
“Leave a wisp of true soul. Afterward, with time and care, he can slowly recover. He may lose some memories, but…”
“That’s not important. What matters is that he’s still alive.”
With a flick of his wrist, Shen Yanzhou tossed the hazy remnant of Shen Tian’s soul toward Tantai Yuxian.
Tantai Yuxian caught it, her gaze icy.
Though she had always been indifferent and single-mindedly devoted to the pinnacle of swordsmanship, Shen Tian had grown up under her care.
She had taught him since childhood—saying she had no feelings for him would be a lie.
But given tonight’s circumstances, she had no choice but to concede.
Not just her—even if Shen Jingxiao himself came, the outcome would be the same.
Who could have imagined that Shen Yanzhou could borrow the power of a Transcendent Rank being?
“Soul, return.”
Suppressing her emotions, Tantai Yuxian raised her pale wrist, and within the unseen void, a faintly visible passage manifested.
A guiding force emanated from within, connecting to a serene countryside courtyard nestled midway up a mountain, surrounded by vegetable fields and fenced-off coops with chickens and ducks.
“Master…”
A middle-aged, beautiful woman, who seemed to have just risen from bed, put on an outer robe and stepped outside the courtyard.
Upon seeing Tantai Yuxian, she called out respectfully.
“Send him to the Soul-Nurturing Platform.”
Tantai Yuxian, still turned away from the hazy passage, waved her hand lightly.
The dazed and broken remnant of Shen Tian’s soul drifted into the portal.
The middle-aged woman’s eyes widened in shock.
“Xiao Tian?”
From within the courtyard came a crisp, anxious voice filled with worry.
“Brother Shen Tian, what happened to you…”
…
Shen Yanzhou silently watched Tantai Yuxian send off Shen Tian’s soul.
He wasn’t surprised.
The means of a Second Rank, Nirvana Realm expert were truly beyond comprehension.
Traversing the void was effortless for one at that level, let alone sending a wisp of soul between two fixed points.
“I’ve fulfilled my part of the agreement.”
“Now it’s your turn, Sword Immortal Tantai.”
Shen Yanzhou looked toward Tantai Yuxian.
Having spared Shen Tian’s life, the karmic thread that bound him began to fade, finally dissolving into nothing.
Tantai Yuxian’s cold, indifferent eyes fell fully upon him, as though trying to peer into the depths of his mind.
Yet, no matter how she looked, Shen Yanzhou’s face retained its calm, faint smile—a composure born from absolute control.
Tantai Yuxian’s brows furrowed slightly.
Having cultivated to this realm, she might not yet see the future clearly, but faint omens already stirred within her—signs that hinted at fortune and misfortune alike.
Tonight, to protect Shen Tian, she had paid a heavy price.
If this were merely an ordinary wisp of her soul, she would not have hesitated.
But only she knew the unique nature of this particular soul fragment.
Shen Yanzhou shouldn’t be aware of it…
Yet why did she feel a vague unease, as if from this moment onward, she might fall into an abyss without end?
“While Shen Tian’s remnant soul recuperates, I can take this opportunity to retrieve the Human Dao Seed from within him.”
“Half a year from now, Shen Tian’s life or death will no longer affect my cultivation.”
Collecting her thoughts, Tantai Yuxian met Shen Yanzhou’s gaze and nodded faintly.
“According to our agreement, half a year later, I will leave on my own,” she said calmly.
Shen Yanzhou’s narrow eyes slightly curved, and he chuckled.
“Half a year from now is half a year from now. But from tonight onward, Sword Immortal, you will serve under me.”
“To put it nicely, you’re my sword attendant.”
“To put it bluntly, you’re… my sword slave.”
“You…”
“Courting death.”
Tantai Yuxian’s peerless face turned cold with fury.
Her wide white robes billowed despite the still air, her killing intent surging in waves.
The long black hair that cascaded down her back fluttered violently, showing just how immense her anger was.
In this world, who would dare to humiliate her so, to call her a slave?
At that moment, Tantai Yuxian even felt the impulse to shatter her Dao Heart Oath—to exhaust her cultivation and strike Shen Yanzhou down.
“In others’ eyes, you may be the exalted Sword Immortal. But before me, you’re no different from those courtesans of the Yuxian Pavilion who sell smiles and bare their flesh.”
“You’d best rein in that so-called pride and Sword Heart of yours,” Shen Yanzhou said coolly.
Within the unseen void, the karmic thread connecting them suddenly thickened—what was once as thin as a strand of hair now grew as thick as a hemp rope.
Tantai Yuxian gave a muffled groan, her graceful form in midair seeming to be struck by lightning.
She staggered back several steps before barely regaining her footing.
Shen Yanzhou’s eyes glimmered.
As expected, Tantai Yuxian wouldn’t submit willingly.
But this was the power of the Dao Heart Oath.
Within this world’s laws, karmic bindings reached into the highest levels of existence.
The stronger one’s cultivation, the greater the consequences.
If Tantai Yuxian thought that serving as his sword attendant meant he would treat her courteously, she was gravely mistaken.
Sword Immortal or Martial God—these were mere titles, superficial masks.
Once stripped away, one would see they were no different from ordinary people—save for deeper cultivation and a steadier heart.
Shen Yanzhou cared little for such distinctions.
If he could provoke emotions, harvest negativity, what did it matter what means he used?
“Half a year from now, you’d better have the strength to survive beneath my sword.”
Tantai Yuxian steadied her emotions, no longer resisting the karmic thread.
She simply stared coldly at Shen Yanzhou.
The next moment, she said nothing more.
That luminous, slender figure suddenly dissolved into a stream of sword light.
Countless motes of glowing rain drifted down, gathering toward Shen Yanzhou’s palm, finally forming a faint sword-shaped mark at its center.
“Heh, what a foolish woman.”
“By saying that, haven’t you already placed yourself against me? You plan to kill me in half a year—did you really think I’d treat you kindly until then?”
Shen Yanzhou raised his palm, studying the distinct sword mark.
He could faintly sense a connection between himself and Tantai Yuxian.
It was both a Sword Mark and something more—a mark of servitude she had bound herself with.
Through it, he could summon her manifested soul at will.
“……”
At that moment, Tantai Yuxian could clearly hear Shen Yanzhou’s words.
Yet she did not respond—merely closed her eyes and sealed her five senses.
…
Negative emotions from Tantai Yuxian +21 +22 +26 +28…
The curve of Shen Yanzhou’s lips slowly faded.
“So, Shen Tian’s body is now just an empty shell?”
Fu Yuying, who had been silent all along, finally seemed to return to herself.
She looked toward Shen Tian’s lifeless body, a flicker of contemplation passing through her eyes.
“Yes.”
“It can still be of some use. By using the flesh-blood derivation method, combined with your sect’s Puppet Nightmare Gu, it might yield unexpected results,” Shen Yanzhou said with a smile.
“But wouldn’t that be too obvious? The Demon Suppression King isn’t a fool—he’ll notice it’s just a puppet.”
Fu Yuying nodded lightly, understanding Shen Yanzhou’s implication, though she noted the lack of soul aura.
“That’s why I left behind a trace of soul essence.”
“As long as Shen Jingxiao confirms it’s his own bloodline, that will be enough.”
With a wave of his hand, Shen Yanzhou injected several strands of pure soul essence into Shen Tian’s body below.
Moments later, the previously shut eyes slowly opened—but they were lifeless, devoid of spirit.
He didn’t need to say it aloud—Shen Jingxiao, as a Second Rank powerhouse, would easily discern whether Shen Tian carried his bloodline or not.
But Shen Yanzhou, familiar with the original story, was certain that Shen Tian was not the child of the Princess Consort Yu Chenyu.
How then could Shen Tian possibly share Shen Jingxiao’s blood?
The key must lie in this very body.
The soul and body were one; even if Shen Tian’s remnant soul gradually reformed a body in the future, it would most likely have no bloodline connection to Shen Jingxiao anymore.
Fu Yuying sensed the faint vitality returning to Shen Tian’s form and nodded slightly, her gaze shimmering with complex emotion.
“Perhaps it might work after all.” she murmured.