No spiritual root? I devour the origins of all paths.

Chapter 26 Joint Encirclement and Suppression

Jian Xuan's message arrived at Luoxia Valley and Tiejian Sect that very night.

The reply came from Luoxia Valley the fastest. It wasn't the Valley Master himself who replied, but Ling Xue. The message jade slip contained only a few words, the handwriting crooked and illegible, with the ink bleeding halfway through—the little girl had clearly been crying as she wrote: "Brother, the Valley Master said they will fully cooperate in this siege of Luoxia Valley, and the Pill Hall has prepared medicine for injuries. My sister-in-law asked me to tell you that she arrived before you. I don't know what she meant by 'arrived before,' but she smiled, and I felt like I didn't need to worry about you too much. Brother, be careful. Xue'er."

Ling Chen read the jade slip three times. He finished reading the contents the first time, confirmed the second time that his sister's handwriting was much neater than it had been three months ago, and stared at the words "sister-in-law" for a long time the third time. He put the jade slip in his bosom and placed it close to his body, suppressing a faint smile.

Iron Sword Sect's reply arrived half an hour later. Sect Master Luo Yue's reply was much more concise than Falling Sunset Valley's, consisting of only sixteen characters: "Iron Sword Sect is fully prepared and at your disposal. The furnace bearers are yours, the Supply Hall is ours." Jian Xuan snorted coldly after reading the letter: "That old bastard Luo Yue, he's got his eye on the ore in the Supply Hall." Despite his words, the wrinkles between his brows relaxed slightly. Both Iron Sword Sect and Falling Sunset Valley had expressed their support; the three major sects joining forces was unprecedented in Qingzhou's history.

Three days before the encirclement and suppression, Xiao Lie and Han Tie volunteered to keep watch at night.

The teleportation array of the supply hall has been isolated and restricted from the outside by Jian Xuan and his men, temporarily preventing the demons from the Spirit Realm from sending reinforcements through this route. However, the spatial fluctuations generated by the previous reverse tracking have been detected, and according to Liu Yuan's calculations, at least one demon from the Spirit Realm will send someone to investigate within seven days. The teleportation array can be blocked, but the traces left by the spatial fluctuations cannot be erased. They must capture the furnace keeper before the demon reinforcements find this supply hall.

On the eve of the siege, Ling Chen sat alone at the edge of the camp, the sword, Duan Nian, lying across his lap. The cracks on the sword remained unchanged, the pale golden light slightly brighter than a few days ago, but the repair speed was far from keeping up with the consumption of combat. After each use of Gui Nian, extremely fine powder would fall from the depths of the cracks—that was the sword slowly disintegrating.

"Elder Mo, how much longer can Duan Nian hold on?"

After several breaths of silence, Elder Mo finally uttered two words: "...Nine Heavens. If we don't use the Returning Thought technique again."

"We can't stay still tomorrow."

"Then seven days."

Ling Chen gripped the sword hilt, feeling the cool touch of the blade. Seven days. At most, five days remained after the battle with the Furnace Holder. Su Qingyuan had said she needed three months, and only a little over a month had passed. He didn't know if Ning Shuang could be repaired in two months, but Duan Nian couldn't be broken in his hands. He had promised the Sword Servant that he would carry it through the rest of the journey.

As a sliver of light appeared on the eastern horizon, he stood up and brushed the dew from his robes. The Breaking Army Blade hung at his left waist, the Severing Thoughts Sword hung horizontally at his right, and eight differently colored protective swords flew out from the Myriad Paths Returning to Nothingness Diagram, unfolding in a fan shape behind him. Rending Wind for offense, Returning Thoughts for slaying, and the eight swords protecting their masters—tomorrow's battle would not be easy, but having finalized the encirclement plan last night, he slept soundly. What was bound to happen would happen; this time, he wouldn't be fighting alone.

Jian Xuan stood before the abandoned teleportation array, making final arrangements: "The furnace bearer has only one teleportation entrance to the supply hall. I will lead three elders to storm in head-on and suppress the furnace bearer and all the demonic cultivators inside. Sect Master Luo of the Iron Sword Sect will be responsible for sealing off the outside of the hall, and the Pill Hall of Luoxia Valley will be responsible for treating the wounded. The reinforcements from the Spirit Realm will arrive within half an hour of the battle starting, so we must end the battle within half an hour."

Then he called out a name.

"Miss Su Qingyuan, please assist in defending the outer perimeter. If any demon generals from the spirit realm arrive ahead of time, do not engage them directly; simply hold them off."

Su Qingyuan stepped out from the group in Luoxia Valley. In the moonlight, she was still dressed in white, her face veiled, her icy blue eyes reflecting the lingering eerie light of the teleportation array. She walked to Ling Chen's side, glancing at the Broken Will at his waist: "The crack is deeper than I thought. It won't last ten days."

"I know."

"The repair of Frost is just one step away from completion; it needs to be tempered in the extreme cold for forty-nine days. There are still eighteen days left."

"Then let's attack first." Ling Chen's gaze shifted from the cracks in the Broken Will to the mine entrance not far away. "The furnace keeper must be captured alive, and the supply hall must be taken over. The Broken Will, which the Sword Servant has waited for for three thousand years, will not shatter here."

Su Qingyuan remained silent. She simply reached out and gently grasped Ling Chen's wrist. A chilling spiritual energy, like an extremely fine thread, probed into his meridians, circulated along his dantian, and slowly withdrew after sensing the pulse of golden light deep within the spine of the Broken Thought Sword. Then she released her grip, turned, and walked towards her defensive position, her white robes shimmering in the night like the moon fallen to earth.

Jian Xuan raised his hand.

"Set off."

The battle inside the supply depot was far more brutal than anticipated.

The furnace-bearer was no ordinary demonic cultivator. His cultivation had reached the peak of the True Condensation stage, and he possessed no demonic seed—he had voluntarily submitted to the demon race and cultivated orthodox demonic techniques. Besides him, there were twelve other demonic cultivators guarding the hall, all at the late Qi Gathering stage, working in perfect harmony and fearless in the face of death. When Jian Xuan led three elders in a direct assault, the furnace-bearer was loading the last batch of supply crates onto the teleportation array. In the very first breath of their confrontation, the sword formation and demonic energy collided violently, simultaneously sending all unsecured items within the supply hall flying.

The elders' combat prowess far exceeded Ling Chen's expectations. Jian Xuan's sword intent was as steady as a mountain, each strike carrying the sword dao foundation of the Qingyun Sect for three thousand years. The other three elders covered each other, their sword light weaving into a net, firmly suppressing the furnace wielder and his guards within the main hall's perimeter. The Iron Sword Sect members set up a blade formation outside the hall, while the alchemists of Luoxia Valley stood ready in the rear.

Ling Chen and Su Qingyuan stood side by side at the entrance of the teleportation array outside the hall. According to the plan, they wouldn't participate in the frontal assault, but would remain on the perimeter to deal with reinforcements from the Spirit Realm. However, Liu Yuan's intelligence had overlooked one crucial factor—the stability of the Spirit Realm rift far exceeded expectations. Less than an incense stick's time after the battle began, a demonic light, belonging to no one, shone on the teleportation array. Someone had forcibly activated the teleportation channel from the Spirit Realm. A dark crack appeared in the air outside the hall, and a pair of dark red eyes opened from within.

Demon General.

This was not a parasitic remnant soul like the Shadow Demon General, but a true, complete Demon General. His cultivation was at least at the Void Realm or higher. When he stepped out of the crack, the demonic energy around him was so dense that it was almost liquefied. The rubble on the ground was crushed into dust by the demonic pressure, and the vegetation within a hundred feet radius withered at a speed visible to the naked eye.

"Scatter, all of you!" Su Qingyuan shouted coldly, her Frost Condensing Sword already drawn. The icy blue sword light transformed into a hundred-foot-long ice wall, blocking the demon general's path. The ice wall was three feet thick, its chill forcing the surrounding air to condense into frost. But the demon general only needed one punch. The ice wall shattered into countless ice crystals. Su Qingyuan groaned and staggered back several feet in mid-air, a trickle of blood spilling from the corner of her mouth as she regained her footing. The difference between a Nascent Soul Realm cultivator and a Void Realm cultivator was simply too great.

Ling Chen did not retreat. He drew his sword, Duan Nian, and the chaotic spiritual energy vortex in his dantian spun at an unprecedented speed. The spiritual energy poured into the faint golden light deep within the sword's spine, transforming the light into a golden sword beam that stretched across both sides of the crack. Eight protective swords flew out from the diagram, unfolding in a fan shape behind him. Each protective sword emitted a deep hum, resonating with the sword's cry of Duan Nian.

The demon general turned his head, his dark red eyes locking onto him.

"The reincarnation of the Celestial Venerable?" The voice was hoarse, like two millstones grinding against each other, with a morbid excitement in its tone. "When the Master said you were still alive, I didn't believe it. You're at the Qi Gathering Realm, your Severed Thoughts haven't been restored, and only two seals within your body have been opened... Killing you won't take ten breaths."

He raised his hand. Demonic energy condensed into a jet-black claw about ten feet in size, slamming down towards Ling Chen's head. Ling Chen used his Shadow Step to its fullest extent to dodge, the claw missing its target and striking the ground, creating a crater several feet deep. A second claw followed immediately. Ling Chen blocked with his sword, his Broken Will colliding head-on with the demonic claw. A finer crack appeared at the deepest part of the claw, and dust fell from the fissure. Eight protective swords attacked simultaneously, eight-colored sword lights crisscrossing and slashing at the demon general, cutting several cracks in the surface of his protective demonic energy. However, the demonic energy healed instantly, without even harming his flesh. The difference in cultivation was too great.

"That's it?" The demon general grinned.

He held back, clasping his hands together and then separating them, drawing out a massive black blade of demonic energy from his palms, aiming to cleave both of them in half at the waist. Su Qingyuan stepped in front of Ling Chen, her Frost Condensing Sword meeting the attack with its strongest defensive move of ice-based sword intent. The ice-based sword energy collided with the demonic energy blade, remaining locked in mid-air for less than three breaths before the Frost Condensing Sword suddenly emitted a clear, resonant tremor—it too bore an old wound. As a servant's sword, Frost Condensing Sword had also suffered a hidden injury during the war between gods and demons, and now, struck by the full force of a Void Realm demon general, this old wound had cracked open with the same fine line.

The demon general laughed: "Both of the servants' swords are damaged. I'm quite lucky today."

He took a step forward, about to give chase, when his movement suddenly froze. The golden light deep within the spine of the Broken Thought Sword suddenly surged into Ling Chen's body—the final seal left by the sword servant in the inheritance had been triggered, and a power not belonging to the Qi Gathering Realm poured into his meridians from the Broken Thought Sword. The golden sword light intertwined with chaotic spiritual energy, and his cultivation level rose steadily—mid-stage Qi Gathering, late-stage Qi Gathering, peak Qi Gathering—to the astonished gaze of the demon general, he had briefly stepped into the True Condensation Realm.

The second move of the Nine Heavenly Slashes – Mountain Breaker.

The intent of the blade and the intent of the sword merged perfectly. A golden sword light sliced ​​through the air, and the demon general hastily parried with his blade, but the massive black demonic blade was cleaved in two. The sword's momentum continued, tearing through his protective demonic aura and carving a deep, bone-revealing wound on his left arm. Demonic blood splattered, corroding the ground and leaving large scorched marks. This was the first time the demon general had been injured since the start of the battle today.

Su Qingyuan's sword arrived simultaneously. The tip of the Frost Condensation Sword touched the Demon General's wound, and icy spiritual power instantly surged into the crevice, freezing the entire left arm along with half of the demonic energy. The Demon General was both shocked and enraged, and his right palm struck out solidly. Su Qingyuan was sent flying backward, crashing into the base of the teleportation array, her back slamming heavily onto the array's core spirit stone, spitting out a mouthful of blood.

"Qingyuan!" Ling Chen's eyes reddened, and his sword intent intensified. He poured all his spiritual power, along with the golden sword light infused by his sword servant, into the sword. The eight cracks on the sword glowed simultaneously, like eight golden blood vessels. The sword intent transformed into a golden sword curtain spanning a hundred feet and crashed down—not the Nine Heaven-Splitting Slashes, nor the Returning Thoughts, but the final move in the sword servant's inheritance: Sacrifice.

Ten thousand years ago, when she forged the sword, she sealed this technique within it, so that after the Heavenly Venerable's fall, someone could take her place in protecting the Three Realms. The price for this technique was extremely heavy; the sword attendant used it to block a blow from the Demon Lord, instantly exhausting his life essence. Now, Ling Chen, with his borrowed True Condensation cultivation, barely managed to activate it. Although not as powerful as the original, it was still enough to cleave through half of a Void Realm Demon General's demonic energy. The Demon General clasped his hands together, desperately resisting. The demonic energy giant blade and the golden sword curtain were locked in a stalemate in mid-air, the golden and black forces devouring each other. After the third breath, the golden sword curtain suddenly shattered, all its power pouring into the Demon General's body without regard for the cost.

The demon general let out a defiant roar as a massive gash ran from his shoulder to his waist, tearing open the right half of his demonic body, black blood gushing out like a fountain. He staggered backward and fell into the wreckage of the teleportation array, his dark red eyes fixed on Ling Chen. Finally, before the spatial rift closed, his companions from the Spirit Realm pulled him back. Before leaving, he uttered only one sentence: "See you in the Spirit Realm."

Ling Chen knelt on one knee, the cracks on the Broken Heart Sword doubling in number compared to before the strike. The golden sword light completely dissipated, and the light deep within the sword's spine, which had protected him since his awakening of the inheritance, was now as faint as a candle flickering in the wind. The last bit of power left to him by the sword servant was exhausted in this one strike. Broken Heart didn't shatter, but the cracks had spread to two-thirds of the sword's spine, and every slight tremor of the blade caused fine powder to continue falling from the edges of the cracks. Elder Mo remained silent until now, perhaps still alive, or perhaps unwilling to tell him how much longer Broken Heart could hold on.

The battle within the hall was nearing its end. Jian Xuan's sword pierced the furnace-bearer's dantian, crippling his cultivation. The three elders subdued all twelve guards. The Iron Sword Sect members stormed into the rear storeroom, sealing away supply crates one by one. Account books, spirit stones, and pills were piled into neat squares in a corner of the storeroom. The furnace-bearer's expression was indifferent as he was led onto the prison cart, only managing to utter a hoarse voice as he passed Ling Chen, "You don't know how many demon generals there are in the Spirit Realm." Jian Xuan waved for his men to take him away, then turned to look at Ling Chen, his gaze fixed on Duan Nian, asking nothing.

Su Qingyuan, supporting herself with the Frost Condensation Sword, stood up and walked to Ling Chen. Her white robes were stained with large patches of dark demonic blood, and blood still clung to the corner of her mouth, but she ignored it. She crouched down, gently pressing her finger against the deepest crack on the spine of the Broken Thought Sword, sensing it for a moment.

"The core of the sword spine is still stable. Half a month. It must be repaired within half a month."

Ling Chen looked up at her: "Where's Ning Shuang?"

"The old wound has recurred, but fortunately it's not a core rift." Su Qingyuan sheathed Ning Shuang. "We'll heal together. The Pill Hall of Luoxia Valley has prepared the Ice Soul Elixir—all the materials needed to repair the Servant's Sword—which arrived yesterday."

Ling Chen, supporting himself against Duan Nian, slowly stood up. Jian Xuan walked over and handed him a storage ring: "The Supply Hall seized a batch of high-grade spirit stones and pills; here's a share for you. Your cultivation was able to briefly break through to the True Condensation stage, which means your dantian and meridians are more resilient than ordinary Qi Gathering Realm cultivators. Don't push yourself these next few days—the seal the sword servant lent you is a one-time use item; next time you encounter a demon general, no one will be able to empower you again."

Ling Chen clutched the storage ring Jian Xuan handed him, the metal face digging painfully into his palm. The lights of the supply hall behind them cast long, thin shadows, and black bubbles still rose from the demonic blood on the remnants of the teleportation array. Su Qingyuan bent down and picked up a shard of ice crystal shattered by the demon general, turning it over to examine it—it was a small piece broken off from the tip of the Frost Condensation Sword. She placed the fragment in her storage bag, without sighing, but her movements were a beat slower than usual.

"Return to the sect and cultivate the sword," she said.

The night was as dark as ink, and the suspended walkways of the Qingyun Sect loomed faintly in the moonlight. As Ling Chen and the others embarked on their return journey, the Duan Nian Sword trembled slightly at his waist. It wasn't pain, but rather the realization that after three thousand years of waiting, they were finally one step closer to their return. The final sword strike before the sword servant's demise, the blood spurting from Su Qingyuan as she was thrown back, the newly formed crack on the Ning Shuang Sword—all pointed in the same direction—the Spirit Realm. Once the sword was repaired and the seal was broken, they would meet again in the Spirit Realm.