Chapter 34: The Demon Blade

The forest lay silent. Most wouldn’t sense anything amiss, but Cheng Lingyu’s heightened awareness and the microscopic observation of his Magic Eyes detected the strangeness here.

Jin Miaoyi’s face paled. “Phantom beasts dwell in the Soul-Luring Forest. Any surviving here must be powerful beings.”

The trio scanned their surroundings. Qu Wei and Jin Miaoyi noticed nothing, yet Cheng Lingyu glimpsed a white fox—a six-tailed phantom fox, stunningly beautiful, perched on a branch while watching him.

Its gaze held no menace, only a hazy vagueness.

Cheng Lingyu stayed alert. After advancing to the second layer of Locking the Soul and Fixing the Spirit in his Magic Eyes cultivation, his mental power had grown strong enough to resist most phantom beasts’ illusions.

The fox paced the tree, eyes locked on him. Suddenly it leaped down, darting deeper into the woods before pausing several paces ahead, glancing back.

This repeated pattern made Cheng Lingyu suspect the creature sought to lead him somewhere.

“Follow me, but keep your distance.”

Chasing the fox, Cheng Lingyu entered thickening woods devoid of ferocious beasts, monsters, or even insects.

Beyond a dense thicket lay hundreds of skeletons—massive beasts, scattered humans—all facing a white stone radiating an eerie and terrifying presence.

“Fall back! Don’t approach!”

Cheng Lingyu barked at Qu Wei and Jin Miaoyi. The six-tailed phantom fox now stood by the stone, tails swaying to generate invisible ripples.

Slowing, Cheng Lingyu stared at the stone, eyes widening.

Qu Wei and Jin Miaoyi halted a mile back, seeing only the stone and bones, not the fox.

To Cheng Lingyu, the stone revealed another vision: a weapon embedded within, only its hilt visible—a faint, ethereal outline, transparent and unreal.

The phantom hilt tightened Cheng Lingyu’s chest. His left palm’s Fang Tian Bao Yin trembled violently, as if provoked.

Though he’d never unlocked the Fang Tian Bao Yin’s mystery, its reaction proved both it and the hilt held profound secrets.

The fox watched him with silent anticipation.

Unsure of its motives but intrigued by the weapon, Cheng Lingyu saw opportunity—a powerful blade could aid his survival here.

He leapt toward the stone, landing near it. The fox retreated but kept observing.

Detecting no hostility, Cheng Lingyu focused on the hilt. Up close, ancient patterns shimmered faintly across its surface.

A strange connection stirred within him—his Magic Eyes technique somehow resonated with this weapon, though he couldn’t explain how.

After a long pause, he reached out. His fingers closed around the illusionary hilt. Heat flooded his palm the instant they touched.

The weapon was unique, giving off an eerie heat yet didn’t burn his hands.

Cheng Lingyu gradually applied force and drew out the weapon—a delicately crafted curved blade, entirely transparent and colorless. Faint ancient patterns could be seen etched across its surface, forming intricate arrays.

As the blade separated from the stone, it unleashed countless translucent light waves that radiated outward, engulfing everything around them and causing the void to tremble.

Nearby skeletons crumbled to dust, while the white stone split into fragments, scattering like a blossoming flower.

Cheng Lingyu stared in astonishment. Even the residual energy from this eerie blade had shattered the surrounding remains.

In the distance, Qu Wei and Jin Miaoyi exchanged puzzled glances. Though they couldn’t see the blade itself, they witnessed the skeletons disintegrating, deepening their confusion.

Moments later, the curved blade in Cheng Lingyu’s hand settled. Its translucent form began solidifying, the mysterious energy within seeming to fall dormant.

The materialized blade became pitch-black, its hilt equally dark—seamlessly unified, its original patterns now invisible.

Cheng Lingyu smirked. To ordinary eyes, the blade appeared normal, but under his Magic Eyes technique, hidden patterns glowed mysteriously across its surface.

The six-tailed phantom fox stared at the curved blade with terror before darting away, vanishing without a trace.

Focusing his will, Cheng Lingyu felt the blade dissolve into his right palm—a profoundly mysterious sensation.

When summoned, it would reappear instantly.

This reminded him of the Fang Tian Bao Yin, though that was a magical artifact while this remained purely a weapon—fundamentally distinct.

Returning to Qu Wei and Jin Miaoyi, Cheng Lingyu lifted the blade. “I’ve acquired a weapon too. What do you think?”

Jin Miaoyi reached for it, but the moment it left Cheng Lingyu’s grip, the blade became mountain-heavy, slipping from his hands.

“Impossible! This blade’s strange—I can’t even lift it!”

Qu Wei tried next, but the blade lay unmoving on the ground.

Cheng Lingyu frowned. “Heavy? It feels weightless to me.”

He casually retrieved it, baffling his companions.

Qu Wei marveled, “This weapon’s extraordinary. It seems only you can wield it.”

“Let’s keep moving,” Jin Miaoyi urged, steering them onward.

Soon after, a six-tailed phantom fox emerged in the woods, alighting near overgrown grass where dazzling light revealed hidden spiritual herbs—a secret Cheng Lingyu had missed while fixated on the blade.

Eager to test his new weapon, Cheng Lingyu sought out ferocious beasts. The obsidian curved blade proved razor-sharp with remarkable amplification effects. Channeling true essence through it unleashed devastating blade lights capable of cleaving stone.

“Find stronger beasts,” Jin Miaoyi suggested. “Slay them for their beast pills to boost your power.”

Guided by this advice, Cheng Lingyu soon encountered a massive blazing fire bull—its flaming hide sparking, tail whipping fiery projectiles deadlier than any cultivator’s sword energy.

Through his Magic Eyes, Cheng Lingyu spotted a crimson beast pill within its body, pulsating with life essence.

Jin Miaoyi paled. “Its combat power rivals a True Martial Realm Seventh Level Thunder Stage expert. Even combined, we might fail.”

“But that beast pill…” Cheng Lingyu’s eyes gleamed.

Qu Wei strategized: “We’ll distract it. You infiltrate its body to destroy its organs—the only way to fell such a beast.”

Cheng Lingyu grinned. “Brilliant! Let’s begin.”

Their assault commenced. Qu Wei’s Cold Jade Blade and Jin Miaoyi’s Deep Blue Sword unleashed relentless strikes, yet the bull’s iron-hard hide repelled all attacks. Enraged, the beast retaliated—flame-wreathed tail lashing, hooves quaking earth, horns shattering stone.

Cheng Lingyu circled stealthily, his blade turning transparent. Observing through Magic Eyes, he waited until the bull overextended—then struck like an arrow, piercing its belly with a light blade.

The bull roared as Cheng Lingyu carved through its innards. Blood cascaded, submerging him in a crimson pool while the beast collapsed, trembling, into death’s embrace.