It seemed the Huanyang Sect disciples had come to this place, and this cultivator named Zheng Qing had drawn this sword, causing his Yuanli to surge greatly, but also having his mind devoured. He killed all his fellow sect brothers, and after regaining consciousness later, unable to face the sins he had committed, he chose to end his life here and left a warning on the wall.

Though this warning wasn’t very clear.

And as written in Zheng Qing’s scroll, that little junior brother left above ground had probably learned through some channel about everything that had happened underground. In his haste, he sealed this place together with the giant tree to prevent the Wuyou Sword from appearing in the world again.

“I remember now, I remember!” Mendong shouted. “Huanyang Sect! I remember Master once said that the sect originally had several promising talents that the cultivation world was optimistic about. Later, they disappeared during a trial—seven people went, but only one little junior brother returned. After that, the sect declined. So they didn’t disappear—they perished here!”

“More than that!” Gu Baiying said with a grim face. “I’m afraid the owners of all those spirit artifacts outside also died under this sword.”

From when they entered until now, whether it was the spirit artifacts growing on the sacred tree, the scattered artifacts they encountered on the ground in the cavern, or the tall sword mountain before them now, the owners of all these spirit artifacts probably met the same fate as the Huanyang Sect disciples. Either they were devoured by the Wuyou Sword and merged with this ominous sword, or they were killed by it, with not even their corpses to be seen.

“Just who forged such a sword?” Tian Fangfang complained while dodging Meng Ying’s sword moves. “In all these years in the cultivation world, we’ve never heard of a sword that seizes people’s consciousness and goes on killing sprees. That swordsmith couldn’t have been from the demon race, right? What proper person could forge such a sword? And calling it ‘Wuyou’ (Carefree)—I’d say it should be called ‘Wuqing’ (Ruthless), ‘Wuzhi’ (Ignorant), or ‘Wufawutian’ (Lawless)! The demon race deserves to die!”

Zanxing: “…” What a case of blame falling from the sky.

“Master Uncle, I can’t hold on much longer,” Mu Cengxiao said with difficulty. His Mieshen Saber had already been suppressed and couldn’t display its original power. Meng Ying was already Taiyan Sect’s most outstanding sword cultivator, one of the elite sword wielders in Duzhou’s cultivation world. With the Wuyou Sword in hand, how could Mu Cengxiao be her match?

“This sword is still pouring Yuanli into Meng Ying. When enough has been poured in, she’ll completely become part of the sword spirit. She’ll kill everyone here.” Gu Baiying shouted: “Sever her connection with the sword!”

However, the Yuanli in that sword seemed endless. No matter how everyone hacked and slashed, they couldn’t cut the connection with Meng Ying. Sweat was dripping from Tian Fangfang’s forehead: “Master Uncle, it’s no use. This sword has absorbed too many people—we can’t beat it at all!”

Not only that, but Meng Ying was being affected more and more severely by the Wuyou Sword. Earlier, she could barely control herself, but now her sword moves were becoming increasingly vicious, striking without mercy, directly targeting her sect brothers’ vital points.

Yet they couldn’t help but show mercy toward Meng Ying.

One side was restrained while the other was ruthlessly vicious—the situation was very dire.

Zanxing had to protect Mendong while also preventing Meng Ying from suddenly pouncing their way, putting her in a passive position. She couldn’t help thinking: This sword is simply like it was born to kill, without even a scabbard, as if proclaiming that once it appears, it must kill until the last person before it can stop. Did the sword’s forger know all this from the beginning, so they deliberately didn’t make a scabbard? Was Chai Sang, the swordsmith of Yuezhi Kingdom, really an ordinary person?

If he truly was an ordinary person, how could he forge such an evil sword?

As she thought this, the Xiaoyuan Pearl at her chest suddenly moved.

At first, it was just a slight pulsing, then like a sleeping beast being awakened, it slowly became active. The flame burning within grew larger and more intense, and an irrepressible impulse spread from her chest.

This was… craving.

Zanxing suddenly looked toward Meng Ying.

From the tip of the Wuyou Sword, wisps of sword light emanated beautiful silver-white radiance. That wasn’t sword qi, nor sword intent—it was a continuous stream of Yuanli. Perhaps within that Yuanli was something else that attracted the Xiaoyuan Pearl to approach.

“It couldn’t be…” Zanxing murmured.

The Xiaoyuan Pearl was a bead born for power. It could absorb Yuanli and could also release Yuanli. As for what its limits were, Zanxing herself wasn’t clear. It was just that ever since learning this bead was from the demon realm, unless absolutely necessary, Zanxing was unwilling to use it. Because she didn’t know what price she would have to pay for using it.

She had heard that Demon Lord Gui Diao Tang’s temperament had changed drastically after obtaining this Xiaoyuan Pearl. Her cultivation naturally couldn’t compare to the Demon Lord’s—who knew if she could control it.

But this Xiaoyuan Pearl had its ideas.

Like at this moment, Zanxing could no longer control herself and was walking toward Meng Ying step by step.

Mendong was the first to notice something was wrong with her and grabbed Zanxing’s hand: “What are you doing?”

Zanxing’s Panhua Stick had already split in half during the confrontation with the mirage woman. Although it had been temporarily mended when they returned to the sect, it was still not as good as before. She had the lowest cultivation among this group—forcing herself to charge forward really wasn’t a wise move.

Zanxing said, “I know,” while shaking off his hand.

Mendong couldn’t hold onto her. The next moment, Meng Ying’s gaze turned and seemed to notice Zanxing’s approach, thrusting her sword toward Zanxing.

Gu Baiying’s eyes shook tremendously. He turned his Embroidered Bone Spear and pounced toward her, roaring: “Yang Zanxing!”

Meng Ying was Taiyan Sect’s future sect leader. Unlike her beautiful and coldly proud appearance, her sword moves were fierce with chilling killing intent. Even several of Taiyan Sect’s martial uncles would suffer when facing her. Dealing with Zanxing would be too easy.

Yet Zanxing was throwing herself forward—no matter how you looked at it, it was a suicidal move.

“Junior Sister!” Tian Fangfang cried out in alarm.

The distance was too close. It was too late to save Zanxing. Meng Ying’s sword tip was right before her eyes. Only when close could Zanxing feel that this beautiful Wuyou Sword’s sword qi was completely different from its gentle appearance—cold, rigid, and emanating overwhelming evil energy.

Mimi screamed.

The cavern immediately burst with towering radiance.

The anticipated tragedy didn’t happen. Those flowing streams of Yuanli lingered around the sword tip like butterflies reluctant to leave spring wildflowers, clinging tenderly and unwilling to depart, dancing in wisps from one pair of hands to another.

Zanxing’s hand grasped the sword hilt.

She and Meng Ying simultaneously gripped this sword.

“Zanxing!” Gu Baiying gripped his Embroidered Bone Spear and struck fiercely toward the sword hilt. With a “bang,” the spear tip bounced back.

“The Wuyou Sword… has chosen a new master,” Mu Cengxiao murmured.

The Wuyou Sword’s Yuanli had originally been connected to Meng Ying, but now that Yuanli turned and flew toward Zanxing instead. Those silver-white rays continuously drilled into Zanxing’s body—no, it shouldn’t be said they were drilling into Zanxing’s body, but rather like Zanxing was actively absorbing this Yuanli.

Meng Ying’s originally rigid and bewildered gaze gradually began to recover its spirit. The Yuanli she had been forced to absorb was taken away, her devoured consciousness gradually returned, until that long sword was completely separated from her hand.

Meng Ying had escaped disaster.

The Wuyou Sword had chosen Zanxing as its master—more precisely, as its host.

Seeing this, Mendong suddenly burst into wailing tears. He cried loudly: “This fool! Even if she wanted to save Senior Sister Meng, she didn’t need to use this method. Yang Zanxing must have thought that Senior Sister Meng’s cultivation was too high, and once she merged with the Wuyou Sword, we might not be able to beat her if we fought. But Yang Zanxing is different—her cultivation was low to begin with. Even with the Wuyou Sword in hand, she couldn’t possibly reach the heavens in one step. We could easily kill her… wuu wuu, Yang Zanxing wants us to kill her, sacrificing herself to help us! How foolish! Even though she hasn’t been at Taiyan Sect long and isn’t usually very likable, and even stole Master Uncle’s Qin Chong seed, causing Master Uncle’s spiritual meridians to still not be completely repaired, if she died, we’d still be sad, wuu wuu…”

Zanxing: “…Would you please shut up?” Who wanted to sacrifice themselves for others? Who wanted to seek death? She was now being controlled by the Xiaoyuan Pearl and simply couldn’t let go. This Xiaoyuan Pearl, upon seeing the Wuyou Sword, was just like a cat that had caught a whiff of fish. Zanxing had been with this bead for so long, and this was the first time she’d seen it so excited.

“Yang Zanxing,” Gu Baiying approached, his young eyes seeming to hold suppressed emotion as he said hoarsely: “Who told you to act on your own?” He suddenly withdrew his Embroidered Bone Spear and grabbed Zanxing’s hand: “Give it to me!”

He wanted to use himself to replace Zanxing.

But the next moment, brilliant white light suddenly blazed from the Wuyou Sword’s blade. Yuanli instantly formed a light barrier, enveloping Zanxing within it and bouncing Gu Baiying away.

He stepped back several paces to steady himself, looking ahead with shock and anger. That sword had enclosed Zanxing within it, isolating everyone else outside.

“What’s happening?”

Zanxing’s heart was also filled with shock and doubt.

Yuanli from the Wuyou Sword continuously surged into her body. That Yuanli seemed to carry some special emotions—panic, fear, coldness, killing intent, and hatred. If it were an ordinary person, with countless emotions suddenly flooding into their mind, even if their spiritual meridians didn’t burst, their consciousness would collapse.

However, the Xiaoyuan Pearl digested it all.

It actively absorbed this Yuanli like a bottomless pit, greedily devouring it and accepting both the Yuanli and the emotions contained within. Zanxing only felt as if her entire body was soaked in a lake of Yuanli, without the slightest discomfort.

She didn’t know if it was her imagination, but she felt this sword before her seemed somewhat sad.

Sad?

Her fingertips suddenly felt movement. Zanxing looked down and saw that the black ring the Serpent Witch had given her had begun to squirm at some point. It had transformed into a small black snake the length of a little finger, flicking its tongue and slithering with a “swoosh” into the Wuyou Sword’s hilt.

This was the ring the Serpent Witch had given her, with a wisp of the Serpent Witch’s spiritual consciousness attached, possessing mind-reading power. Zanxing had never used this ring, really feeling that prying into others’ hearts was quite impolite. But she hadn’t expected it to move on its own here.

However, could a sword also have memories?

What did it see?