nyslfriends 75. Ancient Sword
75. Ancient Sword
After the battle at Broken Soul Cliff, Lin Mo's name swept through the martial world like a whirlwind. He not only preserved his dominance in the canal transport system but also, with undeniable strength, forcefully tore a huge gap in the lofty authority of the powerful clans. With the new regulations established, the canal transport wharves quickly began operating under the new management model. Those small and medium-sized forces that had previously relied on powerful clans or been excluded finally gained a fair chance to participate, and the profits from the canal transport system began to trickle into a wider stream of the martial world. Lin Mo's residence, Yunlan Manor, also gained immense prestige as a result, with a constant stream of people coming to pay their respects, seek cooperation, or simply admire the demeanor of this young powerhouse.
However, Lin Mo himself was not basking in the jubilation of victory. The social engagements and trivial matters of the past few days had left him quite exhausted. More importantly, the deep longing for his past life's lover, Su Xuan, weighed heavily on his heart like a rock. He kept the magical artifact "Soul-Condensing Jade," which sealed her soul, close to his body, nurturing it day and night with his gentle inner energy, hoping to alleviate the pain of her imprisoned soul. But the specific method to break the seal remained elusive.
That afternoon, he dismissed all visitors and went alone to the private library reserved for guest elders of the Seven Absolutes Sect. This three-story building, located in a secluded spot on the back mountain of the Seven Absolutes Sect, housed various books collected and copied by the sect over hundreds of years, covering fields such as martial arts, medicine, divination, astrology, geography, and miscellaneous anecdotes. As a guest elder who had rendered meritorious service in uncovering the traitor and saving the Grand Elder, Lin Mo possessed access to most of the books.
Sunlight streamed through the carved wooden windows, casting dappled beams of light into the dusty air. The library was silent except for the occasional rustling of Lin Mo turning the pages. He was primarily browsing rare and fragmentary books and scrolls about ancient secrets, strange artifacts, and sealing formations. He hoped to find clues about the "Soul-Sealing Jade" or similar soul-sealing techniques.
Time slipped away quietly as he turned the pages. Most of the records in the classics were superficial or absurd legends, offering no real help to his current predicament. Just as he was feeling somewhat disappointed and preparing to close the book, "Tales of Mountains and Seas," with its yellowed pages and worn edges, a page tucked inside—clearly a later handwritten addition of a different material—caught his attention.
The paper on these loose pages is coarser, and the ink is slightly faded, suggesting they are quite old. The handwriting is messy and archaic, and it doesn't record the original supernatural stories from "Tales of Mountains and Seas," but rather a secret about "swords."
"...The sword is the king of all weapons. Yet, all swords in the world, forged from ordinary iron, will eventually reach their end. Only in ancient times were there sword tombs, imbued with the essence of heaven and earth, nurturing divine weapons of spirit. These places are ethereal and cannot be reached without a special destiny. According to the inscription on the broken stele, the sword tombs are the burial grounds of ancient great sword cultivators, and also the places where swords choose their masters. The divine weapons within cannot be obtained by force; only through a harmonious connection of mind and spirit, and a bond of blood, can one awaken a weapon connected to their destiny..."
Lin Mo's gaze suddenly froze, and his breathing quickened. He carefully read every word on this page of the journal.
The notes go on to describe that the Sword Tomb does not exist in a fixed location. Its entrance appears at specific times and places as the energy of heaven and earth changes, with an unpredictable cycle, ranging from several decades to several hundred years. Each opening will cause an anomaly in the surrounding energy of heaven and earth, which may be sensed by those with the right affinity.
What truly shook Lin Mo was the following passage: "...Deep within the Sword Tomb lies a sword named 'Tai Xu,' said to be neither gold nor iron, but formed from a wisp of primordial Tai Xu energy. Its form and substance are ever-changing, and it can only be controlled by the mind. This sword possesses a spirit, understanding Yin and Yang, discerning illusion, and further... has the miraculous effect of cleansing the soul and stabilizing the spirit. However, Tai Xu is extremely selective in choosing its master; only those with unwavering will and extraordinary spirit can obtain it. Obtaining it may allow one to glimpse the secrets of time and space, and to see the past..."
"Cleanse the soul and stabilize the spirit!" Lin Mo's fingers gripped the edge of the book tightly, his knuckles turning slightly white from the force. Su Xuan's soul was imprisoned in the Soul-Condensing Wall by a special technique, and her state was extremely unstable. If a divine weapon that could stabilize the spirit and even cleanse the soul could be used to help, the success rate of breaking the seal and helping her soul return to its rightful place would greatly increase! Moreover, the four words "reflecting the past" were vaguely related to the mystery of his rebirth. This Ancient Void Sword was probably far more than just an ordinary divine weapon!
He suppressed his excitement and continued reading. The journal's end mentioned that, based on calculations of ancient celestial phenomena and the movement of earth's veins, the approximate location where the next entrance to the Sword Tomb would appear was likely "in the southwestern mountains, shrouded in deep mist," and the time would be around "the turn of autumn and winter this year." At the end was only a blurry mark, resembling neither a sword nor a talisman, and an almost unrecognizable date, which, according to calculations, was left nearly a hundred years ago.
"The southwestern mountains... late autumn and early winter..." Lin Mo murmured to himself, quickly sketching out a map of the southwestern border of the Tang Dynasty in his mind. There, the mountains were high and the forests dense, the miasma pervasive, and the place rarely visited by people, which indeed matched the environmental characteristics of the appearance of such ancient ruins.
"Sword Tomb... Ancient Sword of the Void..." He gently stroked the Soul-Gathering Jade he kept close to his body, the cool touch calming his chaotic thoughts slightly. Whether the records in this notebook were true or false, this was undoubtedly an unprecedented and hopeful clue! Compared to blindly searching for a way to break the seal in the vast collection of ancient texts, finding a natal divine weapon that might have miraculous effects on the soul was a much clearer goal.
He carefully removed the precious page of the manuscript and kept it close to his body. He then put the "Tales of Mountains and Seas" back in its original place and left the library without making a sound.
Back in his guest quarters at the Seven Absolutes Sect, Lin Mo immediately summoned several of his most trusted confidants. He didn't reveal specific information about the Taixu Ancient Sword and the Sword Tomb, but instead instructed them to utilize all covert channels to gather information on strange tales and ancient legends concerning the southwestern border of the Tang Dynasty, especially those deep, misty valleys and mountains, as well as any recent unusual fluctuations in the spiritual energy of heaven and earth or rumors of the emergence of rare treasures. At the same time, he secretly began packing his belongings, gathering potentially useful elixirs, talismans, and special items to deal with miasma and poisonous insects.
Standing by the window, gazing at the distant, undulating mountain ranges, Lin Mo's eyes were resolute and profound. The victory at Broken Soul Cliff was merely a milestone on his path of revenge and salvation; the real challenge had perhaps only just begun. The journey to the Sword Tomb was imperative. It wasn't just to find the divine weapon that might save Su Xuan; perhaps it could also uncover the deeper secrets behind his rebirth. An unseen pull had quietly begun to grow within him the moment he learned of the existence of the Ancient Sword of the Void.