8: Chapter 8 The Primordial Sword of All Heavens

Over the past few days, Yun Che had remained within Long Xi's small barrier space, while Wu Chi patrolled back and forth several dozen miles outside the barrier.

This was a small space exclusive to Long Xi. It wasn't large, spanning only a few dozen square meters, containing a simple stone bed, a stone table, and a stone stool, with nothing else. For the past ninety years, Long Xi had lived here. Her only companion was the tombstone in the center of the floor; buried beneath it was the body of her mother, Shen Xi.

In this world where the strong prey on the weak, the challenge of survival was extremely cruel.

She was too beautiful, having inherited Shen Xi's peerless appearance. Her talent was equally astonishing; with her innate Primordial Azure Dragon bloodline, her path of cultivation was smooth, and her progress was lightning-fast.

For the weak version of her, beauty was a sin. Thus, she had disfigured her own face to avoid being coveted by others.

Her gifted Primordial Azure Dragon bloodline was like a masterless treasure, destined only to be plundered at will by others.

She chose to make a deal with the Dragon Lord to obtain this tiny place of refuge, using her dragon essence blood as payment.

In the eyes of the Dragon Lord, it was a fair trade. Such were the laws of survival. "Fairness" was defined by the strong, by those who dictated the fates of others; might was right.

Her mother had always been the sole pillar of her life. She cultivated day and night only to increase her cultivation and strengthen herself, so she could search those grim, terrifying, and peril-filled places for the spiritual medicines and treasures needed to resurrect her mother.

There was no father in her life, no paternal love; such ethereal things did not exist and had never been part of her world.

However, a father had now appeared, right before her eyes.

Under Yun Che's guidance, Long Xi had cultivated the Ice Barbarian Deification Scripture to the sixth stage over the past few days, and Broken Moon Flickering Shadow had reached the level where she could hide herself invisibly. Additionally, she had learned Star Shape Shattered Shadow in passing.

Aside from cultivation, Yun Che told Long Xi many things about his experiences in the God Realm.

At these times, Long Xi would lean against Yun Che's shoulder, listening intently as he narrated and reminisced. Currently, he could not return to the God Realm, so he could only pray that everyone was well and that they wouldn't worry about him.

He spoke of his birthplace, the Blue Pole Star, his many relatives and friends in the God Realm, and his numerous concubines... his father and mother, Grandfather Xiao Lie, his maternal grandfather, Senior Evil God, Heaven-Smiting Devil Emperor Jie Yuan, Master Yun Gu, the Devil Queen and the Nine Witches, Imperial Consort Mu Xuanyin, Qianye Yinger, Cang Yue, the Little Demon Empress, Fairy Meiyin, Chu Yuechan and Yun Wuxin, Feng Xue'er, Su Ling'er, Xiao Lingxi, Cang Shuhe, the Azure Dragon Emperor... and Jasmine, Princess Caizhi... as well as Xia Qingyue and Xia Yuanba...

Long Xi listened entranced, unable to help being surprised by her father's powerful charm and his amorous nature. It seemed that wherever he went, a harem followed.

Of course, her father's memories weren't just about romance; they also included Xuanyuan Wentian, the Moon-Slaughter Devil Sovereign, Zhou Xuzi, Qianye Fantian...

Even though these events had already happened and were in the past, Long Xi's heart still raced with the fluctuations of the story when she heard about those life-and-death moments.

This small barrier was filled with human warmth and happiness. For the first time, Long Xi felt that this tiny space wasn't so cold, and she no longer felt lonely.

Long Xi also told Yun Che some things, such as the Reincarnation Well and her nightmare-like memories. She had sealed those memories away, not daring and unwilling to touch them, but now she was willing to speak of them and share them with her father.

“Xi'er, how did you and your mother come to this place?” Yun Che asked softly. Triggered by his words, Long Xi's memories returned to over ninety years ago.

—

At that time, she was still in the womb. She heard Long Bai's voice: “Who is here?!”

Then came her mother's voice: “You need not search further; there is indeed no one else here. What you sensed is the child in my womb.”

She heard Long Bai's roar: “Who... is... it! Whose... child... is it?!”

“Yun... Che... Yun Che?!”

...

“Fake... it's all fake. How could you possibly be with Yun Che...”

Her mother's voice: “I am Shen Xi. What I intend to do, where I intend to go, to whom I intend to entrust my body, and with whom I intend to bear a child, are all according to my will! It has nothing to do with anyone else, and certainly nothing to do with you!”

Long Bai's voice: “You... are the Dragon Queen... You are my Dragon Queen! The entire Western Divine Region, the entire world knows you are my Dragon Queen!!”

Her mother's voice: ...“Back then, if I had known sooner that a person like Yun Che would appear in this world, I would never have accepted the title of ‘Dragon Queen’.”

Then came the sound of Long Bai's footsteps, extremely heavy, growing further and further away.

Suddenly, a desperate dragon roar rang out. A screaming dragon-shadow profound light, as if coming from a fractured abyss, struck directly at her mother's lower abdomen. Long Xi felt her body suffer a violent impact, her vision went black, and she lost consciousness.

While unconscious, she vaguely felt her mother running, leaping into a mysterious withered well, and entering a white vortex. After a bout of dizzying spinning, she woke up to find herself in the Abyss of Nothingness.

—

Inside the sky poison pearl, Yun Che asked, “Li Suo, did you hear how Shen Xi came to the Abyss of Nothingness?”

“The Reincarnation Well!” Creator God Li Suo replied softly.

“During those hundreds of thousands of years in the God Realm, she was always working hard. Her body had already become able to use the power of the Reincarnation Well to leave that sword; that is why you were able to see her in the Forbidden Land of Samsara. However, she could not stray too far from the Reincarnation Well. Her power had not yet recovered, so she needed Long Bai's protection and could not leave the Land of Samsara.”

“It was because Long Bai developed murderous intent toward her and Long Xi that she was forced to jump into the Reincarnation Well.”

Creator God Li Suo said, “However, as you can see, crossing the Reincarnation Well is definitely not that simple. Shen Xi must have suffered great trauma within it. Now her body and soul have returned once more to that sword, falling into a deep slumber.”

After learning that Shen Xi was the daughter of the Primordial Azure Dragon, Yun Che understood many things. Shen Xi's body, soul, and power were all sealed within the heaven-slaying ancestor sword. For the past hundreds of thousands of years, she had been attempting to unseal herself.

Yun Che's appearance had once greatly accelerated her unsealing process. At that time, she had optimistically told Yun Che that she had found a way to break free from her shackles and should soon be able to leave the Forbidden Land of Samsara. However, all hope was shattered by the maddened Long Bai, and Shen Xi's hundreds of thousands of years of effort were wasted. Thinking of this, Yun Che couldn't help but feel a pang of sorrow.

Creator God Li Suo continued, “Currently, Shen Xi's body and soul are very fragile. In the Abyss of Nothingness, the abyssal dust here is very thick and heavy, which has a great impact on her. That is why Long Xi is willing to stay here, so that Shen Xi's body and soul can receive the protection of the barrier.”

Yun Che said coldly, “I don't believe in free lunches in this world. Long Xi must have paid a significant price.”

Creator God Li Suo wasn't particularly concerned about the price Yun Che mentioned. In her view, as long as that precious sword remained and Shen Xi's body and soul existed, with Yun Che now by her side, all problems should naturally be resolved.

What she was concerned about now was another matter. Seeing her pensive look, Yun Che asked:

“I'm curious, what are you thinking about?”

Creator God Li Suo gave a beautiful smile and replied, “I might have thought of a way to return to the God Realm.”

Yun Che was an exceptionally clever person and quickly understood what she wanted to say, adding:

“According to the ancient records of the Dragon God, the Reincarnation Well and the Mirror of Samsara are a single entity. The Mirror of Samsara is the source of the Reincarnation Well's divine power of reincarnation.”

Creator God Li Suo said with a bit of excitement, “I am looking forward to the power that can erupt when the Mirror of Samsara and the Reincarnation Well are merged into one. Only you can accomplish such a thing.”

————

Suddenly, a tremor ran through the depths of Yun Che's soul. Through Wu Chi's vision, he saw a person approaching from afar.

The figure was tall and thin, with a sinister look in his eyes. It was Young Clan Leader Long Wangchu, the sole descendant of the Ancestral Dragon lineage in this generation.

Yun Che's mind stirred, and he sent a sound transmission to Wu Chi: “Delay him for a while; I have something to handle.”

Then, Yun Che said to Long Xi, “Xi'er, someone is here for you!”

“It's Long Wangchu, isn't it?”

This time, Long Xi knew she could no longer hide it, nor was there a need to. She confessed frankly:

“He is here to take my essence blood! This small barrier we are in is not free.”

“This is a fair trade between me and the Dragon Lord. I need this space to protect my mother's body and soul.”

Although Yun Che had already roughly guessed such a result, hearing Long Xi say it to his face still shocked him deeply, causing a piercing pain in his heart. His expression was extremely unsightly, shifting between pale and flushed, his anger reaching its absolute limit.

He was the Master of the God Realm, the Yun Emperor of his generation; Shen Xi was the noble and proud Princess of the Primordial Azure Dragon. Yet their daughter was reduced to such humility, forced to sell her essence blood just to find refuge.

“It won't be needed anymore,” Yun Che said softly, doing his best to suppress the rage in his chest. His voice was as gentle as a warm spring breeze, seeking to soothe the wounds in Long Xi's soul.

As Yun Che spoke, he took out a water-blue ring from his person and handed it to Long Xi, saying, “This ring contains a special Vast Blue Space. It can preserve what is inside, preventing decay or withering. It can be used to store your mother's body.”

Long Xi took the ring and released a strand of profound energy to investigate. Inside the ring was a barrier space several dozen square meters in size and about ten meters high. The top, floor, and four walls of the space were all composed of solid blocks of Ten-thousand-year ice crystals glowing with blue light. The entire interior was spotless, pure as jade, and dreamlike, filled with bursts of refreshing ice spiritual energy. It was absolutely an extremely rare Profound Heavenly Treasure.

Long Xi couldn't help but sigh inwardly. If she had possessed such a treasure, why would she have needed to trade essence blood with the Dragon Lord? Thinking of this, she couldn't help but look up at Yun Che with gratitude.

Yun Che snorted and said sternly, “Xi'er, your essence blood is incredibly precious; a single drop is enough to trade for several dragon lives. The Dragon Lord has cheated you out of so much essence blood over the years; even killing his sons and grandsons three times over wouldn't be enough!”

Long Xi awkwardly withdrew her gaze and walked to Shen Xi's tombstone. She reached out and flipped it over, revealing a heavy black rock. Beneath it was a rectangular stone casket, about six meters long, two meters wide, and one meter deep. Inside lay a longsword without a scabbard, about five meters long and one meter wide. The blade had long been eroded by time, rusted and completely devoid of luster.

This sword was simply too ordinary—so ordinary that any sword with a grade would be better than it.

Back on the Profound Sky Continent, the Primordial Azure Dragon had once entrusted him to find the heaven-slaying ancestor sword to help unseal the Dragon Princess. Later, he had also seen related records in the Dragon God's ancient texts: the Dragon God had once forcibly shattered the dragon god seal to release the Primordial Ancestor power, sealing the dying body of the Dragon Princess Shen Xi into the heaven-slaying ancestor sword and casting it into the Reincarnation Well.

Even so, he still couldn't believe that this was the heaven-slaying ancestor sword, ranked first among the seven Profound Heavenly Treasures.

He had heard too many legends about the heaven-slaying ancestor sword, yet he could not connect them to this sword in any way. Filled with doubt, Yun Che entered the sky poison pearl and asked, “Li Suo, do you recognize this sword?”

“Yes, this is the heaven-slaying ancestor sword!”

Creator God Li Suo's answer was very direct, without the slightest hesitation, and she became more excited and agitated as she spoke:

“You need not doubt it. Creator God Weie used this sword to blast Devil Emperor Jie Yuan and over nine hundred members of the Devil Race out of the Chaos with a single strike. Weie also used this sword to launch a desperate counterattack and defeat Creator God Ni Xuan!”

“No matter how unremarkable it looks to you now, anyone who lived through that era and witnessed that history would not have the slightest lack of reverence for it!”

“In that era, it was so dazzling and sharp that even if I exhausted all my talent and wisdom, I wouldn't know how to express or describe this sword.”

Yun Che had never seen her so excited. Finally, she sighed and lamented:

“The world is unpredictable; even the once-mighty heaven-slaying ancestor sword would fall to this state. Its sword spirit is unconscious, its sword qi is gone, and it is devoid of luster, like a piece of scrap metal.”

“So, in the end, time is the most powerful weapon. After hundreds of millions of years, the once-great seven Profound Heavenly Treasures have long since declined, nearly becoming common objects. The so-called eight Great God and Devil Emperors have all fallen... truly lamentable!”

Yun Che stopped talking to her, withdrew from the sky poison pearl, and said to Long Xi, “Let me see it.”

Long Xi obediently stepped aside. Yun Che walked forward, reached out his right hand, grabbed the hilt, and lifted it up.

Suddenly, the heaven-slaying ancestor sword vibrated violently, and an extremely faint voice came from within:

“Yun Che... is it you?”

Although the voice was very small, it was clearly discernible, like heavenly music drifting into the depths of Yun Che's soul. This was the voice Yun Che had listened to countless times in his dreams, haunting his soul, and now it had finally entered reality, appearing by his ear.

Yun Che's nose twitched, and he choked out, “Shen Xi! It's me!”

Shen Xi's voice continued to drift out: “I... did not misjudge you... I knew... you wouldn't abandon us mother and daughter!”

Yun Che said affectionately, “How could I? Even if I have to make the entire world my enemy, I will not let go of you!”

“I am here now. I will take you and Xi'er back to our world! You must believe me, I can do it!”

“I... never doubted you...” Shen Xi's voice continued:

“Remember... take me and Xi'er home...”

Shen Xi's voice grew smaller and weaker: “I'm tired... I need... to rest... I can't... say more to you...”

Slowly, Shen Xi's voice finally disappeared!

With tears in his eyes, Yun Che handed the heaven-slaying ancestor sword to Long Xi. Long Xi remained silent as she put the precious sword into the ring.

Her eyes, too, were filled with hot tears.