Blade’s Spirit

Another night had passed.

Leaning against the rocky wall, in his arms, were two stunningly beautiful women. He removed his hand from Ning'er's special place, then, Zhou Yan took a quick breath, inhaling the hypnotic milky scent into his body.

Although he felt blessed, he was also feeling quite uneasy..

The truth was, as soon as Zhou Yan left the Zhou household, he began to feel uneasy. However, nothing grim or unfortunate had happened in the three extremely blessed days.

Not a single encounter with any wild beasts nor practitioners of the sword art. It was as if the trio had stepped into the Garden of Eden, and everything seemed too peaceful.

"No…"

Out of nowhere, Ning'er suddenly screamed as she jolted from Zhou Yan's loving embrace. In her startled state. In that very instant, her movements were quite nimble.

Her sudden violent movements instantly startled Ping'er, who was still in her deep, peaceful slumber.

"What's wrong, Ning'er?" Zhou Yan questioned with a soft, caring tone while standing up to grab Ping'er, who almost tripped over.

"Ah...What's wrong, sister Ning'er?" Ping'er seemed slightly uptight as she assumed there was an ambush by the enemy.

"No...Nothing, it was only a nightmare, merely a dream."

Ning'er's forehead was covered in sweat. It seemed to her that this dream she had was no normal dream.

Recalling his own concerns, Zhou Yan's heart grew anxious.

At this moment, Ning'er threw herself into Zhou Yan's loving embrace. She spoke with a soft tone, "Worry not Zhou Yan, I am fine."

"Alright."

Zhou Yan proceeded to gently stroke Ning'er's back and hug her without saying a word. This time, there were absolutely zero ill intentions from him.

However, at this very moment, Ning'er had once again kissed Zhou Yan, and thus, without hesitation, he promptly accepted her kiss.

…

Moments later, their lips parted.

"Zhou Yan, I need to go now. They're coming."

Ning'er got out of Zhou Yan's loving embrace as she focused her gaze on the horizon far ahead. The ray of light resembled an illusion that appeared as if it was able to break through the heavens above and shatter the ground below. 

"Ning'er, who are they?"

Zhou Yan's entire body was trembling violently. He already knew that soon, an impending major event would occur.

He was unsure what the cause was. However, he knew that the foreign land, simply known as 'Earth,' had gone through the Era of The Dharma Ending. The realm that belonged to the ancient sage who had mastered the skill of 'Spatial Destruction.' He which had inherited the will of the ancient sage made his sixth sense extremely special!

"I don't know, but I can feel it. They are getting closer."

Ning'er sighed as her entire face grew inhumanly pale. Her beauty in that ill state seemed to reach its peak.

"Master, sister Ning'er..."

The edge of Ping'er's eyes grew red as she had no clue what was happening. However, she knew that judging from how they acted, it seemed like something awful had happened.

At this moment, a ray of blade's light descended from the edge of the heavens. It seemed like that attack was unleashed from a neighboring town. The attack pierced the skies as it attempted to slay the trio.

This was an extremely powerful attack that exceeded a multitude of different realms. To protect both Ning'er and Ping'er, Zhou Yan shielded them by taking the full brunt of the attack, and as a result, blood instantly spilled out of the edge of his mouth.

This was an extremely powerful opponent who had complete mastery of the Sword's Way Of Invincibility. Such Blade's Menace was condensed and concentrated from absolutely nothing and was even capable of killing enemies from a thousand miles away!

Due to the enormous difference in Zhou Yan's skills to the mysterious opponent, he did nothing to retaliate. He knew that it would not make much of a difference to change the outcome, even if he had unleashed the blade's menace from the carving.

Zhou Yan finally realized that his opponent was simply waiting for him to be far enough away from that place, to kill him in the middle of nowhere. His enemy had never left him alone.

This was truly the definition of removing the problem by uprooting it entirely!

He had also...finally realized why... in the span of three whole days, not a single living soul was seen in the entirety of this dense forest. It seemed everything was planned beforehand by someone.

Zhou Yan thought about his family's Grand Elder, the Grand Elder's hand, and the Elder of Lore… He was confused of who was skilled enough to condense Blade's Menace and was capable of killing from an extremely far distance.

It was a mystery to who intended to kill him in order to eliminate any potential threats!

When it calmed down, he turned around. He looked sadly at both Ning'er and Ping'er. He soon realized that Ning'er paid no attention to that extremely powerful and deadly Blade's Menace, and instead, her gaze was completely fixed on the distant horizon.

Before this lethal, horrifying Blade's Menace descended upon the earth beneath their feet, both the Heavens and Earth contorted as if forming into an endless black hole, piercing through this very piece of heaven and earth.

It was at this moment; nine rays of crackling lightning were being dragged along by a snow cloaked phoenix that pierced through this infinite spatial void. It was as if this majestic creature hailed from a vast, boundless chaotic plane, bringing along with it an infinite, endless aura of calamity as it completely obliterated this entire land.

"Buzz…"

As both heavens and earth shattered, space and time, too, will collapse.

Everything around Zhou Yan was instantly reduced to dust. The entire stretch of land within that very instant alone was completely obliterated into a barren wasteland.

The entire dense forest and waterfall were completely destroyed..

The boundless environment was now reduced to a layer of snowy white cinder and ash.

A harrowing howl echoed from a distant plane. The piercing shrieks were heartbreaking as it sliced through the heavens and earth.

It seemed, at this very moment, the assassin was in complete agony. He was trapped in a living hell and the prayers of death were not answered.

Just like that, the assassin who attempted to murder Zhou Yan was shrieking in horrifying agony. It was as if his screams of agony drowned the heavens and earth in a wave of deafening silence.

This foe was imperceivably powerful. The moment his powers descended upon this very land, they were able to tear down and completely destroy the fabric of space itself.

At this moment, nine shadowed specters gradually condensed into a physical, solid form as it morphed into nine snowy odd-looking primitive beasts. They resembled a phoenix, which was magnified up to ten folds.

These nine majestic, godly birds dragged along a Prismatic Wagon. It suddenly materialized in that shattered void above.

The exterior of that Prismatic Wagon was as if layers of light were opened. Within it were nine exceptionally looking maidens wearing long white dresses. Every single one of them were absolutely stunning. They were like Ning'er, one of a kind and unparalleled in beauty.

Every single one of them looked elegant. They all had an expressionless and monotonous pale face, but their gaze was extremely cold. They were emotionless. It was as if they were all logs.

However, every single person resembled a legendary, godly blade that was extremely sharp. Not a single soul was able to shy away from its gaze. 

In the face of such majesty, Zhou Yan trembled uncontrollably violently. 

He feared nothing, however, in the face of such majestic aura, he could not keep his mind composed! 

Ning'er and Ping'er, who were both regular people, were somehow unaffected.

After the nine majestic, godly birds had materialized, they transformed into nine snow colored longswords. Extremely lifelike pictures of the majestic bird were engraved on the surface of these longswords.

Those nine godly blades suddenly shrunk in size as they fell onto the back of the maidens and into the scabbard of each maiden.

'Blade...Blade's spirit? The mythical, legendary invincible blade's spirit and the mythical shape-shifting godly beast?' Zhou Yan mumbled to himself. He was completely blown away as a surprising look dawned on his face.

Ning'er remained silent as she stared intently at the Prismatic Wagon, seemingly recalling certain memories.

Rays of prismatic lights flickered through the clouds, as the nine godly swords returned to its position. Out of nowhere, a rainbow-like ray of light once again started to flicker. At that moment, within that ray of light, a choir could be heard singing. It was as if a godly figure was bestowing the godly knowledge of the Sword's Way while a boundless ray of spiritual light shone in between the heavens and earth.

After being touched by that ray of light, Zhou Yan felt as if his entire soul was being baptized by a dense, boundless, spiritually infused liquid. His body violently absorbed the infinite energy from the very essence of this spiritual bath.

Ning'er, who stood by his side, was touched by the same light. Her elegant body shivered slightly as a glint of shock and sudden realization reflected through her eyes. 

When the Prismatic Wagon's door opened, a maiden who looked the same as Ning'er walked out. The only distinction between the two was that Ning'er had some humanity left in her. However, that lass was like a deity. She had an extremely cold demeanor, and not a single shred of humanity was left in her.

That maiden never intended to speak. However, upon seeing Zhou Yan's blade and the dress on Ning'er body, some emotions were visible through her monotonous demeanor. 

"It seemed that Zhou Wangchen never did fulfill his promise, after all.

"If it wasn't for our efforts in providing a solution, that blade's body of extreme cold would be an utter waste."

The tone in the maiden's voice was extremely cold, it was almost without emotion.

"Your grace, you knew my father?"

Zhou Yan questioned with zero hesitation and reluctance.

He was slightly agitated, however at this moment, he was nothing more than an insignificant ant to that maiden. There was nothing he could do.

'It seems you're Zhou Wangchen's son, after all. That explains everything.

"Even though your foundations are strong, and you were enlightened that awoke your Blade's Essence, your natural gifts are only of ordinary level compared to your father. It seems that you're only slightly better than he was. What a shame… you're old, and the very foundations of your bones had already been fixed. You have not reached the realm of the Blade's Menace before you turned sixteen. You've wasted your time,'" she mumbled to herself. It was rare for her to speak that much.

Zhou Yan felt this maiden was just like Ning'er, a lady of few words. To say such things to him, made him wonder how his own father knew a person like her.

"My lady, he is someone...precious to me, if you have any respect for me, then you shall respect him as well! His natural gifts were so powerful that it was beyond anything you've ever understood!"

Suddenly, Ning'er proceeded to lift her head up, staring directly at the maiden in the sky. As she spoke, her entire attitude and demeanor was headstrong!

Zhou Yan was surprised at such dominance, while Ping'er, on the other hand, was completely frozen in shock.

"Saintess, you...you're back?" That maiden questioned with a shaky tone.

"Yes, I have returned."

Ning'er slowly nodded.

A slight hint of surprise was visible on the cold, her emotionless face along with the nine other maidens who served her.

"Zhou Yan… I need to leave now as some matters of utmost importance require me to handle it. However, I promise you, I will wait for you. I'll be waiting for your arrival someday and look for me in the Snow-Jade Palace!"

Ning'er had plenty to say to Zhou Yan while complicated emotions flooded her pearly eyes. However, in the end, she only managed to say those few words.

"Go on now...Ning'er."

Zhou Yan nodded as he knew that in these matters, it was obviously not up to her but something that she was forced upon.

"Zhou Yan, Ping'er has unique gifts in other aspects. I know her secret, and I really wish to bring her with me."

"Alright...it would be better to have a friend by your side. You and her alone. It seems like I would have nothing to worry about now."

A wave of sadness washed over Zhou Yan's heart; however, he knew that this was Ning'er's destiny, and he was in no position to stop her in the pursuit of destiny.

Zhou Yan knew that his handmaiden's heart was extremely determined to walk the path of Sword's Way for his sake, and hence she will train hard for him.

However, her natural gifts were nothing spectacular, it would be really hard to make any major progress. Judging from the horrifying raw strength of these people, he knew that in a similar encounter soon, there would not be anyone by his side for him to protect.

He knew that Ning'er would rid herself off any 'lingering' emotions, and took Ping'er's future into deep consideration, thus taking Ping'er along with her. He understood the reason behind her actions.

"Zhou Yan...I…love you. It will be forever unchanging."

Ning'er hesitated while her lips twitched slightly. She never voiced her thoughts aloud, but it was expressed in great detail through her expression.

She was wise since she never exaggerated her own expression in her current situation.

Zhou Yan's heart and soul were trembling, and he was extremely tempted to hug Ning'er, swallowing her into his soul and the deepest parts of his bone marrow.

However, he suppressed his emotions. Ning'er seemed to be in an authoritative position. Thus, Zhou Yan did not wish to put her in a tough position.

He also did not wish to provoke the exceedingly powerful lady, due to Ning'er's actions, because by doing so, Ning'er would not have a peaceful life there…

Once again, he resented his weakness and his inability to protect the ones that mattered most to him. If only he had powers on par with that maiden, there would not be a need to part with his loved ones. There would be no need to depend on these people to aid Ning'er in her search for her own identity.

"Ning'er...I love you, unchanging even till death."

Similarly, Zhou Yan's lips twitched without speaking a word. However, the meaning of it was extremely obvious.

...