Chapter 52: A weird encounter!

Tap! Tap!

After walking for a while more, Duan Li frowned and stopped. This was because he had arrived at a juncture of multiple forks in the road up ahead.

"Hmm.. there are six paths to take.. which one should I choose.." he began to contemplate as he cupped his chin.

"Ahh nevermind, I'll just pick the leftmost route." Duan Li then quickly strolled forward and not too long after that, he found himself to be at a dead end.

"Is this it for this path?" just as he was about to turn back and pick another route, the cub began to barked out.

Arrff! Arrff!

"Eh? What's wrong? Why are you pointing towards the wall?" noticing the look on the cub as if it insisted for Duan Li to do something onto the wall, a thought struck at his mind as he came onto a realization. There might be something behind the wall!

"A secret chamber?"

Duan Li looked around to see if there were any levers or secret button to open up the blocked path. However, he didn't manage to find any of the sorts.

Frowning, he processed what the Guardian had just said to him before.

"Well, he did say not to destroy the maze... But some modification to it shouldn't hurt.." he smiled sheepishly to himself as he scratched the back of his head.

He had an idea of what to do in this kinds of situation.

With a glint in his eyes, he threw a normal punch forward.

BAM!

Peng!

Duan Li's punch caused the wall to vibrate slightly and then dissipated as if it was being absorbed by a mysterious force.

"This wall is too thick! How suspicious..."

BAM!

BAM!

BAM!

He punched at the wall several more times but the result was still the same. At the sight of this, Duan Li became more confident that there really was something on the other side!

"Such a strong barrier... Perhaps the only way is really through brute force..."

Tap! Tap!

Duan Li retreated five steps back as he positioned himself into a stance. "Since normal punches won't do it, then perhaps my fist art could open it!"

'Nine Fists Shattering Meteor!'

Pzzztt!

This time, Duan Li charged his fist for a while as he spooled his spiritual Qi. Right now, his fist were glowing bright blue!

Hupp!

With a powerful momentum, Duan Li punched out. All sorts of phenemona happened as he launched this fist. The air split and vacuum was crushed opened. Spontaneous combustion of air created not two, but six coiling fire dragons around his arm as they bolted right along his fist.

BBAAMM!!

crack!

Due to the sheer force of the fist, which Duan Li didn't hold back anything from, the wall cracked a bit before the mysterious dissipating force started to absorb and mended the cracks together again.

Noticing this, Duan Li punched out rapidly with the fist art.

"I must continue to damage it until it couldn't hold on anymore!"

BBAMM!

BBAMM!!

BBAMM!

...

After several rounds of pummeling, the barrier could finally no longer dissipate the reckoning force from Duan Li's continuous ramming fist art, and crumbled.

BOOM!

A shower of dust followed suit with the crumbled wall. Due to excitement that had taken over his body, he couldn't wait for the dust to settle down. Thus, he launched a normal fist forward to clear the dust away.

BAM!

Peng!

"Eh? Is there another barrier again?" said Duan Li as he heard that sound. However, when he squinted his eyes, he found out that, that was not the case!

Beyond the crumbled walls in the secret chamber, was a gigantic platform. In the middle of it, stood a single sword that has a golden hilt. This sword seemed to be otherwordly and radiated out an extremely peculiar aura!

Taking his steps slowly with caution, Duan Li entered the secret chamber and climbed atop of the platform. Using his mental calculation, he was able to roughly estimate that the area of this platform was about 40,000 metres².

Not only that, this platform seemed to be extremely ancient. As if it was created when the Eternal maze itself was first born!

Crack!

Crash!

"Eh? What was that sound?" Duan Li turned his head towards the origin of the sound as his eyes widened.

One of the seemingly rows of grand statues that surrounded the platform had crumbled down.

Looking towards the angle of the statue and the sword, Duan Li was able to guess what had just transpired here.

Due to his fist that he deployed before in his excitement, the fist had landed onto the sword in the middle but ricochet off from it and hit that statue.

From then, it must have been cracked continuously over time until its integrity could no longer hold itself and crashed down.

Duan Li's brows twitched continuously at the sight of this.

Lord Guardian! Please forgive me!

This was but an accident!

Hais..

He had only launched a normal fist, and even if it was an accident, how could the statue be so weak? Was it actually a knock-off?

Duan Li casted a suspicious gaze towards that crumbled statue.

"Oh well, let's have a look at the sword instead..."

He decided to just ignore the matter with the statue completely. After all, what is done, is done. If one were to remain in a standstill by the past that cannot be changed, how could one move forward then?

Approaching the sword slowly, Duan Li analyzed it from top to bottom.

What a magnificent sword!

There wasn't even a single flaw that could be deduced from its appearance. Eventhough there weren't much lighting on this platform right now, which was only from the torches hanged on the wall, the sword still looked extremely good to the eyes!

Right now, Duan Li cupped his chin as he contemplated whether to try and grab a hold of the sword. He was quite afraid that if he took the sword off the platform, something could happen.

"Hmm.. even if something DOES happen.. this maze was created to test the late stage of the Qi condensation realm! Whereas I am at the early stage Foundation establishment realm with a pinnacle stage body!"

"I don't think that what could happen next would really pose a threat to me... Even the Guardian had guarenteed me before that I can pass through this maze easily.."

Looking at that alluring sword that continuously gave out mysterious aura coiling around it, Duan Li couldn't held himself back anymore.

Slowly, he extended his right hand to grab at the hilt of the sword.

Grab!

The moment Duan Li grabbed the hilt, an aura of extreme desolate gushed out from the sword. This aura was vicissitudinous and reflected the countless eras that it had existed. Slowly, this aura encompassed the whole body of Duan Li as it locked him down!

"Arrff! Arrff! Grrrr!" the cub growled out towards the sword.

Was this a trap?!

Feeling this aura, Duan Li was about to put it back onto the platform but realized that he cannot open his right hand, as if it was being clamped tight by a mold of cement!

Suddenly in his panic, an ancient and hoarse voice spoke out to him.

"Insignificant being, you dare touch me?!" this voice resounded through Duan Li's mind which seemed to come from the sword itself.

Eh?

This sword is alive?

"Y-you.. you can talk?" asked Duan Li with astonishment and fear in his voice.

"Hmph! Before your great-grandfather's testicles was even formed, I had long existed from the timeless realm!" replied the sword haughtily.

"Arrff! Arrff!" the wolf cub barked out.

"Shut up you inferior dog species! Quiet down before I slice you up into a shish kebab!"

"And you! release me this instant you insignificant worm! How dare you defile my holy body with your.. eh?" the voice suddenly stopped as it swallowed what it was about to say.

This presence!!

"Y-you! How do you have that person's presence inside you?!" the voice continued. But this time, its haughtiness was completely replaced by a trace of sudden fear instead.

Hearing this, Duan Li creased his brows. "Someone's presence? Inside me? Did he meant... those mysterious pearls?"

"Ahh.. that was a long story.." replied Duan Li mysteriously as he smiled.

The sword was about to continue lashing at him with abusive verbal attacks. If this 'presence' inside him could somehow put it into place at least, then Duan Li would be able to suppress him!

"Impossible! That person.. it cannot be! Y-you.. what is your name?!" asked the sword hastily.

"My name? I am called Duan Li!" replied Duan Li with a proud smile.

Hearing this name, the sword seemed to lost its luster as if paled in horror from hearing Duan Li's name!

"I..I.. forg-.. " seeming to say something, he stuttered in his word as if he remembered something and then continued, "N-nevermind! It seems that we are fated to meet together! I shall call you young master from now on!"

Looking at the complete 180 degrees change in the personality of the sword, Duan Li couldn't help but to feel suspicious as he frowned.

"Why the sudden change in attitude? Are you.. scheming something against me?" he asked directly.

"N-no! How could I dare! I, the great severing sword of the nine immortals, Duergar, am always an upright spirit! My previous personality was naturally due to a momentarily lapse in myself as I have been in a slumbered state for a very, very long time!" replied the sword with extreme confidence.

"You are a spirit? A sword spirit?" Duan Li asked as he analyzed the sword.

"Yes! That is correct! My origin is pretty long, perhaps we can talk over it next time! For now, I am dying to leave this place! I have been here for so long that if I stayed any longer, I would puke in disgust!" said the sword.

Hmm..

This sword is quite suspicious..

Eventhough Duan Li felt that something was amiss, he decided to put the matter to the back of his head. After all, one must do things one step at a time. Everything will fall into place eventually and he will deal with it accordingly.

"Oh young master, there is no need for you to carry me around everytime, I can morph myself into any accessories you wish. You can just summon me by then with a single thought and I will be by your hand in a flash!" it said.

"Oh? Then... change into an earring on my right lobe then!" said Duan Li. He always wanted to have an earring for himself, but because he has no money, he hasn't been able to get one.

"Okay! I will change now!"

Woongg!

The sword flashed into a soft light as it became smaller and smaller, until it eventually became the size of a pinky finger, where it then attached itself to Duan Li's right ear.

Clang!

"Okay then, let's return and go to another route!"

...