Dharma Swords—especially graded second-tier Dharma Swords—have always been hard currency in the cultivation world.
As the saying goes: the poor compete in techniques, the rich compete in artifacts, and what the hell compares to a sword cultivator? They'll ruin themselves for a lifetime.
For an honest, law-abiding second-realm sword cultivator who doesn't dabble in crooked ways, scraping together a handy lower-grade second-tier Dharma Sword usually means three to five years of going without food or drink. As for a mid-grade second-tier sword—without a decade of savings, don't even dream of it.
As for «All Swords Return to the Source»?
An ordinary sword cultivator who can control two flying swords at once is already considered to have extraordinary divine sense; one who can juggle three is a standout among his peers. Who in their right mind would bother hoarding so many Dharma Swords?
"One sword breaks ten thousand techniques," the old ancestors said—but they never said two swords could break twenty thousand techniques.
Gu Chengming let out a sigh. He had to confront the foremost item in the Daoist's Four Essentials—Wealth, Companions, Techniques, and Land—the matter of wealth.
But speaking of being law-abiding, he subconsciously felt for the storage pouch at his waist that Elder Ren had gifted him before parting, the one said to contain a "clean family fortune."
He searched it carefully. There was no Dharma Sword inside.
That made sense, really. Elder Ren had probably figured that the Wave-Listening Sword already in his hand was a top-quality blank, more than enough to accompany him through the entire second-realm stage—so he hadn't bothered to stuff in any other sword artifacts.
But weren't the contents of this pouch a bit too… miscellaneous?
A Five Elements Wheel inscribed with intricate formation patterns, a Wind-Stilling Bead radiating treasure-light, and even several Dark Yin Banners that were obviously meant for setting up soul-bewildering formations…
He felt rather puzzled. None of this looked like gear for a sword cultivator. If anything, it looked more like the loadout of a robber-cultivator.
Recalling the instructions Elder Ren had given him before he descended the mountain, Gu Chengming decided to sell off a portion of these magic treasures and exchange them for new Dharma Swords.
After turning it over and over in his mind, he finally thought of Song Qing.
The cultivators of the Tianding Sect all seemed to be quite wealthy.
With his mind made up, Gu Chengming hesitated no longer.
He picked out separately those treasures that were too flashy and clearly didn't suit his sword-cultivator style.
In any case, he was now in the Capital, and they all served together at the Night-Watch Bureau—so finding Song Qing to fence the goods couldn't be more convenient.
Having settled on his plan, he tucked away the storage pouch, pushed open the door, and strode straight toward the Hidden Dragon Court.
The Night-Watch Bureau, Hidden Dragon Court.
Song Qing was idly polishing his beloved fiery-red treasure-bead when he saw Gu Chengming come knocking, and upon hearing that he wanted to offload a few magic treasures, he instantly perked up.
"Brother Gu, you've come to exactly the right person!"
Song Qing slapped his chest and laughed heartily:
"There's one thing our Tianding Sect's never short on, and that's our soft spot for magic treasures. As long as the goods are good, the price will absolutely be fair. Come, come, let me have a look."
Gu Chengming wasted no words. With a casual wave, he produced three items from his storage pouch.
A bronze ancient mirror carved with cloud patterns, a crimson feather fan, and a formation plate inlaid with seven gemstones.
"Good stuff!"
Song Qing's eyes lit up. He first picked up the feather fan, sensing the pure fire spiritual power contained within, and praised it:
"This is a Five-Fire Fan refined from the tail feathers of a second-tier demon bird, the Crimson Fire Crow, isn't it? This craftsmanship, this control of the flame—tsk tsk, definitely the work of a master."
Then he picked up the bronze ancient mirror.
"Oh-ho, this mirror—a defensive-type magic treasure? Looking at these patterns, it seems it can even reflect part of an incoming technique-attack?"
The more Song Qing looked, the more he liked it, and the more pleasing to the eye it became.
But as he kept looking, something seemed to occur to him, and his gaze gradually turned strange.
He flipped the bronze mirror over, and sure enough, in an extremely concealed corner on the back of the mirror, his fingers brushed against a faint mark—one that looked as though it had been deliberately half ground away.
Why did these latter treasures look a little familiar?
"Brother Gu."
Song Qing swallowed, then asked probingly:
"Where exactly did you come by these treasures?"
Gu Chengming's expression was perfectly composed: "They were all gifts from my master before he sent me off—he said they were the family fortune he'd accumulated during his travels in his early years."
Hearing this, an image flashed through Song Qing's mind.
Some days ago, before he descended the mountain for his own training, he had gone to bid farewell to his own master.
His master had taken out a whole batch of Dharma Swords and told him to deal with them on the side.
Now it appeared: one side's hands were full of a technique-cultivator's magic treasures, while the other side's hands were full of a sword-cultivator's Dharma Swords.
Could there really be such a coincidence in this world?
Song Qing looked at Gu Chengming, his heart full of subtle feelings.
Surely the two old—the two old seniors hadn't gone and swapped their family fortunes with each other?
"Senior Brother Song? Is there some problem with the magic treasures?" Seeing him fall silent, Gu Chengming asked, puzzled.
"No! No problem! No problem at all!"
Song Qing snapped back to his senses and shook his head like a rattle-drum.
Surely you jest—a messy affair like this, tangled up in the grudges and entanglements of the elder generation's great powers, or in fencing stolen goods… how would a second-realm disciple like him dare to ask any further?
Since Brother Gu said his master gave them to him, then his master gave them to him—clean as can be!
"Brother Gu, much as I'd love to take them in, the grade of these items is too high. The spirit stones I have on hand right now probably can't absorb them."
"However, I do happen to know a good place."
Song Qing very enthusiastically changed the subject: "Brother Gu, if you want to offload these magic treasures and also acquire a large number of Dharma Swords, ordinary shops likely won't be able to satisfy you. Here in the Capital, there's a colossal establishment called the Jubo Commerce Guild."
"This guild has deep backing, with business spread across all thirteen circuits of the Great Qian. Not only do they purchase all sorts of rare magic treasures, but every mid-month they also hold an auction."
"As it happens, the fifteenth is three days from now."
Song Qing mused: "If Brother Gu goes there, not only can you sell these items for a high price, you might even pick up something you want at the auction."
"An auction?"
At these words, Gu Chengming's heart stirred, but before he could speak—
Hearing the phrase "auction house," the Hundred Bones Resonance instantly grew excited.
[Heavenly Emperor Gu, Heavenly Emperor Gu! It's an auction!]
Fine, I already know what you want to do, Heavenly Emperor Bai.
In the end, Gu Chengming agreed to Song Qing's suggestion—partly because the place did indeed suit his needs, and partly for the sake of Heavenly Emperor Bai.
The Jubo Commerce Guild sat in the most central, prime location of the East Market: with soaring eaves and bracket sets, carved beams and painted rafters, the entire structure built from a precious spirit-material known as Sunken Gold Wood. Its entrance bustled with carriages and horses, the comings and goings all cultivators in fine silks or eminent officials and nobles.
The moment they reached the entrance, a slightly plump steward dressed in brocade came forward with a face full of smiles.
The steward was clearly very familiar with Song Qing: "What a coincidence—today a batch of cold-iron refined gold just arrived from the Western Regions, and I was just about to send someone to the Night-Watch Bureau to let you know."
"We'll talk about the refined gold later."
Song Qing casually tossed over a spirit stone as a tip and pointed at Gu Chengming beside him:
"Today I'm accompanying this Brother Gu. He has good things to sell, and along the way he'd like to see if there are any handy Dharma Swords at the auction. Same as usual—arrange a private box for us."
"Of course, this way upstairs, both of you!" The steward took the spirit stone, the creases on his face crinkling into a wide smile as he personally led the way.
On the way to the auction hall, Song Qing didn't stay idle either. Lowering his voice, he began briefing Gu Chengming on the deep foundations of this Jubo Commerce Guild:
"Brother Gu, don't be fooled by how unremarkable this guild looks on the surface—in truth its foundations run deep. The grand proprietor behind this guild is a fifth-realm cultivator, with cultivation unfathomably profound. Even a first-rank high official of the court has to show him some face."
At this point, Song Qing pointed at the floor beneath his feet, then pointed up overhead:
"And it's precisely because of this that here in the Jubo Commerce Guild, whether buying or selling, no one in nearly a hundred years has been heard to dare cause trouble."
"After all, who would offend a fifth-realm great power for some petty profit?"
Song Qing pointed out the window toward the towering Imperial City:
"What's more, this place happens to be one of the convergence points of the Great Qian's dragon energy. Should anyone dare use their magic power to kill and seize treasures, the moment they trigger the restrictions, the Night-Watch Bureau and the Imperial Guard would arrive in an instant."
[Hearing this, the Hundred Bones Resonance instantly lost all interest, somewhat depressed.]
[Then what's the point of this auction?]
[No clueless young rakes to pick a fight, no thrilling segment of crooks robbing crooks—how is Heavenly Emperor Gu supposed to display his divine might? How is he supposed to snag a bargain and then counter-kill?]
Gu Chengming ignored the grumbling of old Bai and followed the steward into the appraisal room.
With Song Qing vouching for him, and since those few magic treasures were indeed the work of renowned masters and of extremely high quality, the appraisal process went exceptionally smoothly.
Having completed the transaction procedures and taken the jade token representing his bidding qualification, Gu Chengming felt a faint strangeness rise in his heart.
He swept his gaze around.
Though the auction hall was lavishly arranged and its protective formations could be considered tight, apart from the two early-second-realm guards standing sentry at the door, he hadn't sensed any powerful presence holding the place down.
"Brother Song."
Gu Chengming couldn't help asking:
"In an auction hall this enormous, today's turnover in spirit stones is surely in the tens of thousands. Do they really just rely on the guild's name and the Great Qian's dragon energy to hold the place down? Don't they station a third-realm expert or two?"
"Aiya, Brother Gu, you're just too cautious."
At these words, Song Qing couldn't help but laugh out loud, reaching out to pat Gu Chengming's shoulder:
"Relax! This auction has been running for nearly a hundred years, and there hasn't been an incident in decades."
"Besides, today's is just the monthly auction—the items up for sale are at most second-realm, second-tier resources and cultivation methods."
"To go to all that trouble of causing a scene in the Capital just for such things—risking being hunted down by a fifth-realm great power and put on the Great Qian's wanted list—no matter how you do the math, it just doesn't add up."
"Unless some robber-cultivator's brain got kicked by a donkey, there's absolutely no way anyone would come to make trouble. Rest easy, rest easy!"
Watching Song Qing's utterly confident manner, Gu Chengming opened his mouth, but in the end said nothing—only that subtle premonition in his heart grew all the stronger.
Wasn't this flag being raised a bit too high?
The auction soon began.
The hall was ring-shaped and tiered, easily able to hold several hundred people.
By now every seat was filled, mostly with late-stage qi-refining cultivators or second-realm cultivators who had only recently established their foundations.
Just as Song Qing had said, an auction of this caliber could hardly attract great cultivators above the third realm.
The auctioneer was a sharp-tongued female cultivator who warmed up the room with just a few words.
"One bottle of lower-grade second-tier Returning Spring Pills, starting bid one hundred—"
"Three mid-grade second-tier defensive talismans—Golden Light Talismans—"
One item after another was brought up, then auctioned off at high prices. About an hour passed.
"Everyone!"
The auctioneer's voice suddenly rose a few notches, and with an excited expression she lifted the red cloth from the tray:
"Up for auction next is an exceedingly rare set of fine magic treasures, all from the hands of a master!"
"The Five-Fire Divine Flame Fan! The Azure-Gloom Heart-Guarding Mirror! The Seven-Star Spirit-Gathering Plate!"
"These three treasures are all second-tier and brimming with spiritual nature—whether for combat or cultivation, they are choices of the very highest order! Starting bid…"
Gu Chengming's spirits lifted. As long as these few items sold, this sum of spirit stones, added to his previous savings, would be enough for him to go to the Merit Repository and exchange for that «Red Dust Phantom Body Formula» and a few Dharma Swords.
Yet at the very instant the auctioneer was about to announce the reserve price—
A sudden upheaval erupted.
"Bzzzz—!!!"
An ear-piercing buzz resounded through the entire hall. The formation that had been hovering above the venue, responsible for lighting and simple soundproofing, suddenly burst out with a dazzling bloody glow.
"What's going on? Has the formation gone out of control?!"
Before the cultivators below could react—
"Crack! Crack!"
Countless blood-colored chains of light dropped down from the formation, precisely coiling around every single cultivator present.
Those second-realm cultivators who had been composed only moments before felt their inner true essence seize up—their seas of qi sealed in an instant, leaving them frozen like carved wood and molded clay, unable to move at all.
"The Spirit-Locking Dragon-Trapping Formation?!"
Right after that, amid the deathly silence and panic, several figures slowly rose from within the crowd.
They were five cultivators clad in black robes, bronze masks covering their faces.
Blood-colored chains of light were likewise coiled around them, yet the chains seemed to have no effect on them at all—on the contrary, they acted like some kind of amplification, sending the auras around their bodies surging. Every one of them was clearly an expert of the second realm.
The lead masked figure ignored the terrified gazes around him, swaggered up onto the auction stage, and without the slightest courtesy reached out and grabbed—stuffing Gu Chengming's three magic treasures, along with the spirit-stone storage pouch on the table that hadn't yet been put away, all into his own robes.
"Many thanks for everyone's patronage—these things, we'll graciously accept!"
...
Up in the private box.
Gu Chengming slowly turned his head and looked at Song Qing beside him.
This eminent disciple of the Tianding Sect, who only moments ago had been swearing up and down that it was "absolutely safe, no incidents in decades, you'd have to have your brain kicked by a donkey to come robbing," was now standing there with his mouth hanging open, somewhat dazed and dumbfounded.
Gu Chengming let out a sigh.
Whatever happened to "there won't be any incidents"?
[The Hundred Bones Resonance is deeply moved.]
[Thank you, robber-cultivators. It will remember for a lifetime the beautiful memory you've given it at its very first auction.]
Gu Chengming sighed helplessly.
This bunch had clearly timed their arrival precisely.
According to Song Qing's earlier explanation, this Jubo Commerce Guild had originally had a resident third-realm guardian holding the place down—except that just a few days ago, for some unknown reason, trouble had broken out at the guild over in Yun'an City, and that guardian had been urgently dispatched to investigate the situation.
No sooner had he left than the Spirit-Locking Dragon-Trapping Formation went up.
Gu Chengming watched the three black-robed men frantically sweeping up goods on the stage, his heart full of absurdity.
No matter how he did the math, it didn't add up.
The Spirit-Locking Dragon-Trapping Formation was a top-grade second-tier trapping formation. The formation flags and spirit stones required just to set it up were already a huge expense.
Had it been to plunder some third-tier finale treasure, that would be one thing—but the auction was only halfway through, and what lay on the table was nothing more than some second-tier pills and Gu Chengming's three magic treasures that hadn't even been bid on yet.
To go through all this trouble, risking backlash from the Capital's dragon energy and being hunted by a fifth-realm great power, just to snatch this little bit of loot?
This didn't look like someone after wealth—it looked more like wrecking the place for the sake of wrecking it, purely to spite people.
Under the pressure of the formation, the vast majority of the second-realm cultivators in the hall had flushed faces, their internal spiritual power circulating with extreme difficulty.
Gu Chengming likewise felt that heavy, oppressive pressure, his gaze locked onto the figures up on the stage.
If it were only three second-realm cultivators, he could actually give it a try—staking everything against this Spirit-Locking Formation to cut down all three robber-cultivators on the spot.
Under these circumstances, the other second-realm cultivators really had no need to make a move.
But he was different. He still had quite a few magic treasures waiting to be auctioned in this very hall.
What these robbers were robbing was his stuff!
At this thought, Gu Chengming couldn't help feeling a bit annoyed—was it him running into rotten luck like this yet again?
Of course, striking now was clearly not the wise move. He needed an opening.
The instant that black-robed man turned around and exposed a flaw—
[Primordial Imperial Merit: Second Stage Activated]
"Zheng—"
The clear ring of the Wave-Listening Sword leaving its sheath sounded especially jarring in the deathly silent auction hall.
Gu Chengming's figure burst into motion, crossing dozens of zhang in an instant.
Flowing Cloud Moon-Following—Clouds Surge!
The black-robed man on the stage was just about to grab the last storage pouch when, hearing the sword's ring, his body instinctively reacted, trying to turn and block.
But he had clearly underestimated that under the suppression of this formation, someone could still erupt with such terrifying speed.
The sword-light was like water, flashing past in an instant.
"Squelch!"
A head wearing a bronze mask shot up into the air. Before the blood from the neck cavity even had time to spray out, the headless corpse swayed and crashed heavily down onto that pile of treasures.
"You dare snatch things right under my—this sovereign's—nose?"
The movements of the remaining two robbers froze instantly. After a brief moment of shock, they immediately reacted.
The one on the left, his swordplay nimble and light, flicked his wrist and went straight for Gu Chengming's eyes; the one on the right, his sword-momentum heavy and fierce, gripped his sword in both hands, raised it high, and savagely chopped down at the crown of Gu Chengming's head.
…Sword cultivators?
A flicker of surprise flashed in Gu Chengming's eyes—and from the posture of these two men's sword strikes, their spiritual power was pure, their sword techniques vicious yet methodical, definitely not the half-baked wild styles of self-taught amateurs.
Gu Chengming advanced rather than retreated, the Wave-Listening Sword in his hand giving off a sword-hum.
[Sword Intent / Cling]activated!
He did not hard-block that heavy, fierce strike; instead, with a turn of his wrist, a dense series of metallic clashing sounds rang out.
The robber wielding the swift sword only felt the long sword in his hand grow heavy, his originally fierce offensive becoming sluggish and sticky in an instant—even pulling his sword back became extremely difficult.
Before he could react, Gu Chengming borrowed force to redirect force: the Wave-Listening Sword curled along the spine of the man's blade, and the sword's edge, at an extremely tricky angle, swept back up to deflect the heavy sword chopping in from the other side.
"Clang!"
Sparks scattered everywhere.
The robber wielding the heavy sword felt a violent jolt at the base of his thumb, the force boring through the blade into his meridians, causing his powerful, weighty strike to veer off course in an instant and slam viciously into the empty floor, kicking up a spray of wood splinters.
In a single exchange, Gu Chengming, fighting two against one, firmly held the upper hand under the joint assault of those two same-realm sword cultivators.
The eyes of the two robbers behind their masks finally changed.
Gu Chengming looked at the two of them, his hands not pausing, yet he subconsciously spoke up:
"If this is all you're capable of, then leave your lives behind for this sovereign."
The situation in the auction hall shifted in an instant.
Seeing Gu Chengming wield two swords single-handedly, showing not the slightest sign of defeat under the encirclement of those two second-realm robbers, Song Qing finally snapped back to his senses.
"Brother Gu! Let me help you!"
He gave a low shout and hurled the fiery-red treasure-bead violently into the air.
Though suppressed by the Spirit-Locking Dragon-Trapping Formation, this bead of his was a top-grade second-tier magic artifact harboring true fire within. Even with his spiritual power circulating poorly, relying on the artifact's own might, it was more than enough to blast out a sea of flames in this cramped space.
"Boom!"
The crimson blaze transformed into three fire-serpents, coiling tricky toward the robber wielding the heavy sword.
That robber, already thrown into disarray by Gu Chengming's "Cling" sword intent, now had to split his attention to deal with these fire-serpents, and instantly lost all composure.
"Damn it!"
The heavy-sword robber cursed furiously, forced to pull his sword back to save himself.
Gu Chengming seized this opening in an instant—Flowing Light, Sword Shadows!
The sword-light was crystal-clear, aimed straight at the throat of the now-isolated swift-sword robber.
A flash of alarm crossed the swift-sword robber's eyes. He wanted to retreat, but his feet seemed locked tight by that omnipresent sword-momentum.
At this critical, hair's-breadth instant, another upheaval erupted.
In a previously utterly inconspicuous corner at the back of the auction hall, a black shadow suddenly burst forth.
This person had kept his aura concealed all along—he had even pretended to collapse, unable to bear it, when the "Spirit-Locking Dragon-Trapping Formation" was activated. Now, the moment he erupted, that terrifying spiritual pressure instantly shattered the disguise.
"Third realm?!"
The moment Song Qing sensed that spiritual pressure, his face went deathly pale, and he cried out in alarm.
In the very instant the malevolent wind swept in from behind, Gu Chengming's sword-momentum, originally thrusting at the swift-sword robber, smoothly redirected—borrowing force, turning his body, recalling the sword.
He forcibly evaded that strike and, at the same time, cut down the swift-sword robber.
That third-realm expert clearly hadn't anticipated this outcome either. A sinister black qi surged out from within his body, spreading across the auction stage. Within that black qi it seemed countless wronged souls were wailing—clearly not the methods of an orthodox path.
Third-realm cultivators, ghost-cultivators and evil specters aside, were absolutely not something second-realm cultivators could contend with.
Song Qing grew somewhat despairing; it was hard to imagine how to escape with one's life under such circumstances.
But then, a calm voice steadied his panic.
"Stall him."
Song Qing came back to himself, and these words also stirred a few more thoughts of resistance in his heart. Gritting his teeth, he once more sent out a magic treasure.
Indeed, stalling would suffice. Though there was a Spirit-Locking Formation here, a commotion of this scale would have someone arriving before long.
The third-realm robber was clearly somewhat enraged, wanting to kill these two as quickly as possible. With a stern shout, he formed seals with both hands.
"Wooo—!"
The black qi around him instantly boiled, transforming into dozens of ferocious ghost-claws that swept down at Gu Chengming, blotting out the sky.
These ghost-claws were not corporeal, yet they could directly attack the spirit and soul. Song Qing took just one glance and felt a stab of pain in his mind, his entire being instantly falling into a daze, standing frozen on the spot.
Gu Chengming likewise felt that violent impact directed at his spirit and soul.
But within his sea of consciousness, the «Zhouli» sat enthroned in the central palace, the Righteous Noble Breath like a great sun patrolling the heavens, the «Qingxin Formula» circulating ceaselessly, guarding the clarity of his spirit terrace.
Gu Chengming let out a muffled grunt, suppressing the discomfort, his gaze suddenly falling on the two corpses by his feet.
Those were the two second-realm robbers who had just died. Though their bodies had fallen, the Dharma Swords in their hands remained—two second-tier Dharma Swords of remarkable quality, no less.
His heart stirred, and his divine sense erupted without reservation.
"Hum!"
The two Dharma Swords, drawn by the pull, trembled and hummed as they rose into the air, hovering at Gu Chengming's side—together with the Wave-Listening Sword in his hand.
The next moment, on the [Sword Gambit] interface below Gu Chengming's field of vision, that darkened icon suddenly lit up.
[Bond / Dharma Sword (3/3): Ride the sword upon the wind, take heads from a thousand li away. When you simultaneously equip or control three or more "Dharma Sword"-type weapons, the rudimentary "Sword Formation" is activated.]
[Special effect obtained: Three Talents Sword Formation.]
Gu Chengming gave a low shout, his hands shifting through sword-finger gestures, and the three long swords transformed into three streaks of flowing light. Arranging themselves according to the positions of the Three Talents—Heaven, Earth, and Man—they unfolded into a sword formation, shielding Gu Chengming in the center.
When the robber saw this scene, he was horrified.
A sword formation?!
A sword formation was clearly something only third-realm or even fourth-realm sword cultivators could master—how could a mere second-realm cultivator wield this?
And from the way this sword formation operated—seamless and unrestrained, balancing offense and defense—it was absolutely not the kind forcibly driven by holding a formation plate, but genuine sword-control by divine sense!
Could it be a great power who had seized this body?!
Recalling Gu Chengming's earlier tone—"this sovereign" this, "this sovereign" that—the robber grew more and more uncertain in his heart.
"Damn it! The intelligence was wrong!"
The robber instantly began to entertain thoughts of retreat.
Gu Chengming paid no heed to what he was thinking. Seizing the moment while the robber was dazed, he pointed with his sword-fingers.
The Three Talents Sword Formation instantly switched from defense to offense.
Though, because the Dharma Swords were of uneven quality and his cultivation was still shallow, this sword formation's lethality was not enough to wound a third-realm cultivator—
the Dharma Sword bond had an additional effect: all Dharma Swords shared the sword-intent bonus.
The Cling sword intent, riding along every single attack of the sword formation, coiled layer upon layer around the robber's body-protecting qi.
That robber felt as though the air around him had turned into paste—every mobilization of spiritual power costing several times more effort than usual. The sinister death-qi in his hands erupted wildly, attempting to forcibly cut down Gu Chengming.
One breath, two breaths, three breaths…
Time slipped away bit by bit.
In the distance, the air-tearing sounds unique to the Night-Watch Bureau's night-patrol guards could already faintly be heard, along with that bell-toll that strikes terror into demons and evil.
Reinforcements had arrived!
The robber's face turned ashen. If he wanted to kill the youth before him, he would have to burn his essence-blood to forcibly cut him down—but then escaping afterward would be rather difficult.
So he glared hatefully at Gu Chengming, his eyes full of unwillingness.
He suddenly bit down on the tip of his tongue and, using the Blood Escape technique, snatched up the single storage pouch remaining on the ground. His figure transformed into a streak of blood-light, forcibly breaking through the not-yet-fully-closed Spirit-Locking Dragon-Trapping Formation, and fled toward the horizon.
"Whew…"
Gu Chengming watched that streak of blood-light recede into the distance and did not give chase.
The three Dharma Swords, having lost the control of his divine sense, clattered to the ground with several "clang" sounds.
"We're saved…"
Beside him, Song Qing's legs went weak, and he simply slumped down onto the ground, gasping for breath in great heaving gulps.
When he came back to his senses, Song Qing suddenly recalled that dazzling Three Talents Sword Formation just now. He was about to open his mouth to ask exactly what kind of secret art that sword formation was—but the words reached his lips and were forcibly swallowed back down.
Because the Gu Chengming standing before him now, though he had put away the Wave-Listening Sword, carried an aura utterly different from his usual self.
Song Qing's heart gave a "thump," and the words Gu Chengming had said to that robber just now suddenly flashed through his mind—
—You dare snatch things right under this sovereign's nose?
In an instant, many classic story tropes surfaced in Song Qing's mind.
He subconsciously glanced at Gu Chengming's hand.
No ring…
But that didn't mean there wasn't a great power's residual soul carried on his person, did it?
Recalling further that Gu Chengming had been able to slay second-realm evil specters back when he was only at the first realm, along with his many displays of power that defied common sense—
everything suddenly made a lot more sense now.
At this thought, he hesitated somewhat, then said probingly:
"Many thanks for your aid… senior?"
"..."
Gu Chengming was speechless. How could he not know what this fellow was thinking?
He was about to explain, but then realized that if he spoke up now, it would likely only confirm the man's conjecture all the more—so he could only let it drop.
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