leonardwarren Chapter 24 Trial Report
Chapter 24 Trial Report
On the day of the trial report, at the Sword Monument Square.
The sky was overcast, the clouds so low they seemed to press down on the top of the sword monument. The plaza was packed with people—all the inner disciples were present, while the outer disciples were allowed to watch the ceremony from the perimeter of the plaza. Even the two Supreme Elders, who had been in seclusion for many years, had made an appearance. One was a white-haired sword cultivator, and the other, dressed in the robes of an elder of the Pill Hall, had a thin face and lowered eyes; he was none other than Elder Gu, who was in charge of the Scripture Pavilion.
Jian Xuan stood directly in front of the sword monument, with the inner disciples who had returned from the sword tomb standing side by side behind him. Ling Chen stood at the very back, with two weapons hanging at his waist—a Po Jun Dao on his left and a black longsword with its blade wrapped in cloth on his right.
The trial reports were presented in order of ranking. Xiao Lie displayed his newly acquired Crimson Flame Sword; the flame inscriptions on the blade emitted a dazzling red light under the stimulation of spiritual power, drawing a murmur of admiration. Although Han Tie's Golden Scale Sword had been cracked by Ling Chen in the second round of selection, it had become even more refined after being tempered in the Sword Tomb, its sword energy far more formidable than before. When it was the turn of the top five inner disciples, the ancient swords and sword intent they displayed captivated the outer disciples. Several white-haired sword cultivators on the elders' platform nodded frequently, and the Supreme Elder slightly opened his half-closed eyes, clearly quite satisfied with the gains of this group of disciples.
Until the last person stepped forward.
"Inner disciple Ling Chen reports on his gains from the Sword Tomb Trial." The steward disciple's voice announced the results.
Ling Chen walked to the front of the sword monument, first untied the Po Jun Dao and placed it aside, then took the black longsword wrapped in cloth from his waist.
"The sword I obtained from the Sword Tomb is this one."
The strips of cloth were unwrapped one by one. The thirty-six inner disciples on the Sword Stele Square almost simultaneously recognized the sword—a black blade with a faded tassel—it was the very sword that had been sealed in the center of the Ancient Sword Platform for three thousand years. The scene of the black sword light breaking through the protective array that day was still vivid in their minds. Now, seeing the real thing with their own eyes, the entire square fell silent.
"This sword is called Severing Thoughts." Ling Chen's voice wasn't loud, but every word clearly carried to every corner of the plaza. "Its former owner was a sword attendant under the Heavenly Venerable ten thousand years ago. The sword attendant perished at the end of the war between gods and demons, and the Severing Thoughts sword sealed itself in the Ancient Sword Platform of the Sword Tomb. By chance, I stumbled upon the Ancient Sword Platform, and this sword automatically recognized me as its master."
He paused.
"At the same time, I was attacked by Liu Yuan, an inner disciple, in the Sword Tomb. Liu Yuan had the remnant soul of the Shadow Demon General under the Demon Lord hidden within him, and his cultivation had reached the late stage of the Condensation Realm. I used the Severing Thought Sword to destroy the remnant soul of the Shadow Demon General. Liu Yuan regained his senses and has surrendered to Elder Jian Xuan."
These words were like a boulder thrown into a calm lake. The Supreme Elder abruptly opened his eyes, and the elders behind Jian Xuan stood up simultaneously. The outer disciples were in an uproar, while the inner disciples exchanged bewildered glances—Liu Yuan's status as the third-ranked inner disciple was common knowledge, but no one knew that he possessed the remnant soul of a demon general. Even more shocking was that Ling Chen, who had been an inner disciple for less than a month, had actually severed a wisp of a demon general's remnant soul.
"Before the Shadow Demon's remnant soul dissipated, it sent out its last demonic thought—to awaken its old subordinates." Ling Chen continued, "Currently, there are clues indicating that the Shadow Demon's old subordinate network, left behind by its previous host, is lurking inside and outside the Qingyun Sect, and at least one of them is no less than an elder."
As soon as he finished speaking, the elders' seat fell into dead silence.
"What evidence do you have?" asked the Supreme Elder.
Jian Xuan stepped forward: "Reporting to the Supreme Elder, Liu Yuan has confessed to the entire story of the Shadow Demon's parasitism and the instructions to awaken his former subordinates. The code name 'Medicine Slave' extracted from his memory fragments points to the Pill Hall. This disciple has preliminarily verified this matter, and there are indeed several abnormal transactions involving spirit stones."
Where is Liu Yuan?
Liu Yuan stepped out from behind the crowd, holding the soft sword that had been stripped of its demonic energy in both hands. He knelt before the sword monument and raised the soft sword above his head.
"Disciple Liu Yuan, twelve years ago, was possessed by the Shadow Demon, who allowed him to commit grave crimes such as murdering fellow disciples and concealing his identity as a demonic cultivator. Today, I surrender myself to the sect and await their judgment. I have already submitted the Shadow Demon's list of former subordinates, their contact information, and all known strongholds to Elder Jian Xuan, the head of the Transmission Hall."
He kowtowed deeply, his forehead pressed against the cold stone slab.
The entire square was completely silent.
But Ling Chen wasn't finished. He turned to the elders' seat, his voice still calm: "There's one more thing. The reason I was able to annihilate the Shadow Demon General's remnant soul wasn't because of my high cultivation level, but because the Severing Thoughts Sword recognized me—it recognized the chaotic spiritual power within my body, and it also recognized the Myriad Paths Returning to Nothingness Diagram sealed in my dantian."
He summoned the ancient scroll from his dantian. The Myriad Paths Returning to Nothingness Diagram slowly unfurled before him, the sealed chaotic aura spreading outwards like a tide, pressing down on the entire plaza until even breathing seemed to stop. The three cracks on the sword monument burst forth with dazzling azure light, as if in response. All the longswords on the plaza simultaneously hummed and trembled, even the swords at the elders' waists trembled slightly in their sheaths—not out of fear—but out of awe. It was the homage of ten thousand swords.
"Disciple Ling Chen is the reincarnation of the Celestial Venerable from ten thousand years ago. The Myriad Paths Return to Ruins Diagram was awakened due to the disturbances of the Demon Clan, and the Severing Thoughts Sword recognized its master because of the dying wish of its sword servant. The cracks in the barrier between the Three Realms are widening, and although the remnant soul of the Shadow Demon General has been destroyed, his old subordinates are still lurking. Disciple will fully cooperate with the sect to eliminate internal troubles, and is willing to sever the Severing Thoughts with his own hands to safeguard peace for the Three Realms for another lifetime."
The uproar in the square vanished. The inner disciples stared wide-eyed at the slowly rotating ancient scroll, each wisp of chaotic energy causing their sword intent to slightly subside. Those who had witnessed Ling Chen's prowess on the Qingzhou arena—Han Tie, Xiao Lie, and Wen Ruyu—finally had their vague suspicions confirmed. No wonder he could slay a demon seed beyond his level, no wonder Su Qingyuan personally named him, no wonder even Jian Xuan made an exception to accept him as a disciple.
He was never a loser. He was a celestial being.
The Supreme Elder stood up. He was already at the peak of the Nascent Soul Realm, and usually kept his emotions hidden. But at this moment, he remained silent for a long time in front of the Myriad Dao Returning to Nothingness Diagram, so long that everyone held their breath.
"By the Heavenly Venerable One—"
The Supreme Elder slowly clasped his hands and performed an ancient salute to Ling Chen. The movement was awkward yet solemn, as if it had been learned fresh from an ancient text, yet no one found it inappropriate. The elders rose one after another, and all the disciples bowed in unison. The lingering echoes of the thousands of ancient swords in the Sword Tomb had not yet dissipated, and the sword intent of the sword cultivators on the plaza once again converged into a silent homage.
Jian Xuan bowed slightly at the front of the crowd, a faint smile playing on his lips. He had waited a long time for this day.
Ling Chen returned the greeting, then raised his head, his voice clear and resolute: "After purging the old forces, this disciple will enter the forbidden area to search for the Heavenly Venerable's Secret Realm. The Demon Lord's seal has already begun to loosen, and time is running out. Before that—the hidden dangers of the Qingyun Sect's old forces must be eliminated first."
He rewound the cloth strips around the blade of the Broken Thoughts Sword, wrapping them tightly, round and round. The report ended there, but no one moved in the square. Everyone knew that from this day forward, the Azure Cloud Sect was no longer the Azure Cloud Sect it once was.
After the trial report session concluded, the elders held a closed-door meeting that night. Jian Xuan laid out the list of strongholds provided by Liu Yuan on the table one by one. The elders reviewed the list, their expressions growing increasingly grim. The names on the list spanned more than ten towns around Qingzhou, and some had even infiltrated the affiliated families of Luoxia Valley and the Iron Sword Sect. The Supreme Elder immediately approved the formation of a purge task force—Jian Xuan as the task force leader, with two Supreme Elders personally overseeing the operation. All inner disciples were divided into groups according to the list, to cooperate with the elders' council in systematically eliminating the old strongholds.
An invisible net is slowly unfolding between the three realms, and Ling Chen, who is standing in the square at this moment, is unaware that the day after he revealed his identity as the Heavenly Venerable, a pair of dark red eyes slowly opened in the depths of the Spirit Realm.
The Demon Lord has awakened.
Fully awakened. It wasn't the fluctuation of a remnant soul, nor the stinging pain of the host being severed, but rather the will that had slumbered for ten thousand years finally sensing that person's aura—the Celestial Venerable. He was still alive, reincarnated in the mortal realm, his cultivation only at the Qi Gathering Realm.
The laughter in the darkness was low and hoarse, and on the stone walls on both sides of the abyss, countless magical runes simultaneously lit up with a scarlet light.
"Ten thousand years ago, you sealed me with your divine soul. In this life—it is my turn to seal you."