"No, impossible!"
"Nothing is impossible. The more powerful the weapon, the more spiritual it is," Ying Tiande said, walking forward a few steps leaning on his cane. "This sword is repelling you, which means you are not worthy."
"On what grounds? That lecher could use this sword, so why can't I? Swords are just for killing, why act so high and mighty?" The eldest martial sister slowly stood up from the mud, inching towards the sword stuck in the earth. Her face was covered in mud, and there was even blood at the corner of her mouth, her expression filled with defiance.
Ying Tiande seemed to hear the funniest joke in the world. "It's never the sword that kills people. Swords are merely tools. It's the person wielding the sword. Why shift the blame to the sword? Just like this ominous sword, if it were obtained by this brother here, I believe it would become a sword of justice. But if you were to get this sword, it would be evil compounding evil, a nightmare for everyone."
—Uncle, you're lifting me up so high. It'll hurt if I fall, but I like it~
Although Ren Yuanhao was suffering greatly from the black蛊 poison, his consciousness was still relatively clear. Ying Uncle's words actually brought him a sense of release. It was like the demonic art he practiced, which everyone avoided – the Star Absorbing Divine Art. In his own hands, it could be used to punish evil and eliminate harm, and uphold justice.
By now, the east was showing the pale belly of the fish, and the torrential rain had turned into a drizzle. The lightning also gradually hid with the dispersing dark clouds. The mountain wind blew back, carrying the earthy scent everywhere. The direction of events was completely different from what Ying Caiwei had imagined. The final battle should have been with the bandit leader lying in the mud, his life or death unknown. But now, she vaguely felt that the ultimate enemy might be her own eldest martial sister.
"You're just a blacksmith who forges swords. What right do you have to comment on right and wrong, good and evil?" The eldest martial sister reached out her hand towards the hilt of the long sword again, her desire burning madly like a flame. "You say I can't draw this sword because it's repelling me. But what if I consume this, then what?"
As soon as the eldest martial sister finished speaking, she suddenly grabbed four or five pale yellow pills with her left hand. These pills did not seem particularly striking, but the sisters Zhiran and Ying Caiwei's expressions changed!
"Da Huang Ning Xue Dan!"
"That's right. It seems you do have some discerning eyes." The eldest martial sister's smile gradually turned cold, her eyes flashing with a chilling light.
The Zhiran sisters had often followed their master Fang Muyan to refine medicine. It could be said that within the Qingfeng Sect, only they two had any skill in medicine refining. However, even so, the Da Huang Ning Xue Dan was absolutely impossible for them to refine.
Even their master would take months, or even years, to refine so many at once! Moreover, with their master's temperament, she would never refine such a pill that harmed one's foundation and forced growth.
Yet, their respected eldest martial sister had displayed a level of mastery in medicine refining that even surpassed their master!
"Eldest martial sister, although Da Huang Ning Xue Dan can stimulate inner strength in a short period, it is extremely detrimental to cultivation. Even Master..."
"What are you? You think you can question me just because you've practiced medicine with Master for a few years?" The eldest martial sister interrupted Zhiran with a cold laugh, grabbed the pills, and stuffed them into her mouth like a madwoman. Her serene face had already transformed into that of a ferocious beast!
As the pills entered her belly, she felt a surging heat erupting from her dantian. The meridians throughout her body seemed to be called by the heat from the dantian, and an unprecedented power roared within the eldest martial sister's body!
"You all look down on me, don't you?" She placed both hands on the hilt of the long sword. "Don't blink, all of you, watch closely!"
Her heart was silently counting down. The gradually fading thunder still lingered. A branch broken by lightning somewhere emitted a scorched scent, drifting everywhere with the swirling wind. But just as she was about to draw the sword, she caught sight of Ying Tiande's eyes.
His eyes were completely devoid of any fluctuation, as calm as a windless lake. It was as if he was indifferent to whether she could draw the long sword. No, it wasn't indifference, but a kind of pity, an indescribable indifference!
This gaze was like a lit fuse. The eldest martial sister's feet sank, and her internal energy, as if summoned, rushed madly towards her hands. The swirling wind was blocked by the rock wall and became ephemeral and disordered. Her hair also fluttered with it.
She exerted force suddenly, as if the ground beneath her trembled slightly. Her clenched teeth had begun to bleed, the metallic taste of blood raging in her mouth. However, the long sword seemed to be rooted in the earth. Despite the eldest martial sister's greatly increased cultivation after taking the pills, she could not draw it even a bit!
"How, how is it possible?"
Before she could finish speaking, the eldest martial sister was once again sent flying by the long sword. And this time, due to the effects of the pill, she actually stopped in mid-air!
—Holy crap? This is too much of a violation of physics. Hmm~
Ren Yuanhao clutched his chest, thinking, eldest martial sister, if you want this sword, just take it quickly. I won't hinder your show-off, but could you please consider giving me the antidote first? I'm a super patient right now. If you mess with me like this in a big city, I won't get up without ten million, okay?
"A sharp weapon recognizing its master is never due to strength, but to temperament. The more powerful the weapon, the higher its intelligence. While you are choosing it, it is also testing you. Now, do you understand? Everything you've done is just wishful thinking!"
Ying Tiande slammed his cane heavily onto the ground, as if pronouncing a verdict, a soul-crushing verdict!
"Fine, if I can't draw the sword, it doesn't matter. But I can kill you all. Then I'll say the junior martial sisters bravely resisted the fierce bandits and sacrificed themselves for the faith. It wouldn't be a bad story!"
The eldest martial sister, almost in a frenzy, grabbed the broken half of her short sword and was the first to attack Ren Yuanhao. Although the broken sword had been cut by Ren Yuanhao, her cultivation, amplified by the pill, already possessed the strength of the initial stage of foundation building. Even a healthy Ren Yuanhao wouldn't dare to say he could withstand this blow, let alone him, who was currently overwhelmed by the poison!
However, at this moment, Ren Yuanhao appeared to be at his absolute limit. But as he forced himself to place his hand on the hilt of the sword stuck in the earth, a heart-stopping power spread out like a tide.
"Deeply enchanted, beyond redemption."
The long sword was drawn from the earth like a dragon absorbing water, its resonant hum echoing in the ears. Ren Yuanhao had never practiced any sword techniques in his life, but by some strange induction, a casual half-moon slash, carrying a strong gust of wind, directly split the eldest martial sister's abdomen!
Drawing the sword and sheathing it happened in an instant, but he did not deliver a fatal blow. The eldest martial sister merely fell into the pool of blood unwillingly, as if all her strength had been instantly stripped away by the long sword…