The old man carrying seven longswords smiled as he spoke.
He was Heaven-Edge, the current head of Heavenly Sword Gate.
“The Jiang Clan… has finally shown up,” said the man carrying the sword sheath. His tone was mixed with emotion, followed by a subtle sigh.
He was the head of the Swordless Mountain. He had no name, people simply called him Swordless.
These three were the leaders of the three strongest factions in the Sword Domain:
Sword God Realm, Heavenly Sword Gate, and the Swordless Mountain.
If outsiders witnessed this moment, they would be shocked.
The Swordless Mountain, which always prided itself on being righteous and above conflict…
Heavenly Sword Gate and Sword God Realm, who saw each other as bitter enemies…
Yet here their three leaders were, chatting and laughing like old friends who hadn’t met in years.
Not just the rest of the Sword Domain, even the disciples and elders within their own sects would never believe it.
They’d be utterly shocked.
…………
“Should we directly capture the Jiang descendant?” Heaven-Edge asked.
“No, what’s the point of just catching one?” Jian Yihai shook his head.
“Better to lie in wait. This time, we need to wipe out the entire Jiang Clan. That’s the only way we’ll be able to answer to Lord Ming. I don’t believe that this is the last Jiang descendant.”
“You make the call,” said Swordless, uninterested, speaking calmly.
The three continued their conversation as they disguised themselves and entered Overlord Sword City.
Xu Zimo waited at the Fortune-Arrival Inn for three days. During those three days, the atmosphere in Overlord Sword City grew even stranger.
The whole city was too quiet. The usual skirmishes and conflicts seemed to have completely stopped.
It felt like the calm before a storm.
Not until the evening of the third day did the young man who claimed to be a Jiang descendant return.
This time, he brought along an old man.
The old man wore a gray long robe. He appeared elderly and frail, with all his hair white and his face full of wrinkles. Even his eyes were murky.
He looked like an ordinary old man in his sixties.
“This is Jiang Li, the Patriarch of our Jiang Clan,” the young man introduced.
“How do you prove that?” Xu Zimo asked, looking at the old man.
“If you come with us to a place, you’ll believe it,” the old man said with a warm, gentle smile.
“Fine,” Xu Zimo nodded.
Following the evening breeze, Xu Zimo left Overlord Sword City with Jiang Li and the young man.
After they departed, from the second floor of an inn across from the Fortune-Arrival Inn, Jian Yihai and the other two were seated by the window.
“Looks like the fish has taken the bait,” Heaven-Edge said with a smile.
…………
They traveled south from Overlord Sword City.
After walking for about an hour, a mountain appeared in the distance.
The mountain wasn’t very tall, maybe a few dozen meters high.
It was covered in greenery, lush and scenic.
The mountain path was flat, not rugged.
At the foot of the mountain stood two robed disciples.
Jiang Li led Xu Zimo up the mountain.
After walking for about ten minutes, a manor appeared ahead.
The manor’s main gate was unique, one door was black, the other white.
Two stone lion statues flanked the gate, one black, one white.
Above the gate hung a signboard with four words written on it: Sword-Casting Manor.
Xu Zimo looked at the manor with interest.
He had heard of it, a faction established only in recent years.
It was said to be founded by a few people who inherited the teachings of master swordsmiths.
They had dedicated themselves to sword crafting, and because the swords they made were high-quality, they became popular across the Sword Domain.
The faction gradually grew.
It wasn’t very strong, since it was new.
At this point, dawn was breaking.
Xu Zimo followed Jiang Li into the manor, entering a wide open area.
As they passed a pavilion, Xu Zimo heard the clanging sounds of blacksmithing.
He looked over curiously and saw several shirtless or sleeveless men forging weapons inside.
The manor’s architecture was simple. After walking a short distance with Jiang Li, a man in green robes walked toward them.
“Let me introduce, this is Qing Baihe, the head of Sword-Casting Manor,” Jiang Li said.
“He’s also my disciple.”
“Master,” Qing Baihe greeted with a smile, then looked at Xu Zimo. “This must be the young man who’s been making waves lately, the so-called Jiang Clan descendant.”
“Xu Zimo,” he introduced himself.
“I’ll take him. Keep an eye on things outside,” Jiang Li instructed Qing Baihe.
“Don’t worry, Master,” Qing Baihe nodded.
“Follow me.”
Jiang Li led Xu Zimo toward the back of the manor, passing through several corridors and secluded courtyards.
Eventually, they stopped in front of an old well.
Without a word, Jiang Li jumped into the well. Xu Zimo followed closely behind.
At the bottom of the well was a shallow tunnel, lit by glowing pearls embedded in the walls. The yellowish soil cast a dim light across the tunnel.
On one side of the tunnel, there was a spatial array.
They stepped into it, and shortly after, Xu Zimo felt a wave of weightlessness.
In the blink of an eye, his vision lit up.
What appeared before him left him slightly stunned.
A small city lay ahead.
Judging by its location, it seemed they were underground.
They had built an entire underground city.
The only drawback was the lack of sunlight.
Despite using many light sources, the lighting remained dim.
The city wasn’t very large and looked like it had been around for a while.
“Let’s go in,” Jiang Li said.
“We’ve lived here since we left Overlord Sword City three hundred years ago.”
As they walked into the city, Xu Zimo asked curiously,
“Because of the Blood Rune Space, you had to leave Overlord Sword City.
But why not go further? Why stay nearby and rebuild?”
“The Blood Rune Race breaking the seal is inevitable, unless a Grand Emperor appears,” Jiang Li sighed. “I once thought of leaving, but our ancestor promised the Divine Ancestor we’d be the seal’s guardians. We, the Jiang Clan, must keep our word.”
“But what good does staying here do?” Xu Zimo shook his head.
“We’ve been collecting evidence,” Jiang Li replied.
“Evidence of the three sects colluding with the Blood Rune Race.”
“What do you mean?” Xu Zimo frowned slightly.
“Don’t be fooled by the conflict between the three sects. Their higher-ups are actually all on the same side,” Jiang Li said coldly.