Chapter 958: Shadow Stone
Chapter 958: Shadow Stone
A moment later, a dark figure moved with lightning speed and appeared in their line of sight.
Only then did Lu Chen see the true face of the Wrath Swordmaster.
The shadow had no solid body, only a vague outline of a cultivator, with sword auras hanging down like drifting clothes in water. It gave off an incredibly sharp feeling, and even from dozens of feet away, one could feel a slight stinging sensation in their spiritual sense.
"Well met!"
Long Xingyu's sword case leaped up, and sword after sword flew out in quick succession, filling the surrounding area with the sound of their whistling.
The black shadow's hollow eye sockets seemed to light up as it sensed the powerful sword aura, turning into afterimages and pouncing towards Long Xingyu.
Long Xingyu's mastery of the sword was extraordinary, and the myriad of flying swords danced with myriad changes, leaving Lu Chen unable to keep up with his eyes.
The Wrath Swordmaster's strength seemed slightly inferior, but it had a surging battle intent, attacking the numerous flying swords like a madman.
Every part of its body could unleash a powerful attack, its limbs transforming into sword blades, and various sword auras gushing out from its seven orifices, making it impossible to guard against.
However, its strength was ultimately no match for Long Xingyu, and after a moment, it was chopped into countless deep black fragments that blended into the lake water.
"Brother Long is truly formidable, easily dispatching a Wrath Swordmaster!"
Lu Chen exclaimed in admiration from a distance.
Since he didn't need to lend a hand, a little flattery wouldn't hurt.
"Hahaha, that Wrath Swordmaster was a tricky one."
Long Xingyu laughed heartily.
"Yet it was still easily vanquished by Brother Long."
Lu Chen smiled.
"It's not that simple," Long Xingyu said. "I've only dispersed it. It's not so easy to destroy completely."
"Those shattered fragments will, after a long time of being imbued with sword aura and sword intent, gradually come back together. In a hundred years or so, a new Wrath Swordmaster will be formed."
"I see," Lu Chen said, nodding slightly.
"Brother Lu, it's a stroke of fortune to meet you here at Heartsword Lake, and as a Spirit Herbalist, I invite you to join me. Together, we can capture those sword-type spirit beasts and subdue their sword bones and sword souls."
Long Xingyu extended an invitation to Lu Chen.
"Thank you for your kindness, Brother Long," Lu Chen politely declined. "But I'm afraid my meager strength would only hold you back. I'm also used to exploring alone, so I think I'll continue on my own."
How could he possibly scour Heartsword Lake for treasures using his unique methods if he tagged along with this Sword Sect disciple?
As for Long Xingyu wanting to harm him, Lu Chen wasn't concerned about that. After all, they were fellow sect members, with no conflicting interests, and they were currently in the divine and exotic land of the Sword Sect. If any conflict arose, it would be difficult to avoid the attention of the sect's Nascent Soul True Lords.
More importantly, he had full confidence in his ability to handle any potential threats.
"Very well, then I shall take my leave, Brother Lu. May you find many treasures here."
Long Xingyu offered his goodwill, and seeing that Lu Chen didn't agree, he didn't press further and bid farewell.
After his figure completely disappeared, Lu Chen chose another direction.
"Another Wrath Swordmaster," he muttered.
With his spiritual sense at maximum, even deep within Heartsword Lake where it was affected, he could still detect anything within a few hundred feet.
He sighed softly and activated the Minor Displacement Technique, vanishing from sight.
After a few breaths, a black shadow appeared where Lu Chen had just been standing. Its limbs transformed into sword blades, brimming with battle intent.
However, it couldn't detect any cultivator's aura nearby and could only look around blankly before flying away.
“No need to call on me for something that requires no repayment.”
Deep beneath the lakebed, the sword qi spirit liquid rippled slightly as Lu Chen's figure silently emerged.
As far as he knew, this Wrath Swordmaster was extremely troublesome. When fighting, it had the mindset of fighting to the death, and even if one managed to kill it, they would gain nothing from it. It was better to just avoid it altogether and save that bit of spiritual power.
He slowly walked along the bottom of Heartsword Lake.
Before him lay an endless expanse of bizarrely shaped reefs.
Each reef had sword marks of varying depths, likely a result of the countless sword auras that washed over them from the lakebed.
"It's said that hidden among these reefs is a sword-type spirit beast known as the Shadow Stone."
"The Shadow Stone has no physical body, or perhaps these countless reefs are its bodies, allowing it to switch between them freely and making it extremely difficult to detect."
Lu Chen thought to himself.
However, the Shadow Stone had a wide range of uses. It could record the sword intents scattered throughout Heartsword Lake and practice sword techniques on its own.
If one were to obtain a Shadow Stone, they could immerse their mental energy within it and spar with the spirit beast inside, refining their swordsmanship.
"A highly elusive ability, and it can even switch bodies..."
"Even if I brought back hundreds or thousands of these reefs, it's very likely that not a single one would be a Shadow Stone."
"But it's different with me. No matter how elusive you are, as long as you inhale a strand of the sword aura I release, you won't be able to hide."
"Even if you quickly switch to another reef, you won't be able to escape my detection."
A slight smile appeared on Lu Chen's face.
With a flick of his thoughts, he released dozens of strands of faint sword aura, which landed on the nearby reefs.
Then, he focused his mental energy, sensing the changes within his sea of consciousness.
"Nothing."
Lu Chen shook his head and continued to release dozens more strands of sword aura.
"Still nothing."
After several attempts, no thoughts appeared in his mind.
However, Lu Chen was not discouraged. With patience, he weaved through the bizarre reefs.
"Hmm?"
Suddenly, as he focused his mental energy on one of the elongated reefs, a thought flashed through his mind.
【Shadow Stone, sword-type spirit beast, average strength, highly elusive, no physical body, can freely switch between the special reefs in Heartsword Lake.
Proficient in swordsmanship, able to record sword intents in the nearby area and absorb their essence, storing them within its body.】
"Aha, showing your true form now, are you?"
A slight smile appeared on Lu Chen's face as he instantly appeared before the elongated reef.
Just as he was about to store it in his storage bag, he focused his mental energy on the reef again, but his consciousness sank into nothingness, as if into the depths of the sea, without a trace.
"Pretty fast."
Lu Chen exclaimed in mild surprise. He hadn't sensed a thing when the spirit beast within the reef had shifted.
"But as long as you're slower than my mental energy, you're within my capture range."
He thought to himself.
Immediately, hundreds of strands of sword aura flew out, instantly locating the reef that housed the Shadow Stone spirit beast. At the same time, a pouch-like shadow flashed by and enveloped the reef, pulling it inside.
"Rest assured, you're safe inside the Gluttonous Worm Pouch."
Lu Chen smiled faintly and directed his mental energy into his dantian, where the Gluttonous Worm Pouch resided. Inside, the reef's surface occasionally manifested a sword aura humanoid, frantically dashing about in an attempt to find another refuge.
"It's not easy to come across such an opportunity. I should catch a few more Shadow Stones. I can keep one to refine my swordsmanship, and the rest can either be offered to the Sword Peak or sold to the Sword Sect disciples. Either way, it's a good choice."
(End of Chapter)
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