Celestial Refining Divine Scripture-Chapter 99 - 97: Blade Intent and Mischief
"Could it be left behind by a fallen Martial Artist of the past?"
Xu Yang, full of caution, darted forward to take a closer look.
A faint aura of slaughter rushed straight at him.
Judging by the surface’s decay, it must have been here for at least several decades.
The slaughtering intent wasn’t strong; Xu Yang’s wariness eased, and he pulled it out in one swift motion.
A broken saber!
The mottled blade was covered in the marks left behind by the passage of time.
Dogzi’s fur suddenly stood on end, and it jumped back a step, a distinctly human-like fear flickering in its eyes as it stared at the broken saber.
Before Xu Yang could react, he felt the broken saber in his grip suddenly tremble violently, the immense power almost making him lose his hold.
Boom!
The broken saber roared, its slaughtering intent overflowing!
In a trance, Xu Yang seemed to see a towering Barbarian warrior wielding a blood-red blade, charging into battle against thousands upon thousands.
"Kill!"
An invisible shout struck, so loud it sent Dogzi leaping several yards into the air, landing in a panic!
Xu Yang shivered all over, his gaze frozen!
"Kill!"
The intent to slaughter was radiant, shaking heaven and earth!
The armies swept forward, crushing everything in their path.
Yet that Barbarian stood alone, blocking them all!
With just his own strength, he held back the legions.
Just one man, one blade!
A thick, murderous intent stained the heavens and earth, wielding the saber to unleash a storm of bloodshed.
Xu Yang’s mind went deathly silent.
In that slaughter, he sensed a mysterious meaning beyond words!
Blade Intent!
"So this is Blade Intent?"
"Slaughter..."
Xu Yang wavered, his soul quivering.
He couldn’t quite grasp it.
Just how does one cultivate Blade Intent?
He stared at the Barbarian, his mind gradually melding into the world, sensing every action of the blade wielder, every change—slowly gaining enlightenment.
Then, in a moment—
Xu Yang jolted, and the Barbarian vanished.
"Kill kill kill!"
"Charge, kill this bastard!"
"Forward!"
Ear-shattering roars exploded near him.
Xu Yang’s eyes widened: "Have I become that Barbarian?"
The armies reappeared, rushing him, and in that instant, he instinctively slashed upward with his blade.
"Kill!"
Stirred by the overwhelming slaughtering intent, Xu Yang’s eyes turned blood-red, killing intent erupting.
It was as if by instinct, or as though he’d been hammered through thousands of trials.
The blade twisted, utterly fluid and practiced.
Murderous aura grew and grew; with a single thought, the blood saber clanged like thunder, tearing through the advancing ranks.
The more he fought, the stronger he grew—the more he slew, the fiercer he became!
Xu Yang was utterly lost in it, his eyes twin seas of blood, his body soaked—like an Asura Killing God!
Shua!
A streak of bloody red flashed before his eyes.
Xu Yang froze, deathly fixated on the blood saber in his grip.
"No!"
"This isn’t my saber. It’s not the Blade Intent I want!"
Xu Yang showed fierce struggle, pain written across his face.
The armies charged endlessly, silhouettes surging, pushing him back step by step.
The wounds on his body multiplied, pain flooding his heart, yet making his mind all the clearer.
"All of it... belongs to the broken saber!"
"None of it is mine!"
Xu Yang howled to the heavens, thoroughly awakened, deep fear lingering in his heart.
If he hadn’t woken up, he would’ve been torn apart by the Slaughter Blade Intent, lost forever!
Boom!
He smashed the blood saber in his hand to pieces, casting it all away.
Buzz!
A phantom Demon Dragon Saber materialized out of thin air.
Xu Yang closed his eyes, letting the chaos rage; his flesh mangled and bloody, as if he felt no pain at all, standing firm and immovable.
He didn’t know how much time had passed.
Warhorses thundered near, generals riding blades, cutting across the sky!
"Kill!"
A thunderous roar made heaven and earth shake.
Xu Yang snapped his eyes open.
Swoosh!
All blood vanished from his eyes; they were now cold and deep, like a silent abyss!
"World-Ending Saber!"
Xu Yang growled low, slashing with the blade.
The jet-black blade was like a terrifying rift in space, splitting wider and wider, erupting with a destroying force—it swallowed everything in its path.
The warlord froze in midair, not shattering until the black rift extended for a hundred yards—then finally exploded apart.
Rumble!!
The whole illusory world shattered with that saber’s eruption.
The once boundless slaughtering intent was swept away, replaced by an ever-mounting, endless power of destruction!
Swoosh!
Xu Yang staggered, suddenly returning to reality, Dogzi’s anxious barking sounding at his ear.
He instinctively looked down at the broken saber in his hand.
The blade quivered, now dull and lifeless without the faintest ripple.
The Blade Intent on it seemed to have completed its mission, dissolving inch by inch.
"So this is Blade Intent!"
Xu Yang murmured, eyes gleaming with a steely light.
He had finally mastered Blade Intent!
And it belonged entirely to him—his own, the Demon Dragon Saber’s Destruction Blade Intent!
Thinking back to all that had happened within the broken saber’s intent, Xu Yang shuddered.
He’d almost been done for.
The former owner of the broken saber must’ve been at least of the Yang Realm!
He casually tossed aside the broken saber, and summoned forth the Demon Dragon Saber.
Gripping the hilt tightly, he was immediately aware of the difference from before.
The Demon Dragon Saber seemed to sense its master’s mood, humming and trembling, the blade shimmering mysteriously.
Shua!
Suddenly, Xu Yang slashed out, instantly entering that subtle, ineffable state.
It can’t be explained, only felt!
Blade Intent—wielded by will, the true meaning of martial arts, the Martial Artist’s own erupting resolve!
It can shake the heavens!
Boom!
The blade dropped, and space itself warped.
From several yards away, the sand was torn open, leaving a bottomless fissure!
In the air, that force of destruction surged, making hearts tremble!
The power far exceeded what came before!
Descended from the sky, Xu Yang couldn’t help but burst into laughter.
Just by mastering the entry-level Blade Intent, the power of his swordplay had increased severalfold.
His control over the Demon Dragon Saber had also jumped an entire level!
He relaxed his grip, moving with just a thought—the Demon Dragon Saber whistled through the air and spun wantonly!
With Destruction Intent augmenting him, against anyone who hadn’t mastered Blade Intent, he’d crush their spirits before a fight even began.
Victory with a single move!
After taking his time and practicing Blade Intent till it felt natural, Xu Yang finally stopped.
In the first Sand Ruin he entered within the Blood Desert, he may not have gotten any extraordinary treasures, but what he gained was far more valuable!
Mastery over Blade Intent had raised his strength by at least fifty percent.
At Yin Realm level, Xu Yang was confident of challenging anyone!
His gaze swept the ground to the broken saber, now dull and still; a mischievous glimmer appeared in Xu Yang’s heart.
"Heh heh!!"
He walked up to the broken saber and began pondering in earnest.
The Sand Ruins don’t vanish when people enter them!
They remain, waiting to be found by others—sometimes spawning strange and wondrous treasures the next time they’re opened.
"The Demon Dragon Saber’s ferocity is terrifying, and combined with the Demon Dragon Seal, it’s even more astonishing!"
"Now that I’ve mastered Blade Intent, I can control it perfectly!"
"Three combined... or, I could add Spiritual Chains!"
"Four fused together—when someone comes later and touches it, the ferocity will erupt, the Demon Dragon Seal will strike, and the Spiritual Chains will suppress...!"
Hiss!
Even someone newly in the Yang Realm would suffer dearly if they weren’t careful!
If their strength were a bit weaker—they’d be in for the thrill of a lifetime.
The thought of that scene made Xu Yang grin wickedly!
After careful contemplation, confirming every detail, Xu Yang set to work at once.
His intent was pure—lay a grand surprise for later Barbarian visitors to this Sand Ruin!
He poured the Demon Dragon Saber’s vast ferocity into the Demon Dragon Seal, then added in a strand of Spiritual Chain, merging it all with Blade Intent and infusing everything into the broken saber.
The original saber remained dangerous, but was mainly meant to pass down the legacy.
It could help later generations comprehend Blade Intent!
If a Barbarian trained the Slaughter Blade Intent, they’d have even greater breakthroughs.
But with his modifications, the broken saber had become a complete trap.
The Blade Intent left within, upon touch, would explode like a massive firework—Boom!
Ferocity, Demon Dragon Seal, Spiritual Chains, Blade Intent—all four impacts, making one suffer bliss and agony!
Given its power, not an exaggeration—the Early Stage Yang Realm would be left in agonizing misery, suffering a huge loss.
It took over an hour, but he was finally done!
The once mottled, bloodstained broken saber now looked transformed: its surface shrouded in a film of jet-black light, thin as a cicada’s wing, interwoven with the blood hue beneath—more sinister and strange than ever!
A faintly ominous ferocity radiated from the blade’s surface, but most of it was sealed and suppressed inside!
Wow!
Dogzi sniffed at the side, itching to poke it.
Xu Yang twitched his mouth, grabbed Dogzi, and set it behind him.
"Touch it and you’re doomed!"
Dogzi shrank its head, finally killing its curiosity, and leaped up onto Xu Yang’s shoulder.
Xu Yang planted the broken saber into the sand, the corners of his mouth lifting.
The broken saber had reached its limit.
One more touch and it would crumble entirely.
But by then, its purpose would be complete!
Infused with all four of his strongest techniques—if possible, Xu Yang would’ve liked to witness what would befall those who touched it next.
But with everything done, it was time to leave.
Though he’d only spent a short time inside the saber’s Blade Intent, in reality, it had been two whole days.
No more delays.
Two days—the storm outside would certainly be gone by now.
The Blood Desert’s storms come and go swiftly.
"Let’s go."
Patting Dogzi, Xu Yang rose and walked toward the edge.
Swish!
One slash tore open the blood-colored barrier, and Xu Yang stepped out through the fissure.
"Someone’s coming out here!"
A startled shout pierced the air.
The storm had long vanished without a trace—the air was utterly still!
But that sudden cry made Xu Yang’s face change.
"Xu Yang—so it’s you!"
"Hahahaha, heaven is helping me!"
"He got free from Tuoba Hongye and came here by himself—hahaha, walked right into death! Heaven wants you destroyed!"
Shocked voices erupted one after another with manic laughter and excitement, intense killing intent erupting and shattering the tranquility of the region.
