C799 Iced Wyrm

Chen Qingyan swiftly unslung the Snakeskin Sword from her back.

A smile played on Yu Yuan's lips as he regarded the blade. "Does this sword serve you well?"

He had recognized the Snakeskin Scabbard the moment he laid eyes on it in the Serpent Spine Mountains, where he first met Qingyan. It revealed her origins to him, for he knew it concealed the soul of the frost wyrm, whose body he had interred in Gloomhollow.

The frost wyrm, infamous for its savagery throughout the Frozen Hellscape, had been subdued by Ji Ningshuang and then succumbed to Yu Yuan's venomous assault.

Ultimately, the demon soul of the wyrm was imprisoned within the Snakeskin Scabbard, its serpentine patterns forming a potent sealing array.

The wyrm's body, placed in Gloomhollow, served as a contingency for his rebirth.

In this lifetime, he unearthed the wyrm's remains in Gloomhollow, transforming the flood dragon's bones into a sleek, gleaming sword that nestled perfectly within the scabbard, fusing with the dragon's soul.

By a twist of fate, the sword had become Chen Qingyan's Divine Weapon.

The frost wyrm, once a ninth-level archdemon renowned for its reign of terror in the Frozen Hellscape, had met its end at his hands.

Three centuries prior, Ningshuang could only restrain the wyrm, but it was ultimately Yu Yuan's poison that brought about its demise.

"My master has renamed this sword the Iced Wyrm," Chen Qingyan said with a radiant smile. "The Iced Wyrm Sword is of the fifth-level heavenly grade! My master believes it has the potential to evolve into a Divine Artifact in the future!"

"Iced Wyrm! An excellent name," Yu Yuan acknowledged with a nod.

The sword stood as a testament to the collaborative genius of Yu Yuan and Ji Ningshuang, their concerted efforts giving birth to such a weapon.

"Thoaos, originally from the Sword Sect, shares lineage with my master," Qingyan added after a pause, her voice a whisper. "His true name is Du Binghai. By seniority, he is my master's granduncle, and even my master refers to him as Master."

"The lineage of the Stardust Blade?" Yu Yuan exclaimed in surprise.

The Sword Sect was renowned for its plethora of sword spells and arcane techniques, forming distinct factions within its ranks. Ji Ningshuang was the current leader of the Stardust Blade lineage, serving as its sword-bearer.

Prior to Ningshuang's time, the Stardust Blade lineage had not stood out among the Sword Sect's numerous factions.

Her master had taken Ningshuang as a disciple, but not long after, he perished in battle deep within the Star River of the extraterrestrial realms.

It appeared he had only reached the Solar Spirit Realm before his death, never advancing to the Unbound Realm.

Her master's junior, Du Binghai, and the recently deceased Thoaos, were not particularly prominent figures centuries ago.

Otherwise, in my previous life as the Sect Master of the Order of Healing, I would have surely heard of them.

"Yes, he was part of the Stardust Blade lineage. I heard that before my master joined the Sword Sect, he suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of other sects' swordsmen. Due to certain events, he left the Sword Sect and went to the Frozen Hellscape to perfect the Stardust Blade. Later, I was told he met his end there."

"My master didn't know that his residual soul had fled and taken an alternative path, cultivating necromancy until he became Thoaos."

Chen Qingyan shared these details, then looked up at Cao Jiaze. "It was him. Not long ago, he sent a message to my master, revealing that the current Thoaos was once Du Binghai."

Yu Yuan was taken aback and turned his gaze toward Cao Jiaze, who was reclining against the white jade railings hundreds of meters away.

Cao Jiaze was unlike the others.

In this moment, as White Bone, Black Staff, and Taruer battled fiercely within the black cloud, the attention of the human Lunar Spirits and ghosts present was drawn back to the tumultuous cloud.

Many ghosts were irresistibly drawn closer to the black cloud.

Mo Yan from the Devil Palace, too, silently maneuvered his Shadowblade closer to the black cloud.

Only Cao Jiaze remained within the palace, his demeanor calm and steady, his gaze fixed in our direction.

His gaze, along with that of the Crucible of Evil, was fixed on us.

Cao Jiaze grinned and nodded upon catching the looks from Yu Yuan and Chen Qingyan, as if the distance and the magic shield between them couldn't prevent him from hearing their exchange.

Yu Yuan's brow furrowed as he regarded Cao Jiaze with newfound respect.

"Brother Yu, about that ice tombstone..."

Chen Qingyan gazed longingly at the Bracelet of Holding in his hand. "Du Binghai belonged to our Stardust Blade lineage. Now that he's gone, could I have a piece of the tombstone? Just a small part with his name on it?"

Yu Yuan paused, then sent a wisp of remnant soul into the tombstone.

"Sword Sect, Stardust Blade, the tomb of Du Binghai!"

The ancient and powerful script emerged clearly on the surface of the tombstone, which had been as smooth as a mirror, after Thoaos's demise.

Yu Yuan realized that the inscription had always been there, merely obscured by Thoaos's power, invisible to all.

With Thoaos gone, no power remained to conceal it, and the inscriptions were revealed.

This also suggested that the cultivator from the Sword Sect had never forgotten his identity. He had always seen himself as part of the Sword Sect, a member of the Stardust Blade lineage.

"He wasn't swayed by Winter's Bite; it was Cao Jiaze who convinced him," Chen Qingyan whispered. "Cao Jiaze promised that if he became a God of Ghosts and the ruler of the Land of Terror, he could reclaim his true name and be recognized by the Sword Sect as Du Binghai." Chen Qingyan's voice trailed off into a sigh, laden with melancholy.

"Thoaos, the forsaken disciple of the Sword Sect," Ann Ziqing said coldly, her face stern.

"When this is settled, I will remove the inscribed portion from the top of the tombstone and give it to you," Yu Yuan decided promptly.

"Thank you."

High above in the majestic palace, Cao Jiaze from the Ebon Star Sect offered a distant fist-and-palm salute. "I made him that promise. Alas, things did not turn out as planned. Nonetheless, if the tombstone's inscriptions can be returned to the Sword Sect and accepted into the Stardust Blade's lineage by Elder Ji, then I will have fulfilled at least part of my promise."

Yu Yuan responded, "I'm doing this for Chen Qingyan, not you."

"Regardless, I am grateful," Cao Jiaze said with a smile.

"Before Cao Jiaze persuaded him, he spoke with my master and received her permission," Chen Qingyan explained. "My master agreed that as long as Thoaos aligns with the Eiwrea Continent, whether or not he becomes the Ghost King, he's allowed to return his remains to the Sword Sect."

Yu Yuan remained stoically silent, offering no further response.

Ji Ningshuang and Cao Jiaze had convinced Thoaos to claim the summit in the Land of Terror, indirectly leading to his demise at the hands of White Bone. Thoaos, regardless of his past, became the sworn enemy of White Bone in that forsaken place.

However, now that he's dead, and out of respect for Ji Ningshuang, parting with a piece of the Celestial Ice Crystal seemed inconsequential.

"Brother Yu, I'll head over now," Qingyan said with a twinkle in her eye, gesturing towards the Cloud Cruiser where a sullen man stood. "His name is Shen Yan. He's been watching over me on behalf of my master, and his constant nagging has been driving me up the wall."

"Go ahead, and tell Shen Yan to stop bothering me," Yu Yuan said, understanding her predicament and dismissing her with a wave of his hand.

In light of Ji Ningshuang's situation, Yu Yuan chose to overlook Shen Yan's icy remarks, despite his connection to the Stardust Blade lineage.

"I knew you'd be understanding, Brother Yu."

Qingyan beamed, giving Ann Ziqing a nod and a huff before swiftly departing from the Crucible of Evil.

Once Qingyan had returned to the cabin, Shen Yan, who had been anxious, reproached her, "I've told you time and again, yet you never listen. Associating with that boy, aren't you just inviting trouble for your master? She's one of the nine Sword Immortals; her disciple shouldn't be fraternizing with evil."

"I'm going back to retrieve a portion of Grand Master Du's stone tablets," Qingyan stated.

"He's actually willing to part with it? That's the Celestial Ice Crystal, a treasure of millennia! For practitioners from Winter's Bite and our Stardust Blade lineage, the Celestial Ice Crystal is invaluable!" exclaimed Shen Yan, astonished.

"The creation of this sword was also his doing," Chen Qingyan said, gripping the Iced Wyrm with a hint of frustration. "Yet, Master refuses to acknowledge him. She considers him opportunistic, claiming his fortune came from acquiring that sword spirit in the Moonfall Sanctuary, which led to his lucky break in aiding me at Gloomhollow."

"I've tried explaining to Master how well he knows this sword and the extent of his help, but she remains unimpressed."

Chen Qingyan sighed deeply. The thought of her master's icy demeanor whenever Yu Yuan was mentioned always left her feeling irritable.

"Foolish girl, you're unaware of the full story. That young man's swordsmanship lineage, gained in the Moonfall Sanctuary, originated from the very person responsible for the long silence of the Stardust Blade lineage within the Sword Sect!" Shen Yan huffed, "Before your master's time, the Stardust Blade was the least of the sect, thanks to him!"

"Yu Yuan's swordsmanship comes from that man; it's no wonder your master can't look upon him favorably!"

Taking a deep breath and pausing, Shen Yan continued with a mix of reverence and discontent, "What's more, in the end, that individual parted ways with the Sword Sect."

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