Chapter 151: This Is the Dao Ancestor’s Sword Scabbard

Chu Huaixu held the sword scabbard in his hand. It was pitch-black, made from ordinary black wood.

A pendant of black beads hung from the scabbard, with black tassels dangling below the bead.

The entire scabbard had a simple design, yet carried an inexplicable sense of elegance.

Apart from those in the know, no one would have expected it. Geng Tianhe had earnestly requested a sword duel, practically inviting Huaixu to draw his life-bound sword—and instead, he drew out a scabbard?

It felt rather bizarre.

It even seemed as if he was mocking the other party, brimming with disdain, as if to say, "You're not even worth my sword."

But those with discerning eyes quickly noticed that this scabbard was anything but ordinary.

From beneath the platform came bursts of startled exclamations not long after.

"Supreme-grade Spiritual Artifact!"

"That scabbard looks like a supreme-grade spiritual artifact!"

In an instant, everyone's opinion changed.

After all, supreme-grade spiritual artifacts were incredibly rare—true treasures.

Who would have thought that this rustic-looking scabbard had reached such a level!

Chu Huaixu held 【Ding Fengbo】, quietly staring at Geng Tianhe before him.

For him to take it out and engage in battle was already a gesture of goodwill.

"You risked suffering a Qi Deviation to break through forcibly and fight me, hoping for an insight. Then I shall grant your wish," he thought to himself.

But Geng Tianhe’s expression was still somewhat ugly.

Because no matter what, he was here to ask for a sword duel!

What was the meaning of pulling out just a scabbard?

Fortunately, the rank of 【Ding Fengbo】 was high enough—being a supreme-grade spiritual artifact—otherwise, Geng Tianhe would have felt publicly humiliated.

In truth, even the scabbard alone being so powerful already painted a terrifying picture of what Chu Huaixu's life-bound sword must be like.

But Geng Tianhe never minded losing; he only wanted to give his all, even if he lost miserably.

If he didn’t see the sword, he couldn’t rest easy!

"Brother Chu, must it really be like this?" Geng Tianhe asked in a lowered voice.

He had already lowered himself enough.

Any further, and he would be disgracing the Sword Sect.

Chu Huaixu looked at him and said aloud, "I have my own helpless reasons."

Geng Tianhe’s gaze sharpened, and the aura around him became even more chaotic.

"Very well, then I shall do my best to force Brother Chu to draw his sword!" he declared.

From his perspective, he had already done all he could. If Chu Huaixu still refused to draw, he would have to force it—otherwise, it would still reflect poorly on the Sword Sect.

What he did not know, however, was that atop the high platform, Situ Cheng, Sword Sect’s leading representative, was reeling in utter shock, waves crashing in his heart!

He immediately turned to look at Xiang Yan seated in the main seat, and transmitted his voice: "Is that the Dao Ancestor’s Sword Scabbard?!"

Xiang Yan gave a small smile and transmitted back: "Indeed it is."

Situ Cheng had once visited Hidden Spirit Mountain to ask for a sword duel, and had seen this very ancient scabbard laid upon a stone platform.

That day, even someone as proud as he was had bowed to the scabbard, paying respects as if to the Dao Ancestor himself.

The Dao Ancestor pioneered the Qi-Opening Pill, ushering in an era of cultivation. Most juniors owed him a great debt.

Now, he refused to believe that the scabbard in Chu Huaixu’s hand was a replica.

The reason was simple—no artifact-refining grandmaster could possibly forge a supreme-grade spiritual artifact from such ordinary black wood!

Therefore, it could only be the genuine article. It was the Dao Ancestor’s Sword Scabbard!

In this moment, his shock was no less than when Xu Ziqing had drawn that legendary Dao Ancestor’s Sword from the Sword Case.

The reason was equally simple—the Sword Sect’s records clearly stated that in his early days, the Dao Ancestor had no sword, yet always claimed to be a sword cultivator, borrowing swords when needed.

He carried only a sword scabbard.

Thus, although no one could be absolutely certain, many suspected—could this scabbard have been the Dao Ancestor’s life-bound item?

Ordinary black wood, merely by accompanying him for years, had become a supreme-grade spiritual artifact—this defied all understanding.

But if it were his life-bound item, nurtured daily with his cultivation, advancing over time—then it made sense.

Situ Cheng had already visited the Gentleman Temple and spoken with Jiang Zhi. He now knew that Xu Ziqing’s identity was that of a 【Sword Attendant】.

That unruly Evil Sword acknowledged no one as master.

That much made sense.

But Chu Huaixu’s situation was entirely different—the scabbard behaved most obediently in his hands.

"So he actually made the Dao Ancestor’s life-bound item recognize him as its master after the Dao Ancestor’s passing?" Just thinking about it made Situ Cheng’s scalp tingle.

The reason was simple—"Once you’ve seen the sea, no other water will do; apart from Mount Wu, no clouds compare."

It had once followed the Dao Ancestor!

Just what kind of person could possibly be worthy of its recognition?

How heaven-defying must one be to make even the Dao Ancestor’s Sword Scabbard willingly acknowledge them as master!

At this moment, Mei Chuxue—also an artifact-refining grandmaster like Nangong Yue—had sensed something was wrong.

She was extremely familiar with the materials of magical treasures.

One glance was enough to tell—the entire scabbard was made of nothing more than common black wood. No Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures added.

Only the bead remained indiscernible, but it held no spiritual essence or aura. It seemed to be merely a decorative item.

"How could ordinary black wood ever reach this level! It defies the principles of artifact refinement!" Her professional understanding was being completely overturned.

Thus, a bold suspicion began to rise in her heart.

"Could this be that legendary scabbard?"

She did not ask Xiang Yan, but turned her gaze to Nangong Yue, her fellow grandmaster.

One dressed lightly, exuding seductive charm; the other gentle and dignified, though unmarried, radiated the aura of a virtuous married woman.

The two had never quite seen eye to eye.

So when Nangong Yue noticed Mei Chuxue’s shock, she was quite pleased and could more or less guess her thoughts. She smiled and gave her a small nod.

Mei Chuxue felt as if struck by lightning. Her gaze toward Chu Huaixu instantly changed.

"This handsome young man actually tamed the Dao Ancestor’s life-bound item!"

As an artifact-refining grandmaster, her curiosity about him peaked—she desperately wanted to know how Chu Huaixu had done it.

At that moment, both Situ Cheng and Mei Chuxue looked toward Geng Tianhe on the platform. They could see clearly—his mental state was off.

"Foolish child, to battle the Dao Ancestor’s Sword Scabbard is your honor," they thought.

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On the platform, Geng Tianhe had already summoned his life-bound sword—Life-and-Death Sword.

He had taken a cue from his predecessors: the sword was not sheathed, but held directly in hand.

This sword had belonged to the Ninth Generation Sword Sovereign of the Sword Sect, and was stained with the blood of countless mighty cultivators.

Furthermore, the Ninth Sword Sovereign had suffered Qi Deviation for unknown reasons and eventually committed suicide.

In other words, the sword had even been stained by its former master’s blood.

Holding it, Geng Tianhe already showed signs of falling into Qi Deviation himself.

He could feel his spiritual energy growing ever more chaotic.

As time passed, the backlash of forcefully breaking through worsened.

He had to go all-in. He had to give everything.

He needed release!

Geng Tianhe surged forward with his sword in hand, sword aura spreading.

Situ Cheng had once told Dao Gate high-ups that Geng Tianhe possessed the rare Firm Sword Spirit Embryo.

Rather than calling it sword aura, it was more accurate to call it sword gang—a hybrid between sword energy and gang energy.

Coincidentally, Chu Huaixu cultivated 【Thunder at Fingertips】, which was true gang.

Now it was late autumn, and several ancient trees beside the Martial Arena had already shed their leaves.

Chu Huaixu waved his hand, and the autumn leaves flew toward him.

He was surrounded by ink-colored currents—the newly learned defensive technique, 【Ink Splash】.

At this moment, yellowing tree leaves were swept into the currents, fluttering around him.

The essence of 【Thunder at Fingertips】 lay in being able to attach true gang to any object, achieving the effect of turning falling flowers and drifting leaves into lethal weapons.

From time to time, he flicked an autumn leaf forward, intercepting the incoming sword gang.

True gang and sword gang collided, tyrannical and frenzied spiritual energy rippling outward. It was stopped by the array on the platform and didn’t spread beyond.

Even so, the spectators below could still feel its power.

However, they all noticed a peculiar scene.

The Life-and-Death Sword in Geng Tianhe’s hand was trembling slightly, and his right hand trembled along with it.

"Was it because he forcibly broke through?"

"Or… is it because he’s being affected by Chu Huaixu?"

After all, this sword-body dual cultivator seemed to possess some bizarre ability that could interfere with others’ spiritual artifacts.

Previously, his opponent couldn’t even draw their sword!

That day, Chu Huaixu had said: "Your sword fears me."

Today, Geng Tianhe understood—those words were no lie.

He could feel the sword spirit's emotions!

Even the sword once wielded by the dignified Ninth Generation Sword Sovereign feared him!

It shattered all of Geng Tianhe’s understanding. How could a fellow First Realm sword cultivator cause this? Even if he were strong, why to such a degree?

His life-bound sword felt so uncooperative today that even his sword techniques lost their shape.

Already at risk of Qi Deviation, his aura was becoming increasingly erratic.

Chu Huaixu, however, remained unhurried. While casting 【Flying Profound】, he occasionally flicked out a leaf.

To him, Geng Tianhe was an ideal test subject.

The suppressive force of the 【Heart Sword】 was unavoidable.

So what if it was the Ninth Sword Sovereign’s sword?

The feeble little black sword in his sea of consciousness only needed to emit a sliver of intent to terrify it!

Geng Tianhe launched another sword gang and shouted, "I didn’t expect you could even influence the Life-and-Death Sword!"

That day, he had personally watched Situ Cheng test Mo Lingfeng, sealing Mo Shidi’s sword again and again.

In the end, Mo Lingfeng had said, "It seems the sword spirit fears Chu Huaixu more."

At the time, Geng Tianhe thought it utter nonsense!

He even suspected Mo Shidi had gone mad, beaten senseless by Chu Huaixu.

But now, experiencing it firsthand, he began to waver.

"The Life-and-Death Sword is a supreme-grade spiritual artifact, even stained with the Sword Sovereign’s blood!"

"This sword actually carries a trace of demonic nature."

"And even in such a state, it feels fear?"

Then just who was this man before him!!!

If true—could he suppress every sword cultivator in the world?

On the high platform, Situ Cheng furrowed his brows even deeper.

Even he couldn’t fathom the scene before him.

Chu Huaixu bore Lu Pan’s formation, concealing the 【Heart Sword】.

Now, Jiang Zhi was also secretly masking his aura.

With that, even Situ Cheng was utterly clueless. He felt tormented, like ants clawing at his heart.

"What kind of heretical technique is this!" he screamed in his heart.

From a sword cultivator’s view, it was too targeted—was it not a heretical art?

Most sword cultivators would think so.

Which was why, that day, Chu Yinyin had laughed joyfully, saying: "Sword Sect sword cultivators are in trouble!"

Geng Tianhe invoked the power of the 《Sword Canon》 within to resist.

"Chu Huaixu, still not drawing your sword? Relying solely on these sinister tricks!" he shouted.

Having forcibly broken through, he was no longer as calm as before.

"Instead of trying so hard to make me draw, why not just hold your own sword properly?" Chu Huaixu replied clearly.

Geng Tianhe was now just one step away from comprehending Great River Sword Intent.

Though his energy flow was disordered, the embryonic form of the intent had taken shape.

He now displayed the mystic-rank sword technique 【Heavenly Gang Roaring Dragon Sword Technique】. It was as if a flood dragon were swimming through the great river, stirring up waves!

Was this… "walking the flood dragon"?

After deliberately letting him close in, Chu Huaixu's longsword broke through the ink currents and clashed head-on—

【Ding Fengbo】 against the Life-and-Death Sword.

He felt the opponent's sword aura rising wave upon wave, stacking relentlessly.

After a direct clash, both leapt backward, each harboring a hint of surprise.

"It really feels like walking the flood dragon—like a flood dragon about to transform into a true dragon."

"And the consequence of walking the dragon is flood—disasters that drown rivers and ruin lives," Chu Huaixu thought.

Geng Tianhe clearly sensed that the suppression became stronger after the clash!

He now understood why Mo Shidi’s sword was so easily repelled.

Today, he had wanted to fully comprehend Great River Sword Intent through extreme combat.

Thus, although not yet fully formed, he did all he could to push it.

That tidal-wave-like sword intent was beginning to spiral out of control—immature and wild.

Even as he fought Chu Huaixu, he was suffering its backlash.

This Sword Sect prodigy now had the air of someone willing to embrace madness to live.

His budding sword intent paired with 【Heavenly Gang Roaring Dragon Sword Technique】 truly resembled a flood dragon attempting to dive into the sea and become a true dragon.

And he himself sought that final metamorphosis, gambling everything!

The ink currents around Chu Huaixu, being merely yellow-rank, were instantly blown apart by the wild sword gang.

"Draw your sword! Draw your sword! Draw your sword!!" Geng Tianhe shouted incessantly.

It had become his obsession—his final inner demon.

The last move of the 【Heavenly Gang Roaring Dragon Sword Technique】—『Dragon Roar of the Four Seas』!

The Life-and-Death Sword in his hand let out a piercing sword cry.

As if influenced by his master’s will and obsession, it momentarily overcame its fear of the 【Heart Sword】.

Chu Huaixu felt as if he faced a colossal wave—as if the flood dragon was causing one last storm before diving into the sea!

The waters of the great river surged upward, seeming to connect with the sky!

The black-robed man holding the sword scabbard narrowed his eyes and said, "Then have it your way."

Seven streams of sword aura poured out from the scabbard.

They attacked Geng Tianhe from seven directions.

The Life-and-Death Sword’s cry grew sharper, like a dragon’s roar before transformation.

The seven sword auras from the scabbard tore through the air.

"I don’t care if you’re a flood dragon stirring up storms or if it’s Great River Sword Intent, waves touching the sky!"

"Break!" Chu Huaixu swung his scabbard upward.

The seven sword auras, infused with Fearless Sword Intent, knew no fear.

—Sword art complete, the master departs. Where there are dragons, slay dragons!

Geng Tianhe’s Life-and-Death Sword was knocked away, and his immature Great River Sword Intent shattered instantly.

Already disheveled, he was severely wounded by the residual force. His sword arm snapped completely, wounds deep to the bone.

The Sword Sect prodigy was flung backward, landing flat on his back.

Before he knew it, Chu Huaixu was at his side, sword scabbard pressed against his shoulder.

Victory was decided. The storm had passed.

—【Ding Fengbo】, and the wind was stilled.

......

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