"This is it!" Hao Shuai reached into the Buddha's belly and pulled out something that looked like a sword hilt. A talisman was affixed to it. It was neither metal nor stone, but had an antique design and a dark, greenish-blue sheen. It was less than seven or eight inches long.
Hao Shuai's heart settled. He knew this was the hilt of the Ziying Sword. With the hilt in hand, subduing the sword would be much easier.
When Li Yingqiong saw Hao Shuai come down from the bell tower, she hurried over. The moment she spotted the hilt in his hand, she asked in puzzlement, "Master, is this the Number One Flying Sword Under Heaven you mentioned? Why is it only a hilt? Could it be the Shadowless Sword?"
As she spoke, she reached to take the hilt from him and play with it.
"Smack!"
Hao Shuai lightly tapped Li Yingqiong's jade-like hand and smiled. "You need to work on that impatient streak of yours. Learn some of Qingyun's composure."
Then, without another word to Li Yingqiong, he turned and leaped onto the drum tower. He poked a hole in the drumhead, reached inside with his large hand, and a moment later pulled out a white wooden box about three feet long and four or five inches wide. Faint talisman markings could be seen on it.
Rather than force the box open, Hao Shuai casually tapped it with the hilt in his hand, shattering it.
As soon as the box broke, a streak of purple sword light shot out.
This was the Shushan World's foremost divine weapon, the Ziying Sword!
The Ziying Sword had been hidden here by True Person Changmei more than sixty years ago, and had lain dormant ever since. Now, disturbed, it flew into a rage. The