Overlord Shadow

# Chapter 8: Overlord Shadow

The weapons on the first floor of the Divine Weapon Pavilion looked utterly ordinary. They had no radiant glow, no sharp edge exposed—just placed there, plain and unremarkable.

Xu Zimo walked inside. The air carried a faint smell of rust. Disciples of the True Martial Sacred Sect rarely came here to pick weapons, so many of the Mortal Artifacts forged on this floor had gathered dust on their surfaces from sitting too long.

At the entrance of the first floor, an old man was sleeping on a reclining chair. He glanced at the two arrivals with mild interest, then said, "Pick any weapon inside. One per person. Just let me know when you leave."

After speaking, the old man turned over and closed his eyes again, continuing his nap.

"What kind of attitude is that?" Zhang Chongtian said indignantly.

"It's fine," Xu Zimo shook his head, gave the old man a deep look, then walked inside.

He didn't bother with much selection. He went straight to the corner of the room, where a wall was densely covered with weapons.

Blades, spears, clubs, staves—things even ordinary people had rarely heard of. In short, every kind of weapon was there.

Among the countless weapons, Xu Zimo's attention was drawn to an unremarkable blade hanging in the lower-left corner.

The blade was five feet long. Its edge looked extremely sharp, and the body had a slight curve.

It weighed over a dozen jin in hand. The handle was wrapped in layered grid-like patterns, giving a solid, heavy grip when held.

"I'll take this one," Xu Zimo said, picking up the blade and walking toward the old man at the entrance, ignoring Zhang Chongtian's astonished stare.

The old man, disturbed from his sleep, seemed reluctant. He gave the curved blade a casual glance and said, "Fine, it's yours now. Get lost and don't bother this old man's sleep."

Xu Zimo nodded without another word, wrapped the scabbard around his back, and left.

"By the way, its name is Overlord Shadow," the old man's voice suddenly came from behind.

"Overlord Shadow, of course I know," Xu Zimo said with a faint smile curling at the corner of his mouth. He didn't look back, and his figure gradually disappeared into the breeze.

Xu Zimo was certain that he would remember his father's words for the rest of his life.

"A true blade master is one who can awaken the spirit within the blade and earn its recognition."

In his Previous Life, Xu Zimo hadn't taken those words seriously at first. In his view, any weapon was just a tool for killing—there was no need to give it any other meaning.

Not until that battle at Youlong Ravine, when Overlord Shadow was severed by the protagonist Chu Yang's weapon.

At the very moment the blade broke, Xu Zimo finally felt the mournful cry of the weapon.

Only then did he wake up—but it was already too late.

Afterward, Xu Zimo returned to the small courtyard where he lived. He sat cross-legged and began to cultivate.

In his Previous Life, the first technique he cultivated was the Three Blades Great Emperor's Nirvana Art.

He kept cultivating until the Imperial Meridian Realm before Xu Zimo finally stepped onto his own Martial Dao Heavenly Path.

He abandoned the Nirvana Art and began to study, deduce, and create a brand new technique—one that belonged entirely to him.

Xu Zimo named his technique Myriad Freedom Art.

This technique focused on the past, the present, and the future.

Once perfected, it could trace the origin of time, connecting with his past self and his self from future eras, spanning multiple timelines.

Unfortunately, in his Previous Life, after deducing the technique to the Divine Meridian Realm, Xu Zimo discovered that he had a knot in his heart. No matter what, he couldn't advance further.

That was why he went to find Chu Yang to resolve that knot—only to lose so disastrously.

But this rebirth sparked a flash of insight in Xu Zimo. He gained far more inspiration about the future and the past.

He believed he could absolutely perfect the technique and step into the realm beyond the Divine Meridian Realm.

Deducing one's own technique was a path every Meridian Practitioner had to walk eventually. No matter how powerful the techniques left by others were, they could only serve as reference—they could never be a perfect match for you.

Xu Zimo continued deducing and cultivating until dawn. He stood up and stretched.

Even though he hadn't slept all night, he still felt full of energy.

This was the benefit of cultivation. He was currently at the ninth layer of the Mortal Realm. Even if he didn't sleep for seven days and seven nights, he would at most feel a bit tired.

The sky was fully bright when Lin Ruhu arrived early at Yan Nan Peak to find Xu Zimo.

He carried a large sack on his back, his expression looking sneaky. He glanced back every two steps, as if secretly guarding against something.

"Ruhu, what's wrong with you?" Xu Zimo asked curiously after finishing his washing.

"Brother Zimo, let me show you something good," Lin Ruhu said with a sly grin, opening the sack on his back.

Inside, two unconscious chick hatchlings lay quietly.

Both chicks were entirely golden-yellow. Their combs were deep purple, their feathers neatly arranged in overlapping rows, and their tails carried a touch of bright red.

The chicken's beak was like jade—translucent and pure. The first impression these two chickens gave was anything but ordinary.

"Medicinal Dao Sacred Chicken?" Xu Zimo asked in surprise. "Where did you get these?"

"Ah, I went to First Elder's Tianxia Peak this morning to play with Liao Ruyan, and I saw these two chickens abandoned on the ground. They looked pitiful, so I brought them out on a whim," Lin Ruhu said, blinking his big, innocent eyes.

"You stole them, didn't you?" Xu Zimo said suspiciously.

"How can a scholar's deed be called stealing?" Lin Ruhu argued defiantly. "I just picked them up along the way."

"I don't really care, since they're the First Elder's beloved pets anyway," Xu Zimo said with a faint smile, then turned to Lin Ruhu. "I've heard that Medicinal Dao Sacred Chickens have been raised on spiritual herbs since they were chicks. Every piece of their meat is brimming with dense spiritual energy."

"Perfect, we have two here. One braised, one steamed."

"Great, great!" Lin Ruhu licked his lips excitedly.

"Braised with ordinary firewood would be a waste of these Sacred Chickens," Xu Zimo thought for a moment, then said to his guard Zhang Chongtian, "Go to Ancient Medicine Peak and cut some branches from the spirit trees there."

"Young master, those spirit trees and ancient herbs are the Second Elder's prized possessions," Zhang Chongtian said hesitantly. "If the Second Elder finds out I cut his branches, he'll skin me alive."

"Don't worry," Xu Zimo explained. "At this hour, the Second Elder should be sneaking a peek at the female disciples bathing in the outer sect. He won't notice you."

Zhang Chongtian hesitated, then said, "Young master, if anything goes wrong, you'll have to back me up. I'm your man now, after all."

"Relax, with me here, there's no problem," Xu Zimo assured him. "Also, you're my guard, not 'my man.' Get the relationship straight. Saying it like that makes it easy for others to misunderstand."