So You Were Here All Along

Zhao Layue was truly angry.

Jing Jiu hurriedly said, "I've thought of another story. Or rather, there's been a new development in the story just now. Want to hear it?"

Zhao Layue raised her eyebrows slightly. "That old immortal again?"

"Yes," Jing Jiu said. "While you were unconscious just now, that old immortal came again. He knew you were looking for a sword, so he told me."

Thinking of the secrets this fellow carried and everything that had happened in succession, Zhao Layue grew a little nervous. "You really know where that sword is?"

Jing Jiu looked at her and smiled. "He said... that sword has actually been on your hand all along."

Somewhat puzzled, Zhao Layue looked down at her hands, then suddenly noticed the sword bracelet around her wrist.

Could it be... this is what he meant?

Her heart stirred slightly, and the sword bracelet rose soundlessly, becoming a silver Sword Restraint that danced in the air.

Jing Jiu held out his hand.

Zhao Layue looked at him quietly and placed the Sword Restraint in his hand.

Jing Jiu held the hilt in his left hand, gripped the Sword Restraint tightly with his right, and slowly slid his hand downward.

A dense series of crackles rang out, and a burst of silver sparks flew from the gap between his palm and the Sword Restraint.

Silver shavings fluttered down as the metal on the Sword Restraint's surface peeled away like a snake shedding its skin, revealing its true form beneath.

The sword was an intense, vivid red, like coral, or fresh blood.

Zhao Layue gazed at the sword and murmured, "So beautiful... is this the Unthought Sword?"

"Yes," Jing Jiu said. "This is the Unthought Sword."

He held the sword out before Zhao Layue.

Zhao Layue remained silent for a long time, but in the end, she did not take it.

"You discovered this sword, so naturally it belongs to you."

The Unthought Sword represented more than a sword. It was also the legacy of Divine End Peak, Jingyang's mantle.

Zhao Layue was proud and unwilling to accept such a gift. Looking at Jing Jiu, she asked, "Are you Grandmaster Uncle's descendant? Or are you his true successor?"

Jing Jiu thought for a moment. "From a certain perspective, both statements make sense."

"Then this sword should belong to you all the more," Zhao Layue said.

"You said he chose you as Divine End Peak's Sword-Inheriting Disciple," Jing Jiu said.

"I never met Grandmaster Uncle. All I know is that when he passed through Chaoge City that year, he met my mother. I was still in her womb when he designated me a Sword-Inheriting Disciple. The Green Mountain Sect sent senior cultivators to protect me early on, so before I was even born, I was destined never to be an ordinary noble young lady. I didn't need to enter a marriage alliance for my lineage's interests, or attend those tedious poetry gatherings. Nor did I need to worry about being chosen to enter the imperial palace. My life was blessed."

"All those wonderful things, all the envy I received, were bestowed on me by Grandmaster Uncle," Zhao Layue said. "But... I never met him. I never managed to discover this sword's secret. I didn't have the ability to climb Divine End Peak. How, then, am I qualified to be his true successor?"

"Perhaps he doesn't think that way," Jing Jiu said.

Zhao Layue looked up at him.

"Your ability and your wishes aren't important, because his wishes were very clear," Jing Jiu said. "You've worn this sword bracelet since birth. That means he intended for you to inherit Divine End Peak from the very beginning. Why else would he have left the Unthought Sword by your side?"

Zhao Layue remained silent for a long time and glanced twice at Jing Jiu. Without saying anything more, she walked to the sword pedestal deep within the cave abode and solemnly inserted the Unthought Sword into it.

The long night had passed. Faint morning light illuminated the lofty summit, while the foot of the mountain remained very dark.

Many of the people gathered below the peak had already dispersed. Among the guests attending the ceremony, the eminent monk from the Fruitful Accomplishment Temple and the two princes from Chaoge City were still there. Even the little girl from the Hanging Bell Sect was still holding on. As for disciples of the Nine Peaks such as Guo Nanshan, Lin Wuzhi, and Gu Han, naturally they had to wait until the end.

People had had little confidence in Zhao Layue and Jing Jiu reaching the summit of Divine End Peak to begin with. With an entire night gone, even their last hope had been dashed. They simply did not understand why the Sect Master had yet to act and rescue them. Were they all right? Had they encountered any danger?

Suddenly, a great wind rose within Divine End Peak.

The wind howled, shaking the wild trees all over the mountain without pause. The thick layers of fallen leaves beneath the trees rose with it and danced wildly across the sky, a magnificent, beautiful sight.

Guo Nanshan stiffened slightly. Why could he hear sounds from within Divine End Peak?

Before he could think any further, another drastic change occurred.

The great wind spiraled upward with the fallen leaves, reaching the heights above Divine End Peak and finally touching the cliffs lit by the morning light.

The morning light seemed to ignite the dust of those fallen leaves. Fierce flames blazed among the cliffs, silent yet so wild.

These were not real flames. They radiated boundless light, yet gave off little heat.

The cliffs and woods of Divine End Peak lit up, as though daylight had arrived in an instant.

It was not over. The cliffs and woods even began to glow themselves, emitting countless rays of light from within.

People clearly saw the divisions of the sword formation. Divine End Peak resembled an enormous piece of colored glass, fractured yet unbroken, its countless inner facets refracting the light in magnificent splendor.

The light grew ever denser and brighter, and the lines of those divisions grew ever more indistinct, until, at a certain moment, a soft sound rang out between heaven and earth.

Like the flames, this sound was not real, yet it fell clearly into everyone's heart.

Whether through sword sense, a meditative heart, or a sea of consciousness, all could hear that sound.

It was the sound of a sword.

It was a silver vase suddenly shattering.

Jade beads falling onto a platter.

Incomparably clear and crisp.

A gentle breeze drifted in, and the morning light scattered softly.

The wildfire among the cliffs had vanished, and the lingering sword note had faded without a trace.

Divine End Peak stood beneath the heavens, as tranquil and solemn as ever.

It was as though nothing had happened. The mountain was still that same mountain.

But everyone knew that this mountain was no longer what it had been.

The sword formation's restrictions had been lifted. Divine End Peak had reappeared in the world.

The legacy of Green Mountain Ninth Peak had been renewed!

Looking at the solitary peak in the morning light, Guo Nanshan remained silent, Lin Wuzhi's face was filled with delighted surprise, and Gu Han was bewildered and speechless.

The little girl from the Hanging Bell Sect rubbed her slightly dry eyes and asked, "What happened?"

The elder of Shiyue Peak presiding over the sword inheritance ceremony said with feeling, "Congratulations, little uncle-master. Your legacy lives on."

The somewhat sorrowful voice of Qingrong Peak's master came from afar.

"I never thought I'd see this mountain again so soon."