A Treasured Sword Conceals Its Edge
Sang Ying walked down the steps, and couldn't help but marvel at how the Azure Dragon Clan's treasure trove was indeed built by emptying out a mountain, reaching a height of twenty stories.
There were many rare and exotic treasures inside, many of which she had never even seen before. Unfortunately, she had no interest in any of them.
After walking for an unknown amount of time, a strange buzzing sound reached Sang Ying's ears.
The voice seemed to be both driving her away and guiding her.
Sang Ying had a gut feeling that this was what she wanted!
She followed the sound downhill, and none of the countless treasures she saw along the way could hold her attention.
Upon reaching the final level of the treasure vault, the buzzing sound indeed became even more pronounced.
The last floor was sealed off by a large door, but fortunately it wasn't locked. Sang Ying tried pushing it; although it was a bit heavy, she managed to get in on the first push.
The twentieth floor was different from the others; it wasn't filled with treasures, and it was completely empty and dark. The only ray of light fell on the very center of the room.
At the center of the light was a huge, jagged, crimson rock.
A longsword, gleaming with a cold light, was stuck straight into the boulder. It hummed incessantly, as if trying to shatter the boulder so it could escape.
Sang Ying couldn't resist walking over and reaching out to touch the sword.
But that constantly trembling sword was not so easy to deal with; Sang Ying only touched it slightly, and her hand was cut with a deep bloody gash.
Sang Ying was caught off guard, and the blood from her hand accidentally dripped onto the sword.
In an instant, the sword seemed to have been humiliated, and its buzzing intensified, even threatening to break through the boulder and emerge.
Seeing this, Sang Ying didn't care whether she would get hurt.
She lunged forward, gripping the sword tightly with both hands.
The longsword was startled by her actions, then its Sword Qi exploded instantly, rushing madly towards Sang Ying.
In the blink of an eye, Sang Ying was covered in blood. Especially her hand holding the sword hilt, the wound on it was so deep that the bone was visible. If it had been any more severe, her entire hand might have been severed.
Even so, Sang Ying showed no intention of letting go.
This is the sword she wants; she wants it no matter what!
The boulders beneath her feet kept cracking, as if they were about to crumble at any moment. But Sang Ying was oblivious to all of that; her mind and eyes were only on the sword in her hand, and she didn't even notice that her light blue dress had been stained red.
Her blood slid down the hilt of the sword and onto the blade, slowly soaking the entire sword. For a moment, it was impossible to tell whether the red stone beneath was more crimson or the sword on the stone was a brighter red.
Time passed slowly, and when Sang Ying's strength began to wane, the sword finally fell silent.
Sang Ying tentatively loosened one hand, but the sword remained motionless.
She wiped the blood from her eyelids, and with a gentle pull of her right hand, the longsword, engraved with an exquisite dragon pattern, easily detached itself from the boulder.
The longsword gleamed, and a mysterious current of energy swept outwards from the twentieth level of the treasure vault. Each time the current passed through a level, it elicited gasps of surprise from the treasures within.
Those waiting outside the treasure vault felt a sudden change in the atmosphere inside. A massive airflow rippled outwards, forcing them to take several steps back before they could regain their footing.
With such an imposing aura, I wonder what kind of treasure has suddenly appeared?
The strange changes in the treasure vault naturally reached the Jialan City below. The Patriarch Qing, who was sitting in the Clan Chief's Mansion, seemed to sense something, and suddenly got up and went out to look at the location of the treasure vault.
With just one glance, Patriarch Qing's face hardened, and he strode quickly towards the backyard of the City Lord's Mansion. In that most secluded courtyard lived the previous chief of his Azure Dragon Clan, who was also the former God of War of the Dragon Race!
Patriarch Qing walked briskly, but by the time he arrived, the old man had already poured tea and was waiting for him.
Upon seeing the sweating Patriarch Qing, the old man smiled slightly at him, "A Yuan, you've arrived! Come and have some tea!"
Unlike the old man, the Patriarch Qing chief was not composed. He quickly sat down and lowered his voice, saying, "Didn't the clan elder sense that the item we kept in the treasure vault has actually recognized its master today?"
"Of course I know that," the old man said calmly, taking a sip of tea.
Seeing this, Patriarch Qing's expression became even more peculiar. "You know everything, so why are you still so calm? That item is of utmost importance to our Dragon Race!"
Upon hearing this, the old man chuckled lightly, "So what if it's extraordinary? Wasn't the reason we put it back into the treasure vault to find it another owner?"
The old man waved his hand, not taking it seriously at all.
Patriarch Qing immediately became anxious. "That was indeed what I meant at the time, but what if it wasn't one of our Azure Dragon Clan's young people who subdued that sword? Aren't you worried that if another Dragon Race gets it, our Azure Dragon Clan's position will be in jeopardy?!"
Hearing this, the old man's smile slowly faded, "I don't need to worry about these things. I only know that the one who obtained that sword is a good child of our Dragon Race, and that's enough."
Before the Patriarch Qing could speak, the old man continued, "A Yuan, you are a good clan chief, but your vision is still too narrow. Do you think that just because that sword hasn't fallen into someone else's hands, our Azure Dragon Clan will continue to be so glorious?"
"True strength is not gained by hindering the growth of others, but by one's own growth. Besides, with the incident on the Gods and Devils Battlefield, if no outstanding successor steps forward, what future will my Dragon Race have?"
Only at this moment did the old man reveal his sorrow.
Patriarch Qing was initially just worried, but upon hearing these words, his expression instantly became tense.
"What do you mean by that, elder? Hasn't the Gods and Devils Battlefield calmed down now? Why do you sound like a great calamity is about to befall us?"
He asked several questions in succession, and the old man could easily tell that Patriarch Qing was panicking.
Indeed, dragons of their age have all witnessed the strange and chaotic phenomena of the Gods and Devils Battlefield. Once chaos erupts there, it becomes a great calamity for the entire Dragon Race.
The old man had originally intended to suppress this matter for a while, but now that Patriarch Qing had asked, he had no choice but to tell the truth, "You should know that the Gods and Devils Battlefield is the place where our God Race and Devil Race Clan meet, which is why there is a constant stream of Devil Creature pouring into this place through the rifts."
Patriarch Qing listened and nodded; every Dragon Race knew these things.
The old man sighed and continued, "But what you don't know is that there wasn't originally a crack at this junction. It was only because of a demon, who was like smoke, without a body yet omnipresent, that our barrier was constantly being eroded, leading to the situation we see today."
"Then why not kill him?!" Patriarch Qing asked matter-of-factly, after all, eliminating Devil Creature was an innate ability of their Dragon Race.
The old man shook his head, his expression growing increasingly helpless. "What you can think of, our ancestors naturally thought of as well, but that Devil Creature is simply unkillable!"