Chapter 046: The Sword Without Dao

Although Gu Huaishan and Guo Zhao were not cultivators and had little understanding of magical artifacts, their interest in this weapon—which could shroud the entire Dragon's Breath Mountain in spiritual energy—was palpable. At this moment, all eyes were fixed on Lin Le, brimming with anticipation.

"Very well, let us see just what quality this artifact truly possesses!"

With those words, Lin Le drew the long sword from its sheath.

A sharp metallic ring resounded as only half a foot of the blade was revealed, and at once a fierce, forceful aura erupted forth. The sword’s lines were hard, its edge keen.

"What a sword!" Gu Huaishan could not help but exclaim. Though he only understood magical artifacts on a superficial level, as a martial artist, his knowledge of weaponry was profound.

If nothing else, judging solely by its merits as a weapon, this sword was of the highest caliber. Collecting fine blades was one of Gu Huaishan's greatest passions; his home boasted a wall lined with swords and sabers crafted by renowned smiths. Yet compared with the one in Lin Le’s hand, those so-called treasures paled to utter insignificance; the difference was as vast as heaven and earth!

The swords in Gu Huaishan’s collection did not lose out in terms of sharpness or appearance. Rather, after years of study, he saw at a glance that the sword Lin Le held radiated a vivid spiritual presence, as if it were alive.

This was the true distinction between a magical artifact and an ordinary weapon.

Not only Gu Huaishan, but also Gu Ya and Guo Zhao sensed the extraordinary nature of the sword. For Lin Le and Liang Qiuyang, both cultivators, the spiritual energy within the sword was even more tangible. The moment it was drawn, they felt a surge of potent energy escaping from within.

At the very least, this was a sixth-grade artifact, Lin Le corrected himself inwardly.

"Mr. Lin, look! There are words on the sword!" Guo Zhao cried out.

They all looked and indeed saw characters engraved on the blade, though the script was most peculiar. Even the well-traveled Gu Huaishan could not identify it, and Liang Qiuyang and Guo Zhao were utterly baffled.

"Wu Dao," Lin Le intoned calmly, breaking the silence.

"What did you say, Mr. Lin?" Liang Qiuyang asked in confusion.

"I said the name of this sword is 'Wu Dao.'"

"When are those characters from? Why have none of us ever seen them?" Gu Huaishan asked in bewilderment.

"An ancient script of China, from a very long time ago," Lin Le replied quietly.

During his days in the Jiuzhou Bureau, Lin Le often encountered such archaic scripts. The bureau even had a dedicated division, called Tianmi, specializing in their study—staffed by linguistic and archaeological experts from across the country.

Lin Le’s familiarity with this script, however, came from the memories of the Celestial Emperor Ling Xiao. The Jiuzhou Bureau always believed this script was inherited from ancient or even prehistoric civilizations. That was both true and untrue, for from Ling Xiao’s memories, Lin Le knew these characters originated from worlds beyond the heavens. It was only because people from those other realms once arrived on ancient Earth that the script was passed down through the ages.

Seeing the two characters, Lin Le was now certain: this Wu Dao Sword was indeed from another world.

Gu Huaishan and the others were amazed that Lin Le could immediately recognize the ancient name engraved on the sword. They had not expected him to decipher such a script, and their awe for Lin Le only deepened.

Gu Ya, who had never been able to see through Lin Le, now found him even more unfathomable.

"Mr. Lin, you say this sword is called 'Wu Dao'? Why does the name sound so familiar, as though I've heard it somewhere before..." Liang Qiuyang mused aloud, suspicion flickering in his eyes.

"Oh? Master Liang, where have you heard of it?" Lin Le was somewhat surprised.

"Well... I’m sorry, Mr. Lin, I honestly can’t recall at the moment," Liang Qiuyang admitted, though he quickly added with certainty, "But I’m almost positive I’ve heard of the Wu Dao Sword before."

"Very well. If you remember, please be sure to let me know," Lin Le replied, instinctively feeling that this sword’s origins were anything but ordinary.

He turned his attention back to the sword, and with a sudden force, drew it fully from its sheath.

A flash of cold light swept through the room.

But as the entire blade came into view, everyone stood dumbstruck.

The Wu Dao Sword before them was broken clean through at the center—a remnant of what it once was.

It was a broken sword.

A stunned silence fell over the group.

"What a pity," Gu Huaishan finally murmured.

Lin Le shared the sentiment. What was once a flawless magical sword was now only half its former self—a true tragedy.

Yet even so, Lin Le marveled inwardly. With only half its blade remaining, the Wu Dao Sword still possessed enough power to sever a mountain’s spiritual vein and could be ranked as a sixth-grade artifact. If it had been whole, what might its true power have been? The mere thought was staggering.

Whether whole or broken, it was still a rare treasure. Naturally, Lin Le would not treat it lightly.

But for now, it was best to return the Wu Dao Sword to its resting place. The multicolored spiritual rainbow was far too valuable to risk its loss.

Lin Le resolved to set up a great formation as soon as possible, to draw the rainbow’s energy into his own use.

With this plan in mind, Lin Le sheathed the Wu Dao Sword.

"Let us return," he said quietly to the blade.

With a gentle motion, he let the Wu Dao Sword fall back into the deep well. Instantly, the multicolored spiritual rainbow that had lingered in the air vanished.

"Mr. Lin, what does this mean?" Liang Qiuyang asked in confusion.

"Be at ease. I have my own arrangements."

"Master Gu, there is something I must trouble you with," Lin Le said, turning to Gu Huaishan.

"Please speak, young friend Lin. So long as it is within my power, I would brave fire and water for you!" Gu Huaishan declared with hearty enthusiasm.

Truth be told, Gu Huaishan was only too eager to be of help—not just because Lin Le had given him new life, but also because he wished to forge a closer bond with someone of such extraordinary abilities.

"You overstate it, Master Gu. What I need is not so difficult—just your help in finding a few things."

"Oh? What things?" Gu Huaishan inquired.

"Python, tiger, peacock, and tortoise—I need the blood of these four creatures." Lin Le could have sought them out himself, but it would be time-consuming and exhausting; far better to enlist the well-connected Gu Huaishan, saving both effort and time.

"Is that all?" Gu Huaishan was surprised. He had expected Lin Le to ask for something far more demanding.

"The python must be a golden giant python, the tiger a black-striped white tiger, the peacock a five-colored phoenix-plumed peacock, and the tortoise a century-old longevity tortoise," Lin Le added.

"I see... it can be done!" Gu Huaishan, after a moment’s thought, replied with certainty.

"Lin Le, what do you want such strange things for?" Gu Ya asked, puzzled.

"Mr. Lin, you’re not planning to set up a formation, are you?" Liang Qiuyang interjected in surprise before Lin Le could answer.

"Exactly so," Lin Le replied.

The formation he intended to create was called the "Lesser Four Symbols Array."

Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise—these were the Four Symbols of geomancy. In other worlds or in ancient times, it might have been possible to find the true blood of these four beasts. But now, with the Four Symbols lost to history, Lin Le could only use the lesser version as a substitute.

The Lesser Four Symbols Array was created by the ancient Wu tribe, combining earthly resources and celestial inheritance. Though it fell short of the true Four Symbols Array, if employed skillfully, it would be enough to lock the spiritual energy of the multicolored rainbow over the mountain.

Once the formation was complete, Lin Le might harness the rainbow’s power to reach new heights in cultivation.

"Master Gu, time is of the essence. How soon can it be done?" Lin Le inquired.

Gu Huaishan looked to Guo Zhao; such a task would naturally fall to him.

After a moment’s calculation, Guo Zhao replied, "Seven days! Give me seven days, and I will find them all for you."

This was already much faster than Lin Le had anticipated, for none of these items were easy to come by.

But Lin Le insisted, "Five days. I can give you no more than five days."

"Very well! Five days it is!" Guo Zhao replied through gritted teeth.