Chapter 308 - Evil Spirit in the Sword

Chapter 308: Chapter 63 Evil Spirit in the SwordNiannian was the daughter of Marquis Ci Pu of the Eagle Alliance. Ci Pu was not like Earl Bacon from some remote and desolate area; he was another grand noble, expected to be made a duke after Lei Shan. He commanded at least over ninety seats of power.

Ten years ago, he had battled Lei Shan. Due to a mistake made by his subordinates, Lei Shan caught a flaw, and Ci Pu was defeated and forced to retreat. That battle had also made Lei Shan’s reputation soar, and he was listed as a candidate for duke. A year ago, he was officially conferred the title by the Eagle Alliance.

Although Ci Pu had lost, his strength was not much less than that of Lei Shan. However, after that battle, Ci Pu’s fiercely competitive spirit had waned, and he had gradually disappeared from the public eye, lurking behind the scenes.

Niannian’s incredible maneuvering also started from there. The youngest son of Duke Xin Lei was also studying at the Holy Academy with Mo Na, and he had a fervent admiration for Niannian. Yet, he had always feared Marquis Ci Pu behind her and thus acted within reasonable bounds, daring not to overstep.

But with Piao Miao’s return, this elder sister was full of wicked ideas. Under her guidance, Mo Na’s tactics against Niannian became increasingly despicable. Fortunately, Niannian had a group of reliable friends who repeatedly turned danger into safety. On this public holiday from the Holy Academy, in order to avoid Mo Na, she had no choice but to accompany little Huihui to this remote area of Ji Li Ya Xi to escape his schemes.

"It seems Piao Miao is using you to test Marquis Ci Pu," Lu Hong said, "If Mo Na dares to use underhanded tactics against you, it must also have Duke Xin Lei’s approval."

"Maybe," Niannian felt a wave of bitterness in her heart when she thought about her father ignoring her current situation, "My father has also been hiding and refuses to see me. That’s why I had no choice but to find a fake boyfriend to get me through the tough times. I’ve heard rumors that these years, Duke Xin Lei seems to have made quite a few big moves, absorbing many small earls and marquises, with his power constantly growing."

No need to think about it, Piao Miao must be involved.

Lu Hong couldn’t help but think of the lionheart lineage that Piao Miao had stripped from him. It had been ten years since the Battle of Yu Hua, and he didn’t know how much research Piao Miao had done on the strongest bloodline of Star Sea. The only certainty was that any breakthrough would bring a qualitative leap to Duke Xin Lei’s forces. That’s probably also the reason why Duke Xin Lei had dared to expand so boldly in recent years. S~eaʀᴄh the Novёlƒire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

"Don’t worry, since I’ve promised you, that Mo Na won’t get within ten feet of you," Lu Hong said, "Of course, if the other side calls on a Third Transition expert, that doesn’t count."

"That won’t happen," Niannian shook her head, "In the Seven Layers of Floating Worlds, no order from a duke allows the mobilization of a Third Transition expert unless it’s for legitimate defense. Third Transition experts are not allowed to use force to oppress for any reason. If they are found to have used beyond Second Transition power, they will be sentenced to death without reason. This prohibition is the first of the alliance’s laws; even the families of the three... oh no, now four great dukes cannot defy this rule without provoking the entire alliance."

"Then I’m relieved," Lu Hong laughed, "As long as Third Transition experts do not act, I am invincible!"

"Don’t brag!" Niannian scoffed, frowning, "Don’t think you’re invincible just because you defeated Baldo. At the Seven Layers of Floating Worlds, he’s only mid-level. There are at least a hundred geniuses in the Holy Academy who can easily defeat him."

"All right, all right, just bragging a bit, don’t take it seriously," Lu Hong didn’t want to argue with Niannian. If he could mobilize his energy, then in today’s world, no one of the Second Transition would be his equal, unless they also had an external boost.

"Let’s end it here." Both parties agreed, and Niannian said no more, "Rest assured, I will use my family’s power to protect your safety and prevent the Xin Lei family from harming you in the dark."

"No worries, they can’t harm me anyway," Lu Hong shrugged, indeed, participating in the Eagle’s Campaign meant likely facing death, so he did not care about the Xin Lei family’s petty reprisals.

"Then... then you can choose your weapon, I’ll wait for you outside," Niannian turned and left, and as soon as she stepped out, she saw little Huihui looking furious.

"Huihui, you came too?" Niannian asked with a smile.

Huihui glared at her coldly, "Were you just alone in the room with big brother Lu?"

"Yes," Niannian realized something might be off and hastily explained, "Oh, there’s nothing between us, just a casual chat, you see I came out, right?"

"Hmph! Let me tell you, Niannian! Now that you’re on my turf, you’d better not mess around. If anything happens, I won’t be able to explain it to Uncle Ci."

"Oh come on, where is this coming from? I wasn’t even interested in an outstanding figure like Mo Na, how could I be interested in him, a man from such a poor place... wait!" Niannian abruptly changed the subject, "You aren’t... you’re not fond of him, are you?"

"Me?" Huihui was taken aback and then realized, "Fond of him my foot! I will only marry a baron or better."

"That settles it then," Niannian shrugged, "We just wait for Lu Hong to come out. Your father asked you to treat him well; you can’t give him that kind of attitude."

"Don’t teach me!" Huihui felt something was off but couldn’t quite put her finger on it.

After Niannian left, Lu Hong’s mind began to stir. Since he knew Piao Miao was hiding within the Seven Layers of Floating Worlds of the Eagle Alliance, he had to bring a gift to her. Starting with Mo Na was the best plan, but he wasn’t content with just that. Piao Miao, a Third Transition Peak expert, wouldn’t be easy to confront outright without expecting backlash. A sneak attack seemed more feasible when he reached the central part of the alliance.

For now, his first task was to select a suitable weapon from Earl Bacon’s treasury. His gaze once again settled on the various heavy swords. Although these weapons were not outstanding, they were decent enough.

Lu Hong wasn’t too picky; he picked up the heavy swords from the rack, infusing Pure Steel Battle Energy and testing the compatibility of his magic power with the magic weapons.

After searching, he settled on this bronze greatsword. Although its grade was only seventh, it harmonized best with him. The battle energy circulated almost without loss and interruption, extremely smooth, and he believed that the speed and precision of skill releases would not be inferior to wielding a holy sword.

Having chosen his weapon, Lu Hong stepped out of the armory.

The Third Transition expert on duty examined him thoroughly and then kindly said, "I advise you’d better choose another one."

"Ah?" Lu Hong was startled, "Why?"

"Because this weapon thirsts for blood, and at its most ferocious, it once sucked a Second Transition expert dry, turning him into a husk. Therefore, this ill-omened weapon has always been kept in the armory. If it weren’t my shift today, not everyone might recognize this sword."

Hearing this, Lu Hong couldn’t help but be surprised, "I didn’t notice that at all."

A Third Transition Peak expert glanced at Lu Hong, "Would I deceive you? This sword is just a seventh-grade weapon; every other sword in the arsenal is better than it."

"Yes, I seem to have heard of this as well," Huihui chimed in from the side: "Originally, it was a gift from my father. After the recipient passed away, his widow returned it, deeming it an omen of misfortune. It has been lying forgotten in the arsenal for many years."

Lu Hong was about to return the sword, but a strange rhythm emanated from the blade, somehow connecting with the vitality hidden deep within him: "It’s fine, I’ll choose this one."

Seeing his determination, the Third Transition Peak expert did not say more, documenting Lu Hong’s selection and presenting him with a scabbard.

Holding his chosen weapon, Lu Hong once again followed Huihui to the backyard to rest.

"Miss Huihui, the previous battle has left me somewhat fatigued. May I find a place to rest for a while?" Lu Hong made an excuse, curious about the bronze Heavy Sword.

"Ah? Then, follow me. It’s such a pity, I wanted to have a good chat with Brother Lu."

"No worries, there will be plenty of time in the future. We can chat next time. I’ve nowhere else to go, so I’ll likely be troubling you quite a bit. Just don’t get annoyed with me then."

"Hehe," Huihui giggled lightly, "How could I? Brother Lu, please come with me."

After arranging a side room for Lu Hong, Huihui and Ci Nian Nian took their leave to play.

Lu Hong closed the door firmly, ensuring there was no surveillance or eavesdropping around, sat cross-legged on the bed, and started to carefully study the bronze Heavy Sword.

In the arsenal, he had focused solely on finding a weapon that matched him and hadn’t paid much attention to the weapon’s abilities.

Now, looking closely, the ancient bronze sword seemed anything but simple.

At first glance, the blade looked very smooth, but when sensing it with magic power, it felt as though a picture of purgatory had been engraved upon it. The coldness of death, like a pair of eyes, fixated on Lu Hong.

"Is it you who have awakened me? Human!" A deep call, as if from the depths of death, made one instinctively shudder.

"Who are you?"

"Me? Hahaha, who am I? I am the Holy King, the founder of the Holy Court! The ruler of the Holy Court!" The cries resounded in Lu Hong’s mind, the pain almost splitting his eardrums, and unwittingly, blood trickled from his seven orifices.

"I need power, I need power!" Before Lu Hong could react, the Holy King, like a famished monster, voraciously drained the vitality from Lu Hong’s body.

"Ah, so pure, so delicious!" the Holy King bellowed greedily, his tone filled with satisfaction.

"So that’s good, huh?" Lu Hong sneered coldly, annoyed. What was this thing, not considering his feelings at all?

Such a thing, hiding inside a sword, definitely wouldn’t behave unless disciplined.

"Hey, hey, hey, what are you doing? Stop, stop!" As soon as the Holy King finished speaking, he was kicked off the bed by Lu Hong and hit the ground with a clear sound.

"I can grant you endless power if you help me recover."

"Scram!" Lu Hong bellowed: "I don’t believe a word from you, whatever you are, neither human nor ghost!"

"You are the monster!" The Holy King seemed unable to take the insult: "Your entire family is monsters, I am the Holy King! The founder of the Holy Court! The ruler of the..."

Before he could finish, Lu Hong kicked the sword once more, sending the bronze Heavy Sword flying out.

"Turned into a sword and still acting haughty!"

"You’re asking for death! I’ll kill you! I’m going to kill you!" The Holy King emitted a frigid killing intent, his rage clearly audible.

Lu Hong stated coldly, "If you keep yapping, I’ll stuff you into the toilet, and you can spend your life with feces."

"I... I...," the Holy King was at a loss for words for quite a while: "My master, please have mercy, don’t do such a thing!"

This fellow seemed to be yielding for the first time, and even the submissive words sounded unpleasant.

Lu Hong stood up and picked up the bronze Heavy Sword, feeding it a great amount of vitality: "I can feed you, but you need to tell me what use you are. I don’t provide for idlers."

Giving a slap and then a candy, and if that doesn’t work, do it a couple more times, that’s sure to be effective.