Chapter 117: Chapter 116: Sound Bamboo Sword

Vast ancient forests, rolling hills.

A herd of Pig Demons with protruding tusks and black spines on their heads charged madly, kicking up clouds of dust.

"Shields up!"

From within a square formation of five hundred men, a thick earthen shield rose like a giant city gate. The Pig Demons crashed into it, stumbling and falling. Two of them even broke their tusks.

"Golden Spear Technique, activate!"

Twelve golden spears materialized at the four corners of the formation and shot out with terrifying might.

A few Pig Demons were instantly slain, but most were still alive and kicking.

Several Pig Demons grazed by the Golden Spear Technique were sent flying several yards. They rolled on the ground a couple of times, let out a few OINKS, and scrambled back to their feet.

The attack only enraged the Pig Demons further. Their protruding tusks glowed red as they rammed the earthen shield like heavy war chariots, sending stone and sand flying.

"Hold the line! Pour in more Magical Power!"

Seeing a few cracks appear on the earthen shield, the leading Steward roared at the top of his lungs.

"Junior Brother Ma, Junior Sister Long, let’s make our move... These Pig Demons have incredibly tough hides, an anomaly among Tier One Demon Beasts. The Battle Array is sufficient for defense, but it won’t be enough to annihilate them. If this drags on and the Pig Demons scatter, it’ll just cause more delays."

Three Foundation Establishment Cultivators hovered in mid-air, commenting on the battle below.

"Hmph. We’ll have to drill them harder later. To perform like this in their first battle... they can’t even aim the Golden Spear Technique properly..."

With a dark expression, Ma Ming sent a small, emerald-green dagger flying. It pierced a Pig Demon’s body as if it were tofu.

The dagger spun around inside before shooting out in search of its next target, leaving the Pig Demon to collapse with its insides turned to pulp.

"It’s a good thing those Cultivation Families and Loose Cultivators haven’t joined us yet. If they saw this, it would be a complete disgrace to the Qingfeng Sect!"

"You’re overthinking it, Junior Brother Ma. The Sect holds absolute authority in this Reclamation War. Who would dare to say anything? ... Anyone who feigns compliance, disobeys orders, or retreats can be apprehended and dealt with directly. Aside from a few foolish Loose Cultivators, the rest will only try to get closer to us, hoping for a better chance at survival and more favorable treatment when rewards are distributed after the war."

Elder Zhang of the Law Enforcement Hall hooked a Pig Demon with his two silver Flying Claws and, with a sharp pull, ripped it in half.

Nearby, the curvaceous Junior Sister Long remained silent. With a wave of her hand, a spinning crescent moon herded back several Pig Demons that were trying to escape.

After about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the herd of Pig Demons was finally wiped out.

The Battle Array was dispelled. Every Cultivator had expended a great deal of Magical Power. Aside from those standing guard, everyone else sat down to recover.

At the end of the battle, besides a few who were exhausted, everyone was completely unharmed.

Without the Battle Array, the five hundred Cultivators would have been a chaotic mess. A single charge from the Pig Demons would have surely resulted in dozens of casualties.

On the path of this reclamation, all the way to Feiyue Lake, there were at least several dozen more Demon Beast Groups like this one, not to mention random Demon Beasts that could charge out from anywhere at any time.

Without the coordination of a Battle Array, the Qi Refining Cultivators would likely suffer heavy casualties before they even got halfway.

Once everyone had recovered, they began to clean up the battlefield and collect useful Demon Beast Materials.

Another group of Cultivators cleared away the long vines and wild grass, opening up a resting area of several acres.

Two Array Masters, carrying an Array Plate, carefully determined their bearings and inserted Array Banners to set up a Tier Two Low-Grade Defense Array.

"According to the plan, this is the first outpost on the path of the Reclamation War. All subsequent resources will be stored here... Will a mere Tier Two Low-Grade Array be enough?"

Ma Ming had volunteered for the first wave of the Reclamation War. It was only after leaving the Sect that he discovered this war was completely different from his past expeditions deep into Black Mountain.

Demon Beasts they encountered couldn’t be avoided; they had to be cleared out one by one.

Even venomous snakes and insects had to be exterminated as much as possible to lessen the burden on the troops that would follow.

"This location barely has the strength of a Tier Two Low-Grade Spiritual Vein. It can’t support the Spiritual Qi consumption of a High-Tier Grand Array... Besides, according to the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall’s plan, we need to establish six waystations in total. If we used High-Tier Arrays for all of them, we’d empty out the entire Array Hall and it still wouldn’t be enough."

Inside the array, two Stewards were already leading others to construct simple lofts and warehouses.

Elder Zhang landed on the ground. For the next month, they would clear out the surrounding Demon Beasts and wait for the second wave of reinforcements to arrive.

’The worthless Miscellaneous Affairs Hall, daring to give us orders...’

Ma Ming muttered under his breath. Seeing that Junior Sister Long had already walked off, he quickly followed.

...

Bai Zichen waited anxiously outside the Artifact Refining Chamber, pacing back and forth.

Three days ago, he had received a message telling him the Flying Sword’s refining process had reached its final step and asking him to wait on-site.

’Why isn’t it over yet? The final Sword Condensation step shouldn’t take this long, right?’

At this moment, Bai Zichen grew nervous and insecure.

He hadn’t felt it before, but now he was genuinely worried about the possibility of the Sword Refinement failing.

Just because one could successfully refine a Top-Grade Spiritual Artifact didn’t guarantee success in refining a Tier Two Flying Sword.

If it failed, there was no way he could find another stalk of Sacred Sound Bamboo anytime soon.

"Don’t be anxious. Since Senior Brother Dai spent a month in comprehension before starting the refining, he must be confident..."

Peng Chong was accompanying him, mostly out of curiosity about the Tier Two Flying Sword.

As an Artifact Refiner, who didn’t dream of forging a few famous swords with their own hands?

Bai Zichen calmed his emotions, realizing he had become overly concerned about the Tier Two Flying Sword and lost his composure.

He found a spot to sit down, visualized the Heaven and Earth Furnace in his Sea of Consciousness, and entered the No Joy No Worry Realm.

He maintained the Heaven and Earth Furnace for the time it took an entire incense stick to burn before voluntarily withdrawing his Divine Sense, letting the image dissipate like smoke in the wind.

When he opened his eyes again, his mind was as calm as still water.

Peng Chong nodded to himself in approval. ’As expected of the one who set the record on the Heart Inquiry Path during the True Inheritance Trial. He recovered so quickly.’

’If it were me, with a Top-Grade Spiritual Artifact at the final, uncertain stage of its refining process, I’d definitely be a nervous wreck.’

"Senior Brother Peng, have you heard any news about the Reclamation War recently?"

Bai Zichen took the initiative to change the subject, asking about something unrelated.

"The Law Enforcement Hall has already secured the first Tier Two Spirit Vein and established a waystation. The Sect sent another Elder to lead a hundred disciples there... This time, they were accompanied by four hundred Clan Cultivators and five hundred people selected from the thousands of Loose Cultivators who signed up."

Peng Chong shared the news he had gathered.

"Oh, with the Clan Cultivators joining, that means all twenty of the leading Foundation Establishment Cultivators are in place. The progress should speed up significantly, I imagine."

Bai Zichen thought of the Bai Family. His uncle, Bai Jiu’an, had sent a letter last month saying the clan had received the batch of resources he sent back.

’I wonder which ten clan members Bai Xianzhong chose for the first wave.’

"The location for the second waystation has several Tier Two Snake Demons. It should take some time to clear them all out..."

A clear Jade Sound interrupted Peng Chong. The light from the fire inside the Artifact Refining Chamber flared brightly, its glow visible from the outside.

Immediately after, the sound of musical instruments playing in harmony rang out, ethereal and melodious, drowning out all other noises.

Bai Zichen and Peng Chong looked at each other, then stared intently at the door of the Artifact Refining Chamber, knowing the Sword Refinement had reached its most critical moment.

Another hour passed. A loud shout was heard, and the light from the Artifact Refining Chamber dimmed, returning to silence.

Dai Hui pushed the door open and walked out. His face was ashen, and his Daoist Robe was stained with blood.

Bai Zichen’s heart skipped a beat. He couldn’t help but ask, "Senior Brother Dai, how did the Sword Refinement go?"

"I’m happy to report I succeeded!"

Dai Hui’s eyes shone brightly, even though he looked Severely Injured and had lost his previous scholarly demeanor.

"At the final moment, it was just a hair’s breadth away from forming. The fire was almost insufficient, and I was about to fall short at the last second... But on a sudden inspiration, I spat out a mouthful of my Essence Blood to fuel the flames and finally managed to refine this sword."

Dai Hui raised his palm, and a streak of white light shot out like a darting fish.

After its creation, the now three-and-a-half-foot-long white Flying Sword hovered in the air, its color a brilliant white.

As if possessing Spiritual Wisdom, it spun in place on its own.

"The Sound Bamboo Sword!"

Upon seeing the white Flying Sword and comparing it to the image in the Sword Refining Secret Technique, Bai Zichen knew this Tier Two Flying Sword had been successfully refined.

Seeing Dai Hui’s condition, he quickly bowed.

"This was all thanks to you, Senior Brother Dai. I’m sorry that you were Severely Injured in the process."

"It’s nothing. Compared to comprehending the method for refining a Tier Two Flying Sword, what’s a small injury like this!"

Dai Hui had clearly gained significant insight during the Sword Refinement process and was in an excellent mood.

"And about that Celestial Xin Sword, if you still want to have it refined, Junior Brother, you can gather the materials and find me... It won’t be so perilous next time, but I will have to charge a fee for the Sword Refinement."

"I’m sure I’ll have to trouble you again in the future."

Bai Zichen was overjoyed. Others might be satisfied with a single Flying Sword.

But because of his Star River Sword Array, he had already developed a habit of collecting Flying Swords. He would take any he could get—the more, the better.

Moreover, Bai Zichen had already mastered using Dual Swords, making two Flying Swords his basic loadout.

After bidding farewell to Dai Hui, Bai Zichen returned to his quarters and immediately took out the Sound Bamboo Sword, stroking it carefully.

’Unlike the Ink Bamboo Sword, it’s hard to tell what the Sound Bamboo Sword is made of. It looks like bamboo, but also like jade, and it has some metallic properties...’

Bai Zichen placed the Sound Bamboo Sword before him, took a deep breath, and began the Refinement process.

It was a Tier Two Flying Sword, after all. Back then, it had only taken him a few hours to completely refine the All Living Beings Bell.

But with the Sound Bamboo Sword, it took him three full days and nights to become Heart and Spirit Linked, able to command it as if it were an extension of his own arm.

’With this sword in hand, I wonder where I rank in terms of combat power among Foundation Establishment Cultivators...’

Since reaching Foundation Establishment, Bai Zichen had yet to fight a Cultivator of the same Realm.

He could only judge by mentally substituting himself into battles he had previously observed.

’An average Early-Stage Foundation Establishment cultivator shouldn’t be my match... At the very least, that Senior Brother Zhang from the Law Enforcement Hall... if he wasn’t hiding too many trump cards when we exterminated the Mo Family, he didn’t seem like he could block my Sword Light.’

Bai Zichen compared himself to a few familiar figures.

’As for a Long-Term Mid-Stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator like Senior Brother Pei, I’m probably still no match for him. The gap in Magical Power is just too wide.’

Bai Zichen brandished the Sound Bamboo Sword, growing more delighted the more he looked at it.

With a long cry, he rose to his feet and flew out of the Sect on his sword.

His first-ever Tier Two Flying Sword. This was certainly a moment worth commemorating.