Chapter 38: The Soul Devouring Sword Spirit

Chapter 38: The Soul Devouring Sword Spirit

Am I... about to die from shock?

At this moment, countless fragmented images flashed before my eyes, brief yet vivid.

These images were often drenched in blood or set against a gray sky, filling my entire vision with a despairing, heart-wrenching red!

Then came the searing pain in my chest and overwhelming sorrow. My surroundings began to shift, transforming from a magnificent palace to a battlefield engulfed in flames.

"Don't... don't get close to it. Run, hurry, run away!!"

"You must never draw the Soul Devourer. You can't... it would be an irrevocable mistake! Don't take that step, stop him, you can't..."

"You'll regret it... you will definitely regret it!"

Sharp voices pierced my eardrums. I didn't know who was speaking to me, but these voices seemed to pierce directly into my brain.

I desperately covered my ears, but it was useless, just like last time in Bai Rou's memorial hall. These voices stirred my very soul.

It was like an earsplitting cacophony, clinging to my bones like a parasitic worm.

"Is something wrong?" Li Fan noticed my unease and turned to me with concern.

The voices in my ear abruptly ceased, as if someone had hit the pause button. I looked around blankly, finding nothing out of the ordinary.

"I don't know. Just now, I heard many voices and even saw some images, but they suddenly vanished," I shared.

Upon hearing my words, Li Fan's brow furrowed slightly, a hint of subtle surprise crossing their face.

"Do you recall what those voices were saying?" Li Fan fell silent for a moment before suddenly asking me with a hint of urgency.

I shook my head, informing him that I had forgotten.

It was strange. I had heard everything distinctly just now, but at this moment, I couldn't recall a single detail.

Could my memory have deteriorated to such an extent?

Li Fan turned away. I might have been mistaken, but it seemed like he had just sighed in relief. However, when I looked again, his expression was back to normal as usual.

I turned my head, casting aside these chaotic thoughts and began to carefully examine the sword before me.

Frankly, at first glance, it appeared to be a ceremonial sword, one that would gather dust on an altar rather than see actual combat.

The patterns and decorations on its body were excessively ornate, giving me the impression that it was all show and no substance. Surely, no genuine weapon of war would look like this, right?

"Lost for thousands of years, this sword. If not for coming here for you, I might never have found it," Li Fan stepped forward, reaching to grasp the hilt.

But suddenly, a thick black smoke burst forth from the hilt. Li Fan's pupils constricted as he swiftly retreated, pulling me along with him.

"What's going on?" I found it odd.

Did the sword just resist Li Fan? But why? Wasn't Li Fan its master?

Could it be because Li Fan had taken so long to find it, and thus it was upset?

I chuckled at my own ridiculous thought, but Li Fan validated my speculation in the next second.

"Perhaps it's angry with me," Li Fan nodded slightly.

Me: ???

No, big bro, I was just joking. Why did you take it seriously?

Li Fan steps forward again, this time his touch on the sword hilt is exceptionally gentle.

"My sword has cultivated a Sword Spirit, which possesses its own independent consciousness. So it's normal for it to get angry at me."

I nod, realizing the truth behind his words.

The concept of a Sword Spirit was not unfamiliar to me. Once a weapon cultivated its own "Spirit," it ceased to be an ordinary tool and became a companion to its master.

Peering out from behind Li Fan, I suggested, "What should we do then? Maybe you could try soothing it, asking it not to be upset."

As I drew closer, I could finally see the sword in its entirety. Its blade was longer than a typical longsword, gleaming snowy white, with two characters engraved on its hilt: "Severed Soul."

"Soothe it?" A chilling curve formed at the corner of Li Fan's mouth. "Soothe what? Does it think it's a child? It deserves punishment!"

The gentleness in Li Fan's demeanor vanished instantly. He struck the blade with a fierce slap, unleashing invisible waves of energy that rippled outward. The sword trembled violently, resonating with a series of deafening booms.

Yet, the black smoke around Soul Devourer not only didn't dissipate, but it grew even denser.

Li Fan's brows furrowed slightly as he reached out to strike with a second palm.

Yet, the black smoke coalesced into a human form at that very moment. The dark-haired youth snapped his eyes open and forcefully withstood Li Fan's strike.

Raising my gaze, I beheld a slender and tall figure, standing erect like an eagle in flight. Dressed in ancient attire, exuding the vigor of a youthful knight on a spirited steed.

He had executed Li Fan's move impressively just now, if only his hand wasn't shaking at this moment.

Li Fan stands a bit taller than him, while I'm the shortest of us three. When we stand together, we resemble a tri-bar Wi-Fi signal.

"Dispirit," Li Fan withdrew his hand, his expression unreadable. "You're no longer a child of mere hundreds of years. Don't throw a tantrum anymore; come back with me."

The youth known as Soulless scoffed, "Go back? You want me to go back now? Then why did you leave me here in the first place?"

"That's because they sealed you..." Li Fan's expression turned grim, though his tone softened slightly.

However, Soul Extinguisher's emotions were highly agitated. He looked at Li Fan with reddened eyes, his fair and slender hands gradually curling into fists.

The two of them stood in opposition, Li Fan with his arms crossed, his gaze unwavering. In the end, it was Soul Extinguisher who yielded first.

"Yes, I was sealed," Soul Extinguisher admitted, his tone tinged with melancholy. "But I still can't understand why, back then, when you had the power to stop those old fogeys from sealing me, you simply stood by and watched."

A hint of cunning flickered in Soul Extinguisher's eyes. "I see now, it's because you used me to kill her—"

"Shut up!"

Li Fan growled, stepping forward to grip Soul Extinguisher's throat, forcefully silencing the rest of his sentence.

I crouched between them, sensing that the atmosphere was tense and that a fight could break out at any moment.

Soul Extinguisher, this sword spirit, seemed to have lost his mind. Instead of just venting his anger, he chose to dance on Li Fan's trigger.

I silently sighed, if not for being caught in the middle of this dangerous situation, I would be eagerly enjoying this drama with a bowl of popcorn.

Didn't Soul Extinguisher, after all these years with Li Fan, know how berserk Li Fan could get when enraged? And here I was, stuck in the middle like an innocent little potato, male-ness compounded.

To prevent them from getting too worked up and engaging in a fight, I pondered for two seconds before silently raising my paw to signal a pause between them.

"I suggest we all take a moment to calm down, shall we?"

Li Fan withdrew his hand and turned away with a cold snort, though his expression remained as menacing as if he were about to devour someone.

In contrast, when Soul Annihilator heard my voice, he trembled all over. Then, he lowered his head in disbelief.

As our eyes met, his eyes nearly popped out of their sockets, and the sword leaped two meters into the air.

"Wha-Wha-What?!"