Where the Sword Should Go

Hao Nhien guided the flying sword low over the surface of the sea, using speed to evade the incoming grappling hooks.

Whenever he needed to change direction suddenly, Spirit Wings erupted behind him for a brief instant, shifting his body without forcing the Tieu Dao Sword into a violent turn.

A black grappling hook suddenly shot toward him from the right.

Hao Nhien leaned aside.

The flying sword dropped lower.

Then accelerated.

The hook barely brushed the edge of his robe.

Ahead, three figures emerged from the sea at the same time, blocking his path.

The Fire Spirit Sword slashed downward.

A wave of fire swept across them and knocked one aside.

The remaining two continued charging.

Their weapons simultaneously targeted his legs.

Hao Nhien immediately left the Tieu Dao Sword.

Spirit Wings erupted.

For a brief instant, his body continued rushing forward through the air.

At the same time, the Tieu Dao Sword, guided by spiritual sense, became a streak of sword light and pierced through the two pirates closing in.

Pfft! Pfft!

Both bodies shattered into black water.

The flying sword immediately circled back.

Hao Nhien stepped onto it again and continued toward the dark-red ship.

The entire sequence had taken only a single breath.

But the True Qi consumption was not small.

Behind him, Lang Tuyet followed on her own artifact.

She had seen the entire movement.

“Not bad.”

Hao Nhien did not look back.

“Of course.”

Lang Tuyet laughed.

“Then I’ll invest a little more.”

Three silver beads immediately flew past him on both sides.

They landed among the densest concentrations of pirates.

BOOM!

Cold energy erupted.

Rows of figures preparing to block Hao Nhien were immediately slowed.

He used the opportunity to continue forward.

But when only thirty-some zhang remained between him and the dark-red vessel, the pressure began to increase noticeably.

More and more figures emerged from the sea.

Every time one was cut apart, another immediately filled the gap.

Some had barely formed before they were already avoiding sword paths that their earlier companions had been struck by.

Lang Tuyet continuously used talismans and silver beads to hinder them.

Their rate of appearance still kept increasing.

Hao Nhien swept the Tieu Dao Sword horizontally, knocking back three pirates blocking the way.

The gap lasted only an instant.

More figures immediately filled it.

He was forced to slow and continue dealing with enemies rising endlessly from the sea.

A large rotten plank floated several zhang ahead.

Spirit Wings erupted behind Hao Nhien.

His body left the Tieu Dao Sword and landed on the plank.

BOOM!

The wood sank under his weight.

Then quickly rose again.

Hao Nhien circulated True Qi and stabilized himself.

At the same time, he sent the Tieu Dao Sword farther ahead to stop the pirates closing in.

The moment his footing became stable, two figures emerged from the water.

The Fire Spirit Sword immediately swept sideways, forcing them back.

The Tieu Dao Sword circled behind and pierced a third pirate who had been preparing to use a grappling hook to drag away the plank beneath Hao Nhien.

He did not pursue them.

The Fire Spirit Sword remained close to his body for defense.

Part of his spiritual sense focused on guiding the Tieu Dao Sword through the pirates ahead.

Sword light moved through the gray mist.

A thin trail of sword force followed behind it.

When the flying sword changed direction, that lingering sword force was drawn along for the briefest instant.

The surrounding spiritual energy shifted very slightly.

Hao Nhien’s gaze changed.

He had long used the Tieu Dao Sword to generate sword energy.

But now, without standing on the sword himself, he could sense the movement of force around it much more clearly.

Once a sword path passed through the air, the sword energy did not disappear immediately.

For a very brief period, it left behind a tendency of movement within the surrounding space.

Hao Nhien guided the Tieu Dao Sword into another turn.

Sword light immediately curved left and cut through an approaching pirate.

At the same time, Hao Nhien sent a thin current of spiritual force behind it.

But instead of forcing that power into an independent blade of sword energy, he allowed it to follow the path the flying sword had just opened.

The current extended noticeably farther before dispersing.

It was still far from being a real technique.

Yet the result caught Hao Nhien’s attention.

He remembered his recent experiments with Wind Momentum across the sea.

When a force followed an appropriate existing direction of movement, the result could change without increasing the amount of True Qi used.

Hao Nhien looked at the Tieu Dao Sword flying ahead.

His thoughts suddenly returned to the heavenly tribulation at U Minh Mountain.

Back then, the Tieu Dao Sword Formation had erupted amid violently surging powers of heaven and earth.

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Countless streams of sword energy had formed in succession, resisting the descending lightning.

Later, Hao Nhien had attempted to reproduce the formation.

Each time, however, he had been forced to divide his spiritual sense to control every individual stream of sword energy.

Once their number increased, the burden quickly surpassed what he could manage.

Now, after beginning to sense Wind Momentum, another possibility occurred to him.

What if he did not need to control every sword?

Hao Nhien extended his spiritual sense toward the Wind Momentum moving around him.

The sea wind appeared chaotic.

But every time a pirate rushed forward, swung a saber, or threw a grappling hook, the surrounding air changed.

Those fluctuations were small.

Yet to the senses of a Golden Core cultivator, each one was like a point disturbing the invisible current of heaven and earth.

A thought flashed through Hao Nhien’s mind.

He did not need to personally search for every target.

If he could borrow Wind Momentum and allow sword energy to follow those disturbances, then wouldn’t every moving pirate reveal its own position?

The moment the idea appeared, Hao Nhien acted.

True Qi circulated.

The Tieu Dao Sword slashed toward an approaching pirate.

Sword light passed.

A sharp current of sword force remained.

Hao Nhien used spiritual sense to remember how that force had formed.

Then he guided part of his True Qi into the surrounding Wind Momentum.

At that moment, another pirate on the right suddenly swung his saber.

The air around his body shifted.

Hao Nhien immediately guided the Wind Momentum.

A thin blade of sword energy condensed in midair.

It carried the form of the Tieu Dao Sword’s sword force.

Then shot toward the pirate who had just moved.

Whoosh!

The sword energy pierced his shoulder.

Hao Nhien’s eyes brightened.

He had not directly aimed that sword energy at the pirate.

All he had done was maintain the sword force and guide the Wind Momentum.

The disturbance created by the enemy himself had become the direction the sword followed.

Hao Nhien immediately tried again.

He restricted the area of Wind Momentum he influenced to the space ahead, avoiding Lang Tuyet behind him.

The Tieu Dao Sword continued moving.

True Qi from his Golden Core flowed into the surrounding currents.

A pirate charged.

A second stream of sword energy immediately formed and struck toward him.

Two others threw grappling hooks at the same time.

Wind Momentum shifted at both positions.

This time, three blades of sword energy condensed almost simultaneously.

Two flew correctly, knocking the hooks aside.

The third failed to stabilize and dispersed before reaching its target.

Hao Nhien was not disappointed.

He had found a direction.

As he continued circulating True Qi, disturbances created by the pirates appeared one after another within his perception.

Wind Momentum was guided toward those points.

Sword energies carrying the form of the Tieu Dao Sword began appearing in succession.

At first, only a few.

Then ten.

Then more than twenty sword energies spread through the space ahead.

They were far weaker than the true Tieu Dao Sword.

Their trajectories were not completely precise.

But whenever the pirates charged or raised their weapons, new disturbances drew the sword energy toward them.

Hao Nhien gradually understood the difference.

Before, he had needed spiritual sense to choose the target, determine the direction, and maintain every individual sword energy.

Now, he only needed to sense Wind Momentum, maintain sword force, and guide the overall movement.

Changes within heaven and earth helped determine where the swords should go.

The burden on his spiritual sense fell dramatically.

The consumption of True Qi remained considerable.

Within the gray mist, sword energies appeared one after another, cutting toward the moving figures across the sea.

Hao Nhien watched the scene.

His heart trembled.

He finally understood part of how the Tieu Dao Sword Formation could truly be used.

Behind him, Lang Tuyet suddenly noticed the change.

She looked at the sword energies continuously forming around the Tieu Dao Sword.

Surprise flashed through her eyes.

“What are you doing?”

Hao Nhien did not turn.

“Trying another way to use the sword.”

“Now?”

“Mm.”

Lang Tuyet was silent for a beat.

Then laughed.

“You really know how to choose the perfect moment.”

“If I don’t try it now, I may not have another chance.”

Hao Nhien continued circulating True Qi as he spoke.

The number of sword energies gradually increased.

Dozens.

Then nearly a hundred.

But when Hao Nhien attempted to maintain more, his Golden Core began rotating at an increasingly high rate.

Pressure also returned to his spiritual sense.

He immediately understood that he could not expand the formation without limit.

The sword energies formed now were far weaker than the true Tieu Dao Sword.

They also existed only briefly.

But for opening a path—

this was enough.

Hao Nhien stopped increasing their number.

He focused instead on maintaining the sword formation at the most stable level possible.

The Tieu Dao Sword shot forward.

Dozens of sword energies immediately followed, sweeping through the pirates blocking the route.

Slash! Slash! Slash!

Figures were knocked aside one after another.

Some were pierced through.

Some had their weapons broken.

The rest were forced away.

A gap rapidly opened.

Hao Nhien immediately sent the flying sword forward, continuing to guide sword energy toward every place the pirates attempted to close.

Blade after blade swept through them.

The path opened farther.

The moment the space ahead became clear, Hao Nhien triggered Spirit Wings and launched himself from the plank beneath his feet.

The Tieu Dao Sword circled back to meet him.

The instant Hao Nhien landed upon it, spiritual sense drove the flying sword forward again.

At the same time, he continued guiding Wind Momentum.

Sword energies repeatedly formed within the space ahead.

This time, he no longer needed the Tieu Dao Sword itself to chase every individual target.

The disturbances created by the pirates guided the sword energies toward them and opened a passage through the encirclement.

Lang Tuyet watched.

Her eyes brightened.

“You’re going to use numbers against numbers?”

“If it works, it works.”

“But it’s expensive.”

Hao Nhien’s lips curved faintly.

“Remember to add it to your account when we return.”

“Of course.”

“I never do business for free.”

As she spoke, the nine fragments of her jade ring flew outward.

They worked together with Hao Nhien’s sword formation to break through the outer layers of resistance.

With her support, the dark-red vessel rapidly drew closer.

Thirty zhang.

Then twenty.

But the closer Hao Nhien came, the more clearly he felt the pressure on his Golden Core.

Maintaining the sword formation consumed far more True Qi than ordinary attacks.

And the pirates continued appearing.

He could not sustain this for long.

“Ten zhang!” Lang Tuyet called.

Hao Nhien immediately looked toward the mast.

The black mark was still flickering.

Streams of black water continuously gathered from the sea into the ship.

Just a little farther.

Then he could attack it directly.

At that moment, the blood-red flag on the mast suddenly curled inward.

Hao Nhien immediately became alert.

But instead of attacking him, the black patterns across the flag lit up at once.

Dozens of chains shot from the ship toward the rear.

Their target—

Lang Tuyet.

“Careful!”

Hao Nhien had barely shouted when the black anchor suddenly appeared above her.

The anchor-wielding pirate, who had never left the dark-red ship, now stood beneath the mast with both hands gripping the heavy chain.

The anchor descended with crushing pressure.

Lang Tuyet was forced to immediately recall the fragments of her jade ring.

BOOM!

The anchor was knocked aside.

But the moment the jade fragments concentrated around her defense, smaller chains attacked from both sides.

Lang Tuyet immediately understood the enemy’s intention.

These attacks were not simply trying to injure her.

They were forcing her defenses into a specific direction.

Then exploiting the opening created elsewhere to restrain her.

She swept one hand outward.

Three talismans erupted with light and severed the first chains.

But more had already circled behind her.

Together with the black anchor, they formed an encirclement.

The nine jade fragments immediately separated.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Chain after chain was knocked aside.

But just as Lang Tuyet prepared to escape the surrounding formation, another chain suddenly emerged from the sea beneath her.

It wrapped around her ankle.

Lang Tuyet immediately circulated True Qi to break it.

Two more chains shot forward at the same time.

One caught her wrist.

The other wrapped around her waist.

The chains tightened.

A strange pulling force dragged her toward the dark-red vessel.

Lang Tuyet was violently jerked through the air.

The artifact beneath her feet was pulled off course.

She still managed to hold her balance.

The jade ring blocked the next wave of hooks.

“Lang Tuyet!”

Hao Nhien immediately turned.

The black chains tightened further.

They began dragging her toward the decaying ship.

True Qi erupted from her.

The nine jade fragments spun around her body and repeatedly knocked aside incoming hooks.

A yellow talisman flared in her palm.

It transformed into a sharp blade of light and severed the chain around her wrist.

But the moment one side became free, two more chains rose from the sea.

She was forced to turn and defend again.

“Hao Nhien, don’t come back!”

Lang Tuyet’s voice cut through the drumbeats.

“Only ten zhang!”

“Strike the mark!”

Hao Nhien looked toward her.

Despite being trapped, Lang Tuyet was still holding herself in midair.

Talismans and jade fragments continuously worked together, preventing the black chains from dragging her completely toward the ship.

Hao Nhien clenched his teeth.

Then turned back toward the mast.

The Tieu Dao Sword Formation immediately concentrated ahead.

Sword energy after sword energy knocked aside the figures blocking him.

The black mark was already close.

One more burst.

He could attempt to destroy it.

Then the spear-wielding pirate aboard the dark-red ship suddenly moved.

He had remained motionless since the beginning of the battle.

Now he slowly raised his spear.

Its point turned toward Lang Tuyet.

A freezing aura gathered at the tip.

It aimed directly at the opening that had appeared when she concentrated her artifacts on the surrounding chains.

“Lang Tuyet!”

Hao Nhien turned immediately.

“I can handle it!”

Lang Tuyet shouted back.

Her eyes remained on the spearman.

“Don’t lose focus!”

The moment she finished speaking, three talismans shot forward.

They struck first at the spearhead where power was gathering, forcing the pirate to change the angle of his attack.

Hao Nhien hesitated for only an instant.

Amid the pounding drums and roaring sword energy, another voice suddenly surfaced from his memory.

“Don’t let me become a burden.”

He remembered Tieu Lan’s eyes when she had said those words.

She had already been enduring far too much.

Yet what she had worried about most was still whether he would slow down because of her.

In that instant, Hao Nhien understood what he needed to do.

The Tieu Dao Sword Formation collapsed inward.

The streams of sword energy dispersed one after another into the mist.

He placed a Qi Recovery Pill into his mouth.

The medicinal force had only just begun spreading through his meridians when his Golden Core started absorbing it furiously.

Hao Nhien tightened his grip around the Fire Spirit Sword.

“Fury!”

BOOM!

His blood and vitality erupted.

A colossal Fire Qilin Beast phantom appeared behind him.

Dark-red scales covered its body like cracked magma.

Lines of firelight ran along the beast, forcing the surrounding mist to roll violently under the sudden heat.

Freshly replenished True Qi surged through Hao Nhien’s meridians.

Sharp pain followed it.

His aura continued rising.

The Tieu Dao Sword flew beneath his feet.

Hao Nhien stepped down hard.

Spirit Wings spread at the same moment.

BOOM!

A streak of dark-red fire tore through the gray mist—

and shot across the battlefield.