Chapter 161: The Vicious Spirit in the Bloodthirsty Sword

Chapter 161: Chapter 161: The Vicious Spirit in the Bloodthirsty Sword

At the Sword Cleansing Platform, everyone was deep in discussion. Naturally, their topic was none other than Yi Xiaoyao.

"Yi Xiaoyao actually defeated Ye Qingqing! It won’t be long before his ranking on the Hidden Dragon List replaces hers at number twenty!"

"No, you’re wrong. Given how he utterly crushed Ye Qingqing with that final sword strike, he’s definitely not just number twenty!"

"That Yi Xiaoyao is simply a monster, a demon!"

As the crowd talked amongst themselves, the fear of Yi Xiaoyao’s mountain-piercing sword strike still lingered in their hearts, their faces a mixture of awe and terror.

All of a sudden, the voices died down.

Because Yi Xiaoyao had arrived.

All eyes, filled with awe, converged on the tall, straight figure who stood like a sharp sword as he walked toward the Sword Cleansing Pool.

No one had dared to provoke Yi Xiaoyao before, and now, after seeing him defeat Ye Qingqing, they were even more terrified to show him the slightest disrespect.

As Yi Xiaoyao walked toward the Sword Cleansing Pool, Ye Qingqing clutched the wound on her chest and staggered after him.

Thanks to Yi Xiaoyao’s earlier treatment, Ye Qingqing was barely able to move. She walked to the few Sword Cleansing Platforms in the innermost circle, only to find they were already occupied.

The people occupying those platforms were, without exception, the strongest cultivators present. They had all seen Yi Xiaoyao gravely injure her, so they had no intention of leaving her a spot.

"Get out of the way."

Ye Qingqing frowned deeply, her voice weak as she spoke to the person in front of her.

The man wasn’t a Hidden Dragon List expert, but he was still one of the most outstanding cultivators in the Golden Core Ninth Realm. When he saw that Ye Qingqing actually expected him to give up his Sword Cleansing Platform, his expression soured.

"Ye Qingqing, you’d better get a grip on the situation. In your current state, I could kill you effortlessly. Are you sure you want to pick a fight with me?"

The man snorted coldly at Ye Qingqing, showing no intention of moving.

The onlookers watched this commotion with strange expressions. If it were them, they wouldn’t have given up a Sword Cleansing Platform to a grievously wounded person either.

Yi Xiaoyao merely shot an indifferent glance in their direction before looking away. ’I already saved her life. Whether she lives or dies from now on has nothing to do with me.’

Unexpectedly, Ye Qingqing spoke with a hint of grievance in her voice. "Yi Xiaoyao, you’ve already claimed victory and grievously injured me. Can you really bear to just stand by and watch me get bullied?"

Yi Xiaoyao froze. ’Why couldn’t I bear it? I have no connection to this woman, and it’s not like I’m the type who goes weak in the knees for any pretty face.’

But before he could respond, the man standing before Ye Qingqing went pale.

"You can have it!"

The man said hastily, vacating the Sword Cleansing Platform.

He wasn’t afraid of Ye Qingqing in her current state, but he was terrified of Yi Xiaoyao. He wouldn’t dare get involved in anything related to that walking disaster.

Everyone had witnessed Yi Xiaoyao saving Ye Qingqing and telling them all to leave earlier. Because of that, the man truly believed there was some sort of relationship between the two.

After yielding the Sword Cleansing Platform to Ye Qingqing, the man simply went and snatched someone else’s.

Just then, the refined man from the Washing Sword Sect appeared at the perfect moment.

"It seems everyone has fought for and settled on their positions. In that case, let the sword cleansing begin." As the refined man spoke, he cast a few extra glances at Yi Xiaoyao.

With excited expressions, the crowd plunged their longswords into the Sword Holes on their respective Sword Cleansing Platforms. Yi Xiaoyao, feeling a stir of excitement himself, inserted the Bloodthirsty Sword into the Sword Hole at the very center of the Sword Cleansing Pool.

As the swords were inserted, the Sword Cleansing Pool gradually filled with clear water. The water was suffused with an incredibly dense Qi of the sword.

At this moment, Yi Xiaoyao gripped the sword in his hand tightly, his expression one of astonishment.

He shared a bloodline connection with his Bloodthirsty Sword, allowing him to clearly sense that beneath the Sword Hole lay the very same kind of evil soul he had devoured before!

This soul was roaming within the subterranean water of the Sword Cleansing Pool. Since the Sword Holes on the platforms were all connected to the pool, the evil soul sensed the insertion of the many swords and began to grow excited.

In the next moment, everyone felt something surge into their longswords, and looks of joy appeared on their faces.

But Yi Xiaoyao was the sole exception; his expression turned strange.

He sensed the evil soul trying to surge into his Bloodthirsty Sword, only to be blocked by a barrier of power that seemed to repel everything.

’This is a seal!’

Yi Xiaoyao was secretly alarmed. ’I can be certain that the power preventing the evil soul from entering is the seal the Hall Master mentioned.’

However, while this Sealing Power was incredibly profound, it wasn’t very durable. Under the evil soul’s frantic assault, it quickly shattered.

The moment the seal broke, the mighty aura of the Bloodthirsty Sword erupted. The evil soul, now even more excited, tried to surge into the blade.

But the next moment.

ROAR!!!

A savage beast’s roar echoed from within the Bloodthirsty Sword. Only Yi Xiaoyao, with his bloodline connection to the blade, and the evil soul attempting to enter it could hear the sound.

In the next instant, the evil soul recoiled in utter terror. It circled the Bloodthirsty Sword, horrified, not daring to approach it again.

Yi Xiaoyao’s heart trembled violently as well. The instant he heard that roar, he distinctly sensed that another evil soul resided within the Bloodthirsty Sword—one that exuded the aura of a Fierce Beast from Ancient Times.

But this soul was far, far more malevolent than the one from underground! And it was countless times more powerful!

’What is that! Why is something like this inside the Bloodthirsty Sword? It feels like the soul of a Fierce Beast from Ancient Times!’

Yi Xiaoyao was stunned. He began to wonder, ’Could it be that the seal on the Bloodthirsty Sword was meant to imprison the soul of that Fierce Beast?’

’I can’t ignore this. When I get back, I have to look through some ancient texts and figure out what’s going on.’

For now, however, Yi Xiaoyao pushed these thoughts aside. His attention returned to the evil soul in the earth below.

’I’ve been wanting to devour this soul to replenish my own and increase my Cultivation. Now that it’s delivered itself to my doorstep, I have no reason to let it go.’

Although the evil soul no longer dared to approach the Bloodthirsty Sword, a strange smile touched Yi Xiaoyao’s lips. He bit his finger and let a drop of his blood fall into the water of the Sword Cleansing Pool.

A few days ago, Yi Xiaoyao had formed a hypothesis: this evil soul desperately craved the Sword God Bloodline within his body, just as the Bloodthirsty Sword had once craved his blood.

That was why, back at the Stone Sword Stele, he had used his blood to lure and devour a third of that soul.

Now, the moment his blood merged with the water of the Sword Cleansing Pool, the evil soul, as expected, could not resist the temptation and surged upward.

Yi Xiaoyao’s eyes flashed. He plunged his right hand into the water and unleashed the Soul-Devouring Forbidden Technique once more.

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