bookandnovel Chapter 41 Freshmen
Chapter 41 Freshmen
The void after the Demon Lord's remnant soul dissipated was exceptionally quiet. There was no surging of demonic energy, no piercing whistling of sword intent, and no roar of the Netherworld Ship's main cannon. Only the fragments of the Heavenly Venerable Sword Formation, not yet completely disintegrated, were still slowly drifting down in the far distance, the pale blue light spots like a snowfall that had lasted for ten thousand years finally coming to an end.
Ling Chen, supporting himself against the rubble, stood up from the pile of rubble. His cultivation had plummeted back to the peak of Qi Gathering, the chaotic vortex in his dantian had shrunk to less than half its original size, and his meridians were as parched as a riverbed scorched by fire. But the Myriad Dao Returning to Nothingness Diagram was still slowly rotating in his dantian, and the sword intent of the three attendant swords still shone quietly deep within their spines. He glanced down at the Broken Heart in his hand—all the cracks on the sword had healed, and the pale golden seal that had accompanied him all the way had completely merged into the sword's body. The blade, illuminated by the ghostly blue light, gleamed with a warm, newly forged sharpness.
He looked up towards the city walls. Tie Gu was leading the remnants of the expeditionary force, carrying the wounded out of the ruins. Several half-demon children, carrying arrow shards taller than themselves, weaved through the rubble, shouting, "There's one more alive over here!" Xiao Lie and Han Tie sat side by side on a flattened floating reef, the Crimson Flame Sword and the Golden Scale Sword lying across their knees, the demonic blood still fresh on their blades.
Ling Chen turned and walked towards the city walls. Su Qingyuan followed behind him, carrying the Frost Condensation Sword, without saying a word.
Iron Bone saw him from afar, his demonic bone prosthetic leg clattering rapidly on the gravel. As he approached, the ancient demon general, who had lived for tens of thousands of years, said nothing, simply placing his still-functioning hand on his breastplate and bowing in an ancient demonic salute. Ling Chen reached out and gently pressed the prosthetic leg down, asking, "General Iron Bone, how many of the expeditionary force will return to the mortal realm?"
"Reporting to Your Excellency, all 317 people are safe to return. The 12 seriously wounded have been stabilized with the spiritual medicines stored by the expeditionary force, and the 56 lightly wounded have bandaged themselves. The Pill Hall in Luoxia Valley has received Lord Bai Ze's message, and sufficient stretchers and follow-up pills have been prepared at the other end of the teleportation array." Tie Gu looked up at the Netherworld Ship, which was slowly descending. "The Demon Emperor said—the Netherworld Ship has enough space to hold everyone. He was the one who brought us to the God Realm back then, and he is the one bringing us home now. This old general has waited for this day for ten thousand years."
In the distance, Bai Ze stood on the bridge of the Netherworld Ship, directing Yin Lin to adjust the ship's attitude so that the cargo hatch at the stern was aligned with the training ground. Yin Lin's voice could be heard across half the island—"Lower the port side by three inches! There's still a child in that rubble pile over there who hasn't come up yet!" Several half-demon team members hurriedly moved aside the rubble and carried a half-demon child covered in dust out of a corner of the ruins. The child wasn't afraid; he stared curiously at the glittering demon eye totem on the Netherworld Ship with his vertical pupils, chewing on the dry rations Yin Lin had given him.
On the floating reef, Xiao Lie sheathed his sharpened Crimson Flame Sword and nudged Han Tie with his elbow: "Brother Tie, did you count? How many did we kill this time?"
"I didn't count. But there are more than at the Conferred God Platform." Han Tie lowered his head and counted for a moment. "Hmm, two more."
"...You actually counted?" Xiao Lie shoved him. Han Tie looked helpless: "You asked me if I didn't count, and now you're pushing me after I did. What do you want?" "I want to push you." "...Get lost."
Liu Yuan circled around the rubble from the other side, holding a black jade slip he had just unearthed from the ruins of the demonic cultivator's camp. The jade slip was inscribed with the communication code of the Shadow Demon General's former subordinates, and the last page was dated three months prior—the same time as the Battle of the Conferred God Platform. This meant that after the Shadow Demon General's remnant soul was severed, the former subordinates of the God Realm spontaneously ceased their activities, issuing no new commands for three months. After the Demon Lord's death, the last remaining demonic cultivators, still lurking, had also completely lost their objective. Liu Yuan tucked the jade slip into his sleeve, intending to take it back to the Qingyun Sect for filing. Perhaps among those remaining former subordinates, some would still be willing to undergo the same separation technique—to strip away their demonic essence and re-enter reincarnation in mortal form.
Ling Chen walked through the bustling training ground and onto a relatively intact boulder. The Netherworld Ship was making its final preparations for takeoff, the golden light of the Demon Eye Totem already enveloping the entire floating island. He turned to face the expeditionary force soldiers, half-demon members, fellow disciples of the Azure Cloud Sect, and allies from the Iron Sword Sect and Sunset Valley, still gathered in various parts of the fortress, and raised his hand to indicate that he had something to say. The training ground gradually quieted down.
"After the battle at the Conferred God Platform, Elder Jianxuan asked me—'The sword seal is shattered, what about the seal?' I replied, 'I am the seal. Today, in the ruins of the God Realm, I obtained the Heavenly Venerable's natal sword intent. The final gap in the Nine Revolutions Demon Sealing Array has been filled, and the Three Realms Seal is no longer a broken array from today onwards. The Demon Lord's remnant soul has entered reincarnation, the Shadow Demon General's former subordinates are being investigated, and the remaining demonic forces in the Spirit Realm and the Mortal Realm are leaderless. It won't be long before they are wiped out by the three major sects. All members of the God Realm's remnant race have returned to the Mortal Realm, and the Netherworld Ship will be responsible for their transport.'"
He took the sword servant's tassel from his waist and placed it on the stone platform in front of him along with the Heavenly Venerable's jade slip, then raised his head to look at everyone.
"From this day forward, there will be no more reincarnated Celestial Venerables in the world. Ling Chen, an inner disciple of the Qingyun Sect, reports to you all."
Tie Gu was the first to kneel on one knee, followed by the three hundred expeditionary soldiers who knelt in unison. Xiao Lie jumped down from the floating reef, planted his Crimson Flame Sword in the ground, and clasped his hands in salute. Han Tie followed behind him, a beat slower.
Su Qingyuan lightly flicked the second ice crystal pendant newly added to the tassel of the Frost Condensation Sword, and in the brief moment when everyone bowed their heads, she smiled very lightly and quickly, then joined everyone in bowing with their swords. She said nothing, but the clear and melodious sword cry emitted by the Frost Condensation Sword had already spoken for her.
Bai Ze stood on the bridge, looking down at the scene. He raised his teacup towards Ling Chen and silently mouthed "thank you".
The Netherworld Ship slowly rose into the air, its demonic eyes opening at the bow, golden light piercing through the void of the divine realm. Below, on the floating island, the three hundred Iron Bones expeditionary soldiers and half-demon members carried the last batch of supplies into the ship's hold. Several half-demon children leaned over the ship's railing, watching the floating island that had imprisoned their ancestors for ten thousand years grow smaller and smaller until it finally became an inconspicuous gray pebble in the void.
The rift in the spirit realm slowly opened in front of the Netherworld Ship. On the other side of the rift was the familiar Broken Sky Cliff—Jian Xuan and the disciples left behind by the Azure Cloud Sect lined up to wait. The alchemists of the Sunset Valley had prepared stretchers and pills. Even Luo Yue, the sect leader of the Iron Sword Sect, had come in person, staring wide-eyed as the massive hull of the Netherworld Ship squeezed out inch by inch from the rift, muttering, "This broken ship is bigger than my Iron Sword Sect's mountain gate."
Ling Chen stood on the deck of the Netherworld Ship, the familiar wind from Broken Sky Cliff rushing towards him, the rift in the spirit realm slowly closing behind them. Su Qingyuan stood to his right, and Xiao Lie and Han Tie, who had just emerged from the ship's cabin, to his left. Tie Gu, leaning on his demon bone prosthetic leg, stood below the bridge, looking up at the long-lost azure sky above Broken Sky Cliff, tears streaming down his face, yet he stood ramrod straight.
The Three Realms are restored to their proper places. A new era begins today.