23: Ou Yezi
A grand and imposing mobilization ceremony officially began.
Below, Zhijiang watched in clear view, nearly weeping with joy as she hurried forward to express her gratitude to Chen Longshi. “Thank... thank you, thank you, sir, for all you’ve done for our Zhenwang City...” Her words stumbled from her lips, so emotional that Chen Longshi almost wondered if she intended to pledge herself to him.
Fortunately, he kept his wits about him; a young man traveling the world must learn to protect himself. With a solemn expression, he said, “Your Highness, you don’t think it will be so easy to overthrow the Tomb of King Chu, do you?”
Zhijiang, still caught up in her excitement, hadn’t yet replied when Minister Qu, standing nearby, asked in confusion, “What do you mean, sir? Now that morale is high and the undead monsters have lost their advantage, don’t we need to cower behind our defenses any longer?”
Chen Longshi continued, “That’s true. But I hope you understand something—the Tomb of King Chu must already know that a great number of its minions are no longer reviving.
They will not sit idly by. Whether it’s the four generals of the Tomb or the eight consorts, none are mere ordinary foes. Though they rarely emerge, it does not mean they cannot leave the Tomb.
Without my intervention, perhaps Zhenwang City could have maintained the current stalemate with the Tomb of King Chu, surviving a few more years. But my actions have broken that balance. What awaits us next is a great war.
It will be a decisive battle, and both sides will settle matters in the short term. There is no room left for luck.”
Hearing this, Zhijiang cast aside her girlish demeanor and, like Joan of Arc, raised the banner of resistance. “You need say no more, sir. Rather than live as a coward, eking out survival and waiting for the axe to fall, dying in obscurity, I choose to take up arms and fight bravely for a brighter future for our descendants. I believe the people of Zhenwang City will make the right choice.”
“Very well. Now every action must be urgent. We must seize the opportunity before the enemy reacts, and truly expand our chance for victory.”
Zhijiang expressed her trust. “How do we expand this chance?”
Chen Longshi gave a mysterious smile, about to speak, when suddenly a chill touched his face.
He looked up in surprise, only to discover that the sun overhead had vanished. Thick, ominous clouds now covered the sky. Though it was only the beginning of autumn, snow began to fall in an uncanny fashion.
Crystal-clear snowflakes landed on his face, instantly melting to icy water—a cold splash poured straight into his heart. Everyone sensed something was wrong, anxiety mingling with their tension.
In just moments, the snowfall grew heavier, covering rooftops, earth, and city walls with thick flakes. Everywhere the eye could see was draped in silver.
Chen Longshi spoke gravely: “It seems our time is short.”
...
Soon, a squad of elite warriors, clad in winter cloaks, dashed out of the city gates, heading toward the densest patch of clouds on the horizon.
On the way, Chen Longshi constantly checked their direction. Without realizing it, the team veered off the main road. Zhijiang asked in confusion, “Sir, this isn’t the way to the Tomb of King Chu?”
Chen Longshi replied with a question, “What’s over there?”
“Just some strange stone forests and long-abandoned mine shafts.”
“Then we’re on the right track. Prepare for battle.” No sooner had they reached their destination than they were surrounded by a horde of undead monsters. After a fierce joint fight, the monsters were cut down.
Venturing deeper into the stone forest, they soon found the mine shaft. Chen Longshi’s face lit up with joy. “At last, I’ve found the place that matches my memories from my previous life.”
“Light the torches.”
Once the torches were lit, Chen Longshi plunged in, leading the way without hesitation. Though he paused here and there, he never faltered, as if he was intimately familiar with the place.
Zhijiang and the others were deeply perplexed, but seeing his focus, they refrained from interrupting. Over time, she noticed Chen Longshi’s method for finding his way: sword marks. At every fork, several sword-carved markings, some faint, some clear, were etched at the junctions.
At first, Chen Longshi examined them carefully, but as they journeyed deeper, he moved faster and faster. After traversing an unknown distance, the mine suddenly opened into a vast cavern.
At the entrance stood a toppled sword monument.
On the monument, in ancient script, was inscribed a phrase: “The First Sword Mountain Under Heaven.” Five characters, engraved three inches deep, carved directly into the stone with a sword.
Despite the ravages of time, an indescribable aura of sharpness still radiated from the stone. Chen Longshi, seeing the inscription, felt a surge of wild and unrestrained energy, like that of a peerless swordsman—mighty as mountains, vast as rivers and seas.
...
What a “First Sword Mountain Under Heaven”—the master of this inscription must have been a fiercely proud, rebellious swordsman.
“The First Sword Mountain Under Heaven?”
Ou Lian stared at the monument in astonishment, growing more familiar the more he looked. “How could this possibly be the First Sword Mountain Under Heaven?”
“What’s the problem?” Chen Longshi asked.
Ou Lian’s expression was grave. “My ancestor, Ou Yezi, was famed for forging swords, most notably the Zhanlu Sword, known as the ‘First Sword Under Heaven.’ In the past, King Yun Chang of Yue (father of Goujian) ordered my ancestor to forge a sword. He searched famous mountains and rivers to find the ideal place. When he came upon Zhanlu Mountain, with its lush trees, abundant firewood, rich minerals, and clear springs suitable for quenching swords, he settled here to forge.
After three years of toil, he finally forged the peerless Zhanlu Sword.
The five legendary swords of the era were: Zhanlu, Juque, Shengxie, Yuchang, and Chunjun, with Zhanlu ranked first. Legend said it could split a hair at the edge, iron sliced like mud, unmatched in all the world. Later poets wrote: ‘Ten years sleeping beneath Zhanlu, twin dragons gaze at the sky, where can one find Ou Yezi? Ou Yezi gone for many springs and autumns, the Zhanlu Sword still lingers.’
Therefore, Zhanlu Mountain was called ‘The First Sword Mountain Under Heaven.’ How could it possibly be here?”
Chen Longshi replied, “Perhaps this is a relocated monument. Let’s go inside and see.”
As the torchlight illuminated the cavern, everyone was stunned.
The vast space stretched beyond sight—could it be that the miners had hollowed out the entire mountain?
The farther they explored, the more familiar Ou Lian found the buildings. “This is a remnant sword furnace, and over there are stone anvils and sword molds. Someone must have forged swords here!”
Not only the buildings, but a forest of damaged sword monuments stood deep within the cavern, each engraved with sword-carved script, some clear, some blurred. Zhijiang, intrigued, began to decipher them, reading aloud: “Gathering the pure iron from five peaks, blending the gold from six regions, using the stone of Wu Mountain, copper from Huiji, forged with a thousand hammerings...”
Ou Lian was even more distressed at seeing these inscriptions. “What about the rest? Why is it missing?”
“Calm down, Ou Lian,” Zhijiang urged.
“How can I be calm? My family has forged swords for generations. There may be precious information here left by my ancestor for forging divine swords, and now it’s lost. Will I never forge a divine sword and sweep the Tomb of King Chu clean?”
“Don’t worry, many monuments still bear inscriptions. Let’s search carefully.”
Sure enough, all sizes of sword monuments bore engravings: “When forging this sword, the mountain of Chijin broke open to yield tin; the stream of Ruoye dried up to yield copper; the Rain Master swept the skies, the Thunder Lord struck the bellows; dragons held the furnace, the Heavenly Emperor added the coal...”
Halfway through, the inscription was abruptly cut off—the monument slashed through by a sharp tool, the rest vanished. Yet even the partial content left them stunned. “The Rain Master swept the skies, the Thunder Lord struck the bellows; dragons held the furnace, the Heavenly Emperor added the coal”—what grandeur! No earthly emperor could rival such mastery.
“Here’s more... ‘The way of sword forging lies in the essence of man and the spirit of things, heaven and earth united in the furnace. Thus, the forger must be a pure boy or girl.’” Ou Lian’s eyes reddened, nearly mad as he pondered the phrase. “This is truly my ancestor’s sword-forging creed, the Ou family’s method. I remember when my father was alive, he spoke this phrase to me. Growing up, I never grasped its depth. Now, I realize this simple sentence is a vital step in the forging process.”
Zhijiang lifted a toppled monument and read, “Here’s another. Ou Lian, come look.”
Ou Lian rushed over. “‘If the body is not refined, the sword cannot be forged; if the will is not strong, the sword cannot be forged. A tyrant without benevolence cannot forge the sword. Without benevolence, war never ceases. Sharp weapons on the battlefield, countless deaths. Each sword forged is an evil wrought. One day, evil overflows, and destruction comes by the sword.’”
A hush fell over them all, as if transported back to the era when swords were revered and conflict was rife. In that age of warring states, swordsmiths held great prestige but served their kings.
How great is the harm of a tyrant? Perhaps history cannot fully reveal it. But the devastation wrought by a tyrant wielding a divine sword—the Tomb of King Chu is proof!
“Look, there’s a mountain of swords.”
Deep within the collapsed furnace, a towering sword mountain stood, its summit bristling with inverted swords. Someone must have triggered something, for the once harmless monuments began to tremble, stones falling in increasing numbers.
The clang of swords echoed throughout the cavern.
...
“Here it comes. Prepare for battle.” Chen Longshi was perhaps the only one to keep his composure. With a shake of his spear, he shattered a sword monument.
“What are you doing?” Ou Lian cried out in alarm.
“Careful—” Zhijiang shouted urgently from behind. Ou Lian, distracted, failed to dodge as a giant bronze sword swept out, its blade slashing his left arm.
One by one, sword puppets awakened from the monuments, wielding massive blades and surrounding the group. The soldiers raised their weapons to fight, but the sword puppets, forged of metal and stone, were incredibly tough. Their own weapons sparked against the puppets, but did no harm, leaving their hands numb from the impact.
They were forced back, the encirclement tightening.
At the critical moment, Chen Longshi stepped forward. He dismantled his spear, wielding the upper half as a unique sword and charged into the puppets. His sword moves—Nine Extremes Sword Technique—unfolded one by one. He never struck the puppets head-on; his blows aimed at their joints, and with his sharp blade, he cut through them as easily as slicing tofu.
The others quickly caught on. Zhijiang was first to notice, calling out, “Aim for the joints!”
With a move called “Sword Flash: Distance Collapsed,” Chen Longshi’s blade swept a three-yard radius, scattering several sword puppets to the ground, ending them all. Against these puppets, sword weapons were the wisest choice.
Though they were puppets, their sword techniques varied, each displaying remarkable skill and grandeur. Yet, limited by their puppet bodies, they could not fully realize their abilities.
Chen Longshi, seeing this, ceased rushing to destroy the puppets, instead repeatedly exchanging sword moves using the Nine Extremes Sword Technique. Over time, he noticed his proficiency with the skill increasing rapidly.
The Bronze-grade star skill, Nine Extremes Sword Technique, originally mastered to 82%, grew visibly stronger.
His swordplay became ever more refined, its power ever greater.
Unconsciously, Chen Longshi became immersed in this exhilarating surge of sword mastery, growing fiercer as he fought.
With a final clang, the last sword puppet fell—he had finished them all.
Checking his status panel, the Nine Extremes Sword Technique had reached 99% mastery. Only one final step remained before he could fully command this star skill.
...
Nine Extremes Sword Technique — Sword Moves:
Sword Supreme: Shattering Stone and Sky
Sword Shock: Cleaving Mountains and Rivers
Sword Whirl: Sweeping Wind and Clouds
Sword Flick: Parting Clouds and Rain
Sword Wave: Boundless Ocean
Sword Flash: Distance Collapsed
Sword Art: Antelope Hanging Horns
Sword Block: Dividing Dawn and Dusk
Sword Sever: Thread of Life