Chapter 33: The Final Return

The starblade’s scabbard finally served its purpose.

Chen Longshi had been waiting for this moment for a very long time.

But to place all hope on the scabbard alone was impossible. Opportunity flashed by in an instant.

As the “Black Dragon” forged from the King of Chu’s sword was drawn into the scabbard, it immediately began to endure pressures far beyond its limit. Cracking sounds echoed from its surface, as if it might shatter at any moment.

At that critical juncture, Chen Longshi erupted.

With a roar, he rushed forward, his divine sword radiating a strange brilliance.

He unleashed a strike straight for the King of Chu’s true form.

“Sword Severance: A Thread of Life!”

Chen Longshi was already at the pinnacle of bronze-grade life; this killing move, unleashed with full force, was utterly unstoppable.

The instant the sword struck, it felt as if it had pierced something tangible. He heard a crisp, explosive sound, and the King of Chu’s massive body seemed to pop like a balloon—a dazzling red light tore open at his chest, soul flames scattered from the wound, writhing in agony, as he cried out.

“Ah… my sword heart!”

Chen Longshi was momentarily stunned. Was the sword heart a physical object, or had he misunderstood?

There was no time to ponder. He spread his left palm and pressed it against the King of Chu’s chest.

This move overloaded Tun Tun.

The King of Chu’s gigantic form deflated like a punctured doll, shrinking at a visible rate. His body cracked all over like a shattered porcelain vase. Yet, even so, he managed a sudden punch that sent Chen Longshi flying.

Chen Longshi retreated with a flash step, stabilizing himself mid-air, landing with only a slight stagger.

A flush appeared on his face. “So, you’re not as formidable as I imagined!”

“How does that sword taste?”

The King of Chu raged, but aside from furious roars, he could do nothing.

Yet Chen Longshi’s strike had pushed him to the limit.

The scabbard, unable to bear the burden, emitted one final shattering sound, completing its mission before crumbling into dust.

The “Black Dragon” forged from the King of Chu’s sword broke free, roaring, and reverted to sword form in the King’s hand. With a sweep of his arm, the King and his sword transformed once more into an even larger black dragon. Its soul-flame lantern eyes glared at Chen Longshi, who stood watchful with sword in hand, then abandoned him, roaring toward the distant soldiers.

Hundreds of soldiers stood no chance against the “Black Dragon’s” attack. The billowing smoke-shrouded beast merely opened its maw, inhaling—draining their essence, spirit, and strength, their bodies shriveling at a visible rate, as the dragon’s own form grew larger.

The “Black Dragon” continued to rage, and even after slaughtering the scattered soldiers, it was still unsatisfied, flying toward the city.

“No!”

Chen Longshi’s expression changed at last. His divine sword trembled in his grasp, as if yearning to break free.

He hesitated only a moment before releasing the “Zhi Jiang Sword,” letting it soar skyward and transform into the Nine Phoenix Divine Bird. The phoenix, ablaze with wrath, its cry thunderous, charged the “Black Dragon” with unstoppable momentum!

Dragon and phoenix collided in a battle beyond mortal comprehension. One half of the sky blazed like the sun, the other drowned in darkness.

With two divine swords clashing, half the city was destroyed in an instant.

Countless civilians perished.

The “Black Dragon” opened its jaws to devour.

“Tun Tun, go!”

Chen Longshi had foreseen the King of Chu’s strategy—he would not let him succeed.

Demonizing his left arm, he slipped silently into the fray, inhaling with a soundless bite, clearing the field in a flash.

The King of Chu’s efforts amounted to nothing.

Meanwhile, the Nine Phoenix struck as the enemy was distracted; its nine heads pecked at the “Black Dragon,” ringing out with metallic clangs, scattering sparks, fragments of divine sword falling as meteoric lava or icy shards.

The “Black Dragon” roared endlessly, barely breaking free from the Nine Phoenix’s entanglement, but its repeated injuries left it clearly weakened.

Yet, in the next moment, the two sides collided again with earth-shattering force.

A thunderous explosion shook heaven and earth.

Where the swords met, a dazzling sword wave erupted—like a bomb dropped into tranquil waters, waves surged outward.

Chen Longshi seemed to hear a mournful cry—a farewell.

A newly forged sword clashed against the King of Chu’s blade, whether called “Zhi Jiang Sword” or “Nine Phoenix Sword,” its fate was sealed.

Yet it pressed on, unflinching, colliding again and again, each time shattering further.

Divine sword broken, heaven wept.

A rain of blood fell from nowhere.

Chen Longshi sighed; such a peerless sword, yet it could not be his.

Such was fate.

As the sword waves faded, a black shadow finally failed to hold its form, plummeting from above—the King of Chu, restored to human shape. His bald head was bereft of its crown, wild hair fluttering, royal robes torn to rags, resembling a beggar.

Without a word, Chen Longshi drew a massive three-meter bone club from his left palm, activated his starblade, and smashed it down upon the bald man.

“No!” the King of Chu cried.

The club fell, crushing his skull like a watermelon.

His body collapsed, rigid.

“It’s over.”

Glancing at the half-ruined city behind him—once home to countless souls, now nearly silent—Chen Longshi could not help but sigh.

Clang—

Two bare sword hilts, one black, one red, fell from the air.

Chen Longshi paused, then picked them up.

The Zhi Jiang Sword felt the same in his grasp, but its warmth was gone, cold as dead iron. If not for the faint red glow flickering from the hilt, he might have believed the sword spirit extinguished.

With a quiet heart, he put both away, raised his arm to check the trial evaluation on his sword emblem.

“Successfully forged Nine Phoenix Divine Sword: Evaluation +20%!”

“Killed Four Generals and Eight Consorts: Evaluation +30%!”

“Killed King of Chu, shattered King of Chu’s sword, eradicated the King of Chu’s tomb: Evaluation +50%!”

“Final trial evaluation: 150%, perfect!”

“Ultimate trial reward obtained, returning soon.”

A glowing orb drifted before him; Chen Longshi collected it.

From the ruins behind came footsteps—Ou Lian, leaning on his sword, battered and broken, approached step by step, voice hoarse: “Is it over?”

“It’s over!” Chen Longshi affirmed. “You are free!”

Ou Lian gazed at the ruins, eyes vacant. “But why do I still feel imprisoned?”

Chen Longshi was silent. In Ou Lian’s eyes, he saw a heart turned to ashes.

“Are you leaving?”

Chen Longshi nodded. “Fate is unpredictable; no one can see the future. I don’t know what you’ll face next. Perhaps a new world awaits, or maybe you’ll return to the cycle of reincarnation. But whatever comes, it’s better than endless struggle with the King of Chu’s tomb through generations. Ou Lian, you must rally—there are people in the city who need you to lead them to new life. It is also Zhi Jiang’s dying wish.”

Hearing these words, a spark of light finally returned to Ou Lian’s eyes.

He looked seriously at Chen Longshi, knelt with both knees, and gave a long, solemn bow. “Thank you, sir, for your great kindness.”

“Town King City will forever commemorate your rescue!”

Chen Longshi patted his shoulder, saying nothing more.

The sword emblem in his hand suddenly radiated with teleportation light, and the purple lotus of reincarnation above his head bloomed wide.

Endless phantom petals opened and swiftly closed, as if swallowing the whole world.

Stunned, Chen Longshi had no time to observe the change—a flash, and he found himself before the teleportation sword stele outside the secret realm.

He was out.

At the entrance to the secret realm, chaos reigned.

“What happened?”

“I was fighting an immortal monster, and then I got teleported out.”

“It nearly scared me to death—I was doing my task when the secret realm suddenly collapsed, like the end of the world. I almost couldn’t escape.”

One by one, trialists were thrown out, each recounting bizarre experiences, their voices louder for fear that their evaluations might be impacted. Misery loves company.

“How do we get scored now? The trial interrupted itself.”

The giant sword stele’s teleportation portal faded as Chen Longshi emerged, its light extinguishing.

The chief instructor was shocked, completely baffled by what had happened. He kept adding advanced star crystals, but none had any effect.

Among the crowd, Chen Longshi spotted Ji Yao, Nie Renxiong, Jiang Yun’er, all lost in confusion. He didn’t greet them, but quietly slipped away, full of questions.

Suddenly, the sword stele began cracking, gradually imprinting a series of new murals.

The images were abstract, but their colors vivid. As the light shifted, the murals multiplied.

“Look! Patterns are appearing on the sword stele…”

“Bring the lights!”

The giant star crystal lamps cast their glow, and everyone rushed forward to see.

Closer inspection revealed several modules in the murals.

At the beginning, a troop of knights charged through a wind-swept city gate.

The second mural showed a blazing sword forge, a red-robed woman dancing by moonlight, and an armored, silver-lance man seated, playing the zither.

The third mural depicted countless figures forming arrays, clashing with spears and clubs. It was clear these figures belonged to two opposing camps, each with its own totem.

One camp clustered around a massive black dragon; the other crowded beneath a nine-headed red bird, its feathers marked with flames, like the sun. Both sides slaughtered each other relentlessly, blood flowing in rivers.

Reactions to the murals varied. Some, excited, pointed out familiar buildings, recalling similar experiences. Others were confused, unsure about the dancing woman and armored man.

When all murals had played out, the final scene appeared: amid the ruins of a collapsed city, one person stood tall, another knelt, as if bidding farewell.

Then, all images faded, and a line of characters appeared on the sword stele—listing the top ten trialists. Names like Wu Zixiong, Xiang Yinglong, Qu Shang vanished, replaced by one new name above all.

Inheritance bearer of the Sword Tomb Secret Realm: Chen Longshi!

“Ah, it’s Chen Longshi!”

Someone shouted, and when heads turned, there was no sign of the peerless handsome youth.

Boom—

Crack—

The sword stele, its mission complete, abruptly split apart.

The crowd watched in shock; the magnificent stele now seemed nothing more than an ancient monument.

The Sword Tomb Secret Realm… had completely vanished.

The result left everyone silent and at a loss. After several breaths, an uproar erupted.

“The Sword Tomb Secret Realm is no more, its mysterious legacy belongs to the Chen family alone!”

“How did he do it?”

“Is the Sword Tomb truly closed forever? What about future generations?”

“What inheritance did he obtain?”

Among the crowd, Nie Renxiong and others rejoiced for Chen Longshi. Others, faces dark with hatred, wished him dead—if Chen Longshi were still present, one could instantly recognize the Song Yuanxian brothers.

The Sword Tomb Secret Realm had become a legend, its legacy now belonging to Chen Longshi.