"A murderous weapon—this is a peerless murderous weapon," Ye Zhiqiu said, his expression slightly grim.
"After slaughtering tens of thousands of people, how could it not become a weapon of slaughter? It's murderous, yes, but also a peerless blade," Yi Tianxing said, his pupils narrowing as he spoke solemnly. If obtained, this demonic blade would be no less powerful than any other extraordinary treasure. It had been nurtured within the great tomb by the forces of geomancy and fate, making it comparable to a naturally birthed artifact of heaven and earth.
The sealed tomb resembled chaos itself, with the forces of feng shui acting like a crucible, refining treasures. In such an environment, the birth of extraordinary artifacts was anything but rare.
"A fine murderous blade indeed. I'm just lacking a good blade myself. With this in hand, who within the Divine Sea Realm could withstand a single swing from me?" A burly man with a rugged face stared greedily at the ghost-headed blade embedded in the execution platform.
Anyone who wasn't a fool could see the extraordinary nature of that blade. Everyone wanted to claim it as their own.
This man, carrying a warblade on his back, was a seasoned blade wielder. And for a true blade master, facing a peerless sword made it nearly impossible to resist the surge of desire.
With a loud laugh, he dashed toward the execution platform like a raging storm. His movement was wild yet fast, crossing more than half the distance in a blink.
"How bold. That blade is ownerless—it belongs to whoever is worthy. The blade is mine!"A young cultivator wielding the Ruyi Rope sneered coldly. With a flick of his hand, the Ruyi Rope shot out like a spirit snake, slicing through the air even faster than the blade wielder. It lashed around the hilt of the ghost-headed blade.
The moment the rope touched the hilt, it twisted around it tightly. Without hesitation, the young cultivator gave a powerful yank, trying to pull the blade out and draw it toward himself.
However, as he pulled, the confident expression on his face froze completely.
Despite his effort, the ghost-headed blade didn't budge an inch.
"Impossible! I have strength equivalent to thousands of pounds—and with my true qi added, it should exceed ten thousand pounds. How can I not move this blade? I refuse to believe it!"
His eyes were filled with shock and disbelief.
He pulled again, harder.
Once!Twice!
His face flushed purple from exertion, yet the blade remained unmoved, as if fused with the execution platform. All his strength was like pebbles thrown into the ocean—no reaction at all.
"How could this be..."
The young man's face twisted in unwillingness. Yet it was clear that, with his strength, he couldn't even budge the ghost-headed blade, let alone claim it. It was as though he had been slapped hard across the face.
"Hmph! A weak pretty boy like you trying to take the ghost-headed blade? What a joke. A real man needs strength! If you can't even pull out a blade, go back and play with your rope. Watch me!"The burly blade master reached the platform. At first, he was worried when he saw the Ruyi Rope already latched onto the blade, but now, realizing the young man couldn't pull it free, he sneered and dismissed the threat.
"Come to me!"Muscles bulging like coiled dragons, the blade master infused his strength and true qi into his arms and yanked at the blade.
But the moment he pulled, his expression shifted dramatically.He realized he too was about to become a laughingstock.
He had thought that maybe the other guy was just weak or had used the wrong technique. With his superior strength, it should have been easy. Yet now, as he pulled with all his might, it was as if he was an ant trying to topple a giant tree. His strength simply vanished into nothingness.
"Come on—move!!"Taking a deep breath, the blade master poured every ounce of strength and qi he had into his arms once again, trying to wrench the blade free.
Yet the result was the same.
The ghost-headed blade remained completely immovable.
"No matter how much strength I use... it won't even shake," the blade master muttered in frustration.With his strength, he could easily wield heavy blades weighing thousands of pounds. Yet this one blade refused to even budge.
"Hmph, move aside. Let me try."Another robust cultivator stepped forward, barking a challenge.
The blade master sneered but didn't resist. He simply moved aside.Since he had failed, he was happy to see others make fools of themselves too.
"It's just a blade—I refuse to believe it can't be pulled free!"Gripping the hilt with both hands, the newcomer roared and unleashed his full strength. Yet like those before him, his confidence was shattered against the ghost-headed blade.
"I'll do it!!"More cultivators stepped forward, all trying to pull the blade free.
But no matter how many tried, none succeeded.The blade remained as firmly rooted as ever, as if grown into the execution platform itself.
"This ghost-headed blade is already fused with the platform. The platform is connected to the cliff and the earth itself. A strange field of energy is shrouding it. Unless that energy field is broken, there's no way to pull the blade free," Ye Zhiqiu analyzed calmly.
He had considerable expertise in geomantic arts and could discern the truth at a glance.
The blade was practically part of the earth itself. To pull it free would be like uprooting the entire cliff. Even a powerful body cultivator couldn't manage it without apocalyptic force.
"As expected, the great tomb is filled with strange phenomena. The ghost-headed blade is a supreme murderous weapon, but claiming it won't be easy," Yi Tianxing frowned.He made no move to try pulling the blade himself.
He could faintly sense a dark and ominous aura from the blade. If forcibly removed, it might trigger disaster. Besides, even body cultivators weren't omnipotent; he wouldn't succeed either unless the blade chose to recognize him as its master—or unless something else changed.
More and more cultivators climbed the cliff and gazed longingly at the blade. But after several failed attempts, all they could do was glare at it helplessly.If they couldn't even pull the blade free, there was no point fighting over it.
"What a pity for such a fine blade. Even a monk like me can't pull it out,"Lu Zhishen lamented.At some point, he too had climbed onto the platform and attempted to pull the blade, but failed.
Lu Zhishen was famed for his natural strength—he could even uproot willows effortlessly. After cultivation, his power had multiplied several times over.Yet he still couldn't move the blade.
"This ghost-headed blade isn't suitable for me,"the black-robed blade master Yi Tianxing had met back at the inn said, shaking his head.Even if he claimed it, it wouldn't suit his style.Moreover, he instinctively sensed that the blade was extremely dangerous—capable of unleashing catastrophic destruction at any moment.
Rumble!!
Suddenly, a section of the platform ground cracked open, revealing a pitch-black hole.Without warning, a black war spear shot out, impaling a beautiful female cultivator straight through her chest.Blood stained her high chest red, and with a casual flick, she was thrown to the ground, screaming miserably.Her heart had been pierced. She would not survive.
The sudden screams and violence shattered the tense calm that had hung over the cliff.
"Who's there?"
"What is that?!"
"Upper body human, lower body scorpion... What kind of monster is this?"
"An alien race!! They're aliens! Kill them! These aliens have slaughtered countless humans! I've seen it with my own eyes—humans turned into slaves, living lives worse than death!"
"Kill them!!"
The human cultivators atop the cliff exploded with fury when they saw the newcomers.They were indeed members of the Scorpion Clan—a twisted race who had found the tomb and tunneled directly through the ground to appear here.The moment they emerged, they had begun slaughtering humans without hesitation.
By now, everyone on the Eternal Continent knew about the alien races.There was no peace between them and humanity—only death and bloodshed.
From the moment they met, alien races and humans became mortal enemies. The aliens had already stained their hands with human blood. They viewed humans as nothing more than prey.
To the Scorpion Clan, the humans were weak, numerous, and ideal food.
And to humans, the ancient saying "those not of my race are surely of different hearts" had never been more true.The blood feud was eternal.
Seeing the scorpion people, many human cultivators' eyes burned with killing intent.
Even more so because the scorpion people had announced their presence with bloodshed.
"Humans! This place belongs to my Scorpion Clan! Every human who entered today... must die!The treasures here are ours!"The Scorpion Clan leader stepped out of the hole, brandishing a blood-dripping spear.
More scorpion warriors poured out behind him, their bodies covered in chitinous armor, their lower halves monstrous with pincers and stingers flashing with deadly light.They stared at the humans with icy, predatory eyes.
"Damned aliens! You dare act so arrogantly here?! Die!!"
A blade wielder roared savagely.In one swift motion, he drew his blade, and with it, all the power in his body seemed to focus into a single blinding slash.