Chapter 150: Chapter 93: The Sword Dances Like a Startled Swan
Hexia felt little longing for the Divine Sword or the inheritance that Feng Jianxue had mentioned; such things were not must-haves for her. However, she very much wanted to fulfill the regrets her mother had experienced in the past.
Not only because she was her daughter, but also because she shared many of her mother's views on various matters. If some customs and rules were no longer appropriate, then it was time to sever them. People cannot always live in the illusions of the past.
Humans are strange creatures. If it is just for themselves, they can usually choose to endure and yield. But when it involves someone important to them, sometimes they are willing to take great risks and suffer to do certain things.
Her issues with her sister had caused their mother excessive grief, leading to her untimely death. This made Hexia feel somewhat guilty as she gradually learned the truth. Perhaps the main reason wasn't herself but her sister, yet such discomfort was not easily alleviated.
If only she could do something to make amends, even if it involved great risks.
People cannot always be calm and rational; perhaps this was quite a reckless and willful act, but once the notion arose that day, she could no longer suppress it.
The practice of the Withering Sequence still required gradual progression, but the blueprint for the Natural Sequence's Transcendent Core was well established. The Sequence 3 Transcendent Core within her slowly dissolved, and then the Magic Power of the Natural Sequence condensed even more quickly. This had always been the Sequence she was most talented in, especially with the "Voice of Time Strings" Talent. Restoring it was hardly difficult.
Natural Sequence 5, Azure Bird Breaking Branch (Legendary Condensing Bead Rank), achieved.
Her black hair danced in the gentle breeze, and those eyes shimmered with a pale blue luster. Then, with a lift of her fair fingers, a Silver Blade Longsword condensed from aqua crystal materialized before her.
"This! This is unbelievable..." The clean Magic Power spilling from the girl before him, the lightness and rhythm, the harmony and remoteness—all were just like the figure described in the dusty ancient tomes. The old man before her teared up with excitement.
For this, he knelt down slowly, hands touching the ground.
"We, the 'Sword Guardians', pledge to follow your noble lead, journey to the Seven Mountains, slay the demonic dragon, and fulfill the unblemished vow of Qing Luan!"
Having said this, he carefully took out a Token from his chest, upon which a Sword Edge passed through a Green Lotus, its tassel flowing with pride and distinction. The Qing Luan branched out five ways, each to its own house, and the one they followed was the once world-famous leader of the Five Veins, "Green Lotus Sword Cleansing Palace."
The old man input Magic Power into this Token by a special secret technique. Simultaneously, in various corners of the Forbidden City, those who still retained this "Sword Command" felt their Tokens emanate a chill, and a bit of information also came through the hands clutching the Tokens.
"Is this for real?" Someone sitting alone at home stared at the gleaming Token for a long time without a word.
"Ge Lianfeng would not make such a joke. If the Second Miss truly has descendants coming back to claim debts..."
"Then we can only stand up and follow."
The Sword Edges, long hidden in secret compartments in their homes, were taken out once again; the White Goose Feather Clothes, long since abandoned, were draped over their shoulders anew. The Forbidden City, which had been calming down as a cessation of hostilities began, was once again filled with chaos and tension.
"What's going on, why do I feel that the city has suddenly become disorderly again." Hidden in an attic not far from the Ancestral Shrine, Feng Jianxue looked anxiously at the scene outside the window.
"Hexia couldn't have gotten lost, right? Had I known, I would have brought her with me. Now it seems difficult to leave." He paced back and forth, eventually making a decisive choice to retreat for the time being.
Meanwhile, in a descending vertical elevator, a man clad in black and wearing a mask listened to reports from nearby personnel with a cold gaze.
"Her daughter? What a joke."
"She could barely keep herself safe, and now she's dragged her offspring into this mess. I thought she would be well-behaved outside and live out her remaining years, but she's still so naive and foolish." He knew his sister too well; even though she was kind-hearted, she was too idealistic.
An individual may choose to be weak and give up, but a Species cannot afford to be weak or give up. For that means annihilation and decline.
"Send the order, anyone who follows the daughter of Gu Yongrong will be shown no mercy!"
"Yes!"
As the contemporary ruler of Jielou City, he would not be soft-hearted. Especially at this time, it was crucial to employ swift and severe measures to suppress any rifts at their inception.
The garrisoned personnel in Jielou City received orders, and squad by squad began patrolling and blockading residential areas. Meanwhile, in the core level at the very bottom, soldiers clad in crimson armor opened the sealed armories. Numerous Electromagnetic Rifles, preserved for many years, were reassembled and directed towards the Forbidden City.
"We must act fast, Your Highness. We have to control the T2 level AI 'Luoyu' in the Forbidden City before Gu Qianlou returns, to disrupt most of the resistance forces within Jielou City and seize the initiative." Ge Lianfeng explained his plan as he followed behind Tilan, and gradually, several aged 'Sword Guardians' also began to gather around the two.
"She is just like the Second Miss in every aspect, even the air about her is strikingly similar." The 'Sword Guardians' who arrived remarked on Tilan's resemblance to her mother in temperament and appearance.
"Has she really appeared, our five-hundred-year-long cherished wish..." Some looked at the aura emanating from Tilan, lost in thought and tears streaming down their faces.
"So be it, I shall devote myself to death!"
"A man born into this world should not linger inactively underground like a withering tree waiting for decay!" One after another, they drew their radiant Longswords, which exuded a chill and clear brilliance.