Chapter 386: WHERE IS THE UNDO BUTTON?!
Luo Wusheng felt like he had just landed a critical hit.
The claim that the Demon Sect's Holy Saint was talentless? Complete nonsense. These days, ask anyone even slightly informed and they'd all know about the "peerlessly gifted" Luo Wusheng.
Just look at the elders from the major sects who entered the Ancient Heavenly Gate alongside him last year—their mental states were still in shambles from that experience.
And as for the rumor that the Sword Emperor was defeated by the Sword Ancestor? That wasn't hearsay—it was written in stone, quite literally. The Sword Emperor himself had carved that account into the main hall of this secret realm using his own sword. Judging by the bitter reaction that followed, it was hard to deny the truth of it.
Luo Wusheng could sense it—if the little Soulblade Specter in front of him wasn't made entirely of black mist, its expression would probably be as dark as a thundercloud.
The specter was silent for a long while before finally turning its featureless head.
"...At your level of cultivation, it's understandable that you can't comprehend the depths of the battle between me and the Sword Ancestor."
That childlike voice had noticeably lost some of its earlier edge.
"That Sword Ancestor… although born in a much later era than mine, was extraordinary. I don't know how she rose to such prominence, but in a world far removed from the ancient era, she somehow managed to break through the final barrier of cultivation..."
He trailed off.
Before he could continue, Luo Wusheng interjected calmly:
"You make a good point. But that also means—she really did beat you. And she used… what, just a regular wooden sword?"
He stated it plainly, like reading off a menu.
In the original story, the Sword Ancestor had always used an ordinary wooden sword. By all normal standards, it was still just a piece of wood—neither divine weapon nor spiritual artifact.
Judging by how violently the Sword Emperor's broken sword had reacted when that wooden sword was mentioned earlier, it had to be the same one.
The black mist surrounding the Soulblade Specter twitched violently.
"Could you not bring that up?"
Had he not been in such a weakened state, he might have attacked right then and there.
Luo Wusheng narrowed his eyes slightly.
'At the very least, some part of the original Sword Emperor's will remains intact. And he's clearly weakened… likely due to being bound by this Soulblade Specter form.'
After confirming there were no issues with his authority within this secret realm, Luo nodded toward the little specter.
"Alright, let's change the subject. Since you are the Sword Emperor, there's something I've always wanted to know."
"Hmm?"
"It's about your sword—the one that was snapped clean in half by a single strike from the Sword Ancestor's wooden sword. Does it have a name?"
He casually raised the broken blade in his hand, putting on an innocent expression.
The Demon Sect's Holy Saint is someone who could hold a grudge—especially when he recalled how his wife had looked slightly amused earlier when she watched as the specter mocked his supposed "low talent."
That alone was enough to stir up Luo's mischievous side.
Besides, this broken sword had been the main culprit behind why his kidney still ached.
Of course, Luo Wusheng only dared to mock the specter now because he was confident in his grasp of the situation—he knew where the limits were.
This time, the black mist around the little Soulblade Specter trembled even more violently.
But strangely, even as the black mist flared and twitched… it gradually began to settle.
The Soulblade Specter seemed to come to a realization. It turned its obscured face toward Luo Wusheng, and though unreadable, its gaze carried a distinct sense of scrutiny.
"Oh? Hmm… so that's how it is… Hah. In that case, even though your talent is subpar, you are, surprisingly… a rather fitting choice."
The youthful voice had shed its earlier irritation, taking on a strangely light, almost cheerful tone.
Luo Wusheng blinked in confusion, unsure what had caused the sudden shift in mood. But the Soulblade Specter continued speaking.
"Oscillation. You may call it that. It shares its name with my Sword Body."
Its mist-cloaked hand gestured toward the broken sword in Luo Wusheng's grip. The small Soulblade Specter, now seemingly in better spirits, spoke slowly.
"My time in this form is limited. I've answered one of your questions—now, it's your turn to answer one of mine…"
"I can sense it—you haven't had this sword's inheritance for long. So how did you manage to accumulate so much Sword Principle in such a short time?"
. . . . . .
The Sword Principle—he was referring to the black mist-like energy that surrounded the Soulblade Specters.
After a brief pause, Luo Wusheng chose to answer honestly.
There seemed to be a generational gap between them. The little Soulblade Specter hadn't even recognized the term "Soulblade Specter" at first, though it quickly caught on and stopped referring to whatever name it had used in the past.
What was clear was that the Sword Emperor had an undeniable connection to the Soulblade Specters. Whether it was the power of the broken sword Oscillation, or the entity floating before him now, the link was unmistakable.
Yet, when Luo Wusheng finished his explanation, the specter fell completely silent.
Not a single word in response.
'Could it be… the Soulblade Specters originated from the Sword Emperor?'
Their origin…
If that were true, then the two problematic Heaven-grade Soulblade Specters that had recently appeared in Sword Province—the very ones he had dealt with—might make more sense.
He had never fully understood how two such mutated, Heaven-grade Soulblade Specters could appear in one place. Typically, even one would be a once-in-an-era anomaly.
But two? Both mutated?
"They definitely weren't naturally formed."
It wasn't until he mentioned this in his explanation that the Soulblade Specter—who now seemed almost certainly to be a vessel of the Sword Emperor's will—finally responded.
After that, no matter how much he tried to dig deeper, the specter said nothing more.
Luo Wusheng fell into deep thought.
Two Soulblade Specters. The spatial rift at the start of the Sword Emperor's secret realm…
He'd always had a suspect in mind when it came to the strange happenings in Sword Province.
His "master"—the current Demon Sect Master.
The possibility was high.
That man had appeared disguised as a bald-headed coachman to intercept his wife, Ling Shuangxue, and ensure her fated encounter with him unfolded at the perfect moment. He still couldn't grasp the deeper meaning behind the setup—but it had clearly been intentional.
And that man's cultivation was at the peak of the Tribulation Crossing Realm. As the supreme leader of the Demon Sect, he had more than enough power to tear open a spatial rift and plant something in the Sword Emperor's secret realm.
But that wasn't all.
Luo Wusheng recalled a key moment from the original tale.
After the capital event arc, there had been a brief month of calm—then the Ancient Heavenly Gate had opened.
That entire arc had been sparked by a promise between the Demon Sect Holy Maiden, Bai Xiaoyao, and the original protagonist, Lu Yuliu.
By a twist of fate, the demoness had learned that she could gain a tremendous opportunity within the Sword Division of the Ancient Heavenly Gate—but only with the help of a sword immortal who possessed an Exquisite Sword Heart.
The Sword Division… was under the Sword Emperor's authority.
'If Junior Sister's information had come from Master… and if we consider what happened in Sword Province…'
Then perhaps the Demon Sect Master knew far more about the Sword Emperor's legacy than anyone realized.
Possibly even enough to artificially create mutated Heaven-grade Soulblade Specters?
The very thought made Luo Wusheng's lips go dry.
Almost unconsciously, he turned his gaze back to the small Soulblade Specter floating in front of him.
He still couldn't say with absolute certainty that this strange Soulblade Specter was truly the legendary Sword Emperor.
But one thing was undeniable: the knowledge this entity possessed far surpassed anything most beings of the current era could even begin to fathom.
Just as Luo Wusheng was pondering what to ask next, the little Soulblade Specter let out a soft "Hmm?"
"The Sword Ancestor message-sending sword has already been modified this much? So many little details added? Tch, at this rate, the remaining Sword Principle is going to be cutting it close. Doesn't seem like much will be left to return—but it should be worth it."
…?
Luo Wusheng didn't immediately understand what the self-proclaimed Sword Emperor was talking about.
But the black broken sword in his hand reacted before he could figure it out—trembling violently, as if letting out a silent wail. It was desperately resisting whatever was about to happen.
Whatever the little Soulblade Specter was planning next, it clearly involved taking something precious from the sword.
Then, right before Luo Wusheng's eyes, the mist surrounding the specter began to churn wildly. A thin stream of it detached from its fingertip and surged straight toward the message sword at his waist.
"What a pity," the specter muttered. "There's just not enough Sword Principle left for me to see more of your conversation with the Sword Ancestor successor, especially after the earlier question changing session."
"I had originally wanted to see if you'd be just as sharp-tongued with the Sword Ancestor's successor—someone with such deep karmic ties to you—as you were with me. But it seems that won't be happening."
"In that case, I'm going to leave some direct message."
"Hmm… how about: 'I know your biggest secret.' …No? Still not enough?"
The Soulblade Specter, already fading and growing more transparent by the second, paused.
Its blurry head tilted slightly, just enough to glance toward the floating water sphere above the altar.
This time, it said nothing more.
Moments later, its form fully dissipated. The last traces of black mist that had been absorbed into the message sword vanished without a trace.
The broken sword in Luo Wusheng's hand went limp, like a dying breath had escaped it. It was as if its soul had been extinguished. The blade seemed drained of all color and life—no joy, no sorrow. Just… emptiness.
Everything had happened too fast.
Luo Wusheng stood frozen for a full second before his instincts kicked in. He immediately reached for the message sword on his waist.
Though it was a rare artifact capable of transmitting real-time messages across great distances, at its core, it was still a simple wooden sword.
Chosen by the Sword Ancestor as her medium for communicating with the original protagonist, it had excellent anti-tampering safeguards. Once bound to someone's spiritual imprint, it was nearly impossible for anyone else to alter or access it.
And yet…
Without Luo Wusheng having edited or sent anything, two very conspicuous lines of glowing text had appeared on its surface.
[I know your biggest secret.]
The first line felt like a mischievous threat. A prank at best. He wasn't too rattled—at least, not yet.
His eyes shifted to the next line.
[Oh, and your master's too.]
It was short. Just a few words.
But it made the proud Holy Saint's hand tremble.
Thankfully, only the Oscillation fell to the ground. He still clutched the message sword tightly.
At that moment, two thoughts flashed through Luo Wusheng's mind:
'Did I just get hacked?!'
'Holy crap crap crap—WHERE IS THE UNDO BUTTON?!'
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Note: Link to the character Illustration:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1lkIcPnCxeyuyZA4Kkb621dPC05UvWjhD[1]
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Tn: I updated the story daily, but if you want to see more chapter of this story ahead of time, please go to my Patreon.
Latest Chapter: Chapter 532: What On Earth Is Master Talking About?[2]
Link: https://www.patreon.com/posts/chapter-532-what-156146549[3]
[1] https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1lkIcPnCxeyuyZA4Kkb621dPC05UvWjhD
[2] https://www.patreon.com/posts/chapter-532-what-156146549
[3] https://www.patreon.com/posts/chapter-532-what-156146549