Heaven’s Edge Sword Manor, the Sword Tomb.
The Sword Tomb stood upon the sheer cliffs of Heaven’s Edge, where, through the mist below, one could faintly glimpse the Sword Forge Plaza.
Countless blades were embedded into the cliff face—some fused with the trees, others encased in stone, weathered by the passage of time.
The masters of these swords had once fought in the Celestial City.
Yet, in the end, all had fallen, their weapons returned to this place.
Beneath the wind-swept pines, an elderly man in coarse robes sat across from a gaunt, middle-aged scholar. Between them lay a large bluestone slab, upon which rested an exquisite wine jug and cups.
The old man’s beard and hair were white as snow, tied back with a straw cord. His expression was solemn, his breath faint, as if he were no different from the stone before him.
None would guess that he had once been the master of Hengyun Sword City.
One of the Nine Heavens.
His scholarly counterpart, however, bore a deep furrow between his brows, his hair loose and wild, giving him an air of untamed eccentricity—as if afflicted by some lingering ailment.He resembled a libertine indulging in the Five Minerals Powder, unrestrained and dissolute.
Yet none of this could mask the nobility that clung to him.
“When I first met you, Senior, you looked just like this. Now, I’m nearly old myself, yet you remain unchanged.”
The middle-aged scholar’s voice was gentle, yet carried an undeniable authority.
“To live so long is to become a thief, hm?”
The tomb keeper chuckled dryly, sipping his wine as if it held no flavor.
“This year’s Hidden Dragon Ranking is rather interesting. Ying Bing is no less impressive than she was in her prime, and there’s another lad who shows promise—though his swordsmanship is lacking.”
“Otherwise, with him and Jiang Yu, Xie Xuan wouldn’t need to enter the Celestial City.”
The scholar sighed softly.
The tomb keeper burst into laughter at his words.
The scholar raised a brow. “Why do you laugh, Senior?”
“I’m not mocking you. I laugh at myself and your father—how we wasted our lives scheming, only for fortune to favor the unlikeliest of hands. The Heaven’s Edge Sword Manor, a gathering of the finest swordsmen under heaven, yet in the end… it falls to a hammer-wielder to wield the Divine Sword and shatter the Celestial City.”
“You mean… that ‘Divine Hammer Overlord’?”
The scholar’s expression turned grave, an imperceptible aura of authority radiating from him.
The tomb keeper wiped a tear from his laughter.
“This morning, Ying Bing came—with the Little Princess.”
The scholar stiffened, his eyes flickering with something unreadable—regret, perhaps.
Fate spares no one…
“Ying Bing asked me: If she were to summon the Celestial Sword today, would it be taken from her?”
“I dared to tell her that if she was worthy of the blade, she should take it.”
Ever since Shi Sujun left the Divine Sword in the Celestial City, $2reat Yu had held the Hidden Dragon Tournament once every three years.
Countless talents participated—prodigies from across the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands all converged upon the Imperial Capital, vying for glory and supremacy.
Yet for all who came, none had ever brought the Celestial Sword out again.
Let alone claimed it as their own.
“How could she find the sword? And how could she take it?”
The scholar’s voice sharpened with urgency.
“I observed the Little Princess—she has regrown her Sword Bone. If anyone can find her mother’s blade, it is her.”
“And if she surpasses even Sujun, why couldn’t she retrieve it?”
The tomb keeper seemed to be growing drunk.
“But the one who wields it—”
The scholar paused mid-sentence, recalling the old man’s earlier words. All emotion drained from his face as he fell into contemplation.
After a long silence, he rose to his feet and turned, gazing up at the vast scroll of the Realm’s Tapestry hanging in the sky.
With a silent nod, $2hunder rumbled within the tapestry, and the Celestial City emerged from its depths.
……
Sword in hand, Ying Bing descended back to the mortal realm, freezing all who beheld her in stunned silence.
The blade in her grasp shimmered like celestial crystal, its moonlight form now faded—yet her skin still glowed as if bathed in lunar frost, as though she had just returned from the moon palace, stealing not an elixir (scratch that), but a sword.
Then she landed beside a certain hammer-wielding overlord, her gaze soft yet resolute as she whispered:
“I’ve brought back a fine sword. It should… be worthy of your dreams.”
“What honor do my dreams deserve…”
Li Mo’s scalp prickled, his breath catching in his throat.
The second-ranked divine weapon of the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands!
Second only to the Seal of Six Harmonies and Eight Wastes—the very one the Emperor used to stamp his decrees!
For ages, it had hung in the Celestial City, drawing countless heroes to their knees. Many who joined the Hidden Dragon Tournament did so merely to glimpse its splendor and reminisce about the legacy of Heaven’s Edge’s Sword Saints.
And now, before the tournament had even begun, it lay quietly before him.
As if, with a single reach, he could… command the heavens!
The Sword Forge Plaza fell into silence—until a brief clamor arose as the Manor Lord and the Sword Hall Masters arrived.
Before coming, they had thought, After guarding this sacred sword ground for so long, what haven’t we seen?
That old fool Nangong is making a fuss over nothing.
But upon arrival, they realized—this was something they had never seen.
The Divine Sword had been plucked from its perch.
And worse, the one who took it seemed intent on giving it away!
“How could Fairy Han be only the second most peerless beauty… She looks like she stepped out of a painting.”
“What nonsense are you spouting? She just took the second-ranked divine weapon from the Celestial City! What happens to the Hidden Dragon Tournament now?”
“Did the Divine Hammer Overlord save the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands in a past life? Damn him.”
“Isn’t he a hammer prodigy? The Celestial Sword wouldn’t even acknowledge Xie Xuan—what’s the point of giving it to him?”
Chaos erupted.
Even Li Mo himself felt the Divine Sword was wasted on his mediocre swordsmanship.
“Li Mo, you can do this.” Ying Bing’s voice was cool but firm.
Li Mo hesitated. “Well… maybe you should wield the Divine Sword, and I’ll stick with Taibai…”
Her gaze softened like thawing frost. “I say you can. No one else gets to say otherwise.”
“…Alright!”
Li Mo reached out and grasped the hilt.
Contrary to expectations, it wasn’t cold—instead, it felt warm and smooth, almost docile.
Huh. Not as temperamental as I thought.
The instant that thought crossed his mind, the Celestial Sword hummed, unleashing waves of relentless sword energy—as if protesting vehemently.
It felt like holding a dozen blades at once.
When he’d convinced Red Sky to reluctantly acknowledge him, he’d endured its sword intent’s assault.
But this? It was a thousand times worse. Even Li Mo’s fortified body struggled to bear it.
Before he could consider letting go, a slender hand closed around his wrist.
Her voice was gentle but firm: “Behave, or I’ll send you back.”
The Celestial Sword stilled.
“……”
Li Mo felt the sword’s spirit reluctantly forge a connection with him—
Too afraid of being tossed back into the Celestial City to disobey.
This works?!
“Tch…”
This actually works?!
Xie Xuan collapsed to the ground, his spirit utterly broken.