n

n

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nMing Yue looked towards the stairs and quickly ran off to another corner of the room. Her eyes never left the stairs, watching them very closely.

n

"Did that one move wake it?

" she thought.

nGlued onto those stairs, she heard the sound of swords gently hitting each other as a shadow loomed over the stairs. It was very quiet but she could hear the dragon growling, a grating sound enough to make anyone shudder.

nThe shadow darkened as the dragon floated down the stairs, peering into the second floor.

nMing Yue now knew what it was like when awake. And truly, it was terrifying.

n

"Its eyes… they're not natural at all.

"

nOf course, for a dragon made of swords, it was obvious, but there was more to it than that. Its eyes truly didn't match its appearance, pure black, and even left a faint trail of darkness as the dragon turned around.

nThis was opposed to its white body, two piercing black eyes that resembled an endless pit. It gave off an eerie feeling, a sense that it was something that shouldn't exist in this world. To some degree, it felt like a corruption of some sort.

nThe young cultivator held her breath as she hid while the dragon entered the hall. It slowly walked through the cabinets, making sure that it was not touching the cabinets.

n

"I should escape first, it won't take long for it to notice that something was wrong.

"

nHolding her breath, Ming Yue slowly moved closer and closer to the stairs, Each step had her clinging tightly to Blood Moon, ready to take on the dragon if need be. But then it suddenly turned and she froze, still obscured by the cabinets.

n

"Did it find me?

"

nAt this point, she was prepared to fight and to destroy what this thing was. Each step produced a clinking sound as it came closer and closer to her, she could see its shadow growing over the cabinet she hid behind.

nThe grating growl was a nightmare sound to the ears.

nAnd right when she was about to strike back, the dragon backed away, going to the spiral stairs. Rather than ascend the stairs, the dragon went down to the lower levels. When it was gone and out of sight, Ming Yue quietly released her breath, peeking out up at the stairs just to make sure. She watched its long body curl down the stairs until its tail was nowhere to be seen.

n

"So it's going down? Where?

"

nShe glanced back at the cabinets before stepping onto the stairs as well, stealthily following the dragon.

nMing Yue could hear its steps, a crisp ring as the metal swords met the stone stairs. She followed it down to where it stopped before the twentieth and lowest floor. It paused for only a moment before marching forward, entering the brightly lit hallway.

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"So it's going there… Why? What's inside?

"

nUnable to stop her curiosity, she followed it, hiding by the entrance of the hallway and peering from the corner of her eye. Looking in, her eyes widened a bit and she turned away, leaning against the wall.

n

"Another sword!

" she thought.

nMing Yue then looked in once more, seeing the dragon curling against this other sword. It was a black single-edged sword that crackled with the smallest bit of lightning. It was practically featureless, without any decor, a simple sword filled with a dangerous power, one that she was familiar with.

nIt was the energy of the Calamity but not the remnant energy.

n

"Those papers were right, this was what they were going to do

", she muttered,

"Use that sword to absorb the energy of the Calamity. They were going to use it as an opportunity to create a weapon. The pure, raw power of destruction harnessed in this way.

"

nWithin that room, the black sword floated just slightly over the ground and it was wrapped in chains, all of which were nailed to the wall. On top of that, there were numerous talismans placed everywhere, hundreds of these papers sticking on the chain links.

nThe room itself was large as well, having just enough space for the dragon to coil around the sword. It laid still as if awaiting something, and something did happen soon enough.

nThe energy within the sword flowed out, seeping into the dragon's body.

nIt shuddered as these black sparks entered but allowed it to happen.

nMing Yue watched quietly as the swords suddenly changed and morphed drastically. One moment, they were swords, the next, they had become the scales of a dragon.

nShe could hardly believe it.

n

"Those swords… Is it trying to transform into a real dragon?

"

nThe thought of it was practically a fantasy but it was happening right in front of her. However, that transformation barely lasted a second before returning to its original form. The entire process lasted only a minute before the dragon stood back up, examining its body even.

nSome of the swords had little fractures on the surface, sure to grow with time. It snorted, growling in frustration before turning to leave.

n

"I must hide!

"

nRealizing this, the young cultivator quickly ran up to the nineteenth floor, entering a long hallway that split off into multiple paths.

n

"Um, the first one!

"

nWithout hesitating, she went for the closest path, hiding just around the corner and peeking through the hallway. Hearing the clanging steps of the dragon, it ascended the spiral stairs returning to the top floor.

nAnd finally, when it was away and out of sight, Ming Yue relaxed, sitting down against the wall. After taking a breath, she stood back up and went down to the last floor, where the door was slightly ajar.

nOpening it and slipping through, Ming Yue looked at the chained-up sword, standing at the edge of the room. She watched as the blade sparked out as if noticing that she was here.

n

"It's absorbing the energy to change, to evolve, just like the Savage Beasts

", muttering to herself.

nBut there was certainly more to that, especially after reading the documents from before. There was more, so much more to it.

n

"Order of the Astral Sword, the reason why that person became known as the Lunatic Sword, the Lunar Executioner, the Heavenly Slayer, Yan Yi, and this is his sword.

"

nAmong the documents were records of this elusive person, a person whose traces she had come across time and time again. Now, she had come to the truth of it all.

n

"Yan Yi, the strongest member of the Order, given his final task: To wield his sword and strike down the Calamity, snuffing it out and ending the cycle of life and death. In the end, he failed, saved only by his sword which had absorbed much of the Heaven's Power. But his mind could not take it, instead, he grew crazy, focused on one thing only, to strike at the skies. His whereabouts are unknown but his sword remains. It is now known as Zhen Wu's Sword.

"

nThis was what she had read.

nLooking at the sword now, Ming Yue was sure that she was right, Yan Yi was the Lunatic Sword. The chained blade gave off the same feelings as those other places, his home in the secret realm, that pond where his dead disciple was, all of those statues of him that she had come across.

nIt was the same and yet different, altered, changed, perverted by the energy of the Calamity.

nMing Yue couldn't help but admire the sword. It lacked any sort of decor, a simple sword but perfectly made. And all of the energy coming off of it was both chilling but welcoming. But she wasn't so easily fooled.

nHer eyes narrowed as she looked at the sword.

n

"You want to be freed…

"

nAs if knowing what she said, it produced a quiet cry, as if wanting to be used.

n