Chapter 117: Not a Bad Blade Aura

Lin Fan knew that the strength of this seemingly unremarkable vagrant likely surpassed his own. Even while merely stroking a wooden stick in silence, the man emitted a latent, razor-sharp sword intent. The terrifying pressure it exerted made Lin Fan break into a cold sweat, as if a sword were suspended directly above his head.

"Be off with you," the vagrant muttered, picking his nose with an air of indifference. "I’m not going down the mountain. You lot can hold the line yourselves."

"Hoo." Lin Fan drew a deep breath and said expressionlessly, "Then forgive my disrespect."

The Green Dragon Blade hummed and vibrated as Lin Fan gripped it. A surge of loyal, righteous blade intent began to coalesce.

But the next moment, Lin Fan froze. The blade energy, only half-formed, halted abruptly. A tree branch was pressed against his throat. Though it was just a twig, it felt as though it could easily pierce through his neck. Frigid sword energy surged along the branch; a fly that happened to land on it was silently sliced in two.

The one holding that branch was the vagrant!

Fast! Incredibly fast!

Even Lin Fan had not seen how the man had stood up or how he had pressed the branch to his throat. He had only caught a flash of light, like the gleam of a blade.

"Not a bad blade technique. If you had fully condensed it, even I would have had to dodge," the vagrant said, looking at Lin Fan with a blank expression. "But you cannot defeat me. Go. You cannot force me to re-enter the world."

The branch against Lin Fan’s neck trembled, a silent warning. Lin Fan looked at the vagrant, whose power far exceeded his own, and a flicker of determination flashed in his eyes.

*Clang!*

The Green Dragon Blade fell to the ground. Under the incredulous gaze of the vagrant, Lin Fan sank to his knees!

*Thud!*

His knees hit the ground with a heavy, dull sound.

The vagrant looked at Lin Fan, smirking. "A dignified Commander-in-Chief, actually kneeling to beg? Isn't that shameful?"

"It is," Lin Fan replied, looking at the Sword God Zhang Feng without a hint of servility. "If it were only for myself, I would rather die than kneel. But for Great Xia, for my countless countrymen, I am willing to kneel! I implore Sword God Zhang Feng to descend the mountain! Help Great Xia, and fight against the gods!"

Through two lifetimes of reincarnation, not even the gods had forced Lin Fan to his knees. But today, he knelt—all to beg the Sword God to descend and aid Great Xia.

The light of the campfire flickered on the vagrant’s face. "My sword is a sword of detachment. You are impressive, but the path of the sword is heartless." The vagrant stared at Lin Fan emotionlessly. "Go back. Do not ask me again. My sword shall not enter the world."

***

Lin Fan did not rise. The cold wind blew against him, but the vagrant ignored him, opting to lie down and begin snoring.

The sun rose. The sun set. Lin Fan knelt for a full day. When the vagrant was hungry, he would go to the river with his stick, returning with fat fish pierced through their vitals to roast, while Lin Fan remained motionless. When he wasn't hungry, the vagrant would sit cross-legged, stroking an old, worn sword with a face full of adoration.

Another day passed. Lin Fan still did not move. The vagrant would occasionally wake from his snoring, see Lin Fan still kneeling there, and, treating him as if he were invisible, roll over and go back to sleep.

It was the third day. Still before dawn. Lin Fan’s entire body ached, but he remained kneeling, his spine straight as a rod.

*Beep.*

The satellite phone rang. Lin Fan finally moved; it was a text message.

"Elder Chen: Come back. I have completed the analysis and production; we are ready to begin inoculations. Furthermore, the God-Slaying Army and the disciples of various sects have arrived. They need you to coordinate them."

Lin Fan stood up.

"Finally couldn't take it anymore?" The vagrant picked his nose and chuckled. "Off you go, then."

Lin Fan, his face deathly pale, looked at the vagrant and suddenly began to laugh.

"What are you laughing at?"

"I laugh because this so-called Sword God is nothing but a coward who watches his countrymen face death with indifference, hiding on a mountain, afraid to step down. I laugh because I actually hoped such a coward would lend a hand. I laugh because a person like you is somehow worthy of treading the path of the sword, attempting to become a Sword God!"

After speaking, Lin Fan turned and left.

A sliver of light appeared in the pitch-black early morning. The first rays of dawn pierced the darkness, illuminating the summit of Cloud Mist Mountain and the back of the young man as he descended, as if gilding him in gold.

The vagrant stood still, staring blankly at the youth's retreating figure. The hand holding his sword trembled slightly. He, too, had once dreamed of iron horses and frozen rivers, of mighty armies. But his master had told him that the sword he cultivated was one of detachment. One must be heartless to master the sword, for the path of the sword is without mercy. Only by being heartless could one grasp its essence. The sword must not be unsheathed; it must be nurtured with sword intent.

His sword, passed down through his master’s lineage, had not been unsheathed for nine hundred and ninety-seven years. The sword intent gathered within was vast and boundless. In less than three years, the millennium of accumulated intent would reach completion, helping him become a Sword God and transcend the mortal realm.

He had once asked his master when the sword should be unsheathed. His master said, "The time has not yet come." He asked when that time would be. "You will know when the time comes."

Watching the lonely figure of the youth disappear, the half-step Sword God Zhang Feng whispered, "The time has not yet come."

***

The military convoy sped away. Fighter jets soared through the sky once more. Lin Fan caught a brief nap on the way; three days without sleep had pushed him to his limits. It was five hours after descending the mountain, past noon, when he finally awoke.

Dazed, he splashed his face with water and ate a few bites of bread before regaining some energy as he stepped off the plane. As soon as he landed, he saw Elder Chen walking toward him, looking weak but wearing an excited smile. "It’s done! It’s finally done after three days of testing! I didn’t fail you!"

As he spoke, Elder Chen stumbled, nearly falling. Seeing the dark, heavy circles under the old man's eyes, Lin Fan felt a pang of heartache. "Why push yourself so hard..."

"Can I afford not to?" Elder Chen tremblingly pulled a simple syringe from his coat. "Five million doses have already been produced overnight and delivered. The production line is set up; we will certainly produce enough to meet the needs of the fifty million soldiers within the next four days..."

Before he could finish, Elder Chen closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep. Lin Fan reacted quickly, catching the old man and gently lifting him into a vehicle. A lab assistant, also wearing a white coat and dark circles, said awkwardly, "Elder Chen told us to sleep two hours a day, but he hasn't closed his eyes for three days..."

"Let him go back and get some rest!" Lin Fan held the frail body of the old man and carefully laid him down in the car. "Leave the rest of the fighting to us. Also, once Elder Chen has rested, make sure he gets an injection. Even if he is old and it’s too late to train in the God-Slaying Arts, it will be good for his health. You all know how important he is to Great Xia."

The researcher nodded and departed with the sleeping Elder Chen. Lin Fan took a deep breath and took the radio from Elder Jin.

"Three days left. Pass on my orders. Everyone, man the walls! God-Slaying Army members, move into your designated positions by squad as previously arranged. Workers who have finished construction, pull back immediately. Soldiers, sect disciples, and God-Slaying Army members—get up there! Prepare for the final simulation drill; units must begin to coordinate. Furthermore, under the command of Situ Hong, all units are to begin the orderly injection of the Tianshan Snow Lotus serum."

At the same time, two pieces of news exploded across the internet, capturing the attention of the entire world:

"Great Xia has completely finished the construction of the Great Wall of Steel!"

"Great Xia has begun the injection of Tianshan Snow Lotus serum for its soldiers!"