Return Of The Sword God

005

The hall was once again filled with low murmurs. The elders’ faces looked grim. They understood that Qing Tian’s words were not an overstatement. For hundreds of years, the Qing Clan had stood firm because of its strong ties with the Shi Clan. Now, that bond had shattered in just a single day.

Worse yet, the name of the Heaven Sword Sect had been dragged into this. The sect that ruled the eastern region was not a force a small clan like theirs could ever hope to defy.

Qing Tian let out a long sigh. He looked at his son with a gaze filled with concern. "Zilong," his voice was hoarse, "Father does not regret your courage in protecting the clan's dignity. But these consequences are too heavy. We have lost an ally, and the Shi Clan is now officially an enemy that will stop at nothing. And the Heaven Sword Sect... they will not let this humiliation slide."

The atmosphere in the hall grew heated again. The elders began to bicker; some blamed Zilong’s recklessness for pushing the clan to the brink of destruction. "He has only accelerated our doom!" one elder exclaimed.

Qing Zilong raised a hand, and the hall fell silent instantly. "An ally?" his voice was low but authoritative. "The Shi Clan did not come here as allies. They came to humiliate us on our own soil. If they abandon us in times of trouble, then they were never truly allies."

He looked at the elders one by one. "The Qing Clan does not need allies who only show up when we are strong." The words struck home, leaving the protesting elders speechless.

Qing Tian asked with a worried tone, "But what about the threat from the Heaven Sword Sect? They could wipe us out in an instant."

Zilong answered calmly, "Two months. I only need two months. Not only will Shi Nian be brought to his knees, but even Mu Rong will regret this day." All the elders fell silent, thinking it impossible, yet Zilong’s gaze seemed to see a world far beyond their own.

Qing Zilong did not explain further. He simply clenched his right fist slowly. A flow of Qi, far purer than what he had possessed three years ago, circulated quietly beneath his skin. No one in the hall noticed that the foundation of his body had completely changed.

Two months... For others, it might be too short. But for him, who had once stood at the peak of the Immortal Realm, two months was more than enough to rebuild a foundation.

Zilong then bowed before his father. "Father. I cannot become stronger just by cultivating within the clan. If I want to catch up to the Heaven Sword Sect in two months... I must risk my life."

Spontaneous opposition erupted from the elders. "Train outside? Zilong, be reasonable. Your body hasn't fully recovered. The outside world is full of beasts and rogue cultivators who wouldn't hesitate to kill you. Without the clan's protection, you are just an easy target!"

Zilong replied flatly, "Danger is the very best place for a cultivator. If I continue to hide behind this clan's protection, then in two months, I will still be defeated." That sentence silenced all debate.

Qing Tian wanted to hold his son back. As a father, he knew the outside world was far more cruel than anything Zilong had experienced before. However, when he looked into his son’s eyes, he realized that the young man before him was no longer the boy who had lived in despair for the last three years.

For the first time... Qing Tian saw hope. Finally, he nodded. "Go. The Qing Clan will wait for your return."

That night, Qing Zilong stepped out of the clan alone, without guards or servants. Only an old sword hung on his back. As he walked along a path on the outskirts of the Black Mist Forest, his steps slowed. He took a deep breath, sensing the energy around him.

Qing Zilong’s gaze slowly shifted to the mountain range on the eastern horizon. A memory from the life he had lived tens of thousands of years ago slowly surfaced in his mind.

He remembered an event from tens of thousands of years ago. On the peak of those mountains, a legendary Sword King had once stood, choosing to end his life to hide a legacy that could shake the very foundations of the Immortal Realm. For tens of millennia, thousands of talented cultivators had tried to find the location of the tomb, but all had met with failure.

To the world, that place was just a legend that had never been proven to exist. But for Qing Zilong, the path to the tomb appeared so clearly in his memory, as if he had walked it himself a thousand times.

The corners of Zilong’s lips lifted into a faint smirk. "In that case, let the journey begin."

Without looking back at the Qing Clan residence even once, he darted into the thick mist of the forest. At the same moment, far behind the isolated mountain range, a seal on an ancient tomb that had been dormant for tens of thousands of years suddenly vibrated. A dim purple light emanated from behind the rocks, splitting the darkness of the night, as if welcoming the arrival of its true master.