"Damn it!"
Zhuang Zhentian's face was full of fury as he walked across the vast Hulna Grassland.
"I can't stay in Zhao Kingdom anymore. This Hulna Grassland, with its vast expanse and sparse population, holds no future for me," he muttered, growing more and more frustrated, his face twisted in anger and his teeth clenched. "Damn it! If it hadn't been for that sword cultivator who appeared out of nowhere, the entire Zhao Kingdom would be in the palm of my hand by now! Breaking through to the Nascent Soul stage would've been a given, and even reaching the legendary Spirit Reflection or Return to Origin realms wouldn't have been impossible!"
His rage reached a boiling point, and he stomped the ground forcefully!
Spiritual energy surged from his foot, causing the ground beneath him to ripple like water.
Then—
Boom!
The ground within a radius of ten meters collapsed, leaving a large crater. In a flash, Zhuang Zhentian's figure reappeared further ahead. "Damn it, damn it, damn it!"
As he raged, venting his anger wildly, the sound of his attacks echoed across the grassland, leaving the landscape riddled with craters and devastation.
At that moment—
A sharp whistling sound pierced through the air!
"Hmm?!"
Zhuang Zhentian raised an eyebrow. "Could it be a cultivator?"
He looked up and saw a streak of light rapidly approaching from the distant sky, heading directly toward him.
"Judging by that speed, this person must have considerable cultivation!"
Zhuang Zhentian muttered to himself, "I hope it's not that damned sword cultivator chasing after me."
However—
As the streak of light drew closer, his expression changed dramatically. "This... how is this possible?!"
He realized that the approaching light was not a cultivator at all, but a sword!
A sword, flying through the air without a master—how could that be?
Could there really be someone in this world who could control a sword from a distance of a thousand miles?
That seemed too unbelievable!
Zhuang Zhentian's mind raced with possibilities. Then, as the sword approached, he suddenly realized something. His heart trembled. "This sword... why does it seem so familiar?"
"Wait! I remember now!"
"This sword... it's the same one that was used by that sword cultivator who ruined my plans to take over Zhao Kingdom!"
"Could it be... he's chasing after me?"
With that thought, Zhuang Zhentian prepared to run.
But in the next moment, he changed his mind. "No, that's not right!"
"No matter how powerful he is in combat, he's only a mid-Nascent Soul cultivator. There's no way he could control a sword from such a great distance!"
"So, this sword must not be under his control."
"But then... how can an uncontrolled sword fly on its own?"
Zhuang Zhentian was utterly perplexed.
"Hmph! Back then, when that sword cultivator was around, his combat strength was overwhelming, and with the seven sects backing him, I had no choice but to flee. But now, without its master, there's no way I can't handle this sword!"
With that in mind, Zhuang Zhentian shot into the sky!
He flew toward the sword, positioning himself in its path.
...
"Hmm?"
Ye Fan, who was on his way to Da Jing to search for a new sword master, was a little surprised.
"Isn't that... the Demon Sect Leader who fled during the great battle between the righteous and demonic sects in Zhao Kingdom?"
"Why is he blocking my path?"
Ye Fan's thoughts churned. "If he knows sword techniques, he might make a decent sword master."
"After all, he's the Demon Sect Leader, scheming and ruthless. He's just suffered a major setback after decades, maybe even centuries, of plotting, so he must be desperate."
"If he becomes my sword master, he's likely to go on a killing spree!"
"That would help me evolve faster!"
"Besides, going to Da Jing doesn't guarantee I'll find a suitable sword master, and even if I do, they might not be as bloodthirsty as the Demon Sect Leader..."
"Alright! I'll let him be my next sword master and use him to my advantage!"
"I just hope he doesn't die too quickly under the effects of my curse."
At that moment, Ye Fan arrived in front of Zhuang Zhentian.
Zhuang Zhentian had been preparing to attack and force the sword to stop, but to his surprise, the sword stopped on its own, hovering steadily in front of him.
"Huh?"
Seeing the sword stop and stand upright before him, Zhuang Zhentian was filled with confusion.
"Why?"
He muttered to himself, "Could it be..."
Puzzled, he couldn't help but reach out and grasp the hilt of the sword!
The moment he did, a strange sensation surged through his heart!
"This is...?!"
Zhuang Zhentian exclaimed in shock, "A spiritual treasure!!!"
A spiritual treasure!
To a Nascent Soul cultivator, such an item was a priceless treasure!
Beyond the Nascent Soul stage, there were four more realms: Out-of-Body, Spirit Reflection, Return to Origin, and Great Ascension.
However, in the current world, aside from ancient legends, the most powerful treasures that still existed were spiritual treasures!
Even the magic weapon used by the Demon Lord Zhuang Zhentian had summoned was only a mid-grade magical treasure.
Now...
He had unexpectedly found a sword of spiritual treasure quality. No wonder he was so astonished and overjoyed!
"No wonder! No wonder!"
Zhuang Zhentian laughed maniacally. "No wonder that mid-Nascent Soul sword cultivator could unleash such overwhelming power! It turns out... it was because he had a spiritual treasure sword!"
"Hahaha! I don't know why this spiritual treasure has appeared here, but this must be my reversal of fortune!"
Laughing, Zhuang Zhentian began testing the sword's power.
He injected his spiritual energy into the sword's blade and soon discovered...
"Flying through the air no longer consumes spiritual energy? And now I feel like my flying speed has increased several times over!"
This was the passive skill Air-walking, which Zhuang Zhentian had just discovered.
Next.
"My body feels so light... as if wherever my mind wants to go, my body will instantly follow!"
He had also discovered the active skill Like a Fish in Water!
With a single thought, Zhuang Zhentian's body instantly appeared several hundred meters away in the sky!
Gasp!
Zhuang Zhentian couldn't help but gasp in amazement. "My speed has increased at least tenfold!"
Next.
Zhuang Zhentian's breathing grew ragged, and it felt as if a volcano was erupting in his chest, fueling an uncontrollable rage!
The fury of having his Demon Sect destroyed and being exiled filled his heart, turning his eyes blood-red!
A violent, blood-red aura erupted from his body!
"Kill! Kill! Kill!"
"Those hypocrites of the righteous sects who ruined my plans... I will kill them all!"
He had discovered the active skill Slaughter!
But unlike Lin Li, who had only used the Slaughter state as a tool for power...