Chapter 257: Resolving the Soulblade Specter
Gripping the black broken sword's hilt in his hand, Luo Wusheng controlled his expression, careful not to let the smirk that almost escaped his lips ruin the persona he'd worked so hard to cultivate.
When he first laid eyes on the scene before him on the battlefield, he had fallen into a moment of deep thought. The Soulblade Specter's regenerative ability had indeed disappeared, but the remnants of a unique energy it had previously absorbed seemed to linger within it, maintaining its massive, thick-skinned form. Though it wasn't one of the worst-case scenarios he had anticipated, this version of the Soulblade Specter was still quite a hassle to deal with.
Couldn't he see the three Nascent Souls over there scraping away persistently? Without using his boundless power, Luo Wusheng's ability to scrape away wouldn't be much better than those three. And even if he could use his boundless power, it wasn't worth it.
Due to various unexpected events earlier, the crowd surrounding them had mostly fled, leaving only the boldest spectators on the very edge of safety. And if things took a bad turn, they'd surely flee faster than they had arrived.
Even the three Nascent Souls in front of him clung to their teleportation techniques, only attacking half-heartedly in case they needed to retreat.
Given the small number of spectators and the current situation, even if he unleashed another boundless technique, he wouldn't earn enough "recognition value" to make up for the energy cost. Furthermore, he hadn't recovered his spiritual energy from his last attack, so another strike would likely drain him completely.
But after all the effort he had put into building up this moment, joining in the scraping efforts would certainly be beneath him...
While Luo Wusheng calculated how much longer it would take for the Soulblade Specter to be whittled down by the three Nascent Souls and considered discussing his next steps with his beautiful fairy companion, the black broken sword in his hand offered him another option.
'From the vague information it sent, it seemed to have a unique method to deal with this Soulblade Specter.'
Luo Wusheng understood that while the broken sword had a somewhat unsavory personality, it held a lofty position as the former weapon of the Sword Emperor himself, used during his legendary battle with the Sword Ancestor. Its capabilities were unlikely to be trivial. Perhaps, in its undamaged state, it had been a Divine Artifact—or maybe even beyond that.
Regardless, he felt its power could be trusted for this task. Additionally, the broken sword had unwillingly established a deeper bond with him, granting him some level of control over it.
At least his experience within the Sword Emperor's secret realm would probably be... the standard version now?
Moreover, he'd roughly restrained the broken sword to prevent it from seizing the blank sword intent residing within the Soulblade Specter's body while he resolved this issue. He had a promise to fulfill, and it wouldn't do for the Soulblade Specter to be taken by another Nascent Soul or for the broken sword to absorb it instead.
Meanwhile, the three Nascent Souls who had noticed Luo Wusheng's inaction were puzzled. Their swords glowed faintly with shadows of falling leaves, flames, and waves, yet they hesitated, unsure of their next move. The situation had grown confusing.
From afar, only a few high-ranking cultivators among the spectators in Daybreak Mountain recognized the figure of Luo Wusheng, while most were left guessing who this newcomer was and why the three Nascent Souls had ceased their assault.
It was then that Luo Wusheng finally moved. In an instant, he appeared above the Soulblade Specter's head, right in the center of the Nascent Souls' cautious encirclement. He lightly tossed the black broken sword downwards, its blade aimed directly at the Soulblade Specter below.
The broken sword descended smoothly, sinking into the Soulblade Specter's golden, torn visage without any resistance.
The three Nascent Souls, who had been holding back, were taken aback.
The black broken sword felt utterly ordinary to them, a stark contrast to the terrifying might of the boy's previous earth-shaking slash.
And now, that blood-red longblade was nowhere to be seen in his hand.
'Could it be... that he can only unleash such power in a single attack and is now simply bluffing?'
This thought flickered through the minds of the "scraping" Nascent Souls, who felt a brief surge of confidence.
If that were indeed the case, they had no reason to retreat and could compete for a chance at the seemingly dormant Soulblade Specter.
Of course, if any oddities arose, they'd be ready to flee at a moment's notice…
But just as this thought crossed their minds, the three Nascent Souls trembled involuntarily, a familiar fear welling up from within.
The spiritual illusions of power surrounding their swords dissipated instantly, coalescing around their bodies as protective barriers.
A roar shook their very core, draining the color from their faces.
They watched the enormous Soulblade Specter as it lifted its twisted, half-slashed head, a massive, menacing maw opened wide.
Roar!
Another deafening roar confirmed that they were not hallucinating.
But now, their eyes began to betray them.
From the Soulblade Specter's severed head, a thicker, blacker mist than ever before rose, swiftly filling in the crack on its head.
The three Nascent Souls were shaken to their cores, memories of narrowly escaping the Soulblade Specter's relentless attacks flooding back. In a flash, they teleported to a distant location.
This was the moment they had been preparing for.
However, as they glanced back to assess the situation, they were left dumbstruck.
They saw Luo Wusheng calmly standing atop the Soulblade Specter's head, seemingly restored, with his hand lightly resting on the giant's head. The Soulblade Specter pulled out a massive black fog sword embedded in its chest—a sword it had been struggling to retrieve all this time.
But the blade was broken, with a familiar slanting fracture at the edge. In awe, the three Nascent Souls watched as the giant Soulblade Specter, instead of attacking the human atop it, raised its broken black mist sword high, letting out a resounding roar that shook the mountains and forests.
"... That's enough. Your performance is getting flashier than mine," Luo Wusheng murmured, his expression calm.
With a slight twist of his hand, the black mist on the Soulblade Specter's body expanded before abruptly contracting to a singularity.
The dense black fog swirled into his hand, eventually coalescing into the form of the black broken sword he had wielded before.
Only this time, it gleamed with an even blacker hue.
With a simple flick of his wrist, Luo Wusheng slashed through the air, unleashing a ripple of black and shadowed energy.
Before him, a small, round object formed, a miniature version of the Soulblade Specter, frozen and lifeless.
Inspecting the miniature Soulblade Specter and feeling the sword intent it held, Luo Wusheng grasped it, a subtle smile curving his lips.
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Note: Link to the character Illustration:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1lkIcPnCxeyuyZA4Kkb621dPC05UvWjhD