Gu Qingfeng's words were nothing if not grand, causing Lixin Xianzi, Old Lady Jin Hua, Upper Immortal Qingqing, and the others to frown deeply. Even Huode couldn't help but sneer, "I say, kid, aren't you blowing your own horn a bit too loudly?"
Huode knew Gu Qingfeng's abilities were considerable and his skills far from ordinary, but to claim they were so great that even the Heavenly King and the Old Man of Heaven himself would kneel before him—he wouldn't believe that even if beaten to death.
"Hahaha!"
Gu Qingfeng laughed heartily. "Isn't that obvious? When you're bragging, of course you make it sound big, otherwise what's the point of bragging at all?"
Tilting his head back for a swig of wine, Gu Qingfeng looked at the Lingyu Sword and said, "I've made myself very clear. If you continue to follow me, you'll just end up squatting in some dark, forgotten corner. You might even rust away without me noticing. But if you follow Sister Qingqing here, you'll feast on delicacies and drink fine wine every day. Who knows, you might even outshine all other blades and become a famous sword renowned throughout the Great Wasteland. By then, you could be like Upper Immortal Qingqing, with a whole flock of sword spirits pursuing you…
Just thinking about it is delightful, so what are you hesitating for?"
This time, the Lingyu Sword did not emit a low hum. It simply floated quietly in mid-air, as if considering Gu Qingfeng's words.
"The choice is yours. But I'll count to three. After three, you must decide. One, two, three—done! Now choose."
Lixin Xianzi and Upper Immortal Qingqing watched this scene with speechless expressions. It felt as if Gu Qingfeng were forcing a virtuous woman into prostitution. Moreover, he had promised to count to three, but those three counts came far too quickly—he finished before they even knew it.
Yet, the Lingyu Sword still did not move. It made no choice.
"Since you're so fond of squatting in corners, today I'll grant your wish…" Before Gu Qingfeng could finish his sentence, the Lingyu Sword shot with a *whoosh* to Upper Immortal Qingqing's side, circling around her.
"At least you know what's good for you."
Gu Qingfeng laughed. "Alright, Sister Qingqing, from now on, the Cloud-Water Sword is yours."
"Was its former name Cloud-Water?"
"Correct."
The Cloud-Water Sword bloomed with azure radiance, emitting waves of sword-song, clearly showing goodwill toward Upper Immortal Qingqing. Sensing the Cloud-Water Sword in this moment, Qingqing's heart was immensely complicated, stirred with excitement she could scarcely contain. Not daring to delay or show disrespect, she immediately rose and bowed to Gu Qingfeng in thanks.
"Qingqing… thanks the Great Lord for his trust. I will certainly not disappoint the Great Lord's expectations and will devote myself to nurturing the Cloud-Water Sword with care."
"Hmm, that's good."
Gu Qingfeng said, "Don't just stand there. Seize this chance and perform the blood-bonding ritual quickly. That way, you and the Cloud-Water Sword's spirit can connect heart-to-heart. Wherever your divine sense reaches, so too will the Cloud-Water Sword."
"Yes, yes, yes! Qingqing, the Great Lord has spoken. Hurry and perform the blood-bonding!"
Lixin Xianzi urged Qingqing on, fearing Gu Qingfeng might change his mind.
Qingqing nodded. Raising her hand, she drew her index finger across the blade. Crimson blood flowed along the edge to the body of the sword. In an instant, the Cloud-Water Sword erupted with dazzling colors, as if it had gained life itself. It spun madly around Upper Immortal Qingqing. Simultaneously, Qingqing immediately sat down cross-legged, her hands forming seals as she began merging with the Cloud-Water Sword—her flesh, her mind, her spirit, and even her soul.
Suddenly.
Upper Immortal Qingqing's consciousness entered a miraculous world.
This world resembled an ocean realm, more precisely a World of Water. The entire world seemed to be derived and formed from water, utterly marvelous.
"Little Master, is that you?"
Suddenly, a childish voice rang out, and the World of Water rippled with waves.
Qingqing was utterly astonished. "You are… the Cloud-Water Sword?"
"Yes! It's me… heehee."
"This… what place is this?"
Despite Qingqing's innate brilliance and extensive reading, she was utterly bewildered by everything before her.
"This is my world."
"Your world?"
Qingqing could hardly believe it. She had never heard of a sword spirit possessing its own world. This was simply incredible. Moreover, she discovered this world was truly boundless in its transformations, profoundly mysterious. Like water transforming into all things and encompassing everything, it was wondrous beyond words.
"Mhm, it's my world. Little Master, in the past, Yunshui was immature and threw tantrums with you. I never accepted you. But don't worry, from now on, Yunshui will be good and listen to you."
The Cloud-Water Sword's voice sounded very young, like a little girl of five or six. "Actually… I always knew you were good to me. It wasn't because I disliked you that I never accepted you. I was just… just waiting for my old, bad master."
Mentioning Gu Qingfeng, the Cloud-Water Sword seemed quite angry, fuming, "Hmph! That bad master is utterly rotten! Back then, he abandoned me all alone. I didn't even blame him. Not only did I not blame him, I kept waiting for him. But who would have thought… this hateful, bad master actually… actually rejected me! He's utterly rotten! It makes me so mad!"
The Cloud-Water Sword grew angrier as it spoke. "He doesn't even consider who guarded him time and again back in the day. If it weren't for the five of us siblings protecting him with our lives, he would have died who knows how many times! Now he's grown capable, his skills are great, and he actually starts to reject me… even talks about throwing me into some corner, aaaaaah! It makes me so mad! How could he treat me like this!"
"Yunshui… this…" Listening to the Cloud-Water Sword vent about Gu Qingfeng's faults, Upper Immortal Qingqing didn't know what to say. After a moment, she spoke, "Actually, your master… he wasn't rejecting you. He just… just…" Qingqing could tell that Gu Qingfeng had spoken those boastful words deliberately to make the Cloud-Water Sword give up hope and follow her instead. However, this wasn't something she could easily explain to the sword spirit.
"Little Master, you don't need to speak well of that hateful fellow on his behalf. He was never a good master to begin with. Back then, he loved ordering me around, making me do hard labor, fighting with people all day long, never knowing how to cherish me. Now I've figured it out. Rather than suffering with him, I'd be better off enjoying good fortune with you. He reject me? Well, I reject him too! Even if he begs me in the future, I won't go back to him."
As Upper Immortal Qingqing listened to the Cloud-Water Sword's complaints, she observed this World of Water. The more she observed, the more astonished she became, for this World of Water was far too profound and miraculous.
Suddenly, she noticed marks on the surface of the World of Water. There were many of them—at least a hundred. Large and small cracks were everywhere. These marks were strange and carried lingering spiritual auras that made Qingqing feel uneasy. Wait!
This is… this is the judgment aura of the Great Dao!
Heavens!
Why are there so many judgment auras of the Great Dao?