Chapter Seventy-Three: The Thunderous Heaven-Scorching Sword

“Carry me over there! Cough, cough…”
“As you command.”
A cool breeze swept by as the man raised his hand to cover his mouth and nose, coughing softly. Four green serpents responded, lifting the reclining chair and moving toward Li Hu and the others, who were surrounded by stone men.
Stopping near the stone men, the man uttered, “Step back,” and the four serpents instantly dissolved into white smoke and vanished.
Rising from the chair, the man’s legs were numb. He had barely taken a step when he dropped to his knees. Li Hu and his companions, puzzled by the sight, blinked in confusion.
Thud!
Perhaps thinking this was some new form of greeting, Li Hu and his group all knelt as well, raising their heads with friendly smiles toward the man. The man grew even more awkward, at a loss for how to explain himself.
The stone men nearby scratched their heads, wondering, “Are we still fighting or not? Can you give us a straight answer? What on earth is going on now?”
After these mutual gestures, the man scrambled up from the ground, steadying himself against a nearby stone. Unexpectedly, the stone was itself a beast; his touch awakened it.
The stone rose, taking on a burly humanoid form, and swung its arm toward the man. He leapt deftly aside, while his chair was smashed to pieces.
He had spent so much time crafting a bamboo chair that suited him, comfortable and familiar, only to see it destroyed. A trace of indignation appeared on his delicate face.
In his hand, the miniature sword crackled with arcs of electricity, seemingly growing more excited in the presence of the beast.
Lowering his gaze, the man asked the sword, “Little one, are you hungry?” The sword responded with a dazzling burst of electric light, as if impatient.
He raised his hand, thumb bent, four slender fingers extended like playing a zither, and flicked the sword from his palm.
The little sword spun through the air, surrounded by a surge of blue energy. Li Hu saw that the energy had taken the shape of a purple dragon wreathed in lightning, and his face was instantly filled with awe.
“Could this be the legendary fourth-ranked magic sword among the ancient Seven Demon Swords, the Thunderflame Heaven Sword?”
Legend claimed this sword was forged by the old master of Broken Sword Manor, using nine bolts of heavenly thunder, evil energy gathered from the Hall of Corpse Spirits, and dragon blood crystals to create a peerless weapon.
But the rumors said it was a giant sword, didn’t they?

It was no wonder the man seemed so frail—magic swords required their wielder to continually feed them with their own energy for the sword to behave and share its power.
If the wielder’s energy was depleted, they would either lose control and descend into madness, or be killed by the sword itself. From the man’s appearance, he seemed to have tamed the sword.
To be able to shape energy, he must be at least a seventh-tier master. Who would have thought this frail-looking man was so powerful!
Li Hu himself had trained for so long, but could only unleash blade energy with great effort, never able to condense it into form.
Each time he was close to success, he’d fail due to lack of energy or scattered energy that he couldn’t focus, forcing him to start over.
Turning back to the battlefield—
The purple dragon encircling the sword let out a roar and flew straight through the stone man before it, piercing it instantly and exploding it in place, leaving behind a pile of rubble.
The sword’s fierce energy devoured the spirit of the beast, preventing it from reassembling or reviving.
Li Hu, seriously wounded and supported by two subordinates, watched as the sword helped them eliminate each stone man, his gaze toward the man filled with gratitude.
After clearing the lesser foes, the sword flew toward the gigantic stone man, but on impact was instantly repelled.
The man’s expression changed, uncertain what had happened. The floating sword overhead even displayed a question mark.
By rights, the stone giant beast was merely sixth-tier, not highly ranked. Its regenerative abilities made it troublesome, but its armor shouldn’t be so tough that even the Thunderflame Heaven Sword couldn’t pierce it. He began to suspect that the stone giant wasn’t wild, but raised by someone.
There must be something enhancing its defense—perhaps a talisman, an unnoticed object, or something hidden within.
Facing this formidable beast, the man took out a wooden box from his robe, removing a palm-sized zither radiating evil energy. He closed his eyes and sat cross-legged on the ground.
The zither was meant to steady the mind; he could channel energy into its melody, playing a calming tune that would soothe him and let his energy flow more smoothly.
The zither floated in the air, and the man began to pluck and press the strings, sending his energy in waves through the music to the stone giant’s ears.
As expected, the gentle, tranquil music calmed the giant, who lowered its arms and stood motionless. Li Hu and his companions listened, entranced, their heads nearly nodding off.

Suddenly, the man’s long brows twitched, and he slowly opened his eyes, a smile appearing on his lips—he had finally discovered the problem.
On the back of the giant stone man was an inconspicuous, slender black iron nail, tampered with.
He extended his hands before him, each with the index and middle fingers raised, channeling power toward the Thunderflame Heaven Sword. He directed the sword to attack that spot, but the stone giant, sensing his intent, avoided exposing its back.
Raising its arms, the giant tried to grab the flying sword, but the blade was too small, slipping through its fingers.
Distracting it with the sword, the man called out “Back!” and Li Hu and the others turned their attention to the giant’s back, spotting the black iron nail as well.
No one wanted to act, but with no choice, Li Hu, gritting his teeth, had his subordinates form a human ladder and climbed up the giant’s leg.
He struggled upward inch by inch. When he reached the giant’s waist, the stone he grasped suddenly gave way.
“Damn!”
Li Hu’s hand slipped, and his whole body hung in mid-air. Everyone gasped, their hearts leaping into their throats, fearful for his safety.
Using his injured arm, he struggled to hold on, his face twisted in pain, teeth clenched. That arm had been struck by the stone man, its wound bleeding.
All his strength was concentrated in that arm; blood quickly flowed from the gash, staining it red.
With remarkable determination, Li Hu managed to climb higher.
Seeing him regain his grip, his subordinates trembled with excitement, their eyes reddening as they silently cheered him on.
At last, Li Hu reached the nail, grasped it with both hands, and pulled it out completely.
Having completed his task, he smiled in relief, falling backward through the air. The man swiftly guided the sword to catch him, ensuring his safe descent.
Then the sword soared into the sky, splitting into countless identical sword shadows, all suspended magnificently in the air, forming the outline of a giant sword formation.