The valley fell into a suffocating silence as Mother Clarisse Hale thrust the Heavenly Reliquary Sword—still sheathed—toward Liam Ardent's chest, her intent unmistakable.
"Do you wish to see the Heavenly Reliquary Sword?" she sneered coldly. "Then prove you have the life to survive it!"
The abbess's strike was not a test. It was a killing blow.
"Master—spare him!" Lady Moira Drake's voice broke in desperation, her face ashen.
"Brother Liam, dodge!" cried Isla Drake and Lilith Stormbane together, panic lacing their youthful tones.
From the side, Lady Serpentis—still cloaked in the guise of a crone—snapped her serpent-headed staff, hurling the broken remnant of her coral cane at the abbess in an attempt to deflect her strike.
But the abbess's power was terrifying. Even sheathed, the Heavenly Reliquary Sword cleaved through the coral cane as though it were rotten wood. The blade's momentum did not falter, continuing its ruthless path toward Liam's heart.
At that instant, Liam's eyes sharpened.
System Update
[Skyblade Experience Card Activated]
[Duration: 3 minutes]
An icy aura of unmatched loneliness burst from him, as though he stood atop a peak no mortal could reach. His internal energy surged, coalescing into a blade-qi that overflowed even from the plain steel sword in his grasp.
The sword roared like a dragon breaking free of the void.
"One sword beyond the mortal veil…" Liam's heart whispered as his blade swept forward.
The strike was blinding. Swift as thunder. Piercing as heaven's own decree. The valley itself seemed to hold its breath.
"Impossible—sword qi?!" Mother Clarisse's composure cracked. Her hands twitched toward her weapon's hilt, but she was too slow. The youth's sword had already pierced her chest, cleaving through her defenses.
Blood sprayed. Her fingers faltered. The Heavenly Reliquary Sword slipped from her grasp, its scabbard ringing as it struck the ground.
The abbess—pillar of the Emei Sect—staggered, eyes wide with disbelief.
And in that moment, Liam Ardent seized the fallen sword.
System Update
[You have slain Mother Clarisse Hale]
Rewards:
Golden Manual: Snow-Dancing Cloud-Piercing Palm ×1Supreme Experience Pills ×3Silver 10,000
[Achievement Unlocked: Slayer of the Super-First-Rate]
Reward: Great Sun Flame Pill ×1
[System Notice: Weapon System Activated]
Reward: Experience Flask ×1
[Achievement Unlocked: King of Weapons]
Reward: Bonus Experience +100,000
[Sword Technique Recorded]
Condition: You may now begin self-deduction of Heavenly Descent Beyond the Veil.
A cascade of golden notifications flooded Liam's mind, almost too dazzling to comprehend. His chest tightened with exhilaration.
The Great Sun Flame Pill alone was enough to grant him ten thousand points of internal energy. The Experience Flask could push his progress by one hundred thousand in an instant. And now—he held in his hand one of the supreme blades of Jianghu, a weapon that legends had called unrivaled under heaven.
His lips tightened. So even system judgments rank her a super-first-rate… it must have been because of this sword.
Had he fought her without the Skyblade's gift, the outcome would have been far from certain.
But now, he had not only survived—he had triumphed.
Across the battlefield, Saxa Quinn and Viola Grace —Emei disciples—cried out in grief, rushing toward their master's crumpled form.
Lady Moira Drake's eyes flickered with guilt and confusion, but she did not move to join them.
Lilith Stormbane and Isla Drake looked at Liam as though he had just carved a constellation into the night sky. Their eyes shone with unrestrained awe.
Lady Serpentis's staff trembled faintly in her grip. She, who had crossed swords with countless masters, now understood why this boy had faced her with such calm. He was no ordinary youth playing at cultivation—he was a hidden tiger, his fangs sharp enough to pierce the heavens.
Her gaze softened, approval swelling in her chest. This child… he may indeed be worthy of my trust.
Her favor toward Liam surged, and in that invisible tether of the system, his bond with her leapt forward.
System Update
[Lady Serpentis' Favorability toward you has increased to 90 – Worship]
Mother Clarisse Hale coughed violently, blood spilling from her lips. Yet her eyes remained sharp, fever-bright with defiance.
"That sword art…" she rasped. "What… what do you call it?"
Liam's aura, still suffused with the lingering chill of Skyblade, radiated calm supremacy. He lowered the blade, his voice like steel against the storm.
"Heavenly Descent Beyond the Veil."
The abbess's lips trembled. Then, to everyone's shock, she let out a harsh, manic laugh.
"Heavenly Descent Beyond the Veil… good… good! To die beneath such a strike is an honor! But, boy… you may take the Heavenly Reliquary Sword… yet you will never know the true secret hidden within it!"
Her laughter rang out, wild and broken, until her body slumped lifeless to the ground.
The formidable Mother Clarisse Hale—Abbess of Emei, scourge of heresy, wielder of the sacred sword—was no more.
The valley seemed to shudder, as if Jianghu itself had shifted with her fall.
And Liam Ardent, sword in hand, felt the path before him blaze brighter than ever.
Glossary – Chapter 20
Mother Clarisse Hale – Abbess of the Emei Sect. Wielder of the Heavenly Reliquary Sword. Cultivation: First-Rate Expert Peak. Slain by Liam using Heavenly Descent Beyond the Veil.
Heavenly Reliquary Sword – A supreme-ranked divine blade, forged from darksteel and revered as one of the greatest weapons of the martial world. Said to hold hidden secrets within its body.
Skyblade Experience Card – A system item granting Liam three minutes of sword mastery modeled after Lord Aelric Skyblade, famed for his peerless technique Heavenly Descent Beyond the Veil.
Snow-Dancing Cloud-Piercing Palm – Golden-rank martial art. Palm technique that channels icy qi and snow-force, shattering defenses while freezing meridians.
Great Sun Flame Pill – A supreme elixir capable of instantly boosting internal energy by 10,000 points.
Experience Flask – Rare system treasure that grants 100,000 experience directly upon use.
Heavenly Descent Beyond the Veil – The ultimate sword technique of Lord Aelric Skyblade. A strike of unrivaled sharpness, speed, and inevitability.
This story is inspired from various Wuxia novels ,so if you find any similarities please dont mind . and if you think this is boring wait till the Dual cultivation starts ,Thank you .
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T/N :
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