Way of the Devil Chapter 374

 True Qi leisurely infused into the blade bit by bit . Slowly, Lu Sheng noticed the half-clear ripple-like pattern was becoming more obvious .

 His True Qi was based on the True Qi technique of the Thousand Sun Sect, which ensured its purity . It also had a bright and positive quality to it, mixed with immense heat .

 Those were the general attributes of the Thousand Sun Sect's Light of the Great Sun Technique's final stage .

 His Light of the Great Sun Technique had reached the sixth tier, while the last three required a special environment to achieve . However, aside from that, the Way of the Hollow Spirit and Molten Core Earth Heart Chant had both been cultivated to the maximum level .

 The True Qi operating right now was from those three True Qi techniques he learned since coming to the Great Yin . All three kinds were combined together and slowly formed into a faint yellow and scarlet golden True Qi with fine, golden sand mixed in .

 "Hisss!"

 Suddenly, blue aurlike rippling waves bloomed on the Wei River Sword's blade .

 The blue light was soft yet bright, and dyed the whole room with a blue color .

 "Moooo… . "

 Suddenly, a huge, slim shadow started to swim in the blue light cast on to the wall . Roars similar to a bull accompanied its appearance .

 Lu Sheng saw the swimming shape too—antlers of a deer, two wings, slim, and with three claws .

 "Dragon?"

 "Nie Xing, to be accurate," the Wei River Sword answered in a low voice . "I'm surprised your True Qi is pure enough to activate the Wei River's Nie Xing . "

 "What is that?" Lu Sheng asked in confusion . He just saw the dragon's shadow, but now he couldn't find it no matter how hard he tried .

 "He was the God of Wei River in ancient times . Back then, I hadn't made the Wei River my home yet . By the time I fell in there from the World of Pain, the place had been abandoned for a long time . The God of Wei River, Nie Xing, seemed to have disappeared long ago as well," the Wei River Sword answered . Unlike the mind of a normal Divine Weapon, he did not act pretentious at all . . .

Probably because he knew he was still quite a way from being a real Divine Weapon .

 "Ancient times… Is this Nie Xing powerful?" Lu Sheng asked suddenly .

 "Very . Legend has it that Nie Xing was a legendary dragon with his own shadow as he was born from the shadow the Wei River cast on the river bed . Ordinary people couldn't even touch him, let alone fight him . But he could hunt the shadow of any living being, which would cost them half of their life . Hence, Nie Xing was worshiped as the God of Life in many places as well," the Wei River Sword explained .

 Soon, the True Qi infusion was completed; luckily, nothing went wrong this time . Lu Sheng's True Qi cultivation had reached the peak of the seventh Vein, and because it was improved directly by the Cheat Device, its texture and base were both extremely pure . Even just half of his True Qi made Wei River very relaxed, having finally experienced a normal ritual .

 Lu Sheng slowly took back his hand and stopped the flow of True Qi . Now, the body of the Wei River Sword shined brighter than before, while the blue light and water-like pattern became clearer .

 "The third step is the Mind Ritual . "

 He carefully held the sword vertically in front of himself .

 "Hiss!"

 He instantly grabbed the sword and stabbed it into the ground . The tip easily penetrated the ground, and the weapon now stood straight in front of Lu Sheng .

 Lu Sheng stepped back and put his hands together, and lightly touched his fingertips against the end of the Wei River Sword .

 "Begin . Concentrate your mind and spirit, try your best to sense my existence and power," the Wei River Sword said .

 "With your spirit, you can do it . Certainly . " Even though he couldn't sense Lu Sheng's exact cultivation, he could tell his spirit far surpassed any normal powerful cultivators' . The Wei River Sword had seen many powerful people before, and even more before he had been shattered . But never had he seen anyone with Lu Sheng's qualities before .

 "Only after sensing my natural power can you utilize the maximum power of the Divine Weapon instead of brutishly swinging it like an ordinary weapon . "

 Lu Sheng listened to the Wei River Sword's voice . His consciousness had entered into the Wei River Sword, and colorful pictures and noise swept past him at high speeds, like a pool made from a countless amount of paint .

 Lu Sheng, however, instinctively went deeper . Soon, a colorful tunnel of bright light formed before him .

 At the end was a black wall, filled with light blue dragon patterns . A sword was in the wall, one that was similar to the Wei River Sword, but finer and more delicate .

 There was an additional blue line on the edges of the blade, while its handguard was decorated with the heads of savage beasts .

 "This is the natural power of Wei River Sword: Morning Moon . " The elderly voice of the Wei River Sword vaguely sounded from afar . "Go hold it, and you will gain control of my natural power and truly experience the sword forms . "

 Lu Sheng slowly walked up as instructed, lightly gripped the tilt, and took the sword from the wall .

 Countless techniques and information about the Morning Moon natural power flooded into his head the moment he touched the hilt .

 Countless pictures and voices stuffed his head full .

 Any other seventh Vein would have been wounded and fallen on the spot . They probably wouldn't even be able to walk without a couple days of rest .  

 But Lu Sheng had the basis of a Holy Master's spirit, and so easily absorbed and digested these memories .

 His eyes flashed, and he then returned to his room . The blue light from the Wei River Sword started to dissipate, while the golden True Qi started to vibrate at a frequency unseen before like it was experiencing some sort of metamorphosis .

 "The requirement for the sixth tier of Light of the Great Sun Technique might have been an environment of blue light without heat… Seems like I got lucky . "

 Lu Sheng felt the golden True Qi churning within him and felt calmer .

 Once he broke through, his apparent power would have reached the Earth Prime level, the equivalent of Snake level in the Great Song .

 "Congratulations; you now have control of the natural power . " The Wei River Sword's tone was weird as if there was some inexplicable meaning hidden underneath .

 "Morning Moon is the strongest move of the Wei River Sword . It can utilize the full force of the Wei River as pressure, crushing your opponent with the weight of the whole river . On top of that, it can also turn an area into a high-pressure zone .  

 "This move is the strongest representation of the Wei River Sword, you must learn to use it properly . Because of the consumption of natural power, you will usually lose half of your True Qi after use . It is best to avoid using the natural power during a fight . It serves better as a threat . " The Wei River Sword warned Lu Sheng about various things in detail . This kind of powerful user was hard to come by—it would be a waste if he was killed so easily .

 Even though he didn't know why someone so powerful and with so much potential would be willing to form a bloodline bond with a seven star Minor Divine Weapon, it was done . Everything else was not important .

 The important thing was that he had to use this opportunity to retrieve all of the missing shards .

 "Got it . " Lu Sheng pulled out the Wei River Sword from the ground and resheathed it . Now, his disguise was complete .

 During the time the golden True Qi was going through metamorphosis, he quickly walked out of the room with the sword on his back .

 "Going out again?" The scholar with a black jade token, Chen Daoning, happened to walk out as well . He had a little box, perhaps for food, and was going somewhere . He smiled and greeted Lu Sheng as he saw Lu Sheng going out as well .

 "Mhm, where are you going?" Lu Sheng asked casually .

 "The Star Pavilion of Nine Dragons; Ya'er is still shopping there . " Chen Daoning didn't enter the contest, and didn't seem to know Lu Sheng's fame . Clearly, the news from there hadn't reached back yet . "Lately, they came out with a new illusion matrix that could simulate your past opponents . Great for observing weaknesses . Would Brother Lu like to come with me?"

 "No need for that . " Lu Sheng shook his head . Now that he had the Wei River Sword, all other formation flags or talismans and such were a waste of Devil Gold for him .

 "Oh, right . The 19th Prince, Qiong Huan, is holding a tournament feast in the inner sect . You could go watch it if you have the time," Chen Daoning reminded .

 "Of course . Thanks for the info . " Lu Sheng nodded . He needed to go attend the main sect contest . Of course, he didn't have time to go talk with some random prince .  

 "Well then, I'll go ahead and leave," Chen Daoning said in a low voice .

 "Please . " Lu Sheng followed him out the door and jumped up, disappearing from the ground .

 After crossing the street, he soon reached the central plaza . Standing beside the hexagonal crystal, he pressed with his hand .

 "Whoosh!"

 A white light shot out of the crystal, and disappeared immediately after touching Lu Sheng . His body started to turn clear, then fully disappeared .

　　***

 Outer level of the Black Seal Temple .

 Zhangsun Lan, Lu Sheng, and Sun Rongji stood shoulder to shoulder on the training ground; only ten or so people were around . Every single one of them was a top-level elder from the three major sects .

 Master Yuan Zheng and Cave Master Jiuwei were both present . Naturally, no one from the Youyin Sect was present, since none of their disciples made the cut .

 Master Yuan Zheng and Cave Master Jiuwei stood on opposite sides of the training grounds . Both of their arms were spread wide, a sliver of dark gold True Qi emitting from their bodies like smoke . They formed a one-man-tall ball of blue light in front of the three disciples .

 "This is the projection door to the battlefield of the main sect contest," Cave Master Jiuwei explained calmly . "Be alert for any living beings around you the moment you three enter . Rongji, don't be stubborn—just try your best . I don't want you people to fall in a zone we don't control before even getting into the Gorge of Two Worlds . "

 "Yes, sir!" Sun Rongji answered solemnly .

 Master Yuanzheng looked kindly upon Lu Sheng and patted Zhangsun Lan on the back with a weird look in his eye .

 "The Jiuming Province has a total of 56 prefects; just try your best . If you could maintain your ranking from the previous contest, it would be good, but don't push yourself too much if you can't . Also, don't be afraid or panic when you are in trouble . Be calm… that will be the only solution . "

 "We understand, Grandfather . " Zhangsun Lan nodded .  

 "Are the materials for the sacrifices prepared?" Master Yuan Zheng asked again .

 "I performed a sacrifice not long ago . I shouldn't need to any time soon," Zhangsun Lan answered hurriedly .

 Master Yuanzheng then looked at Lu Sheng .

 Lu Sheng was a little confused . He had almost forgotten Divine Weapons needed sacrifices .

 "I… am fine as well…" he said after a little hesitation .

 "I think I'm not fine," Wei River Sword suddenly said begrudgingly . But Lu Sheng immediately pinched it with his hand, and the pain forced back anything else he wanted to say .

Chapter end