Chapter 1256: Borrowing a Father's Strength is Only Natural

Upon hearing Tian Chen's words, Ah Weng quickly resumed pouring spiritual energy into the two artifacts.

Time passed unnoticed, but Ah Weng's face eventually turned pale. His spiritual energy reserves were nearly depleted.

Thirty minutes later, he ran out of spiritual energy. However, the damaged pagoda and the broken sword showed no response.

Tian Chen sat silently, staring intently at the two artifacts. His expression was dark, while Ah Weng looked equally uneasy.

They had a ton of spiritual energy, but they still failed to awaken the spirits of the two divine artifacts.

Wiping the sweat from his brows, Ah Weng solemnly said, "Ninth Highness, something is wrong with these two divine artifacts."

Tian Chen didn't reply. Instead, he picked up the broken sword and inspected it carefully. Then, he opened his palm, summoning another sword.

The Dragon Abyss Sword!

This dark gray sword was forged from an alloy of powerful metals and dragon scales. It was both lightweight and durable. Its tip, crafted from a dragon fang, was slightly curved and glinted with an icy, razor-sharp edge. The hilt, wrapped in dragonhide, offered an excellent grip.

Tian Chen held the broken sword in his left hand and the Dragon Abyss Sword in his right. Without hesitation, he swung the Dragon Abyss Sword down on the broken one.

Clang!

A crisp sound echoed as the Dragon Abyss Sword split into two pieces.

Both Tian Chen and Ah Weng were stunned.

They exchanged a glance, and their faces were filled with disbelief.

"This is terrifying," Ah Weng said gravely.

The Dragon Abyss Sword was one of the four divine artifacts of the Heavenly Tomb Civilization, a Creation Immortal-grade weapon, second only to legendary Creation Divine-grade weapons.

Could this broken sword actually be a Creation Divine-grade weapon?

The same realization dawned on both men, and they were left shaken. Such divine weapons were incredibly rare, even in the vast Heavenly Tomb Empire.

Ah Weng broke the silence, saying, "Ninth Highness, that young man is no ordinary person."

Tian Chen nodded. "It seems I underestimated him."

He looked at the broken sword before him and said, "To think that the Dragon Abyss Sword would shatter so easily, it's truly unexpected."

Ah Weng added, "Your Highness, his background is suspicious."

"Are you suggesting that he might be from the other side of the Desolate Border Wall?"

"It's possible."

Tian Chen shook his head. "Unlikely. If someone from that side could sneak over undetected, we might as well surrender now."

After a moment's thought, Ah Weng nodded. "Fair point."

Tian Chen chuckled. "If these two artifacts are indeed Creation Divine-grade artifacts, then we've hit the jackpot. We must find a way to awaken their souls and bind them to me."

Ah Weng sighed. "But we're out of spiritual energy."

Tian Chen said, "I still have some Creation Spiritual Stones left."

He took out more spiritual stones, converting their energy to feed the broken pagoda and sword.

***

Meanwhile, Ye Guan immediately started cultivating after recovering his arms. With no access to spiritual energy, he focused on strengthening his fleshly body.

Ye Guan was seated on a wooden stool outside the stilted house. His eyes were closed as he replayed scenes from the previous battle. His defeat had exposed numerous shortcomings.

My sword intent can be suppressed. The Qingxuan Sword is not invincible. Even my bloodline power can be subdued.

The realization struck him hard. He couldn't rely solely on the Qingxuan Sword and his bloodline.

The Qingxuan Sword was a gift Aunt had crafted for Father. My bloodline was inherited from Grandfather. Do I even have anything that is truly mine?

Ye Guan chuckled bitterly. He had never thought about that before. Everything he possessed—his sword, his bloodline, even the Guanxuan Academy was inherited.

As for what he had...

The Order Sword Intent?

Even that isn't entirely mine. The Guanxuan Academy was founded by Father, not me.

The crushing defeat forced Ye Guan to take a look at himself.

Sometimes, failure was necessary for one to understand one's limits.

Ye Guan emptied his mind and let go of the past.

He was starting over.

With his heart unburdened, he suddenly felt an overwhelming sense of lightness as if a weight had been lifted from his chest.

He smiled faintly at the sensation.

"Big Sister Shan!" A child wearing open-crotch pants ran over with a grin. "Look, I caught a rabbit!"

Ye Guan opened his eyes and saw Fan Shan walking toward a boy.

Fan Shan gently took the injured rabbit from him.

The boy exclaimed, "We can have rabbit stew! You should cook it!"

Fan Shan stroked his head with a smile. "Ah Man, can we let it go instead?"

The boy blinked. "Why?"

Fan Shan explained seriously, "This rabbit is going to have babies soon."

"Really?"

Fan Shan nodded. "The babies will die if we eat it."

The boy hesitated before saying, "If I don't eat it, who's going to compensate me for my loss?"

Fan Shan chuckled and handed him two copper coins. "Here, buy yourself something else to eat."

The boy grinned as he pocketed the coins. "Big Sister Shan, if this rabbit has more babies, can I have one? I promise I won't eat it. I'll raise it, and when it has more babies, I'll eat those instead."

Fan Shan laughed. "If you promise not to eat it, I'll give you one."

The boy nodded eagerly. "Deal!"

Fan Shan carried the rabbit away.

The boy noticed Ye Guan and approached him. With his open-crotch pants and goods hanging freely, he said, "Who are you, and why are you staying at Big Sister Shan's house?"

"I'm her friend."

The boy raised an eyebrow. "Just a friend, or something more?"

Ye Guan froze for a moment.

What a precocious kid.

The boy glared at him. "Listen up. My dad is the strongest fighter in town, known as Hero Zhou. And me? I'm Little Hero Zhou. On behalf of my dad, I'm warning you—stay away from Big Sister Shan!"

Ye Guan laughed. "Why?"

"You don't look like a good person," the boy declared.

Ye Guan grinned. "Looks can be deceiving."

The boy snorted, "Anyway, I've warned you. If you don't stay away from Big Sister Shan, don't blame me for not being polite! I'll have you know, my dad, Hero Zhou, can kill a bull with a single punch!"

The boy raised his fist for emphasis.

Ye Guan smiled, "Your dad can kill a bull. What does that have to do with you?"

The boy cast a disdainful glance at Ye Guan. "I'm my father's son. His strength is my strength. A son borrowing his father's power is perfectly natural, don't you get it?"

Ye Guan thought for a moment and nodded. "Makes sense."

"Zhou Xiaoman!" someone exclaimed. Another boy ran over, panting. "Quick! Your dad and mom are fighting..."

"What?!"

Zhou Xiaoman was taken aback. "Fighting? Er Gou, are you sure you weren't seeing things?"

Er Gou shook his head furiously. "No, no, I saw it with my own eyes! They're on the bed, fighting without any clothes on. Your mom's screams... they're so pitiful...

Aah! Aah!

You'd better go now!"

Ye Guan was at a loss for words.

Realizing that his mother had to be suffering at the moment, Zhou Xiaoman immediately turned around and bolted away.

Er Gou, though initially inclined to follow, was too exhausted. Gasping for air, he looked at Ye Guan and said, "Xiaoman's dad is ruthless! He almost beat his wife to death. It's just cruel. He kept slamming..."

Ye Guan glanced at Er Gou. "You might want to go hide."

Er Gou looked puzzled. "Hide? Why?"

Ye Guan calmly replied, "In a while, Xiaoman might come after you."

Er Gou was even more confused. "His dad's fighting his mom. Why would he come after me?"

Ye Guan didn't respond.

"Er Gou!" A roar echoed from a stilted house in the distance.

Er Gou turned to look and saw Zhou Xiaoman charging at him with a knife in hand.

"

Aaah!

" Zhou Xiaoman screamed. "Er Gou, I'm going to chop you up!"

Stunned, Er Gou turned around and ran.

Just like that, one ran, while the other chased.

The townsfolk burst out into laughter at the sight.

Ye Guan also shook his head and smiled.

Just then, Fan Shan's grandfather walked up to Ye Guan and said, "Tomorrow, we're heading to Desolate Border Town. Want to come with us?"

Ye Guan was curious. "Desolate Border Town?"

Fan Shan's grandfather nodded. "Yes, we need to gather some materials there. Do you want to come along and take a look?"

After some thought, Ye Guan nodded. "Sure."

He was pretty curious about the Desolate Border Wall.

Fan Shan's grandfather nodded in acknowledgment and walked away.

Ye Guan resumed his cultivation. His main concern at the moment was the lack of spiritual energy. If he had access to it, he could quickly reach a certain realm. While he wouldn't necessarily be invincible in this universe, self-preservation would no longer be an issue.

Spiritual energy...

Ye Guan was suddenly reminded of that young man, and he fell into deep thought.

***

Meanwhile, Tian Chen was staring intently at the broken pagoda and sword before him. He had already poured all his Creation Spiritual Stones into these two artifacts.

Despite that, the sword and the pagoda still showed no response.

Tian Chen put the two divine artifacts away and said, "Let's go find that brat. He must have a way..."