Ch634 - Sword Forest

Upon recalling that bastard Dragon Emperor, Father and Sons looked at each other, momentarily unsure what to do.

“Are you suggesting I accept Sun Jian?” The Sword Emperor asked his four sons.

“It would be best if you do.” The Third Imperial Prince had been thoroughly frightened by the Dragon Emperor’s attacks.

“Hmmm.” Although the Eldest Prince remained firm in the face of Jiang Xu and Liu Mufeng, he too felt fear when it came to the Dragon Emperor.

“Even if we set aside your personal feelings, think of the face of Eldest Brother. Why not just accept him for his sake?” The Fifth Imperial Prince nodded in agreement with this suggestion.

The Sword Emperor glanced at his three Sons, who had already been beaten down by the Dragon Emperor, then turned toward his silent Second Son. “What does the Second Prince think?”

“If the Emperor Father doesn’t wish to take Sun Jian, perhaps it would be better to have Eldest Brother accept him instead.” The Second Prince said as he gazed upon his own Father. “You could tell Liu Mufeng that Sun Jian lacks strength and requires foundational training; he can first apprentice under the Eldest Brother and cultivate slowly over time.”

The Sword Emperor raised his eyebrows at this suggestion. “En, that could be a solution.”

“Become my disciple? Then he would become Emperor Father’s Grand disciple.” The Eldest Prince also thought it was a reasonable plan with a lift of his own eyebrow.

“If that is the case, neither Liu Mufeng nor the Dragon Emperor should have any objections. Sun Jian is but a Void Immortal, and Eldest Brother is already an Immortal Emperor. Accepting him as his apprentice wouldn’t be such a bad deal for him.” Nodding, the Third Prince agreed.

“En, then let it be done. If Liu Mufeng refuses, I will reconsider later; the worst outcome would be to accept him as my disciple, but even if he became one, it would still be impossible for a Void Immortal to cause any significant trouble within the Sword City.”

“Your Imperial Majesty’s words are wise.” The others nodded in agreement.

“If His Majesty remains concerned, we can send some people to accompany that Sun Jian.”

“Indeed.” The Sword Emperor nodded in agreement.

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“It isn’t necessarily wasted, although Sun Jian lacks strength, our Emperor Father still wields significant influence. The reason why Sun Cheng asked us to send over his Son was because they wish to borrow the Emperor Father’s authority. If the Sword Emperor were unwilling to offend the Dragon Father over such a minor matter, then regardless of how hopeless Sun Jian’s aptitude might be, the Master would still accept him. This is exactly what Sun Cheng has been counting on.” Upon reaching this point, Liu Mufeng shrugged helplessly.

Jiang Xu rolled his eyes in dismay at these words. “Heh, Sun Cheng sure knows how to scheme. Who would’ve thought they’d go about things like this?”

“It doesn’t matter; no matter how he plans, we have already completed our third request. Whether it succeeds or not, we have done our part, so now we owe Sun Cheng nothing.”

“Indeed. Now tell me, given our Emperor Father’s prestige, what is Sun Jian’s chance of apprenticing under the Sword Emperor?”

“Absolutely certain.” Liu Mufeng said frankly as he looked at his wife.

“Absolutely certain? He himself contributes two-tenths; the prestige of Emperor Father accounts for eight-tenths?” Jiang Xu asked incredulously with wide eyes.

“For a while, our Emperor Father preferred using refined iron to construct hot springs. This material was also rare and used in sword forging, so it could be found within the Sword Emperor’s Sword City. However, this material was precious, so the Sword Emperor was unwilling to give it to our Emperor Father. Our Emperor Father grew furious, then took advantage of the Sword Emperor’s absence to demolish the Sword Emperor’s former palace, stealing all valuable items from the house and even hanging the Sword Emperor’s three Sons from the city gates to beat them. Upon returning home, the Sword Emperor became enraged, confronted our Emperor Father, and received a sound beating as well, along with the theft of his storage ring. Our Emperor Father thereafter visited the Sword City once every month to rob the Sword Emperor. After three such incidents, the Sword Emperor finally couldn’t bear it anymore and gifted our Emperor Father with the requested materials.” At the end, Liu Mufeng wore a helpless expression.

Jiang Xu clicked his tongue after listening to this account. “So, although the relationship between the Sword Emperor and Emperor Father is rocky, deep down, the Sword Emperor is terrified of him.”

“Exactly!” Liu Mufeng was very certain about this point.

“Ai, the Emperor Father really knows how to stir up trouble. He must have tormented the Sword Emperor quite a bit.” Jiang Xu sighed sympathetically at the plight of the Sword Emperor.

“In truth, there was another reason why the Sword Emperor eventually surrendered: he loved his partner dearly. The Sword Empress and the Sword Emperor were childhood sweethearts; they grew up together and had a very close bond. Although the Sword Emperor had several concubines, his favorite was still his main wife. At that time, the Emperor Father threatened to sleep with the Sword Emperor’s wife unless he handed over the materials. As expected, the next day, the Sword Emperor handed them over without protest.”

Jiang Xu rolled his eyes at this revelation. “Destroying someone’s home, beating up their Sons, stealing their belongings, and even wanting to sleep with their wife. Honestly, the Emperor Father is truly quite despicable. He has wreaked havoc on these Immortal Emperors of the Upper Heavenly Domain for many years now.”

“Indeed, they wouldn’t be so afraid of him if he hadn’t deeply harmed them.” Liu Mufeng agreed wholeheartedly.

“Since Sun Jian’s matter is settled, we needn’t worry about it anymore.” Jiang Xu felt much better upon hearing this news.

“There is no need to worry. Tomorrow, we will deliver Sun Jian to the Sword Array together, then I’ll take you around the Sword City afterward. Take a look around; if you wish to practice with the Sword Arrays or visit the Sword Forest or Breaking Sword Cliff, you’re welcome to do so as well. It’s not every day one gets to set foot in a Sword City, so you may walk around freely, or go find some opponents at the arena to spar with,” Liu Mufeng said with a smile, looking fondly at his wife.

“Sounds good.” Hearing that he could attend sparring matches and also test himself against the Sword Arrays excited Jiang Xu.

**********

The next day, Liu Mufeng and Jiang Xu escorted Sun Jian to the Sword Array before strolling around the Sword City together.

“Mufeng, between the Sword Forest, Breaking Sword Cliff, and the Sword Array, which should I visit first?” Jiang Xu asked while gazing at his husband.

Liu Mufeng pondered this question for a moment. “Let’s start with the Sword Forest and Breaking Sword Cliff. The Sword Array requires a significant amount of time; three months may not be enough.”

“Oh, then, then we’ll go to the Sword Forest first?” After some thought, Jiang Xu expressed his desire to visit the Sword Forest.

“Sounds good.” Nodding, Liu Mufeng agreed. He stopped walking and pulled out a map, studied it briefly, then led his wife toward the Sword Forest in the South.

“Mufeng, what is the Sword Forest like? Are there really a lot of swords there?” Gaze fixed on his partner, Jiang Xu curiously asked.

“That’s right, within the Sword Forest there are over 100,000 famous swords. These swords were left by past Masters and geniuses, each with their own unique spirit. They will select their own Master; only those fated to meet them will be able to form a bond through contract. If they do not like the person who attempts to bind them, they will refuse.” Liu Mufeng led his wife along as he explained the details of the Sword Forest.

“Oh, then when we go to the Sword Forest, do we need to pay some sort of fee? And if I were to successfully acquire an immortal sword, would I have to pay?” Jiang Xu asked, gazing at her husband.

“No, entering the Sword Forest is free for all sword cultivators. No one needs to pay any immortal crystals to enter, nor does anyone need to pay upon successfully acquiring an immortal sword.”

Jiang Xu’s eyes brightened at her lover’s words. “That sounds great! Then I can get a free sword!”

Liu Mufeng smiled wryly at the delighted look on his wife’s face. “Don’t celebrate too early. It isn’t easy to form a bond with these famous swords. Otherwise, these hundred thousand swords would’ve been claimed long ago, leaving no ‘forest’ left to speak of.”

Jiang Xu nodded in agreement. “En, that makes sense.”

The two men walked and chatted their way to the southern end of the city, where they arrived at the Sword Forest—though it was more accurate to call it a stone forest. The forest consisted of numerous stones of varying heights: One-meter-tall, two-meter-tall, three-meter-tall, even five-meter-tall monoliths, upon which were embedded famous swords. Some swords pierced through the colossal rocks, while others were hammered into stone tablets inscribed with ancient script—the introduction of each sword.

A two-meter-high wall surrounded the entirety of this Sword Forest, forming an oval enclosure. Rather than a forest, this place felt more like a garden for swords.

As soon as Jiang Xu stepped into the entrance of the Sword Forest, he looked around excitedly, taking in the dazzling array of swords before him. “So many immortal swords!”

“En, there are plenty here. You can take your time picking and examining them.” Liu Mufeng said with a smile, watching his wife’s excitement. “Then try contracting when you find one you like.”

“Got it.” Nodding, Jiang Xu immediately walked toward a person-sized rock formation and reached out to touch the sword embedded within. It was a blue blade, half of its length buried deep inside the rock, its design elegant yet clearly lacking in rank.

Jiang Xu examined it briefly and concluded that this wasn’t the right blade for him; he continued walking deeper inside the forest to search for one more suitable.

Liu Mufeng followed his lover without much interest in the famous swords here, as he was only there to accompany Jiang Xu in his quest for a new weapon. He had no plans on choosing a sword himself, because first, he wasn’t a sword cultivator, and second, he already owned three immortal artifacts, so he didn’t need any more.

Jiang Xu continued walking, pausing occasionally to examine each blade. Every time he saw a good-looking sword, he would reach out tentatively, but for some reason, none of them felt quite right. Thus, he decided to take a stroll through the entire Sword Forest, examining every single blade, before finally deciding which one to bind. This way, he could ensure he wouldn’t miss the perfect match.

As a sword cultivator, Jiang Xu understood that the quality of the sword was important, but what mattered most was the compatibility between the wielder and their chosen blade. A sword was a cultivator’s best companion, an inseparable part of themselves, and only a well-suited blade could be considered a treasure worthy of a cultivator’s dreams.