Chapter 189: The Forge of Swords, Burial of Swords (1/2)

“Is this the Sword Barrow?” Lu Yun gaped as he reached the end of the passage.

A fiery space was laid out before him, full of fire and magma. Connate fire energy flowed about with incredible purity. In fact, the energy here was even purer than what he could summon with Mastery of the Five Elements.

Ignoring the mass of sword zombies everywhere before him, he looked further inward and saw a gigantic furnace!

Thousands of kilometers tall, it spewed fiery energy everywhere like a terrifying, active volcano. The heat was intense enough to reduce the stone walls to sluggish magma.

Since Dusk Province leaned toward the attribute of water, connate water energy flowed within its borders. Yet there was a place that teemed with fire on its borders… beneath the Great Cloudwater Lake, no less! This furnace had to be at the bottom of all of this.

“Huang Qing’s body is inside that furnace!” Lu Yun opened his Spectral Eye and gulped. “This… this furnace is the real Sword Barrow. But… how can a furnace for smithing swords become a burial ground instead? Do you know?” His last question was as much rhetorical as purposeful, since the dread zombie was just as confused as he was.

“Many immortals have tried their luck in the Sword Barrow, but there’s never been rumors of a furnace here,” it heaved. “Still, we’re definitely in the right place. This must be the true heart of the barrow. You’re probably the first one who’s ever set foot in here.”

The endless swarm of swords outside would cut any living visitor to ribbons. Even an emperor-level expert wouldn’t be able to handle the sheer number of assailants. Now that the swords were also zombies, their horde was even more powerful than before.

“Nah, I don’t think so. I’m not the first, or even the second.” Lu Yun disagreed. “Those tomb keepers must’ve come this far to bury Huang Qing’s body here.”

Being zombies as well, the tomb keepers had been able to enter unscathed. However, Huang Qing’s burial here had then turned this place into a noble’s tomb. Countless natural defenses and layouts formed as a result, preventing them from returning a second time.

……

Nearby, Yuchi Tianhuang was at death’s door, with more than a hundred swords buried in his body. His eyes blazed with hatred for the human youth beside him, even as his lifeblood streamed out of his wounds. This White Tiger descendant would depart this world with just a little more blood loss.

Lu Yun ran up to the gravely injured divine. “Glad you’re still alive. If you weren’t, I’d have to revive you,” he muttered.

The dread zombie and Yuchi Tianhuang were both at a loss for words.

Revive? What did he mean by that?

Splort!

Before either of them could come to their senses, Lu Yun sliced off Yuchi Tianhuang’s head with a clean stroke.

Hum...

The dead divine appeared beside him in the next instant. Wreathed in wry smiles, he finally understood everything that’d transpired before. No wonder Aoxue, princess of the North Sea and blood dragon, followed this human so willingly.

“Hail, master.” Yuchi Tianhuang knelt to the ground.

“Go back. I’ll need you again in a bit,” Lu Yun nodded in acknowledgment. The new Infernum returned to hell before the sword zombies could notice his new existence.