Chapter 739: The Awakening of the Sword Bearer

The sudden change caught everyone present off guard.

Mom’s words were transmitted directly into Lu Xin’s mind through a mysterious medium.

Yet he couldn’t grasp its meaning immediately.

Clearly, the Sword Bearer before him felt entirely different from the Cangzhang Sect projection he’d seen before. Even Mom had been sure it was merely a projection of a Sword Bearer, and its power didn’t seem that formidable…

…It wasn’t that it was weaker than him—it just wasn’t as strong as he had imagined.

…Then why did Mom insist that this was the true Sword Bearer?

…If it really was, why hadn’t she noticed earlier, only to suddenly realize it now?

……

This cascade of questions left Lu Xin momentarily stunned.

Amid his confusion, the Sword Bearer pierced by the Judgment Sword began to exhibit massive chaotic mental energy. Like scattered currents, the energy coursed through its body, as if it had lost all control of itself.

Stumbling and buffeted by turbulent energies, huge cracks marred its body…

“Huh…”

It seemed to instinctively gasp like a human.

In truth, it was just a mental entity reacting to the contraction of its power.

Crash…

With every breath it took, countless Executors in the surrounding wasteland simultaneously wore bewildered expressions.

Soon, each of their bodies began to twist and distort.

Like a reflection in water shattering into mere wisps, they disintegrated into strands of mental energy.

Then, as if drawn by a magnet, these strands drifted toward the Sword Bearer.

Across the entire wasteland, innumerable Executors appeared, their numbers unknown.

No one knew just how terrifying things would become if all their mental energies merged.

For now, they were uncontrollably drawn in, merging with the Sword Bearer and triggering an awe-inspiring surge in its mental power—a growth both distinct and increasingly fearsome in its psychic radiation…

At that moment, even in the Second Satellite City, Number Eight’s eyes widened in shock.

He watched as the Judgment Sword he had just thrown to the ground suddenly transformed into pure mental energy, drifting toward the outskirts of the city.

He couldn’t fathom what had just occurred.

Nor did he know what fate awaited him had he not relinquished the Judgment Sword moments earlier.

……

……

“I don’t know what’s happening…”

“The Sword Bearer shouldn’t have manifested in reality. It’s the only one without the desire to materialize…”

“Besides, such a massive appearance in the real world couldn’t have gone unnoticed…”

Mom’s anxious voice echoed in Lu Xin’s mind: “Something we know nothing about has happened. All we can be sure of is that he is the true Sword Bearer, and he is subconsciously regaining the mental energy that should be his.”

“If a complete Sword Bearer appears in reality, then this world…”

“……”

Mom’s voice continued, but Lu Xin already understood what she meant.

He saw countless strands of mental energy from the Executors being absorbed by the Sword Bearer, its form growing increasingly defined.

Around it, the sound of shattering glass echoed.

The air itself had transformed into fragmented, twisted shards of glass, refracting bizarre, dazzling patterns.

Reality was beginning to buckle under its weight, and signs of collapse emerged from its very position.

The Red Moon overhead and its pair of eyes grew ever clearer.

Strangely otherworldly, they shone upon the earth.

Suddenly, Lu Xin reacted; he closed his eyes and pulled his sister behind him.

The sound of frantic dragging filled his ears.

Those Torture Fiends were drawn to the Sword Bearer one after another, ruthlessly devoured into its body.

In the next moment, from even farther away came several clawing Mental Monsters.

They emerged from the sky’s mirror line, originally on the same frontline as the Sword Bearer, yet all were irresistibly drawn towards it.

In a way, this unplanned event lifted the siege off Qinggang.

All these phenomena stemmed from the Sword Bearer’s overwhelming mental energy, which endowed it with a terrifying presence on the psychic plane.

Not only was reality struggling to contain it, but even all the mental creatures were losing control.

Only after securing his sister’s body did Lu Xin dare to pry open his eyes slightly.

With Black Particles stabilizing his body, he didn’t fear being sucked in, yet every glance at the Sword Bearer made him feel an irresistible pull—its supremacy in mental energy was absolute.

Even a mere look would drain him of his own mental strength.

Much like a massive celestial body in space capturing any nearby matter, the Sword Bearer drew in every mental entity within its range.

Anything within a certain radius was inexorably pulled toward it.

Farther off, both Father and Mom grew anxious. Father was desperately trying to retract his shadow.

But his shadow was being torn away, piece by piece, drifting toward the Sword Bearer.

All around, whether it was the Skinless Dog or the spiritual remnants from other Parasitic Items, they huddled tightly within their hosts.

They cowered, fearing that the slightest exposure would drag them in.

Meanwhile, Mom fell silent, frowning as she gazed upward.

Her mind raced, trying to decipher the unfolding events.

……

……

“Crack, crack…”

Before they could fully comprehend or decide on a course of action, a bone-chilling, intense sound suddenly erupted from the Sword Bearer’s position.

Lu Xin looked up sharply, instantly realizing something was wrong.

It was the half-embedded Judgment Sword—still lodged in the Sword Bearer’s chest.

Its presence had inflicted severe damage on the Sword Bearer, as if a massive steel rod had been thrust into a giant meat grinder.

That grinder was churning with relentless force.

And the steel rod caught within created an irreconcilable conflict with its own momentum.

It felt like a taut wire or a chaotic force reaching its breaking point.

When the Sword Bearer once again generated an overwhelming pull on the surrounding mental energy—even Qinggang City, forcibly bound by the Doll’s Cangzhang Sect Domination Chain from tens of kilometers away—began to be torn apart, the Sword Bearer’s own strength faltered under the pressure, suddenly trembling violently and spiraling into complete loss of control.

“Buzz…”

A visible ripple spread outwards from the Sword Bearer’s chaotic core.

Everything in the wasteland—stones sprouted fine cracks, and the wild grass curled up into tight, spiraled bunches.

This was the most potent distorted force field ever witnessed.

Crash…

In an instant, Lu Xin, Father, and his sister were pulled from a state of passive absorption into one of overwhelming, terrifying mental impact. Instinctively, they ducked, raising their hands to shield against the chaotic onslaught.

“No…”

Mom was the first to react.

She suddenly cast her gaze toward the distant Qinggang City.

Qinggang City was being protected by the Doll, remaining largely unscathed amidst the brutal psychic battle.

But as the uncontrolled twisted energy quickly advanced on Qinggang, she instantly realized the horrifying consequences. The Doll, having just acquired the power of the Cangzhang Sect, was simply not strong enough to bear such force.

She might manage to shield herself from the impact, yet Qinggang City could well be completely obliterated under this onslaught.

Everyone, whether Ability Users or ordinary people, would quickly lose their grip on reality—going mad or even dying.

With that grim thought, she exchanged a determined look with Lu Xin, silently reaching a consensus.

Suddenly, her form fragmented into countless overlapping images, as if breaking through the barriers of space. Before the distorted force field could reach Qinggang, she appeared atop the high walls of every district in the city at ten-meter intervals, gently raising her hands.

The massive distorted force slammed against her, halting its advance.

Yet, it was clear that even Mom struggled. Her shadow trembled violently, on the brink of vanishing.

Under the nearly insane psychic assault, even her power seemed to waver.

“Swipe!”

Noticing her strain, Lu Xin immediately glanced at Father.

“Please don’t…”

Father hid behind his Black Shadow, his voice tinged with dejection and despair.

Lu Xin persisted, “I really don’t want to go…”

Father continued to resist with all his might.

“Crack, crack… crack…”

Before Father could agree verbally, the shadow that Mom had left behind swiftly reached him.

It mercilessly snipped away at Father’s shadow with its Scissors, severing it into pieces and unceremoniously flinging them to encircle Qinggang City.

The surging mass of shadows, like a tide of darkness, collided with the distorted force field, holding it at bay.

Yet, unlike Mom, the shadows lacked the strength to fully repel the Sword Bearer’s twisted energy.

They simply gathered there, gradually depleting the force field as it expanded.

“After all these years of scrimping together every bit of savings—are we really going to waste it all here?”

Father shouted in agony. Seeing no alternative, he could only drag himself toward Qinggang.

Though it seemed Father had been forced to take action, Lu Xin quietly added, “I know you’ve sacrificed a lot for this family. And now, to protect Qinggang, every bit of your hard-earned private savings is on the line…”

“But I promise you…”

Startled by Father’s abrupt turn, Lu Xin said, “I’ll help you get everything back…”

Father’s initial shock gradually turned to delight:

“That’s what you said…”

He suddenly roared as his body transformed into a surging, tidal Black Shadow, wildly rushing toward Qinggang.

One would never have guessed that his hidden power was actually quite formidable…

Perhaps it was because Lu Xin often relied on his hand to counter massive pollution, giving it a chance to build up reserves.

But undoubtedly, this time it would be ruthlessly exhausted.

……

……

“Hah…”

Lu Xin turned his gaze to the Sword Bearer, a faint smile tugging at his lips.

In Mom’s final look at him, he understood.

No matter who was behind the chaos or what it truly represented, he now had only one choice:

To eliminate the true Sword Bearer despite being caught completely off guard.