Chapter 88: Phantom Shadows Across the Sky

Zhong Shuman spoke languidly, “Divine Sword Manor is run by the NPC Xie Xiaofeng, Third Young Master Xie. For as long as anyone can remember, Divine Sword Manor has been obscure, keeping a low profile in the martial world, and in ‘Dynasty’ it hardly enjoys any fame. The reason is simple: they don’t seek trouble, and no one dares to provoke them either.”

Zhang He and Qi Shiqi both nodded in understanding. The meaning was clear. Whenever an NPC serves as the leader of a sect, they generally possess a detached air, uninterested in worldly affairs. Take, for example, the abbot of Mount Hua, Master Withered Plum: if a player wants to interact with her, they must either trigger a storyline quest or cause trouble at Mount Hua. Thus, whatever chaos He Rijun Zailai stirs up in the martial world, as long as it’s outside of Withered Plum’s jurisdiction, she won’t interfere. If, however, one does trigger her attention, the consequences could be dire—she might personally pursue the offender, and in that scenario, not even ten He Rijun Zailais would be enough.

Xie Xiaofeng of Divine Sword Manor is undoubtedly this type of NPC. In ‘Dynasty’, the heads of each sect are designed differently; their martial skills, speech, temperament, existence, quest triggers, and spheres of influence all vary according to the game’s lore.

Of course, self-created factions are a different story. The bosses of gangs like the Three-Union Society, Copper Gong Bend, or the Hongxing Society, as soon as they open their mouths, it’s always, “What? You chopped up my underling? You don’t show me respect, I won’t show you respect! Brothers, smash up his turf, take his money, burn his house, and finally finish him off—”

So, after Zhong Shuman’s explanation, Zhang He and Qi Shiqi realized that He Rijun Zailai’s rampage had most likely angered Divine Sword Manor.

Zhong Shuman continued, “Back then, when the first part of the legendary weapon ‘Deer-Slaying Blade’ blueprint surfaced, it was the people of Divine Sword Manor who protected the men of the ‘Baili Escort Agency’ in the capital, escorting the red cargo from the border, through the capital, all the way south to the Murong clan in Jiangnan.”

Qi Shiqi exclaimed, “Could it be that the Murong clan of Suzhou bought the Deer-Slaying Blade treasure map for a fortune?”

“Exactly!” Zhong Shuman’s eyes flashed coldly. “This matter was conducted in utmost secrecy, but somehow, word leaked out. No one knows how, but Miss He learned of it. She intercepted the red cargo by West Lake outside Yangzhou, and wiped out more than twenty top-tier experts from Baili Escort Agency, Divine Sword Manor, and the Murong clan in one fell swoop.”

Zhang He remarked, “To strike at West Lake itself—this He Rijun Zailai is truly formidable.”

Zhong Shuman said, “But the consequences for Divine Sword Manor were dire. This was the first time its members had ventured openly into the martial world, and it brought them unbearable shame.”

Zhang He stared at her, “So it caught the attention of Master Xie Xiaofeng?”

Her gaze became distant and somber. “Whether it did or not, I cannot say. But after this event, Divine Sword Manor suddenly produced several formidable figures. Among them, one was especially dazzling—a genius never before seen, with unrivaled strength and extraordinary swordsmanship. His first act was to issue open challenges to all the sects, in the most honorable fashion.”

Zhang He asked, “Why would he do that?”

“I know the answer,” Qi Shiqi interjected. “All those he challenged had previously ridiculed Divine Sword Manor after the West Lake incident, regardless of their strength.”

Zhong Shuman nodded. “At that time, this man was considered a peerless master. Even with an ordinary blade, he could take his opponent’s life within ten moves. Over just half a month, none of those he challenged survived his sword. These were all Central Plains celebrities: Sword Guard Hua Xiaomin of Wudang, the Thirteenth Swordsman of Huangshan, Iron Sword Sect’s defender Dragon City Tyrant, the leader of the Thirty-Six Riverway Alliance Xiliang Xu, Hundred Flowers Valley’s wanderer Your Mother’s Li Gang… Eighteen masters in all. Thus, Divine Sword Manor rose to fame overnight.”

Neither Zhang He nor Qi Shiqi spoke for a while.

Zhong Shuman continued, “Then, ten days later, came the East Sea battle, which rocked the entire Central Plains.”

Zhang He asked, “The East Sea battle?”

Qi Shiqi explained, “It was one of ‘Dynasty’s’ classic battles: the most renowned expert of Divine Sword Manor versus the notorious He Rijun Zailai, fought on the East Sea shore. Over a hundred thousand players rushed to watch, but the exact location remained unknown. All that mattered was the result—it was the first duel at the highest level in the Central Plains.”

Zhang He’s eyes gleamed. “And the outcome?”

Qi Shiqi’s voice was excited. “Of course, the fifth-turn expert of Divine Sword Manor defeated the sixth-turn He Rijun Zailai. That duel made history; Divine Sword Manor’s reputation soared across the land.”

But Zhong Shuman’s tone turned melancholy. “A duel between masters of this caliber leaves no room for mercy. When they fought, both gave everything. It’s said Miss He was struck by several blades and killed. Not only did she lose most of her advanced martial arts, but her cultivation was severely crippled. After reviving at Shanghai City by the East Sea, she was ambushed repeatedly by her enemies, her level dropping each time, until she couldn’t even withstand the weakest Blue Rain Altar Master of Emei. Only when the imperial authorities intervened—dispatching the Four Great Constables from the capital to take her away—did the vendetta end. But by then, what was the use?”

As she spoke, the usually cold Zhong Shuman’s voice choked, her nose stung. “She killed too many people. Her entire inventory exploded, her skills and cultivation gone. Ambushed time and again, her equipment was left in tatters. These martial world figures didn’t just kill her—they thoroughly humiliated her. She was killed, revived, and killed again. It’s said that only the black scarf covering her face remained intact; otherwise, she was no longer even recognizable as a person. Heaven is blind, and beauty is ever ill-fated…”

Qi Shiqi said solemnly, “But she brought this fate upon herself, weighed down by too many sins and debts.”

Zhong Shuman quickly returned to her cold demeanor. “But what about that Divine Sword Manor master? Though he became famous in a single battle, in my view, he was far inferior to Miss He. After gaining renown, she was charitable and righteous, but he was just the opposite. No matter how strong, he couldn’t distinguish right from wrong, good from evil.”

Zhang He was surprised. “How so?”

Zhong Shuman said angrily, “He was a madman, through and through. After defeating Miss He, it seemed as though he’d rid the Jiangnan heroes of a menace, but that’s not who he truly was. For example, in the Yuezhou district election for Martial Alliance Leader, he was the undisputed choice among players, but within just three days, rumors spread of his collusion with the Sun-Moon Sect.”

Zhang He was dumbfounded. “The… Demonic Cult?”

Zhong Shuman nodded. “Correct. News of his ties to the demonic faction ruined the reputation of many righteous heroes. After waves of complaints to the system, he was stripped of his position. Enraged, he killed the new leader three times. Just as everyone thought he was a member of the Demonic Cult, he turned around and wiped out two Sun-Moon Sect sub-branches. Whether friend or foe, veteran or red-named newcomer—if you provoked him, he’d kill you without mercy. His methods were ruthless, his attitude tyrannical. Is that not the conduct of a despot?”

Qi Shiqi mused, “That’s true freedom—bold, unrestrained, acting on impulse and vengeance. He was neither a sanctimonious hypocrite nor a senseless butcher, but a man of true character, a real hero.”

Zhong Shuman sneered, “So, not distinguishing good from evil is heroic now?”

Qi Shiqi replied lightly, “Does Miss Zhong truly believe today’s so-called righteous men are heroes? After what happened at the Peony Pavilion, I’m sure you have your own opinion.”

Zhong Shuman fell silent. Right and wrong in the martial world are always subject to perspective; positions differ, so do conclusions. Who is right, who is wrong, who is good, who is evil—it can never be settled.

Qi Shiqi also stopped at once; neither he nor Zhong Shuman was inclined to argue. For a moment, silence fell among them, the air tense, until Zhang He broke it. “So, what happened afterward?”

Qi Shiqi said, “Miss He had killed too many, owed too much blood debt. She was captured by the Four Great Constables and likely never saw daylight again.”

Zhong Shuman said sadly, “Rumor has it that after the East Sea battle, Miss He deleted her account permanently and vanished from ‘Dynasty’.”

Zhang He sighed as well. “And what about the Divine Sword Manor master? I haven’t heard of any peerless experts from Divine Sword Manor lately.”

Zhong Shuman sneered, “He thought himself invincible and cared nothing for the millions of players in ‘Dynasty’. Yet the martial world hides many dragons and crouching tigers—plenty of dedicated players and masters. Though he dominated the Central Plains for months, for some unknown reason, he later grew bold enough to stir up trouble at Shaolin. There, he faced the Seventh-Turn High Monk of the Damo Hall. You can imagine the outcome—there’s no need to ask.”

Zhang He was startled. Indeed, even today, the Seventh-Turn High Monk of Shaolin stands at the very pinnacle.

Zhong Shuman continued, “His fate was predictable. He was a madman: after his death, he lost levels and martial skills, but refused to give in, returning to Shaolin for more trouble. News spread, and many enemies lay in wait at Shaoshi Mountain. In the end, he was driven off a cliff, losing his skills and having his cultivation diminished. Then, mysteriously, he disappeared from ‘Dynasty’—never logging in again. Some say he deleted his account; others say he simply grew bored and quit. The truth remains unknown. After that, Divine Sword Manor’s prestige plummeted, and all its outstanding members seemingly vanished. ‘Dynasty’ gradually developed into what it is today, with experts everywhere and a hundred schools contending.”

Qi Shiqi sighed, “Stars fall, famed swords fade—what a pity, what a pity…”

Zhang He nodded thoughtfully, then suddenly smiled. “After all that, what do these martial world legends have to do with this Wooden Bronze Sword?”

Qi Shiqi murmured, “Because in the East Sea battle, the master of Divine Sword Manor used this very Wooden Bronze Sword to defeat He Rijun Zailai. Such an ordinary weapon, yet able to slay such a formidable foe—what depth of martial attainment, what brilliance of character must he have possessed?”

Zhang He was stunned. After a long while, he managed, “And… what was this master’s name?”

Qi Shiqi replied, word by word, “He was once of Divine Sword Manor, later founded Hidden Sword Manor himself, becoming its first master. His name was… Ghostshadow Long Sky.”