Inside the box was a blade.
At first glance, the blade appeared to be a naturally formed piece of black stone — seamless and whole, yet remarkably rough in texture.
Yet this blade seemed to have absorbed the blood of countless species, emanating a thick, metallic scent of blood.
"After the Ancient Era, in the early days, there were countless ruins and resources left behind by the ancients. Those who first began cultivating reaped the era's full rewards."
"Among them, the Ancestral Martial Heavenly River held the greatest concentration of ruin resources, and so many powerful figures arose from there."
"For a time, none could rival their prominence."
"Even among rogue cultivators, there were those who made names for themselves across the world."
"One such hero, who delighted in supporting the weak against the strong and upholding justice, wielded a weapon called the Monster-Slaying Sword and earned the title of Monster-Slaying Great Emperor."
"And in the Seven Realms Heavenly River, there existed another who likewise earned the title of Great Emperor — not a martial cultivator, but a Spirit World Master."
"The weapon he wielded was an ancient treasure called the Demon-Slaying Blade."
"As it happened, the Demon-Slaying Blade and the Monster-Slaying Sword bore similar names, and the two shared a similar style of action — thus, he came to be known as the Demon-Slaying Great Emperor."
"As time passed and knowledge of ancient history became widespread, people came to understand that in the Ancient Era, only the absolute pinnacle of humanity was worthy of the title Great Emperor."
"Consequently, many came to view the titles of Demon-Slaying Great Emperor and Monster-Slaying Great Emperor as nothing more than a joke."
"Especially after their successive deaths, when their influence had waned, many took to mocking them by the titles they had once borne."
"After all… while they had earned some fame in their time, they were merely among the strong of that era — far from reaching the pinnacle of power."
"But in my view, even if the two of them were unworthy of the title Great Emperor, to have carved out a reputation in an era teeming with the powerful, they were certainly figures of note."
"The Monster-Slaying Great Emperor was born with extraordinary talent; the Monster-Slaying Sword was merely an auxiliary tool."
"But it was said that the Demon-Slaying Great Emperor's achievements were inseparable from that barrier weapon — the Demon-Slaying Blade."
"After all, together with the Heavenly Master Divine Sect's Heavenly Master Divine Sword, the two were known as the most powerful Spirit World Master weapons of their age."
At this point, Baili Xukong paused and glanced at the black stone blade in the box.
"Since the Demon-Slaying Great Emperor's death, countless people have sought his Demon-Slaying Blade, yet none have been able to find it."
"My Prison Sect, through a stroke of fortune, discovered the burial place of this blade — but it took considerable effort to obtain it."
Clearly, the blade in the box was the Demon-Slaying Blade.
"No — the Heavenly Master Divine Sword is merely an artifact forged by the Heavenly Master Divine Sect itself, whereas the Demon-Slaying Blade was crafted by a mysterious Spirit World Grandmaster during the Ancient Era."
"Legend has it that this Spirit World Grandmaster was a figure who once rivaled the Spirit World Great Emperor."
"The Heavenly Master Divine Sword has absolutely no right to be mentioned in the same breath as the Demon-Slaying Blade."
Jie Tianran corrected.
"You know your stuff."
Baili Xukong said.
"I have always acted with openness and integrity. If I like something, I say I like it. A fine blade is a fine blade — I will never deny it."
"But you know as well as I that if I were to obtain this blade, it would be like adding wings to a tiger. Are you truly willing to hand it over to me?" Jie Tianran asked.
"If the Seven Realms Mansion Lord is willing to aid my Prison Sect…"
"…then would my Prison Sect not also gain wings like a tiger?"
"To be honest, if our sect's Prison Lord were still here, this cultivation world would have been unified long ago."
"Our Prison Lord entered the Ninth Heavenly River so early precisely because he realized that the current cultivation world was holding us back."
"The Prison Lord believed that whichever of the eight Heavenly Rivers one could claim dominion over was meaningless — only one who could reign over the Ninth Heavenly River was a true powerhouse."
"The reason the people of my Prison Sect did not depart with the Prison Lord is that we still had matters to accomplish."
"This is precisely what my Prison Sect wishes to ask the Seven Realms Mansion Lord's help with."
"Once this matter is completed, my Prison Sect too shall enter the Ninth Heavenly River."