Chapter 97: A Lone Garment in the Cultivation Realm

Beyond the outer edges of the Hurricane World, cold meteorites drifted aimlessly under an endless starlight.

An ancient gray pavilion stood askew, weathered and broken, now reduced to half its original form. Its worn surface bore the marks of time, solitary and adrift beneath the vast cosmos.

A black-haired man rested there, tall and imposing, his expression indifferent. He gently caressed a three-foot-long rotting wooden sword, his jet-black eyes like deep, eternal pools, lost in thought.

Suddenly, within the Hurricane World, a catastrophic blast of wind erupted, sweeping across the endless meteor belt that stretched hundreds of millions of miles. Rocks scattered like meteor bombs, crashing violently toward the outer worlds.

The disaster wind howled with unparalleled ferocity, showing no sign of weakening as it burst forth from the Hurricane World.

Along its path, countless sturdy crystals shattered to dust, their fragments dispersed by the cosmic wind. The man’s resting place lay directly in the path of this devastation.

Without intervention, this spot would soon become a barren wasteland.

With a slight flick of his fingers against the rotten wooden sword, an invisible sword energy surged forth, soaring into the starry expanse. It formed a spiritual shield that instantly halted the destructive wind’s advance.

A low hum resonated.

As the sword’s presence expanded, all chaos was swept away, and tranquility returned to the scene.

“The Rotten Wooden Three-Foot Sword, the Solitary Garment of the Cultivation Domain. Gu Chu, your mastery of the sword realm grows ever more elusive,” came a voice laced with amusement.

A boy clad in fiery robes stepped out of the void, descending into the pavilion. His peach-blossom eyes glowed with flickering flames as he regarded the tall, black-haired man before him with keen interest.

“Hmm,” Gu Chu, the lord of this domain, responded faintly, sheathing the three-foot wooden sword on his back and closing his eyes to rest.

“You’re truly both arrogant and aloof,” the fiery youth shook his head. With a flash of light, he produced a delicate crimson wine vessel and two exquisite cups, slowly pouring until both were filled with a crystal-clear, fragrant brew.

“Among the eighth rank of the Godslayers, you are the youngest qualified. Yet you never ventured into the Celestial Hell to test yourself, instead guarding this cultivation domain for years. Gu Chu, that won’t do. Even the old-timers in the alliance have more drive than you,” he said, raising his cup and draining it in one gulp.

Gu Chu remained silent, famously quiet except when stirred by topics that truly ignited his emotions.

The fiery youth savored the moment, his smile gentle and unbothered by monotony. As he poured his third cup, he casually remarked, “I know your story.”

At these words, the faint flutter of Gu Chu’s eyelashes betrayed a subtle reaction.

---

“You have lived a solitary life, relying on no one, yet rose to the position of Divine Lord.

“Alas, at your most arrogant, you were defeated by the Lord of the Absolute Realm. Afterwards, you fell again to an elder of the alliance. You should have died, but that elder saw your talent and invited you to join the Godslayer Alliance.”

The fiery youth sighed, pouring wine as the flowing sound mingled with an even more intoxicating aroma.

Gu Chu opened his eyes and, glancing at the brimming cup before him, took a slow drink.

“Ha ha ha,” the youth laughed and continued, “Your life in swordsmanship counts only two defeats: one to the Lord of the Absolute Realm, the other to that venerable elder within the alliance.

“They say you still hold a duel pact with the Absolute Lord, so when you joined the Godslayer Alliance, it caused quite a stir. Even with the elder’s support, many doubted you.

“Only after you braved the Ultimate Ancient Land, took up the Rotten Wooden Sword, and defeated the former domain lord here—earning the name Gu Chu—did many begin to see you differently.”

Gu Chu listened quietly for a long while, then cast a glance at the fiery youth.

“Not bad,” he finally said.

The youth looked briefly surprised, then smiled. “Rarely do I say such things without ulterior motive. I’ve always been interested in you, just felt like talking about life. This long journey would be dull if we never met interesting people or encountered intriguing events.”

He sighed softly.

Gu Chu rose, standing within the gray pavilion, gazing northward with a contemplative air. The cosmic wind billowed his solitary robe and sent strands of his dark hair fluttering wildly.

“The vast heavens and nine great eras... You and I are but grains of sand in the boundless sea. The Divine Lord’s lifespan is endless, yet how many have fallen from ancient times to now?

“All human affairs are like drifting clouds. No matter how much one sees, in the end, it all fades like a passing mist. Only the cosmic way endures eternally.”

Hearing this, the fiery youth’s eyes widened in surprise.

Unbelievable—Gu Chu had spoken so much at once, contemplating the eternity of the cosmic way, as if the cultivation domain’s Divine Lords were insignificant before it.

“Let me see that Rotten Wooden Sword of yours.”

Suddenly changing the subject, the youth’s peach-blossom eyes drifted to the sword on Gu Chu’s back.

“Why?” Gu Chu asked, turning his head.

“That sword is famed in the Cosmic Sword Catalogue—many Divine Lords have sought it in vain. I want to behold it myself,” the youth smiled.

---

“If we speak of famed swords in the Cosmic Sword Catalogue, there is one currently in the Hurricane World that ranks above the Rotten Wooden Sword,” Gu Chu said calmly.

“What!” the youth exclaimed in shock.

The nineteen cosmic swords in the catalogue are treasures of the spiritual universe; the top four are supreme sacred weapons rarely seen by outsiders.

How could there be one inside the Hurricane World?

“Are you referring to that ancient temple?” the youth asked, suspicion flickering in his mind. If a famed sword existed in the Hurricane World, it could only be in that mysterious temple.

“No, it belongs to Xia.”

“Xia... she wields a named sword from the Cosmic Sword Catalogue?”

The youth was stunned. He had long suspected Xia was extraordinary—not only did she wield a divine shrine to sway the winds of the cultivation domain, but she also carried a cosmic sword. Who exactly was she?

“Which one?” he asked eagerly.

His eyes gleamed. Each of the nineteen swords in the catalogue is renowned, and their wielders transcended into sainthood, adding countless legendary tales to their blades.

“Moon Execution,” Gu Chu replied softly.

“Moon Execution? That sword has been lost for nearly three cosmic eras, hasn’t it?”

The youth was amazed. He knew well of cosmic history: the previous wielder of Moon Execution was a divine sovereign of the Flower Sea, who vanished while exploring a forbidden land. Since then, the sword had been missing.

Never had he imagined that after so long, Moon Execution would reappear.

“The Flower Sea once possessed three cosmic swords: the twelfth-ranked Flower Burial, the ninth-ranked Moon Execution, and the legendary Return to Heaven Xuanming, wielded by Lord Li Xian,” Gu Chu murmured.

Every swordsman inevitably encounters the nineteen famed swords in the Cosmic Sword Catalogue—they symbolize the honor of swordsmanship and encapsulate the supreme insights of past masters.

“Indeed,” the youth nodded in agreement. “It’s said that all three of Flower Sea’s cosmic swords were lost. Flower Burial and Moon Execution are one matter, but Return to Heaven Xuanming is a devastating weapon.

“Li Lord's Return to Heaven, the cosmic swirling call—its unmatched sharpness defies rivals. The second-ranked divine weapon sword in the catalogue, lost forever, is truly a tragic loss.”