"Senior Dugu the Sword Demon has already been gone for seven hundred years!"
The words of the Rainbow-Clad Elder struck like a thunderbolt, leaving everyone dumbfounded.
"Rainbow-Clad Elder, is this truly the case?"
"You can't be joking about something like this," the Great Elder demanded, shaken to the core, staring at the Rainbow-Clad Elder with disbelief.
Who was Dugu the Sword Demon?
An invincible figure from a bygone era, someone who had retreated from the world because of his own loneliness. Within Shushan, he was nothing short of a legend. Especially in recent years, Dugu the Sword Demon had stepped forward to kill Justin Shang, averting a disaster.
They had witnessed these events happen clearly before their own eyes, even watching it all unfold with Shushan's divine artifact, the Heaven-Peering Mirror.
If it wasn't Dugu the Sword Demon, who else could wield the Heavy Profound Divine Sword?
August Xia was similarly struck, shaking his head, unable to accept this reality.
"Ancestor, I think there must be some misunderstanding," he ventured. "The Sword Demon Patriarch is so powerful—how could he have fallen?"
Sarah Qin's face went pale, her rosy complexion fading, her slender hand covering her mouth in disbelief.
It was hard for any of them to believe.
The Heavy Profound Divine Sword was not something just anyone could wield, and that nearly invincible swordsmanship was impossible to imitate.
"I'm just as surprised to hear this from all of you," the Rainbow-Clad Elder admitted with a wry smile as she looked around at the disbelieving Shushan cultivators. She had been just as astonished when she first heard Sarah and the others speak of the Sword Demon's feats.
Like her, those ancestors stationed at the Demon-Suppressing Tower or guarding the Abyss rarely paid attention to the affairs of the outside world, given the immense pressures they faced. It was only now that she was hearing of these events for the first time.
Yet she was absolutely certain of her claim.
She was from the same generation as Dugu the Sword Demon and knew him well. If he had been alive, she would have known.
"I know it's hard for you to accept this, but his passing is something we all know. He was so exceptionally gifted that, when he helped suppress the Abyss, he even managed to calm the Abyss's turmoil for a while."
"But his brilliance invited the envy of the heavens."
"Had it not been so, he would have surely broken through his barriers and advanced from an Invincible Elder to a Demigod."
The Thunderous Elder joined the conversation. He understood the skepticism of the Shushan cultivators, so he explained the reason behind Dugu the Sword Demon's passing.
The atmosphere instantly grew heavy, and Elder August, who had just been relieved and smiling over their enemy's retreat, suddenly found his eyes brimming with tears.
A man as resolute as August, who had fought to the point of near self-destruction, now stood silently weeping.
The two Shushan ancestors had no reason to lie to them.
It was true, all of it.
"How unfair the heavens are! Such an extraordinary figure from our Shushan, and he fell so silently," the Great Elder lamented, his voice filled with sorrow as he looked skyward.
Sarah Qin, Julian Zhao, and the others wore grim expressions, struggling to accept this harsh reality.
"If Senior Brother Dugu has fallen, then who took action?" The Rainbow-Clad Elder sighed deeply, returning to her previous question.
"Back then, the Sword Demon left behind his legacy. Perhaps someone fated has inherited it," she mused. "Find out who they are, and we'll likely know."
"Wait, that's not right!"
The Thunderous Elder interjected, "It's only been seven hundred years since the Sword Demon's passing. Even if someone inherited his legacy, they'd only be at the Golden Core Stage by now. How could they possibly possess such terrifying strength?"
The Thunderous Elder's face darkened as he continued his deductions, the more he analyzed, the more baffled he became.
Who could have done this?
And how did the Heavy Profound Divine Sword end up in someone else's hands?
Gradually, the Shushan elders and disciples began to emerge from their sadness, though confusion now clouded their faces.
The only possibility seemed impossible.
If even the Shushan ancestors couldn't figure it out, how could they?
…Unless...
Only Sarah Qin seemed to tremble slightly, as if a thought had struck her.
Jason Chu?!
The image of that quiet youth with a faint smile crossed her mind.
"Would you like me to step in?" she recalled Jason's voice in her mind.
And when she mentioned him being a disciple of the Sword Demon, he hadn't exactly denied it.
Could Jason have been the one to act?
But that didn't make sense either.
Even if he had reached the Ninth Layer of Longevity as he claimed, that wouldn't make him a match for the Heaven's Gate Elders!
Let alone allow him to kill eight of them in one blow.
"No, I need to find him and ask what's going on."
With that thought, Sarah felt a growing sense of urgency, a feeling like an itch she couldn't scratch.
Somehow, she was certain that even if it wasn't Jason, he had something to do with this.
This was a hunch.
"What kind of secrets is that guy hiding?" she wondered.
Without waiting for the others, she addressed the group.
"Respected Elders, Master, I just remembered something important that I need to investigate. I'll be back shortly," she announced hurriedly before leaving as a streak of light.
This girl... could she have some clue?
The surrounding cultivators watched her curiously but dismissed the idea that Sarah could possibly know anything for certain.
The battle might be over, but there was still much left to do, and the two Heaven's Gate Elders would need to stay to guard Shushan.
With the exception of Sarah, the others began to tend to the aftermath, still troubled by the mystery.
Driven by her curiosity, Sarah moved at a speed beyond belief, arriving at the Swordmaking House in barely a breath's time.
"Jason!"
"Jason!"
"Where are you? Come out—I have something to ask you," she called out repeatedly.
But there was no sign of Jason anywhere. Despite her calls, it was as though her voice disappeared into the void, with no response.
An empty feeling settled in her chest.
Where could that guy have gone?
Could it really have been him?
Standing there, Sarah was filled with unanswered questions. She had so much she wanted to ask him.
Meanwhile, Jason was entirely unaware that his casual intervention had saved all of Shushan. His friend Sarah was now anxiously searching for him.
After gaining a secret inheritance from Kai Qi's essence, he was already on his way to Falling Star Mountain.
"Up ahead should be Falling Star Mountain."
This book comes from：m.funovel.com。