Martial Dao: Peace by Force

Chapter 282: Chapter 174: Seeing the Female Sword Immortal Again, Dreadful Whispers

Just a single word.

But the Power contained within that word was even more terrifying than the sword strike from a moment ago.

A hundred miles away, the Deceit Beast King let out a muffled grunt, as if its throat had been seized. The roaring stopped abruptly, replaced by a low, pained whimper.

It was defiant, but it didn’t dare to disobey.

The world around them fell deathly silent. ℯℯ𝑙.

There was no whisper of wind, no chirp of insects, no rustle of leaves.

It was as if someone had pressed pause on the entire forest. Every sound, every life, every bit of existence had chosen silence in that moment.

The Female Sword Immortal turned.

The Broken Sword quivered in midair, its blade tilted slightly, like a person wrestling with a difficult decision.

It shifted hesitantly, its tip tracing circles on the ground as if it wanted to say something but couldn’t bring itself to.

”If you have something to say, just say it,” the Female Sword Immortal said. Her voice was level, but it held a subtle softness that wasn’t usually there.

The Broken Sword hesitated for a moment, then swiftly wrote on the ground:

[Why not accept him as a disciple?]

The writing was crooked and uneven.

The Female Sword Immortal was silent for a moment before speaking coolly. ”Since when were you two so close? Why don’t you just take him as your master? For all we know, your real master is already dead.”

The words were harsh, but the Broken Sword didn’t seem to get angry.

It merely hovered in the air, slowly rotating once.

The rotation was slow and deliberate, as if it were a person solemnly contemplating a difficult question.

The Female Sword Immortal froze for a second.

’This thing... it actually dares to consider it.’

She shook her head, the teasing in her voice fading as she grew more serious. ”His talent is impressive. Back in the old days, I would have certainly accepted him as a disciple.”

She paused, her voice dropping lower, as if talking to herself, or perhaps explaining to the Broken Sword. ”But things are different now... With this blood feud I carry, bringing him along would only get him killed.”

A blood feud.

Three words, spoken lightly, but their weight... was immense.

The Broken Sword seemed lost in thought, its blade hanging motionless in midair.

After a long moment, it slowly descended. Its tip began carving words into the earth, each stroke deliberate and slow:

[He’s so pitiful... all alone...]

After the words, it drew a lopsided circle. It might have been a head, or perhaps it was just a period.

The Female Sword Immortal ”looked” at the words, remaining silent for a long time.

Her ”gaze” fell upon the crookedly written words, lingering for a moment before shifting away toward the distant forest.

The light of the Red Moon shone upon her, dyeing her white robes a deep crimson. Her shadow stretched long across the ground, solitary, as if she were the only being in the entire world.

”You’ve grown quite compassionate,” she said, her voice soft. It carried a hint of resignation, and something else... something unreadable.

The Broken Sword quivered slightly, as if in embarrassment.

The Female Sword Immortal didn’t ”look” at it again. Instead, she lifted her head, her vacant eyes turned toward the sky, toward the ever-present, blood-colored Red Moon.

”When he manages to learn the Void Spirit-Slaying Sword, I will find a way to help him...”

Her voice was soft, as if she were making both a promise and a decision—something incredibly rare for the person she was now.

The Female Sword Immortal didn’t specify what kind of help she would offer, or how she would provide it, but the Broken Sword understood.

Just then, her voice dropped even lower, almost to a mumble. ”If my Sword Sect can leave a spark of its legacy in the mortal world... that wouldn’t be so bad.”

She paused for so long that the Broken Sword thought she wouldn’t speak again. ”The path I must walk this time... is fraught with peril.”

After saying this, she fell silent.

Her white robes billowed in the night breeze, and her long hair streamed behind her. Beneath the Red Moon, her silhouette looked exceptionally frail.

The peerless Sword Immortal who had once cleaved a mountain with a single strike and repelled the Deceit Beast King with a single word now looked like an ordinary, weary, and lonely traveler.

The Broken Sword flew to her side and gently nuzzled her arm. The movement was soft and tender, like a cat comforting its owner.

[I’ll go with you.]

Four words, scrawled on the ground, just as crooked as before.

The Female Sword Immortal ”looked” at the words, and the corner of her mouth curled into a faint, silent smile.

But she said nothing more, only reached out and gently took hold of the Broken Sword’s hilt.

Then she turned and vanished into the forest.

The Red Moon’s light spilled out from behind her, stretching her shadow long, so very long, until it finally disappeared into the endless darkness...

The forest fell quiet once more.