Chapter 101: Sword Annihilation

Chapter 101: How About Naming You Sword Extinguish?

Beyond the realm within the realm, an hour and a half had passed. The temperature in Hundred Herbs Valley was scorching under the blazing sun. The bustling city gradually slipped into an afternoon slumber. At this moment, all was quiet and peaceful, a rare tranquility.

Within Hundred Herbs Valley, flowers had withered without grace, cold leaves half-faded and dry, wild grass growing unchecked. This afternoon, there was no one to cherish the fleeting moment. Someone dwelled alone, gazing about anxiously; the master had yet to return.

Amidst the valley stood tall, luxurious buildings of antique charm, exquisitely crafted pavilions and towers, a marvel to behold.

In a quiet and elegant courtyard of the Sacred Hall, beneath the shade of a tree in front of a slightly right-placed room, a young girl lay on a comfortable chaise lounge, resembling a delicate noble maiden. Born with natural beauty, her skin was like ice and jade, her eyes bright and teeth gleaming.

She was refined and extraordinary, carrying an ethereal aura; her tender skin and faint sorrow in her expression spoke volumes. Her beautiful eyes darted about, words unspoken, breath as gentle as a hidden orchid, exuding an indescribable charm.

By her side lay a small beast about eight feet tall.

The creature had the head of a dragon, the body of a horse, qilin-like legs, and the form of a lion, its fur a deep vermilion.

This girl was called Xiaolan.

She was Li Hao’s personal maid. The small beast beside her was a young pixiu injured and found by Li Hao half a month ago on his way home.

The pixiu was the offspring of a divine dragon and qilin.

Xiaolan looked toward Li Hao’s room and spoke to the pixiu beside her:

“Little one! Have you heard? The young master went with Princess Xuemei and Princess Lu Yao to Lishui City for the youth selection tournament. They’ve been gone for four or five days now, and no one knows when they’ll return.”

Xiaolan smiled faintly, harboring a wistful longing for Li Hao, unaware of his current affairs.

The pixiu by her right extended its tongue to lick her hand, as white and smooth as jade, then gently rubbed its head against Xiaolan’s slender leg.

It seemed to be comforting the melancholy girl.

Xiaolan reached out to stroke the pixiu’s head. Upon being touched, the pixiu’s body shimmered with light and instantly shrank to the size of Xiaolan’s head.

Seeing this, Xiaolan was unfazed; after all, in recent days this little fellow fluctuated between large and small, and she had grown accustomed to it.

With its reduced size, the pixiu nimbly jumped onto Xiaolan’s shoulder. Xiaolan, used to this, plucked the creature from her shoulder and cradled it in her arms.

The pixiu settled comfortably on her stomach, as if enjoying itself, feigning sleep to take advantage of the moment.

Having done laundry today and tidied Li Hao’s room, Xiaolan now lay on the cool, shaded chaise, waves of drowsiness washing over her heart. Holding the pixiu close, she drifted into a peaceful sleep.

Meanwhile, in the realm within the realm, it was already the third day. This inner realm had no sun by day, no moon by night—each day was perpetually overcast.

Inside, Li Hao looked at his unruly clone with a mixture of helplessness.

“Let go of me,” he urged.

The desire clone replied:

“Boss, if you promise not to imprison me, I’ll let go.”

If Li Hao refused, the clone would cling to his arm without release.

Lin Xueyou, Lu Yao, Zhen Ba, and Kui Hu watched as Li Hao and his clone waged a battle of wits and will, feeling that this moment was remarkably precious.

Li Hao said:

“Let go. I have a task for you.”

Hearing this, the desire clone thought to himself:

“Having something to do is better than being imprisoned,” and half-believing, he released Li Hao’s arm tentatively, asking uncertainly:

“Boss, are you really not deceiving me?”

Li Hao nodded earnestly and said:

“I’m entrusting you with the Divine Demon World-Ending Sword. Your priority is to quickly comprehend the sword song’s core method and master its sword techniques.”

Upon hearing this, the clone’s previous careless attitude vanished. No longer cynical, he looked at Li Hao with pleading eyes and said earnestly:

“Boss, this task is too daunting. I can’t accomplish it. Can we negotiate? Maybe assign me something else?”

Li Hao smiled slightly at the lazy clone’s words and replied:

“Sure, I’m always reasonable and never force anyone. I’ll give you two options.”

The desire clone’s mood brightened instantly, shifting from gloomy to radiant with astonishing speed.

He eagerly ran behind Li Hao, massaging his shoulders and flattering him:

“You’re the most understanding, Boss. Feeling good?”

“Mm,” Li Hao nodded softly.

Feeling he had successfully won Li Hao over, the desire clone asked:

“Boss, what are the choices?”

Li Hao answered:

“First, you comprehend the sword, practice the sword, and carry the sword.”

Before Li Hao finished, the clone interrupted:

“Boss, that choice is too hard. How about the other one?”

Li Hao smiled meaningfully:

“The second choice is that from now on, I permanently imprison you within my body. Two options—you choose freely. I won’t force you.”

Hearing this, the desire clone’s sunny mood darkened again. He stopped massaging Li Hao’s shoulders and slumped away dejectedly.

Muttering as he walked:

“Not forcing me at all, huh? So reasonable, letting me choose freely? This is clearly forcing me toward death.”

Li Hao ignored the clone’s grumbling and asked:

“Have you made up your mind?”

The desire clone, like a frostbitten eggplant, replied weakly:

“I still choose to carry the sword, comprehend the sword, and practice the sword.”

In truth, the clone had no real choice—he was part of Li Hao himself.

After the desire clone yielded, Li Hao turned to the sword spirit You Xue and said:

“Sister You Xue, without my summons, you may follow whoever else you choose.”

You Xue nodded respectfully at Li Hao’s gesture and said:

“I, You Xue, will obey the young master’s command!”

After she spoke, Li Hao continued:

“Sister You Xue, we’ll put your matters on hold for now. I’ll find my brothers Lin Huashu and Lu Zhengtian, and sister Xuemei. I’ll see if I can help resolve your problem.”

Lin Xueyou, Lu Yao, and Zhen Ba, among others, heard Li Hao mention helping You Xue but, though curious about the mysterious beauty’s troubles, no one questioned further.

You Xue felt touched by Li Hao’s kindness, silently treasuring it in her heart. Her expression remained calm and unchanged, only uttering words of gratitude:

“Many thanks for the young master’s concern!”

After a brief instruction, Li Hao’s left hand gathered a beam of cosmic law. With a thought, a beam of law’s light descended upon You Xue. Li Hao softly spoke one word:

“Transform!”

A flash of red light enveloped You Xue, instantly transforming her into the Divine Demon World-Ending Sword.

At the moment of transformation’s completion, Li Hao waved his hand and uttered another word:

“Go!”

The sword, guided by Li Hao’s command, flew swiftly to the desire clone’s back. The red-clad clone carrying the red Divine Demon World-Ending Sword appeared striking and charismatic.

Lin Xueyou glanced at the clone and couldn’t help but praise:

“Li Hao’s clone looks much more charming with that sword on his back.”

Kui Hu and the others shared the sentiment, silently nodding in agreement.

Lu Yao looked at Li Hao’s clone and said:

“Brother Li Hao, if you dyed his hair red too, he’d look even better.”

Li Hao’s affection for Lu Yao was unparalleled. Hearing this, he would undoubtedly comply entirely.

Li Hao said:

“Alright, Brother Li Hao will do as you say.”

Lu Yao smiled joyfully, deeply moved, and sweetly said:

“Brother Li Hao is so good!”

The young men and women exchanged a glance and smiled at each other—a beautiful scene that inspired envy.

Li Hao plucked a strand of dark red hair from his head, focused his mind, and blew a breath of law’s energy. The dark red hair, guided by his will, transformed into a faint red light that flew to the desire clone’s head.

At the instant the red light touched the clone’s head, a miracle occurred. The clone’s hair instantly turned red, though slightly less vibrant than Li Hao’s own hair, and tinged with an eerie glow.

Li Hao’s hair was black without light, but deep red under sunlight. It shifted colors at will, though Li Hao himself was unaware of this peculiarity.

Having completed these preparations, Li Hao looked at the clone beside him, pondered briefly, then said:

“I need to give you a name.”

Those nearby brightened at his words. The desire clone felt it was the sweetest phrase he had ever heard since his birth and excitedly said:

“Boss, you must pick a good name. If it doesn’t suit me, I won’t agree.”

Li Hao looked at the picky clone, helpless but amused. After all, this was another part of himself, so there was no avoiding it.

Staring at the desire clone bearing the Divine Demon World-Ending Sword, Li Hao contemplated long and hard. Suddenly, recalling a line from the sword song: "Pointing the sword at places where no humans dwell, one strike cuts off the heads of five continents."

He said to the clone:

“I’ll give you a bold name. How about ‘Sword Extinguish’?”

The desire clone murmured:

“Sword Extinguish! Sword Extinguish! When the sword is unsheathed, all ugliness in the world is cut away.”

“Great! I have a name! Finally, I have a name! From now on, call me Lord Sword Extinguish. Haha!”

With this new name given by Li Hao, Sword Extinguish was like a child rewarded by a master—joyous and carefree, forgetting all the worries of carrying, comprehending, and practicing the sword.

Li Hao gave Sword Extinguish a command:

“Alright, I name you Sword Extinguish. I hope you train hard and live up to this name.”

Sword Extinguish, hearing this, felt somewhat schemed and sighed:

“So it’s true, every gain comes at a price!”

Li Hao looked at him, half-smiling:

“If you don’t like the name, I can call you Nameless instead, but then you have to put down the sword.”

Sword Extinguish gave Li Hao a flattering smile:

“Boss, no, no, no! I’m just saying! For this name, I’m willing to live and die by the sword.”

“Good. Now go find brothers Lin Huashu and Lu Zhengtian, and sister Lu Xuemei. Once you find them, we’ll regroup.”