Chapter 78: The Eight Principles of the Sword Seal

The Eight Sword Seals is a foundational sword technique of the Mount Shu Sword Sect. By channeling inner qi, the practitioner uses their sword to carve various imprints in the air, each creating a different effect.

The Demon-Subduing Sword Seal is one of the basic moves among the Eight Sword Seals, particularly effective against ghost and demon cultivators.

A golden sword light illuminated the sky above the villa, startling Dongfang Qingwan and Narcissus, who had rushed to the entrance upon hearing the commotion. Liu Qianqian was delighted at the sight, well aware of the formidable power of the Mount Shu Sword Sect’s Eight Sword Seals.

“How utterly… foolish!”

The ghost cultivator, wearing “Leopard Brother’s” face, sneered disdainfully. Suddenly, he reached into the void with one hand, and a blood-red pearl appeared, swirling with a chilling, sinister wind.

Boom!

A deafening explosion followed as the golden Demon-Subduing Sword Seal crashed down with overwhelming force where the ghost cultivator had stood. The marble floor shattered, shards of stone flying, dust billowing. Yet at that spot, only a faint red mist remained—no trace of the ghost cultivator.

“Watch out!”

Qin Xuan reacted instantly, looking toward the villa entrance just as a patch of pale red mist materialized before Dongfang Qingwan. The cold aura sent a shiver down her spine.

In the blink of an eye, the ghost cultivator had crossed the ten meters that once separated him from Dongfang Qingwan!

“That’s the Ghostly Shadow Shift incantation, and that blood-red pearl is no ordinary artifact—” Qin Xuan was shocked.

He hadn’t expected this ghost cultivator to possess such power, capable of using Ghostly Shadow Shift—a technique long renowned among ghost cultivators, but one few could truly master in the entire world.

Moreover, performing Ghostly Shadow Shift was no simple feat. This ghost cultivator was only able to forcefully execute it with the aid of that blood-red pearl, at great cost to his own cultivation.

Clearly, he was desperate to claim the Profound Yin energy.

As the pale red mist gathered before Dongfang Qingwan, Qin Xuan gritted his teeth and swiftly traced several marks in the air with his sword.

“Heh heh… Profound Yin energy… it’s mine!”

The ghost cultivator’s sinister voice emerged as a withered hand reached out from the mist, grasping for Dongfang Qingwan, who was frozen in shock.

If that ghostly hand touched her, Dongfang Qingwan’s blood essence would be drained along with her Profound Yin energy—certain death.

Just when Dongfang Qingwan thought she was doomed, a slender figure suddenly stepped in front of her.

The ghost cultivator’s eyes flashed with impatience, but he did not halt. In the next instant, that withered hand pierced the body of the one who had leapt to shield Dongfang Qingwan.

A spurt of blood, and the figure slowly collapsed before Dongfang Qingwan.

“Narcissus?!”

Dongfang Qingwan cried out in alarm. Only now did she realize that the shy Narcissus, who moments ago had been unsure how to face her and Liu Qianqian, had stepped forward without hesitation to shield her.

Moved to her core, Dongfang Qingwan rushed forward, gently cradling Narcissus’s frail body in her arms.

Liu Qianqian, realizing what had happened, quickly stepped in front of Dongfang Qingwan to protect her. Regret flooded her heart—had she obeyed Qin Xuan and stayed by Dongfang Qingwan’s side, Narcissus might not have been hurt. Just as she was about to strike at the ghost cultivator, she sensed something amiss.

Looking up, she saw the red mist had already dispersed. The ghost cultivator stood rigidly in place, his eyes locked on Dongfang Qingwan, unable to move an inch.

He held out his withered hand, straining to move but utterly immobilized, as though bound by invisible chains.

Looking down, Liu Qianqian saw a sky-blue, ethereal sword shadow skewering the ghost cultivator’s shadow on the floor. It was this sword shadow that held him fast.

“The Binding Wisdom Sword Seal!” Liu Qianqian gasped in astonishment.

Of the Eight Sword Seals of Mount Shu, four were simple and easy to learn—such as the Demon-Subduing Sword Seal Qin Xuan had used earlier, which hadn’t surprised her. But the Binding Wisdom Sword Seal was the fifth technique, far more difficult to master. Its effects, however, were extraordinary—at this moment, the ghost cultivator was completely paralyzed, caught off guard by Qin Xuan’s swift action.

“Everyone, move aside!”

Qin Xuan’s voice rang out, prompting Liu Qianqian to quickly pull Dongfang Qingwan and Narcissus away to the side.

“Eight Sword Seals—World-Purifying Sword Seal!”

Swish! Swish!

Several bright red marks appeared in the air before Qin Xuan, gradually forming the shape of a crimson lotus, which surged toward the ghost cultivator at the entrance.

Unable to move, the ghost cultivator’s eyes widened in terror, but not a sound escaped him as he watched the crimson lotus draw closer.

Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle!

Soon, the ghost cultivator was engulfed by the lotus conjured by the World-Purifying Sword Seal, and the sound of flesh burning filled the air.

Dongfang Qingwan and Liu Qianqian saw nothing but dazzling red light, obscuring all else from view. When the light finally faded and tranquility returned, not even a shadow remained of the once menacing ghost cultivator.

Qin Xuan stood at the entrance of the villa, picking up a blood-red pearl from a pile of charred ashes.

“So this is the artifact the ghost cultivator used…”

Qin Xuan narrowed his eyes, sensing the roiling blood energy within the pearl—a clear sign of its sinister and rare nature.

After all, for a mere Foundation Establishment ghost cultivator to perform Ghostly Shadow Shift with this pearl showed how greatly it enhanced his strength.

Unfortunately, as a swordsman, Qin Xuan had little use for such an artifact.

“Qin Xuan! Was that just now… the sixth of the Eight Sword Seals, the World-Purifying Sword Seal?” Liu Qianqian asked in disbelief.

“It was.”

“How can you be so monstrous, mastering even the sixth seal—” Liu Qianqian’s astonishment only grew.

“Shall I tell you? I’ve mastered all eight of the Sword Seals,” Qin Xuan replied, then looked toward Dongfang Qingwan, who was holding Narcissus.

He had seen clearly how Dongfang Qingwan had nearly lost her life—something not unrelated to Liu Qianqian’s impulsive attempt to help him instead of protecting Dongfang Qingwan. Yet Qin Xuan did not blame Liu Qianqian; after all, protecting Dongfang Qingwan was his own responsibility. How could he shirk that? Ultimately, it was the ghost cultivator’s unexpected use of Ghostly Shadow Shift that led to the crisis.

“How is Narcissus?” Qin Xuan asked.

“I don’t know. She’s fainted,” Dongfang Qingwan replied, tears streaming down her face as she held Narcissus tightly.

It was the first time she had truly encountered such a supernatural terror, and the first time she truly appreciated the danger posed by her own constitution.

Qin Xuan quickly approached, frowning as he examined the unconscious Narcissus in Dongfang Qingwan’s arms.