Ding Ning looked at the ice pillar in front of him. He did not know how deep the ice on the surface of the lake was, but due to the previous battles and as the hot lake under surged, some cracks grew bigger.

This ice pillar had formed because of the rising sword essence. So right now, as white mist came out of the fine cracks on the surface of the pillar, the thin but powerful sword essence grew more obvious.

Ding Ning smiled emotionally. He could sense the strong desire of the sword to break free.

This sword had been sealed for so long. A famed sword was like a beauty. A great sword like this was not willing to always be sealed in the lake like this, and not have the world see its glory. This sword did not want to be trapped here forever, and create a sword washing pool for a sect.

It had once been one of the strongest swords. How could the ordinary swords be worthy of it? How could it be willing to serve those ordinary swords? This sword had been fighting all this time, and so the ice pillar had formed.

“Why do you know so much about the past?”

A beastly howl suddenly sounded from behind him.

Ding Ning did not look back. He said calmly and clearly, “The question is not how I know, but those are the truth. The question is that you are still alive. With your abilities now, if you want to investigate, you will know that is the truth. I leave your life to you, just to give you a choice, are you willing to live and believe in the lie, or change your life and live?”

Bai Qi howled madly from behind him. No one could hear what he was howling. But Ding Ning could understand what he was feeling right now, just like back then.

*You should rejoice that you have another chance to choose, he said in his mind. Then he reached out with his hand to touch the cracking ice pillar in front of him.

Crack crack crack …

A faint presence fell on the ice pillar, and immediately, the ice pillar gave off many terrifying cracking sounds.

The old monk’s dim eyes suddenly lit up.

The cracking sounds reached the bottom of the lake. Then the sword that was trapped at the bottom of the lake with some unknown method suddenly shook. The blade shook and struggled, causing a furious and heated howl at the bottom of the lake.

Lines of light appeared on the lake sealed with ice. The surface of the lake to be cut by the sword lights into irregular pieces. The heat of the lake surged up, thin and light. But then, the white heat was like a fountain, and surged out of the bottom of the lake with pleasure. The water formed in the air, and froze into small ice crystals that hit the surface of the lake.

Ding Ning’s expression was calm, but he had on a strange look. He sensed the position of the sword, but he also sensed countless great powers chaining the sword.

These giant chains were the power that the expert from the Spirit Void Sword Sect left back then. He and the sword’s combination had formed lifebond energy, and there was the power from the formation that he set up. This power was very great, and even surpassed realm seven.

But at this moment, Ding Ning just maintained his posture of reaching out.

The ice pillar had already shattered. As the heat of the lake surged up, the cracks pieces of ice flew up like blooms of flowers.

A piece of ice cut Ding Ning’s palm. He did not fight back, and let the ice cut through his skin. No blood flowed out. There were many pale streams, like little silkworms that fell on the ice in front of him.

Hisses!

These little silkworms quickly arrived at the place in the lake where the sword was imprisoned. Then they gathered at one of the giant chains, and quickly chewed through the chain like they were feeding on leaves.

They only cut through one of the many powers, but Ding Ning said softly, “Now it is up to you.”

As he spoke to the sword, a sword essence flowed out of his fingers, moving through the passages the little silkworms had traveled, and fell on the sword.

This was a simple Soaring Sword move.

It was one of the simplest sword essences in controlling a flying sword. It was just for the sword to fly up in the air. But when the simple sword essence fell on the sword, the sword came alive.

All the other chains at the bottom of the lake snapped in this instant. There was an enormous boom. Many enormous pieces of ice, as large as houses, flew up from the surface of the lake, whipping like giant octopuses at the bottom of the lake were lashing with their tentacles.

This sword was flying up. A peerlessly powerful sword essence was released. All of the beasts on the glaciers and the plains felt terror.

A round abyss appeared in front of Ding Ning and then it was like the sun came out. Bright lines of light sup passed the steam, and rose out of the abyss like a sun.

This powerful sword essence was very slow as it moved, like someone was slowly pulling a sword up. What first appeared in the light was not the handle of the sword, but the sword tip.

Zhangsun Qianxue’s eyes narrowed. Not because the sword light was so blinding, but the Nine Hell King Sword in her energy sea started to vibrate as it sensed great pressure.

The judgment of Wang Jingmeng and the people of Ba Mountain Sword Field had not been wrong back then. The Spirit Void Sword Sect’s Great Punishment Sword was truly the most stunning sword in the world. In terms of presence, it could even suppress a great sword like the Nine Hell King Sword.

But this sword was crafted in a special manner. The blade of the sword was thicker and wider than most swords, and the length shorter than most swords. Its color was the common gray and green like ordinary metal. There were no obvious seal scripts, only the natural patterns left behind on the blade from the forging and smelting.

The sword appeared in the light, but it was very simple. So simple it looked like a ruler that had not been finished, a sword embryo that was incomplete.

Ding Ning smiled emotionally. This was a sword that he had waited a long time for. It could be said that he had waited his entire life.

He did not make any extra movements. He released all the emotions and thoughts he had right now so the sword could sense them.

All the sound from the bottom of the lake disappeared. The ice that had been sent flying by the powerful force fell down. The thrilling crashing sounds were all over the place.

But the world of the four people on the lake surface seemed to completely calm down at this moment.

Very naturally, the sword that had broken free of the lake landed in Ding Ning’s hands.

Ding Ning gripped the hilt of the sword.

The old monk stopped breathing as he looked in disbelief at the scene. Only a cultivator of his level could sense the powerful restraints that Spirit Void Sword Sect expert had left behind. Even he could not have cut through the lifebond energy that expert left behind so easily and quickly.

“The sword is a friend, a confidant.” Ding Ning knew that he did not understand, and slowly turned around. He said, “Only when it has life, can the two sides be in agreement, and then one can get the most aid. The greatest power comes from the cultivator’s will and the sword essence being directed at the same place.”