1995 One Sword Wakes the Heart Demon “D*mn! This guy has a powerful sonic skill?” The audience at Sky Palace had their mouths wide open. Yun Suyi looked very happy. She looked at Yun Changkong and asked, “Dad, does that mean that Han Sen passed the test?” “I guess so.” Yun Changkong saw Han Sen’s sword convey a portion of his strong mind, but since Yun Changkong wasn’t proficient with sonic powers, he couldn’t judge too accurately. “It is your turn.” Lone Bamboo saw the words Han Sen had written, and after a glimmer of surprise, he returned to his normal state. He spoke to Han Sen calmly. Han Sen was delighted. He had learned from Six Paths Emperor the Six Paths swordskills. Amongst them was Sonic Sword, which he also took the time to learn. It was fortunate he had learned it, too. If he hadn’t, he’d have lost right then and there. Six Paths swordskills were so strong. They couldn’t have been any worse than the swordskills practiced in the geno universe. If he had been born here, Six Paths would have been a famous swordsman for sure. Thinking about Six Paths swordskills, Han Sen thought to himself, “The spirit sword of Six Paths can trigger depression and break the will of enemies. It can make them fall to depression. Lone Bamboo has experienced so much, so he must be quite depressed already. The more depressed a person is, the more effective this is. Perhaps there is a chance I can win, after all.” Han Sen looked at Lone Bamboo and smiled. “I have a sword. You can take a look at it, if you want.” “Yes, please,” Lone Bamboo responded. Han Sen ran a skill. When he learned Six Paths’ swordskills, he learned Heart Sword first. He hadn’t practiced much of the other five, but he had used this a great deal. The others weren’t comparable to his proficiency with this. He put his right finger and middle finger together. It looked like a sword, and with it, he pointed at Lone Bamboo’s forehead. Lone Bamboo did not dodge. Calmly, he watched Han Sen’s performance. But when Han Sen’s sword air came to his forehead, Lone Bamboo’s face changed. The Kings in Sky Palace noticed Lone Bamboo’s face change. And what they saw shocked them. They couldn’t see what was so special about that sword, to make his face change like so. Ordinary people, and even the Kings themselves, thought it was an average strike. There was nothing special about it, or so it seemed. It really looked like a normal strike. “What is this? Is it something different? I can’t see the power inside it.” “If you could see it, you would become Lone Bamboo.” “Oh, no! Han Sen is a top enemy to shake Lone Bamboo so much.” A second later, Han Sen’s finger was on Lone Bamboo’s forehead. Then, he pulled it away. He returned to his position. Lone Bamboo’s cold face was contorting in a bad way. His eyes were full of red vessels. He was trying to control something. But the scary power on him was getting heavier. The power in his body was like an angry beast raging around inside of him. He had only spilled some of its presence, but it was visibly scary. “Oh, no! Han Sen’s strike has triggered Lone Bamboo’s demons.” Yun Changkong’s face lost a little color. “Dad, what is going on?” Yun Suyi and the others did not understand, either. They all turned to look at him. Yun Changkong looked complicated, and he explained, “Lone Bamboo’s mental torture was excruciating, and he persevered through the ten thousand nightmares by his sheer force of will. Even though he endured it, he has never come to feel at peace. It is like when a flood comes, and you raise a dam to stop the flow of the water. It’s a reservoir. All the water is stopped where it is, but it does not disappear. It is still there. The more he stops these thoughts, the greater the depression he feels. Imagine how scary it must be to have the struggles of ten thousand lives in your mind.” “But the ten thousand nightmares were endured, and he survived despite his depression. Without interruption, keeping it at bay with a dam might work. But Han Sen’s sword seems to have triggered the depression to act out. The suppressed emotions, that were built up for ten thousand years, have been let loose in an explosion. Lone Bamboo’s mental fortitude had been broken. His ten-thousand-year depression has come. It is scarier than whatever he felt in any particular one of the lives he experienced. That depression might very well break him now, and it probably would do the same even if he was a King. Lone Bamboo...” Yun Changkong stopped talking. He looked worried. Lone Bamboo was breathing like a beast, with green veins pulsating. His presence was losing its composure. He was looking more like a demon, almost freed from its cage. Many students that were watching look terrified at the mere sight. Roar! Lone Bamboo roared to the sky. The energy inside him broke free, and it burst out. The whole place filled up with scary feelings that were hard to describe. Han Sen was in the arena. Even the students outside the ring could feel Lone Bamboo, even if they had a weak will. Their eyes started to cry. They felt hopeless, and they wished to die. Some Baron students could not control themselves. They pulled out their swords and put them to their necks. It felt as if there was no more hope, and only sadness would prevail. They felt as if there was nothing left to live for, and death was all they could want. “Hmph.” A sigh came from the palace. Some weird strength re-imbued the arena, separating it from Lone Bamboo and his power. The students that were going to cut themselves, snapped out of their daze. They were so scared by what happened, many of them had p*ssed themselves. In the arena, Lone Bamboo stared at Han Sen with a scary presence. His face looked terrifying. Han Sen did not expect Lone Bamboo’s depression to be this heavy. It exceeded all his expectations, and he rather regretted doing what he had done. If Lone Bamboo could not withstand the pressure and tried to kill himself, even if the elites of Sky Palace saved him, he would continue living with a broken mind. Han Sen wanted to win, yes. But he did not want to destroy Lone Bamboo. But now, it was too late to stop. He had triggered Lone Bamboo’s depression, and not even Han Sen could suppress it. “Dad, what is going on?” This time, even Yun Sushang sounded shaky. Yun Changkong looked dim, and he slowly said, “Han Sen’s talents are too scary. He has completely triggered the volume of Lone Bamboo’s depression. Lone Bamboo’s demons have awoken. This now leads to two possibilities. Either he beats the demon and reverts to his previous self, or he succumbs to it. If that happens, he might try to commit suicide or even kill people.” “Can Brother Lone Bamboo make it?” Thousand Feather Crane asked. “Hard!” Yun Changkong spoke only one word.