Qin Yun and Yi Xiao came to the second stone chamber once again. The stone door that led to the third stone chamber was sealed shut by an array formation.
“Swoosh.”
A disk array was embedded in the middle of the sealed stone door.
Qin Yun walked forward and touched the disk array gently. At the same time, his heart stirred and sent sword intent one after another into it, activating the disk array’s fluctuations. When the seven sword intents were infused, the might that flowed around the disk array automatically dissipated with a rumble. The disk array also dimmed. Qin Yun extended his arm and pushed open the stone door.
“The third stone chamber.” Qin Yun and Yi Xiao entered together.
A sphere of light floated in the middle of the third stone chamber. There were runic patterns flowing across its surface and in the middle of the light sphere was an ancient and unadorned ball of stone.
“Brother Yun, look.” Yi Xiao pointed at the stone wall beside them.
Qin Yun turned to look.
On the stone wall were the words: “Figuring out the seven sword intents mean you are truly a genius among sword immortals. And this stone ball in front of you is the final obstacle. It is protected by an array formation. Only an intent domain can damage it. As long as you destroy it, you will be able to exit and obtain all that I have amassed all these years.”
After reading the line of text, Qin Yun and Yi Xiao turned to look at the stone ball in the middle of the sphere of light.
“You need to destroy the stone ball?” Yi Xiao was puzzled as she touched the array formation.
“Xiaoxiao, take a step back first. Let me give it a go,” said Qin Yun. Yi Xiao nodded and retreated to Qin Yun’s side.
Qin Yun waved his hand.
Boom!
Just the reverberating shockwaves that were produced from the collision of a sword beam on the array formation was terrifying. However, Qin Yun repressed it with his sword intent domain.
“This array formation feels more stable than the massive array outside.” Qin Yun shook his head. Although he had yet to use his full strength, just a simple attempt was enough for him to know the array formation’s strength.
“If you can’t crack the array formation, how are you to destroy the stone ball within?” asked Yi Xiao. “Our Dharma spells and flying sword arts can’t enter it!”
“We can only do as according to what Elder Sword said. Destroy it with an intent domain,” said Qin Yun.
After reaching the sword intent domain realm, he could release his sword intent and permeate anything!
“There are no weapons or artifacts inside this array formation. You can only augment your sword intent onto the Heaven and Earth powers,” said Yi Xiao. ” A sword intent-augmented Sword Qi that is created through your Dharmic powers would have its strength greatly reduced. Simply augmenting the Heaven and Earth powers would only make it much weaker.”
“Elder Sword must be trying to use this to test the level of one’s sword intent,” said Qin Yun. “The only way is to crack it open with sufficient sword intent.”
To a sword immortal, the most common move was to release a beam of Sword Qi.
Sword Qi was condensed using one’s pure Dharmic powers! By infusing it with sword intent, its strength was still passable but it was far from a Dharma treasure flying sword!
And the augmentation of the Heaven and Earth powers with sword intent was the weakest technique!
It was an abandonment of all external factors such as Dharma treasure and Dharmic powers. It was a pure test of one’s sword intent!
“Let me give it a try.”
Qin Yun went forward.
His Dharmic powers could not penetrate the array formation’s lining but sword intent was not affected, so he injected it in.
“Condense!”
He commanded with a thought.
Inside the gigantic spherical array formation, a wisp of Heaven and Earth powers condensed into a flickering flying sword imbued with sword intent.
“Break!”
Qin Yun stared at the stone ball.
The Heaven and Earth powered flying sword instantly shot forward and struck the unadorned ball. It quivered slightly but was not damaged in any way.
“The standard required of sword intent is truly high.” Qin Yun immediately calmed his mind and immersed himself in a frenetic and passionate state of mind. Yi Xiao held her breath and watched, afraid of disturbing him.
Qin Yun’s eyes seemed to have burning flames within.
“Samsara!”
Boom!
The Heaven and Earth powered flying sword’s might clearly escalated, and brought with it frenetic and passionate emotions that went beyond life and death. It was a strike that would not be affected by anything, even one’s life. Yi Xiao could even sense the rich feelings contained within! If Bright Moon Over River and Dual Flight were said to have rich feelings, even those could not match Samsara at all. It had an intense way of infecting anyone who witnessed it, causing their hearts to waver.
“Peng!” The Heaven and Earth powered flying sword struck the stone ball. It vibrated in response and produced a faint and crisp crack.
At the same moment the crack appeared, the massive sphere array formation dissipated. Even the exterior world’s restriction array formation and vast white array blasts stopped operating.
And the base beneath it began to rise!
“Boom!”
Beneath the base was a black box.
“I actually did not sense it with my sword intent domain? Even now, I can’t sense it.” Qin Yun was astonished.
“Is this Outer Realm Meteorite Metal?” Yi Xiao was stunned when she looked at it carefully. “The material used for this box is an Outer Realm Meteorite Metal. It’s no wonder you can’t sense it.”
“It’s said that Outer Realm Meteorite Metal is nearly indestructible. Even at my present strength, I would not be able to damage it in any way. Typically, it is used to smith a second or third-grade Dharma treasure.” Qin Yun picked up the black box. “Now, it’s only used as a treasure chest. This chest’s value is worth nearly a third-grade Dharma treasure.”
The black box was not locked, nor were there any array formation seals. A gentle lift was enough to open the lid.
In it was a Cosmic Bag.
At the same moment, the box was opened, a projection appeared with a hum above the black box. It was a white-haired black-robed elder.
“It’s Elder Sword,” said Yi Xiao. The both of them had buried Elder Sword’s corpse so she naturally recognized him.
In the phantom projection in mid-air, the white-haired black-robed elder, Elder Sword was gently caressing the pile of manuals around him. He said, “Despite cultivating for five centuries, I will ultimately reduce to dust. I can’t accept it. I sought manuals all over the world, searching for manuals that had anything to do with the sword immortal lineage. I even gathered the manuals of the talisman amulet lineage and other lineages that are capable of condensing the Essence Soul. Scenic Mountain Sect was also once a Daoist sacred land. I came here in search of manuals and only found a few. The most core manuals have been protected very well by Immortal Scenic Yang. Even though he has been dead for so many years, the array formation he left behind remains uncrackable by me.”
“I eventually failed. The Dharmic formulations I came up with were ultimately wrong. My Golden Core shattered during my final attempt, so I cannot last much longer.”
“Only by figuring out the Beam Transformation Art and gaining insights into my sword intents do you have the right to learn my seven great sword arts.”
“To be able to grasp seven sword intents, you are already considered a genius among Connate Golden Core sword immortals.”
“For you to break the stone ball, it means you have gone as far as touching the Sword Intent Paramount realm… By doing so, you barely qualify to continue my unfinished business,” Elder Sword said. “I did not believe in fate my entire life. I believe that man can defy the heavens! Even though I knew that sword immortals lacked a Dharmic formulation that could condense an Essence Soul to become immortal, I was confident that I could create one.”
“I was invincible for three centuries but I ultimately failed to create it.”
“Now, I’ll hand it over to you! The manuals I gathered might be of some use to you.” Elder Sword coughed and cupped his mouth. There were blood stains on the corner of his mouth as he looked up at them. “I failed but I hope you can accomplish it. If you can’t, perhaps a junior can accomplish it in the future. My sword immortal lineage has to create an Elder Sword Dharmic formulation after all. We have to truly be able to accomplish the saying that ‘a single sword can destroy all Dharma,’ and turn up our noses at the world!”
Following that, the projection faded away.
Qin Yun and Yi Xiao fell silent.
“Elder Sword has an eccentric personality, but he is only one of the few peerless sword immortals in history,” said Yi Xiao. “Perhaps many powerful sword immortals have done the same. They were unwilling to accept it. After all, they could even leapfrog realms to defeat immortals and fiendcelestials, to the point of even killing a fiendcelestial. But due to the lack of Dharmic formulations, they halt at the Connate Golden Core.”
Qin Yun nodded. “To attempt to create an Essence Soul Dharmic formulation out of nothing with the strength at the Connate Golden Core realm is indeed inexplicably difficult. Seniors who had grasped Sword Dao all failed eventually, but I’m still young. There’s still a lot of time.”
“Brother Yun, you will definitely create it,” said Yi Xiao.
“Yea.” Qin Yun nodded.
Despite saying so, he knew in his heart how difficult it was.
To Qin Yun, stepping into the Connate Golden Core was just a matter of time. However, to create an Essence Soul Dharmic formulation for the sword immortal lineage? There had been quite a number of people that grasped sword intent at the Postnatal realm in all of history. There were even some who were more monstrous than Qin Yun. They were either freaks of nature at a young age or became accomplished at an older age. Each one of them dazzled an era but they eventually perished.
If sword immortals could not form their Essence Soul and have everlasting youth, they could at best live for five centuries! Therefore, no matter how illustrious a sword immortal was, they would eventually turn into history.
“Brother Yun, take a look and see what treasures Elder Sword left behind,” said Yi Xiao immediately.
“Alright.” Qin Yun opened the Cosmic Bag and probed it with his psyche. He gave a look of surprise.
“What happened?” asked Yi Xiao.
“It naturally cannot be compared to Immortal Scenic Yang but it’s not bad either.” Qin Yun stretched his hand in to grab out a bracelet. It had seven beads on it. “This is the most precious item. It should be Elder Sword’s Intrinsic Flying Sword.”
“Elder Sword’s flying sword?” Yi Xiao looked at it.
Qin Yun wore the bracelet on his left hand and said with a smile, “Each of these beads is a sword ball.”
“Shoo! Shoo! Shoo!”
Seven beads flew out, transforming into seven flying swords.
Each of the seven flying swords was a second-grade flying sword! There was the dazzling Blazing Sun Sword, the invisible Formless Sword, as well as the dreamlike Starlight Sword. The rest were named: Starlight, Desecrated Moon, Blazing Sun, Profound Theory, Heavenly Change, Dark Shadow, and Formless. The seven flying swords were of extraordinary might and even hinted to be a part of one.
Qin Yun commanded with his mind. “Condense.”
The seven flying swords rapidly assembled to form a complete flying sword.
“The rumors were true,” said Yi Xiao immediately. “Elder Sword’s Intrinsic Flying Sword can truly disassemble into seven, and the seven can be assembled to form one.”
“A first-grade flying sword.” The hazy flying sword suffused terrifying killing intent.
Qin Yun injected it with Sword Immortal Dharmic Powers and felt that the entire flying sword gave him immense pressure. He could control it only by injecting large amounts of the Dharmic powers.
“Can you control it?” asked Yi Xiao.
“Yes,” Qin Yun nodded. “However, it’s rather tough doing so. It drains my Dharmic powers at a rate ten times that of my Intrinsic Flying Sword.”
His Intrinsic Flying Sword was only at the third-grade but it could produce the strength of a first-grade flying sword.
The first-grade flying sword was not his Intrinsic Flying Sword after all. With Qin Yun’s Sword Immortal Dharmic Powers still somewhat lacking, it drained him greatly.
“I have heard of people controlling a second-grade Dharma treasure at the Connate True Core realm. There are such people in the Divine Firmament Chapter,” exclaimed Yi Xiao. “However, to control a first-grade Dharma treasure at the Connate True Core realm is truly rare. At least, no one in the current generation of my Divine Firmament Chapter can do it.”
“Don’t you see one now?” said Qin Yun with a smile. Following that, he commanded with his mind.
The hazy flying sword split into seven flying swords and flew to his wrist and bound together into a bracelet.
“What other precious items are there in the Cosmic Bag?” asked Yi Xiao.
“This is the only first-grade Dharma treasure. The rest are good too but they are somewhat inferior,” Qin Yun said with a smile. “But for me, the most valuable items are probably these manuals. It is said that Elder Sword had offended many immortals and fiendcelestials in order to amass all these manuals.”
Some sword immortal sects had once been stormed and vanquished of their heritage.
Their manuals naturally landed in the hands of the fiendish demons. Elder Sword had once attacked them and even fought a fiendcelestial to retrieve some of the manuals.
“I’ll read these manuals when I have the time. Let’s pack up and leave this place,” said Qin Yun.
“Yea.”
Yi Xiao nodded.
Back when the stone ball cracked, the array formations outside came to a halt. Qin Yun and Yi Xiao first put away all the array treasures before returning to their residence to begin packing.
“We are leaving.” Yi Xiao felt somewhat reluctant to leave as she packed all the decorations in the rooms.
It had been more than three years.
This was the place where she married Qin Yun and lived for three plus years with no one to disturb them.
“Let’s go. We have to exit this place after all. If we were to have children in the future, we can’t let our children stay here, right?” consoled Qin Yun. He looked at his surroundings and felt a little unwilling to leave. All the equipment and tools around them were constructed by him and Yi Xiao.
“Alright.” Yi Xiao nodded. “Brother Yun, we have been together for three years but there’s nothing from my womb.”
“Both of us are Connate cultivators. Having children is difficult, to begin with. There’s no rush,” said Qin Yun.
Yi Xiao nodded gently.
The two packed the items one by one and put away their daily items.
Yi Xiao stood in the garden and looked at the distant stone chamber, still feeling a sense of longing.
“Let’s go,” urged Qin Yun.
Only then did Yi Xiao follow Qin Yun. The couple walked through the hall and into the dark passageway once again.
Now that the array formation was gone, they could easily walk out.
…
Inside the immortal abode, Qin Yun and Yi Xiao no longer encountered any more danger, perhaps because the Numinous treasure and the transcendent-grade Dharma treasure had been taken away. The couple quickly arrived at the immortal abode’s main entrance.
Qin Yun and Yi Xiao walked alongside each other along a stone-paved path.
“We are about to exit. I wonder how my family is now.” Qin Yun smiled and looked at Yi Xiao. “When the time comes, you still need to meet my parents.”
Yi Xiao felt somewhat nervous as she whispered, “We haven’t managed to have children over the past three years. Would Father and Mother be unhappy?”
“An ugly wife cannot avoid meeting her in-laws,” joked Qin Yun.
Yi Xiao could not help but say, “Ugly wife?”
This joke also relaxed her nervous emotions.
Qin Yun said with a smile, “There’s no need to worry about children. We are both cultivators, so there’s no need for us to be tied up with such things.”
The two chatted as they walked and soon, they saw the towering mountain door in the distance.
“Rosy Dawn Door.” Qin Yun and Yi Xiao looked at the mountain door. It was the entrance they had used to enter. Once out, they would be out of the entire immortal abode.
Outside the Rosy Dawn Door, the Scenic Mountain Sect had sent two Daoists to watch it.
“Quick look.” One of the Daoists said as he pointed towards the mountain door.
“What is it?” Another Daoist turned his head out of curiosity and saw an immortal couple walking on a stone-paved path. The Daoist widened his eyes in disbelief. “Qin-Qin-Qin-… Qin Yun? The both of them came out alive?”
“Qin Yun and Yi Xiao are out. They came out alive.”
“Quick! Quick! Inform the sect!”
The two Daoists were extremely shocked.
Qin Yun, who had taken the transcendent-grade Dharma treasure Golden Core Cauldron with him to save Yi Xiao without returning, had been thought of as an overly foolish sword immortal. Now, he had come out together with Yi Xiao!
The news was enough to shock the entire world!
(End of Volume)