Chapter 286: Sword Wizard Highlight

Watching Xu Qing, Immortal Zixuan found him increasingly amusing. She had met many people in her life, and beautiful, shy youngsters like him were not uncommon. However, she hadn't paid them much mind in her youth. Now, for some reason, she felt an urge to tease them. So, she slowly moved closer to Xu Qing.

Xu Qing's body stiffened, his scalp tingled, and his breathing became rapid under the intense pressure. He couldn't move; his very soul trembled under the immense pressure, especially as Immortal Zixuan drew closer, her exquisite face nearing his cheek.

The scent from Immortal Zixuan, fresh as after a bath, enveloped Xu Qing. As he involuntarily inhaled it with every breath, his face paled with nervousness, and he could even hear his own pounding heart.

This was utterly unlike any female disciple he had ever encountered.

This scene struck Wu Jianwu like a bolt of lightning, making him wonder if Chen Erniu and Xu Qing had called him all this way just to witness this. The sight made his heart ache; he actually would have preferred to see the Ancient Emperor Xuanyou.

Meanwhile, the elder from the Six Heavenly Palaces remained unperturbed, still bowing respectfully, eyes fixed forward. Only the Captain's inner thoughts were lively.

"Little A Qing, your big brother had no choice but to resort to this. That hairpin was expensive, and it's all for your own good. Just proves older ginger is spicier, huh? You took my hairpin and still showed up so late!" The Captain blinked, his heart aching more for the spirit stones he had spent. "If only you had come earlier," the Captain sighed to himself.

Xu Qing's mind was blank until, in the next instant, Immortal Zixuan gently blew a breath into his ear. This warm breath, falling on his ear, felt like a lightning bolt striking his body, making Xu Qing tremble as if experiencing a complete loss of composure for the first time in his life. Watching this, Immortal Zixuan burst into delighted laughter. Her laughter, like an oriole emerging from a valley, was melodious and intoxicating to all who heard it.

Amidst her laughter, she gracefully moved away from Xu Qing, then lazily stretched her waist, inadvertently exuding an air of enchanting allure. It seemed that teasing youngsters was merely a casual pastime she indulged in to lighten her mood. Now that the teasing was over, she took out a token. Holding it between two fingers, she placed it in Xu Qing's arms and patted it lightly.

"Little one, take my token. With it, you can venture deeper into this Land of Creation." Saying this, Immortal Zixuan chuckled, turned, and ascended into the sky like a celestial maiden returning to her palace, leaving behind an abundance of beauty as she drifted further and further away.

However, where no one could see, Immortal Zixuan walked and gently shook her head. "I can't help but tease such outwardly adorable little ones; I really need to change this habit. It's a pity, though, the scent of blood on him is ingrained to his very bones. Beneath that cute exterior lies endless malevolence. He's probably not someone with light in his heart."

Only after Immortal Zixuan had departed did Xu Qing's body return to normal. After taking several deep breaths, he abruptly looked up and silently glared at the Captain. The Captain, feeling a chill from Xu Qing's gaze, let out a cough. "Let's go in quickly! We've paid for this, and time is already ticking!" With that, he was the first to step into the vortex, moving swiftly, as if afraid Xu Qing might retaliate immediately.

Wu Jianwu, standing nearby, was still in a daze. He stared at Xu Qing with a somewhat bewildered expression, then looked up at where Immortal Zixuan had vanished, and swallowed hard.

Xu Qing ignored Wu Jianwu. He clenched his jaw, committing the incident to memory while staring at the Captain's vanishing figure, then also stepped into the vortex. Seeing them both enter, Wu Jianwu took a deep breath and murmured to himself.

"We cultivators must not indulge in women. They offer no benefit to cultivation, only disturb the heart and add bothersome attachments. We cultivators, living in this world, must aspire to travel far and wide; only then can we achieve great deeds." These were the words of the Ancient Emperor Xuanyou, which Wu Jianwu had always agreed with, but now his resolve wavered slightly. Yet, his dao heart was firm, and he quickly regained his composure, his eyes showing determination as he stepped into the vortex.

As the three successively entered the vortex, a sealed and isolated realm soon appeared before them. The place was vast, with undulating mountain ranges forming concentric circles. The sky was formed by an array, and the ground was created by restrictions; its overall size seemed comparable to the former main city of the Seven Blood Eyes in South Phoenix Continent.

In the very center, encircled by the mountain ranges, lay a massive lake whose water was blood-red, as if formed from flowing blood. Within the lake stood a colossal pillar—this pillar seemed to support the heavens and earth, entirely black, with streaks of lightning coursing over its surface, a shocking sight that also exuded an ancient, weathered aura. It was as if it had existed for countless ages, bearing witness to immeasurable history.

At the top of this pillar, a thick chain was visible, covered in array markings and emitting terrifying fluctuations. Chained by this iron chain was, astonishingly, a colossal bone serpent. The bone serpent's body was extremely long, coiled around the pillar in concentric circles, forming the very mountain ranges of the area—the innermost ring encircling the lake.

Its immense size was awe-inspiring and mind-shattering. The serpent's head rested upon the colossal pillar, appearing as if a mountain range extended from one side, suspended in the air. The serpent's head was grotesque, devoid of flesh, with only black bones remaining. It seemed to bear a lingering resentment from before its death, its maw agape, revealing rows of sharp fangs. On one of the large fangs, towards the front right, a trace of dried golden blood was still visible.

And it was this mere trace of golden blood that radiated an earth-shattering aura, roaring through the heavens. This aura also carried an overbearing dominance and nobility, enough to make the minds of all who saw it thunder and their souls become unstable. Everything closely resembled the carvings on the murals, but the feeling evoked by seeing it in person far surpassed merely viewing the paintings.

The horrifying aura of the nail, in particular, and the continued oppressive might of the bone serpent even after its death, caused the expressions of all three, including Xu Qing, to change, and their heartbeats to quicken. The Captain's eyes widened, staring intently at the fangs inside the serpent's head, specifically the one stained with a trace of dried golden blood—his breathing became heavy. "I was so foolish! Why was I always thinking of treasures outside? I never expected such a thing to exist within the Alliance!" Could that be the blood of Ancient Emperor Xuanyou? Xu Qing didn't focus on the fang. After his gaze swept around, his main focus was on the dense soul power contained within the area.

The soul power was so dense it seemed to have formed a sea of souls, causing Xu Qing's Fiendfire Soul-Devouring Scripture to automatically begin operating, drawing wisps of soul power into his body. "This truly is a Land of Creation for opening Dharma apertures!" Xu Qing's heart stirred.

However, he didn't act rashly. Instead, he observed his surroundings from mid-air. His main focus was on the cultivators present. They weren't the only three there; disciples from the Xuanyou Sect itself, as well as members from other sects, had paid spirit stones to cultivate here. Especially the Xuanyou Sect disciples; it was unlikely they paid the same price as outer sect disciples. Clearly, they had other ways to gain entry. Thus, among the dozens of people Xu Qing observed, Xuanyou Sect disciples made up the majority.

These individuals were all cultivating cross-legged, and Xu Qing noticed that most of them were on the outermost ring of mountains formed by the bone serpent, with few venturing closer to the core. This reminded Xu Qing of the token given by Immortal Zixuan. Clearly, cultivation here—the closer one got to the deep core—the denser the soul power became. However, Xu Qing calculated that even if he went to the deepest part, three days wouldn't be enough for him to open ten Dharma apertures. To open ten, he would need at least a month here. Moreover, if the required soul power for subsequent apertures increased, even a month might not suffice.

"I don't have that many spirit stones," Xu Qing thought, turning to look at Wu Jianwu. At this moment, the Captain also inhaled sharply, his gaze quickly falling on Wu Jianwu. Whether the two of them could achieve their goal depended entirely on how much Wu Jianwu could provoke this demonic serpent.

At this moment, Wu Jianwu was trembling. From the moment he stepped out of the vortex and set foot in this place, he couldn't help but tremble with excitement, an unprecedented light gleaming in his eyes as he stared intently at the enormous Heaven-Nailing Pillar. A poem was carved upon it.

Xu Qing had noticed earlier that it was slightly different from what was depicted on the murals, but he hadn't paid it much mind. However, in Wu Jianwu's eyes, this was the source of his longing. There was no need for Xu Qing or the Captain to urge him. Amidst his trembling, he slowly ascended into the air, gazing at the poem and murmuring, "Heaven-nail quells demonic serpent, Emperor's blood refines the cosmos." Xu Qing and the Captain focused intently, sensing their surroundings, but there was no change whatsoever—everything remained as it was.

"Ineffective," Xu Qing sighed inwardly. He felt that he and the Captain had been too optimistic. How could Wu Jianwu possibly attract the attention of the serpent's soul? Even if the serpent's soul had slept for countless ages, it wouldn't be so easily provoked. But the Captain was clearly unwilling to give up. Staring at Wu Jianwu in mid-air, who was trembling and savoring the Ancient Emperor Xuanyou's poem, he suddenly spoke.

"Little Jianjian, imagine the great Ancient Emperor Xuanyou in your mind. He's wearing an imperial robe, a crown on his head, with a nine-layered canopy above him, and thousands of streams of light all over his body. His aura is overwhelming! He's walking from the Endless Sea right now. With one step, the ocean dips. With a second step, the seawater forms figures that kneel before him!" As soon as the Captain spoke, Wu Jianwu's body trembled intensely.

"His third step brought him to the Continent of Wanggu. Back then, it wasn't called Welcoming Emperor Prefecture, but was controlled by a demonic serpent. Our human race's countless small nations were raised as blood food by it. Seeing this, the Ancient Emperor was furious beyond measure! What was even more outrageous was that this tiny sea serpent actually bit the Ancient Emperor—it bit him on the leg!" As the Captain reached this point, Wu Jianwu's breathing became rapid, and the image had already formed in his mind.

"The Ancient Emperor looked down with disdain, waved his hand, and refined the five elements into a Heaven-Nailing Pillar, directly suppressing this demonic serpent here. Before he left, he casually wrote a poem. 'Wu Jianwu, can you see this scene?'"

Wu Jianwu's breathing became unprecedentedly rapid, and his body trembled more and more violently. In the image formed in his mind, the Ancient Emperor walking from the sea gradually took on his own appearance. At this moment, even his demeanor unconsciously changed. This was because Wu Jianwu's greatest joy was imitating the Ancient Emperor Xuanyou, a practice he had maintained for many years, ingrained into his very being. Now, under the Captain's vivid description, he instinctively began to imitate. His expression became solemn and profound, his eyes filled with disdain. Standing in mid-air, he lightly swept his gaze over the ground, flicked his sleeve, and calmly spoke. "A mere little snake dares to bite this Emperor? Beware, your teeth will break, and your intestines will be pierced!"

The moment his words left his lips, the area boomed. Faintly, a roar seemed to echo from countless ages past, filled with hatred, ferocity, and madness, reverberating in all directions and shaking the soul. Simultaneously, within the forbidden grounds of the Soaring Cloud Sword Sect in the Eight Sects Alliance, a similar roar, filled with anguish and monstrous hatred, resounded throughout the forbidden stone grotto.

"Xu Qing, I must truly thank you. If you hadn't kept me constantly hovering between life and death, suffering torment until now, I, Sheng Yunzi, would never have been able to open my 121st Dharma aperture so quickly!" As the roar echoed, Sheng Yunzi, who had previously been like a skeleton in the blood pool of the grotto, now burst forth into mid-air. Streams of blood flowed from his body, revealing a robust physique and a peerless face beneath a mane of crimson hair. However, his right eye had permanently turned pitch black, replaced by a Golden Crow hidden deep within, undetectable to outsiders. This Golden Crow provided him with astonishing vitality to counteract the potent venom within him. The moment this balance was achieved also enabled Sheng Yunzi, amidst life and death, to locate and open his 121st Dharma aperture, forming five balls of Life Fire.