Chapter 922: One Slip in a Hundred Precautions

The dark passage was silent; the continuous danger that had persisted since they entered had vanished.

Lu Ye leaned against the cave wall, and Nian Yuexian nestled in his arms. Both quickly began restoring their strength.

Crunching sounds were incredibly abrupt in the silent atmosphere.

Nian Yuexian didn't pay much attention at first, but she soon realized something was amiss. The sound wasn't like chewing spirit pills. A sweep of her divine sense revealed her surprise.

She discovered Lu Ye was actually eating demon cores! "Are you alright?"

How could a human eat demon cores? Although she was well-traveled and knowledgeable, she had never heard of such a thing. While demon cores certainly contained vast energy, it was the essence of demonic beast cultivation, and for cultivators, it was considered impure and complex. Even if one could refine and absorb it, it would make one's spiritual power incredibly sluggish.

"I'm fine!" Lu Ye replied casually, continuing to eat the demon core. Large patches of grey mist rose from his Talent Tree, and his nearly depleted spiritual power rapidly began to recover.

Nian Yuexian stopped asking. Although Lu Ye's actions puzzled her, this was clearly not the time for inquiry. It would not be too late to ask about the situation later, when they had time.

She continued to recover and regulate her breath.

Utilizing the vast vitality within Lu Ye, combined with her own inherent power as a Divine Sea Realm cultivator, Nian Yuexian's injuries were also rapidly recovering.

Only her blood-stained clothes could not be changed for the moment. However, these were minor details and didn't hinder anything.

While the two recovered, Ying Wuji hid silently to the side. This experience had been entirely forced upon him, so whatever happened next had nothing to do with him. All he needed to do was preserve his life and quickly part ways with Lu Ye once this matter was over.

Time trickled by.

Two hours later, Nian Yuexian said, "Let's go." She had recovered sufficiently, and her injuries had largely improved, no longer affecting her performance.

As she rose, she turned, stepping out of Lu Ye's embrace, but their hands remained clasped together.

No one knew what dangers lay ahead. The 'Twin Phoenix Dance' remained active, allowing her to conveniently borrow strength from Lu Ye at any time.

They moved forward for a while, when suddenly a point of light appeared in their vision.

The light appeared extremely abruptly. None of the three had noticed it before reaching a certain area; the moment they crossed a particular point, the light suddenly emerged.

Following the direction of the light's source, they walked for about a hundred zhang and arrived at the end of the passage.

At the end was a terrifying abyss. Looking down, its depth was unknown, and the profound darkness seemed to swallow everything.

Ahead was a stone bridge, not wide, only enough for three people to walk abreast.

At the end of the stone bridge, an abrupt stone pillar stood upright in the abyss, its roots submerged to an unknown depth.

Upon reaching this point, all three revealed expressions of surprise.

This was because numerous sword lights floated around the abyss surrounding the stone platform, moving like a school of fish. Astonishingly, the essence of these sword lights were flying swords of excellent quality.

Their number was incalculable.

Such a massive quantity of flying swords, and of excellent quality, would undoubtedly be a huge fortune if they could be taken out.

Ying Wuji's heart was stirred by greed, but in the end, he sighed inwardly. With Nian Yuexian, a Divine Sea Realm master, present, there would be no share for him, no matter how good the treasures were. He averted his gaze, believing that what the eye doesn't see, the heart doesn't grieve over; looking would only cause him pain.

Lu Ye and Nian Yuexian's gazes did not linger on the numerous flying swords, but fixed on the stone platform.

At the center of the stone platform, a short sword, only about two chi long, was obliquely embedded. Though its time here was unknown, its surface remained mirror-smooth, radiating brilliant light.

When their gaze fell upon it, they immediately felt a chilling, sharp sword intent, as if it could even sever something as ethereal as one's gaze!

The light the three had seen earlier in the passage was emanating from this short sword.

Nian Yuexian's guess was correct; there were indeed many flying swords of excellent quality here, not just one. However, the short sword on the stone platform was comparatively of the most exceptional quality.

Lu Ye didn't know the quality of the short sword, but based on the information he had, it was definitely beyond the Spirit Treasure level.

If Nian Yuexian obtained such an item, her deterrent power would be terrifying.

Such a short sword could be used as either a flying sword or a weapon for ghost cultivators. If she acquired it, Nian Yuexian's strength would undoubtedly increase greatly, putting Wan Zhanggang's life in peril.

"There's a formation," Nian Yuexian said. Her gaze did not linger on the two-chi short sword; she observed the surroundings and immediately made a judgment.

Although Lu Ye's cultivation in array mastery far surpassed cultivators of the same level, there was still a considerable gap compared to Nian Yuexian. Only with her reminder did he notice some clues.

He suddenly understood.

It was likely that the moment the three stepped into the passage, the power of the formation here was activated, resulting in the continuous sword qi attacks.

That was both an obstruction and, more so, a test.

Who left this short sword and the numerous flying swords? And who set up the formation?

What was the purpose of such a test?

While Lu Ye pondered, Nian Yuexian had already taken his hand and walked forward.

"I'll wait for you here!" Ying Wuji quickly shouted. Though the treasures were good, since he had no share, it was best not to take risks. Honestly waiting here was the best option for him.

Nian Yuexian ignored him, not out of trust, but because under her watchful eye, Ying Wuji couldn't cause any trouble.

Nian Yuexian walked very slowly, continuously casting out formation flags into the surrounding void as she moved.

To safely reach the stone platform and retrieve the short sword, they had to break the formation here.

Although the formation here was extremely profound, it had been laid out for an unknown number of years. Thus, Nian Yuexian could still discern some clues and flaws, making the task of breaking the formation not difficult for her.

Lu Ye did not intervene; he merely activated his Insight Spirit Mark, silently observing and learning Nian Yuexian's methods of breaking the formation.

Layer after layer of the formation was broken. The short stone bridge, only about thirty zhang long, took Nian Yuexian and Lu Ye almost an hour to cross.

Finally, they landed on the stone platform. *Clang...*

The short sword obliquely embedded in the stone platform trembled slightly, emitting a clear, ringing sword cry, as if it had sentience and was joyful at the impending arrival of its new master.

Nian Yuexian did not act rashly. Instead, she continuously observed the surroundings, looking for any hidden formations.

Lu Ye also activated his Insight Spirit Mark to observe.

A moment later, Nian Yuexian released Lu Ye's hand and said, "Step back."

Lu Ye pondered briefly, then drifted backward, quickly landing beside Ying Wuji.

Ying Wuji asked in a low voice, "Lu Yiye, that short sword... what quality is it?"

He was too far away to sense it clearly. Although he knew he wouldn't get a share of the good things here, he still wanted to understand the short sword's details.

But as expected, Lu Ye offered no response, his gaze fixed on Nian Yuexian without wavering.

On the stone platform, Nian Yuexian had already raised her hand and grasped the short sword's hilt.

The next moment, accompanied by a ringing sound, the short sword was drawn. She immediately grew vigilant of her surroundings, but it was quiet, with no abnormalities.

The treasure... was hers!

Just as Nian Yuexian felt delighted and was about to retreat, her expression suddenly changed. This was because a vortex mysteriously appeared before her without any warning. What made her even more astonished and enraged was that the short blade in her hand uncontrollably unleashed an inexplicable shockwave.

In an instant, it spread throughout her body. She, a dignified Divine Sea Realm grand cultivator, was actually struck by this impact, causing her spiritual power to scatter and her body to become unstable.

She had been guarding against any hidden traps in the surroundings, as obtaining such a treasure felt too easy.

But in the end, a single oversight occurred: the trap was not in the surrounding environment, but in the short sword itself.

One could even say that the formations she had previously broken were merely a diversion to mislead her.

A huge devouring force came from within the vortex, and her body uncontrollably fell into it. As if sensing something, she suddenly looked back to see Lu Ye's figure, swift as lightning, rushing towards her from the other side of the stone bridge, his expression urgent, stretching out a hand to her from afar.

"Don't come over!" Nian Yuexian exclaimed.

However, the next instant, Lu Ye had already swept in front of her. Nian Yuexian gritted her teeth and quickly reached out to grasp his hand.

Lu Ye stood on the stone platform with both feet. Using both hands, he firmly grasped Nian Yuexian's arm, exerting all his strength.

Yet, she didn't move an inch!

At this moment, more than half of Nian Yuexian's body had been swallowed by the vortex. Had he not arrived in time, she would likely have vanished without a trace.

He didn't know the situation inside the vortex, but such a sudden change was clearly not a good sign.

Just then, chaotic ringing sounds suddenly erupted, accompanied by a strange cry from Ying Wuji.

Lu Ye turned his head and saw Ying Wuji rapidly running towards him.

He wasn't coming to lend a hand; instead, the flying swords that had originally floated like fish near the stone platform were chasing him.

The chilling killing intent forced him to flee in this direction.

In his desperation, Ying Wuji was incredibly fast, reaching Lu Ye in the blink of an eye.

Seeing the overwhelming sword lights behind Ying Wuji, Lu Ye sighed inwardly. He stopped pulling and instead plunged headfirst into the vortex.

He genuinely didn't know the situation inside the vortex, but if they didn't hide in the vortex soon, both he and Ying Wuji would face grave danger.

Without Lu Ye's pull, Nian Yuexian's figure quickly vanished into the vortex.

The instant her figure vanished, Lu Ye saw self-reproach in Nian Yuexian's eyes. Immediately afterward, he felt a soft body press against his, and the world spun.

After Nian Yuexian and Lu Ye successively disappeared into the vortex, Ying Wuji also followed in their footsteps.

Numerous sword lights followed closely, vanishing without a trace.

A moment later, the dust settled. Only a stone bridge and an empty stone platform remained.

Endless darkness enveloped the area.