Chapter 1331: Seven-Star Saber Saint

According to their original plan, they intended to use this opportunity to hold off True Monarch Taihao for a period. Then, the barbarians would join forces to deal with Zhang Wuchen and his wife, and only after that would they confront True Monarch Taihao. However, it seems their plan needs to change now.

Wang Changsheng and the young woman in red exchanged glances before entering the cave one after another.

The cave wound its way downwards, extending deep underground. Soon, they reached its end.

It was a cavern about an *mu* in size, with uneven rock walls. Several round stone stools were visible on the ground, suggesting someone had lived there.

Zhang Wuchen and Lin Yuzong stood together, while Santa stood elsewhere, both groups wary of each other.

Seeing Wang Changsheng, Santa was slightly surprised, as he had expected Wang Changsheng to return later.

"Alright, since everyone is here, we can break the formation," Zhang Wuchen urged. She didn't mention the azure-billed doves, as everyone implicitly knew the two fourth-tier doves had been dealt with, and both sides had their own agendas without explicitly revealing them.

Santa nodded, pointing to a rough, black stone wall nearby. "We've checked it," he said. "This wall has faint formation fluctuations. You three understand formations, don't you?"

Formations had always been a weakness for the barbarians. Even if they spent time studying them, they were still far inferior to human formation masters.

Wang Changsheng remained silent. He had indeed read formation texts, but he only understood their origins and effects, not the specific methods for breaking them.

"No need for such trouble. Why not just try it and see? If that doesn't work, we can just use brute force to break the formation," Zhang Wuchen said nonchalantly. With a flip of her right hand, a shimmering small sword appeared. A flash of white light and a loud sword hum followed as a large swathe of white sword energy shot out, instantly transforming into a hundred-zhang-long white sword light that slashed towards the black stone wall.

A resounding boom echoed. The cavern shook violently, and a faint dark glow appeared on the stone wall. The white sword light was blocked.

Santa's right fist glowed with a dazzling blue light. He punched towards the dark glow, and with a flash of blue light, a several-zhang-large blue fist shadow flew out, accurately striking the dark glow.

The dark glow flickered wildly before suddenly bursting apart, revealing a circular stone door about a *zhang* high. The door was completely black with no patterns, appearing rather simple.

The white sword light struck the black stone door, immediately producing a dull thud like metal clashing, but the black stone door remained undamaged. The blue fist shadow also struck the black stone door, emitting a muffled sound, and then dissipated into specks of spiritual light.

Wang Changsheng flicked his sleeve, and a gleaming golden metal sphere flew out, transforming into a three-zhang-tall golden giant bear.

"Go," Wang Changsheng instructed, pointing his finger lightly at the stone door.

The golden giant bear strode towards the black stone door. Upon reaching it, its massive fists slammed against the door, producing dull thuds of clashing metal.

It pressed both palms against the stone door and pushed with all its might, but the door remained motionless.

The golden giant bear opened its mouth, and a large stream of thin golden light shot out, striking the black stone door with a series of dull "ding-ding" sounds.

"Let me try," said the young woman in red. With a flip of her delicate hand, a flash of red light appeared, revealing a small hammer glowing with a fluctuating red light.

Wang Changsheng's thoughts shifted, and the golden giant bear retreated to the side.

After countless red runes lit up on the small red hammer in the young woman's hand, its size rapidly expanded. She gripped the massive red hammer with both hands and swung it towards the stone door.

A deafening roar ensued. The entire stone cavern shook violently, and small stones tumbled from the walls, but the stone door remained unmoved. Instead, the young woman in red stumbled back several steps, her wrists tingling from the impact.

"If I'm not mistaken, this stone door is crafted from Black Gold Stone," Zhang Wuchen said slowly, her brow slightly furrowed. "This refining material is incredibly heavy and can only be opened with brute force. However, such a material is now quite rare. If it were refined into a magic treasure, its power would be even greater."

"Black Gold Stone? Hmph, I'll give it a try," Santa said dismissively. He walked up to the black stone door and pushed with all his might, but the door didn't budge.

He took a deep breath, and a series of "cracking" sounds emanated from within his body. His stature grew taller, and his muscles swelled, bulging so much that his clothes seemed ready to burst.

Amidst a muffled grinding sound, the stone door slowly began to open, though its movement was very sluggish.

"Let me lend a hand, fellow Daoist!" Wang Changsheng appeared in front of the black stone door with a swift step. His hands glowed with a blue light as he pressed them against the door and pushed with force.

The black stone door slowly opened, revealing a long, dark corridor with clear signs of artificial excavation.

Wang Changsheng controlled the golden giant bear, sending it ahead. There was no anomaly.

He followed, with Zhang Wuchen and the other four close behind.

The corridor was about a *zhang* wide. Zhang Wuchen and Lin Yuzong moved along the left stone wall, while Santa and his companion kept to the right.

After walking over a hundred *zhang*, turning left and continuing for another hundred *zhang*, they arrived at a simple stone chamber about a hundred *zhang* in size. The chamber was no more than three *zhang* high. On its walls were five light screens of different colors: a white giant crane, a blue tortoise, a golden shark, a green flood dragon, and a yellow giant tiger, each appearing on the surface of a screen, as if alive.

"This is the Five-Element True Spirit Restriction, one of the Ten Great Ancient Restrictions," Wang Changsheng said with some surprise. "It's said to be self-healing, unless five cultivators simultaneously break it." The Ten Great Ancient Restrictions were ten particularly powerful restrictions in the cultivation world.

"Five-Element True Spirit Restriction? After so many years, it's uncertain how much power it can still exert. Hmph, I'll give it a try," Santa said. He walked towards a green light screen, on the surface of which was a lifelike green flood dragon.

A large swathe of blue light surged from his fists as he struck the green light screen. With two muffled "bang-bang" sounds, the green light screen caved in, but almost immediately, the green flood dragon let out an angry roar, and with a flash of blue light, the screen restored itself. Santa was repelled by an immense force, staggering back several steps.

"Let's not waste any more effort; it's better to break the restriction sooner," Zhang Wuchen said with a cold expression, a hint of excitement in her beautiful eyes. The cave's owner must have been extraordinary to have laid down a Five-Element True Spirit Restriction.

Santa did not object. The five of them each stood before a light screen and simultaneously began to break the restriction.

A deafening roar resounded. The entire stone chamber shook violently, but the light screens remained intact.

"Don't hold back; use your full power! If we delay, it won't be good if more cultivators are drawn here," Wang Changsheng said with a frown. A large expanse of blue spiritual light emanated from his body, enveloping him completely. A yellow light flew out from his sleeve and disappeared into the ground.

He held four Sea-Calming Orbs in each hand and slammed them towards a red light screen.

Amidst an earth-shattering boom, the five light screens of various colors shattered, revealing a stone chamber over ten *zhang* in size.

A humanoid skeleton, clad in a blue magic robe, sat cross-legged on a prayer mat. On its hand was a blue storage ring. In the upper left corner, there was a stone shelf holding dozens of colorful spiritual shells and some refining materials.

Behind the skeleton was a circular stone pillar about a *zhang* in size. A spirit-imbued blue long saber was thrust into the pillar. The saber's blade was three inches wide and about a *zhang* long, with seven finger-sized silver light spots faintly forming a Seven-Star pattern on its surface. A miniature blue flood dragon was coiled around the hilt, appearing to be exhaling mist.

The circular stone pillar was entirely blue, and numerous rice-grain-sized blue runes could be seen on it. A light blue water curtain enveloped the blue long saber.

"Seven-Star Demon Slaying Saber!" Zhang Wuchen exclaimed, her face filled with shock.

The Seven-Star Demon Slaying Saber was the signature magic treasure of Saber Saint Seven-Stars. Saber Saint Seven-Stars was a cultivator active over four thousand years ago, a contemporary of Sword Venerable Four-Seasons. It was rumored that Sword Venerable Four-Seasons once fought with Saber Saint Seven-Stars, but the outcome of that battle remained unknown.

Saber Saint Seven-Stars was a rogue cultivator by origin. In his time, he outshone all others, earning the title of the 'Number One Rogue Cultivator of the South Sea'.

The Seven-Star Demon Slaying Saber was not only Saber Saint Seven-Stars' signature magic treasure but also a spirit treasure. Could this be the cultivation cave where Saber Saint Seven-Stars achieved nirvana?

Santa reacted quickly, dashing towards the Seven-Star Demon Slaying Saber. Meanwhile, a large expanse of crimson firelight erupted from the massive red hammer in the young woman's hand, raising waves of fire as she swung it towards Wang Changsheng and the other two.