131: Chapter 131 'Thunder Valley'

He guided a portion of the pure energy toward the dao-slaying sword in his hand.

The body of the sword emitted a yearning hum; under the nourishment of this energy, the newly repaired flowing light patterns became increasingly brilliant and solid.

He channeled another portion of the energy into his Spirit Sea, pouring it into the ancient prison suppressing pagoda.

The black tower, which had remained motionless all this time, suddenly shook violently upon coming into contact with the energy of the Earth Vein Divine Essence.

On the tower gate of the first level, the blurry patterns actually began to slowly become clear.

A vast, ancient aura of suppressing the heavens faintly permeated from within the tower.

Chen Zhiwen used the largest portion of the energy to temper his own body.

The 'Saint Ancient Emperor Art' operated on its own, refining the thick essence of the earth and merging it into his limbs and bones.

His bones, Meridians, and flesh all became tougher and stronger under the scouring of this energy.

His Peak Grandmaster Body Refining cultivation Bottleneck began to show signs of loosening.

Time passed slowly.

It is unknown how much time had passed; only when Chen Zhiwen had completely refined and absorbed the entire Earth Vein Divine Essence did he slowly open his eyes.

A divine light flashed through his eyes, and his entire aura became more restrained and unfathomable.

"the sword has recovered thirty percent, and my Physical Body is only one step away from the Great Grandmaster realm." Chen Zhiwen sensed his own changes and nodded with satisfaction.

The harvest this time was truly significant.

He stood up, cast a glance at the Earth Dragon Beast still shivering on the ground, and said indifferently, "I have taken this item, so I shall leave this Spirit Pool to you. Cultivate well, and do not bully the weak again."

With that, his figure flashed, and he disappeared into the valley.

Only after Chen Zhiwen's aura had completely vanished did the Earth Dragon Beast dare to slowly raise its head, its eyes filled with the relief of having survived a disaster and deep awe.

After leaving the Earth Origin Spirit Pool, Chen Zhiwen, under the guidance of the sword, continued to venture deeper into Qinghua Mountain.

"Master, one thousand eight hundred li ahead, there is a 'Thunder-Striken Valley.' It is the place where a powerful expert of thunder techniques from the ancient era fell. His lifelong insights into thunder techniques remain there, which might be helpful for your 'Startling World-Extinguishing Thunder Technique.' However, it is shrouded in Nine Heavens Divine Thunder all year round and is fraught with danger."

"Let's go take a look."

Chen Zhiwen did not hesitate.

His figure streaked through the mountain forest; wherever he passed, ten thousand beasts submitted, and all birds fell silent.

However, just as he reached the halfway point, the entire Qinghua Mountain began to shake violently without warning!

"Rumble—"

The earth was cracking and the mountain peaks were swaying, as if a giant beast that had slept for eons was awakening!

In the sky, the winds and clouds changed color, and Spiritual Qi rioted and gathered at an unprecedented speed, forming a massive Spiritual Qi vortex that covered the entire Qinghua Mountain range.

Countless ancient Restrictions that had been hidden were shattered at this moment, and radiant pillars of light shot up from every corner of Qinghua Mountain, piercing straight into the clouds!

Each pillar of light represented a sealed ruin or a heaven-defying Opportunity!

"This is..." Chen Zhiwen stopped his steps and looked up at the sky, a trace of surprise flashing in his eyes.

"The Seal... has completely fallen into chaos." The voice of the sword echoed in his mind, carrying unprecedented solemnity. "Master, you previously destroyed the altar that served as the array eye, which was equivalent to pulling out the 'sea-stabilizing needle' of the entire Seal array. Now, having lost the suppression of its core, the energy that the entire Qinghua Mountain range has accumulated over eons has completely erupted!"

"This cage is revealing its true face as an ancient battlefield!"

Chen Zhiwen understood instantly.

This sudden anomaly in heaven and earth meant that all the sealed Opportunities within Qinghua Mountain would emerge ahead of time!

For everyone who had entered the Secret Realm, this was both a massive Opportunity and a fatal crisis!

Because, along with these ruins, there would also emerge those terrifying existences that had been suppressed for eons and were equally yearning for freedom!

"It seems things are about to get lively."

Chen Zhiwen's gaze pierced through the layers of dense forest, looking toward the direction where those pillars of light had risen, a meaningful arc curling at the corner of his lips.

He could sense that Feng Qingyang, Zheng Chen, and the others were all rushing rapidly toward the direction of those pillars of light.

In an instant, the entire Qinghua Mountain began to seethe. Countless dormant Prodigies and hidden experts transformed into streaks of light, converging from all directions of the mountain range toward the area where the pillars of light were most dense.

It was as if that place had become the center of the entire world!

Chen Zhiwen's gaze sharpened. Without further hesitation, his figure transformed into a streak of purple-gold lightning, tearing through the sky and racing toward that area. His speed was fast to the extreme; the mountains and ancient forests along the way flew backward beneath his feet, turning into blurry streaks.

... Half an hour later.

When Chen Zhiwen arrived at the area where the pillars of light were most brilliant, even with his Heart-Nature, he could not help but gasp, his eyes revealing deep shock.

Before his eyes lay a vast, boundless ancient battlefield.

The earth was dark red, stained for eons by the blood of gods and demons. The sky was a desolate gray, permeated with an eternal, lingering Evil Qi and sorrow.

And on this desolate land, countless broken swords and shattered sabers were thrust into the ground!

Every sword was covered in rust, yet still exuded an unyielding pride. Every saber was damaged beyond recognition, yet still radiated a killing aura that could sweep across the Nine Heavens.

Ten thousand swords formed a forest, and corpses piled up like mountains!

This was a Sword Tomb!

The skeletons of countless Human Race and Yao Race experts lay here, some having passed away while sitting beside broken swords, others still clutching their remnant weapons, maintaining the posture of charging into battle before their deaths. Their flesh had long since decayed, but their unyielding Battle Intent seemed to have become an eternal brand, deeply carved into the Laws of this world.

An indescribable aura of tragic heroism and blood-iron rushed toward him, causing the Soul of every person who stepped foot here to tremble.

"What a tomb for heroes!" Chen Zhiwen muttered to himself, a trace of respect actually welling up in his heart.

He could sense that every one of these departed experts had been an earth-shaking figure during their lifetime. To protect this land known as Huangzhou, they had fought bloody battles here against the mysterious "Remnant Clan," ultimately returning their Souls to their homeland and being buried alongside their war weapons.

At this moment, many people had already gathered on the outer perimeter of the Sword Tomb. Feng Qingyang, Zheng Chen, Zhou Qi, Ao Ming, and a host of other Prodigies were among them. Their expressions were solemn, clearly also shaken by the scene before them.

"The Sword Intent remaining here is too strong, forming a natural Sword Dao Domain. To penetrate deeper, one must obtain the recognition of the lingering consciousness of these predecessors." Feng Qingyang of the Zetian Sect frowned slightly. He attempted to take a step forward, but immediately, a sharp, unparalleled Sword Intent slashed toward him, forcing him to retreat.