97: Climb Mount Burial Sword!

Lu Yu led Lin Wanqiu toward that direction for nearly half an hour. Along the way, they bypassed three natural sword formations, two swamps that spewed Sword Qi, and he casually swatted away several waves of mindless wandering Sword Intent.

The closer they got to the foot of Burial Sword Mountain, the denser the swords on the ground became. Eventually, there was practically nowhere to step. As far as the eye could see, there were nothing but densely packed sword hilts, some still stained with dried blood and rust, left behind by some unfortunate Sword Cultivator.

The concentration of Sword Qi in the air was terrifyingly high. With Lin Wanqiu's cultivation suppressed, she was currently relying entirely on her own sword momentum to hold on, forced to stop for breath every few steps.

Lu Yu, however, was like a fish in water. His Myriad Phenomena Sword Intent expanded like an invisible funnel, and the surrounding Sword Qi was swallowed into his body like a whale drinking water. Not only did he feel no pressure, but his own sword dao foundation was rising steadily.

“Ma... Revered Master... I can't go on...”

Lin Wanqiu leaned against the hilt of a giant sword stuck in the ground, her small face pale.

“The Sword Qi here... is too fierce... My Meridians hurt a little...”

Lu Yu looked back at her and reached out to tap her forehead.

A wisp of warm Myriad Phenomena Sword Qi was transferred over, helping her organize the Sword Intent in her body that had been thrown into disarray by the external Sword Qi.

“I told you not to follow, but you insisted. This isn't a place you can stay right now.”

“I... I wanted to help...”

Lin Wanqiu bit her lip, her eyes stubborn. She hadn't expected that coming here would make her a burden.

Lu Yu smiled and said nothing more, though the Sword Qi he transferred over gained a bit more of the sun's warmth, helping her refine those invasive, malevolent Sword Qis.

This girl was stubborn; once she set her mind on something, nine bulls couldn't pull her back. He would just let her be.

After another few minutes of walking, they finally reached the foot of the mountain.

Burial Sword Mountain was even more shocking up close than it had been from afar.

The mountain body wasn't made of earth or stone at all, but was piled up from countless sword remains, layered upon each other all the way into the clouds.

At the foot of the mountain, most of the swords were Magical Artifacts and Spiritual Artifacts. The higher one went, the higher the quality. Halfway up, one could see Magic Treasure-grade spirit swords glowing. The summit was even more spectacular, with Sword Qi piercing the sky; one could faintly see several particularly brilliant pillars of light, likely Spirit Treasure-grade or even higher existences.

Twenty or thirty people had already gathered at the foot of the mountain, all of them the top elites from various regions.

Xie Lingfeng of the Heavenly Sword Divine Sect, Lei Jianming of the Purple Cloud Divine Palace, Gu Yan of the Fentian Sacred Valley, and that Ice Lotus Female Cultivator from the Canglan Sacred Sect... not a single one was missing; they were all here.

The group led by Tang Jia Third Young Master from the Demon Region had also arrived, standing at the outermost edge, coldly watching the mountain.

Everyone was looking up at the mountain with burning eyes, but no one dared to be the first to ascend.

“This mountain... isn't easy to climb.”

Gu Yan leaned toward Lu Yu and lowered his voice.

“See those swords? They aren't dead objects; they fight back. Just now, a guy from the Star Holy Land tried to fly up on his sword. He barely got ten feet off the ground before being peppered by seven or eight bursts of Sword Qi. He was almost turned into a sieve.”

Lu Yu looked in the direction Gu Yan pointed and indeed saw Sword Qi erupting from the mountain's surface from time to time, completely random and without pattern.

Just then, another purple Sword Qi shot down from the mountainside, grazing the ground as it streaked past, plowing a deep trench.

“Forcing our way through definitely won't work.” Lei Jianming also walked over, frowning.

“We need to find a pattern. I've been observing for a while. Although these Sword Qi eruptions seem random, before each one, the Sword Intent in the corresponding area fluctuates slightly. If we can sense it in advance...”

“Sense my ass,” Xie Lingfeng interrupted with a cold sneer.

“There are at least a million swords stuck on this mountain, and the Sword Intent of every single one is different. By the time you sense them clearly, the Secret Realm will have already closed.”

Lei Jianming's expression darkened. “Then does Fellow Daoist Xie have any brilliant ideas?”

“No brilliant ideas, just a dumb one.”

Xie Lingfeng patted the door-sized giant sword on his back.

“On the path of a Sword Cultivator, there aren't so many twists and turns. Whatever blocks the way, just cleave it open with a sword.”

After saying this, he ignored everyone's reactions and strode directly toward the foot of the mountain. He slammed his giant sword into the ground, and a heavy Sword Qi erupted around him as he prepared to force his way up.

“Fool.”

Tang Jia Third Young Master watched from afar, a hint of mockery curling at the corner of his mouth.

Sure enough, the moment Xie Lingfeng took his first step onto the mountain, seven or eight long swords stuck nearby vibrated simultaneously, erupting with blinding sword light that strangled toward him.

“Get lost!”

Xie Lingfeng roared, his giant sword sweeping horizontally.

Clang clang clang clang—!!!

Sword Qis collided, and sparks flew in all directions.

Xie Lingfeng was indeed strong; he forcibly withstood this wave of attacks, but he was also shaken back three steps, his face turning pale.

And in the area where he had just stood, even more long swords began to vibrate. It looked like a second wave of attacks was about to come.

“Come back!”

An Immortal Seed from the Heavenly Sword Divine Sect of the same rank as him shouted urgently.

Xie Lingfeng gritted his teeth and retreated hastily. As soon as he left the range of the mountain's foot, those vibrating long swords gradually settled down.

“See that?”

Gu Yan gloated.

“This mountain is incredibly wicked. The more force you use, the fiercer the counterattack.”

Xie Lingfeng's expression was ugly, and he didn't respond.

Lu Yu watched for a moment and suddenly spoke: “It's not a counterattack.”

Everyone looked at him.

“These swords... are a trial.”

Lu Yu walked to the edge of the mountain's foot and reached out his hand, pressing it lightly against a rusty iron sword.

“They don't want to hurt people; they are just filtering.”

“Filtering for what?” Lei Jianming asked.

“Filtering for those qualified to ascend the mountain.”

Lu Yu withdrew his hand, a look of realization flashing in his eyes.

“This Burial Sword Mountain doesn't bury swords; it buries the obsessions and Legacies of Sword Cultivators. Every sword represents the sword dao of a Sword Cultivator during their lifetime.”

“Stepping onto it is equivalent to entering his sword domain. You must use your Sword Intent to gain his recognition before you can continue upward.”

“Recognition?” Gu Yan was stunned.

“How do you get recognition?”

“Use your Sword Intent to suppress his Sword Intent.”

As Lu Yu spoke, he lifted his foot and stepped onto the mountain body.

Buzz—!

The iron sword beneath his feet suddenly vibrated, and a faint Sword Intent of iron-blooded slaughter rose up, crashing against Lu Yu.

Lu Yu didn't stop his pace; he simply let his Myriad Phenomena Sword Intent circulate around him, gently enveloping it.

That iron-blooded Sword Intent was like a drop of water falling into the ocean, instantly embraced, decomposed, and absorbed without even raising a ripple.

And that iron sword also quieted down, no longer vibrating.

Lu Yu continued to walk up, step by step.

Every step he took triggered a Sword Intent impact from the long swords beneath his feet.

Some were bone-chillingly cold, some were like raging fires burning the heart, some were flexible and lingering... strange and varied, every attribute of Sword Intent was present.

But without exception, after all the Sword Intents collided with Lu Yu's Myriad Phenomena Sword Intent, they were like snow meeting the sun, silently melting and submitting.

Lu Yu walked with a leisurely pace, as if he weren't climbing a perilously dangerous sword mountain, but rather strolling through his own backyard.

At the foot of the mountain, everyone was dumbfounded.

“This... this works too?!”

Gu Yan's eyes were wide and round.

Xie Lingfeng's face was ashen, the veins on his hand gripping his sword bulging.

He had just fought for his life to withstand a single wave of attacks, yet Lu Yu was going up as if he were out for a stroll?

Who exactly was the Sword Cultivator seed of the Heavenly Sword Divine Sect?!

Lei Jianming's eyes flickered, and he suddenly stepped onto the mountain body as well.

These Sword Intents were all masterless and had long since lost their former might. They would surely be able to break through!

Beneath his feet was a long sword wrapped in lightning. Sword Intent erupted, and purple electricity surged wildly.

Lei Jianming gave a muffled groan. The lightning Sword Qi around him clashed head-on with that Sword Intent, and it took a full three breaths of stalemate before he barely suppressed it and took his second step.

Sweat was already visible on his forehead.

“As expected...” Lei Jianming gritted his teeth.

“One must use Sword Intent to fight through, and the higher you go, the stronger the Sword Intent becomes.”