232: Chapter 232 Strange Events in Broken Sword Valley

After resting at the "Listen Pine Residence" for a night, Ye Tian set off early the next morning with Hou Xiaojie and the Mini Dragon Ape, leaving the gates of Cangya County and heading toward the Ancient Sword Manor Ruins.

According to the information he gathered at the teahouse the night before, the Ancient Sword Manor Ruins were located deep within the "Jianming Mountains," about thirty miles east of the county city.

Along the way, one could clearly feel the increase in the flow of people heading in that direction. Most were Martial Artists carrying weapons, possessing not-weak Auras, ranging from the Ningyuan Realm to the True Martial Realm. Occasionally, he could even detect a few obscure and profound Auras, which made Ye Tian secretly vigilant.

"Senior Brother, there are so many people! Are they all going to the Ancient Sword Manor Ruins to try their luck?"

Hou Xiaojie looked at the endless stream of people, his excitement mixed with nervousness.

"Hmm, it seems this ruin has quite a strong appeal."

Ye Tian nodded, his gaze sweeping across the crowd.

He noticed that these people wore various attires, clearly coming from different regions and factions, mostly maintaining a guarded distance from one another, creating a somewhat subtle atmosphere.

About an hour later, a range of rolling mountains with steep, sword-like peaks appeared before them.

This was the Jianming Mountains.

Even before getting close, one could vaguely sense a sharp, piercing Qi permeating the air.

Deep within the mountains, the outlines of some dilapidated ancient buildings were vaguely visible.

"Such strong lingering Sword Intent... Even after the erosion of time, it remains so astonishing. This Ancient Sword Manor must have been truly remarkable back in its day."

Ye Tian was secretly shocked, and he felt a bit more anticipation for this exploration.

Upon entering the outer perimeter of the mountains, the flow of people began to disperse.

The area of the ruins was vast; there wasn't just one path.

Ye Tian did not rush to head deep inside, choosing instead a relatively secluded path, intending to first get a feel for the situation in the outer area.

Along the way, he could see many traces of battles: broken weapons, scorched earth, and even some withered bones from various eras.

He could also see some Martial Artists fumbling and searching in front of collapsed stone halls and broken stone tablets, hoping to find some treasures left behind by predecessors.

Ye Tian expanded his Divine Sense, carefully sensing his surroundings.

The chaos bead warmed slightly, sending out a faint sense of attraction that pointed in a few directions, but the fluctuations were very weak; clearly, they were not any major treasures.

He was not disappointed; the outer area had been searched by countless people, and any good things would have long been picked up.

"Senior Brother, look over there!"

Hou Xiaojie suddenly pointed at the entrance of a valley to the front left and shouted.

A dozen or so people were gathered there, seemingly having discovered something, and sounds of arguing could be heard.

Ye Tian narrowed his eyes and looked over, only to see that the entrance of the valley was covered by a layer of faint, transparent light film. Ripples occasionally appeared on the light film, looking like a remaining Restriction.

In front of the Restriction, two groups were confronting each other.

One group consisted of about five or six people in matching attire, seemingly disciples of some small Family. Their leader was a youth at the True Martial Second Stage, his face full of anger.

The other group had only three people, but their Auras were clearly a cut above. Their leader was a middle-aged man wearing a brocade robe, whose cultivation had reached the True Martial Fourth Stage. The two behind him were also at the True Martial First or Second Stage.

"Wang Laosi! We discovered this 'Broken Sword Valley' first!"

"We also spent a 'Barrier Breaking Talisman' to trigger the Restriction!"

"Do you, the 'Yasui Gang,' want to rob us by force?"

The youth from the small Family shouted angrily.

The man called Wang Laosi sneered: "Little Li, in the ruins, things have always belonged to those with the ability!"

"Since your Li Family cannot break this Restriction, do you still intend to hog the spot?"

"Be sensible and get lost immediately, or don't blame me, Wang, for being impolite!"

He pressed his True Martial Fourth Stage Aura forward, causing the faces of the Li Family members to turn pale.

There were other scattered Martial Artists watching, but they all dared to be angry but dared not speak.

The Yasui Gang had considerable power in Cangya County, and their leader was a master at the True Martial Sixth Stage; ordinary people dared not provoke them.

"Senior Brother, it looks like they are about to fight? Should we..."

Hou Xiaojie asked in a low voice, looking a bit eager to try.

Ye Tian shook his head: "Wait and see."

He did not want to meddle in other people's business, and that remaining Restriction gave him a feeling that it was not simple.

Sure enough, although the Li Family youth was angry, he seemed to have some backing, gritting his teeth and saying: "Wang Laosi, don't go too far!"

"This Restriction is strange and requires a special method to open. Attacking it by force will only trigger a counterattack!"

"We have already sent a message to Senior Brother Jing Wutian! He will be here soon!"

"Jing Wutian?"

Wang Laosi's expression changed slightly, a trace of dread flashing in his eyes, but it was immediately replaced by greed. "Hmph!"

"So what if it's Jing Wutian?"

"By the time he arrives, the things inside will already belong to us!"

"Do it!"

His two subordinates immediately pounced toward the Li Family disciples, while Wang Laosi grinned hideously and slapped his palm toward the transparent Restriction. The palm wind was sharp, intending to break it by force!

"Hum!"

The moment Wang Laosi's palm touched the Restriction, that seemingly thin, transparent light film suddenly erupted with blinding white light, and an incomparably sharp Sword Qi surged out!

"Not good!"

Wang Laosi exclaimed, but it was too late to withdraw his palm!

"Swoosh!"

As the Sword Qi swept past, the entire sleeve of Wang Laosi's right arm turned into fragments instantly, and dozens of wounds appeared on his arm, dripping with blood!

He screamed and flew backward, crashing to the ground!

His two subordinates who were pouncing on the Li Family disciples were also caught by the scattered Sword Qi, sustaining injuries, and retreated in a sorry state.

The onlookers let out a chorus of exclamations! "What a strong Restriction counterattack!"

"Even Wang Laosi at the True Martial Fourth Stage suffered a huge loss!"

"Luckily I didn't rush up just now..."

The Li Family members breathed a sigh of relief, their faces showing expressions of fortune.

Ye Tian's gaze sharpened.

The counterattack force of this Restriction far exceeded his expectations, and the intent contained within that Sword Qi made his Five Elements Sword Body feel somewhat restless.

"Useless trash!"

Wang Laosi struggled to crawl up, swallowed a Medicinal Pill to stop the bleeding, and stared at the Restriction with a hideous expression, but he did not dare to step forward again.

Just then, a clear voice came from outside the crowd: "What happened here?"

The crowd parted, and a young man wearing a moon-white long robe with a long sword hanging at his waist walked over slowly.

He had a handsome face, a calm expression, and eyes like sword blades, exuding an invisible sense of pressure from his whole body. His cultivation was indeed at the True Martial Fifth Stage!

"It's Senior Brother Jing Wutian!" The Li Family youth shouted pleasantly.

The onlookers also became restless.

"The leader of the Five Heroes of Cangya, 'Jinghong Sword' Jing Wutian!"

"He actually came in person!"

"Now there's a good show to watch!"

Seeing Jing Wutian, Wang Laosi's expression instantly became extremely ugly.

Jing Wutian swept his gaze across the scene, seeing the injured Wang Laosi and the layer of Restriction, frowning slightly, and asked the Li Family youth: "Junior Brother Li, what is going on?"

The Li Family youth quickly recounted the sequence of events.

After hearing this, Jing Wutian looked at Wang Laosi, his tone flat: "Wang Laosi, exploring ruins depends on one's Opportunity, but robbery and plunder are not what our kind does."

"Take your people and leave."

Wang Laosi's face turned from blue to white, but under the pressure of Jing Wutian's True Martial Fifth Stage Aura, he dared not refute at all, only able to grit his teeth and say: "Young Hero Jing is right, we are leaving!"

After speaking, he took his two subordinates and slipped into the mountain forest in a dejected manner.

Only then did Jing Wutian cast his gaze toward the Restriction, observing it carefully, his fingers gently touching the light film, feeling the flow of Sword Qi within it.

A moment later, a flash of understanding passed through his eyes, and he said to the Li Family members: "This Restriction is a type of 'Sword Trial Restriction' from the Ancient Sword Manor. It can only be opened by guiding it with pure Sword Intent."

"Attacking it by force will only suffer a backlash."

"You all step back a bit."

The Li Family members quickly retreated.

Jing Wutian pointed his fingers like a sword, a wisp of pale silver sword radiance condensing at his fingertips. His whole person seemed to transform into a drawn sharp sword, and a sharp Sword Intent soared into the sky!

He slowly pressed his sword fingers onto a certain spot of the Restriction light film. The ripples on the light film gradually calmed down, and then, like a water curtain, a gap opened from the middle!

"Enter!"

Jing Wutian gave a low shout and stepped in first.

The Li Family members were overjoyed and quickly followed.

The gap slowly closed.

Seeing there was no more excitement to watch, the crowd gradually dispersed. Many people had envy in their eyes, but they were helpless; who told them to have connections and strength?

"Senior Brother, that Jing Wutian is so amazing! True Martial Fifth Stage, and his Sword Intent is so strong too!"

Hou Xiaojie exclaimed in surprise.

Ye Tian nodded. Jing Wutian's strength was indeed well-deserved, and his control over Sword Intent was particularly exquisite.

However, he was more interested in that "Sword Trial Restriction" and the technique Jing Wutian used to open it.

His Five Elements Sword Body was also an ancient sword Dao Legacy; perhaps...

He walked to the Restriction that had returned to its original state, learned from Jing Wutian's manner, slowly extended his Divine Sense, and carefully sensed it.

At the same time, he secretly channeled his Five Elements Sword Body, a wisp of Sword Intent attempting to make contact with the Restriction.

At first, the Restriction trembled slightly, showing signs of counterattacking.

But Ye Tian's Sword Intent was softer, carefully guiding the Sword Qi remaining in the Restriction.

The chaos bead also warmed slightly, emitting a stream of cool energy, assisting him in stabilizing his mind and precisely controlling his Sword Intent.

A moment later, that layer of light film rippled again. Although it was not as smooth as when Jing Wutian opened it, a gap slowly cracked open!

It was a bit smaller than the one Jing Wutian opened, but it was enough to pass through!