76: Chapter 76 Sword Heart Reaches Profound Understanding, Sealing and Suppressing Demons

Facing the pale ghost hand that tore through light and darkness, coming to claim his life, and the evil demonic thoughts eroding his mind, he surprisingly gave up all defense and evasion, and even gave up attacking with the flame sovereign sword.

He closed his eyes.

He sank all his consciousness into the seed of "Lingyun Sword Intent" at his brow, driving it to the extreme! At the same time, he opened his heart, turning all his insights into the Dao of the sword, his sense of belonging and protection for the Sect, and his persistence in the Righteous Path into the purest, most devout fluctuations of Sword Intent, actively meeting the countless silvery-white Sword Intent chains on the altar that were fiercely confronting the Devilish Qi!

"Ancestral Master above! Disciple Lin Han is willing to use my meager Sword Heart to assist the Ancestral Master in sealing this demon and protecting our Sect!"

A silent cry echoed in his Sword Heart.

Seemingly sensing his pure and resolute Sword Heart, as well as the homologous "Lingyun Sword Intent," those silvery-white Sword Intent chains on the altar suddenly trembled!

Immediately after, a vast, desolate, yet ancient Sword Intent filled with endless relief and approval awakened with a roar from the depths of the altar, from the core where countless chains converged!

That was not a complete will, but a remnant Sword Intent imprint that guarded this place!

But this was enough!

The silvery-white sword light flared instantly! Like a sleeping dragon opening its eyes, it erupted with supreme majesty that annihilated all evil!

The pale ghost hand reaching toward Lin Ye bore the brunt; twisted by the surging silvery-white sword light, it instantly shattered and dissipated into black smoke! The evil demonic thoughts that had invaded Lin Ye's mind were also instantly dispersed and purified by this righteous Sword Intent!

"No—! Old Lingyun! You actually left a backup plan?!" A roar of shock and anger came from the coffin, and the Devilish Qi pouring out from the crack stalled.

The bombardment outside the altar also seemed to hit an iron plate, and the momentum dropped sharply.

Lin Ye felt his own Sword Heart resonate and connect with that vast, ancient Sword Intent in a miraculous way. He seemed to have become part of this massive Seal, able to clearly "see" every structure of the Seal and feel every bit of its confrontation with the monster in the coffin and the yin-underworld token outside.

He could "see" that the core power of the Seal came from a faint but resilient "Sword Soul" deep at the bottom of the altar, and the Pure Yang Qi provided by the suspended "sun essence gold." Meanwhile, the "yin-underworld token" and the monster in the coffin were constantly eroding and consuming these forces.

"With my Sword Heart as fuel, as fire! Help the Ancestral Master slay the demons!"

Lin Ye felt a flash of inspiration. He no longer tried to control or guide it, but completely "sacrificed" himself—not sacrificing his life, but sacrificing all his insights into the Dao of the sword and his Sword Heart will, injecting them as "fuel" and "fuse" into that ancient Sword Intent imprint and the "sun essence gold"!

Hum—!

The "sun essence gold" seemed to be completely ignited, erupting with a red-gold brilliance ten times more intense than before, like another miniature sun hanging above the altar! The vast Pure Yang Qi, like a burst river, surged into the silvery-white Sword Intent chains!

With the addition of this fresh force, the ancient Sword Intent imprint increased in power! The silvery-white sword light condensed, and on the altar, it vaguely formed the phantom of a silver giant sword that stood tall and seemed capable of splitting the heavens and the earth!

The giant sword phantom rotated slightly, its tip aimed at the black coffin below and the "yin-underworld token" covered in cracks.

A supreme Sword Intent that froze all things and solidified space locked onto the target.

"Slash."

In the dark, it seemed as if a weathered and majestic voice spoke gently.

The silver giant sword slowly slashed down.

There was no earth-shattering momentum, only an absolute, irresistible rule of "annihilation" descending.

Crack! Crack!

The "yin-underworld token" bore the brunt. Without even being able to let out a wail, it completely turned into dust in the silver sword light, and the evil Devilish Qi within was instantly purified and evaporated.

Immediately after, the sword light fell upon the black coffin.

The dark red runes on the surface of the coffin danced wildly, attempting to resist, but under the absolute power and attribute suppression, they melted rapidly like ice under the scorching sun.

"No—!! I am not reconciled! Lingyun! The Demonic Lord will avenge me—!!" A desperate and unreconciled roar erupted from the coffin, and then it stopped abruptly.

Boom!

The entire black coffin, along with the terrifying monster that had not yet fully appeared, exploded with a bang under the slash of the silver giant sword! But the power of the explosion did not spread; instead, it was firmly wrapped and compressed by the silvery-white sword light, ultimately turning into wisps of pure, purified energy and some fragments flashing with strange light (possibly the monster's Origin or burial objects?), floating in the air.

The giant sword phantom slowly dissipated.

The silvery-white Sword Intent chains on the altar also dimmed significantly, appearing to have consumed a huge amount of energy. That ancient Sword Intent imprint, after emitting a sigh that seemed relieved yet filled with expectation, slowly fell silent, merging with the altar and continuing to fulfill its duty of guarding (perhaps guarding those purified energies and fragments?).

The light of the "sun essence gold" also became much more restrained, floating quietly and continuing to provide Pure Yang Qi to nourish the Seal.

The crisis seemed to be resolved.

Outside the altar, that hider and the remaining three Foundation Establishment black shadows seemed completely shocked by the terrifying giant sword phantom and the annihilation of the monster just now. For a moment, they were motionless, perhaps in horror, perhaps weighing their options.

Lin Ye maintained his eyes slightly closed, his consciousness connected to the altar, and slowly withdrew from that profound state.

He felt an extreme weakness, not of the Physical Body, but of the spirit. It was as if all his spirit and will had been drained. The seed of "Lingyun Sword Intent" at his brow also became dim, but it seemed more condensed and pure, having a deeper connection with the altar and that silent ancient Sword Intent imprint.

He slowly opened his eyes and looked at the center of the altar. There, the black coffin had disappeared, leaving only a few clusters of pure, gentle energy wrapped in silvery-white sword light, as well as some fragments flashing with various faint lights. The largest piece seemed to be a severed pitch-black bone, resembling the finger bone of some creature, but it no longer had any evil Qi; instead, it radiated a strange sense of neutrality and peace.

The monster had been completely purified and annihilated. Only these "legacies" remained.

He had succeeded. Using his own Sword Heart as a guide, he had communicated with and strengthened the Ancestral Master's Seal, killed the monster, and destroyed the yin-underworld token.

But the cost was his exhausted spirit, unhealed injuries, and strong enemies lurking outside.

He had to immediately recover some strength, deal with these "spoils of war," and then... find a way to leave this place.

Lin Ye braced his weak body, first sat cross-legged, took out a "Nine-Turn Soul Returning Pill" and swallowed it, then held a few Mid-Grade Spirit Stones, circulated the "Ice Soul Sword Art," and began to recover.

After the giant sword's Purification just now, the Yin-Sha Qi in this place was completely gone, and it was instead filled with pure Spiritual Qi and faint Pure Yang Qi, which was very beneficial to his recovery.

An hour later, his injuries stabilized, his spirit recovered a little, and his cultivation was stabilized at the Early Stage of Qi Refining Level 8.

He stood up and walked to the energy clusters and fragments wrapped in sword light.

There were three energy clusters: one was red-gold, emitting the aura of pure Sun True Fire (feedback from the sun essence gold and part of the purified monster's Origin?); one was silvery-white, containing pure Sword Intent energy (feedback from the Seal and part of the purified monster?); the last one was the smallest, chaotic in color, with a gentle and neutral aura, seemingly the purest, attribute-less life essence.

As for the fragments, besides the pitch-black finger bone, there were a few unknown metal pieces, a dim jade pendant, and a few beads of different colors.

Lin Ye could feel that the Seal on the altar (the silent ancient Sword Intent) had no malice toward him, and even vaguely transmitted a blurry intention of "you may take it." Clearly, his actions just now had won its approval.

He did not stand on ceremony and carefully collected the three energy clusters into a jade bottle (obtained from the yan jun ring). These were all highly nourishing items, especially the red-gold and silvery-white energy, which had miraculous effects on his cultivation of the Great Sun Golden Flame and the Dao of the sword. The chaotic-colored life essence was an even greater healing treasure.

Then, he looked at the fragments. He first picked up the pitch-black finger bone. It felt warm to the touch, neither gold nor jade, with dark golden patterns vaguely inside, radiating a heavy, ancient aura that seemed capable of suppressing everything. This seemed... to be the finger bone of some powerful existence, which had been contaminated by the monster and was now purified, returning to its original appearance? Perhaps it was a good material for Artifact Refining, or had some other use.

He put away the finger bone and checked the other fragments. The metal pieces had a special texture, with blurred patterns on them, appearing like pictures but not pictures, like words but not words, difficult to identify for the moment. The jade pendant was completely dim, with no Spiritual Qi fluctuations. The few beads also had weak Spiritual Qi.

Lin Ye put away what he considered valuable (the finger bone, metal pieces) and left the others for now.

He finally looked at the "sun essence gold." This bead was one of the cores of the Seal, and it had been triggered by his own Sword Heart just now, consuming quite a bit, but its essence was undamaged. He tried to communicate with it, and the bead transmitted a sense of closeness but did not recognize him as its master. Lin Ye knew that this item was of great importance and was the key to maintaining the balance of the Seal here, so it could not be easily taken away.

"Stay here for now and continue to guard. If needed in the future, I will come to find you." Lin Ye sent a thought to the bead. The bead flickered slightly, as if responding.

After doing all this, Lin Ye turned his gaze toward the cave entrance.

The enemies outside should be getting impatient, right?

Should he rush out and fight, or... find another way?

He looked around the grotto; apart from the entrance he came in from, there seemed to be no other exits. But when he was resonating with the Seal's Sword Intent just now, he vaguely felt that behind the altar, behind that rock wall, there seemed to be faint spatial fluctuations.

Could it be... there was a secret passage?

He walked to the rock wall behind the altar, probed carefully with his spiritual sense, and simultaneously activated his "Fiery Golden Eyes."

Sure enough! In an inconspicuous place on the rock wall, covered with sword marks, he discovered an extremely hidden spatial crack that was almost integrated with the rock! The crack was narrow and extremely unstable, but it indeed led to another place. Moreover, this crack seemed to be of the same Origin as the Seal's power; perhaps it was an escape or teleportation channel reserved by the Ancestral Master back then?

Gamble on it!

Lin Ye did not hesitate. He first swallowed a pill to restore spiritual power, then came to the crack and tried to communicate with the crack using his own Sword Intent (especially the Lingyun Sword Intent seed that was of the same Origin as the Seal).

The crack fluctuated slightly and widened a bit.

Now is the time!

Lin Ye pushed the remaining power of the "shadowless veil" (although self-destructed, it still had residual concealment effects) to the extreme, and simultaneously activated a high-grade "Evasion Talisman" given by Master Lingxiao. His whole person turned into an almost transparent phantom and plunged into the spatial crack!

The world spun, and the sensation of spatial tearing came.

But the process was far shorter and gentler than imagined. It was as if he had just passed through a curtain of water.

Plop!

He fell onto a piece of soft ground, and the fresh air and bright sunshine made him feel a bit dazed.

Looking up, he saw blue skies and white clouds, green mountains and clear waters, birds singing and flowers fragrant. In the distance was the familiar outline of the Lingyun Sword Sect's mountain gate.

This... was actually a relatively safe area at the back of the Sect, dozens of miles away from the Nether Ravine!

Success! He had escaped!

Lin Ye let out a long breath, but immediately observed his surroundings vigilantly. After confirming that no one was tracking him, he quickly found a hidden bush, changed his damaged and blood-stained clothes, handled the obvious traces of battle on his body, and took another pill to suppress and adjust his aura to the level of an ordinary Inner Sect Disciple.

Then, he identified the direction and headed quickly back toward Danxia Peak.

He needed to see the Sect Master immediately to report everything that happened at the Nether Ravine, and... the hard evidence of Zhao Kun's collusion with the Yinkui Sect and the ambush (that finger bone and metal pieces might prove something)!

However, just as he approached the area of Danxia Peak, he sensed something was wrong.

The atmosphere in the peak was solemn, the number of patrolling Law Enforcement Disciples was obviously increased, and everyone looked grave. Many Disciples were rushing about, whispering and discussing, with anxiety on their faces.

He stopped a familiar Outer Sect Disciple from Danxia Peak to ask.

The Disciple saw Lin Ye, first startled, then lowered his voice, and with a crying tone said: "Senior Brother Lin, you've returned! Something big happened! The Sect Master... The Sect Master was assassinated and is seriously injured! Now he is unconscious! The Sect is under martial law, and the Dark Hall and Law Enforcement Hall are searching the entire Sect for the assassin's accomplices! Elder Liu... Elder Liu has also been identified as an insider and has been thrown into death row, and will be executed in a few days!"

What?!

The Sect Master was assassinated and seriously injured? Elder Liu was thrown into death row and about to be executed?!

Lin Ye felt as if he had been struck by lightning and stood frozen on the spot.

He had only been gone for less than a day, and the Sect had already been turned upside down!

Was it Zhao Kun and the black hands behind him who launched this? Or... was there someone else?

The Sect Master was unconscious, Elder Liu was in prison, and he, who had just destroyed the other party's Nether Ravine plan and returned with "evidence," would probably become the next target immediately!

Must make a decision immediately!

Sneak into the Sect and try to see the higher-ups who might still be conscious (like the Grand Elder?)? Or flee immediately, avoid the edge for a while, and then plan later?

Or... take a risky move and strike directly at the heart?

Lin Ye stood in the forest outside Danxia Peak, looking from afar at the peak shrouded in a solemn atmosphere, his eyes cold.

The Sect Master was assassinated, Elder Liu was framed, and the Yinkui Sect and their insiders were already unscrupulous within the Sect.

Returning now would be no different from throwing himself into a trap. Those traitors who controlled the Dark Hall and part of the Law Enforcement Hall would never give him a chance to speak.

But if he fled now, Elder Liu would definitely die, the Sect would completely fall into the hands of villains, and he would also bear the blame for defecting or even assassinating the Sect Master, from then on living a life on the run.

Cannot flee!

Must fight back! And be fast! Ruthless! Accurate!

In his hand, he had the "evidence" (finger bone, metal pieces) brought out from the Nether Ravine that might be related to the Yinkui Sect and the mastermind. He had the approval and power (although the consumption was huge) just obtained from the Ancestral Master's Seal. Even more, he had the Flame Lord's Legacy and the Great Sun Golden Flame, his trump card that was fatal to the Yinkui Sect.

Perhaps... he could play a big game?

For example, while the Sect was in Chaos and the attention of the higher-ups was attracted by the assassination case, sneak directly into... the Law Enforcement Hall's death row and rescue Elder Liu?

Or, even more risky, use the "lingyun token" and the identity of the Sword Tomb token to try to contact those higher-ups or neutral forces who might still be loyal to the Sect and not yet infiltrated (like the Sword Tomb Guardian, some Grand Elders in seclusion)?

Or even... fake the scene and pin the blame for assassinating the Sect Master on Zhao Kun and the Yinkui Sect?

Thoughts flashed through his mind, and were quickly analyzed and deduced by him.

Time waits for no one, and Elder Liu is in danger.

Must act immediately!