271: Confrontation, mutation (two in one)

Outside the Sword Tomb, many Cultivators had already been ejected from Sword Mountain, landing in front of the sword dao steps.

Everyone still wanted to step onto the black steps again.

But then, the black mist suddenly converged, transforming into a black Spirit Sword that slashed towards them.

Everyone was greatly alarmed and quickly retreated. As soon as they pulled back, the black mist vanished again, revealing the original gloomy black steps.

The steps appeared even more mysterious.

Everyone was dejected, somewhat dissatisfied with their own performance.

When they inquired amongst themselves, their eyes were dim.

They didn't even mention the grade of the treasures.

However, when they checked their Storage Pouches, they all became much more excited.

Many Foundation Establishment Middle Stage Cultivators obtained Medium Grade Peak Third-tier Spirit Swords, Late Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivators obtained High Grade Third-tier Spirit Swords, and Peak Foundation Establishment Cultivators obtained Top Grade Third-tier Spirit Swords.

Some even obtained Fourth-tier Magic Treasures.

However, the disappointment in their eyes was equally genuine.

These sword dao steps were indeed not dangerous; one only needed to face the Sword Intent and then pull out a Spirit Sword.

So, even with decent gains, how many could be satisfied after witnessing higher-grade Spirit Swords?

They wished they could have persevered a little longer to obtain better Flying Swords.

However, it was extremely difficult on the steps themselves. Crossing the sword dao steps to retrieve a Spirit Sword from Sword Mountain was even harder, as the immense Sword Intent forced them to stop.

The Cultivators of Ten Thousand Swords Sect, on the other hand, were extremely high-profile.

Considering themselves the orthodox practitioners of the Sword Dao, they leaned on their long swords and flew directly into the air. Especially Wan Changqing of Ten Thousand Swords Sect, four swords were divided on his back.

The newest one was extremely broad, glowing brightly with Spirit Light, and its treasure light shot into the sky.

It was indeed a Fourth-tier Magic Treasure.

He didn't speak, but his imposing aura and Sword Qi were immense, and as the Sword Light grew denser, it pointed directly at Qingxuan Sect.

"I've heard that Tianjian Peak of Qingxuan Sect possesses unparalleled sword dao cultivation. I invite all Fellow Daoists to take out your swords and compete!"

Wan Changqing landed in front of the Tianjian Peak lineage of Qingxuan Sect.

His gaze fell upon Xie An, then shifted to Chen Daoyuan.

The meaning was self-evident, directly referring to what Ye Changyuan had disclosed earlier.

By now, most people had already withdrawn from the sword dao steps, not to mention Chen Daoyuan and Xie An.

They were among the first to come out.

Xie An turned to look at his other Senior Brothers, and seeing the arrogant expressions on the faces of the few behind him, he looked at Chen Daoyuan with a hint of evasion in his eyes.

Chen Daoyuan also glanced behind him, seeing that only six out of eleven people had emerged.

He frowned slightly in disappointment, then finally looked at Wan Changqing.

He squeezed his hand into his Storage Pouch, and a Fourth-tier Magic Treasure Flying Sword was drawn out.

"You win!" Chen Daoyuan said, then put away his Magic Treasure and directly released his war treasure ship.

Xie An and the other Tianjian Peak Cultivators all leaped onto the spirit boat.

They made to leave.

However, a giant sword, in the blink of an eye, grew to dozens of feet in size, transforming into a sword mountain and blocking the spirit boat.

"Fellow Daoist Chen, you are truly insincere. Our Ten Thousand Swords Sect is also a guest; using a newly refined Magic Treasure is too disrespectful!" Wan Changqing's body once again appeared in front of Chen Daoyuan.

He blocked their path.

Accompanying Wan Changqing were forty to fifty Disciples of Ten Thousand Swords Sect. Besides the Ten Thousand Swords Sect Disciples, on the left and right sides were Disciples from Spirit Beast Sect and Spirit Talisman Sect, respectively.

Ostensibly, the two groups of Disciples seemed to be colluding with Qingxuan Sect, but in reality, they were preventing Chen Daoyuan and the others from escaping from either side.

"Fellow Daoist Wan, do you truly believe I wouldn't dare to kill you?" Chen Daoyuan's eyes were cold, shooting out a chilling glint.

A wisp of Sword Intent rose, and within ten feet around him, everyone felt an oppressive chill, their hair standing on end!

Golden miniature swords materialized in the air.

The dense Sword Intent instantly reached its Peak.

The Cultivators observing couldn't help but retreat three steps.

Only the people of Ten Thousand Swords Sect did not retreat an inch.

That heavy sword, as if bolstered by a mountain, also unleashed a mountain-like Sword Intent that soared into the sky, completely unafraid.

The shadow of the mountain and the golden swords clashed, and for a moment, the sound of swords rang through the clouds!

Two Peak Sword Intents confronted each other!

The sword had a sword edge, a half-step Sword Qi Coagulation, and the mountain had a Peak, also a half-step Sword Qi Coagulation. The two were in a Peak duel between Peak Foundation Establishment Cultivators.

The battle instantly began.

Beside them, Xie An also stepped out, and in his hand, a blazing red fire sword instantly grew dozens of times larger.

Another terrifying Fire Sword Intent emerged, and fiery Saber-toothed Tigers materialized, unleashing another immense Sword Intent towards the Ten Thousand Swords Sect Cultivators.

Within Ten Thousand Swords Sect, another female Cultivator also stepped out and engaged in battle with Xie An.

However, at this moment, the Cultivators of Ten Thousand Swords Sect felt somewhat uneasy. They knew that Chen Daoyuan and Xie An were both Peak existences in terms of strength, but at this moment, they discovered that there were still four people on the war treasure ship!

However, those four individuals on the war treasure ship had extremely playful looks in their eyes and showed no intention of moving, instead watching quietly. This, in turn, emboldened the Ten Thousand Swords Sect Cultivators; with forty to fifty of them against two, they simply couldn't lose!

Humans have moments of exhaustion, and Cultivators also have moments when their True Essence runs out.

"Wan Changqing, attacking our Qingxuan Sect on our territory, are you perhaps bullying us because we are few in number?" Suddenly, another small pagoda flew out and landed in front of the Ten Thousand Swords Sect Cultivators.

The small pagoda spun violently, and most of the Ten Thousand Swords Sect Cultivators immediately trembled, spitting out several mouthfuls of blood.

And from the numerous windows of the small pagoda, copper coins began to fly out one by one.

However, before the copper coins could reach them, they were all sealed within a talisman array by a Spirit Talisman.

Appearing in the Void Realm were Zhao Wuji and a female Cultivator with a red mole, Ying Hongyue.

Zhao Wuji frowned.

He looked at Huang Yu and Ying Hongyue who had appeared beside him.

"Senior Brother Zhao, Junior Sister apologizes, but there are rules for sword discussions, and it's best we don't disturb them!" Ying Hongyue said with an apologetic look on her pretty face.

Ying Hongyue, like a young girl, was petite and delicate, and the red mole between her eyebrows made her even more endearing. When she apologized, it made people want to agree immediately.

However, the coldness in her eyes was completely at odds with her current expression.

Needless to say, the same applied to Huang Yu beside her.

"Naturally so, then Junior Brother Huang and Junior Sister Ying, let's also discuss the Dao with Senior Brother!"

Zhao Wuji showed no fear. The Spirit Communication Sword was not only related to Purple Mansion Loose Cultivator but also to the entire Tianjian Peak. Even if he couldn't stand his indecisive Junior Martial Uncle Ji, he wouldn't stand idly by... On the sword dao steps, Lin Shiming stood still, like a wooden figure.

After a long while, Sword Intent suddenly surged around him.

Countless Sword Lights pressed outwards, instantly alleviating much of the pressure on the entire steps.

And Lin Shiming also opened his eyes, his gaze filled with astonishing Sword Intent.

He was beaming with surprise.

The System's prompt screen had actually transformed the enhanced Grass Severing Heaven Sword into a sword array.

Moreover, at this moment, he could control the size of the sword array.

For example, with his current True Essence and the Sword Intent within his sword dao seed, he could only unleash three swords, so he could cast the Three Swords United Severing Heaven.

Compared to the previous nine Sword Grasses, the demand for True Essence and the requirements for the sword dao seed were much lower.

Otherwise, with his current cultivation and sword dao seed alone, he wouldn't be able to cast it, even with thousand-year spiritual milk.

Furthermore, due to frequent comprehension, he found that his sword dao seed seemed to have absorbed nutrients, now growing considerably larger, even showing a tendency to sprout new leaves within his body.

Along with that, his Sword Intent also achieved a great Breakthrough, now comparable to Lin Xianzhi's state before his Breakthrough. One must know, this was the Peak of Sword Light Manifestation.

The next Realm was Sword Qi Coagulation!

And he had been cultivating the sword for less than twenty years!

If this were to be known, even Zi Xuan Sanren would be utterly shocked.

Suppressing his surprise, he continued towards the steps.

The Sword Intent of the steps grew increasingly intense.

The pressure from all sides grew greater, but at this moment, due to the sublimation of his Sword Intent, the pressure had significantly lessened.

As he ascended the layers, Lin Shiming noticed that Fourth-tier Flying Sword Magic Treasures had appeared around him.

And it wasn't just one or two.

Looking around, there were easily more than a dozen.

Each step he climbed brought new Magic Treasure Flying Swords, each slightly more powerful.

These Magic Treasures, once he broke through to Purple Mansion and nurtured them with his Purple Mansion, would definitely have greater potential than many of the Magic Treasures of the Purple Mansion Loose Cultivator in Zhao Country.

Lin Shiming felt a bit numb at this point; if he were outside, a Magic Treasure Flying Sword would undoubtedly be a priceless treasure to him, something he would carefully and cunningly scheme to acquire.

But he didn't stop his steps, continuing to ascend the steps.

He reached the twenty-seventh layer.

Lin Shiming saw that the Sword Grass aberrations formed by Sword Intent in the air once again surpassed his own Sword Intent.

And if he wasn't mistaken, the twenty-eighth layer would feature half-step Sword Qi Coagulation.

That meant the Sword Grass would have an edge!

And it would be an edge of Sword Qi Coagulation!

This short difference of one word represented an unimaginable difference in power.

It made Lin Shiming start to hesitate.

The prompt screen in his mind hadn't disappeared, meaning he could continue to comprehend if he wished.

But the next layer might not only have Sword Intent of Sword Qi Coagulation, but also Magic Treasures attacking him!

Lin Shiming still stopped. Even though Xie An had said that the Sword Tomb would not be dangerous, knowing about the Spirit Communication Sword, knowing about the Sword Nurturing Art, and now the emergence of previously non-existent Flying Sword attacks, how could he not be careful?

One must know, his System prompt had already transformed into a System screen; at this moment, he couldn't foresee future events.

After much hesitation, Lin Shiming still stopped. Even if reaching the twenty-eighth layer might grant him a more powerful Grass Sword Array and greater rewards,

He also knew that one couldn't become fat with a single bite; acting within one's capabilities was the true way!

He stayed on the twenty-seventh layer, slowly comprehending the prompt screen in his mind... High above Sword Mountain, more than a dozen swords floated in the air.

But strangely, all the sword tips were pointing directly at the foot of Sword Mountain.

There was no sword cry, and no communication.

Beside the swords, that withered yellow grass also stood quietly.

Only, the withered yellow grass began to sway, as if somewhat impatient.

The next moment, a yellow light appeared.

The withered yellow grass vanished from its original spot.

Leaving behind dozens of floating swords.

These swords began to stir, began to emit sword cries, becoming as active as if they had just been illuminated.

"It's over, Senior Grass has taken a liking to that kid, and it's leaving too!"

"If only I had known earlier, I would have rushed to occupy those scabbards!"

"Quiet down, how could Senior Grass take a liking to that kid? Although that kid has a sword dao seed, his Sword Qi Coagulation hasn't even been reached, and his cultivation is only Foundation Establishment Middle Stage!"

"But Senior Grass is already breaking the rules and taking action on its own!"

"Impossible, even if Senior Grass is willing, it is no longer the Taiyi Divine Sword that once vanquished all enemies!"

The doubts in the Void Realm grew louder and louder, and in their eyes,

That withered yellow grass indeed flew into the sword dao steps.

It began to descend from the eighty-first layer.

Seventy layers!

Sixty layers!

... In the blink of an eye, it reached the twenty-eighth layer.

The next layer was the twenty-seventh layer.

And in that instant, Lin Shiming suddenly opened his eyes.

Seeing that withered yellow grass, he felt only desolation, slaughter, and unyielding spirit!

This was clearly the grass from his vision!

Lin Shiming was greatly alarmed. Around his body, Sword Intent once again became immensely powerful, pressing down on him.

He had never expected that even by stopping at the twenty-seventh layer, such a situation would still occur.

At this moment, the pressure of death made his mind exceptionally calm.

He raised his hand, and four High Grade Magic Swords immediately appeared in his hand.

His limit was three High Grade Magic Swords, but at this moment, he couldn't care about limits; he had to use all his strength.

He also dripped another drop of thousand-year spiritual milk into his mouth.

The war treasure ship was too late; the spirit shield and attacks he formed alone were only at the Late Third-tier level.

Unless he could control six Puppets and three Late Third-tier Yao Beasts within a single breath and position them on the war treasure ship.

But how could that be possible? Unless prepared in advance, it would take at least three breaths of time!

Under the pressure of death, let alone three breaths, even one breath felt insufficient!

His three spirit platforms spun wildly. At this moment, he didn't care if the Spirit Communication Sword attacked.

If he didn't choose to draw his sword now, he felt...

He would die!

At this moment, he felt death closer than ever before.

The sword dao seed also spun frantically, pouring out all its Sword Intent.

Immediately, four Sword Grasses formed the Severing Heaven Array, charging towards that withered yellow Sword Grass.

The next moment, the withered yellow Sword Grass vanished.

Lin Shiming's strike missed; his Severing Heaven Sword Array instantly struck empty air.

The power of the sword array immediately tore a huge vacuum in the dark mist.

The rampant Sword Qi lingered endlessly.

He gasped for breath, heavily.

He felt like cursing; the strangeness of these sword dao steps was truly beyond his imagination.

Just now, he had felt death reaching out.

But he didn't know why, after he released the Severing Heaven Sword Array, that withered yellow grass disappeared.

His Sword Intent was exhausted, and Lin Shiming had no choice but to sit down cross-legged to recover.

But as soon as he recovered a little, he stood up again.

He couldn't stay here any longer. At this moment, he only wanted to take his Fourth-tier Magic Treasure and leave.

He looked at the nearby Sword Mountain. The Fourth-tier Magic Treasures here were already Peak Low Grade Fourth-tier Magic Treasures, significantly stronger than the Twin Sword Magic Treasures they had previously obtained and the Golden Brick Magic Treasure obtained in the Purple Mansion Cave.

Without hesitation, he crossed the sword dao steps and walked into the Sword Mountain.

As soon as he stepped into Sword Mountain, scenes of black thick mist appeared before his eyes.

Once the thick mist dissipated again, he found himself in front of a palace.