404: Chapter 404 The Sword Sect gives a treasure

Zhao Lingyun was stunned.

Just at the moment Situ Lan was about to give in, a sword light shot out from her bosom. That sword light did not come from a teammate, but from the sword tassel in her bosom—the sword tassel Elder Jian Chen had left her.

A strand of Jian Chen's Sword Intent was sealed within the sword tassel. It was originally intended to help Gao Feng break through the pass at the Sword God Platform, but Gao Feng hadn't used it, so Jian Chen had gifted that strand of Sword Intent to Situ Lan. At this moment, in her life-or-death crisis, that Sword Intent was automatically triggered.

An ancient and sharp Sword Qi surged from the sword tassel, transforming into a silver-white sword beam that stabbed straight toward Zhao Lingyun's chest. Zhao Lingyun's expression changed drastically; he wanted to dodge, but it was already too late. That sword beam pierced through his protective spiritual light and left an inch-deep wound on his chest.

Blood splattered as he was sent flying several yards, crashing heavily against the stone wall before sliding to the ground. The other two Sword Cultivators were also affected by this sword beam, each being forced back several steps and spitting out blood.

Tianxin took this opportunity to pull the last few Spirit Binding Talismans from her sleeve and seal the entrance of the corridor. The moment the Talismans burned, an invisible barrier separated Zhao Lingyun's trio from the stone hall outside. The Spirit Binding Talismans wouldn't last long—half an hour at most—but that half hour was enough for them to take the Jade Slip.

After Su Ning confirmed that the enemies could not break through for the time being, she slumped to the ground, gasping for breath. Lin Yue's Rock Demon Phantom had completely shattered; he leaned against the wall and closed his eyes, his chest still rising and falling weakly. Yaoguang squatted beside him and stuffed the last rejuvenation pill into his mouth.

Gao Feng walked to the stone platform and pressed his hand onto the silver-white Jade Slip. There was a layer of ancient Restriction on the surface of the Jade Slip that needed to be broken with Spiritual Qi. His Spiritual Qi had less than twenty percent left, and there were over a dozen bleeding wounds on his body; every time he circulated his Spiritual Qi, the wounds would tear open even more. Yet, he still poured all of his remaining Spiritual Qi into the Jade Slip, holding nothing back.

The Restriction shattered layer by layer. The first layer, the second, the third... With every layer broken, his face grew a shade paler. By the fifth layer, blood began to seep from the corners of his mouth again, his fingers were trembling, and his fingernails dug into his palms, using the pain to maintain his last bit of consciousness. He did not stop.

The sixth layer—shattered.

The moment the final layer of the Restriction shattered, a soft silver light erupted from the surface of the Jade Slip, illuminating the entire stone hall. That power was warm and not overbearing, like the palm of an Elder gently pressing onto the top of Gao Feng's head.

Gao Feng held the Jade Slip in his hand and projected his spiritual sense into it, confirming the content recorded inside—the complete diagram of the Ten Thousand Spirits Gathering Yuan Array. The paths of the five-directional Spiritual Veins, the positions of the nodes, the patterns of Spiritual Qi flow, and even detailed instructions on how to integrate the secret techniques of the five Sects into the array were all there, without a single word missing.

"Got it." His voice wasn't loud, but it clearly reached everyone's ears.

Chu Lan's eyes reddened, but she didn't cry. Su Ning leaned against the wall with her eyes closed, the corner of her mouth curling slightly. Tianxin packed up the remaining Talismans and nodded. Luo Li held the flowing sound zither and gently plucked a string; that single note seemed to say "good" on behalf of everyone. Lin Jingyu sheathed his sword, and Situ Lan slowly sat down against the stone platform.

She looked down at the deep wound on her left arm; the bleeding hadn't stopped, and her entire sleeve was dyed dark red. Yaoguang walked over, squatted down, and helped Situ Lan clean the wound. The light of the Rejuvenation Technique flowed repeatedly over the wound, and the flesh slowly knit back together, but the tissue corroded by the Sword Intent was difficult to fully repair. Yaoguang's Spiritual Qi was almost depleted, making the treatment very strained; her palms were shaking, and she couldn't keep the wound from leaving a mark.

"It might leave a scar," Yaoguang said softly, with a hint of guilt.

Situ Lan shook her head, her voice raspy but firm: "This is glory. A wound sustained while protecting teammates is not a disgrace."

Gao Feng walked up to Situ Lan, squatted, and looked at her blood-soaked left arm. The wound extended from her elbow to her wrist, the flesh turned outward; even if it healed, that scar would accompany her for the rest of her life. After a moment of silence, he said, "I will definitely find Spirit Medicine to repair it for you. When I return to my fief, I'll search through Chu Lan's Spirit Plant Garden; if it's not there, I'll go to Changsheng Valley to ask for it."

Situ Lan looked at him and didn't say she didn't need it, nor did she say thank you. She simply nodded and took those words to heart.

Half an hour later, the effect of the Spirit Binding Talismans began to weaken. Zhao Lingyun's roars came from the other end of the corridor, getting closer and closer. Gao Feng stood up, tucked the Jade Slip into his bosom, and said in a low voice, "Let's go."

Supporting each other, the group slowly walked out of the stone hall. Lin Yue was supported by Lin Jingyu, with Yaoguang holding his other side; Chu Lan walked beside Su Ning, who used the space positioning bead to find the way; Luo Li held her flowing sound zither in the middle of the group, and Tianxin walked at the very back, sticking the few remaining Talismans one by one onto the sides of the corridor to buy the group some final moments.

The faint light of the cave exit brightened ahead, getting closer and brighter. When the last person stepped out of the crack, the midday sun was so piercing they could hardly open their eyes.

Elder Li was still waiting outside.

He had never left.

From the moment Gao Feng and the others stepped into the Sword Abyss, he had been standing at the entrance, his ledger opening and closing, closing and opening.

Many words were written in the ledger, and many were crossed out. He didn't know how to record the process of these nine people passing the trials—not according to the rules, not in order, not according to common sense, but they had passed nonetheless.

When he saw the nine of them walking out of the crack one by one, Elder Li's ledger slipped from his hand and fell to the ground.

Lin Yue was being carried, his face as white as paper; the sleeve of Situ Lan's left arm was soaked in blood, and her left arm remained motionless as she walked; Gao Feng's face was covered in bloodstains—some left by Sword Intent, some his own blood, making it impossible to tell which wound they came from. But every one of them was standing; not a single person was carried out on a stretcher.

"You... got it?" Elder Li's voice was somewhat raspy, like sand that had been stuck in a stone crevice for a long time and was finally blown out by the wind.

Gao Feng nodded.

Elder Li didn't ask about the process, didn't ask why Zhao Lingyun hadn't come out, didn't ask where the corpse of the Sword Demon Beast was; he just bent down to pick up his ledger and stepped aside to clear the way. The mountain wind blew, carrying the fresh scent of pine needles and a hint of early autumn chill. The mountain gate of the Heavenly Sword Sect grew further and smaller behind them.

The next morning, Jian Wuwei held a farewell banquet in the main hall.

The main hall of the Heavenly Sword Sect was rarely open to outsiders; the last time someone from another Sect had stepped into this hall was over a hundred years ago. The Heavenly Sword Sect Elders on both sides had varying expressions—some curious, some cold, some thoughtful. Elder Zhao was absent, as he was under house arrest in his Immortal Cave. Zhao Lingyun was also absent, and no one from their faction appeared.

Jian Wuwei sat in the main seat, with several Jade Slips and brocade boxes arranged on the long table in front of him. He didn't engage in polite small talk or say "please forgive the poor hospitality." Once the nine people stood still, he spoke straightforwardly: "The nine passes have been cleared, the Sword Abyss has been braved, and the Jade Slip has been taken. What the Heavenly Sword Sect promised you has been fulfilled. Next are some items I am personally gifting to you."

He pushed a Jade Slip and a brocade box in front of Gao Feng.

"Seventh-rank sword, flowing cloud sword." His gaze moved past Gao Feng and landed on Lin Jingyu. "The sword in your hand is still a Foundation Establishment Stage Magical Artifact; it is unworthy of your sword path. This flowing cloud sword has followed me for thirty years and has killed countless people; its Sword Intent is already formed. I gift it to you today, hoping you will use it well."

Lin Jingyu stepped forward and took the brocade box. When he opened it, a silver-white sword light spilled out, illuminating the entire hall for a moment. The sword was entirely silver-white with cloud patterns flowing on the blade; even before it was unsheathed, Sword Intent permeated from it.

Lin Jingyu gripped the hilt, and the blade hummed softly, creating a strong resonance with his own Sword Intent—this was a sign of the sword recognizing its master. He did not refuse and cupped his fists: "Thank you, Sect Master." His voice was calm, but the fingers gripping the sword trembled slightly.

Jian Wuwei then pushed a dark green crystal in front of Gao Feng. "Sword Intent Crystal. It contains the essence of Sword Intent left by generations of powerhouses from the Heavenly Sword Sect; using it to Cultivate the sword path will yield twice the result with half the effort. I heard there are other Sword Cultivators among your teammates; you may distribute this crystal as you see fit."

Gao Feng took the crystal and, without even looking at it, handed it directly to Lin Jingyu. "You need it more than I do."

Lin Jingyu opened his mouth to decline, but meeting Gao Feng's gaze, he eventually tucked the crystal into his bosom. The moment he touched the crystal, the Sword Intent on his body became several degrees more solid; he was like a longsword that had just been quenched, its sharpness restrained but ready to be unleashed.

During the banquet, after several rounds of drinks, Jian Wuwei called Gao Feng alone to a side hall. There was no one else in the hall, only the two of them sitting opposite each other across a cup of tea.

"If you have any questions about the details of the Sword Intent Spirit-Guiding Technique, you may ask now."

Gao Feng didn't stand on ceremony and brought up several difficulties he had encountered during his previous comprehension process—how to use Sword Intent to draw in the Spiritual Qi of the earth veins, where the transition nodes between Sword Intent and Spiritual Qi were, and how to prevent a backlash of Sword Intent during high-level transformation.

Jian Wuwei answered them one by one, from the most basic guiding of Spiritual Qi into the body to high-level Sword Intent transformation. He explained every step thoroughly and even cited several failed cases of past Heavenly Sword Sect Seniors Cultivating this technique to warn Gao Feng not to repeat their mistakes.

Two hours later, Gao Feng's understanding of this secret technique far exceeded the written text in the Jade Slip.

He stood up, cupped his fists, and thanked him again.

Jian Wuwei waved his hand: "No need. I did not do this for you, but for the Heavenly Sword Sect. The Conservatives have controlled the Sect for too long; someone needs to let them know that being stuck in old ways will cause the entire Sect to sink together. You nine are the best proof."

Outside the side hall, the banquet continued.

Chu Lan carried a plate of spirit fruits and distributed them one by one to her teammates. Lin Yue leaned back in his chair with his eyes closed to rest, bandages still wrapped around his chest. Luo Li and Su Ning sat in a corner talking in low voices; Luo Li's fingers traced the paths of melodies in the air, and Su Ning nodded as she took note.

Tianxin sat on the steps, laying out the remaining Talismans one by one in front of her to check if any were damp, completely focused.

Yaoguang gave some of her Medicinal Pills to Lin Yue and some to Chu Lan; in the end, even her own portion was running low, but she didn't care.