7: Chapter 7 Sword Embedded in the Eastern Rift Valley

Amidst the shattered void, Shen Moyan's consciousness drifted hazily.

As he crossed planes, he seemed to hear a clear male voice in the depths of his mind:

[The demonic dao is rampant]!

[The Immortal Dao is dead]!

[cultivation is lost]!

These twelve words, carrying the despair, anger, and unwillingness of that existence, surged towards Shen Moyan like a tidal wave.

What did it mean? Could it be a Heart Demon's mischief?

Shen Moyan felt somewhat bewildered.

He only felt a profound sense of sorrow and indignation that almost overflowed from his chest.

The next moment, after passing through the shattered spatial tunnel, a vast tide of energy swept over Shen Moyan's body, completely washing away that feeling of grief and indignation.

It was composed of energy particles imbued with immense power, which entered his body through his open pores. However, they could no longer be converted into the familiar True Qi. They merely flowed through his Meridians, transforming into a warm current that nourished his organs, which were on the verge of collapse.

Was this Spiritual Qi?

The moment Shen Moyan arrived in this world, he sensed this strange energy.

[Otherworld Visitor] activated, allowing Shen Moyan to quickly adapt to this world's Spiritual Qi.

Wind howled past Shen Moyan's ears as he slowly opened his eyes.

What met his gaze was a vast sea of white clouds.

And beneath the sea of clouds, that rugged, bizarre terrain.

The outline below grew clearer and clearer, and Shen Moyan suddenly saw it clearly.

It was a massive rift valley stretching east to west, its end lost to sight.

The valley was flanked by sheer, precipitous cliffs as if carved by blades and axes. The cliff faces were studded with sharp rocks, and bluish-black stone flickered in and out of view through gaps in the clouds.

Shen Moyan's current condition was at its absolute worst. If he crashed onto those cliffs, the consequences would be unthinkable.

Shen Moyan's expression turned serious. His mind cleared amidst the high-speed fall. He mobilized all his strength, twisted his torso, and adjusted his falling posture and trajectory.

When he was less than a hundred *zhang* from the cliff face, he seized the moment. Gripping the startling swan sword with both hands in a reverse hold, its snow-bright blade traced a steady arc through the fierce wind.

After his body plunged into the rift valley, Shen Moyan flipped the sword, keeping its sharp edge parallel to the cliff wall.

Clang!—

The instant the blade met the rock, a piercing metallic shriek echoed through the valley. Sparks cascaded down the cliff face like falling meteors.

Shen Moyan's arms went numb from the tremendous recoil. The skin between his thumb and forefinger split open, blood dripping down the hilt into the bottomless chasm below.

After a long while, the momentum of the fall was finally checked. Shen Moyan hung suspended in mid-air, with mist-shrouded valleys beneath his feet and a distant sea of clouds above.

He looked down at the startling swan sword embedded in the cliff face. Most of the blade was buried in the rock, leaving only the hilt and a small portion of the blade exposed.

Ever since it had struck that colossal sword reaching for the heavens, the startling swan sword's blade had been covered in cracks.

Clatter!

The startling swan sword shattered!

This treasured sword, which had accompanied him for a lifetime, had finally fulfilled its mission after withstanding the Sword Intent pressure of that Cultivator and ensuring Shen Moyan's safe descent.

"Ugh..."

Shen Moyan quickly found footholds in the crevices of the cliff wall with his toes, gradually transferring his body weight to his legs. He then thrust the broken remnants of the startling swan sword into the sheer cliff again to secure himself.

"This is not good," Shen Moyan frowned.

At this moment, the True Qi within him was nearly exhausted; he couldn't even maintain basic bodily protection. Moreover, during the deceleration, protruding rock edges on the cliff had gashed his back. A searing pain spread along his nerves.

"It seems I can only climb up slowly," Shen Moyan said, his voice hoarse yet resolute as he looked up at the towering cliff above.

Gritting his teeth, Shen Moyan freed one hand, tore off a strip of tattered cloth from his clothing, and wrapped it around the hand gripping the sword hilt. Then, he leaped upward with his whole body and, while momentarily airborne, thrust the broken sword blade into the cliff wall once more.

He ascended step by step through this method of climbing.

Slowly, blood stained the sword hilt and the cloth strip.

During the day, the scorching sun baked the cliff face, heating the rocks until they were scalding. Shen Moyan's skin was burned, his lips cracked and bleeding. For each upward climb, he had to first feel along the cliff for a crevice he could use for leverage, then embed the broken startling swan sword higher up.

When night fell, the mountain winds grew bitingly cold. A thin frost formed on the cliff face. His fingers froze stiff; several times, he nearly lost his grip and fell, only managing to stabilize himself thanks to the finger strength cultivated over his three lifetimes.

Cold stars twinkled overhead. The brilliant starry river was reflected in Shen Moyan's eyes. Without a second thought, he gritted his teeth and continued climbing upward.

Pull the sword, thrust the sword, pull the sword, thrust the sword... He, Shen Moyan, had to persevere. He could not stop here!

cultivation! He, Shen Moyan, wanted to cultivate!!

Finally, as dawn approached, Shen Moyan climbed out of the great rift valley.

His body swayed unsteadily, and he collapsed directly onto the soft grass of the ground.

"I... finally... succeeded..."

A bitter smile touched the corner of his mouth. He could hold on no longer. Darkness swam before his eyes, and he fainted. Yet, the broken startling swan sword remained tightly clutched in his hand.

The bloodstains and frost on the broken blade had frozen together, exuding an unyielding sharpness... "Senior Brother He, look over there! There seems to be a person!"

An unknown amount of time later, a crisp shout came from the horizon.

By the edge of the rift valley, two youths in bluish-gray Daoist robes slowly descended from the sky, treading on Flying Swords.

They were Outer Sect Disciples from the nearby Biyang Sword Sect, conducting a routine patrol.

Upon clearly seeing Shen Moyan's appearance, one of the youths couldn't help but suck in a cold breath: "It's been so long since the great war, how can there still be a Mortal around the East Great Rift Valley?"

The other, slightly older Senior Brother He, swept his Divine Sense over the area. His gaze fell on the startling swan sword in Shen Moyan's hand, and his eyes narrowed slightly.

That broken sword appeared ordinary, yet it exuded a heavy, battle-hardened aura. For Shen Moyan to turn such a Mortal Weapon into a weapon of such killing intent, he was certainly no ordinary person.

He extended his Divine Sense, probing Shen Moyan's entire body:

"He's still breathing. Let's take him back to the Sect first and hand him over to the Pill Hall for examination. For a Mortal to climb out of the East Great Rift Valley, he is definitely not simple."

"Should we perform a soul search?"

"No, it would be troublesome if there's a demon seed hidden within his soul," He Liang said, narrowing his eyes.

"Perhaps... he's from an external plane."

He Liang recalled the Sect's old legends, and a trace of greed couldn't help but show on his face.

Hearing this, the youth also curled the corner of his mouth upward:

"If that's really the case, that would be great! As long as it's not an affiliated plane, then it's a wild Wondrous Rhyme from Beyond the Heavens! Handing it over would be a great achievement for us!"

...Shen Moyan slowly regained consciousness and found himself lying on a stone bed.

His nostrils were filled with the clear, bitter, yet refreshing scent of medicine. Moonlight Stones embedded in the stone walls emitted a soft glow, illuminating the room brightly.

All his wounds had completely healed. At the moment, a layer of faint green spiritual light covered his body. A pleasantly itchy warmth spread along his muscles and skin; he had even shed a layer of old skin.

This was... the work of immortal techniques!

Shen Moyan's heart swelled with joy. He had finally made contact with cultivation!

"You're awake?"

Beside the stone bed, an old man with a stooped posture was fiddling with something. Amidst his busyness, he glanced at Shen Moyan.

"You are..."

"This old man is a Pill Hall steward of the Biyang Sword Sect. It's my turn for duty this year."

"You can call me Apothecary Liang," the old man who called himself Apothecary Liang said, busy with his own tasks and having no time to chat with Shen Moyan.

"Thank you, Apothecary Liang, for saving my life!"

Shen Moyan cupped his hands and bowed in gratitude.

"No need. It wasn't me who saved you; it was two Outer Sect Disciples," Apothecary Liang waved his hand dismissively.

"They found you at the East Great Rift Valley."

East Great Rift Valley. So that was the name of the great rift valley he had fallen into. Shen Moyan silently committed this information to memory.

"Please, Apothecary Liang, tell me about those two Disciples."

After Apothecary Liang told Shen Moyan, Shen Moyan began to probe indirectly, trying to gather information about this world.

"By the way, Apothecary Liang, where exactly is the Biyang Sword Sect I'm currently in located?"

He had crafted a persona for himself: a confused, partially amnesiac old man, abandoned by his children, who had schemed to seize the family property and cruelly left him in the wilderness.

Hearing Shen Moyan's words and seeing the sorrowful expression he displayed, Apothecary Liang raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, you've had it rough."

"The location of our Biyang Sword Sect? To my shame, the Sect has been hidden from the Mortal world for a long time. I don't know how things are outside now."

"Then, could you tell me about the path of cultivation? What are its Realms?"

Shen Moyan asked again, not concealing his intentions in the slightest.

Then, with a peculiar expression, Apothecary Liang explained to him patiently.

The path of immortal cultivation should be: Qi Refining, Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, Nascent Soul, Soul Transformation, and Dao Unification.

Exactly! Just as he had thought!

After obtaining this world's cultivation information, Shen Moyan could hardly contain his excitement.

"By the way, here is a common Cultivation Technique. Although you are quite old and have missed the optimal age to embark on the Dao, you possess a Spiritual Root. Moreover, your fully opened Meridians and Dantian compensate for that," Apothecary Liang casually handed Shen Moyan a Cultivation Technique.

While treating Shen Moyan's injuries, Apothecary Liang had already assessed his Aptitude.

"You can cultivate on this Danxu Peak for now. Outside the door is a small courtyard. Do not leave this mountain."

"Once you can protect yourself, return home. The Biyang Sword Sect is still in a state of seclusion; resources are limited."

"Thank you, Apothecary Liang!" Shen Moyan held the Cultivation Technique the other had given him as if it were a priceless treasure and bowed in gratitude once more.

He strode out of the Pill Hall with his head held high.

Just after Shen Moyan left, a strange smile curled at the corner of Apothecary Liang's mouth. He chuckled slyly:

"Hehe, he believed it! He believed it! Another fine Wondrous Rhyme from Beyond the Heavens!!"