674: Chapter 674 Lu Xueqi and Biyao (53)

"Not bad, half a day faster than expected." Senior Sister's voice carried a hint of relief. "Now you can try to Cultivate the second form of the Tianya Nine Swords."

Su Han nodded, took out the Jade Slip given by Elder Lin, and immersed his mind in it.

The first form of the Tianya Nine Swords, "Heaven-Opening," cleaves through the Void Realm, breaking through all things.

The second form, "Earth-Splitting," transforms the sword into mountains and rivers, suppressing all things.

The third form, "Star-Slaying," draws upon the stars with the sword to exterminate evil spirits.

Each form contains world-shaking power and corresponds to different cultivation Realms. With Su Han's current Star Palace Early Stage cultivation, he could barely attempt to Cultivate the second form, "Earth-Splitting."

He circulated his Star Power according to the method in the Jade Slip, while combining the various Sword Intents he had comprehended in the Forest of Sword Stele, and began to try condensing the "Earth-Splitting" Sword Intent.

This practice lasted for three days and three nights.

During this period, Ye Wuhen and Mu Qingxue had both come to the Sword Tomb Valley. Seeing Su Han in a deep state of Dao-enlightenment, they did not disturb him and went to find their own Opportunities.

On the morning of the fourth day, Su Han finally opened his eyes, a flash of earthy yellow light passing through them.

He stood up, drew the tianya sword, and lightly slashed toward the Void Realm ahead—

There was no world-shaking commotion, but where the sword passed, the ground silently split open into a bottomless fissure. The soil and rocks on both sides seemed suppressed by an invisible force, fixed firmly in place, without even a speck of dust rising.

"The Earth-Splitting Sword Intent is complete!" Su Han sheathed his sword, a smile appearing on his face.

The power of this strike might not be as sharp as "Heaven-Opening," but it focused on suppression and stabilization, making it extremely effective against groups of enemies or when needing to trap a foe.

"It seems your harvest is not small." A cold voice came from behind.

Su Han turned back and saw Mu Qingxue standing at the valley entrance, though he didn't know when she had arrived. Her aura was much stronger than it had been three days ago; clearly, she had also gained much in the Secret Realm.

"Senior Sister Mu." Su Han bowed. "Congratulations on your progress in cultivation, Senior Sister."

Mu Qingxue shook her head: "I'm still a bit behind you. That sword strike just now... it already had the presence of a Grandmaster."

As the two were talking, a world-shaking roar suddenly came from afar, followed by Ye Wuhen's stern shout: "Vile beast, you're looking for death!"

"Something happened!" The two glanced at each other and simultaneously sped toward the direction of the sound.

Beside a lake several miles away, Ye Wuhen was engaged in a fierce battle with a massive creature.

It was a giant crocodile covered in green scales, over ten zhang long, with eyes like lanterns and a mouth full of sharp teeth. Even more terrifying was that it actually had a pair of fleshy wings on its back, each flap stirring up a gale and torrential rain.

"Green-Winged Croco-Dragon! A Yao Beast at the Peak of the Star Palace Realm!" Mu Qingxue's expression changed. "Ye Wuhen is in danger!"

At this moment, Ye Wuhen was indeed in a perilous situation. Although he had broken through to the Middle Stage of the Star Palace Realm, he was still outmatched by the Croco-Dragon at the Peak of the Star Palace Realm. The Qing Yun Dharma Idol had already been manifested, but it could only barely withstand the Croco-Dragon's attacks. He was injured in several places, and blood stained his robes.

The Croco-Dragon's tail swept across; Ye Wuhen couldn't dodge in time and was sent flying, stopping only after crashing through several large trees.

"Pfft—" He spat out a mouthful of blood, his aura becoming withered.

A cruel light flashed in the Croco-Dragon's eyes as it lunged with its bloody maw wide open, intending to swallow him whole!

At the critical moment, a black sword light descended from the heavens!

"Earth-Splitting!"

Su Han merged with his sword, his Sword Intent transforming into an invisible mountain that heavily suppressed the Croco-Dragon. The Croco-Dragon's forward momentum suddenly stalled, as if it were carrying a weight of ten thousand tons, its movements becoming incredibly sluggish.

"Senior Brother Ye, retreat quickly!" Su Han shouted.

Ye Wuhen gritted his teeth and stood up, but instead of retreating, he formed hand seals: "Qing Yun Dharma Idol, Nine Heavens Thunder Fall!"

Dark clouds gathered in the sky, and a bolt of green lightning struck down, hitting the Croco-Dragon's head squarely. The Croco-Dragon let out a pained roar as the scales on its head shattered and blood flowed.

Mu Qingxue also took action. The long sword in her hand transformed into a crimson Fire Phoenix, lunging at the Croco-Dragon with heat capable of burning the heavens and boiling the seas: "Phoenix Dance of the Nine Heavens!"

The combined power of the three Geniuses was astonishing. Although the Croco-Dragon was strong, its strength was greatly reduced under the suppression of the "Earth-Splitting" Sword Intent. After suffering successive heavy blows, it finally could not hold on. It let out an unwilling roar and turned to flee into the lake.

The lake water surged and soon returned to calm.

The three landed on the ground, all somewhat exhausted. Especially Ye Wuhen, who was the most heavily injured and could barely stand.

"Thank you." He looked at Su Han and Mu Qingxue, offering his sincere thanks.

"Among fellow disciples, there's no need for politeness." Su Han took out a bottle of healing Medicinal Pills and handed it over.

Ye Wuhen took them and swallowed one. After a moment of regulating his breath, he said with a bitter smile, "I originally wanted to get the 'green jade lotus root' from the lake, which is one of the main ingredients for refining the Star King Pill. I didn't expect a Croco-Dragon to be guarding it."

"green jade lotus root?" Mu Qingxue's eyes lit up. "That's good stuff. Consuming it can purify Star Power and stabilize one's Realm."

"But now..." Ye Wuhen looked at the lake surface with lingering fear.

Su Han pondered for a moment: "The Croco-Dragon has retreated, but it hasn't necessarily gone far. If we want to get the lotus root, we need to plan carefully."

The three discussed for a while and decided to rest temporarily, waiting until their injuries recovered before making further plans.

They found a cave by the lake, set up a simple warning Formation, and took turns regulating their breath and keeping watch.

Late at night, while Su Han was on watch, he suddenly felt an unusual movement from the tianya sword. It wasn't the Senior Sister, but that evil will within the sword—it was actually slowly awakening!

"How is this possible?" He was startled.

"The scent of blood stimulated it." Senior Sister's voice was grave. "Today you fought fiercely with the Croco-Dragon, and the bloodshed and slaughter triggered its ferocity. Quickly circulate the Heart-Clearing Incantation to steady your mind!"

Su Han hurriedly complied, while also taking out the heart-clearing pendant Mu Qingxue had given him and holding it in his hand. The jade pendant emitted a soft light, helping him resist the erosion of evil thoughts.

But this time, the backlash of the evil thoughts was stronger than ever before. Countless thoughts filled with slaughter and destruction surged into his heart—

Kill! Kill everyone in sight!

Destroy! Destroy everything! Let the world return to Chaos!

Power! Devour! Evolve!

Su Han's eyes gradually turned red, his breathing became heavy, and the veins on his hand holding the sword bulged.

"Su Han! Wake up!" Senior Sister shouted sternly, while simultaneously burning her remaining Soul Power to help him suppress the evil thoughts.

The heart-clearing pendant's light shone brightly, working together with the Senior Sister's Soul Power from both inside and out, finally temporarily suppressing the evil thoughts.

Su Han was drenched in cold sweat, gasping for breath, his eyes full of lingering fear. (End of Chapter)