72: Tomb of Broken Swords
The fierce battle in the stone forest was brief and intense.
The blurred figure's movement technique was eerie, and the dagger was tricky and ruthless, frequently launching attacks from impossible angles, specifically targeting Ye Chen's vital points. The Kaiyuan Realm Seventh Level spiritual power foundation was far superior to Ye Chen's; every direct collision left Ye Chen with churning blood and a numb arm.
However, relying on the profound mystery of the Grand Void Roaming Dragon Steps and the nascent "Nirvana Devouring" Sword Intent, Ye Chen could always dodge fatal attacks at critical moments, forcing the opponent to retreat with a ruthless stance of trading wounds for life. Although his Sword Intent was suppressed by the Secret Realm, the interference of the "Devouring" characteristic on the circulation of spiritual power made the assassin extremely uncomfortable, as if his entire body's strength were bound by invisible chains, unable to be fully unleashed.
What shocked the assassin even more was that Ye Chen's resilience far exceeded his estimations. Despite clearly having a lower cultivation level than his own and being in this environment that was like a cage of Sword Intent, Ye Chen fought with increasing bravery, his eyes terrifyingly calm, as if they could see through all his concealment and tricks.
"Chila!"
During one crossing of blows, Ye Chen's left arm was slashed by the dagger, creating a wound deep enough to see the bone, and fresh blood instantly stained his sleeve red. Yet, as if he couldn't feel the pain, the qingfeng sword swept back at a strange angle, its dark golden sword radiance like a venomous snake flicking its tongue, stabbing directly at the assassin's ribs!
The assassin was forced to twist and parry, the dagger and qingfeng sword colliding once more, sparks flying everywhere. This time, he clearly felt that nearly thirty percent of the yin-evil Death Qi attached to his dagger had been worn away by that peculiar devouring force within the opponent's Sword Intent! And the rebounding force also carried a strange, annihilation characteristic that seemed capable of penetrating defenses, causing his Meridians to ache faintly.
"I cannot continue to entangle with him!" The assassin's heart sprouted thoughts of retreat. The main purpose of this trip was to confirm Ye Chen's status and attempt to strangle or severely injure him, but as it appeared now, this youth was more troublesome than described in the intelligence. In this Secret Realm, dragging things out carried too many variables.
He feinted a move to force Ye Chen back half a step, then his figure merged into the shadows once more, drifting backward like a ghost, while simultaneously flicking his hands to launch several ink-black, foul-smelling thin needles that swarmed toward Ye Chen like a bee colony to block his pursuit.
Ye Chen swung his sword to parry, the dark golden sword radiance shredding and annihilating most of the needles, but two still penetrated the sword net, grazing his shoulder and cheek, leaving two bloody marks, and a sensation of numbness immediately radiated from the wounds—they were clearly coated in potent poison.
He let out a muffled groan and circulated his Nirvana Sword Intent, forcibly expelling and annihilating the poison that had invaded his body. In that momentary delay, the assassin's presence had completely vanished into the depths of the stone forest, no longer perceivable.
Ye Chen did not rashly pursue. The opponent's cultivation was higher than his, and his concealment methods were superb; pursuing in this complex environment carried too much risk. He stood in place, slowly regulating his breathing and tending to the wounds on his body.
"Kaiyuan Realm Seventh Level, proficient in concealment and assassination, spiritual power attribute is cold and deathly... undoubtedly a professional killer trained by the Dark Hall." Ye Chen's eyes were cold. "It seems the academy has indeed been infiltrated, and by someone of high status, otherwise it would be impossible to know my whereabouts so clearly and arrange for someone to ambush me precisely within the Secret Realm."
He felt a sense of urgency. The enemy is in the dark, I am in the light, and they have already begun to act. This time it was a Kaiyuan Realm Seventh Level killer, but what about next time? Will there be an even stronger presence? Or perhaps that so-called "moving carrier" will make a move personally?
Must improve strength as soon as possible!
He glanced at the qingfeng sword in his hand, which seemed to have one more crack, and his heart sank slightly. This sword had followed him for a long time, enduring many fierce battles, and it was now unable to bear the burden. In this peril-filled Secret Realm, a reliable weapon was crucial.
Pulling himself together, Ye Chen did not linger, took an antidote pill and healing medicine, and continued toward the depths of the Secret Realm. He became even more cautious, keeping his Divine Sense on high alert at its maximum range at all times.
The further he went, the more desolate and deathly silent the environment became, and the fragments of Sword Intent in the air became increasingly wild and chaotic. He could even occasionally see huge, mountain-like skeletons half-buried in the red earth; on those skeletons, terrifying Sword Intent that made one's heart palpitate still remained, as if they had been slain there by supreme Dao of Sword experts in their lifetimes.
This place was more like an ancient Dao of Sword battlefield, burying countless experts.
After traveling for who knows how long, he climbed over a low hill formed by piles of countless broken weapons, and the sight before him caused Ye Chen to stop in his tracks abruptly.
Ahead was an incredibly vast basin. In the basin, it was densely packed with countless broken swords!
Broken swords, rusted swords, chipped swords, swords with only half remaining... all sorts, stretching as far as the eye could see. They were like silent tombstones, standing quietly on this red earth; on the sword bodies remained all kinds of Sword Intent, some strong, some weak. Some were blazing, some icy, some sharp, some heavy... countless different Sword Intents intertwined, collided, and went silent here, forming a Sword Intent field that was more chaotic than the outside world, yet also more "pure"!
This is... the Sword Tomb!
A huge tomb composed of countless broken swords!
Ye Chen could feel that the Nirvana Sword Intent within his body, the moment he stepped into this area, seemed to have received some kind of summons, becoming abnormally active. The sense of suppression that had always existed did not disappear, but it seemed to have gained a peculiar "affinity"? It was as if this Sword Tomb recognized the essence of "ending" and "returning to nothingness" in his Sword Intent.
He walked cautiously into the Sword Tomb, stepping into the gaps between the broken swords, which made a "crunch, crunch" sound. The deeper he went, the more he could feel the sorrow and unwillingness that had accumulated over endless years, as well as a kind of... ultimate, undying obsession with the Dao of Sword!
Suddenly, a broken sword in front of him, stuck slanted in the ground, charred black all over, and with only half remaining, moved without wind and let out a faint yet clear hum!
Immediately following, as if a chain reaction, with that charred broken sword as the center, dozens of surrounding broken swords began to tremble gently, emitting sword hums that differed in pitch but contained a certain rhythm!
The humming grew louder and denser, finally converging into a grand symphony of swords!
A powerful, surging force mixed with dozens of different Sword Intents, like a waking Dragon, rose from within the Sword Tomb and crashed down toward Ye Chen!
This was not a man-made attack, but a natural test of this Sword Tomb land for intruders! Or rather, it was the remaining will of the owners of these broken swords, searching for a qualified successor, or... destroying unqualified intruders!
Ye Chen's expression changed, and he immediately exerted his Nirvana Devouring Sword Intent with all his might, setting up a dark golden Sword Intent barrier in front of him!
"Boom!"
The torrent of mixed Sword Intent slammed fiercely into the barrier! Ye Chen's whole body shook violently; he felt as if he had been struck on the head by a mountain of swords, a sweetness rose in his throat, and he almost spat out blood! The barrier shook violently, its dark golden light flickering unsteadily; the "Devouring" characteristic operated frantically, but it could only barely devour a tiny fraction of the energy in the torrent—a drop in the bucket!
This Sword Intent torrent was too massive! Moreover, it contained dozens of different true meanings of the Dao of Sword, intertwined with each other and changing infinitely, far exceeding the power of a single Sword Intent!
"I cannot resist this head-on!" Ye Chen made an instant judgment.
He stepped rapidly with his Grand Void Roaming Dragon Steps, his figure flashing at high speed between the countless broken swords, attempting to avoid the frontal impact of the torrent.
However, the Sword Intent torrent seemed to possess spirituality; it followed like a shadow, pursuing relentlessly! Wherever it passed, the broken swords on the ground were swept up one after another and merged into the torrent, increasing its power even more!
Ye Chen was like a small boat in a storm, in constant danger. Several times he was grazed by the edge of the torrent, his protective Sword Intent shook violently, and he added new wounds to his body.
This cannot go on! Sooner or later, I will be exhausted to death!
His gaze swept rapidly across the surroundings, his brain working at high speed. Resisting head-on wouldn't work, and dodging was not a long-term strategy...
Suddenly, his gaze fixed on a bronze broken sword deep in the Sword Tomb that looked completely unremarkable, without even a shred of spiritual power fluctuation, and was covered in rust.
While countless surrounding broken swords were humming and releasing Sword Intent, only that bronze broken sword was deathly silent, as if it were out of place with this Sword Tomb.
But in the depths of Ye Chen's Soul, that ancient sword phantasm that had always been silent, at the very moment he saw that bronze broken sword, extremely slightly... twitched!
An inexplicable sense of attraction came from that bronze broken sword.
Inspiration struck!
Ye Chen did not hesitate any longer; risking taking a hit from the Sword Intent torrent behind him, he spat out a mouthful of blood, but using this impact force, his figure shot toward that bronze broken sword like an arrow released from a bow, regardless of everything!
The moment his fingers touched the cold, rusted hilt of the bronze broken sword—
"Hum!!!"
A sword hum, far more ancient, more desolate, and seemingly having traversed the eons of time than all the previous sword hums, erupted from the bronze broken sword!