75: Sword Intent Aggregate

Deep within the Secret Realm, the sky grew increasingly dim. Lead-gray clouds seemed poised to crush the ground. The fragments of Sword Intent permeating the air were no longer merely chaotic; they carried a manic, violent, and even... twisted quality.

Ye Chen held the guixu sword, his figure like lightning as he traversed craggy, strange rocks and dried-up riverbeds. He could feel that the further he advanced in this direction, the more unstable the surrounding Sword Intent field became, as if something was forcibly drawing upon and stirring the Dao of the sword power that had settled here for eons.

Along the way, he began to encounter some even more bizarre "creatures." They were not physical entities but were entirely condensed from violent Sword Intent energy, taking on myriad strange forms—some resembled twisted humanoid figures wielding light swords; others looked like ferocious Yao Beasts with claws and fangs made entirely of Sword Qi; there were even some that were completely formless, merely swirling, roaring storms of Sword Intent.

These "Sword Intent aggregates" possessed no reason, only a pure instinct for destruction and slaughter. Sensing the pure and unique Nirvana Sword Intent on Ye Chen, they swarmed toward him like moths to a flame.

At first, relying on the sharpness of the guixu sword, Ye Chen could easily annihilate them one by one with a single strike. After these aggregates were destroyed by the guixu sword, they would release pure Sword Intent energy. Although impure, after being filtered by the guixu sword and refined by his Nirvana Sword Intent, it could slightly nourish his cultivation and insights into the Dao of the sword.

But the further he went, the stronger and more numerous these aggregates became. From initially being equivalent to the Fourth or Fifth Level of the Kaiyuan Realm, they later reached the level of the Seventh or Eighth Level of the Kaiyuan Realm, and some even began to exhibit simple tactical coordination.

Ye Chen had to slow down, fighting as he advanced. In his hands, the guixu sword seemed to possess a life of its own, guiding or slashing, devouring or annihilating, displaying the various mysteries of Nirvana Sword Intent to the fullest. His mastery of "Guixu Pull" and its subsequent variations became increasingly proficient; often, a single swing could trigger a localized collapse of Sword Intent, simultaneously devouring and annihilating several aggregates.

However, as he delved deeper, his expression grew increasingly grave. These Sword Intent aggregates seemed to be summoned and controlled by some core, appearing endlessly. Furthermore, he could clearly perceive a massive, heart-palpitating energy source at the very core of the Secret Realm, slowly awakening like a beating heart. Each pulsation caused the Sword Intent field of the entire Secret Realm to tremble, and the aggregates became even more manic.

"Is that... the goal of the Dark Hall? What are they trying to activate?" Ye Chen speculated inwardly, his speed unconsciously increasing a notch.

Finally, after shattering a giant python-shaped aggregate equivalent to the Ninth Level of the Kaiyuan Realm, composed of countless broken sword blades, he rushed out of a canyon filled with blood-colored mist. The scene before him made him stop abruptly, his pupils contracting.

Ahead lay a massive circular basin. In the center of the basin was not solid ground, but a bottomless abyss over a thousand zhang in diameter! The abyss was not pitch black but churned with viscous, searing dark-red light like molten lava! It was formed by the extreme condensation of countless types of violent, twisted, and negative-emotion-filled Sword Intent—Sword Intent Magma!

And in the center of that Sword Intent Magma, a massive shadow was slowly rising!

It was a monster beyond description. It seemed to be an aggregate forcibly fused from countless broken weapons, twisted skeletons, and boiling Sword Intent Magma. Its form was constantly changing—at times resembling a hundred-headed giant monster, at times turning into a blade storm, and at other times condensing into a massive, painfully roaring human face... The energy fluctuations it emitted had clearly surpassed the scope of the Kaiyuan Realm, reaching a suffocating level—the Earth Fiend Realm! Although the aura was impure and unstable, it was undeniably the pressure of the Earth Fiend Realm!

What shocked Ye Chen even more was that he could sense a familiar, cold, and deathly aura of the Dark Hall from the core of that monster! This monster was not naturally generated but was an artificial creation forcibly birthed and controlled by the Dark Hall using some secret technique! Was it a product of the "mobile carrier" project? Or another terrifying weapon?

"Hum—!"

Seemingly sensing Ye Chen's arrival, the massive Sword Intent aggregate suddenly "looked" at him. A huge gap split open on its "head," which was composed of countless sword blades, like a mouth, emitting a piercing shriek that blended billions of sword hums with the wails of vengeful spirits!

The sound wave formed by the shriek was like a physical impact, instantly sweeping across the entire basin! Ye Chen felt a sharp pain in his brain, his defensive Sword Intent vibrated violently, and the ground beneath his feet cracked inch by inch!

Immediately after, the monster raised an arm composed of countless broken swords and swung it fiercely toward the direction where Ye Chen was!

Boom!

A torrent over ten zhang in diameter, composed entirely of dark-red Sword Intent Magma, roared like a raging Dragon, tearing through the air. Carrying a terrifying aura that could incinerate all things and defile Divine Souls, it surged toward Ye Chen! Wherever it passed, the space displayed twisted ripples!

The power of this strike far exceeded any previous enemy!

Ye Chen's expression changed drastically; he dared not hold anything back! The guixu sword emitted a passionate sword hum. He poured all his spiritual power into it without reservation, raising his Nirvana Sword Intent to the limit, and struck out fiercely against the surging torrent of Sword Intent!

"Guixu—Heaven Swallowing!"

This was the strongest sword strike he could currently execute! He pushed the true meaning of Nirvana Devouring to its Peak, with the intention not to clash head-on, but to... devour!

At the tip of the guixu sword, a tiny Chaos Vortex that seemed capable of swallowing light suddenly appeared and rapidly expanded! Within the vortex, dark gold and dark red lights swirled madly, carrying the will to annihilate and plunder everything, meeting the heaven-destroying torrent of Sword Intent!

"Sss-sss-sss—!"

There was no earth-shattering explosion, only a teeth-grinding sound as if all things were being forcibly decomposed and dissolved. The Chaos Vortex clashed fiercely with the Sword Intent torrent. The vortex vibrated violently, its edges constantly shattering and reforming, frantically devouring the violent energy within the torrent! The Sword Intent torrent, like a raging tide hitting a dam, had its front end constantly devoured and annihilated by the vortex, its speed slowing down abruptly!

Veins bulged all over Ye Chen's body, and his face instantly turned deathly pale. He felt as if he were blocking a collapsing mountain with his bare hands! The energy contained within the Sword Intent torrent was too vast, and its attributes were extremely violent and impure. Even with the power of the guixu sword, devouring it was extremely difficult, and the backlash force washed over his Meridians and Sea of Consciousness like a tide!

"Crack!" The ground beneath his feet could not withstand this immense force and collapsed violently!

"I cannot retreat!" A flash of madness crossed Ye Chen's eyes. The ancient sword phantasm deep within his Soul transmitted another stream of pure, ancient sword essence, supporting him. He gripped the guixu sword tightly, forcibly refining and guiding the violent energy he had devoured using his Nirvana Sword Intent. A portion was used to maintain the vortex, while the other portion was channeled into his body, frantically assaulting the barrier of the Kaiyuan Realm Sixth Level!

He wanted to use this external force to force a Breakthrough!

"Boom!"

Under the combined pressure from inside and outside, that solid barrier shattered with a roar! Even more majestic spiritual power surged from his Dantian, flowing through his entire body! Kaiyuan Realm, Seventh Level!

The moment he broke through, Ye Chen's pressure lessened slightly. The Chaos Vortex on the guixu sword shone brightly, and its devouring speed suddenly increased by a notch! He had actually forcibly devoured nearly half of that massive Sword Intent torrent!

The remaining small portion of the torrent bypassed the vortex and slammed fiercely into the cliff wall behind Ye Chen, melting and vaporizing the entire cliff to create a huge hole!

Ye Chen leaned on the guixu sword, kneeling on one knee, panting heavily, a trace of blood spilling from the corner of his mouth. Although he had successfully broken through and blocked the strike, he had also sustained significant internal injuries.

The Sword Intent aggregate in the abyss seemed to have consumed too much energy from that strike, its aura slightly wilting, but those eyes composed of searing Sword Intent stared at Ye Chen even more viciously, and its other arm slowly raised...

Just at this moment—

"Tsk tsk tsk... truly an astonishing performance." A voice filled with mockery and coldness rang out abruptly at the edge of the basin.

Ye Chen turned his head sharply.

He saw that on a large rock not far away, a figure wearing a dark gold robe, with their face hidden in the shadow of a hood, had appeared at some unknown time. The aura around them was not particularly powerful, appearing to be only at the Eighth or Ninth Level of the Kaiyuan Realm, but it gave people an extremely dangerous feeling, like a poisonous snake poised to strike.

What shocked Ye Chen even more was that this person emitted an aura from the Dark Hall that was of the same source as that Sword Intent aggregate, yet more pure and more obscure! Moreover, they were toying with a dark-red crystal in their hand that was constantly changing shape, like a living creature. There was a clear energy link between that crystal and the Sword Intent aggregate in the abyss!

It's him! He is controlling this monster!

"To cultivate this 'Myriad Sword Demon Puppet', it has cost me quite a bit of effort." The Dark Gold Robe Person chuckled, their voice carrying an indifference that suggested they controlled everything. "I originally wanted it to absorb more of the discarded Sword Intent here, but I didn't expect to lure you here. Very well, let us use your flesh and blood, containing special Sword Intent and Soul, as the final sacrifice for the complete awakening of the Demon Puppet!"

He raised his hand, and the dark-red crystal in his hand shone brightly!

The Myriad Sword Demon Puppet in the abyss seemed to receive the order, emitting an even more manic roar. Its massive body rose completely from the Sword Intent Magma, and with a terrifying might that could crush everything, it stepped toward Ye Chen, step by step!

The true crisis had only just arrived!