41: Chapter 41 Senior Sister, Come on, let me take you for a "stroll" at the Sword Tomb.

The glow of the setting sun slanted through the carved window lattices of Tingjian Pavilion, staining the warm jade floor tiles with a dusky hue.

The clamor in the main hall gradually subsided as twilight descended. Most Cultivators finished their Spirit Tea and pastries and dispersed—some returning to their rooms to meditate, others pairing up to visit the night market in Sword King City.

Gu Yi set down the empty white jade teacup in his hand.

Liu Qingwan, sitting on the soft couch opposite him, had already shed her slightly tipsy, alluring demeanor. She smoothed her slightly disheveled collar, stood up while holding her emerald green wine gourd, and stretched lazily, leaving behind a "This Elder is going to catch up on some sleep" before swaying up the stairs.

Junior Sister Lin Wanying had been buffeted by the wind on the flying boat's deck during the day. Now that she was full, her big eyes couldn't help but flutter shut, her little head bobbing down. Gu Yi summoned two female Disciples from the Xuantian Sect, instructing them to help their sleepy Junior Sister back to her top-tier guest room to rest.

Once the people around them had gradually dispersed, only Senior Sister Mu Qingxue, dressed in white, remained beside the booth.

Gu Yi turned his head to look at this cold and aloof Senior Sister Mu Qingxue, who had accompanied him quietly from the very beginning, her breathing rate never even fluctuating. A warm smile touched his lips.

"Senior Sister, we've been in this inn for most of the day; it's a bit stifling." Gu Yi stood up, smoothed his wide, moon-white sleeves, and picked up the folding fan on the table, which served as a decoration. "The night breeze outside is cool and perfect for a stroll. Would you be willing to accompany me for a walk?"

The Phoenix eyes of Senior Sister Mu Qingxue, usually as calm as an ancient well, rippled with a hint of softness the moment she heard Gu Yi's invitation.

She didn't ask a single question about where they were going, simply nodding obediently and standing up to follow him.

The two walked side by side out of the gates of Tingjian Pavilion.

The evening in Sword King City carried a unique blend of solemnity and bustling prosperity typical of the Central Plains. The Spirit Stone lanterns hanging on both sides of the street lit up one by one, illuminating the wide streets paved with cyan stone slabs.

Gu Yi twirled his folding fan, walking through the bustling crowd with apparent nonchalance, though in the depths of his profound eyes, he was rapidly calculating their next steps.

The System radar in his mind had long since stripped away all of Ancient Sword Emperor Xiao Chen's secrets and destination.

What that down-and-out Ancient Sword Emperor yearned for was the top-grade Sword Bone hidden in the core area of the Ancient Sword Tomb behind Sword King City, which was the most heavily guarded Forbidden Ground of the Sword Sect.

Since he knew the exact location and properties of the treasure, why would he waste time and effort trailing behind the other party just to eat their dust?

"Junior Brother, are we heading to the back mountain?"

Unknowingly, the two had gradually strayed from the bustling market, and the surrounding streets became increasingly deserted, with even the lanterns on both sides becoming sparse. Senior Sister Mu Qingxue noticed the growing, bone-chilling Sword Intent in the surroundings and asked softly.

"Mm." Gu Yi closed his folding fan and tapped it lightly against his palm. "I heard there is a place called the Ancient Sword Tomb in the back mountain of the Sword Sect, and the scenery is quite unique. I thought I'd take advantage of the night to take Senior Sister to see it."

Senior Sister Mu Qingxue was slightly stunned.

Although she was cold by nature and unworldly, as a Sword Cultivator, she had naturally heard of the Ancient Sword Tomb of the Sword Sect in the Central Plains.

That was the Forbidden Ground of the entire Sword Sect. Not only was the periphery covered in ancient killing Formations, but several Sword Cultivator Elders at the Nascent Soul Stage or even the Soul Transformation Stage took turns guarding it year-round. Not to mention Disciples from other sects, even True Disciples of the Sword Sect itself would never dare to approach it without a decree from the Sect Master.

Such a dangerous Forbidden Ground, in Gu Yi's words, had turned into a scenic spot suitable for a casual stroll.

However, since her Junior Brother wanted to go, she would go.

Senior Sister Mu Qingxue did not try to dissuade him.

She silently activated the Extreme Yin Sword Body within her, pushing her perception to its peak, ready to draw her sword at any moment to clear obstacles for Gu Yi.

Their pace was steady, and after the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, they arrived at the edge of the Forbidden Ground behind Sword King City.

In front of them lay a forest of jagged rocks shrouded in thick white fog.

Amidst the rolling white fog, one could vaguely see several squads of patrol Disciples wearing the Sword Sect's Law Enforcement Hall uniforms, leading Spirit Beasts with keen senses and patrolling the perimeter of the rock forest in intersecting paths.

The Sword Intent permeating the air was so thick it felt like it could cut skin; any unfamiliar aura would immediately trigger the perimeter's warning Formation upon approach.

Gu Yi stopped and put his folding fan into his storage ring.

His hands moved rapidly, weaving complex seals, and wisps of colorless true energy from his Creation Immortal Body spilled from his fingertips. As the seals were completed, Gu Yi casually tossed several palm-sized Formation Flags into the air.

The Formation Flags turned into streaks of light in mid-air, silently merging into the surrounding Void Realm.

A transparent, water-like light barrier descended instantly, wrapping Gu Yi and Senior Sister Mu Qingxue's figures, auras, and even the surrounding light refraction within it.

This was a top-tier concealment Formation Plate exchanged from the System shop. Unless they encountered a monster at the Dao Integration Stage or higher using their Divine Sense to scour the ground inch by inch, it was almost impossible to be seen through.

"Senior Sister, the range of this Formation is limited. Stay close to me, don't get separated."

Gu Yi turned his head and naturally reached out to take Senior Sister Mu Qingxue's hand, which was hanging by her side, soft as if carved from white jade.

Senior Sister Mu Qingxue's body trembled imperceptibly.

Her fingertips, usually cool due to cultivating cold sword techniques, felt as if they were wrapped in a gentle spring breeze the moment they touched the warmth of Gu Yi's palm.

She instinctively wanted to grip back, but out of a rare shyness, she simply let Gu Yi's large palm wrap completely around her hand.

Gu Yi held Senior Sister Mu Qingxue's hand and walked into the fog-shrouded rock forest with ease, as if strolling through his own back garden.

Just as they entered the rock forest, a squad of Sword Sect patrol Disciples happened to pass by less than a meter away from them.

The Spirit-Seeking Mink, usually extremely sensitive to the scent of strangers, merely twitched its nose in confusion, then wagged its tail and continued forward, completely failing to notice the intruders within arm's reach.

Passing through the rock forest, the scene in front of them suddenly opened up.

A black cliff a hundred zhang high stood before them. In the center of the cliff was a huge stone gate carved by hand, engraved with dense Sword Dao runes that carried an aura of ancient desolation.

This was the true entrance to the Ancient Sword Tomb.

The stone gate was tightly shut, and the air around it seemed to have solidified into solid iron. The residual Sword Qi that had accumulated over thousands of years and spilled out from the cracks in the gate transformed into visible gray air currents, cutting wantonly outside the stone gate.

If an ordinary Golden Core Stage Cultivator stood here, the pressure from this overflowing Sword Qi alone would be enough to cause their Meridians to reverse and their knees to buckle.

For a Sword Cultivator, this kind of pressure, filled with the truths of the Ancient Sword Dao, should have been a Holy Land that ignited fighting spirit and made one's blood boil.

Gu Yi activated his Primordial Limitless Creation Immortal Body, and a layer of gentle Protective Aura blocked all the gray sword currents attempting to approach within three feet. He turned his head, wanting to see what kind of insights his cold Senior Sister had when facing such a Holy Land of Sword Dao.

The moment he turned his gaze, Gu Yi's eyes paused slightly.

Senior Sister Mu Qingxue was not looking at the magnificent stone gate covered in ancient runes at all, nor was she comprehending the residual Sword Qi that would drive all the Sword Cultivators in the world crazy.

In front of the entrance to this Forbidden Ground, where danger lurked and the atmosphere was tense to the extreme, this peerless Sword Cultivator with the Extreme Yin Sword Body was looking slightly up, her gaze fixed unwaveringly on Gu Yi's profile.

Under the interweaving of the dim night and the light curtain of the Formation, the sharp lines of Gu Yi's jaw, his deep eye sockets, and that hint of easeful smile born from having everything under control were all clearly reflected in her cold Phoenix eyes.

The terrifying ancient Sword Qi around them didn't even have the qualification to make her shift her gaze by even half an inch.

Feeling Gu Yi's gaze, Senior Sister Mu Qingxue did not dodge, the softness in her eyes only deepening. The hand held in Gu Yi's palm adjusted its posture, interlacing its fingers with his.

Seeing this, the last trace of tension in Gu Yi's heart from being in enemy territory dissipated.

A smile blossomed on his lips, and he gripped her soft hand tightly in return, turning his gaze back to the huge, tightly shut stone gate in front of them.

"Let's go, Senior Sister. Let's go inside and see what good things that Ancient Sword Emperor Senior left for us in his lair."