’No, the Sword Sect Disciples must have a more efficient way to find a Tier Three Flying Sword... This is too slow. There’s not enough time.’
Bai Zichen stopped what he was doing. Behind him, over a hundred Sword Tombs had been dug up, all of them empty.
In all the introductions to the Sword Tomb Secret Realm, no one had ever mentioned a trick to finding a Tier Three Flying Sword on the second layer.
He quickly realized that this brute-force method of digging them up one by one wasn’t going to work.
’Tier Four Flying Swords are sentient, so they can choose their own masters... but Tier Three Flying Swords aren’t at that level. Unless...’
Bai Zichen’s head snapped up. He felt a murderous Geng Metal aura erupt to the east, soaring into the sky.
CLANG! CLATTER! Countless broken weapons on the ground were blown aside, toppling like a field of wheat.
As if on cue, several more bursts of Sword Qi—some balanced and serene, others scorching hot—were unleashed.
The entire Sword Tomb was thrown into chaos.
A thousand zhang away, a crimson Sword Light shot into the sky, transforming into an elegant Fire Phoenix.
After circling once, it reverted to a slender Flying Sword, its blade shimmering with layers of flame and its hilt wrapped in phoenix feathers.
Bai Zichen pushed his physical strength to the limit, his body moving so fast it left a faint afterimage.
By the time he arrived, he saw the Fire Phoenix Flying Sword land in the hands of a dark-faced cultivator with a long beard.
"Haha, I’ll be on my way! I’ll be waiting for all of you on the Third Layer!"
The long-bearded, dark-faced cultivator clutched the Fire Phoenix Flying Sword, not letting go even as his robes were scorched and his palms smoked.
Amid his laughter, a Black Flame engulfed him and teleported him away.
"So the Tianhe Sword Sect has a trick like this! No wonder over seventy percent of the Tier Three Flying Swords that have appeared in this Secret Realm over the past thousand years have ended up in the hands of Sword Sect Disciples!"
An outside cultivator who had arrived a step too late shouted indignantly.
Although the second layer of the Sword Tomb Secret Realm was a Land of Absolute Spirit where not a shred of Magical Power could be used...
The Tianhe Sword Sect had clearly devised a method to stimulate Sword Qi under specific conditions without needing Magical Power.
By using Sword Qi condensed by a Core Formation True Man, they could provoke a reaction from the Tier Three Flying Swords buried deep underground.
Bai Zichen ignored the man and turned to leave.
’Relying on external force... do I have any Treasures on me that could attract a Flying Sword?’
He went through every item in his storage bag, but in the end, his focus returned to his Dantian Qi Sea.
His Qi Sea Spiritual Liquid was now overflowing and abundant, almost at its limit.
The droplets of Liquid Magical Power flowed slowly, so thick they were almost a paste. He was not far from converting it into True Essence.
The two Treasures, the Ziwei Dazzling Thunder Sword Embryo and the Nine Yang Divine Fire Mirror, were submerged at the bottom of the Spiritual Liquid, completely hidden from view.
Only the occasional flash of Thunder Radiance and the small patch of Spiritual Liquid tinged dark red at the edge proved their existence.
’In terms of intrinsic quality, all the Flying Swords in the entire Sword Tomb Secret Realm combined can’t compare to the Ziwei Dazzling Thunder Sword Embryo... Even though it has currently fallen to Tier Three, if I can just get it to release a single wisp of Sword Qi, it could definitely stir every Flying Sword hidden in this Sword Tomb.’
If a wisp of Sword Qi from a Core Formation True Man could have such an effect, it was impossible that the Ziwei Dazzling Thunder Sword Embryo, whose quality was far superior, couldn’t do the same.
The only concern was whether he could actually rouse the Ziwei Dazzling Thunder Sword Embryo.
The Ziwei Dazzling Thunder Sword Embryo had been in Bai Zichen’s Qi Sea for decades. Limited by his low Cultivation, his efforts to nurture it had been mediocre at best.
Furthermore, it had been passively activated once when he was severely injured, causing it to fall into an even deeper slumber.
’I have to try. I can’t just leave empty-handed... ’
Having made his decision, Bai Zichen willed the Spiritual Liquid in his Qi Sea to surge, rushing madly toward the Ziwei Dazzling Thunder Sword Embryo.
Magical Power couldn’t be used externally, but circulating it within his own Dantian was not restricted.
The surface of the overflowing lake of Spiritual Liquid dropped rapidly. Soon, the Nine Yang Divine Fire Mirror, which was at the edge, was exposed.
A moment later, the Ziwei Dazzling Thunder Sword Embryo also came into view.
Compared to before, the glow of the Thunder Radiance seemed a bit brighter.
At the same time, he constantly tried to connect his Divine Sense to the Ziwei Dazzling Thunder Sword Embryo, attempting to convey his thoughts.
’It moved!’
Just as the lake of Spiritual Liquid was about to run dry and his Magical Power was depleted, Bai Zichen saw the Ziwei Dazzling Thunder Sword Embryo suddenly turn over.
As it touched his Divine Sense, it conveyed a lazy, unwilling-to-move emotion.
It even seemed to be mixed with a hint of reproachful complaint.
A thread-like wisp of Sword Qi separated from the Ziwei Dazzling Thunder Sword Embryo, traveled along Bai Zichen’s meridians, and shot out from his little finger.
It completely ignored the Spiritual Ban Law of the Sword Tomb Secret Realm’s second layer, transforming into a playful arc of thread-like lightning that joyfully circled him once.
Then, it dissipated into the air without a trace.
’That’s it?’
Bai Zichen was stunned. After all that effort to finally prod the Ziwei Dazzling Thunder Sword Embryo into action, this was the result?
But soon, he sensed something was wrong.
After the Thunder Radiance vanished, an invisible ripple spread outward, its range far exceeding his imagination.
From a great distance, a joyous sword hum echoed back.
Then, the entire Sword Tomb began to shake violently.
All the weapons were pressed to the ground, falling flat in unison, as if welcoming their king.
A sliver of indescribable Moonlight appeared at the edge of his vision. In the next instant, that Moonlight had crossed the entire Sword Tomb to arrive at Bai Zichen’s side.
It was a Moonlight so brilliant it could eclipse the sun, filling his vision with nothing but silver.
Bai Zichen felt that the Moonlight before him, as gentle as water, actually contained an unimaginable might.
He felt like a lone boat adrift on the ocean, in danger of being swallowed by a tidal wave at any moment, without even making a splash.
’This commotion caused by the Ziwei Dazzling Thunder Sword Embryo... seems a little too big...’
Even with Bai Zichen’s mental fortitude, he was completely dumbfounded.
He had only wanted to see if he could attract a Tier Three Flying Sword. How had he directly summoned the last Tier Four Flying Sword in the Sword Tomb Secret Realm?
The aura of its grand entrance was similar to what he had faintly sensed from Yann Yuanzai’s Xing Yao Sword.
If he still hadn’t realized by now that the Moonlight before him was a Tier Four Flying Sword, he’d be unworthy of being a Sword Cultivator.
The sky-spanning Moonlight rapidly contracted, finally forming a shapeless, shimmering Flying Sword that flew into his hand as if a swallow returning to its nest.
A clear feeling of deep affection washed over him—an overflowing joy of a long-awaited reunion.
It was like a young child seeing a long-lost older brother.
Without any need for Refinement, Bai Zichen instantly learned the Flying Sword’s information.
Moon Xuan Sword. Pearly white all over, it radiated a cool moonlight. It had no definite form and could change according to its user’s will.
It could absorb Taiyin Star Power and unleash Moonlight Crystal Burst, freezing the Divine Soul of its victims.
’A Tier Four Flying Sword, the Moon Xuan Sword.’
Bai Zichen gave it a light swing. The Moon Xuan Sword offered no resistance, moving like an extension of his own arm as it cast a trailing ribbon of moonlight.
Although, limited by his Cultivation, it was impossible for him to truly wield the Moon Xuan Sword right now.
But this level of compatibility was something that even Yann Yuanzai, at Core Formation Perfection, hadn’t achieved with the Xing Yao Sword after decades of effort.
The Moon Xuan Sword’s deep affection was certainly not directed at him. His Sword Dao Talent wasn’t so high that a Tier Four Flying Sword would condescend to race from the Third Layer of the Secret Realm to the second to claim him as its master.
Bai Zichen was very self-aware about this.
The source of all this could only be the Ziwei Dazzling Thunder Sword Embryo, which was now lazing about in his Dantian Qi Sea, disdainful of the whole affair.
’So the Ancient Secret Realm in Black Mountain and the Beiyuan Sword Tomb Secret Realm share the same origin... Judging by the reactions of the Ziwei Dazzling Thunder Sword Embryo and the Moon Xuan Sword, the Secret Realm in Black Mountain must be the true location of the inheritance left by the Upper Realm Sword Immortal.’
In Bai Zichen’s mind, the value of the Ancient Secret Realm he had explored and plundered with Lu Songx rose another level.
He tried to draw the Moon Xuan Sword into his Qi Sea. It offered not a hint of resistance, obeying meekly.
It was so obedient that it was hard to believe this was a sentient Tier Four Flying Sword.
Inside his Qi Sea, the Moon Xuan Sword condensed into the shape of a crescent moon and frolicked obediently around the Ziwei Dazzling Thunder Sword Embryo.
Bai Zichen had the absurd feeling that the Moon Xuan Sword was acting like a little puppy, jumping up and down.
The Ziwei Dazzling Thunder Sword Embryo just gave a slight tremor in response.
Then it returned to its slumber.
The instant the Moon Xuan Sword entered Bai Zichen’s Dantian Qi Sea, the entire Sword Tomb Secret Realm began to shake as if the heavens were falling and the earth were cracking.
The Third Layer of the Secret Realm, its core area, was collapsing rapidly.
Ten plumes of Black Flame appeared, landing on each of the Trial Takers.
With a flash of black light, the Secret Realm was empty.
...
"The Sword Qi I separated has been activated. Hopefully, it will attract a Flying Sword of the same attribute..."
Suo Qian’s expression shifted as if he had sensed something.
"Brother Suo, you really do spare no expense for your disciple. This method of separating Sword Qi to bypass the Secret Realm’s restrictions damages one’s Lifebound Flying Sword. It’ll take at least ten years of nurturing to recover."
Tang Yuan shook his head lightly. He was all alone, with no disciples or family, and couldn’t understand such an action.
"Heh, I’m not the only one... Almost every disciple who entered the Secret Realm asked for a wisp of Sword Qi."
After all these years, Suo Qian knew Tang Yuan’s personality well and paid his words no mind.
"Even someone as aloof as Junior Sister Songx separated a wisp of Sword Qi for that boy from the Gong Family because she owed them a favor."
Just as the two Core Formation True Men were talking, the Stone Sword standing in mid-air trembled violently and dropped a foot.
A large number of cracks appeared on the Stone Sword, and stone fragments crumbled to the ground with a soft rustle.
"What’s happening?"
Tong Yuan jumped up and exclaimed in shock.
"Could something have happened in the Sword Tomb Secret Realm?"
Although the Tianhe Sword Sect’s projections stated that the Sword Tomb Secret Realm should last for at least another thousand years, no one could predict the changes within a Secret Realm.
An extremely subtle change in parameters could lead to a difference of several hundred years in a Secret Realm’s lifespan.
Suo Qian also looked as if he were facing a great enemy. The Sword Tomb Secret Realm had been stable for over three thousand years, yet a major incident had to occur right when the two of them were in charge.
"No, this isn’t the first time this has happened... I was there two hundred years ago when Senior Brother Yann obtained the Xing Yao Sword. It was just like this!"
"Could it be that the ancestors have blessed us, and a disciple has won the favor of a Tier Four Flying Sword, which has come to them of its own accord!"
As much as he found it hard to believe that any of the current disciples possessed such Sword Dao Talent, the facts were right in front of him, leaving no room for doubt.