Free Web NovelChapter 161: Entering the Sword Valley
As soon as he stepped into the Ten Thousand Swords Valley, Fang Hao felt as if he had fallen into a giant ice cellar, and the hair on his body stood on end with a "shua"! It wasn’t from the cold, but from that omnipresent Sword Intent that was sharp enough to cut through skin! The air seemed to be filled with countless invisible small knives, scraping against his skin until it stung, and even his breathing carried a scent of rust and slaughter.
The ground beneath his feet was hard as iron, making a "crackle, crackle" sound as he stepped on it. Looking down, good heavens, it was entirely covered in shattered, rusted, and broken pieces of scrap metal. They were likely all Flying Swords and Magic Treasures once, but now they were spread across the ground like trash, thick enough to bury one’s ankles. The mountain walls on both sides were even more terrifying, looking like hedgehogs covered in dense, strangely-shaped remnant swords. Some only had the hilt left, while others were broken in half and covered in rust, looking quite eerie.
"This ghost of a place has such heavy Killing Intent!" Fang Hao muttered to himself, quickly circulating the Chaos Derivation Art. The wisp of Chaos Qi in his Dantian rotated slowly like a millstone, gradually grinding down and neutralizing the fierce Sword Qi that had burrowed into his body, which finally made him feel a bit better. He stole a glance at Mu Fenghua beside him; the girl was clutching that Star Jade Pendant, which emitted a soft starlight that enveloped her. The Sword Qi simply slid off the light barrier, making her look quite relaxed.
"The royal family certainly has many treasures." Fang Hao felt a bit envious, but even more so, he was on guard. This place was too sinister; he had to stay completely focused.
Neither of them spoke, keeping their heads down as they walked inward. The deeper they went, the more ferocious the Sword Qi became! At first, it only felt like it was scraping the skin, but later it felt as if countless needles were stabbing into him. His Protective Spiritual Light made a "sizzling" sound and was being consumed rapidly. The light barrier emitted by Mu Fenghua’s pendant also began to flicker, no longer as stable as before. Fang Hao, relying on his Chaos Qi to endure it, also felt it was a bit taxing, and his Meridians throbbed with a faint pain.
"This Sword Qi... seems to be tempering my sword arts?" As he walked, Fang Hao’s heart suddenly stirred. His primary cultivation was the Starfall Sword Art, supplemented by the Seven Absolutes Sword Seal and the Dividing Light Sword Shadow. These were all top-tier sword Dao Divine Abilities, and though he had practiced them for many years and reached the Major Achievement Realm, he always felt something was missing, like a thin layer of window paper he couldn’t quite pierce. The power was fierce enough, but it lacked a certain "spirit," a Concept that belonged solely to him.
Now, stimulated by the omnipresent Sword Qi in the valley, he felt the Golden Core in his Dantian beating faster, and his understanding of the Starfall Sword Art seemed to become clearer. It was like having a strict master holding a small whip, forcing him to weed out the Impurities in his sword techniques bit by bit, leaving behind the purest and most essential elements.
"This is interesting!" Fang Hao’s spirits rose. He stopped purely enduring and instead actively released a sliver of defense, cautiously drawing a wisp of the valley’s Sword Qi into his body. Hiss—! It was like swallowing razor blades; the pain made him grimace. He quickly wrapped it in Chaos Qi, slowly refining and experiencing it. This refinement actually allowed him to get a taste of its essence! Although the Sword Qi in this valley was chaotic, it contained various different sword Dao wills—some overbearing, some sharp, some eerie... It was like a giant hodgepodge; though messy, it was rich in nutrition!
As he walked, he secretly "stole" these broken Sword Intents, verifying them against the sword arts he practiced. The resolute Concept of the Starfall Sword Art—charging forward to fell the stars—seemed to become clearer; he also gained some inspiration for the shifts between reality and illusion in the Dividing Light Sword Shadow; even the feeling of Seal and suppression in the Seven Absolutes Sword Seal felt more substantial.
Mu Fenghua saw him grimacing one moment and his eyes lighting up the next, thinking this person was quite strange, but she didn’t ask much. She only gripped her pendant tighter, cautiously guarding her surroundings.
After walking for another distance, a fork in the road appeared ahead. Three narrow passages led in different directions, and the attributes of the Sword Qi permeating each passage were different. In the left one, the Sword Qi was blazing and explosive, as if it were on fire; the middle one had Sword Qi that was piercingly cold, carrying a chill; the right one had Sword Qi that was erratic and elusive, appearing and disappearing intermittently.
"Three paths, each with different Sword Qi attributes." Mu Fenghua stopped and frowned as she sensed them. "The star soul of the sword I am looking for contains the Power of the Stars, which might lean toward Sharp Gold or variation. Taking the right path might offer a better chance. Fellow Daoist Ning, what is your opinion?" ƒгeewёbnovel.com
Fang Hao also sensed them. He wasn’t picky; any kind of Sword Qi would be beneficial for tempering his sword arts. However, the elusive Sword Qi of the right path did indeed make the Bottleneck of his Dividing Light Sword Shadow loosen slightly. He nodded: "I will follow Fellow Daoist Mu’s lead."
The two then turned into the right-hand passage. This path was even narrower, only allowing one person to pass at a time. The remnant swords embedded in the stone walls on both sides were even more numerous, and many of the sword bodies were semi-transparent, as if they were merging into the air. The Sword Qi they emitted was also unpredictable, appearing in the east one moment and the west the next, making it impossible to guard against.
Before they had gone far, a "humming" sword chime suddenly echoed from ahead! A faint golden, semi-transparent Sword Qi shot out from the stone wall like a phantom, piercing straight toward the back of Mu Fenghua’s heart, who was walking in front! Its speed was startlingly fast!
"Watch out!" Fang Hao had been on high alert. His Clear Spring Spirit Eyes captured the trajectory of the Sword Qi, and he instinctively shouted. At the same time, his yitian sword was unsheathed, and with a move of the Dividing Light Sword Shadow, several sword lights intercepted that golden Sword Qi!
Dang!
The Sword Qi was blocked and dissipated into the air. Mu Fenghua also reacted, breaking into a cold sweat. She turned and said, "Thank you!"
"It’s an attack from a remnant Sword Spirit." Fang Hao looked at the stone wall with a solemn expression. "The further we go, the more of these things there will likely be."
As expected, the road ahead became even more difficult. From time to time, Sword Qi of various attributes would launch sneak attacks from unexpected angles—some hot as fire, some cold as frost, some heavy as a mountain, and some swift as lightning. The two had to stay sharp, looking out for each other as they defended.
Fang Hao discovered that by using the overbearing Sword Gang of the Starfall Sword Art, he could forcibly shatter those solidified Sword Qi; using the variations of the Dividing Light Sword Shadow, he could confuse and disperse those elusive Sword Qi; and using the sealing power of the Seven Absolutes Sword Seal, he could even temporarily freeze some of the weaker Sword Qi! In this high-pressure environment, his use of the three sword arts became increasingly proficient, with various subtle changes coming naturally. Some previously obscure points suddenly became clear! freeweɓnovēl.coɱ
He even began to try fusing the characteristics of the different sword arts. For example, using the Dividing Light Sword Shadow to create dozens of feints to confuse the enemy while hiding a killing move from the Starfall Sword Art; or using the Seven Absolutes Sword Seal to temporarily lock the Sword Qi’s movement before quickly shattering it with the Dividing Light Sword Shadow. Although he was still unpracticed, the power was indeed much stronger than using a single sword art alone!
Mu Fenghua watched from the side, secretly amazed. Wasn’t Fang Hao’s swordplay a bit too diverse? Moreover, he had practiced each one to an extremely high Realm! In this Sword Valley, he was practically like a fish in water! She considered her own sword Dao talent to be quite strong, but compared to this guy, she seemed... to lack a bit of spirit?
The two stumbled along, safely penetrating several miles deep. Suddenly, the passage ahead opened up into a giant stone cavern. In the center of the cavern stood a broken sword that was pitch-black and covered in cracks, yet it emitted a startling Evil Qi! Around the broken sword, dozens of incredibly condensed and differently colored powerful Sword Qi swirled like loyal guards!
And above that broken sword floated a light cluster about the size of a fingernail, constantly shifting with seven-colored light and emitting pure fluctuations of the Power of the Stars!
"The star soul of the sword!" Mu Fenghua cried out in surprise!
But in the next second, her expression changed. Because those dozens of guardian Sword Qi seemed to be disturbed, simultaneously turning their direction and locking onto the two who had intruded into the cavern! A sharp and matchless Sword Intent pressed down like a mountain!
Fang Hao also felt his breathing hitch and his scalp go numb! Each of these dozens of Sword Qi was no weaker than the full-strength strike of a Middle Golden Core Stage Cultivator! Furthermore, they seemed to have formed a profound sword formation!
Big trouble!
