Xuanqing Guard

Chapter 260: Chapter 260: Contact

Shen Hao climbed onto the roof of the house and looked west, where in the distance he could see the fields and fishponds. One of the fishponds had already dried up, revealing the muddy bottom and a gaping, oversized hole.

"That’s the entrance to the Sword Emperor’s Tomb."

Nie Yun stood next to Shen Hao with a cheerful grin, holding his wine gourd and sipping sparingly—probably thinking he’d better make it last since there wasn’t much left.

Shen Hao smacked his lips. The lingering aroma of wine briefly interrupted his thoughts. Just before, he had been sighing that the entrance to the Sword Emperor’s Tomb was nothing special—just a pitch-black hole in the ground, hardly matching the fearsome reputation of the Cloud Sword Domain surrounding it.

"See that cluster of cloud swords over there? Notice anything different about it?" Nie Yun pointed at a group of cloud swords not far from the entrance, smiling as he asked.

Shen Hao looked as instructed. To the left of the tomb entrance, not too far away, hung a cloud sword cluster about ten feet across. That wasn’t rare in Caiyuan Village; actually, some were even bigger—the largest he’d seen was taller than a house.

But since Nie Yun brought it up, Shen Hao knew there must be something special about that particular cloud sword, so he studied it carefully and soon noticed what set it apart.

"It’s got some black mixed in?"

The other cloud swords were all pure white—like clouds in the sky, shapeless as their name implied. But the one Nie Yun pointed to was white streaked with black, looking a bit like the pale dark clouds you see on an overcast day.

"Right. These kinds of cloud swords are even more valuable than the usual pure-white ones. That’s actually my target today—I’ve been preparing for this one for days, hoping to test my luck."

"You’re not going into the tomb itself?"

"Oh, I’ll go in the tomb. But there’s no way I’m passing up this dark cloud sword. If you’re hoping to test your luck too, you should aim for these as well—about the same risk, but the reward’s higher. I’ll be going for that one soon, so keep your eyes peeled and watch your back."

Promised to look out for me, huh? And now you’re off to mind your own business?

Shen Hao grumbled to himself, but he wasn’t actually upset—Nie Yun couldn’t very well act as his nanny all the time and give up on his own fortune. Besides, Shen Hao was curious how this sword cloud would be handled.

Nie Yun didn’t dawdle with small talk. After a few sips of wine, he leapt straight down toward the dark cloud sword. On the way, he easily flicked aside a few tomb beasts.

But as Nie Yun closed in on the cloud sword, a pair of silvery gloves appeared on his hands.

Clearly these gloves were Nie Yun’s weapon of choice. And that wasn’t all—as he shot downwards, Nie Yun’s aura surged rapidly. Even as he got further away, the sense of pressure on Shen Hao only intensified, like a wild beast shedding all its disguises.

Nie Yun didn’t do what Shen Hao expected and pause near the cloud sword to breathe and focus; instead, the instant his aura peaked, he smashed straight into the dark cloud sword. freēwēbnovel.com

How to put it—Nie Yun’s moves made Shen Hao feel he was charging a powerful enemy head-on, not just dealing with a lump of dead matter.

"He’s not treating the cloud sword as an object, but as a real opponent?" Shen Hao felt he’d caught on to something crucial.

Almost at the same time, that dark cloud sword exploded with dazzling beams of light. The light flickered, and as darkness and brightness alternated, Shen Hao saw two humanoid forms inside—strangely, both only about the size of infants.

Was this some kind of space technique, like the Sky Splitting Array?

The Cloud Sword Domain truly is mysterious and bizarre.

The two figures struggled and fought within the dark cloud sword. One wielded a sword, the other fought barehanded.

Shen Hao knew the unarmed one was Nie Yun, but who was the one with the sword? Could it be the Cloud Sword Incarnation Nie Yun had mentioned earlier?

Shen Hao tensed up without realizing it. Even though the cloud sword contained the clash, so no stray energies escaped, the oppressive power radiated outward, making it hard to breathe.

After half a stick of incense burned down, Shen Hao noticed the dazzling light inside wasn’t coming from Nie Yun—it was the sword-wielding figure. For some reason, staring at that figure made Shen Hao’s skin tingle with pain. The cloud sword should have contained the power—so why?

Another stick of incense after that, the battle inside grew fiercer and fiercer, light almost nonstop, the two figures blurring with speed and power—locked together, impossible to tell apart.

This was pure strength against strength—a close-quarters brawl, a test of brute skill. That’s the only fighting style that works within the Cloud Sword Domain.

Finally, after a blinding flash that lasted a full three breaths, the dark cloud sword dissipated completely, and Nie Yun’s figure emerged.

From his distance, Shen Hao saw Nie Yun’s chest heaving violently for a long time before he calmed, his clothes ragged and torn, wounds on his chest, left leg, and cheek, all stained deep crimson.

Shen Hao also saw a golden sphere, about the size of an apple, appear in Nie Yun’s hand. He quickly stored it in his Storage Bag—that must be the reward from this dark cloud sword, though what exactly, Shen Hao couldn’t tell.

Nie Yun strolled back beneath the house wall, leapt lightly onto the roof, and returned to Shen Hao’s side.

"Congratulations on subduing that cloud sword, Nie."

Shen Hao cupped his hands in salute. Nie Yun didn’t bother with modesty—he laughed out loud, smugness and good cheer written all over his face.

"Shen, you can try your luck nearby too. If you see a decent cloud sword, go for it. I won’t be heading into the tomb today anyway, so I’ll keep watch for you."

"Much appreciated, Nie."

"Heh, no need for thanks. Just remember you owe me twenty jars of Wuliangye when we get out."

"Don’t worry, I won’t forget." Shen Hao answered with a grin.

Nie Yun was true to his word. After a short rest, he led Shen Hao to hunt for a suitable dark cloud sword for him.

Soon, the two found their target—a cloud sword a little bigger than a fist to the north of the big house, pitch black and gleaming, even darker than the one Nie Yun had just cleaned up.

"Will this one do?"

"Of course. Honestly, this is the darkest cloud sword I’ve ever seen. If it wasn’t so small, I wouldn’t want to let you have it." Nie Yun sipped his wine and smirked, teasing Shen Hao for his good luck.

The bigger the cloud sword, the better the treasure inside. The blacker, the higher the quality for its size. What Shen Hao found was probably the largest for this size category.

"Go for it. Don’t get careless—treat it as a life-and-death enemy." Nie Yun clapped Shen Hao on the shoulder, signaling him to begin.

"Hoo!"

Shen Hao nodded heavily. Since he was here, he wouldn’t let his chance slip by out of cowardice. Go all out—if even Primordial Pill Realm Perfection cultivators were willing to risk their lives, what did he have to fear?

He couldn’t help being a little nervous, though.

"Clang!" The Yanji Saber sang as Shen Hao drew it. He took a deep breath, shut his eyes and opened them again, his killing intent surging up. He reached straight for the black cloud sword, about the size of a fist...