Jian Lin took a deep breath to steady her nerves and walked through the weeds to the stone sword. She squinted, examining it closely. The sword was waist-high, with more than half of it buried in the ground. When fully drawn, it would be almost as tall as her.
The stone sword was made of the hard, rough rock found here. Judging by its weight alone, it would be difficult to pull out.
Jian Lin formed a hand seal, gathering her spiritual energy. She cautiously and slowly gripped the sword's hilt with both hands and pulled with all her might. As expected, the stone sword didn't budge.
However, she was not one to give up easily. While maintaining her spiritual energy and increasing its output, she searched the system for something like a strength-enhancing pill.
For some reason, the system had been incredibly laggy lately. Jian Lin searched for a long time without any results, her spiritual energy and strength reaching their limits.
"Forget it," Jian Lin told herself. "It's not like pulling it out is essential. I was prepared for this."
Just as she was about to give up, a voice, ancient and resonant, appeared in her mind.
"Little friend," it asked, each word spoken with earnestness, "please answer me one question: in your journey of cultivating the Way of the Sword, what is the most precious thing you have gained?"
"Who's there?" Jian Lin was startled. At first, she thought it was the system speaking, but then she realized this must be the Sword Immortal.
"Is this Gui Xu Dao Ren speaking to me?" Jian Lin replied in her mind, surprised.
The ancient voice sounded somewhat impatient. "Yes. Answer my question and pay no mind to other matters."
"Oh, oh," Jian Lin responded. She suddenly remembered her system's concerns. "Gui Xu Dao Ren, are you in my sea of consciousness?"
If Gui Xu Dao Ren had answered yes, she would have immediately let go and fled, lest her identity be exposed.
"How could I invade your sea of consciousness?" Gui Xu Dao Ren's voice held an undeniable hint of disdain. "I am a divine sense, formless and shapeless, attached to this stone sword. I am speaking to you now!"
"Then why can you hear what I say even when I don't speak?" Jian Lin pressed, unwilling to let it go.
"Because I am a divine sense!" The Sword Immortal was angered. He reprimanded, "Answer my question. If you don't wish to answer, let go and leave. I will wait for the next fated person."
"I'll answer, I'll answer," Jian Lin said eagerly, then paused. She asked sheepishly, "Sword Immortal, what was your question again?"
The Sword Immortal was on the verge of spitting blood from frustration. However, having lived for so long, he had developed a bit more patience for fools. He patiently repeated his question.
After careful consideration, Jian Lin replied, "The most precious thing I have gained, I believe, is the peerless divine sword behind me."
If she hadn't practiced swordsmanship, she wouldn't have thought of exchanging for a divine sword, spending 200,000 points in one go. And since the Demon Lord couldn't pull it out, it was undoubtedly the most precious thing.
The Sword Immortal had guarded this place, rich in spiritual energy, for centuries, welcoming countless sword disciples and asking this question countless times. This was the first time someone had answered that the most precious thing was the sword.
The highest realm of the Way of the Sword was to have no sword yet possess one, with sword energy and intent being the ultimate pursuit of every sword practitioner.
How could a cultivator be so devoted to a sword? Truly pathetic.
Originally, the Sword Immortal intended to reject Jian Lin outright. But he was simply too bored, having waited for nearly twenty years without a fated person. He decided to use his divine sense to investigate what kind of peerless divine sword it was.
The moment he probed, he was shocked. The sword possessed an incredibly domineering power. When the Sword Immortal's divine sense attempted to probe, the sword actually retaliated with disgust.
With a crack, a bolt of lightning erupted from Jian Lin's body, almost blinding the onlookers.
In the blink of an eye, when they looked again, they found Jian Lin had vanished.
Jian Lin, on the other hand, was utterly bewildered. She only felt a tingling sensation on her back. In the time it took to blink, she found herself inside the cave.
"Ah?" Jian Lin turned around to confirm. She exclaimed again, "I'm already inside?"
The Sword Immortal remained silent. He had only intended to test it, but that power had directly repelled him. His divine sense vanished for a moment, and the formation automatically recognized it, allowing Jian Lin to enter.
She did indeed possess a peerless divine sword, but her understanding of the Way of the Sword was… difficult to describe.
The Sword Immortal was speechless. Without following the original procedure, he silently hid to observe Jian Lin.
Jian Lin, delighted, did not move rashly. She found a spot to sit, preparing to wait for the Demon Lord. If he could also enter, she wanted him to see her first.
The Sword Immortal knew nothing of this. He shook his head in disappointment. Jian Lin sat there doing nothing, showing no desire for the Way of the Sword. Such a person, he thought, was unworthy of his guidance.
Meanwhile, outside, the divine sense encountered a major problem and sent a plea for help to its本体.
The Sword Immortal's gaze sharpened. What was happening? Why had he encountered so many strange things today?
He closed his eyes, his thoughts shifting. He flashed and attached himself to the stone sword, immediately sensing a tremendous power. What surprised him even more was that familiar, savage feeling…
It was the Xingtian Sword!
After his surprise, the Sword Immortal calmed down. Encountering two divine swords in one day was definitely not a coincidence; it was predestined by fate.
He was only one step away from ascension and had his own understanding of the Heavenly Dao.
After a moment of thought, the Sword Immortal formed a hand seal and released his grip, allowing the Demon Lord into the stone cave.
Outside the stone cave, the sect disciples could not believe their eyes. Two rogue cultivators had entered the Sword Immortal's cave consecutively. By what right?
One disciple, his mind unstable, roared in anger and charged forward, hacking wildly at the stone sword to vent his dissatisfaction.
He had entered the secret realm three times, and each time he was blocked by the Sword Immortal's cave's barrier, forcing him to crush his token and end his cultivation.
Why? By what right? What was he lacking!
Fellow disciples rushed to stop him, urging him to be more open-minded. Disciples from other sects couldn't help but mock them, which ignited their anger, and the disciples of his sect erupted into a brawl.
The Sword Immortal looked at them with disdain. What was wrong with the recent sects? They were all fools, not a single promising candidate.
The only two who had entered were not even genuine cultivators.
Returning to the Demon Lord, he appeared in the cave with a flash. Jian Lin screamed with joy and rushed to hug him. "I knew you could do it! Both of us are in!" 138 Reading Network
The Demon Lord was still in the posture of drawing his sword, and he said with some confusion, "I'm in already? I feel... it was so simple."
It was too simple, not at all like the Sword Immortal's doing.
Jian Lin agreed. She recounted her experience of entering and asked how he had answered the question.
A flicker of surprise crossed the Demon Lord's eyes. "No one asked me any questions. I touched that stone sword, and before I could even exert my full strength, I entered..."
The Sword Immortal withdrew his divine sense, hiding in the shadows. He sighed and replied in his mind, "That's because the moment you touched the stone sword, my divine sense recognized you as the Xingtian Sword, and naturally let you in."
"There must be a reason for such abnormality," the Demon Lord said vigilantly to Jian Lin. "This cave is definitely more dangerous than we imagined. Why did others not get in, but only the two of us? If we talk about cultivation, most of those disciples are above you. Do you think this might be a conspiracy by the Guanlan Sect?"
Jian Lin covered her mouth, saying in disbelief, "You mean... we've been exposed."
The Demon Lord nodded silently. It wasn't that he was being overly suspicious; from his perspective, everything was very strange.
Jian Lin seriously suggested, "If that's the case, why don't we crush our tokens and leave immediately? As long as we fight our way out, we'll at least have a sliver of hope."
The Demon Lord agreed. Compared to the unknown dangers of the secret realm's Sword Immortal's cave, they at least understood the capabilities of the Guanlan Sect outside the secret realm.
Seeing Jian Lin about to take out her token to crush it, the Sword Immortal couldn't help but step out from the shadows and exclaim, "Wait! Don't go yet!"
These two fools could only guess wildly; what nonsense were they talking about!
Suddenly, an old man with an immortal demeanor appeared. Jian Lin was startled and instinctively hid behind the Demon Lord, peeking out her head and asking, "Who are you? Are you human or a demon?"
Jian Lin had not forgotten the trauma of the man-eating flower king and was naturally suspicious of any sudden appearance.
The Sword Immortal felt deeply offended. He said indignantly, "Fool, it's written outside my cave who I am. You've come to my territory, and you still ask who I am?"
The Demon Lord reacted first, stepping forward excitedly and asking, "Are you the Sword Immortal Senior?"
The Sword Immortal stroked his goatee and rolled his eyes, saying, "If not me, then who else could it be?"
The Demon Lord's heart rejoiced. He cupped his fists and bowed, "Senior, please accept this junior's bow. This junior has admired you for a long time. It is truly a blessing from three lifetimes to meet you today."
Jian Lin didn't understand the Demon Lord's reverence for the Sword Immortal. She followed his lead and gave a perfunctory bow, her attitude very dismissive, not saying a word.
The Demon Lord had never told her it was a blessing from three lifetimes. To say it to some old geezer, she was utterly jealous!
The Sword Immortal was accustomed to respect from others and rarely encountered someone who treated him so perfunctorily.
He pointed at Jian Lin and sternly said, "That female swordswoman, why are you not speaking to me?"
Jian Lin shrugged indifferently, hugging the Demon Lord's arm and saying, "As the husband sings, so the wife follows. My husband has spoken to you, which means I have spoken to you."
The Sword Immortal staggered back two steps in shock. No wonder they could enter together; it turned out to be a predestined matter.
His fingers trembled as he questioned, "You are husband and wife? How can cultivators break their vows? Truly... truly shameless!"
These words sounded like the strictures of the Guanlan Sect. Jian Lin's temper flared upon hearing them. She hugged the Demon Lord and retorted indignantly, "We cultivate together as husband and wife, and our cultivation increases faster. What is there to be ashamed of? I think you're just jealous. If I had to say, no female cultivator has ever liked you, right?"
The Demon Lord glared at Jian Lin and said urgently, "Do not be rude to Senior."
The more the Demon Lord protected the old man, the more uneasy Jian Lin felt.
"You're scolding me," Jian Lin said, pouting. "You dislike me."
Just as the Demon Lord was about to appease her, the Sword Immortal interrupted them.
"Both of you, be quiet!" the Sword Immortal commanded imperiously, his face filled with deep sorrow. He walked over and scrutinized the Demon Lord, then turned to Jian Lin and said, "Do not think you can deceive me with your words. He is the Xingtian Sword. If you cultivate with him, you would have long since turned to ashes."
At these words, Jian Lin was shocked. She choked on her saliva and coughed violently, startled.
What did that mean? So the rumor she had heard long ago in the Demon Palace was true.
Spending a night with the Demon Lord meant losing one's life. He was truly formidable!
The Demon Lord's expression was equally thunderstruck, as if this was the first time he had heard of it.
He struggled to regain his voice. "Senior, is what you say true? Although I possess the Xingtian Sword, I am still mortal flesh and blood. Why would dual cultivation cause one to... turn to ashes?"