Time slipped away quietly, and a month passed in the blink of an eye.
Over this month, Li Xuan had advanced two thousand five hundred steps closer to the inner domain. Chen Chen, who had been watching Li Xuan the entire time, was already numb. Li Xuan's monstrous talent had shattered Chen Chen's understanding of limits.
More importantly, Li Xuan not only relentlessly pushed his own boundaries but even broke through and improved under the pressure of the sword intent. The successive heavenly tribulations eventually posed no hindrance to Li Xuan.
Faintly, Chen Chen began to see a crimson-gold glow appearing on Li Xuan. Though Chen Chen didn't know what it was, it was clearly a sign of growing strength.
Meanwhile, in the middle region of the Divine Realm, seventeen figures slowly appeared on a mountain range.
"There is still a month left until the Blood Weeping Divine Palace closes. According to the plan, we can begin our operation," a man said, glancing around.
"The powerful figures from various factions have already gathered at the stone bridge, which has saved us a lot of trouble," another man nodded slightly.
"If we can keep all these individuals trapped within the Blood Weeping Divine Palace, those factions will be severely crippled, if not decimated. When our King embarks on his campaign, it will be our turn to rise!" a man exclaimed with fervor.
"Let's begin," an elder commanded, waving his hand after a glance at the others.
The next moment, the seventeen figures moved, streaking rapidly towards the stone bridge.
"Young Master, your bloodline has undergone a quantitative change. At this rate, in a few more days, it will undergo a qualitative change and break through," the voice of the Heavenly Dao Brush echoed in Li Xuan's mind.
Li Xuan nodded slightly at this, then moved his body and took three steps forward in succession.
Boom!
With a resounding boom, terrifying sword intent swept in.
Li Xuan stood firm in mid-air, allowing the torrent of sword intent to wash over him. Under the immense pressure, Li Xuan's unyielding will was pushed to its absolute limit to resist.
As time passed, Chen Chen could no longer discern Li Xuan's expression. However, Chen Chen could sense that Li Xuan's current strength had reached a terrifying level. The crimson-gold glow had already become as vivid as fresh blood.
Hum!
Under the constant fusion and suppression of the sword intent, Li Xuan's eyes gently closed, and he entered a state of meditation. With a hum, a towering pillar of blood-red light erupted from Li Xuan.
Boom!
With a deafening roar, the surrounding sword intent was instantly pushed back by nearly a hundred meters. Chen Chen's pupils contracted slightly at this sight. He wasn't just shocked; his understanding of reality had been completely overturned.
Chen Chen was well aware of the sword intent in this inner domain. Yet, the aura emanating from Li Xuan at this moment was actually strong enough to repel it!
"What is he doing?" As Li Xuan opened his eyes and slowly walked towards the inner domain, Chen Chen became curious. He intended to follow, but the terrifying sword intent in the surroundings instantly extinguished that thought.
Soon, Li Xuan completely disappeared from Chen Chen's sight.
"Young Master, congratulations," the Heavenly Dao Brush's voice sounded in Li Xuan's mind.
Li Xuan smiled at this. The Unyielding Bloodline was truly powerful. Li Xuan had a feeling that, at this moment, he could fight against a cultivator at the Heavenly End Realm.
A few minutes later, Li Xuan had arrived before the colossal sword.
"Is this the Dao Sword?" Li Xuan asked curiously.
"Indeed. Now, it depends on whether Young Master can claim it," the Heavenly Dao Brush replied.
Li Xuan smiled, then moved his body directly to the hilt of the great sword. He examined it and frowned, saying, "This sword seems to have no sword spirit?"
The Heavenly Dao Brush said, "If it had a sword spirit, Young Master likely wouldn't be able to claim it yet. However, even without a sword spirit, its power remains. Moreover, the spiritual energy here is extremely dense, so this sword hasn't lost too much of its power."
Li Xuan nodded, "In that case, this sword should be easy to obtain."
Having said that, Li Xuan placed one hand on the hilt of the great sword and instantly activated the physical strength of his Transcendent Realm.
"Rise!" Li Xuan let out a fierce shout, his spiritual power circulating wildly within him. The next moment, the great sword slowly began to lift.
As time passed, the great sword ascended at a visible rate.
Clang!
With a resounding sword hum, the great sword was completely drawn out.
"Young Master, drip a drop of blood onto it," the Heavenly Dao Brush instructed.
Li Xuan nodded, then with a thought, he cut his finger and dripped a drop of blood onto the great sword.
Hum.
The blood instantly merged into the body of the great sword. With a hum, Li Xuan felt a connection established between his mind and the great sword.
"Young Master, you can now shrink it," the Heavenly Dao Brush said.
Li Xuan, with a curious thought, commanded, "Small."
The next moment, the great sword began to slowly shrink. In less than ten breaths, the great sword was only a little over a meter long.
"Next, it's time to seal the one on the sixth layer," Li Xuan said with a smile, casually swinging the sword.
Evil Emperor: "..."
Boom!
Just then, a loud explosion echoed.
Li Xuan frowned at the sound and immediately darted towards its source.
That was where Chen Chen was located.
"Are you alright?" Li Xuan glanced at the seventeen figures and the woman in red, then turned his attention to Chen Chen beside him.
Chen Chen's face was slightly pale as he shook his head. "I'm fine, just caught in the aftershock. Oh, right, they are from the Otherworld!"
Otherworld!
Li Xuan frowned slightly, then looked at the ongoing intense battle.
Even under the siege of the seventeen Heavenly End Realm powerhouses, the woman in red was still holding her own. This further redefined Li Xuan's perception of the woman's strength.
Bang!
With a massive impact, the woman in red and the seventeen Otherworld powerhouses were separated.
The next moment, the woman in red's gaze shifted towards Li Xuan.
More accurately, it was towards the Dao Sword in Li Xuan's hand.
"I didn't expect you to really retrieve it. Would you mind lending it to me?" the woman in red asked Li Xuan.
"Take it," Li Xuan replied without any hesitation, immediately tossing the Dao Sword in his hand towards the woman in red.
"Thank you." The woman in red looked at the Dao Sword in her hand with a complex expression, then her gaze sharpened, and she looked somewhat coldly at the seventeen Otherworld powerhouses. "Again!"
As the woman in red finished speaking, the Dao Sword in her hand erupted with a powerful sword intent.
"Holy crap, this woman in red is actually the sword spirit of the Dao Sword!" the Heavenly Dao Brush blurted out in shock.
Li Xuan was also stunned. He hadn't expected the woman in red to have such an identity.
"The mission is complete. We shouldn't waste any more time here," an elder said, giving the woman in red a deep look.
"In that case, let's go," a middle-aged man said in a low voice. However, his gaze lingered on Li Xuan.
The next moment, all seventeen Otherworld powerhouses moved and vanished from their positions.
"What happened?" Li Xuan frowned slightly at this and looked at the woman in red.
The woman in red slowly descended before Li Xuan and handed the Dao Sword back to him. "Here, I'm returning it to you."
Li Xuan took the Dao Sword, then looked at the woman in red.
"They wanted to enter the inner domain, and they were also after the Dao Sword. However, you have obtained it and formed a master-servant bond, and with my involvement, they could only choose to retreat. But from now on, their target might be you," the woman in red said.
Li Xuan was taken aback, then gave a wry smile. "I didn't expect trouble to find me like this. By the way, with the appearance of the Otherworld people, didn't the powerhouses from various factions try to stop them?"
The woman in red glanced towards the direction of the stone bridge and said, "They are all dead."
Hum.
As soon as the woman in red finished speaking, a buzzing sound reverberated.
"The Divine Realm is closing, and it might never open again. After all, the Dao Sword has been obtained by you," the woman in red said at the sound.
"Then, what about you, miss..." Li Xuan looked at the woman in red, his words trailing off.
"I'll follow you," the woman in red said directly to Li Xuan.
"Alright." Li Xuan did not hesitate. He commanded the Town Prison Ring to release its restriction on the woman in red. "Please bear with me temporarily, miss."
The woman in red nodded gently, then transformed into a red light and instantly merged into the Town Prison Ring.
Boom!
The next moment, a white light flashed, and Li Xuan and Chen Chen were swept away by the light and vanished.