The gods began by supporting Guo Jing to become emperor

Chapter 401 A Journey Through the Sword Realm: The Prototype of Sword Thirteen

Unfortunately, even though the ancient Loulan Kingdom was created by gathering the top experts from the Western Regions, it could not escape destruction, leaving only ruins buried in the desert sands.

No matter how powerful a martial art is, if no skilled person uses it, it's just sitting on a mountain of treasure in vain.

The former kingdoms of the Western Regions have been destroyed, leaving only large and small forces entrenched in the desert oases, scattered and no longer as prosperous as they once were.

Su Ming sighed softly. He passed through the dilapidated main hall and came to the back room, where forty-nine terracotta warriors wielding swords appeared before him. Next to these terracotta warriors was a huge tortoise shell. Even though it was buried underground, the tortoise shell was still as clean and new as ever, without being stained by dust.

This is the shell of the Dragon Turtle, one of the Four Divine Beasts.

He stepped forward and observed the natural trigram patterns on the turtle's shell. Since ancient times, there have been legends of the Hetu and Luoshu in the Central Plains, and turtle shells are usually used for divination. As a divine beast, the dragon turtle's shell has given birth to a mysterious pattern.

The cold touch and the ancient texture made him close his eyes and trace the patterns on the tortoise shell inch by inch with his palm. Just then, the fragment of the Kunlun Mirror that had been moving earlier stirred.

In the War God Temple in the Tang Dynasty world, Su Ming also encountered a Xuanwu statue carrying a stone tablet. There were incomplete patterns on its back, which contained some kind of heaven and earth rules. It was very mysterious, and he could only memorize it by force.

Today, the patterns on the dragon turtle's shell are complete and clear. The two patterns form strange symbols, and the runes on the broken mirror surface intertwine and float with a very special rhythm.

In an instant, a flash of inspiration appeared in my mind, countless thoughts intertwined, and inspiration exploded in that moment.

Within his sea of ​​consciousness, the runes flickered on the mirror's surface, emitting a faint light, mysterious and unpredictable, and finally transformed into a rune that flew toward Su Ming's primordial spirit.

A cool touch came from his hand, and the runes contained indescribable Daoist charm. His long-lost sword heart quietly changed at this moment, becoming more refined and sensitive, and strands of enlightenment rose in his mind.

At this moment, Su Ming's essence, energy, and spirit merged into one, converging at the Xuan Guan acupoint. His primordial spirit became increasingly crystal clear and shimmering with spiritual energy. His thoughts escaped into the void and arrived at a wondrous place.

A place that doesn't exist in this world, called... the Sword Realm!
Crimson sword mountain, black sword river, black sword prison.

The pitch-black sword river flowed into the distance, and a wisp of Su Ming's thought arrived here. Every drop of water in the river was formed from sword energy. This was a world composed of the sword thoughts of countless swordsmen, gathering the essence of countless sword techniques from ancient and modern times.

In the world of swords, a giant sword planted in the ground becomes a mountain. For every new sword technique that is added to the world, a new sword mountain is created. As a swordsman's skill in swordsmanship increases, the mountain also grows taller.

Long swords are planted in the continuous river, which records the journey of each swordsman. Su Ming saw his past through the river. This scene seemed familiar. Back then, Que Zhou used the sound of the Earth Gate Bell to convey his martial arts insights. He had also experienced something similar.

Beneath Sword Mountain lies a pool of water, upon which dwell figures, each carrying a long sword and radiating a powerful sword intent. These figures are the most accomplished swordsmen in history.

Besides the rivers and pools, the place is dotted with mountains formed by giant swords, but in Su Ming's eyes, each mountain is a sword technique, whether high or low, large or small, and they are the foundation of this world.

For every new sword technique added to the world, a new mountain peak is added; endless rivers are filled with sword blades. In this world of swords, there is a highest peak that is insurmountable, known as the Heavenly Sword.

Among these mountains, he "saw" a peak whose imposing presence was second only to the Heavenly Sword, a peak unparalleled in the sword world. That peak belonged to his ethereal sword technique.

From Sword One to Sword Twelve, this is also the pinnacle of swordsmanship in the human world.

Just as Su Ming was about to set foot on Sword Mountain, a fierce voice suddenly came from the depths of the Sword Realm, "Who?"

A single sound startled ten thousand sword intents, and that wisp of thought was instantly pierced by ten thousand swords.

Inside the main hall, the patterns, seemingly clear yet blurry, vanished abruptly, and Su Ming's consciousness suddenly awoke. A multitude of insights and thoughts from the depths of his mind surged forth, rising and falling, colliding to ignite a fiery spark of wisdom.

"what is this?"

Su Ming noticed something unusual about his primordial spirit. Upon closer inspection, he discovered that a rune had appeared inside his primordial spirit at some point. The rune was extremely complex and unfathomable.

However, as his thoughts swept over the Kunlun Mirror, he realized that this thing must be related to it, so he didn't think about it any further.

Immediately, Su Ming focused his mind on his spiritual platform, clearing his head and capturing inspirational thoughts. Many of his previous doubts and obstructions suddenly became clear, but this also caused more confusion. The mountains and rivers in the Sword Realm exuded various sword intents, which broadened his horizons.

Throughout history, countless swordsmen have mastered their sword techniques, and even a fleeting glance from them has given him endless insights.

After an unknown amount of time, Su Ming opened his eyes, seemingly enlightened, with a hint of regret in his eyes. If he could delve deeper into the Sword Realm and comprehend the various sword intents, he would surely be able to advance even further.

Unfortunately, now is not the time to open the Sword Realm.

The world of Fengyun has two special worlds: the Sword Realm and the Nine Void Boundless Realm. As special people and things appear in the world, these two worlds will gradually emerge.

Su Ming let out a long breath, his heart filled with complex emotions, and turned his gaze back to the terracotta warriors in the room.

Forty-nine terracotta warriors, representing the number of the Great Derivation, can evolve infinitely. In Su Ming's eyes, although the terracotta warriors are inanimate objects, their moves are inexplicable and incomprehensible, quite different from ordinary moves. However, from another perspective, when viewed together, they seem to have subtle changes within them.

Back then, the King of Loulan was obsessed with swordsmanship. After creating the "Wuqiu Yijue" (a martial arts technique), he wanted to forge an unparalleled sword. Whether by chance or by design, the design of this unparalleled sword was exactly the same as the one produced by Baijian Villa.

Therefore, each of the terracotta warriors here holds a peerless sword carved from stone. Unfortunately, they are merely in form, lacking the essence of a peerless sword. In this desert, the essence of another sword is hidden here.

"Sever yourself from life and death, be detached from worldly concerns, transcend form and knowledge, sit upright and learn to unite your mind!"

The twenty mercenaries had words engraved on their foreheads, which, when connected according to the evolution of their moves, formed four lines of incantation.

Su Ming memorized the moves of these terracotta warriors, sat down cross-legged, and at the same time, his innate cultivation technique, the Nether Sea Returning to Origin Force, automatically activated. Strands of heaven and earth energy gathered around him, cleansing his flesh and blood.

The mind technique of Wuqiu Yijue merged with nature. In his mind, the moves of the ethereal sword technique slowly unfolded. From Sword One to Sword Twelve, the moves were unpredictable. Each move was different from the previous one, yet they were all connected as one.

The first ten moves of the Misty Sword Technique are traceable, but after reaching the tenth move, the realm changes dramatically. Every swordsman who reaches this realm will have a unique move called the eleventh move.

Ren Piaomiao comprehended a technique in the heat of battle, seeking survival amidst death, and thus created Sword Eleven: Nirvana. Su Ming, after studying the War God's Manual and experiencing the so-called Shattered Void, combined with his experiences over the past few decades, created Sword Eleven: Ceasefire. Both sword techniques originated from the Piaomiao Sword Technique, yet they also stemmed from the swordsmen's own sword intent, making them the most suitable sword techniques for them. Finally, after practicing Sword Twelve, a phantom figure reappeared.

Its moves were not quite the same as those of Sword Twelve; it was clearly the next move, Sword Thirteen.

However, the phantom only performed half a move before instantly disintegrating.

"boom!"

Su Ming's primordial spirit trembled, and he felt a roar in his mind. He quickly calmed himself down and focused on his spiritual platform. His face was slightly pale. He had just failed to comprehend the move and suffered a backlash.

After a moment of recuperation, he opened his eyes, a flash of sword light in them, and the forty-nine terracotta warriors in front of him immediately disintegrated and turned into dust.

"This tortoise shell?"

He looked at the tortoise shell and suddenly discovered that the shell, which had been smooth and shiny just moments before, was now covered in cracks. The patterns on it had crumbled, and its charm was gone, as if it had lost all its essence.

This is the shell of a dragon turtle, which is said to be one of the hardest things in the world. How could it have become like this?
Thinking of the rune in his mind, Su Ming suddenly realized, a slight smile appearing on his lips. He pressed his palm against the tortoise shell, and instantly, the cracks on the shell spread continuously, covering his entire body, before disintegrating and disappearing.

Dust to dust, dust to dust.

Next, Su Ming wandered around the ruins of the ancient Loulan Kingdom. For thousands of years, countless people have been searching for the location of the ancient Loulan Kingdom, but they have never been able to find it. It is not that it is hidden in secret, but that this kingdom is located in an underground quicksand.

This ruin will change its location over time. If he didn't possess the Heavenly Cry, he wouldn't be able to find it. Or, someone with great fortune like Bu Jingyun could find it. Otherwise, it would be difficult for ordinary people to set foot here.

Even if you tell him the map, he will still be completely confused and eventually perish in the desert sands, turning into bones.

There was a lot of gold and silver treasure inside, but Su Ming only glanced at it a few times before leaving.

After he left Loulan, the stone tablet of the ancient Loulan Kingdom was accidentally discovered. The news spread like wildfire, attracting countless gold prospectors. Who wouldn't want to get the legendary Loulan treasure?

However, getting in was easy, but getting out was difficult. The shifting sands swirled beneath the desert, and by the time they wanted to get out, they were already trapped. In the end, these greedy people, clutching their treasures, were buried in the ruins.

……

After leaving the ancient kingdom of Loulan, Su Ming found a place to cultivate in seclusion, hoping to deduce the remaining half of Sword Thirteen. However, he would suffer a backlash every time he tried to deduce it, and he had to give up the idea.

Fortunately, with the prototype of Sword Thirteen in place, we have a path forward and are not worried about finding our way in the future.

Like Sword Twelve, Sword Thirteen follows the path of one sword giving rise to myriad laws, but with a different emphasis. While Sword Eleven and Sword Twelve differ in their manifestation of the Way of Man, Sword Thirteen is closer to the Way of Heaven.

And in this vast desert, there is another treasure that Su Ming is looking for: the Little Dragon's Golden Knife.

The Little Dragon's Golden Blade and the Giant Dragon's Blood-Lacking Blade are the two most famous divine weapons in the Great Desert.

These two swords also have a huge secret: the creator of the Twin Dragon Swords was the only swordsmith from the Sword Worship Manor who participated in the Sword of Defeat and Death and was not killed by the fierce and murderous aura.

To prevent the sword from being born and to save his own life, the swordsmith stole the sword's essence, the sword spirit, and fled to the desert.

Subsequently, he hid the sword spirit within the Little Dragon Stealing Gold Blade he had forged. Thus, the Sword Worship Manor lost its sword spirit and had to settle for second best, forging an unparalleled sword.

To avoid revealing his true abilities, the swordsmith also forged a massive, bloodless dragon blade that could cut through iron like mud. Together with the small dragon's gold-seizing blade, they were known as the Twin Dragon Blades of the Desert.

But who would have thought that the sword spirit of the defeated sword would be hidden in this desert?

The land of China is undoubtedly the center of the world of Fengyun, a land rich in natural resources and talented people, where many masters have been born.

Beyond China lies the island nation of Japan, in the western regions lie the vast deserts, in the south dwell foreign tribes, and in the north, the Mao people.

Even in this barren land, humanity has survived tenaciously. The desert environment is harsh and the climate is severe. There is no stable order like in the Central Plains. The law of the jungle prevails, and therefore, the martial arts practitioners in the desert are fierce and ruthless.

On the other hand, just like the land of China, the desert is dominated by powerful martial arts factions, while the imperial court's influence is negligible and extremely weak.

Similarly, apart from the hidden Tianmen and Sou Shen Palace, the strongest forces in the Central Plains on the surface are currently the Tianxia Society and Wushuang City.

In this vast desert, two major sects stand side by side. One is the traditional, established power—the Defeatless Sect, and the other is the emerging sect—the Blue Moon Sect.

Faced with the aggressive and powerful Blue Moon Sect, the Defeated Gate suffered repeated defeats and lost much territory.

The Little Dragon Steals the Golden Blade, which is the sword spirit of the Sword of Defeat, and the Sword of Defeat is one of the four great evil weapons that can break the seal of the Great Evil King, the most evil weapon in the world. Through the Great Evil King, one can freely enter the Nine Realms of Nothingness, and from then on, one can read all the martial arts in the world, and even lost martial arts can be reproduced once again.

Therefore, Su Ming plans to obtain the Little Dragon Golden Blade and reforge it into a peerless sword, or perhaps a sword of defeat and death.

Originally, the peerless sword in the Storm Riders series only had a part of Black Frost, and its expressive power was not strong. This sword was bound to Bu Jingyun and was his exclusive divine weapon. Su Ming had no intention of taking it.

However, he was interested in the Four Divine Stones. To break the Great Calamity of a Thousand Autumns, he had to delve into the hidden secrets of this world, including the Four Divine Beasts, the Four Divine Stones, the Sword Realm, the Nine Void Boundless Realms, and so on.

According to Tianku's guidance, Xiaolong snatched the Golden Blade from the Blue Moon Sect, whose sect leader was named Blue Moon Saint Lord, who possessed the Formless Breaking Yuan Qi.

Within the vast desert, there also reside two supreme martial arts: the Formless Qi-Breaking Technique and the Seven Reversal Cold Heavenly Tribulation. These two martial arts each possess profound mysteries, vying for extremes—one yang, one yin; one hard, one soft—they are unparalleled divine arts renowned throughout the desert for millennia. Throughout history, almost no one has been able to master either one to its peak. Let alone the fusion of yin and yang, the balance of hardness and softness, combining the two divine arts into one.

In the original story, even before the Blue Moon Saint Lord had fully mastered the "Formless Yuan Qi," he was able to use this technique to forcefully consume two Dragon Yuans from Duan Lang. Although he was defeated, he was not seriously injured, which shows how skillful he was.

(End of this chapter)