In Zhu Xian, people start to rise from plundering entries

"Not bad, it's half a day faster than expected." Senior Sister's voice was filled with satisfaction. "Now you can try to practice the second move of the Nine Swords of Tianya."

Su Han nodded, took out the jade slip given to him by Elder Lin, and immersed his mind in it.

The first move of the Nine Swords of Tianya, "Opening Heaven," cleaves through the void, capable of destroying anything.

The second move, "Opening the Earth," transforms the sword into mountains and rivers, suppressing all things.

The third move, "Star Slayer," draws upon the stars with the sword to vanquish evil spirits.

Each move contains earth-shattering power and corresponds to a different cultivation level. With Su Han's current cultivation level at the early stage of the Star Palace realm, he can barely cultivate the second move, "Earth Splitting".

He circulated his star power according to the method in the jade slip, and combined it with the various sword intents he had comprehended in the Sword Stele Forest, and began to try to condense the "Earth-Splitting" sword intent.

This training lasted for three days and three nights.

During this time, Ye Wuhen and Mu Qingxue both came to Sword Tomb Valley. Seeing that Su Han was deeply engrossed in enlightenment, they did not disturb him and went to seek their own opportunities.

On the morning of the fourth day, Su Han finally opened his eyes, a yellowish-brown light flashing in them.

He stood up, drew his Tianya Sword, and lightly slashed it across the void ahead—

There was no earth-shattering sound, but wherever the sword passed, a bottomless crack silently opened in the ground. The soil and rocks on both sides seemed to be suppressed and fixed in place by an invisible force, without even raising a speck of dust.

"The Earth-Splitting Sword Intent is complete!" Su Han sheathed his sword, a smile appearing on his face.

This sword strike may not be as powerful as "Opening Heaven," but its strength lies in suppression and stability, making it extremely effective against groups of enemies or when it is necessary to trap them.

"It seems you've had quite a haul." A cool voice came from behind.

Su Han turned around and saw Mu Qingxue standing at the valley entrance. Her aura was much stronger than it had been three days ago, indicating that she had also gained a lot in the secret realm.

"Senior Sister Mu," Su Han bowed, "Congratulations on your remarkable progress in cultivation."

Mu Qingxue shook her head: "I'm still a bit inferior to you. Your sword strike just now already showed the aura of a grandmaster."

As the two were talking, a deafening roar suddenly came from afar, followed by Ye Wuhen's fierce shout: "You beast, you're courting death!"

"Something's happened!" The two exchanged a glance and simultaneously sped off in the direction the sound came from.

Several miles away, beside a lake, Ye Wuhen was engaged in a fierce battle with a colossal creature.

It was a giant crocodile covered in blue scales, over ten zhang long, with eyes like lanterns and sharp teeth in its mouth. Even more terrifying, it had a pair of fleshy wings on its back, which stirred up a storm with every flap.

"Azure-winged Crocodile Dragon! A peak Star Palace Realm demonic beast!" Mu Qingxue's expression changed. "Ye Wuhen is in danger!"

At this moment, Ye Wuhen was indeed in grave danger. Although he had broken through to the mid-stage of the Star Palace Realm, he was still powerless against the Crocodile Dragon, who was at the peak of the Star Palace Realm. He had already unleashed the Azure Cloud Dharma Form, but it could only barely withstand the Crocodile Dragon's attacks. He was injured in many places, and his robes were stained with blood.

The crocodile dragon swept its tail, and Ye Wuhen was unable to dodge in time. He was violently whipped away, crashing into several large trees before finally stopping.

"Pfft—" He spat out a mouthful of blood, his breath weak.

A cruel glint flashed in the Crocodile Dragon's eyes as it opened its blood-red maw and lunged to swallow him whole!
At the critical moment, a black sword light descended from the sky!

"Build the land!"

Su Han merged with his sword, his sword intent transforming into an invisible mountain that slammed down on the crocodile dragon. The crocodile dragon's forward momentum abruptly halted, as if burdened by an immense weight, its movements becoming incredibly sluggish. "Senior Brother Ye, retreat quickly!" Su Han shouted.

Ye Wuhen gritted his teeth and stood up, but instead of retreating, he formed a hand seal: "Azure Cloud Dharma Form, Nine Heavens Thunderfall!"

Dark clouds gathered in the sky, and a bolt of azure lightning struck down, hitting the crocodile's head squarely. The crocodile roared in pain, its scales bursting open and blood streaming down its face.

Mu Qingxue also made her move. The longsword in her hand transformed into a crimson fire phoenix, swooping down on the crocodile dragon with temperatures that could scorch the heavens and boil the seas: "Phoenix Dance in the Nine Heavens!"

The combined power of the three geniuses was astonishing. Although the Crocodile Dragon was strong, its strength was greatly reduced under the suppression of the "Earth-Splitting" sword intent. After being hit repeatedly, it finally could not hold on any longer, let out a roar of unwilling anger, and turned to flee into the lake.

The lake water churned, but quickly returned to calm.

The three landed on the ground, all somewhat exhausted. Ye Wuhen, in particular, was the most seriously injured and could barely stand.

"Thank you." He looked at Su Han and Mu Qingxue and sincerely thanked them.

"There's no need for formalities between fellow disciples." Su Han took out a bottle of healing pills and handed it over.

Ye Wuhen took the pill and, after a moment of meditation, said with a wry smile, "I originally wanted to take the 'Jade Lotus Root' from the lake, which is one of the main ingredients for refining the Star King Pill, but I didn't expect it to be guarded by the Crocodile Dragon."

"Jade Lotus Root?" Mu Qingxue's eyes lit up. "That's a good thing. Consuming it can purify star power and stabilize one's realm."

"But now," Ye Wuhen looked at the lake, still feeling lingering fear.

Su Han pondered for a moment: "Although the crocodile dragon has retreated, it may not have gone far. If we want to obtain the lotus root, we need to plan carefully."

After discussing it, the three decided to rest for the time being and make further plans after their injuries had healed.

They found a cave by the lake, set up a simple early warning array, and took turns keeping watch at night.

Late at night, while Su Han was on night watch, he suddenly sensed something unusual coming from the Tianya Sword. It wasn't his senior sister, but rather the evil will within the sword that was slowly awakening!

"What's going on?" he thought in surprise.

"It was the smell of blood that aroused it." The senior sister's voice was solemn. "Today you fought fiercely with the Crocodile Dragon, and the bloodshed has ignited its ferocity. Quickly circulate the Mind-Clearing Technique to calm your minds!"

Su Han quickly did as instructed, and at the same time took out the Qingxin Pendant given to him by Mu Qingxue and held it in his hand. The jade pendant emitted a soft light, helping him resist the erosion of evil thoughts.

But this time, the backlash from evil was stronger than ever before. Countless thoughts filled with killing and destruction surged into his mind—

Kill! Kill everyone in front of you!

Destroy! Destroy everything! Return the world to chaos!
Power! Devour! Evolution!

Su Han's eyes gradually reddened, his breathing became heavy, and the veins on his hand gripping the sword bulged.

"Su Han! Wake up!" Senior Sister shouted sharply, burning her remaining soul power to help him suppress his evil thoughts.

The Qingxin Pendant shone brightly, and together with her senior sister's soul power, they finally suppressed the evil thoughts temporarily.

Su Han was drenched in cold sweat, panting heavily, his eyes filled with lingering fear. (End of Chapter)