Fairy, return my flying sword to me

Chapter 234 Sword Ruins Domain
As the last sword-wielding hero fell at the foot of the forest, the burning fighting spirit in his eyes gradually subsided amidst the flickering light.

Looking back, the shattered landscape of an ancient battlefield reappears before our eyes.

However, this land, shattered by sword energy, was littered with broken swords and the corpses of cultivators.

The once pristine land and even the mountains were shattered by the sword energy, making it hard to imagine the scale of the great battle that took place here back then.

Now, only the cultivators' lingering resentment remains, echoing in the wind from thousands of years ago.

Two disciples of the Pure Yang Sword Sect with clear eyes stood side by side in the distance, looking at him. Seemingly provoked by his gaze, their true energy surged instantly, and then their entire bodies transformed into spiritual light, all of which entered the crystal they wore around their necks.

In a blinding flash, the crystal vanished from its spot, disappearing into the void and never to be seen again.

"Am I that scary?" Lin Jian scratched the back of his head, feeling that the last look in the eyes of those two Pure Yang Sword Sect disciples had deeply hurt him.

Do I look like the kind of person who would seek revenge just because you targeted me?

However, since the entire Zangfeng Plain in the second round has been cleared out, there is no point in continuing the search.

The mist, now so thin it was almost invisible, swirled and drifted all around, the cultivator's indomitable spirit waiting for its next return, aided by the unique rules of this place.

But that was no longer his stage.

Lin Jianyu continued forward on his sword, crashing headlong into a fragmented space in the distance that looked like it was filled with shattered glass.

Lin Jian didn't have much information left about the third level of the Sword Ruins, because even within the Pure Yang Sword Sect, their understanding of this level of the secret realm was not very extensive.

Neither their disciples nor the elders who had previously developed the secret realm together had succeeded in clearing this level, so there was no way to talk about a strategy that was absolutely suitable for the entire third level.

Based on the limited information available, Lin Jian only knew that a semi-spirited, semi-plant creature called the Sword-Eating Orchid could be hidden anywhere in this space.

Its stamens are like sword blades, feeding on stray sword intent.

If a cultivator finds and touches it, it will trigger a resonance of sword intent.

The sword intent accumulated within the orchid will instantly transform into a thorn array to trap the cultivator. If the cultivator can successfully break through the thorn array, they will also gain some insights into the sword intent.

This is an immense blessing for sword cultivators who have not yet mastered sword intent.

Even for sword cultivators who have already cultivated sword intent, these unclaimed sword intents possess a certain nourishing quality, which can assist cultivators in purifying and strengthening their sword intent in order to climb to a higher realm.

Of course, besides that, occasionally some cultivators' obsessions would be mixed with sword intent and drawn into the Orchid Garden.

Once this special orchid is conquered, it will also feed back a small fragment of the memories of the ancient sword cultivators who perished here to the cultivator who successfully conquered it.

It contains the obsessions of the sword cultivators who perished here, and mostly contains the original owner's self-understanding of sword intent.

It's roughly equivalent to an enhanced version of the second battle, "Sword Spirits and Heroes on Hidden Edge Plain."

Apart from these Sword-Eating Orchids, the entire environment itself is just a sword domain filled with endless killing intent.

Upon stepping onto this land in the forest, one can see thousands of broken swords thrust upside down in the void above.

The broken blades reflected a ghostly blue starlight, twinkling like a frozen galaxy.

The rusted hilt was shrouded in dark purple mist, and whenever the sharp winds swept past, they emitted a mournful hum, as if the ghosts of the dead were gnawing at the spine of the sword.

The ground beneath their feet was forged from countless fragments of sword blades, their sharp edges appearing and disappearing in the gray mist.

At the edge of the horizon stood seven bronze sword pillars etched with ancient seal script. Crimson iron filings continuously spewed from the cracks in the pillars, raining down like blood onto the altar studded with broken swords. Occasionally, a broken sword would suddenly tremble and detach from the ground, disintegrating into metallic dust as it streaked across the sky, turning the already murky air a leaden gray.

According to the Chunyang Sword Sect's historical speculation, those seven sword pillars are the key to passing through the third level.

Whatever the final requirement is, the first thing to do is to successfully reach the seven sword pillars.

Unfortunately, although the seven sword pillars were clearly visible before their eyes, they were like a mirage that could never be reached.

Over the years, no matter how hard the disciples of the Pure Yang Sword Sect have tried, they have been unable to get close to them in this fragmented space.

Over time, simply using the space itself as a training ground and searching for the Sword-Devouring Orchids hidden within it became the only thing these Pure Yang Sword Sect disciples had to do when exploring this third level...

Upon hearing that this otherwise ordinary secret realm exploration activity had taken an unexpected turn, even the Pure Yang Sword Sect's leader, who had reportedly been in seclusion for over ten years in preparation for breaking through to the Void Refinement Realm, made a rare appearance at the martial arts arena.

All the elders present immediately bowed and said, "Greetings, Sect Leader!"

The sect leader was a refined middle-aged man dressed in a blue Taoist robe with seven stars, his restrained aura as deep as an abyss.

His face was dignified without anger, and everyone who saw him bowed their heads.

"No need for formalities." The sect leader waved his hand calmly, his gaze fixed on the image in the Water Mist Mirror with concern. "How is it inside?"

"Reporting to the Sect Leader," the elder in charge of the Five Veins Sword Selection bowed and clasped his hands in reply, "It is said that a disciple from the Zhengyang Sect cleared the sword energy and heroic spirits from the entire second level of the secret realm and is now heading towards the third level."

"Cleared?" The sect leader's pupils contracted slightly, and a rare look of surprise appeared on his usually calm face. "There really is someone who can accomplish such a feat?"

To become the leader of the Chunyang Sword Sect, he was a rare genius disciple in the sect in his early years.

This is a secret realm that every outstanding disciple of the Pure Yang Sword Sect has the opportunity to explore, and he naturally visited it many times in his early years.

Even back then, with his talent and ability, he was unable to completely conquer this secret realm.

Later, as his cultivation level became more and more profound, this secret realm, which could only accommodate Golden Core stage cultivators at most, no longer held much significance for him to explore.

Furthermore, since the sect had previously organized a joint exploration by ten elders, but they still failed to uncover the ultimate truth of this secret realm, he gradually put the secret realm out of his mind.

But this was the first time he had ever heard that his own private secret realm had been breached to this extent.

What exactly is the background of this so-called Zhengyang Sect?
The sect leader scanned the crowd and asked in a questioning tone, "Which one of you is a distinguished guest of the Zhengyang Sect? Please come forward for a chat."

The master and the scripture scribe exchanged a glance, their faces beaming with undisguised delight.

Unexpectedly, what I thought would be a mission where I would have to be treated like a slave and have to keep my head down has turned out to bring so many surprises.

Even the disciples of the Pure Yang Sword Sect rarely see their sect leader, yet now he has to make a special appearance for the sake of their Zheng Yang Sect.

What an honor this is! Go back and tell those bumpkins in your own sect, and those old guys will be glaring at you.

For a moment, the two of them felt as if their bones had become several ounces lighter, and they spoke as if they were floating.

"The Zhengyang Sect is transmitting its skills and storing its scriptures. Greetings to the Sect Leader of the Chunyang Sword Sect!"

"No need for formalities." The sect leader stared at the two with a slightly interested expression.

With a quick scan of his spiritual sense, he could tell that the two elders were only at the Nascent Soul stage.

The envoy's sect is only of this level, yet it can still train disciples who can clear out the entire second level of their Pure Yang Sword Sect's exclusive secret realm.
How did you do it?
"After this matter is over, our two sects should visit each other more often."

The person transmitting the power and storing the scriptures was overjoyed, exclaiming, "Of course!"

After speaking, the sect leader said no more, but simply looked up at the sky, gazing at the scene in the water mist mirror, quietly waiting for new information to come from the entrance.

As the sect leader expressed his surprise upon his arrival, the elders of the Pure Yang Sword Sect secretly began to chatter amongst themselves.

"Even the sect leader has come. It seems this is really something."

"Can he really help our Chunyang Sword Sect find our ancestor's sword?"

"He has cleared out the second level of the entire secret realm, something that none of our elders have ever accomplished before. Now that he is heading towards the third level, he might actually be able to crack the secret that our Pure Yang Sword Sect has yet to unravel."

"Yes... Legend has it that the secret of that great competition was left on the sword of our ancestor. The great competition among sword cultivators was originally supposed to be a friendly sparring match, but it unexpectedly turned into a life-or-death struggle between all the sword cultivators. As a result, all the sword cultivators, including our ancestor, perished here as if they had gone mad..."

"Alas! No one knows what really happened back then. Even our patriarch, after narrowly escaping, never spoke much about it. I really hope someone can find our patriarch's sword and see if there's any record of the truth about what happened back then on it. I think the sect leader's visit is probably because he's most concerned about this secret..."

Everything that happens in the outside world has little to do with the forest.

At this moment, he only looked at the dark cracks interspersed among the countless shattered mirrors in front of him, and behind the emptiness lay an immense, chilling killing intent.

The swords from those extraordinary sword cultivators of ancient times even shattered this space, so much so that the rift in spacetime still exists here and has not dissipated.

If you accidentally touch it, destruction will be the only outcome in an instant.

Whether it's the jumbled broken pieces of glass or the inconspicuous black cracks hidden between the lenses, they are all among the greatest dangers of this third layer.

Normally, the disciples of the Pure Yang Sword Sect can only struggle to survive in the gaps between these mirrors and cracks, searching for the Sword-Devouring Orchids that might grow there.

But no matter how carefully they tried to avoid it, they still couldn't find the real path to the seven sword pillars in this broken space.

As I walked through the woods, I saw my reflection refracting back and forth among the countless broken pieces of glass in the blink of an eye.

Beyond these chaotic reflections, a sharp longsword, as if sensing the intrusion of outsiders, pierced out from the shattered mirror closest to it.

The process that came from behind the mirror was like slowly rising from underwater, seemingly sluggish. However, in the instant Lin Jian reacted, the sword tip was almost touching his pupils.

Fortunately, ever since he stepped into this land, the true energy around him in the forest has been subtly stirring.

The moment the sword tip launched its attack, the sword intent that Lin Jian had already mastered erupted instantly, shattering the illusory longsword in front of him into dust.

The shattered longsword transformed into countless sparkling crystal dust particles, and within them, Lin Jian sensed a fleeting glimpse of will.

"This is..." His face froze for a moment, then he pondered deeply.

It was as if someone was whispering in my ear, saying some indistinct words.

But a heart that was most sincere in its love for the way of the sword ultimately understood what the other person was trying to express.

"It's here..." Lin Jian's gaze was hidden behind one of the countless lenses.

The other party floated inconspicuously among the scattered shattered mirrors, drifting slowly in this broken and chaotic space.

The lens changed only when they entered the forest.

He seemed to completely ignore the danger lurking within the lens and suddenly rammed into it.

What looked like a semi-transparent, irregularly shaped lens disappeared into the forest as if it were just the surface of water, vanishing in the blink of an eye amidst a few gentle ripples.

Lin Jian, who had just completely disappeared through one lens, suddenly emerged from another lens in the blink of an eye.

The flying sword that was just shattered in the forest was the "passport" belonging to this lens.

Once the forest has passed the test of the lens's "owner," it is qualified to pass through the lens.

As he passed through the first lens, the seven sword pillars that had been faintly visible at the end of his vision seemed to become clearer invisibly.

Before Lin Jian could have more time to observe this, several swords simultaneously pierced out from several lenses not far away.

Each sword strike aimed straight for the forest, exuding a sharp edge that seemed intent on taking lives.

He can hide.

However, hiding is not the way to clear this place.

To pass through this shattered sword domain, the only pass is the recognition of the shattered sword intent.

Among sword cultivators, only the purest form of confrontation can truly establish mutual respect.

No act of cowardice will be tolerated or forgiven.

Lin Jian roughly guessed why the cultivators of the Pure Yang Sword Sect had never been able to clear the third level of this secret realm in the past.

Each sword thrust aimed at him was imbued with sword intent, yet this secret realm only allowed those at the Golden Core stage or below to enter.

How many sword cultivators at this level can master sword intent, let alone use sword intent in this place to learn from those ancient masters from thousands of years ago?

While shattering their sword strikes, one must also carefully comprehend the words their swords are trying to convey.

The path of sword cultivation lies within it...

(End of this chapter)