I proved immortality through the imperial examination.

Chapter 190 The Undying Sword Intent of Thirty Thousand Years
The sea breeze, carrying a dark mist, rushed in, and the sound of the waves made our ears ring.

More than ten purple-level demonic monsters surrounded them, a force powerful enough to tear apart a Nascent Soul cultivator.

Xue Xiang dared not be overconfident, knowing that if he tried to resist with his own body again, he would only be asking for trouble.

At that moment, he let out a long howl and quickly recited, "The north wind sweeps across the land, breaking the white grass; in the eighth month of the lunar calendar, snow flies in the northern sky."

As soon as the voice fell, a vast expanse of literary energy began to surge violently, and in an instant, the world turned white.

Snowflakes swept down from the sky like countless blades, shooting in all directions.

The first few monsters were instantly engulfed in the snow, their limbs stiffening and roaring incessantly.

Xue Xiang continued reciting aloud: "Suddenly, like a spring breeze overnight, thousands of pear trees bloom."

The snow swirled and branches sprawled, instantly creating a forest of white blossoms on the sea surface.

Petals, like sharp knives and blades, emerged from the void, shooting out and causing light and shadow to swirl in the air.

In an instant, several monsters were ripped apart, their scales torn off, and blood scattered throughout the snowy forest.

The violent attack of literary imagery also completely unleashed the ferocity of the monsters.

More than ten demons simultaneously shook their bodies, unleashing a powerful aura of overwhelming killing intent that swept outwards, instantly shattering countless cracks in the snow curtain.

Xue Xiang frowned, his breath quickened, and he recited aloud: "The vast sea is frozen solid, hundreds of feet thick; sorrowful clouds gather, stretching for ten thousand miles."

The sound of the poem was like a bell, and heaven and earth seemed to pause.

The sea surface froze instantly, and the oppressive force released by the monster was gathered into a pillar of waves, frozen in mid-air, and transformed into rows of upright ice walls.

Dark clouds pressed down from the sky, their color shifting from inky black to crimson, enveloping the surrounding fields.

The demons were firmly trapped inside, unable to move.

The monsters roared to the sky almost simultaneously, and crystal cores emerged from their bodies, gleaming with a brilliant purple light.

The terrifying power emanating from the purple-grade crystal core spread instantly, and large cracks began to appear on the frozen ice wall.

Immediately afterwards, light waves burst forth from the crystal core, sweeping across the heavens and earth.

A series of cracking sounds rang out as large sections of the ice wall shattered.

Xue Xiang knew the importance of things and continued reciting, "The central army sets out wine to drink with the returning guests, accompanied by the erhu, pipa and qiang flute."

Snowflakes fall thickly outside the camp gate at dusk, the wind whips the red flag, frozen stiff.

The four lines were recited in unison, and a great deal of literary talent flowed through the room, revealing vivid imagery.

In an instant, military music roared across the sea, drums and horns sounded, and the sound of clashing swords filled the air.

The light waves from the purple-level crystal core rushed into the military band formation and were shattered into countless tiny ripples.

Large snowflakes, shimmering with energy fluctuations, fell, turning the world into a vast expanse of white.

Suddenly, a blood-red flag pierced the vast expanse, its crimson light traversing the snow-covered landscape, sweeping back the light waves emitted by the purple-grade crystal core and crushing it back.

Xue Xiang understood perfectly.

While the power of this poem is astonishing, it is insufficient to completely annihilate these purple-level demons.

Using a treasured masterpiece at this point could certainly break the deadlock, but this battle is only the beginning, and expending that treasured masterpiece here would be a losing proposition.

His mind raced, and his gaze suddenly darkened. "While the imagery is suppressing us, we should seize the opportunity."

The snow was swirling, but the military music had not yet faded.

Xue Xiang suddenly jolted, his demonic body erupting with a deafening roar. The ice beneath his feet shattered, and he transformed into a shadow, lunging straight at the nearest monster.

The monster's crimson eyes rolled back, its body trapped by the snow, its movements slowed.

As soon as it bared its fangs and let out a muffled roar, Xue Xiang was already upon it.

boom!
His shoulder slammed into the monster like a mountain storm, sending its massive body flying. Before the monster could even get back on its feet, Xue Xiang's fists rained down.

The first punch landed on its chest, shattering its bones and sending a spray of blood erupting from its spine.

The second punch landed squarely on its skull, causing flesh to rip and the skull to collapse.

The monster roared and its limbs convulsed wildly, but Xue Xiang pressed it firmly to the surface of the sea.

The demonic hand gripped its jaw, while the other hand ripped it apart.

With a "crack," the fangs and jaw were torn off together.

Blood gushed out, staining the entire snow and ice red.

The monster's body struggled violently for a few moments before finally going limp.

The out-of-control purple-grade crystal core fell and was collected by Xue Xiang.

Just then, the imagery that evolved from the poem began to show signs of collapse.

Without hesitation, Xue Xiang recited the last four lines: "At the east gate of Luntai, I see you off; when you leave, the road to Tianshan is covered in snow."

The mountain path winds and turns, and you are no longer in sight; only the horse tracks remain on the snow!

The last two lines burst forth, thus completing the poem "Song of White Snow Sending Off Judge Wu Returning to the Capital" in its entirety.

The moment the poem was completed, the imagery of heaven and earth suddenly contracted, then burst open.

As the evening snow fell heavily, it blanketed the sky and the earth, as if to bury the entire sea.

The group of purple-grade crystal cores stopped trembling, as if frozen solid in the wind and snow.

Deep in the white expanse, the two monsters were frozen to pieces.

This terrifying image lasted for about ten breaths before finally collapsing.

Seizing the opportunity, Xue Xiang slashed through the snow, leaving a trail as he lunged at another monster that was still trapped.

The iron fist, imbued with demonic brute force, slammed down, shattering its shoulder and spine, followed by a sweeping elbow strike that completely shattered its skull.

Blood and bone fragments flew out together, swept away by the snow.

He acquired three more purple-grade crystal cores.

Just then, the imagery of the poem dissipated.

The monsters, already terrified, dared not even open their eyes to look at Xue Xiang. With a whoosh, they plunged into the dark, towering waves and disappeared.

Xue Xiang put away the four purple-grade crystal cores, leaped onto the magic carpet, and continued on his way while refining the purple-grade crystal cores.

There's no way around it; the crystal cores are destined to be unusable. Rather than wasting them, we might as well refine as many as we can.

After traveling only ten miles, a surge of spiritual energy rushed from the sea, transforming into sharp blades that attacked him.

The blade struck his skin, leaving only white marks, but Xue Xiang wasn't worried at all.

However, as more and more literary energy gathered, he gradually became unable to resist it, until a cluster of literary energy evolved into a storm and swept in.

He had no choice but to recite poetry again.

A simple poem, "Thoughts on a Quiet Night," easily transforms a raging storm of literary inspiration into gentle autumn waters, flowing into a turbulent sea.

Half an incense stick later, suddenly, a solitary peak appeared in the shadows ahead.

Five stone pillars stand side by side, like a giant hand plunging into the sea and pointing straight to the sky.

"Five Finger Mountain Peak".

Xue Xiang's heart trembled violently.

The old records of the Great Zhou and Great Xia dynasties both state that the entire Wenyuan Chaotic Sea, centered on Wuzhi Mountain, was the most chaotic and domineering in terms of literary energy within a radius of thirty miles.

It can be said that the area within 30 miles of Wuzhishan has been searched.

If Zhongwu's remains are still in the chaos of Wenyuan, they will most likely fall within a large circle with Wuzhi Mountain as the center and a diameter of thirty li.

“But that doesn’t make sense either. Wasn’t it said that the literary energy here is the most domineering and chaotic? I haven’t noticed any unusual phenomena.”

Just as Xue Xiang was wondering what was going on, a beam of light shone from the northeast.

"Sword Qi!"

Xue Xiang stood tall and solemnly put away the magic carpet, then soared into the air.

The sword energy seemed to be alive, shooting towards him.

clang!
He couldn't dodge in time, and the sword energy struck his chest, exploding in a chaotic burst of light.

He felt a sharp pain in his chest, and upon closer inspection, he saw a deep red mark that had been shot into his chest.

He strained his eyes to look in the direction from which the sword energy was coming, and saw billowing black mist dissipate, and seven or eight figures rushing towards him.

In an instant, the group formed a circular attack formation, firmly trapping Xue Xiang in the center.

"I thought it was a monster, but it turned out to be a lone, powerful demon."

The middle-aged man who spoke was named Tao Heng. He wore a dark black official robe, held a long halberd, had sharp, horizontal eyebrows, a sword-shaped birthmark between his eyebrows, and a ring on his finger that gleamed with black light.

Xue Xiang could tell that the official robe this person was wearing was not the clothing of the Great Xia Kingdom, but rather resembled the official robe of the Great Zhou Kingdom.

The official systems of the Great Zhou and the Great Xia were generally the same.

The immortal talismans are divided into ten grades, with each two grades corresponding to a color. The deep black immortal talisman corresponds to the fifth grade immortal talisman, which matches his glowing storage ring.

That storage ring must have been transformed from a fifth-grade immortal talisman.

Xue Xiang calmly looked at the crowd and was surprised to find that almost all of them were officials.

"Why waste words with him? Let's finish him off quickly while he's alone, to avoid further trouble."

A beautiful woman in a light black official robe, as soon as she finished speaking, flicked her whisk and recited, "The wind carries peach blossom petals, and the fragrance passes through the bright moon's waves."

The warbling oriole, knowing the traveler's dreams, first sings by his pillow.

In an instant, the literary energy surged, and the peach blossoms formed a formation, transforming into sharp, cold blades that slashed straight down.

The others also began to recite.

In an instant, the literary energy transformed into countless images, rushing towards Xue Xiang.

Just as Xue Xiang was about to unleash his full power, several shockwaves suddenly struck, their fierce attack instantly scattering much of the image formed by the gathering of literary energy.

Despite the barrage of attacks, Xue Xiang's damage was limited. He soared into the air, bypassing the waves of attack light.

Then three demonic figures appeared, rushing towards them.

Each of these three great demons possessed an aura no less imposing than that of Shao Dian Ming Zhang.

The shockwaves they unleashed were able to withstand the literary attacks of the officials.

Even so, the question mark in Xue Xiang's mind grew larger and larger.

This is the infamous Wen Yuan Chaos Sea, not a vegetable market.

Rumor has it that even Nascent Soul cultivators dare not easily come here. The appearance of these Great Zhou officials and Core Formation stage demons—isn't this a rebellion against the Heavenly Order?
"You wicked thieves! How dare you break the agreement and slaughter my demon race!"

The leading demon roared, his red hair flowing freely, half-human and half-ape, with shoulders as broad as mountains and blood-red eyes that seemed to be filled with menace.

"Stop talking nonsense."

Tao Heng said sternly, "We just made a mistake, thinking he was a monster. Besides, who would appear alone?"

"But you, launching an attack on us without provocation, who exactly violated the agreement?"

The great ape demon sneered, "You humans are the most despicable when it comes to flattery and deceit. If it weren't for the restraint of the masters, I would have killed you all long ago."

Get out of here!"

Tao Heng snorted, "Stop acting all high and mighty. Who the agreement will save is still uncertain. Let's go!"

He shouted, and the group of humans all left.

Suddenly, the three great demons surrounded Xue Xiang, their expressions all hostile.

The great ape demon said coldly, "Who are you? How dare you come here? If you can't give a proper explanation, you'll be treated as a spy."

Xue Xiang cupped his hands and said, "I am Xiong Jingang, from the Crimson Moon Demon Territory."

I was gathering spiritual herbs in the waters ahead when a storm swept me here.

As he spoke, he showed the token given to him by the Nascent Soul demon who had told him to come and play at the Flowing Sand River when he had time.

"The 'Quicksand Token' is the token of the millennium elder; it cannot be fake."

The python-headed demon beside him shouted in a deep voice.

The ape-man lowered its guard slightly. "Now that you're here, don't wander around. Stay behind us, and we'll make sure you get out of danger."

Xue Xiang said, "What risks are there here? I can leave on my own."

The ape-man demon sneered, "Who do you think you are? Being able to enter this chaotic Wen Yuan Sea is already an incredible stroke of luck for you."

"Wen Yuan's Chaotic Seas?"

Xue Xiang feigned surprise, "That's impossible!"
The Wen Yuan Chaotic Sea is extremely dangerous; even Nascent Soul level demons dare not enter, so how could ordinary demons dare to come?

Moreover, those humans, with their cultivation levels, don't seem qualified to roam the chaotic Wen Yuan Sea.

"You do have some knowledge."

The leopard-headed demon, who had remained silent, said, "Do you know where we come from? The Northern Sea Marsh, the front line against the human race."

"The battle is raging at the front..."

"shut up!"

The ape demon stopped the leopard-headed demon, saying, "Enough with the nonsense."

As he spoke, he pointed at Xue Xiang and said, "If you want to live, follow us."

Xue Xiang had no choice but to agree.

After following the three demons for half an hour, he finally realized that they were also there to hunt monsters.

Unfortunately, with the demon aided by literary energy and Xue Xiang concealing his strength and coordinating with them, the three of them were still not very efficient.

After a while, they had only managed to hunt down one purple-level monster, and were still panting heavily from exhaustion.

Before long, the three demons started arguing again about who should own the purple-grade crystal core.

Xue Xiang smoothed things over, saying, "It's rumored that even monster cores can't be taken out of the country, so what's the use of them?"

The ape-like demon snorted, "You're ignorant, aren't you? Purple-grade crystal cores are important energy sources."

Although one cannot survive outside of places where the spiritual energy is chaotic, top-tier experts can refine it at any time.

With a powerful demon clan expert overseeing us, and someone willing to offer a purple-grade crystal core, are we worried about not receiving a reward?

Xue Xiang was getting more and more confused, so he decided to figure out the mess in front of him first.

He then tossed out two purple-grade crystal cores, saying, "The three of you don't need to fight over them. I'll add two more, one for each of you. Wouldn't that be perfect?"

The three great demons were all stunned, looking at Xue Xiang with a mixture of confusion and excitement in their eyes.

Xue Xiang waved his hand and said, "I haven't repaid the three of you for your help yet. Two mere purple-grade crystal cores are nothing."

"atmosphere!"

"Brothers!"

"Truly worthy of being a hero of my demon race."

The three demons were overjoyed and praised him endlessly.

Subsequently, the three demons subtly probed Xue Xiang's strength.

Xue Xiang feigned mystery, only mentioning that cultivation brings literary energy, and then recited a poem on the spot, stirring up literary energy and manifesting imagery.

The three demons were all shocked and no longer doubted Xue Xiang's ability to hunt down purple-level demons.

Xue Xiang had long known from Youxiong Jinzun that the cultivation of literary energy was not exclusive to humans.

The demon race also has a secret method to enter the demonic realm and absorb spiritual energy.

Even within the demon realm, there are separate literary steles, providing opportunities for great sages within the demon race to hone their literary skills.

However, the demon race does not have an imperial examination system, so demons who cultivate literary skills account for a very small percentage of the demon race, and most of them are from powerful clans.

Therefore, Xue Xiang said that he cultivated literary energy and tested it, which is why the three demons were so shocked.

Xue Xiang accompanied the three demons on another hunt, and their relationship grew even closer.

The three demons no longer guarded against Xue Xiang, and answered all his questions without hesitation.

It turns out that these great demons all came from the northern front lines.

Last night, the demon race and the allied forces of Great Xia and Great Zhou launched a large-scale battle that cracked the earth and activated an ancient teleportation array.

Both the human and demon races sent spies into the teleportation array.

It was eventually confirmed that the teleportation array led to the chaotic Wen Yuan Sea.

In the chaotic sea of ​​Wenyuan, a soaring sword intent was discovered. It was later confirmed that this sword intent belonged to the benevolent sword intent cultivated by General Li Chaoshu.

General Zhongwu was a figure from 30,000 years ago, yet the spirit of his benevolent sword still exists in the world.

The moment this earth-shattering news broke, both the human and demon races were in an uproar. They gathered their forces and went so far as to obtain rubbings of the Literary Dao Stele to enter the chaotic Wenyuan Sea and compete for the sword intent of the Benevolent Sword.

Although the rubbing of the Wendao Stele is not as powerful as the stele itself, it is sufficient for the time being to suppress the chaotic literary energy.

It was precisely because the rubbing of the Wendao Stele suppressed the literary atmosphere in the area that the literary atmosphere in the Wuzhishan area, which was originally the most chaotic, became much more peaceful.

Meanwhile, the human and demon races have been locked in a fierce battle on the northern front for some time, with neither side gaining the upper hand.

Upon arriving here, another series of fierce battles ensued, with neither side gaining the upper hand. This only made the literary atmosphere here increasingly unstable, and the Wendao Stele showed signs of collapse.

Left with no other option, the two sides sat down to negotiate, hoping to find a solution to the problem.

While the higher-ups were negotiating, those below saw the monsters in the chaotic Wen Yuan Sea as an opportunity and launched a hunt for them.

Having figured this out, Xue Xiang was uneasy. "I heard that Zhongwu's remains are also hidden here. Since we are fighting for the Benevolent Sword, why not fight for Zhongwu's remains?"

The ape demon said, "If you can't even hold onto the Benevolent Sword, where are you going to find the remains of Zhongwu?"

Besides, what use are a few bones? They can't compare to the precious sword intent of the Benevolent Sword.

As the three demons and one man were discussing, they suddenly heard the sound of a horn.

The three demons were shocked and hurriedly rushed towards Five Finger Mountain.

Xue Xiang had no choice but to fall behind the three demons.

Upon reaching the summit of Wuzhi Mountain, the view suddenly opens up, revealing a completely different landscape.

Then you see two enormous stone tablets, looming over the mountaintop, shining brightly like two suns and moons.

A great deal of literary energy converged into a cluster, like giant cables, entwined around the two ancient stone tablets.

Even so, a great deal of curved, golden, purple, and black spiritual energy still filled the entire mountain peak.

The sky was clear and cloudless.

Wuzhi Mountain stretches across the heart of the sea, its peaks rising abruptly, like a giant hand supporting the sky.

The mountaintop had long been leveled and widened, spanning hundreds of feet in length and width, enough to accommodate thousands of people.

At this moment, the human race and the demon race are clearly separated, each gathering more than a hundred people, forming a battleground.

At the mountaintop, a fierce wind howled, its chilling aura soaring straight to the heavens.

However, none of this was enough to make Xue Xiang devote his greatest concern.

His greatest concern was focused on the brightest star in the sky.

Yes, under a clear blue sky, a single star appears as small as a bean in the vast expanse of the heavens.

But just looking directly at that star would send shivers down one's spine, and a wave of murderous intent would surge into one's mind.

It took Xue Xiang a lot of effort to pull his attention away from the stars.

In an instant, sweat poured down my back.

"Don't look, it's deadly."

The ape-demon whispered, "When we first arrived, we were all injured by the sword intent of this Benevolent Sword. A sword intent that has lasted for thirty thousand years, just think about it and you'll know how sharp it is."

Xue Xiang pointed to his own camp and said, "Aren't we outnumbered? Our morale isn't as high as theirs."

At this moment, the demon race camp had already formed a force of over a hundred men.

In terms of manpower, they only have half the number of the opposing human race, and the aura of their top cultivators is also inferior.

The ape demon said, "Our side has more than thirty Nascent Soul experts, the leader of whom is the famous demon king Crimson Sun and Fire. He is at the Great Perfection of Nascent Soul, only half a step away from entering the Divine Transformation realm. His true form is a white ape, and he acts very fairly."

The human race saw a large number of people, including more than a hundred Nascent Soul cultivators.

Moreover, there are two Nascent Soul Great Perfection cultivators: Pang Weiyi, a Hanlin Academician of the Xianmo Pavilion of the Great Xia Kingdom, and Prince Ning Cheng from the Great Zhou Kingdom.

Judging by numbers alone, my demon race is naturally at a disadvantage.

However, my demon race possesses both a powerful physical body and innate divine abilities, giving us the ability to fight against humans of higher levels.

Of course, the literary energy here is vibrant, and there are many human cultivators who can manipulate it.

Therefore, it's difficult to determine which side has the advantage at this time.

(End of this chapter)