After being chosen by the Ice Queen

The camp was in complete chaos.

Several sailors collapsed to the ground in terror, pointing to a strange corpse in the shadows not far away. The creature barely retained its human form, but its skin was stone-gray, covered with spiderweb-like cracks, from which a dim gray light emanated. In its hand, it gripped an ancient sword, mostly rusted, yet faintly shimmering with runes.

"It's a sword remnant!" Murong Zizhan's follower, a burly man skilled in gravity magic, said in a deep voice, his tone unusually solemn. "Ancient texts record that on the battlefields or places where ancient cultivators fell in the sword path, the intense sword intent and obsession, eroded by special earth energy, would occasionally condense into this kind of thing that is neither alive nor dead. They guard the place where their last obsession was before they died, and have an instinctive hostility towards the aura of all living things."

"It suddenly stood up from the crack in the rocks over there and almost killed Old Li!" a sailor said, still shaken.

Commander Zhao's face was grim. The swords and crossbows of the imperial guards had limited effect on this stone-like monster unless it was completely shattered. But there was clearly more than one of these things—in the shadows around the camp, specks of gray light, at a rough glance, numbered no less than a dozen, slowly peeling away from the rocks and ground. Their movements gradually became more coordinated, their broken swords and blades rising in their hands, locking onto the vibrant life force within the camp.

"Form a circular formation! Protect the non-combat personnel!" Commander Zhao decisively ordered. The guards quickly moved in, surrounding the sailors and merchants. But they also knew that passive defense was not a long-term solution; on this strange island, the longer it dragged on, the more variables would arise.

"This Black Tooth Reef truly lives up to its name." Murong Zizhan showed no panic, his gaze sweeping over the sword remains before finally settling on the ancient ruins in the center of the island that Gu Yan had activated. "It seems we've inadvertently stumbled upon an ancient battlefield, or rather... a forgotten sword tomb. The source of these sword remains' obsessions is probably there."

Before he finished speaking, the nearest sword skeletons had already launched their attack! They moved silently, yet with incredible speed, their broken swords tracing simple yet sharp paths, piercing straight towards him with a sharp whistling sound as they cut through the wind! Their moves were devoid of any fancy flourishes, consisting entirely of killing techniques honed on the battlefield, imbued with a cold, solidified sword intent that stung the very soul.

The guard parried with his sword, sparks flying. As the swords clashed, the guard felt his arm go numb. The power of the sword was astonishing, and a chilling, deathly sword intent emanated from the weapon, attempting to freeze his blood and erode his mind.

"Troublesome." Murong Zizhan shook his head and unfolded the folding fan of the dark starry sky once more. However, this time, the invisible waves emanating from the fan swept over the sword skeleton, but the effect was greatly reduced. These inanimate objects did not possess complete intelligence and acted more based on their obsession and instinctive sword intent, making them extremely resistant to illusions and interference.

The battle instantly intensified. The sword-wielding creature felt no pain, nor feared casualties, its attacks relentless. The inner guard line began to ache; two men had already been wounded by the sword's intent, their faces pale. Boss Liu and the sailors were even more ashen-faced.

Gu Yan remained at the edge of the camp, not immediately joining the battle. His gaze passed over the wrecked sword before him and fell into the depths of the island.

"Jinbao, can you sense where the 'core' or commander of these stone creatures is?" Gu Yan asked in a low voice.

The little creature in his arms tried to sense its surroundings, its tiny paws pointing towards the highest point of the island, towards the deeper ravine behind the dilapidated stone houses: "Boss, over there... the deathly aura is strongest, but there also seems to be something else... something very sharp attracting my kind, but they don't dare to come closer."

Gu Yan's eyes narrowed. He made a decision instantly.

"Mr. Murong, Commander Zhao," he announced loudly, "the sword remains are endless, and holding out is futile. Their core obsession lies deep within the island; I will deal with the source. The defense of this place is entrusted to you."

Having said that, he moved without waiting for a response!

The aura of Candlelight swirled, and Gu Yan's speed blurred into a hazy gray shadow amidst the night and chaos. He didn't linger too long with the sword skeletons blocking his path. The essence of [Candlelight - Obscure Light Slash] lay in striking at the opening and its devouring properties. His footwork was unpredictable, dodging the sword skeletons' slashes and thrusts at the last second. Obscure Light Slash was drawn like a venomous snake's tongue, its blade aimed not at direct confrontation, but precisely at the sword skeleton's transitions, joint connections, or the core of the cracks where the gray light flowed!

Where the blade passed, there was only a soft sound, like cutting through rotten leather. The sword fragments that were struck suddenly froze, the cracks on their surface rapidly widened, the gray light quickly dimmed, and they scattered into a pile of real rubble. The wisp of deathly sword intent and the meager energy contained within were quietly swallowed up by the dim light.

Murong Zizhan watched as Gu Yan easily cut through the encirclement of sword fragments and headed straight for the mountain hollow, his eyes gleaming with admiration: "Good! What's rare is this insight and decisiveness... Commander Zhao, we will hold our ground and wait for reinforcements."

Commander Zhao also saw that Gu Yan was exceptionally skilled and the key to breaking the deadlock, so he nodded emphatically and ordered the inner guards to tighten their defenses and focus on resisting.

Gu Yan quickly left the main battlefield and ventured deeper into the island's mountain hollow. Here, the fog was thicker, and the aura of death intertwined with that sharp, menacing presence. Scattered on the ground were more broken weapons and fossilized materials resembling skeletons. At the end of the hollow was the entrance to a cave that sloping inwards, dark and menacing, like the mouth of a giant beast. At the edge of the cave entrance stood three exceptionally tall sword skeletons, clad in tattered stone armor, their weapons relatively intact, emanating a sword intent far stronger than those on the outer perimeter, almost forming a tangible, chilling pressure.

The tremors intensified. Deeper into the cave, what drew it in became clearer.

"Looks like I'll have to get past you first." Gu Yan stopped and faced the three guarding sword skeletons, slowly drawing his sword, Huiming. The dark gray blade was almost invisible in the dim light, with only the eight snake-like patterns shimmering with a dangerous dark gold luster.

The three sword skeletons seemed to sense a powerful enemy, turning around in unison and locking their "gaze" on Gu Yan. They didn't roar, but slowly raised their weapons—a sword, a saber, and a spear. The next moment, three gray figures, carrying incomparably sharp sword intent (saber intent and spear intent), tore through the air and attacked! Their perfect coordination sealed off all of Gu Yan's escape routes!

Gu Yan's pupils contracted slightly. The strength of these three guardians was approaching the threshold of "transformed demons," and what was more troublesome was their pure and cold fighting spirit and their coordination with each other.

"Well done!" Gu Yan shouted, advancing instead of retreating! He fully activated the Candle Shadow Breath, his body seemingly enveloped in a thin mist of distorted light. Although he hadn't formally practiced the concept of "illusion" in the [Mirage Shadow Carving Technique], he was now intuitively using it!

His figure flickered, seemingly splitting into two, with two illusory figures respectively meeting the incoming sword and spear skeletons from the left and right! His true body, however, used profound footwork to pass through the gaps between the swords and spears at the last second, the obscure and gleaming blade drawing a desolate gray-black arc from bottom to top, aiming straight for the core of the sword skeleton holding the sword in the center—where the gray light was most concentrated!

The sword-wielding skeleton reacted extremely quickly, the stone sword returning to defense to parry the blade.

A piercing clang rang out! Gu Yan's arm went slightly numb, but the stone sword on the sword skeleton also had a nick broken in it, and his figure swayed.

The two afterimages on the left and right were scattered by the sword and spear, but they had bought Gu Yan a moment's respite. Before his sword strike was over, he flipped his wrist, and the shimmering light slid down the stone sword like living things. The dark gold snake pattern on the blade suddenly lit up, and the [Orochi's Calamity Blessing] and [Demon Power Devouring] properties erupted simultaneously!

The blade sliced ​​across the stone arm of the sword-wielding skeleton as if a hot knife were cutting through oil, leaving a deep gash from which gray light was frantically extracted! The skeleton's movements froze instantly.

The other two sword skeletons attacked again. Gu Yan moved like a willow catkin in the wind, using the force to retreat. At the same time, he switched the sword to his left hand and pointed his right hand like a sword. A highly condensed aura of candlelight, carrying a sense of time stagnation, shot out. It was not an attack, but a distraction—pointing at the "line of sight" of the sword skeleton holding the sword.

The sword skeleton's movements indeed showed a very slight delay. This was exactly the opening Gu Yan wanted! He moved forward again, his target still the damaged sword skeleton! This time, he poured more of his mind and the breath of the Candlelight into the Obscure Light, trying to integrate the "Calamity Erosion" intent he had previously comprehended into his sword technique.

The blade flashed, darker than before, its trajectory unpredictable, as if carrying a sinister power that guided misfortune and weakened defenses.

The sword-wielding skeleton swung its sword again to block, but this time, its movements seemed a beat slower, and the force of its block was weaker. The obscure blade sliced ​​through the stone sword as easily as cutting through rotten wood, severing it without resistance, and then plunged into the core of its chest!

The gray light flickered wildly, then vanished as if swallowed by a black hole. The sword's remains completely disintegrated.

The remaining two sword skeletons attacked even faster, but without coordination, their threat to Gu Yan was greatly reduced. He used the same method, combining the eerie interference of the Candle Yin Breath with his increasingly skillful swordsmanship, which was beginning to integrate into his own combat understanding. After paying the price of having his left shoulder grazed by the wind of the spear, leaving an ice mark, he defeated the other two guards one by one.

After catching his breath, Gu Yan sheathed his sword and looked towards the cave. His desire for Huiming was almost boiling over.

Without hesitation, he stepped into the darkness.

The cave was initially narrow, but then it opened up dramatically. It was a huge natural cave, with shimmering moss on the ceiling providing some light. The sight inside made Gu Yan gasp for breath.

At the very center stands a "sword mound," piled high with countless broken swords and shattered blades. It exudes a fierce sword intent and a mournful death aura that rises to the sky and has not completely dissipated even after the passage of time. This is probably the source of all the sword remains on the island, the ultimate core of the ancient battlefield.

However, what attracted Huiming, and the Zhuyin Qi and Orochi power within Gu Yan's body, was not this sword tomb.

Instead, it was on a smooth, mirror-like black rock wall in front of the Sword Tomb.

The rock face was etched with text and several sword-wielding diagrams using finger strength! The carvings penetrated deep into the stone, remaining clear even after countless years. At the edges of the carvings, there was a faint, almost imperceptible, gray halo, as if time itself had solidified—a characteristic of the lingering essence of the Candlelight!

Gu Yan approached for a closer look. The writing was not the common script of this world, but a more ancient rune. Strangely, when he focused his mind and touched it with the breath of Zhuyin, the runes seemed to come alive, directly projecting their meaning into his mind:

Fragments of the Time-Shattering Sword Manual: The Shadow Scroll

Time is like a river, flowing ceaselessly. Yet, the river has hidden currents and shadows. To seize the gaps in time, to forge the sharp edge of darkness, there is neither fast nor slow, neither before nor after, but only in one's own heart…

This is an extremely peculiar, even heaven-defying, sword technique! It does not pursue extreme speed or absolute power, but focuses on the "gap in time" and the "moment of obscurity." The practitioner must use a power similar to the breath of the candlelight as a guide to sense and capture the "folds of time" and "shadows of existence" that are imperceptible to ordinary people, and strike within them. When the sword is drawn, the opponent's perception is delayed, their defense is rendered ineffective, and their moves miss, as if attacking a flaw existing in the "past" or "shadow."

This is similar to the concept of [Candlelight Shadow - Obscured Light Slash] that Gu Yan created based on the "obscurity" and "slowness" characteristics of the Candlelight Shadow Breath, but it is more systematic, profound, and direct to the source! It is not just a technique, but a philosophy of applying the power of "time" and "yin"!

The manual contains nine incomplete moves, each corresponding to a method of capturing "the shadows of time" and a sword trajectory, unpredictable and defying common sense. Gu Yan only needed to look at the manual and mental techniques for the first move, "The First Appearance of the Shadows," to feel a jolt to his mind, and many previously vague aspects of the application of the Candlelight Breath suddenly became clear!

"This...this is simply a sword technique tailor-made for the Breath of Candlelight!" Gu Yan's heart was filled with shock. The ancient person who left this mark must have also possessed similar power of time and yin, and their swordsmanship was unparalleled! This place is probably where he (or she) finally comprehended the sword or perished. The countless broken swords in the sword tomb may have been left by their opponents back then.

The tremor between darkness and light reached its peak. Gu Yan could feel that the power of the Orochi within the blade also resonated strongly with the "Eclipse Sword Manual"—the "calamity" essence of the Orochi inherently contained the meaning of "subverting common sense" and "bringing chaos," which had a hidden connection with the sword principle of "attacking the shadows of time."

Without the slightest hesitation, Gu Yan immediately sat cross-legged in front of the rock wall, immersing his entire mind in the incomplete "Eclipse Sword Manual." The energy of the Candlelight circulated in an unprecedented way as his inner power was activated, gradually resonating with the ancient sword intent remaining on the carvings on the rock wall. Huiming lay across his lap, its dark gold snake pattern flickering, as if it too was "reading" and "digesting" this sword manual.

Time flowed silently through the cave. The faint sounds of battle outside seemed to fade into the distance. A layer of darker, more profound mist began to swirl around Gu Yan, a mist that seemed to absorb light and sound. From within the mist, extremely subtle hissing sounds, like the breaking of time, could be heard from time itself. His understanding of the sword and his control over the Breath of Candlelight were undergoing a qualitative leap.

With unparalleled swordsmanship, one can break through to a higher realm.

After an unknown amount of time, Gu Yan suddenly opened his eyes, a gray sword shadow flashing briefly in his pupils. He slowly rose and grasped the Hidden Blade.

He didn't use any special moves; he simply waved his hand casually at the air in front of him.

The blade's trajectory was unremarkable.

But where the blade sliced ​​through, the light distorted and dimmed for an extremely brief moment, and the sound of the air flowing seemed to be swallowed up for a second. A tiny, yet real, spatial fold, as fine as a hair, flashed and disappeared.

The first move of the "Eclipse Sword Manual", "The First Appearance of Shadows", is a glimpse into the basics!

It's not just a new sword technique, but a sublimation of his entire combat system. The Breath of Candlelight, the power of Orochi's Calamity, and even the concepts of the Mirage Shadow Carving Technique are all beginning to be integrated and unified around this sword manual.

He looked at the sword mound, then at the darker passageway deeper into the cave. His yearning, both obscure and luminous, after mastering a portion of the sword manual, pointed towards the end of the passageway—there, it seemed, was something else.

Just then, Jinbao, who was in his arms, suddenly transmitted his voice anxiously: "Boss! The fighting outside is fierce! A lot more dark, slippery monsters that crawled up from the sea are coming! Mr. Murong and the others can't hold on much longer! And... it seems other ships have also docked! There are so many people!"

Gu Yan's eyes sharpened. Although the gains were substantial, the crisis was not over, and new variables had emerged.

He took one last look at the rock carvings that contained the supreme swordsmanship, imprinting them deeply into his mind, and then turned around without hesitation and rushed out of the cave.