The undead have descended upon the world? I possess a sword that can cleave the heavens once more!

"Meow--"

A sleepy little black cat poked its head out of the trench coat pocket, its deep blue eyes half-open and half-closed, its pupils not yet fully focused.

It looked around at its surroundings, and then pulled its head back in.

Wu You stepped into the air and flew towards the direction of the First Street.

On the way, he opened the Sword Manual panel and began allocating experience points again.

Allocable experience points: 6.4w → 0

[Seven Tribulations Sword Chapter] (Chapter 2: Xuan Lock) (0/300w) → [Seven Tribulations Sword Chapter] (Chapter 2: Xuan Lock) (6.4w/300w)

Wu You then poured all of the remaining 1.4 experience points, plus the 5 experience points provided by the three eighth-tier Lustful Corpse Species, totaling 6.4 experience points, into the second chapter of the [Seven Tribulations Sword Chapter].

The experience points instantly dropped to zero, the numbers on the panel jumped, and the progress bar for the Xuan Suo Sword Intent moved forward a little.

A profound and mysterious realization dawned on him.

It wasn't the destructive, decisive sword intent of the Pivot Sword, but rather a softer, more subtle feeling, as if something was slowly weaving and entwining it.

The sword intent was still in its nascent stage and very weak, but Wu You could already sense its direction.

At the same time, his mental strength, or rather his soul strength, also improved slightly.

The feeling is hard to describe; it's as if something has filtered out my somewhat murky consciousness and perception, making it clearer and more acute.

After perfecting the first chapter of the Seven Tribulations Sword Manual, Pivot Tribulation Sword, and beginning to cultivate the second chapter, Whirlpool Lock Sword, Wu You gained a deeper understanding of this sword manual.

This sword chapter contains no exquisite sword techniques, and offers almost no improvement to physical strength.

Inside were only different sword intents, waiting for him to comprehend, master, and make them his own.

If we use Wu You's previous life's concept of "cultivating both body and spirit" to describe it, then this "Seven Tribulations Sword Chapter" is an extreme sword technique that takes an unorthodox approach, cultivating only "body" and not "life".

It does not temper the physical body, accumulate energy, or refine techniques; it focuses solely on comprehending the intent of the sword and mastering its rules.

However, its effects are also extremely significant.

According to Fifth Lord Li, one only gets to the level of rules at the eleventh level of the Enlightenment Realm, but the Seven Tribulations Sword Chapter allowed him to master a rule at the eighth level! And it was an extremely powerful rule of destruction!

Although limited by his physical abilities, he could not use it frequently, the fact that he had mastered the rules ahead of time by skipping at least three major levels was already extraordinary enough.

Therefore, Wu You roughly understood the fundamental reason why increasing physical strength could allow one to use the Pivot Sword Intent more times.

In essence, it was because the Seven Tribulations Sword Chapter was too domineering. Through comprehending the sword intent, it forced Wu You to master rules that were many levels above his own.

Improving physical strength is merely making up for the weakness in the "life" aspect of "cultivating both body and spirit," allowing one to better utilize the strengths in the "nature" aspect, namely various sword intents and their associated rules.

Thinking of this, Wu You glanced at the Sword Manual panel.

Ten Thousand Swords Return to the Hidden Realm: 0 (95%)

Relying solely on those medicinal herbs wouldn't be efficient enough.

Medicinal herbs need to be ingested, digested, and converted into physical strength over time, and their effects are limited.

Perhaps we should create a sword technique that cultivates "fate".

But considering that upgrading the Seven Tribulations Sword Chapter would require a huge amount of experience points, Wu You sighed helplessly.

You can't get fat in one bite; you have to take it one step at a time, and you have to accumulate experience points one sword at a time.

Hearing Wu You sigh, the little black cat poked its head out of the pocket again, its deep blue eyes looking at him. It tilted its head and then meowed.

The voice was soft and gentle, as if it were comforting him.

Wu You looked down at it, reached out and touched its little head, his fingertips brushing against its soft, warm fur.

Then he increased his speed again, his long white hair was blown backward by the wind, and his black trench coat fluttered behind him.

I still need to work on gaining experience points.

. . .

It was a little past eight o'clock in the evening, and in the real world, the full moon hung high, and the stars twinkled.

Unlike the dark red sky of the Deep Dark Realm, shrouded in the black sun, the night sky of the real world is as clean as if it has been washed with water. The moonlight is cold and bright, shining on the earth and coating everything with a faint silvery white.

On the rooftop of a building in Jiangdong City, the capital of Dongjiang Province, a figure dressed in a plain white short-sleeved shirt and black shorts leaned against the rooftop railing, looking up at the bright moon in the sky.

Beside that figure stood a middle-aged man dressed in a well-fitting black suit.

The suit was impeccably tailored, and the fabric gleamed with a dark sheen under the moonlight, clearly indicating its high value. However, his complexion was completely at odds with the outfit: his brows were furrowed, his lips were pressed tightly together, and beads of sweat were visible on his forehead.

"Impossible!" His voice was low but firm, as if he were speaking through gritted teeth. "Don't even think about it! If we did that, the investigation bureau would immediately notice our abnormality!"

"Anything exhibiting dark energy fluctuations in the real world will not escape the notice of the Investigation Bureau!"

"If I really help you spread the word, within half an hour, multiple gold-badge torchbearers will be standing before me!"

He took a deep breath, his chest heaving violently.

"Moreover, this is Jiangdong City! The capital of Dongjiang Province! It is guarded by an entity even more powerful than the Golden Emblem Torchbearer!"

"What if I'm found to have some kind of connection with the zombie species..."

"Even if the Investigation Bureau is more lenient towards untrained individuals with special abilities, I still won't see the sun rise tomorrow!"

He practically growled as he finished, "You're trying to kill me!"

Upon hearing this, the figure who was looking up at the moon chuckled twice.

The laughter wasn't loud, but it carried a condescending and nonchalant tone, making it exceptionally clear on the empty rooftop.

"Heh." He turned his head, the moonlight falling on his profile, outlining a slender figure. "You dared to accept our gift, so you're afraid of death?"

His tone was calm, as if he were stating a fact.

"And are you sure there's nothing wrong with the energy stones and special rituals we gave you?"

Upon hearing this, the man in the black suit was taken aback, his pupils contracting slightly: "I had it checked by a friend in the Investigation Bureau, how could there be a problem?!"

The figure shook his head slightly, and said with a hint of emotion, "I admit that your human talents are unparalleled."

"But you've only been on the path of the extraordinary for less than a century. How could your understanding of psychic energy possibly be as deep as ours?"

The man in the black suit wasn't intimidated by the other party's words. He gritted his teeth and retorted, "But it's a fact that any aura related to the Dark Domain can't escape the eyes of the Investigation Bureau."

"And even you, aren't you still stuck in the deepest dark realms?"

Upon hearing this, the figure seemed to have heard the funniest joke and burst into loud laughter. "Hahahahahahaha—"

The laughter echoed across the empty rooftop, but strangely, not a single pedestrian on the street below looked up in their direction.

The laughter lasted for several seconds, then it stopped, and the person turned around, revealing a thin face.

"The past is the past, the present is the present."

"The reason we can't massively invade the real world isn't because the Bureau of Investigation is strong, nor because you humans are strong."

"But—"

At this point, it stretched out a pale finger and pointed to the sky above: "This world doesn't allow us to come in."

The man in the black suit frowned even more, but he didn't interrupt, waiting for what was to come.

"But now, we've found a way to deceive everyone." A meaningful smile appeared on its lips. "And the rift in your world is getting wider and wider."

It raised its head, and the moonlight poured down on its face, tinging its unrestrained expression with a layer of frost. The bright, full moon was also reflected in its sticky eyes.

Then, it suddenly looked at the man in the black suit, and its sticky eyes held an unquestionable, cold look.

Choose.

"Die now?"

"Or should I live a few more days?"

Upon hearing this, the man in the black suit looked extremely grim, his face turning from pale to ashen. His lips trembled a few times, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he held back and did not lash out.

"If you kill me now, all your arrangements over the past ten years in the three southeastern provinces will be null and void."

His voice was low, but every word was spoken slowly and heavily.

"The 'Fireworks' organization that I founded is one of the top unofficial ability user organizations in the Eastern Spirit Kingdom and even the world. At the same time, my status among unofficial ability users is also extraordinary."

"Even if you kill me, you won't be able to find a replacement in a short time, will you?"

Upon hearing this, the figure did not answer the man's question, but instead clapped his hands.

The crisp applause echoed on the rooftop, like some kind of signal.

The next moment, a figure wearing a black cloak appeared in the black suit's field of vision.

It stood on the edge of the rooftop, its cloak fluttering gently in the night wind, revealing a pale, expressionless face beneath.

The cloak was large, completely covering his body, with only a pair of pure black eyes visible, quietly watching the man in the black suit.

Those eyes held no warmth, no emotion, only a chilling coldness churning within them.