Inside the Ruins (Part 1) — Please Keep Reading

Sword cultivators were renowned for their formidable offensive power. Even the Black Deacon, at the Foundation Establishment Late Stage, had to brace himself against a Foundation Establishment sword cultivator's full-force strike.

The Black Deacon flicked his sleeve and released a winding Blood River, intending to sweep the sword light into it. But he had miscalculated. The sword light cleaved straight through the Blood River and struck his Body-Protecting Astral Qi without losing momentum.

"Mmgh."

The Black Deacon let out a muffled groan, and a trace of blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. That blow had left him slightly injured.

Slowly wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth, the Black Deacon's fury reached its peak. He no longer had any interest in toying with them. He only wanted to crush them all!

"Blood Sea Tilting the Sky!"

The Black Deacon spread his arms, and a sea of blood immediately appeared, sweeping toward Song Changsheng and the others.

By then, Song Changsheng and the others had already fled into the Mystic Sun Heavenly Gang Array. Only two unlucky stragglers, one step too slow, were swept into the rushing Blood Sea.

They struggled only briefly before becoming part of the Blood Sea.

As the Blood Sea continued to spread, a faint barrier of light appeared and blocked the menacing sea outside.

The filthy blood water touched the barrier, immediately producing a string of sizzling sounds.

"What? The Mystic Sun Heavenly Gang Array?" The Black Deacon's expression changed drastically. Hadn't this great array been broken?

Zhu Yiqun and the others looked at the reactivated formation, their expressions equally spectacular. Their gazes converged on Song Changsheng without prior agreement.

Facing their stares, Song Changsheng calmly said, "I found a way to gain control over this formation. It was precisely to deal with sudden situations like this."

The group exchanged glances. Zhu Yiqun was the first to break the silence. "It is a good thing either way. Otherwise, we would have faced certain doom today."

Zhuang Yuechan also chimed in, "We must thank Fellow Daoist Song for leaving us a retreat path. I have already sent a plea for aid to my elders. We only need to hold out for a period of time."

"This Mystic Sun Heavenly Gang Array is supremely yang and unyielding, a renowned demon-refining formation. Though that Blood Demon of the Foundation Establishment Realm is powerful, it will not be easy for him to break this formation. We can now explore these ruins to our hearts' content."

Song Changsheng was not surprised by their attitude. Had he been in their place, he would probably have reacted the same way. Thus, he chose to ignore it and turned his gaze toward the Immortal Cave not far behind them.

Of their group of more than ten, only Zhu Yiqun, Zhuang Yuechan, Xu Yunhe, and Song Changsheng remained. The Others had already returned their souls to heaven and earth.

All for this Immortal Cave...

The entrance to the Foundation Establishment Immortal Cave was a cave beneath a low hill, overgrown with ivy. Its deep, dark passage stretched straight into the mountain's depths.

Song Changsheng walked at the very front of the group with the Treasure Gourd in hand. Zhu Yiqun supported the heavily injured Xu Yunhe in the middle, while Zhuang Yuechan held the Jade Zither in her arms and brought up the rear.

The passage was long and quiet. If not for the great array outside, no one would have guessed that this was the Immortal Cave of a Foundation Establishment Cultivator.

At the end of the passage, a Stone Gate made of greenstone blocked their way.

Song Changsheng cautiously stepped forward to inspect it and discovered a formation on the Stone Gate. What puzzled him, however, was that part of the formation was missing.

Moreover, the formation's grade was not high. It was only because the person who had laid it possessed profound attainments in formations that such a simple formation had become so exquisitely intricate and complex.

"Changsheng, what is the situation?" Zhu Yiqun asked softly.

"The formation on the door is unusual. The missing portion must be completed before the gate can be opened."

"Are you confident?"

Song Changsheng frowned slightly, then nodded. "I'll give it a try."

With that, he sat cross-legged before the Stone Gate and began attempting to complete the formation.

Only then did Zhu Yiqun have time to treat Xu Yunhe's wounds. His right arm had been severed at the shoulder, and the wound was still tainted with the Blood Demon's distinctive scarlet demonic light. If it was not treated soon, Xu Yunhe would likely die at Yellow Springs.

Zhu Yiqun took a white jade bottle from his Universe Bag, poured out a round, milky-white medicinal pill, and held it to Xu Yunhe's lips. "This medicinal pill will help you recover from your injuries. Take it."

Xu Yunhe had lost too much blood, and his face was deathly pale. Looking at the fragrant medicinal pill before him with lifeless eyes, he said, "Fellow Daoist Zhu need not waste such a treasure on me. The road ahead has already been cut off. I seek only death."

His words were steeped in the will to die, like dead wood quietly awaiting decay in a swamp.

To a swordsman, the sword was everything. Now that he had even lost the arm with which he wielded his sword, what was the point of living? Better to die!

Zhu Yiqun immediately grew furious. He grabbed Xu Yunhe by the collar and lowered his voice as much as possible. "What nonsense are you talking about? Without your right arm, can't you cultivate the left-handed sword?

"You are still so young. So what if you have to start over? Why would you willingly sink into depravity? So many fellow cultivators have already died today. Those of us who live should cherish our lives all the more!"

Xu Yunhe gave a bitter smile and said in despair, "I am merely a rogue cultivator, struggling bravely across the Path to Longevity. Breaking through to the Foundation Establishment Realm was already a task of a thousand hardships and ten thousand difficulties.

"Now, my body is crippled, my meridians and flesh incomplete. My hope of breaking through to Foundation Establishment has become even slimmer. Rather than linger on in wretched existence, I would rather die once and for all."

Zhu Yi fell silent at once. Ordinary cultivators had only about a ten percent chance of breaking through to Foundation Establishment, while even those with superior aptitude had only twenty or thirty percent.

Though Xu Yunhe's aptitude was decent, he was no more than average. His chances of breaking through to the Foundation Establishment Realm had never been high, and now it was even harder than climbing to the heavens.

The double blow to both body and spirit caused Xu Yunhe to lose the courage to continue facing it all.

Just as Zhu Yiqun did not know how to persuade him, Song Changsheng, who had already completed the formation, Stood Up and said coldly, "A swordsman would rather break than bend, rather snap than bow. No matter what hardships and obstacles lie ahead, one should remain unyielding and press forward with indomitable courage.

"At the first setback, you speak lightly of giving up and dying. Are you worthy of the Three-Foot Green Edge in your hand? Are you worthy of the word 'swordsman'?

"Even if you are to die, you should die on the road forward, not die like a coward in this barren wasteland!"

"I..."

Xu Yunhe's mind shook, waves surging within his heart. Yes, he was a swordsman. No matter how difficult the road ahead, he should cut through it with a single sword strike. Only then would he not disgrace the Azure Peak in his hand!

"Fellow Daoist Song's words were truly like a blow to the head with a cudgel. You are right. Even if I die, I should not die here."

Color returned to Xu Yunhe's eyes. With difficulty, he raised his left arm, took the medicinal pill from Zhu Yiqun, and swallowed it. As the pill dissolved into sweet medicinal liquid and spread through his Four Limbs and Hundred Bones, his complexion gradually began to improve.

Zhuang Yuechan glanced at Song Changsheng in surprise. This fellow truly always managed to exceed expectations.

"Changsheng, has the formation been resolved?" Zhu Yiqun asked, looking at the greenstone gate blocking the way ahead.

"It is done. However, I suspect there may be another formation behind the gate, so make sure to follow in my footsteps." Song Changsheng waved his hand, and the great gate opened with a rumbling roar. At last, the inner area of the Immortal Cave lay open before them...