Once his breathing had steadied, Ye Xuan felt as though his head had swollen to the size of a bucket, his eyes filled with deep worry.
He was not indulging in groundless fears; the enemy truly was powerful.
Netherworld Hall might not have counted as a first-rate great sect, but it was not far from it. Powerful experts filled its ranks, and its methods were ruthless and merciless, its vicious reputation renowned far and wide.
Even some sects would not dare provoke it lightly.
With his current strength, challenging Netherworld Hall was no different from an ant trying to shake a tree.
Therefore, the most important thing now was to find a safe place to take shelter.
A moment later, the Sword-shaped Pendant once again emitted that chilly voice. "For now, you can only leave this wilderness as quickly as possible, then keep heading east."
"If I remember correctly, ten thousand miles east of here, there was an obscure little sect several thousand years ago."
"If you enter that sect, you can conceal your identity without drawing attention. There is a good chance you can evade Netherworld Hall's pursuit."
Hearing this, Ye Xuan's eyes lit up.
That was right. He could conceal his identity and join another sect, then return to settle the score once he had become powerful. Why not?
A good idea!
With that thought, he ignored his exhaustion, rose to his feet, and sprinted straight east.
"Hmph. If I had even half of my strength back, how could I fear Netherworld Hall in the slightest?"
"One sword strike would be enough to reduce it to ashes!"
At that moment, an almost inaudible voice came from within the pendant. Though faint, its domineering aura of looking down upon the world had not diminished in the least.
Half a month later.
Ye Xuan arrived at the foot of Misty Peak, unable to hide the exhaustion on his face.
He looked up at the summit, his sword-like brows drawing together slightly. "Senior, the little sect you mentioned... isn't it the Divine Sword Sect, is it?"
The chilly voice said, "It is indeed the Divine Sword Sect. Is there a problem?"
Hearing that definite answer, Ye Xuan did not know whether to laugh or cry.
What kind of mess was this? If he had known that the little sect the senior spoke of was the Divine Sword Sect, he would have refused outright long ago. Why would he have needed to travel ten thousand miles?
According to rumors, the Divine Sword Sect could no longer even be called a sect. Its cultivation methods and martial techniques had long lost their inheritance, its disciples had dwindled away, and its halls were broken ruins, utterly dilapidated. It had declined to the very extreme.
As long as there was another choice, no one would be willing to come here.
Moreover, there had recently been rumors that the Sect Master of the Divine Sword Sect had offended the Iron Sword Sect and been forcibly slain by them. Now, only a rookie disciple at the Body Tempering Realm remained.
For a sect on the verge of destruction like this, what could he possibly accomplish by joining it?
It would simply ruin his future!
Ye Xuan shook his head and gave a bitter laugh. "Senior, you do not know this. The Divine Sword Sect is no longer the sect from your memories. Now, it is hardly any different from being destroyed."
"What did you say?"
The chilly voice suddenly rose. "The Divine Sword Sect has been destroyed?!"
"This... that should not be possible..."
Somewhat disappointed, Ye Xuan said, "Senior, I think we should forget about joining the Divine Sword Sect and find another way."
He looked once more at Misty Peak. "Even if I truly joined it, it would only be a waste of time. I would not be able to learn anything useful."
"Foolish!"
The chilly voice could not help but rebuke him. "The more dilapidated the Divine Sword Sect is, the more you should join it. It is the only choice."
"First, if the Divine Sword Sect has declined, that means there are no powerful experts. The secrets on you will not be discovered, and your identity will not be exposed."
"Second, precisely because the Divine Sword Sect is almost negligible, Netherworld Hall would naturally never imagine that you would willingly hide within it. That way, you can evade Netherworld Hall's pursuit."
"Third, whether the Divine Sword Sect has cultivation methods or martial techniques is utterly unimportant to you. You only need to cultivate wholeheartedly within the sect. With your talent, physique, and your own cultivation methods and martial techniques, one day your name will surely shake the world."
After hearing this, Ye Xuan thought for a moment and suddenly understood. "Senior is absolutely right. This junior will join the Divine Sword Sect at once!"
With that, he sprang into motion and swept toward Misty Peak.
A quarter of an hour later, Ye Xuan arrived at the Divine Sword Sect's Sect Gate.
At once, he was dumbfounded, unable to stop his eyes from widening.
"Huh?"
"What is going on?"
"Could I have come to the wrong place?"
"Wasn't the Divine Sword Sect said to have completely declined? Wasn't even its Sect Gate supposed to have collapsed?"
"Why is the difference so enormous? There is not the slightest sign of collapse here. It is clearly grand and magnificent!"
Questions filled Ye Xuan's heart, and he secretly guessed, Could the Divine Sword Sect have deliberately put up a gate just to save face?
Just as Ye Xuan was wavering in uncertainty, the Sword-shaped Pendant suddenly hummed. The owner of the chilly voice within fixed her gaze upon the three large characters, "Divine Sword Sect," above the Sect Gate.
In that instant, her autumn-water eyes abruptly widened, surprise impossible to conceal on her pretty face. She fell directly into deep contemplation and sudden enlightenment.
A full half quarter-hour passed before she came to herself, but a trace of gravity had appeared on her pretty face.
"How is this possible?"
"The mere three words 'Divine Sword Sect' actually contain such rich Dao Rhyme Laws and Sword Dao intent!"
She was utterly shaken.
How could such a supreme treasure be casually placed here as a gate plaque?
Should it not be carefully preserved, so that one could comprehend the Dao Rhyme Laws and World-Shaking Sword Intent contained within it?
This was simply squandering a heavenly treasure!
Even some super sects could not afford such extravagance!
Was this display not far too terrifying?
Setting aside the profound Dao Rhyme Laws, merely the sword intent contained within the three words "Divine Sword Sect" was enough to make even an expert like her feel her heart race in alarm.
Soon, her gaze inadvertently fell upon the pitch-black stone stele beside the Sect Gate.
At once, her mind roared, and she sucked in a cold breath. "Th-this... is this an immortal-tier supreme treasure?"
"That is right. It is definitely an immortal-tier supreme treasure containing boundless power!"
"Since when had the Divine Sword Sect become so extravagant?"
She could not stop clicking her tongue in amazement as she instinctively looked into the Sect Gate.
The entire Divine Sword Sect was shrouded in misty spiritual vapors, countless auspicious radiance appearing and vanishing.
Especially the towering peak at its center, which pierced straight into the clouds. Even from this far away, she could feel its oppressive might rushing toward her.
At that moment, a trace of apprehension gradually emerged in her autumn-water eyes.
Just as she was about to warn Ye Xuan not to act rashly, she discovered that he had already stepped through the Sect Gate.
The moment Ye Xuan entered the Sect Gate, before he had time to observe his surroundings, he felt dizzy and disoriented. After shaking his head, he discovered that everything before him had changed, as though he had entered another world.
Like Ye Jingyun before him, he had fallen into the Mountain Protecting Array.
While he stood there in a daze, an incomparably sharp pressure swept toward him like crashing waves battering the shore, as though it intended to crush this intruder outright.
At that instant, Ye Xuan was completely dumbfounded, ten thousand beasts stampeding through his heart.
Damn it!
Hadn't they said the Divine Sword Sect had completely declined?
What the hell was this Mountain Protecting Array?
Was there such a thing as a declining sect with this?
Which bastard had said that? Get the hell out here right now! I guarantee I will not beat you to death!
Ye Xuan felt utterly miserable, the corners of his mouth twitching nonstop. He could clearly sense the terrifying power of this Mountain Protecting Array; this sharp pressure alone made his hair stand on end.
Who knew what other terrifying things lay within? One careless step, and he would be consigned to eternal damnation.
With his current strength, forcefully charging through the array would be no different from courting death.
At this rate, he might very well lose his life!
At that moment, Ye Xuan felt like crying.
This was such a rip-off!
He did not dare move at all...
Before you continue