Sword Intent Valley

"Is this the Karma Thread of the Blood Spirit Sect?"

He narrowed his eyes as he recalled the relevant records he had read within the sect.

As a sect with a heritage spanning thousands of years in Azure State, the Blood Spirit Sect's core technique, the Blood Spirit Scripture, was exceedingly strange. After a cultivator died, it used their vital blood essence as a medium to leave behind a Karma Thread that wrapped around whoever had killed them.

This thread could not be dispelled with ordinary Spiritual Energy. It would only etch itself into the other party like a brand. As long as a cultivator from the Blood Spirit Sect entered its range of perception, they would sense it!

In other words, once someone was entangled by this Karma Thread, they became the Blood Spirit Sect's sworn enemy, locked in a fight to the death!

The Blood Spirit Sect's vengeful nature, combined with this troublesome Karma Thread, had made its cultivators existences nobody dared provoke lightly.

"Quite overbearing." Bai Ye gave a soft snort and tried circulating his Spiritual Energy to strike at the Karma Thread, only to find that it was embedded in his flesh like roots, utterly unmoving.

It seemed completely clearing it would still be rather troublesome.

But... he lowered his head and glanced at his palm, a cold glint flashing through his eyes.

So what if there was a Karma Thread?

When soldiers came, he would block them; when water came, he would dam it.

If the Blood Spirit Sect really dared come looking for trouble, he did not mind killing a few more of them.

He stopped paying attention to the Karma Thread, turned, walked beneath the stone wall, and reached out to pull the Golden Spirit Grass up by its roots.

Damp soil still clung to the roots and stem of the Golden Spirit Grass. Spiritual Energy flowed through them, making it look incredibly fresh and vibrant.

After confirming that it was undamaged, he sat down cross-legged and placed a stalk of Golden Spirit Grass into his mouth.

The instant it entered his mouth, the Golden Spirit Grass transformed into a warm current that slid down his throat and into his abdomen.

As soon as the current reached his dantian, it suddenly exploded, transforming into countless tiny golden specks of light that surged toward every limb and bone!

Every speck that flowed past felt like countless gentle hands massaging his muscles and bones. His already sufficiently resilient meridians were actually widened several more degrees by this force!

Beneath his flesh, his muscle fibers gave off faint crackling sounds as they grew denser and firmer. Even his bones seemed to be plated with a faint golden radiance, showing faint signs of turning jade-like!

Bai Ye could clearly feel his physique growing stronger at a speed visible to the naked eye!

He instinctively clenched his fist, his knuckles giving off crisp cracking sounds as an immense sense of power filled his entire body!

Looking down, he saw a layer of flowing Golden Streamers emerge across the surface of his skin!

Faint runes flickered within the streamers, radiating a resilient aura comparable to that of a Mystic Grade spiritual artifact. Even the surrounding fluctuations of Spiritual Energy were bounced away several inches when they struck the layer of streamers!

After a long while, the streamers gradually sank into his skin. The phenomenon on his body vanished, but that abundant sense of power did not diminish in the slightest.

"As expected, its reputation is well deserved."

Bai Ye stood up and stretched his muscles and bones.

Feeling the surging power within him, he could not help sighing.

Previously, although he had the support of Ten Thousand Times Comprehension and had reached Peak Mastery in cultivation techniques and Martial Skills, his physique had ultimately still been somewhat lacking.

If he faced a coordinated assault by Peak Primordial Core cultivators, he would probably have been in some danger.

But now, after tempering his body with Golden Spirit Grass, he was absolutely confident that even if he faced several Peak Primordial Core cultivators at once, he could still handle them with ease!

"I should continue to Sword Intent Valley..."

Next, Bai Ye familiarized himself with his strengthened physique before turning and continuing to race toward Sword Intent Valley.

Half an incense stick later, Bai Ye arrived at Sword Intent Valley.

From a distance, it came into view.

Sword Intent Valley looked like a fissure cleaved open through the middle by a Giant Axe.

Steep black cliffs stood on both sides, their surfaces covered in sword marks of varying depths.

All the sword marks had long since been worn by the passage of time, yet they remained sharp, as if they had just been carved. Faintly, a fierce aura emanated from them.

A thin layer of white mist permeated the valley entrance.

Countless tiny specks of light drifted through the mist. On closer inspection, they actually looked like miniature flying swords circling through the air, carrying a bone-chilling cold!

The air was even permeated by an ancient, murderous aura!

Even standing outside the valley, one could feel one's mind and spirit being locked onto by that invisible Sword Intent, as if one would be pierced through the heart by ten thousand swords in the next instant!

This was Sword Intent Valley, one of the greatest opportunities in the Azure Spirit Secret Realm!

It was said that in ancient times, a mighty sword cultivator had passed away here. Before his death, he had infused the Sword Intent he had comprehended throughout his life into the valley, forming this unique Secret Realm.

As long as later-generation cultivators could comprehend the Sword Intent within the valley, not only could they greatly increase their cultivation, they would also have a chance to obtain the sword inheritance left behind by that mighty figure!

However, this inheritance had always been exceedingly difficult to obtain.

The Azure Spirit Secret Realm had opened dozens of times, yet the total number of cultivators who had successfully comprehended the Sword Intent and obtained the inheritance was no more than a thousand!

By the time Bai Ye arrived, the area outside the valley was already packed with people.

Nearly a thousand cultivators were scattered across the open ground at the valley entrance. They sat cross-legged in groups of three or five, all of them frowning with solemn expressions.

Some held their hands in the air as if simulating the act of swinging a sword, but repeatedly stopped because their minds were unsettled.

Others simply closed their eyes, cold sweat beading on their foreheads. Clearly, they had suffered backlash from the Sword Intent within the valley and sustained minor injuries.

"So many people..." Bai Ye was slightly surprised.

He had thought he had arrived early, but he had not expected nearly a thousand cultivators to have already gathered here. It seemed the allure of Sword Intent Valley truly lived up to its reputation.

He found a relatively secluded corner, avoided the crowd, and sat down cross-legged, preparing to attempt comprehending this ancient Sword Intent.

With Ten Thousand Times Comprehension, he had absolute confidence in himself.

But just as he was about to sink his mind into concentration—

Buzz—!

A sword cry that seemed to come from antiquity suddenly rang out, shaking the entire mountain valley until it hummed!

Immediately afterward, a dazzling Golden Sword Light shot into the sky from the depths of Sword Intent Valley!

The Sword Light was like a meteor splitting across the heavens. Carrying an unrivaled sharpness, it circled once through the air before, as if guided by an unseen force, shooting straight toward a cultivator on the left side of the valley entrance with a swish!

The cultivator wore a snow-white robe. He was none other than the Ninth Prince of the Skywind Dynasty, whom Bai Ye had seen earlier at the entrance to the Secret Realm!

The instant the Sword Light entered his body, the Ninth Prince abruptly opened his eyes. A sharp glint flashed through them, while faint pale-cyan Wind Blades began circling his body, their radiance complementing the Golden Sword Light!

"It's Sword Light! Someone succeeded in comprehending it!"

"It's the Ninth Prince of the Skywind Dynasty! How long has it been? He's already comprehended the Sword Intent?"

"As expected of a genius with a Wind Spirit Physique. He even comprehended ancient Sword Intent so quickly. Truly impressive!"

The crowd instantly erupted. Exclamations of amazement and envy rose one after another.

Bai Ye looked up at the Ninth Prince, watching the golden radiance flow around him as his brows lifted slightly.

Although this Sword Light was sharp, it lacked a certain weight. Clearly, he had only comprehended the most superficial layer of the Sword Intent.

But before the crowd's exclamations had even faded—

Buzz! Buzz!

Two more streaks of Golden Sword Light shot up from the valley!

These two streaks were denser and more dazzling than the Ninth Prince's. They wove together in the air into a golden net of light, carrying an imposing and magnificent aura as they descended directly upon a purple-clad girl on the right side of the valley entrance!

The girl wore purple robes that cascaded like a waterfall, her skin fairer than snow, with a vermilion mark at the center of her brows. She was none other than Liu Muwan, the Saintess of the Misty Snow Palace, one of the ten great powers of Azure State!

After the two streaks of Sword Light entered her body, a faint layer of icy mist instantly coiled around her. Within the mist, countless tiny ice crystals took the shape of swords, radiating an aura that was both biting and holy.

"Another success! It's Liu Muwan of the Misty Snow Palace!"

"Two streaks of Sword Light! My heavens, there are actually two!"

"There's a difference between the Sword Lights?"

A cultivator who did not understand asked curiously.

"You don't even know that?" An elderly cultivator beside him, whose beard and hair were completely white, stroked his beard and explained, "The inheritance of Sword Intent Valley is divided into three grades. One streak of Sword Light represents obtaining a Mystic Grade Sword Inheritance, while two streaks represent an Earth Grade Inheritance!"

"If someone can draw out three streaks... that would be the legendary Heaven Tier Inheritance!"

"Heaven Tier Inheritance?!"

Someone sucked in a sharp breath.

"That's right!" The old cultivator nodded, awe in his eyes. "According to ancient sect records, throughout Azure State's history, no more than nine people have obtained an Earth Grade Inheritance. As for the Heaven Tier Inheritance... no one has obtained one in the past thousand years!"

"Then does that mean Liu Muwan's comprehension is actually higher than the Ninth Prince's?"

"Of course! An Earth Grade Inheritance is far more precious than a Mystic Grade one!"

The crowd was once again thrown into turmoil, their gazes toward Liu Muwan filled with awe and envy.

Bai Ye looked at the two streaks of Sword Light circling Liu Muwan, and intense anticipation also rose in his eyes.

One streak meant Mystic Grade, and two meant Earth Grade...

Then what about three?

He drew a deep breath and suppressed the turbulence in his heart.

He slowly closed his eyes and sank his entire mind into comprehending the Sword Intent within the valley.

Ten Thousand Times Comprehension began operating at full force.

His Sea of Consciousness seemed to transform into an endless starry sky. Every wisp of Sword Intent permeating the valley and every profundity contained within each sword mark appeared with crystalline clarity before his eyes!