I Have a Sword Heart, Illuminating Ten Thousand Miles of Mountains and Rivers!

Chen Fan sprinted, heading directly towards Black Mountain.

About half an hour later, he arrived at the foot of Black Mountain.

This speed was certainly fast, but the path up the mountain was exceptionally difficult.

Chen Fan looked up at Black Mountain. At its peak, a black willow tree, vast and overshadowing, seemed to prop up the heavens and earth.

This black willow was rooted in the entirety of Black Mountain, altering its terrain and plant distribution. No matter which direction Chen Fan chose to ascend, he was met with dense vegetation and undulating ridges!

"Are you, you damned tree demon, afraid of me?"

"Why not clear a path and fight me honorably?"

Chen Fan shouted, then cut through the thorns and brambles, heading straight for the summit of Black Mountain.

"You may call me Lord Willow."

"The battle has already begun, and you are unaware!"

A rumbling sound echoed from the peak of Black Mountain, deafening and like rolling thunder!

As soon as Lord Willow's words fell, Chen Fan felt the earth shake. Thick tree trunks, like coiled dragons, erupted from the ground, reaching to entwine his legs.

Chen Fan's Blood Sha Qi surged from his body. The terrifying, corrosive Blood Sha Qi directly dissolved the willow roots that tried to ensnare him into a pool of black water!

The entire Black Mountain was silent. There were no demons or devils, no wild beasts, not even a single bird in sight.

Chen Fan saw some dried carcasses of wild beasts on the ground, realizing that all life on Black Mountain had become nourishment for Lord Willow!

Even the vegetation was controlled by it; it could destroy it all with a single thought.

Chen Fan swung his Meteorite Iron Blade. Terrifying blade energy, carrying overwhelming Sha Qi, sliced through everything in its path!

Boom, boom, boom!

Countless black roots erupted from underground, while from the sky, innumerable black willow branches rained down, covering everything. Roots and branches together converged on Chen Fan, forming layer upon layer of an impenetrable net, attempting to trap and kill him!

Chen Fan circulated his Blood Sha Skill. Terrifying Blood Sha Qi erupted from his body, directly shattering the net that was closing in on him!

"Don't make a fool of yourself with such trivial tricks."

"I originally thought your true form would be terrifying, your strength far surpassing a human martial artist like myself who has just entered the Spirit Aperture Realm."

"But ever since I arrived at Black Mountain, you've used every method to keep me from climbing, to prevent me from reaching the peak. From this, I see you are nothing special."

"You fear I'll uproot you once I reach the summit. You fear me!"

"Hahaha!"

Chen Fan laughed wildly, swinging his Meteorite Iron Blade to cleave through all obstacles before him, then sprinted towards the peak of Black Mountain!

Halfway up the mountain, countless humanoid tree demons formed from black branches and roots, along with various other demons and devils, appeared before Chen Fan and lunged at him!

"Get out of my way, all of you!"

Chen Fan infused his Blood Sha Qi into the Meteorite Iron Blade, unleashing the Heaven and Earth One Blade Slash. He condensed his blade intent and struck again and again. Terrifying blade energy swept in all directions, shattering mountains and rivers wherever it passed. The myriad demons and devils woven together were all annihilated!

Chen Fan, holding his blade, walked step by step towards the summit. He didn't know how long he had been fighting, nor how many demons and devils formed from Lord Willow's roots and branches he had slain.

His eyes were now bloodshot. He felt as though the number of these demons and devils was endless. Moreover, the closer he got to the peak, the stronger they became.

Now, Chen Fan felt like countless peak Divine Treasury Realm demons and devils were attacking him. Even as a Spirit Aperture Realm martial artist who had opened thirty-six acupoints, he was starting to feel overwhelmed.

He understood. Lord Willow's plan was to continuously deplete his stamina, and then strike him down when he was exhausted!

"Time is almost up. Once I completely turn the tens of thousands of people in Ping'an County into my nourishment, my strength will greatly increase. Killing you then will be effortless!"

Lord Willow, looking down from above, revealed an ancient face on its trunk. It gazed at Chen Fan, who was fighting relentlessly below, a cold smile on its face.

"Time is running out!"

"There's not much time left for me!"

"Damn it!"

It wasn't just Lord Willow who knew time was running out; Chen Fan also knew Lord Willow's time was limited.

His primary objective was not to kill Lord Willow, but to rescue the tens of thousands of citizens in Ping'an County.

If all the people of Ping'an County died, what would be the point even if he eventually killed Lord Willow?

Ping'an County City.

Black willow branches continuously spread, approaching the people. Huang Chengyue and the other Jinyiwei, along with the yamen runners and constables of the County Yamen, including the county soldiers' captains, organized all their remaining strength, raising their weapons to chop down the encroaching black willow branches.

By the time these black willow branches reached here, their power had greatly diminished. Although being entangled by them was still life-threatening, an ordinary adult with a weapon could completely sever these tough yet flexible branches!

Meanwhile, Lu Xuenning sat cross-legged on the roof of the Ping'an County Yamen. Her longsword lay before her.

A wisp of sword energy permeated her surroundings. Any black willow branches that dared to approach her were instantly cut to pieces by this sword energy!

Furthermore, Huang Chengyue was guarding her. If she were to be entangled by the black willow branches, Huang Chengyue would immediately intervene and wake her from her cultivation.

"Those black willow branches are spreading towards us. What should we do?"

"Did Lord Chen Fan fail?"

"Mom, I don't want to die, sob sob."

"I'm so scared!"

"..."

The black willow branches relentlessly advanced towards the crowd. Although they were working together to chop down the encroaching branches, their speed couldn't match the rate at which the branches spread.

Panic and sorrow rippled through the crowd.

"What is Sword Heart Illuminates?"

"Master said Sword Heart Illuminates is when swordsmanship reaches a certain realm, the heart becomes clear and transparent, allowing one to perceive the profound mysteries and essence of swordsmanship. It's a high-level state of the Way of the Sword."

"Sword Heart Illuminates means not being deluded by anything, understanding all things, knowing fortune and misfortune. As the saying goes, 'Proving the Way with the Sword, the Heart is Clear, walking the world with a righteous spirit!'"

"I have a Sword Heart, long sealed by dust. When will the dust clear and light emerge, illuminating ten thousand miles of mountains and rivers!"

"Today, I achieve Sword Heart Illuminates!"

Lu Xuenning let out a sharp cry. Sword-shaped imprints burst forth from her eyes, and her body was engulfed in a surge of sword energy. The acupoints within her body opened with a crackling sound, like popping beans!

She circulated the cultivation technique her master had taught her, guiding the world's vital energy into her acupoints. It flowed through the meridians and channels, then converged in her dantian!

Her dantian vibrated slightly, and a wisp of pure True Qi was born, rapidly growing stronger!

Lu Xuenning sat cross-legged on the roof of the County Yamen. At this moment, the black willow branches had already spread in large swathes before her.

With a single thought, the thirty-six acupoints around her body flickered like thirty-six stars.

Streams of terrifying True Qi poured out of her body, transforming into peerless sword energy that completely shattered the black willow branches!

Immediately after, she stood up. Using her acupoints to communicate with the world's vital energy, an infinite torrent of sword energy erupted, severing all the black willow branches within a radius of several miles!

"Success!"

"Xuenning has comprehended Sword Heart Illuminates and entered the Spirit Aperture Realm!"

"Brother Lu Fang, Old Huang hasn't failed your trust. I've cultivated our daughter into someone capable!"

Huang Chengyue watched the radiant Lu Xuenning, tears streaming down his face!