The Sword Unsheathing Stone

Cult Master.

Existences in the Void Dao Realm are capable of merging with the Dao and touching the Great Path. Even in the Three Thousand Provinces of the Upper Realm, such beings are titans, powerful enough to shake several provinces and establish an immortal orthodoxy.

Yet, such titans have fallen here, and not just one.

Just how tragic was the Ancient Battlefield?

Su Ye felt that what he knew was likely not even a drop in the ocean compared to this world. He asked, "Could it be that those titans didn't die completely?"

Fairy Menglian, a True God, had not truly perished, and God Emperor Qimu still had his primordial spirit intact. It stood to reason that those Cult Master-level existences might not be fully dead either, especially since this world was saturated with rich divine substances and spiritual energy, making it difficult to perish.

"I do not know."

Fairy Menglian shook her head gently and said, "Such existences are indeed difficult to erase completely. However, even if they haven't completely vanished, they are likely nothing more than remnant souls now; otherwise, they would inevitably be rejected by this world."

Although the Eight Lower Realms and the Three Thousand Provinces of the Upper Realm belong to the same grand world, both have their own independent Heavenly Dao rules and order.

The Eight Lower Realms, in particular, are small worlds that possess a great repulsion toward powerhouses above the ignition of divine fire from the Three Thousand Provinces of the Upper Realm. Forcibly stepping foot here would result in being obliterated.

Just as the Hundred Broken Mountains do not allow powerful existences from the Desolate Region to enter, the creatures within the Hundred Broken Mountains remain unaffected.

This is why the God Emperor hides within the Totem Pillar and dares not emerge. It is not that he is trapped in the River of Time, but rather that even if he is only a remnant primordial spirit, he is still the spirit of a Heavenly God, suppressed by the rules of the Desolate Region.

As for the Willow Deity, that is because the current Willow Deity is not the one from the past, but one reborn through nirvana. She lacks her original cultivation, and the Willow Deity had just undergone a baptism of thunder and fire upon descending to the lower realm.

The Mist Mountains here are quite special; they are an Ancient Battlefield. Although they have not formed a small world like the Hundred Broken Mountains, the rules are chaotic, which is why they can barely descend by borrowing the power of faith.

"The depths are very strange; do not wander blindly."

Fairy Menglian warned. She is a creature of the lower realm and would not be obliterated by its rules, but she is currently very weak. If she were to encounter the remnant souls of those titans, she would be unable to cope.

"I understand."

Su Ye said, his figure turning illusory before vanishing.

Outside.

Su Ye opened his eyes, runes swirling within his pupils as if evolving a world. He looked around; the mist was thick, and within it stood collapsed ancient structures.

"Dead dog, where are we? Why do I feel like you aren't walking out, but walking deeper in?"

Su Ye hurriedly made the Big Gold Dog stop. He felt increasingly that something was wrong; this place seemed even more bizarre than before.

"I don't know."

The Big Gold Dog said, looking around with a confused expression. It had been walking with its back to the Mist Immortal Mountain the whole time, and yet, as it walked, it had ended up here.

"Go left."

Su Ye felt a pang of regret. When his consciousness had entered the Totem Pillar earlier, he should have made this dead dog stop. Now, he wouldn't have been led into this eerie place.

Sword Unsheathing Stone.

Man and dog arrived before a giant boulder nine zhang tall. Carved upon it were the three archaic characters for "Sword Unsheathing Stone." These three characters exuded a sharp aura; looking at them, it felt as if countless sword rays were lunging toward him.

"Sword Unsheathing Stone."

Su Ye fixed his gaze on the massive stele. Looking at those characters, he could see they contained a powerful sword dao rhyme. Even after countless years, the rhyme had not dissipated, which meant the person who carved these words must have been immensely powerful.

Runes swirled in his eyes, and the three characters seemed to come alive. Radiance permeated the air, and runes danced, manifesting a domain of swords.

Su Ye's body radiated light, runes manifesting around him as sword light condensed and sword qi crisscrossed.

"Awoo..."

The Big Gold Dog let out a miserable howl. Golden light erupted from its body, blasting Su Ye away. It glared at him, baring its teeth.

Su Ye snapped out of his enlightenment, looking at the blood-stained back of the Big Gold Dog. He felt rather awkward; he had been so focused on comprehending the sword dao rhyme that he had forgotten he was sitting on the Big Gold Dog.

"Sorry, my fault."

Su Ye apologized. Light emerged in his hand, and a willow branch appeared. He directed it toward the Big Gold Dog, pouring rich life force into its body, causing the bloody wounds to heal rapidly.

Hearing Su Ye's apology, the Big Gold Dog's expression softened slightly; otherwise, it would have been determined to fight him to the death right there.

Su Ye approached the massive stele to comprehend it at close range. The stele was made of ordinary stone, not rare ore, but having been nourished for years by the three characters containing such powerful sword dao rhyme, the stone was no longer mundane.

Rumble.

Su Ye embraced the massive stele, and the earth groaned. Huge cracks appeared, and he pulled the stele directly from the ground. Behind him, the void roared as a Heavenly Passage manifested, filled with auspicious mist.

The Heavenly Passage shone brightly, runes flying and transforming into an ocean of symbols that enveloped the giant stele, slowly drawing it inside.

The Big Gold Dog was horrified to see Su Ye actually store the stele within his Heavenly Passage.

Although a Heavenly Passage is indeed a small world capable of storing treasures and nourishing techniques, this small world is very fragile. Especially since the other party had only just opened his Heavenly Passage, he was actually stuffing such a giant boulder inside—was he not afraid of bursting it?

"Hoo."

Su Ye exhaled a breath of turbid air, his face pale. Storing the Sword Unsheathing Stone in his Heavenly Passage consumed a great deal of his mental energy and nearly caused his Heavenly Passage to collapse, but it was worth it.

This Sword Unsheathing Stone must have been inscribed by a powerful sword cultivator, containing their sword dao. By comprehending it in the future, he would definitely be able to derive a powerful sword dao technique, and the stone itself was a formidable magic treasure.

"Let's go."

A smile appeared on Su Ye's face. He took the Big Gold Dog and continued walking forward. As for whether there was danger here, he didn't care much anymore; he wanted to explore deeper to see if he could find even greater rewards.

The Big Gold Dog's eyes widened as it realized that ordinary stones could never be stored within a Heavenly Passage; even standard magical artifacts struggled to be contained, lest they be pulverized by the chaotic energies within. Only truly powerful artifacts were typically capable of being stored in such a space.

Since this stone tablet could be stored in a Heavenly Passage, it was clearly no ordinary rock, but a supreme treasure.

Had it really let a supreme treasure slip through its paws?

The Big Gold Dog felt a pang of regret at having missed out on such a prize. Its eyes darted around before it began trotting forward on all fours; since the Sword Unsheathing Stone was here, this was likely the site of an ancient sword sect, and there might be other treasures waiting ahead.

As for danger?

They hadn't encountered a single threat along the way, so it stood to reason that this was merely a desolate expanse, devoid of any peril.

Su Ye watched the Big Gold Dog gallop ahead with reckless abandon and felt speechless, though he said nothing. The place was eerie, and having this fellow scout the path ahead certainly put his mind at ease.