,/.

Tang Duan was dead.

But the danger had not been lifted. If the enemy behind the scenes learned that he was still alive, they would definitely send someone to kill him again.

This time, it was Tang Duan, who was only at the mid-stage of the Mystic Sword Realm.

Next time, would they send someone from the Spirit Sword Realm?

They had offered a high price to recruit Sword God Mountain disciples to act, which showed that they either lacked the strength or did not wish to brazenly storm Sword God Mountain's Cliff of Reflection.

After all, to reach Cliff of Reflection, one had to pass through Sword God Mountain itself.

The strong figures of Sword God Mountain would most likely not allow outsiders into Cliff of Reflection.

"I have to raise my strength as soon as possible."

Su Fan felt a growing sense of urgency in his heart.

There were some people in Sword God Mountain whose aptitude was not particularly high, who had stagnated in the Spirit Sword Realm and could never advance another inch.

To obtain treasures that could help them break through, they would certainly be willing to kill a piece of trash like him!

Su Fan dragged Tang Duan's corpse to the edge of Cliff of Reflection and tossed it straight down.

The corpse vanished into the clouds and mist in an instant.

Not even the faintest echo could be heard.

As for Tang Duan's sword, Su Fan did not take it.

Sword God Mountain's sword cultivation system was unique. A condensed Mystic Sword could only display its power in its owner's hands.

It contained its owner's essence, energy, and spirit.

Once its owner died, the Mystic Sword's rank and power would immediately plummet.

Su Fan had already decided that he would cultivate only forbidden arts. He had no need for anyone else's sword!

After disposing of Tang Duan's corpse, Su Fan caught two fish from the spring pool to fill his stomach, then eagerly returned to the cave.

He opened the stone door at the back of the cave and entered the Forbidden Art Graveyard.

"Today, I can raise my talent again."

Su Fan was thrilled. His talent could be improved once more.

"Improve it for me!"

He circulated the Mend Talent technique, instantly burning away his lifespan.

In that instant, Su Fan felt his comprehension improve considerably.

"It only consumed thirty years of lifespan?"

Su Fan was disappointed again.

This time, burning his lifespan had consumed only thirty years, while his talent had improved by nearly double.

"After improving my talent twice, has my aptitude now reached that of an ordinary cultivator?"

Su Fan felt that although his talent had greatly improved once again, it still seemed far too poor.

He had merely risen from the bearing of trash to the bearing of an ordinary person.

"As my cultivation rises, Mend Talent will consume more lifespan, and the extent of its improvement will also weaken."

Su Fan wore an unsatisfied expression.

Every use of Mend Talent consumed far too little lifespan.

If possible, he wanted to consume a thousand years of lifespan in one go and see just how far it could raise his talent.

Would it compare to those heavenly geniuses?

After improving his talent, Su Fan looked toward the Forbidden Art Grave Forest, his face brimming with excitement.

"Next, it's time to cultivate forbidden arts and raise my strength."

He had already finished cultivating his first offensive forbidden art, Forbidden Art: Life-Sacrificing Sword. Killing enemies across realms was effortless.

He was fairly satisfied with it.

The only problem was that it did not burn lifespan quickly enough.

That limited the power of its eruption.

Su Fan swept his gaze over the Forbidden Technique Tombs. The Forbidden Art Tombstones deeper within were more ancient and taller.

That meant the forbidden arts within were more powerful!

Su Fan walked straight to a massive tomb.

The black tombstone was like a Demonic Sword.

Merely approaching it filled him with a sense of despair.

It was as if some peerless, terrifying evil lay buried within.

Rather than being alarmed, Su Fan was delighted, excitement appearing on his face.

"The forbidden art in this tomb must be incomparably powerful!"

The Moonlight Stone drew close to the tombstone.

"Forbidden art, Tomb of the Heaven-Shattering Sword!"

Heaven-Shattering Sword!

Just from its name alone, one could tell how powerful this forbidden art was.

"Heaven-Shattering Sword?"

Su Fan suddenly froze. He recalled a legend.

"Could this forbidden art be related to the Heaven-Shattering Sword God?"

The Heaven-Shattering Sword God!

He was a figure from ancient legend, said to shatter heaven with a single sword!

A peerless sword cultivator who had suppressed an entire era!

Su Fan was beside himself with excitement. If this forbidden art truly had something to do with the Heaven-Shattering Sword God, it would surely be extraordinarily powerful.

Several lines of small writing stood beneath the tombstone.

"Pain of Helplessness at Beloved's Death, and in despair, I burned my lifespan to create this art... Bound by the limits of lifespan, I could not unleash this art's full power..."

Su Fan was certain that this forbidden art, the Heaven-Shattering Sword, was the Heaven-Shattering Sword God's forbidden art!

"No wonder such a powerful sword path was lost. So it has to be performed by burning lifespan. Other than me, who could use it without restraint?"

Su Fan did not care how much lifespan a forbidden art would burn. He only cared whether it was powerful enough.

He opened the Tomb of the Heaven-Shattering Sword, and a three-foot jade coffin appeared before him.

Lines of small writing covered the coffin.

"Heaven-Shattering Sword, one sword shatters heaven; burn lifespan to awaken Heaven-Shattering Sword Intent... Even heaven and earth can be slain..."

Su Fan frowned slightly.

"Awaken Heaven-Shattering Sword Intent? Those capable of comprehending sword intent all possess considerable talent. Even if this forbidden art's requirements are lower, it still cannot be cultivated successfully in a short time."

The Heaven-Shattering Sword was immensely powerful, but Su Fan felt that with his current talent, he would likely need some time to cultivate it successfully.

Yet danger would not wait for him.

"Still, I improve my talent every day. I should be able to get started quickly."

He opened the jade coffin and took out the Heaven-Shattering Sword Jade Pendant.

He pressed it against his forehead.

In an instant!

Within his consciousness, a black sword appeared.

Terrifying sword intent coiled around the black sword. With one strike, it seemed as though heaven and earth themselves had been utterly slain!

After a long while.

Su Fan opened his eyes and let out a breath.

Shock filled his eyes!

What a powerful Heaven-Shattering Sword!

The more lifespan he burned, the greater its power!

That black sword was a sword formed from burning lifespan!

It was terrifying beyond measure!

The Heaven-Shattering Sword Intent was even more horrifying, as if heaven and earth themselves would weep beneath it!

"If I burn ten thousand years of lifespan to condense one sword, then even at the Mortal Sword Realm, killing an Emperor would not be impossible!"

An Emperor was already one of the foremost experts in the world today.

The Current Sword Master of Sword God Mountain was rumored to have condensed an Emperor Sword and was also the pillar holding Sword God Mountain aloft today!

But Su Fan also knew this.

With his mid-stage Mortal Sword Realm cultivation, the possibility of burning ten thousand years of lifespan to condense a single sword was slim.

Moreover, it would require a long time to prepare.

Besides, the lower one's cultivation, the weaker the power released by burning lifespan.

Ten thousand years of lifespan might seem like a great deal, but ten thousand years of lifespan from the Mortal Realm were not of high quality. They might not necessarily be enough to kill an Emperor!

"This forbidden art truly is powerful, but it isn't easy to cultivate."

Just as expected, with Su Fan's current talent, cultivating this forbidden art was not something he could accomplish in a day or two.

He placed the Heaven-Shattering Sword Jade Pendant back into the jade coffin and sealed the tomb.

Su Fan sat cross-legged on the ground and began comprehending the Heaven-Shattering Sword Forbidden Art!

Yet he could not find any clue for a long time.

"There are so many forbidden arts here. I should look around and see whether there are any powerful ones that are easier to learn. Staying alive for now is what matters most."

"If there's a forbidden art that can burn lifespan and directly raise cultivation, that would be even better!"

Su Fan rose to his feet and looked toward the other Forbidden Technique Tombs.

He desperately needed to raise his strength!