Li Cang looked at his own withered left hand. The flesh, tendons, and bones within had all decayed away; it now possessed only an outward shell. The vitality inside had in truth been severed by that crescent moon-like Sword Qi.
He knew perfectly well what he was facing.
A sword formation.
And one of the Sword Palace's most renowned formations at that—the Jade Splendor Kun Peak Sword Formation, a name personally bestowed by the Sword Palace Lord.
It carried the meaning of moonlight shining upon the Kun Ridge, high shores stretching without bound.
This formation had been devised by Sword Immortal Bai Chuan of the Sword Palace when he attained the fruition of a Sword Immortal, using Sword Intent to imitate Moonlight Essence. The Palace Lord had once praised it, saying that this sword formation cut across the nine methods and blazed a new trail for Sword Cultivation.
Li Cang was not skilled in sword formations, nor did he hold any interest in them, but he knew that this formation held an exalted position within the Sword Palace and was exceedingly difficult to master. Unless one possessed Void Step cultivation, there was simply no way to wield it.
For such a sword formation to appear here in the Central Land, there could be only one explanation.
The Ghost Cultivator blocking their path here—or rather, the figure behind him—had to come from the East Sea Sword Palace.
"A man has things he ought to do and things he ought not to do. Since you are a senior of the Sword Palace, why make yourself a roadside bandit here? Are you not afraid of punishment from the palace?"
As the orthodox lineage of Sword Cultivation under heaven, the East Sea Sword Palace permitted freedom of entry and departure, valuing the principle of