Ancient Gate Sword Patterns: Broken Stele Hides Secrets

The lingering aftermath of the flood dragon's departure hadn't yet dissipated, and the pale red miasma outside the volcanic cave still trembled faintly. Steward Wang leaned on a nearby ancient tree, wiping the blood from his lips. He gazed at the six-colored light around Ling Yun, which hadn't completely receded, his eyes filled with even greater astonishment. "Awakening dual-attribute Sword Intent at the early stage of the Great Swordsman Realm, and even taming the flood dragon's energy... such talent, even the founder of the Flowing Cloud Sword Sect back then might not have matched it."

The other two core disciples had long since shed their earlier disdain, their gazes towards Ling Yun filled with reverence. Just moments ago, a single tail whip from the flood dragon had sent their fellow disciples flying, yet Ling Yun had managed to break through its defenses head-on and even used the Dragon Pill to break through himself. Such strength far surpassed his peers.

"The aura from the depths of the secret realm... it's getting stronger." Murong Shuang's grip on the Green Peak Sword tightened slightly. Her Wind Spirit Physique made her exceptionally sensitive to energy fluctuations. "Within that ancient Sword Intent, there's a trace of faint ferocity. It doesn't feel like the kind that belongs to righteous Sword Cultivators."

"Let's go take a look." Ling Yun sheathed the Sky-Rending Sword. The six-colored Sword Intent bead in his dantian slowly circulated, the fiery red of the fire attribute intertwining with the colors of wind, gold, and earth, forming a stable cycle. "Sword Elder said there might be something more important than the Dragon Origin Fruit hidden there. Besides, the secret realm's rule is 'serious injury results in teleportation,' so even if we encounter danger, there's a way out."

Steward Wang pondered for a moment, then finally nodded. "Very well. But we must proceed in formation. I will use my Wood Element Sword Intent to sense our surroundings, Murong Shuang, you will control the wind to scout ahead, and Ling Yun, you will bring up the rear. If anything seems amiss, we retreat immediately."

The group immediately formed a triangular formation. Steward Wang released a pale green "Wood Spirit Sensing" in front, dispelling the miasma within ten feet to create a path. Murong Shuang condensed wind blades and shot them towards the ground every few dozen feet, judging the terrain by the force of the ricocheting blades. Ling Yun walked at the very back, his Chaos Sword Body quietly operating. The faint halo around him not only defended against residual fire poison but also absorbed the trace amounts of fire energy scattered in the air, nourishing his newly awakened fire-attribute Sword Intent.

They had only traveled about five miles when the volcanic rock on the ground became increasingly dense, with scorching air currents occasionally erupting from the crevices. Suddenly, when Murong Shuang's wind blade shot towards the miasma on the right, it was blocked by an invisible force and sent back. As the wind blade struck the volcanic rock, splashing sparks, three crimson figures darted out from the rock crevices—they were three Molten Fire Lizards, each about ten feet long. Their scales were a dark red like molten lava, and they spat tongues of flame a foot long from their mouths. Their claws left shallow scorch marks on the ground as they moved.

"They're Molten Fire Lizards, fire-attribute demonic beasts! Their scales can resist mid-level sword techniques!" Steward Wang immediately activated his Wood Element Sword Intent, and two vines emerged from the ground, wrapping around the foremost lizard. "Their weakness is their eyes, and they are fast, so be careful of ambushes!"

Before he could finish speaking, the Molten Fire Lizard on the left suddenly accelerated, its fiery tongue shooting directly towards the face of a core disciple. The disciple hastily swung his sword to block, but his sword clashed with the flames, emitting smoke and causing his arm to go numb. Just as the lizard's claws were about to strike his chest, a crimson sword energy pierced through the air, accurately targeting the lizard's left eye—it was Ling Yun's fire-attribute Sword Intent.

"Pfft!" The fire sword energy pierced the lizard's eye, and the demonic beast let out a pained hiss, its body writhing violently. Ling Yun flashed forward, the Sky-Rending Sword simultaneously condensing gold and fire attribute Sword Intent. The blade glowed with intermingling gold and red light. The "Gold-Fire Armor-Piercing Slash" descended, its golden sword energy cutting through the lizard's tough scales, while the crimson sword energy surged into the wound, instantly detonating the fire energy within its body.

"Boom!" The Molten Fire Lizard's corpse turned into a wisp of crimson flame in the explosion, merging with the miasma. On the other side, Murong Shuang had also found an opening. Her wind-attribute Sword Intent condensed into "Wind Silk," as fine as a hair, which bypassed the flames and wrapped around the lizard's eyes. Once its vision was obstructed, her Green Peak Sword pierced its throat, cleanly dispatching the second lizard. The last lizard, seeing its companions brutally slain, turned to flee but was ensnared by Steward Wang's vines. Ling Yun followed up with an Earth Element Sword Intent, stunning it before piercing its skull with a sword.

"This fire-attribute Sword Intent is quite effective against these types of demonic beasts." Murong Shuang looked at the residual crimson dots on Ling Yun's sword, her tone carrying a hint of approval. "When dealing with the flood dragon earlier, you couldn't fully control it. Now you can even fuse it with gold-attribute Sword Intent. Your progress is quite rapid."

Ling Yun nodded slightly, saying nothing more. The reason he could quickly control the fire-attribute Sword Intent, besides the compatibility of his Chaos Sword Body, was also due to Sword Elder's guidance from the shadows. He combined the fire-attribute Sword Intent with the basic sword techniques from the Qiankun Sword Canon to create the "Gold-Fire Armor-Piercing Slash."

After traveling another ten miles or so, the miasma ahead suddenly thinned, and an ancient stone gate, about thirty feet high, appeared before them. The gate was made of a dark, unknown stone, its surface covered in twisted sword patterns that emitted a faint silver glow, as if containing some kind of rhythm. On either side of the gate stood a pair of broken statues of Sword Cultivators. The swords in their hands had long since rusted, yet they still exuded a sharp Sword Intent that deterred direct gazes.

"Is this the entrance to the Ancient Sword Cultivator Ruins?" a core disciple couldn't help but step forward. The moment his finger touched a sword pattern on the stone gate, he was repelled by an invisible force, and his wrist was instantly covered in fine bloody marks. "Such powerful Sword Intent! These sword patterns... they seem alive!"

Steward Wang quickly pulled him back, his expression solemn. "Don't touch it! These sword patterns are an ancient restriction. If triggered, it might attract something even more dangerous. Ling Yun, your Chaos Sword Body can sense Sword Intent fluctuations. Can you try?"

Ling Yun stepped forward and placed his palm close to the stone gate. The moment his Chaos Sword Body activated, the sword patterns on the gate lit up, and silver light surged into his body through his palm. Sword Elder in his dantian suddenly exclaimed, "It's the 'Primordial Sword Pattern'! This is a restriction from the lineage of the Ancient Sword God! Ling Yun, inject your fire-attribute Sword Intent. This sword pattern needs energy of the corresponding attribute to activate, and the Dragon Pill energy you just absorbed is of the same origin as the sword pattern!"

Ling Yun immediately complied, injecting his crimson fire-attribute Sword Intent into the stone gate through his palm. The silver light within the sword patterns met the crimson Sword Intent, instantly erupting in a dazzling glow. The twisted sword patterns began to slowly flow, as if rearranging into some kind of pattern. A moment later, the sword patterns on the gate formed the image of a flaming sword. A crack appeared in the center of the pattern, followed by a rumbling sound as the stone gate slowly opened to the sides.

Beyond the gate was not the expected passageway, but a spacious stone chamber. The floor was paved with blue stone slabs inscribed with sword technique trajectories. The surrounding walls were adorned with murals—in the murals, a white-robed Sword Cultivator wielded a long sword, battling countless monsters wreathed in demonic energy. In the end, the Sword Cultivator split the sky with a single sword strike but perished from exhaustion, hiding a sword-shaped jade pendant underground before his death.

In the center of the stone chamber stood a broken stone stele, its surface inscribed with blurred characters. As Ling Yun approached, his Chaos Sword Body once again sensed energy fluctuations, and the characters on the stele gradually became clear: "In the first year of Primordial, demons descended upon the world. I proved my Dao with my sword and guarded this secret realm. However, demonic energy corrupted my heart, and I feared falling into the demonic path. Thus, I sealed my remnant soul within this stele, awaiting a destined person to inherit my Sword Intent and vanquish the demons, upholding righteousness..."

"It's the remnant soul of an Ancient Sword Cultivator!" Sword Elder's voice was filled with excitement. "Ling Yun, this stone stele contains his remnant soul and Sword Intent inheritance! Absorb it with your Chaos Sword Body. Not only will it stabilize your fire-attribute Sword Intent, but you will also learn ancient sword techniques!"

Just as Ling Yun was about to reach out and touch the stone stele, the stone chamber suddenly shook violently. Cracks appeared on the walls on both sides, and countless "Demon Shadow Swords" emitting black light flew out from the cracks, aiming directly at them. Steward Wang's expression changed drastically, and he immediately activated his Wood Element Sword Intent to form a barrier. "It's a restriction! This stone stele is a trap. Once triggered, it will attract the Demon Shadow Swords!"

The Demon Shadow Swords were extremely fast and could penetrate ordinary Sword Intent barriers. Before Murong Shuang's wind-attribute Sword Intent could block three of them, two had already bypassed the barrier and shot towards the injured core disciple. Ling Yun reacted quickly, the Sky-Rending Sword unleashing a six-colored sword energy that shattered the Demon Shadow Swords. He simultaneously shouted to the others, "Retreat to the stone gate! These Demon Shadow Swords are controlled by the stone stele. Once we leave the stone chamber, the restriction will lose effect!"

Everyone hastily retreated, but the Demon Shadow Swords surged out like a tide, growing stronger. Ling Yun remained at the rear. The moment his Clear Sword Heart activated, he saw the trajectory of the Demon Shadow Swords—all of them originated from a black sword pattern on the stone stele. As long as that sword pattern was destroyed, the restriction would stop.

"Murong Shuang, help me contain them!" Ling Yun roared. The six-colored Sword Intent around him surged. His gold and earth attribute Sword Intent condensed into a barrier, blocking the incoming Demon Shadow Swords. Murong Shuang understood and condensed her wind-attribute Sword Intent into a "Wind Domain," diverting most of the Demon Shadow Swords to the sides. Ling Yun seized the opportunity, leaping forward. The Sky-Rending Sword condensed fire and wind attribute Sword Intent. The "Wind-Fire Meteor Sword" shot out, its crimson flames and cyan wind blades intertwining into a meteor that accurately struck the black sword pattern on the stone stele.

"Crack!" The black sword pattern shattered, and the Demon Shadow Swords instantly lost their energy, dissipating into black smoke. The shaking of the stone chamber stopped, and the characters on the stone stele became blurred again. However, a pale white light spot flew out from the stele and merged into Ling Yun's glabella.

"This is... the Remnant Soul Imprint of an Ancient Sword Cultivator!" Sword Elder's voice was filled with joy. "It contains his renowned sword technique, 'Primordial Slash,' and clues about the Spirit Realm's Myriad Sword Cave! Ling Yun, you've truly struck gold this time!"

Ling Yun felt the imprint on his glabella. The fire-attribute Sword Intent in his dantian became even more stable, and the circulation of the six-colored Sword Intent bead became smoother. He looked up towards the depths of the stone chamber. On the wall there was a hidden secret door, emitting a faint golden light, clearly indicating further secrets within.

"Do we... continue?" The core disciple was still shaken, the Demon Shadow Swords just moments ago had nearly caused him serious injury. Steward Wang looked at Ling Yun, his eyes questioning.

Ling Yun gripped the Sky-Rending Sword. The fire and silver patterns on the blade intertwined, exuding a sharp aura. "The golden light behind the secret door doesn't carry any ferocity. Instead, there's a pure Sword Intent fluctuation. Since we're here, let's go take a look."

Murong Shuang nodded in agreement. "The secret realm closes in two days. Returning now would be a waste. With Ling Yun here, even if we encounter danger, we can handle it."

Steward Wang no longer hesitated and walked towards the secret door. Ling Yun and Murong Shuang followed closely. The two core disciples exchanged glances, then gritted their teeth and followed suit. The secret door slowly opened, revealing not the expected treasure, but a small Sword Tomb. In the center of the Sword Tomb stood an ancient sword emitting a silver glow, inscribed with two ancient characters—"Primordial."

The moment Ling Yun's gaze fell upon the ancient sword, the Sky-Rending Sword in his dantian suddenly trembled. The ancient patterns on its blade resonated with the sword patterns on the ancient sword, and a pale golden light flew out from the ancient sword, merging into the Sky-Rending Sword