Spirit Realm Falls to Wasteland, Demonic Wolves Attack, Encounter Sword Alliance

The storm in the spatial rift was more violent than Ling Yun had anticipated. The cyan teleportation light shield vibrated incessantly amidst the distorted spatial air currents, cracks spreading like a spiderweb. Su Qingyuan's figure flickered in and out of view on the other side of the storm. The Wood Spirit Light in her hand desperately reached towards Ling Yun, only to be severed by a sudden burst of spatial turbulence.

"Ling Yun!" Su Qingyuan's cry was swallowed by the storm, leaving only fragments of pale green spirit light dissipating in the turbulence.

Ling Yun reached out as if to grasp that wisp of spirit light, but the Sky-Rending Sword suddenly let out a piercing hum—the silver-red patterns on the sword body instantly dimmed, and a faint crack appeared on the blade. The demonic essence and Sword Soul origin he had absorbed earlier clashed violently within the storm, exacerbating the stress on the sword body, which was already under pressure from traversing space.

"Be careful! The spatial turbulence will tear apart your protective Sword Intent!" Elder Sword's voice urgently echoed in his dantian, a phantom sword shadow unfolding a defense within his Qi Sea. "Envelop your entire body with the Chaos Sword Body, abandon the teleportation shield, and fall along the direction of the turbulence. Perhaps there's still a sliver of hope!"

Ling Yun didn't hesitate. He immediately dispersed the teleportation shield, and the Chaos Qi Sea surged from his dantian, forming a layer of pale gray protective barrier around him. The spatial turbulence, like sharp blades, slashed across the barrier, leaving deep marks. He felt his internal organs churning, his consciousness gradually blurring. In the last moment before he lost consciousness, he saw the tip of the Sky-Rending Sword pointing in a direction that glowed with a yellowish-brown halo—that was the coordinate of the Spirit Realm's Southern Region.

After an unknown period, Ling Yun awoke to a bone-chilling cold. He lay on a desolate Gobi Desert. The sky was a strange dark red, and the rocks on the ground exuded a faint demonic energy. Occasionally, a few twisted black plants pushed through the cracks in the stones, emitting a nauseating stench.

"So this is the Southern Region's wilderness... of the Spirit Realm..." Ling Yun pushed himself up, his body aching all over. The six-colored Sword Intent Bead in his dantian circulated sluggishly. His late-stage Great Swordsman Realm cultivation, which he had just broken through to, had fallen by nearly half. He looked down at the Sky-Rending Sword at his waist; the cracks on the blade were more obvious than before. The silver-red patterns had almost completely vanished, leaving only a dull, iron-like sheen—the demonic devouring property of the sword body was temporarily ineffective.

"The origin of the Sky-Rending Sword is damaged and requires the Sword Soul origin of the Spirit Realm to repair," Elder Sword's voice carried a hint of fatigue. "The 'Myriad Sword Cave' in the Southern Region of the Spirit Realm is the place with the most concentrated Sword Soul origin, but it's still a thousand miles from here, and the path is fraught with demonized beasts and branches of the Blood Fiend Hall."

Just as Ling Yun was about to respond, a low wolf howl suddenly reached his ears. He looked up and saw more than a dozen black figures in the distance of the Gobi Desert. They were horse-sized, their fur covered in dark red demonic patterns, their eyes glowing with bloodthirsty red light—these were the "Demonic Pattern Wolves," common demonized beasts in the Southern Region of the Spirit Realm. Each one possessed the strength of a late-stage Swordsman, and the wolf king leading them had an aura reaching the early-stage Great Swordsman Realm.

The pack of Demonic Pattern Wolves quickly surrounded them. The leading wolf king lunged fiercely at Ling Yun, its sharp claws carrying demonic energy, aiming straight for his chest. Ling Yun dodged to the side, simultaneously drawing the Sky-Rending Sword. Gold Element Sword Intent condensed at the tip of the blade—without the enhancement of the demonic devouring property, he could only rely on pure Sword Intent to counter the demonic energy.

"Chii!" The blade sliced across the wolf king's fur, but only left a shallow mark. The Demonic Pattern Wolf's fur had been tempered by demonic energy, making it several times tougher than the beasts of the mortal realm. The wolf king, in pain, let out a roar. The other Demonic Pattern Wolves attacked simultaneously, their demonic energy condensing into claw shadows that blocked all of Ling Yun's escape routes.

Ling Yun circulated the Chaos Sword Body, injecting his remaining Fire and Earth Element Sword Intents into the sword. A simplified version of the "Five Elements Demon Devouring Slash" took shape. Although the black-gold sword energy was not as potent as before, it still carried the Sword Soul origin of Sword Mound Mountain. With one slash, he cleaved through the claw shadows of the three wolves in front and continued towards the wolf king's neck.

A flicker of fear flashed in the wolf king's eyes as it tried to retreat, but Ling Yun's Wind Element Sword Intent ensnared its limbs. "Clang!" The Sky-Rending Sword struck the wolf king's neck. The Gold and Fire Sword Intents finally broke through the demonic energy defense, killing the wolf king. The moment the wolf king's corpse hit the ground, a wisp of pale black demonic essence escaped from its body. Ling Yun subconsciously circulated the Chaos Sword Body, absorbing the demonic essence into his dantian—this wisp of demonic essence was even purer than the demonic energy of the mortal realm, instantly alleviating the sluggishness in his body.

"The demonic essence of the Spirit Realm, though dangerous, can accelerate the recovery of the Chaos Sword Body," Elder Sword's voice sounded again. "But you must be careful to control it. If you absorb too much, your Sword Soul will be corrupted by demonic energy."

Ling Yun nodded and turned to face the remaining Demonic Pattern Wolves. The pack, having lost its leader, descended into chaos. Ling Yun seized the opportunity, his Sky-Rending Sword flashing repeatedly. With each Demonic Pattern Wolf he killed, he absorbed a wisp of demonic essence. The Sword Intent Bead in his dantian gradually regained its vitality, and his fallen cultivation slowly began to recover.

Just as he killed the last Demonic Pattern Wolf, hurried hoofbeats suddenly echoed from afar. Ling Yun gripped the Sky-Rending Sword vigilantly. A troop of cultivators in silver armor, riding unicorns, approached. Their armor was engraved with the character "Sword," and the long swords in their hands radiated the light of righteous Sword Intent—it was a patrol team from the Spirit Realm's righteous alliance, the "Sword Alliance."

The leader was a middle-aged man with a stern face and cultivation at the early-stage Sword Master Realm. He saw the Demonic Pattern Wolf corpses around Ling Yun and then looked at the Sky-Rending Sword in his hand, a hint of surprise in his eyes: "You're a cultivator from the mortal realm? This sword... it seems to possess the aura of an ancient sword cultivator."

Ling Yun breathed a sigh of relief, sheathed the Sky-Rending Sword, and cupped his fists: "I am Ling Yun, from the Qingyun Region of the mortal realm. I entered the Spirit Realm through a teleportation token from the Inter-Regional Sword Convention, but encountered a spatial storm, became separated from my companion, and fell here."

The middle-aged man dismounted his unicorn and carefully examined Ling Yun. Sensing the Chaos Sword Intent within him, his surprise deepened: "Chaos Sword Body? I didn't expect such a special physique to exist in the mortal realm. I am Lin Yue, captain of the Sword Alliance's Southern Region patrol team, responsible for clearing demonized beasts in the wilderness. Since you are a righteous cultivator and met with an accident, why not return with us to the Sword Alliance headquarters? They might be able to help you find your companion and repair your sword."

Ling Yun's heart leaped with joy; the Sword Alliance headquarters was his next destination. He nodded: "Thank you, Captain Lin. Ling Yun is deeply grateful."

Lin Yue smiled and patted his shoulder: "The Sword Alliance was built to protect the righteous path of the Spirit Realm, no need for politeness. However, you must be prepared. The Southern Region has been turbulent lately, with frequent activities from the Blood Fiend Hall's branches. We might encounter demonic cultivators on our way back."

Ling Yun gripped the Sky-Rending Sword at his waist, a hint of determination flashing in his eyes: "As long as I can find my companion and repair my sword, a few demonic cultivators are nothing to fear."

As the sun set, the dark red sky was painted with a golden glow. Ling Yun followed the Sword Alliance patrol team, riding a unicorn towards the Sword Alliance headquarters. Although the Sky-Rending Sword was still dim, it trembled gently beside his dantian, as if anticipating the nourishment of the Spirit Realm's Sword Soul origin—the struggle in the Spirit Realm had officially begun the moment he set foot on this land.