The storm in the space rift was more violent than Ling Yun expected. The cyan teleportation protective barrier constantly trembled in the distorted spatial airflow, cracks spreading like spiderwebs. Su Qingyuan's figure flickered in and out of view at the other end of the storm, the wood-element spiritual light in her hand frantically stretching toward Ling Yun's side, yet it was cut apart by a suddenly erupting spatial turbulence.
Ling Yun! Su Qingyuan's shout was swallowed by the storm, leaving only pale-green fragments of spiritual light dissipating within the turbulence.
Ling Yun reached out, wanting to catch that wispy light, but the Sky-Rending Sword suddenly emitted a harsh hum—the silver-red patterns on the sword body instantly dimmed, and a fine crack actually appeared upon the blade. The demonic essence and Sword Soul Origin absorbed earlier violently collided within the storm, adding insult to injury for the sword body already bearing the stress of traversing space.
Careful! The spatial turbulence will tear apart your protective Sword Intent! Sword Elder's voice rang out hurriedly in the dantian, the illusory sword shadow unfolding defensive maneuvers within the sea of Qi. Wrap your entire body with the Chaos Sword Body, abandon the teleportation protective barrier, and drop following the direction of the turbulence; perhaps there is still a sliver of a chance for survival!
Without hesitation, Ling Yun immediately dispersed the teleportation protective barrier. The sea of Chaos Qi surged from his dantian, condensing a pale-gray protective cover around his entire body. The spatial turbulence swept across the shield like sharp blades, leaving behind deep marks. He only felt his internal organs churning as his consciousness gradually blurred. At the very last moment before losing consciousness, the tip of the Sky-Rending Sword pointed toward a direction glowing with an earthy-yellow halo—that was the coordinate of the Spirit Realm Southern Domain.
Not knowing how much time had passed, Ling Yun awoke amidst a bone-chilling coldness. He lay upon a desolate gobi desert, the sky an eerie dark red, the rocks upon the ground exuding a faint demonic aura, while occasionally a few twisted black vegetation shoots poked out from the crevices of the stones, emitting a nauseating stench.
"This place is the Spirit Realm Southern Domain wasteland..." Proppping himself up against the ground, Ling Yun sat up, feeling soreness all over his body. The six-element Sword Intent pearls within his dantian operated sluggishly, and his recently breakthrough late-stage Great Swordsman Realm cultivation had actually dropped by a fraction. Lowering his head, he looked at the Sky-Rending Sword at his waist. The cracks on the blade were more obvious than before, the silver-red patterns almost completely faded, leaving only a dullness akin to ordinary iron—the demon-devouring trait of the sword body had temporarily failed.
"The origin of the Sky-Rending Sword is damaged; it requires the Sword Soul Origin of the Spirit Realm to repair it." Sword Elder's voice carried exhaustion. "The Myriad Sword Cave in the Spirit Realm Southern Domain is the place where the Sword Soul Origin is most concentrated, but that place is still a thousand miles away from here, and the route along the way is filled with demonized fierce beasts and branch strongholds of the Blood Fiend Hall."
Just as Ling Yun wanted to respond, a low wolf howl suddenly reached his ears. Raising his head to look, he saw over a dozen black figures appear in the distance of the gobi desert. Their bodies were the size of horses, their fur covered in dark-red demonic markings, and their dual eyes glowing with bloodthirsty red light—they were precisely the demonized fierce beasts common to the Spirit Realm Southern Domain, Demonic Pattern Wolves. Every single one possessed the strength of the late-stage Swordsman Realm, and the aura of the wolf king leading them reached even the early-stage Great Swordsman Realm.
The pack of Demonic Pattern Wolves quickly surrounded him. The leading wolf king violently lunged toward Ling Yun, its sharp claws carrying demonic aura, aiming straight for his chest. Sidestepping to evade, Ling Yun simultaneously drew the Sky-Rending Sword, Gold Element Sword Intent condensing at the tip of the blade—without the blessing of the demon-devouring trait, he could only rely on pure Sword Intent to combat the demonic aura.
"Screech!" The blade grazed the wolf king's fur, yet it left behind only a shallow mark. The fur of the Demonic Pattern Wolves had been tempered by demonic aura, rendering it several times tougher than the fierce beasts of the Mortal Realm. Feeling the pain, the wolf king let out an angry roar, and the other Demonic Pattern Wolves launched attacks simultaneously, their demonic aura condensing into claw images that completely sealed off Ling Yun's retreat routes.
Circulating the Chaos Sword Body, Ling Yun infused the remaining fire and earth element Sword Intents into the sword body, forming the Simplified Five Elements Demon Devouring Slash. Although the black-gold Sword Qi was not as dense as before, it still carried the Sword Soul Origin of the Sword Mound Mountain, cleaving apart the three frontmost claw images with a single sword stroke and smoothly slashing toward the wolf king's neck.
A trace of panic flashed through the wolf king's eyes. Wanting to retreat, its limbs were instead entangled by Ling Yun's Wind Element Sword Intent. "Clang!" The Sky-Rending Sword struck the wolf king's neck, and the gold and fire element Sword Intents finally pierced through the demonic aura defense, slaying the wolf king. The instant the wolf king's corpse collapsed to the ground, a wispy pitch-black demonic essence escaped from within its body. Subconsciously operating the Chaos Sword Body, Ling Yun drew the demonic essence into his dantian—this wispy demonic essence unexpectedly proved even purer than the demonic aura of the Mortal Realm, instantly alleviating the sluggish sensation within his body.
"Although the demonic essence of the Spirit Realm is perilous, it can accelerate the recovery of the Chaos Sword Body." Sword Elder's voice rang out once more. "However, you must mind your control; if you absorb too much, the demonic aura will erode your sword soul."
Nodding, Ling Yun turned to look at the remaining Demonic Pattern Wolves. Deprived of their wolf king, the pack instantly plunged into utter chaos. Seizing the opportunity, Ling Yun swung the Sky-Rending Sword consecutively. With each Demonic Pattern Wolf he slew, he absorbed a wisp of demonic essence, the Sword Intent pearls inside his dantian gradually restoring their vitality while his dropped cultivation slowly recovered as well.
Just as he slew the final Demonic Pattern Wolf, the sound of hurried hoofbeats suddenly traveled from afar. Griping the Sky-Rending Sword vigilantly, Ling Yun saw a squad of cultivators clad in silver armor approach while riding unicorns. Carved upon their armor was the character "Sword," and the longswords in their hands emanated the radiance of righteous Sword Intent—they were precisely the patrol team of the Spirit Realm righteous faction alliance, the Sword Alliance.
The leading cultivator was a middle-aged man with a resolute visage and a cultivation reaching the early-stage Sword Master Realm. Catching sight of the Demonic Pattern Wolf corpses by Ling Yun's side, and then observing the Sky-Rending Sword in his hand, a trace of astonishment flashed across his eyes. "You are a cultivator from the Mortal Realm? This sword... seems to possess the aura of ancient sword cultivators."
Exhaling a breath of relief, Ling Yun put away the Sky-Rending Sword, cupped his fists, and said, "This humble one is Ling Yun, hailing from the Mortal Realm Qingyun Region. Entering the Spirit Realm through the Inter-Regional Sword Convention's teleportation token, I unfortunately encountered a spatial storm, became separated from my companions, and plummeted to this place."
Leaping down from his unicorn, the middle-aged man meticulously sized Ling Yun up. Sensing the Chaos Sword Body within him, the astonishment in his eyes grew even heavier. "Chaos Sword Body? I never expected the Mortal Realm to still possess such a special physique. I am Lin Yue, captain of the Sword Alliance Southern Domain patrol team, responsible for clearing out the wasteland's demonized fierce beasts. Since you are a righteous cultivator who has met with an accident, why not accompany us back to the Sword Alliance headquarters? There, it might help you find your companions and likewise repair your sword."
Joy stirred within Ling Yun's heart; the Sword Alliance headquarters was precisely his subsequent objective. Nodding, he said, "Many thanks, Captain Lin. Ling Yun is endlessly grateful."
Lin Yue laughed, patting him on the shoulder. "The Sword Alliance was originally built to safeguard the righteousness of the Spirit Realm, so no need for courtesy. However, you must prepare yourself; the Southern Domain has not been peaceful lately, and branch strongholds of the Blood Fiend Hall are active frequently. On our way back, I fear we will still encounter demonic cultivators."
Gripping the Sky-Rending Sword at his waist, Ling Yun felt a trace of firmness flash in his eyes. "As long as I can locate my companions and repair the sword body, trifling demonic cultivators are nothing to fear."
The setting sun sank westward, staining the dark-red sky with a layer of golden radiance. Following the Sword Alliance patrol team, Ling Yun rode a unicorn and galloped away in the direction of the Sword Alliance headquarters. Though the Sky-Rending Sword remained dim, it gently vibrated beside his dantian, as if anticipating the nourishment of the Spirit Realm's Sword Soul Origin—the contention of the Spirit Realm had officially unfolded at the very moment he set foot upon this land.
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