The Severed Green Peak

There were over a hundred people before Divine End Peak.

Xue Yongge, Junior Sister Yushan, and the other ordinary Sword-Washing Disciples had already returned to the streamside and were anxiously awaiting news, likely unable to sleep all night.

Whether out of courtesy or genuine curiosity, all the guests who had come to watch the ceremony had actually stayed.

The two princes from Chaoge City watched the two figures at the foot of the peak, undisguisable worry on their faces.

The little girl from the Hanging Bell Sect opened her eyes wide and said, "Now this is interesting."

The girls from the Water-Moon Convent and Qingrong Peak stood together, discussing something in low voices and occasionally looking toward the foot of the peak.

Qingrong Peak was the closest to Divine End Peak. A great carriage appeared and disappeared in the clouds between the peaks.

There were few people before Divine End Peak, but this sword inheritance, the first in many years, had drawn the attention of who knew how many people across the Nine Peaks.

Watching the two figures before the peak, Gu Han looked extremely grim, even grimmer than when Jing Jiu had beaten Gu Qing earlier.

Earlier, Zhao Layue had not responded to his concern, nor even glanced at him, yet now she walked shoulder to shoulder with Jing Jiu, speaking with him from time to time.

The sight displeased him greatly. That boy clung to his junior sister like a bedbug. Why would she pay him any attention?

Guo Nanshan patted his shoulder in consolation.

As they approached Divine End Peak, their surroundings grew quieter, and the atmosphere became stranger still.

A slender waterfall ran down a cliff just several hundred yards ahead, yet made no sound.

Night had fallen, and a slightly chilly mountain breeze stirred the treetops, still without any sound.

What exactly was going on?

Zhao Layue stood before the peak, watching these strange sights, and gradually understood the reason.

There was a sword formation within Divine End Peak. Its purpose was not to harm any intruders, but simply to sever.

This sword formation severed Divine End Peak's connection to heaven and earth, turning it into a truly forbidden peak.

At the same time, the countless strands of sword intent released by the formation were like gauze curtains, cutting the space within the peak into an unknown number of regions.

The sounds within the peak were confined to individual little spaces and could not be heard.

Divine End Peak could now be understood as a gemstone with countless cracks inside it. It still appeared to be a single whole, but had long since been cut apart.

Just as Yuan Qijing had said, even a master of the Sword Dao in the Wandering the Wilds Realm, capable of freely flying between places across the continent through Sword Control, could not advance a single step within Divine End Peak as it now stood.

Zhao Layue had only reached the perfection of the mind-bearing realm. How could she reach the summit?

Looking at her back, Jing Jiu also very much wanted to know the answer.

He knew better than anyone that this was something she could not do.

The night wind swept up a green leaf from the mountain path and carried it into the peak.

Without a sound, the green leaf was cut into more than a dozen fine strips, which then slowly drifted to the ground.

No wonder the forest floor on both sides of the path was covered in a thick carpet of shredded leaves. Green and yellow mingled together, making a beautiful sight.

Those shredded leaves must all have been fallen leaves cut apart by the sword formation, accumulating over three or four years. As for the trees, waterfalls, and strange rocks originally within the peak, they were unaffected. As long as they remained in their former positions and original forms, even a slight shift in position would not bring an attack from the sword formation.

Watching this, the people outside the peak grew somewhat nervous.

Liu S sui's small face was slightly pale, his fists clenched tight. Gu Han watched Zhao Layue with great worry in his eyes.

Zhao Layue studied the mountain path before her for a long time, as though she wanted to see through Divine End Peak's secrets.

There was a gap between the bluestones. That was the dividing line between the inside and outside of Divine End Peak.

Suddenly, she closed her eyes and stepped across that line.

With a faint hiss, a slit appeared in her sleeve, looking as though it had been cut by the sharpest flying sword.

After crossing that line, she took three steps to the left with her eyes closed, then strangely retreated two steps, shifting her feet slightly.

A corner of her robe drifted down, but there was no sound, because she had already entered the peak.

"Ah, what's going on?" the little girl from the Hanging Bell Sect exclaimed in surprise.

Her martial uncle and many others understood.

Since sight and hearing could not determine where the sword intent was or find the sword formation's patterns, Zhao Layue simply closed her eyes and used only her Sword Sense to perceive the sword intent.

This was, of course, extremely risky.

Jing Jiu moved as well.

His movements were slow and looked somewhat awkward.

Because he was copying Zhao Layue's movements.

He broke her movements down, then put them back together with incomparable precision.

He lifted his knee, stepped across the line between the bluestones, then turned left-one step, two steps, three steps-and retreated again, one step, two steps.

While making these movements, he made two slight adjustments, safely passing both places where the sword intent had sliced Zhao Layue's clothes.

Zhao Layue and Jing Jiu disappeared along the mountain path.

Only after a long while did voices of discussion rise outside Divine End Peak.

The little girl from the Hanging Bell Sect sighed in wonder. "So that works too."

It was unclear whether she was praising Zhao Layue's wisdom and courage or marveling at the thickness of Jing Jiu's skin.

Lin Wuzhi said with a wry smile, "Taking clever shortcuts is a skill too. Junior Brother Jing really is..."

"Shameless!" Gu Han said darkly.

Zhao Layue advanced along Divine End Peak's mountain path with her eyes closed, sometimes turning, sometimes retreating, sometimes leaping, moving very slowly.

She had wanted to try leaving the mountain path and making her way through the cliffs and dense woods, but unexpectedly, the sword intent among the cliffs was even denser. The mountain path was easier to travel after all.

Jing Jiu followed behind her, matching her every step. When she moved, he moved; when she stopped, he stopped. His movements were exactly the same, making him look like her shadow, except that at certain moments he made tiny adjustments to ensure that he would not occasionally be cut by the sword intent as she was.

There were many tiny slits in Zhao Layue's clothes. Relying on Sword Sense alone to perceive the sword intent could never be perfect. At the most dangerous moment, a strand of sword intent had drooped with a branch, brushed past her cheek, and cut off several strands of black hair. Fortunately, her hair was short, so it was not very noticeable.

But the bloody cut on her earlobe was very noticeable.

Looking ahead, Jing Jiu said, "I'm tired."

Zhao Layue turned and glanced at him without saying anything, then sat cross-legged and began drawing in the primal energy of heaven and earth, quietly resting and recovering.

Divine End Peak's sword formation severed space with sword intent, even refracting light, but the density of primal energy between heaven and earth remained normal.

After an unknown length of time, Zhao Layue opened her eyes and gazed silently toward the still-distant summit.

Even if she could use the primal energy of heaven and earth to replenish her sword essence and strength at any time, when would she ever arrive, traveling like this?

All along the way, Jing Jiu had watched from behind as she walked with her eyes closed through the sword intent filling the sky. Suddenly, he understood something.

After entering the inner sect, Zhao Layue had been practicing Sword Intent Tempering Body on Sword Peak.

Why had she practiced such an incredibly dangerous Daoist technique? Simply because she disliked being watched? No, looking at it now, the reason was obvious.

"So you've been preparing for today all along."

"Yes."

"Why?"

Jing Jiu was a man of few words, and he did not possess the Green Mountain Guardian's intense curiosity, but this was already the third time he had asked this question.

Zhao Layue still did not answer him. She rose and continued forward.

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