Tuoshe Cave Mansion

"Disciple, when Tuoshe Cave Mansion opens, you must be extremely wary of those older ones. They have suppressed their realms, broken through their limits, and opened many Spiritual Apertures. Some have even opened nine Spiritual Apertures, all for the sake of Ancient Emperor Tuoshe's Legacy!"

Yun Qingyao reminded him.

Lu Ren nodded. Looking ahead, he saw a crimson stone gate over three meters tall embedded in the mountain wall.

Dazzling light flickered through the cracks in the stone gate, as though it contained an immensely powerful energy.

Above the stone gate hung a huge plaque, upon which four words were engraved: "Tuoshe Cave Mansion"!

Without a doubt, the enormous cave mansion before them was Tuoshe Cave Mansion!

"Hehe, Yun Qingyao, I heard you took in a useless disciple. I wonder if it's true?"

Just as Lu Ren stepped forward to take a closer look, a hearty laugh rang out from afar.

In the distance, a lean young man dressed in black approached with a pitch-black ancient sword strapped to his back. He was handsome and cold-faced, with an extraordinary bearing and an incomparably sharp aura radiating from his entire body.

A black-clad youth followed behind him, likewise carrying a pitch-black ancient sword on his back.

"It's Gu Yifan!"

Someone cried out in alarm.

Gu Yifan was one of Jiangyun Kingdom's Three Elites. He possessed a Seventh-grade Bloodline and formidable cultivation. He was the Ghost Sword King's most prized successor, as well as the Imperial Dao Immortal Sect's foremost core disciple, holding an exalted status.

There was no need to guess who the youth behind him was. He was the Third-grade Bloodline genius Tang Hao, a successor nurtured by the Ghost Sword King and sent to Tuoshe Cave Mansion in search of Ancient Emperor Tuoshe's Legacy!

"And what the hell are you?"

Lu Ren sneered.

"What did you say?"

Gu Yifan flew into a rage. He had never expected a piece of trash who had not even reached the Spirit Stream Realm to dare talk back to him.

Boom!

An incomparably powerful aura erupted from his body. True energy surged like raging waves and crashed fiercely toward Lu Ren.

Lu Ren's expression changed sharply. Faced with that force, he could barely breathe.

However, just as he was about to dodge, Yun Qingyao stepped in front of him. With a sweep of her delicate hand, she shattered the wave of true energy.

"Gu Yifan, you dare harm my disciple?"

Yun Qingyao's voice was ice-cold. An even more powerful aura burst from within her and surged outward, directly forcing Gu Yifan several steps back.

At that moment, Yun Qingyao seemed like a goddess descending to the world!

"Junior Sister, I never thought you had also advanced to the seventh level of the Divine Sea Realm!"

Gu Yifan's expression turned grave.

He and Yun Qingyao were both Ghost Sword Successors, both possessing Seventh-grade Bloodlines. Later, Yun Qingyao left the Ghost Sword Gate and became an elder of the Qingyun Sect.

Gu Yifan had thought that after Yun Qingyao left the Ghost Sword Gate, he would leave her far behind in strength. Yet he had never expected her power to have become so formidable.

"Don't call me Junior Sister. I am no longer a Ghost Sword Successor!"

Yun Qingyao said coldly.

"Hmph, leaving the Ghost Sword Gate was the stupidest choice you made in your life. Now, I have cultivated the Ghost Control Sword, the Tenth Sword of the Inner Ghost Sword Art. Let's see how you stop me!"

Gu Yifan sneered disdainfully.

"Then let me experience your Ghost Control Sword!"

With a flash, Yun Qingyao floated into the air. Air currents swirled around her, her white robes fluttering. Sword Qi actually hovered in the air beyond a three-meter radius around her.

An aura that looked down upon heaven and earth, refusing to permit anything beneath the skies to profane it, radiated from her body.

At that moment, Lu Ren felt that his master was like a peerless sword with its edge fully revealed, standing straight and upright as if even the heavens could be pierced through.

"What powerful sword intent! You actually cultivated sword intent?"

Gu Yifan's expression darkened. From Yun Qingyao, he felt an incomparably powerful sword momentum.

That sword momentum made his heart tremble!

"Ghost Control Sword!"

Gu Yifan roared. The ghost sword on his back actually flew out on its own. After circling through the air several times, it shot straight toward Yun Qingyao.

As the ghost sword flew, it swept forth the phantom of a Fierce Ghost. The ghost opened its jaws wide as though it were about to devour Yun Qingyao whole.

However, when the ghost sword reached within three meters of Yun Qingyao, it could no longer advance even an inch, as though an invisible force field had blocked it.

"Purple Thunder Dragon Sword!"

Yun Qingyao swept both hands out. Purple lightning flashed, condensing into a dragon-shaped longsword. It swept across the sky with a Dragon's Roar, thunder rumbling and shaking the air as it stabbed fiercely toward Gu Yifan.

Bang bang bang bang!

Gu Yifan had not expected Yun Qingyao's assault to be so ferocious. He reached out, seized the ghost sword, and defended frantically.

Yet after blocking only seven strikes, the ghost sword in his hand was sent flying. He staggered backward repeatedly, a trace of blood flowing from the corner of his mouth. He had already been injured.

The dragon-shaped lightning sword hovered above Gu Yifan's head, then turned around and returned to Yun Qingyao's side, slowly dissipating.

"Gu Yifan, you think you can harm my disciple? If not for the little bond of fellowship still between us, I would have killed you long ago!"

Yun Qingyao said calmly.

"You!"

Gu Yifan's face turned incomparably ugly. He was one of Jiangyun Kingdom's Three Elites, yet Yun Qingyao had humiliated him so openly. It was simply unbearable.

Even Tang Hao's expression looked unpleasant. He had not expected this Saintess of Jiangyun Kingdom to be so domineering.

He had thought that with Gu Yifan present, they could at least suppress Yun Qingyao somewhat. Instead, Gu Yifan had been effortlessly defeated by her.

"As expected of the Saintess—she either does not act, or when she does, she startles the world with a single cry!"

"The Saintess is barely over twenty, yet her sword momentum is already so powerful. She's far too monstrous!"

The surrounding crowd was utterly shaken by Yun Qingyao's strength.

"So this is Master's true strength. Every gesture looks down upon heaven and earth. Divine Sea Realm experts truly are terrifying—no, Master is simply too terrifying!"

Witnessing everything before him, Lu Ren was deeply shocked by the aura Yun Qingyao displayed in battle. If he wanted to surpass this master of his in a short time, it would probably not be so easy.

"Junior Sister, my skills are inferior to yours, and I am no match for you. But your useless disciple can forget about leaving Tuoshe Cave Mansion alive today."

Gu Yifan said coldly, clutching his chest.

Tang Hao stepped out from behind Gu Yifan. He stared coldly at Lu Ren and said, "Lu Ren, if you have the guts, don't enter Tuoshe Cave Mansion. Here, you have your master protecting you. Inside, let's see who can protect you. If you dare enter, I'll kill you!"

Upon hearing this, Yun Qingyao's willow brows furrowed slightly.

Naturally, she had heard of Tang Hao. He was also a Ghost Sword Successor, and despite his young age, he had already broken through his limits and opened nine Spiritual Apertures.

"Fine. I'll wait for you!"

Lu Ren nodded, without the slightest trace of fear on his face.

As time passed, quite a few middle-aged and elderly men arrived one after another.

Even many elders from the four great sects hurried over. Xie Kuang, the Imperial Dao Sect's First Elder, and Meng Qian, the Qingyun Sect's First Elder, had both arrived as well.

Tuoshe Cave Mansion only opened once every three years. Naturally, they also wanted to see whether anyone could pass the trial and obtain Ancient Emperor Tuoshe's Legacy.

Although no one had obtained Ancient Emperor Tuoshe's Legacy during any previous opening of Tuoshe Cave Mansion,

this year not only had a Ghost Sword Successor who had opened nine Spiritual Apertures, but also a Saintess's disciple with a Scrap Bloodline.

They were all eagerly awaiting to see who would pass the trial.