"Still, that seems to be the only way he could have defeated you so easily."
The Heavenly Sword Sect Master murmured to himself.
He had never expected the Divine Profound Sect to have someone like that!
Nangong Wenjian could be counted among the most outstanding figures in the Heavenly Sword Sect's history. Although the sect master's mastery of the sword was a little higher than Nangong Wenjian's, he was not much stronger.
At the same cultivation realm, he had no confidence he could be sure of winning, much less crush Nangong Wenjian so thoroughly.
If the other man had not relied on an external aid, that could only mean his mastery of the sword had already far surpassed Nangong Wenjian's...
Nangong Wenjian continued:
"By the way, on my way back, I discovered that the Heavenly Devil Cult was still targeting the Divine Profound Sect. They sent a large number of Devil Cultivators to infiltrate Great Xia. I'm afraid our Heavenly Sword Sect won't be able to stay out of it either...
"And I plan to enter seclusion for a while first. I learned a few things from the Devil-Slaying Sword Venerable."
The Heavenly Sword Sect Master nodded and said:
"It's good that you gained some insight. The Devil-Slaying Sword Venerable is exceptionally mysterious. From what you said, his cultivation was on par with yours, which clearly defies common sense.
"As I see it, he is very likely the reincarnation of some mighty expert. Don't take your defeat too much to heart.
"As for the Heavenly Devil Cult's invasion, I'll also send disciples to assist the Divine Profound Sect. That will count as repaying the Devil-Slaying Sword Venerable for showing you mercy."
"Mm."
Time slowly passed.
News of what had happened at the Sword Discussion Assembly swept through Great Xia's cultivation world like a hurricane.
Ever since Nangong Wenjian had emerged, he had challenged heroes from all quarters, swept aside his peers, and defeated countless older-generation Spirit Transformation cultivators. In that time, his strength had earned the recognition of countless people.
Some Void Return cultivators even believed that Nangong Wenjian, fighting with all his strength, could hold his own against a Void Return cultivator.
Yet no one had expected him to suffer a crushing defeat in a contest that, in their eyes, had been tailor-made for him.
Great Xia.
The imperial palace.
Inside a cold palace hall.
A tall, straight-backed young man with a handsome, distinguished bearing stood in purple robes, looking at the intelligence report in his hand.
"Devil-Slaying Sword Venerable?"
"The Divine Profound Sect has an outstanding figure like that? It seems the Nine Provinces Continent keeps producing talented people. It's not just Central Province-even Eastern Cang Province is a place where crouching tigers and hidden dragons abound."
The young man in purple was Great Xia's third prince. He had returned from a great overseas sect, originally thinking he could easily recruit talent with his own strength. To his surprise, he had met with a setback at Nangong Wenjian's hands on his first attempt. Nangong Wenjian's strength was certainly no less than his own, but he had never imagined that Nangong Wenjian would lose so easily to the Devil-Slaying Sword Venerable.
"Senior Brother Li."
The third prince set down the report and spoke softly.
"Junior Brother Xia."
A man in blue robes appeared silently at his side.
"Do you think this is true?"
The third prince looked at Li Yuntian and spoke in a low voice.
Though the report was absolutely reliable and many people had seen it with their own eyes, the third prince was still not convinced. After all, such a feat was a little hard to fathom.
"Nangong Wenjian's talent is outstanding. Even in our Dao Heaven Alliance, he would certainly rank among the very best. If this man truly won by crushing him, I can hardly imagine his strength and talent."
Li Yuntian took a deep breath and said slowly:
"I have a feeling that a great age is about to begin. This is a great calamity, but also a great upheaval. Prodigies are emerging from every faction. When the tides of fate rise, dragons and serpents will come ashore, and the three great killing forces of heaven, earth, and man will appear again and again. I wonder whether we can ride the wind and rise."
The overseas immortal cultivation world was rich in Spiritual Qi and had countless immortal islands. Its strength far surpassed that of the Nine Provinces Continent, and the Dao Heaven Alliance was a renowned major sect overseas. He had seen countless prodigies and quite a few so-called peerless geniuses, but compared with this Devil-Slaying Sword Venerable, they seemed to amount to little.
But he also recalled something he had read in an ancient text. According to rumor, the Nine Provinces Continent had been a land of outstanding people and blessed places, once the center of the entire Great Void Spirit Realm and incomparably prosperous. But what reached its peak was bound to decline.
The calamities of heaven and earth often fell upon the Nine Provinces Continent. Over time, its Spirit Veins were damaged and its Spiritual Qi grew thinner. Some immortal cultivators left the continent, taking many things with them. But if the continent's Spirit Veins recovered, the Nine Provinces Continent would surely regain its former glory, and many inheritances might once again see the light of day.
And someone had foretold that heaven and earth would undergo a great change, with the Nine Provinces Continent at its heart.
Li Yuntian firmly believed this.
That was why he had followed the third prince to the Nine Provinces Continent: to make preparations early and secure some benefits for himself first.
If only I could recruit this man to serve me.
The third prince's eyes flickered, and something stirred in his heart.
Li Yuntian's expression changed, and he advised:
"A prodigy's fate is unpredictable. Some are born bearing great fortune and soar straight up, but they may also suddenly plunge into the abyss and be tainted by calamity Qi. If your ties run too deep and he soars to great heights, you will naturally receive fortune in return, but if he comes to ruin, you will inevitably be caught up in it. By then, it will be hard to extricate yourself."
"Of course I won't act rashly. I hear my elder brother the crown prince has been in contact with the Heavenly Devil Cult. I think he's the one who has gone astray, choosing a side so early. It seems we've put him under a bit too much pressure."
The third prince smiled.
"Speaking of which, I'm afraid the war between the righteous and devilish factions in the cultivation world is only the beginning."
Li Yuntian's eyes flickered as he spoke slowly.
"Is that so?"
The third prince frowned, taking those words quite seriously.
Li Yuntian was highly skilled in the technique of divining heaven's secrets and never spoke carelessly.
If the war between the righteous and devilish factions was only the beginning, then demons, devils, ghosts, and gods would probably be drawn into it as well.
When that happened, the Nine Provinces Continent might undergo a reshuffling.
In the worst case, forget fighting for the throne-even the continued existence of the Great Xia Dynasty would be in question.
Time flew, and two years quickly passed.
Han Xuanji's cultivation reached the Spirit Transformation Ninth Layer, only one step away from the perfection of the Spirit Transformation Realm.
Aside from cultivating, Han Xuanji often kept himself informed about the outside world.
After the Heavenly Devil Cult's Void Return experts arrived in Great Xia, they summoned a steady stream of Devil Cultivators.
Great Xia's native devil cults had practically all submitted to the Heavenly Devil Cult.
The Heavenly Devil Cult, however, was in no hurry to attack. Perhaps it had learned its lesson, or perhaps it thought a spy had been at work before. Its actions became much more secretive, causing the Divine Profound Sect considerable trouble.
The official stance of Great Xia was ambiguous, because the Devil Cultivators seemed to have agreed on certain ground rules. They had caused virtually no harm to mortals, directing their actions almost entirely against immortal cultivators and certain righteous sects.
Han Xuanji often saw disciples in the various group chats stop sending messages altogether after accepting devil-elimination missions.
That alone showed how dangerous the outside world was.
It was worth mentioning that over those two years, the Dao essence at the Heaven-Reaching Sword Hall had been exhausted. Han Xuanji usually went back and forth between Spirit Elegance Peak and Pill Cauldron Peak to sign in.
It had to be said that the two peaks' inheritances, accumulated over countless years, ran quite deep.
He could still sign in for numerous treasures.
One day.
Han Xuanji came to the Li Fire Pill Heart Hall and silently said:
System, sign in.
[Congratulations, Host. You have successfully signed in at the Li Fire Pill Heart Hall and obtained one Sacred Heart Pill.]
"One?"
Han Xuanji's heart stirred.
Generally speaking, signing in for pills yielded a bottle or even more at a time. Only very high-grade pills came one at a time, and there might not even be another chance to obtain them afterward.
Without a doubt.
The Sacred Heart Pill was an extremely precious pill.
"The method of refining the Sacred Heart Pill is said to have been lost. It can cleanse and refine the soul and strengthen the Primordial Spirit. There are also rumors that taking it gives one a chance to awaken an innate Divine Ability. I wonder if that's true."
Without hesitation, Han Xuanji returned to his cave abode.
He sat cross-legged on a meditation cushion, his breath blending with his surroundings as he grew still as stone.
With a slight thought, the Sacred Heart Pill he had obtained from signing in appeared in his palm.
When the pill appeared, no exotic fragrance wafted out, nor did any radiance flow around it.
It was milky white all over, warm and lustrous as jade. Its surface was shrouded in an exceedingly restrained, hazy glow that seemed ready to dissipate at any moment. On closer inspection, countless tiny runes seemed to appear and vanish within the glow. Its subtle presence reached straight to the soul's source, involuntarily calming the mind.