" Hanging Blade Pass is in dire need of sword cultivators at the Golden Core or above!"
"Anyone who reports this will be rewarded with a Purple Nascent Soul Pill for slaying ten Demon Beast of the same rank within a hundred years!"
" Hanging Blade Pass aggressively recruiting cultivators specializing in Dao of Artifact Refinement crafting, particularly those skilled in flying sword repair. Spirit Stone are plentiful, but spots are limited, so come quickly!"
" Cold Armor Pass is recruiting 10,000 body cultivators this year for intensive training. Fellow cultivators, why don't you hurry over here!"
" Cold Armor Pass..."
" Mighty Formation Pass specially recruits Dao of Formations cultivators; the top demon slayer can Jingxi Prefecture!"
"Direct recruitment by the Pacify the West Prince's Palace! This year marks the first opening of positions for the Imperial Guard; those who apply will receive the Prince's patronage!"
"..."
Jingxi Prefecture, a prosperous county town.
The noise was incessant.
The crowd was bustling and powerful, and the sky was filled with the flashing lights of swords.
Even more impressively, some walk on air, their aura alone revealing them to be Golden Core True Lord.
A young man wearing a straw hat and a sword-embroidered robe stood beneath the majestic city wall, exuding an extremely cold aura.
He coldly observed everything around him, his gaze indifferent.
"Kid, are you out of your mind?!"
"You just came back from that deadly place. Even if you don't need to recuperate, you should at least rest for a while."
"How can you exorcise demons like that!"
The young man in black robes was none other than Ye Chenfeng, who had left Azure Pool.
In just a few days, he seemed to have undergone a complete transformation.
His face beneath the straw hat was incredibly stern.
Those narrow, sword-like eyes held a hint of sharpness, and the expression on his face was utterly indifferent.
It was as if everything in this world had nothing to do with him.
Hearing the shouts from Elder Jian within his Dantian, Ye Chenfeng remained silent.
He simply walked towards the crowded people ahead, oblivious to everything else.
They arrived below the True Lord who were recruiting cultivators.
"I, a sword cultivator, am going to Hanging Blade Pass."
Ye Chenfeng spoke concisely, and after saying these few words, he released his aura on his own.
The sharp edge of the weapon pierced the crowd.
Although he had only reached the Foundation Establishment, he still managed to draw the attention of True Lord on the platform, their eyes filled with astonishment.
"What a sharp and skillful swordsman!"
"He's got potential!"
"Why go to Hanging Blade Pass? Come to my Pacify the West Prince's Palace!"
"Within a hundred years, you will surely become a prince's personal guard!"
A True Lord dressed in a standard ceremonial robe spoke first.
What he said slightly displeased the other Golden Core cultivator beside him, who spoke in a stiff tone.
"Such a swordsman is not allowed to join my Hanging Blade Pass; it would be a waste of talent."
"Young man, perhaps you have a great grudge to settle? Coming to my Hanging Blade Pass is the right decision."
"Here, take your life token. Wait here, I'll take you back to Hanging Blade Pass when I'm done."
Seeing that the Golden Core cultivator carrying the sword had spoken, the True Lord, dressed in a standard robe, could no longer say anything.
Ye Chenfeng raised his hand and took a jade pendant stained with a few drops of blood. Without saying a word, he stood silently behind the stage.
After leaving Azure Pool, he stopped uttering useless words and doing useless things.
My only thought is... to fight my way back to Azure Pool!
"Kid, there's no use in worrying now."
"Even if you can slay demons down to the Golden Core, the Nascent Soul stage, or even the Spirit Transformation stage, so what?"
"Haven't you learned recently that there are many powerful demons in Heaven-Pacifying Prefecture, even ordinary Divine Lord can't do anything about them?"
"Even if you cultivate for hundreds of years until that brat Lu's lifespan is nearing its end, it will be of no use. You might as well leave now. With my guidance, you can return a thousand years later as a supreme being and destroy this place with a single sword strike. Wouldn't that be wonderful?"
Elder Jian's earnest advice, he was now extremely irritable.
Ye Chenfeng was determined to do things his own way, and there was nothing he could do.
The last time he broke away from Azure Pool, it had already exhausted his life force, and now it was not easy for him to even speak.
There were no other means.
In his frustration, he couldn't help but regret not returning to the Western Continent more often after becoming a Venerable One.
A perfectly good piece of land in the Western Continent was forcibly divided into two parts by a few beasts that appeared out of nowhere.
They also occupied most of the land, leaving only a small portion of the human race to fight back with great difficulty.
If he had come back more often back then, none of this trouble would have happened today.
A dignified Venerable of Sword Dao, reduced to such desolation by a toad...
Ye Chenfeng remained silent in response to what the Elder Jian had said.
Only after leaving the Azure Pool did he realize what the Elder Jian meant by this world.
Only then did I realize how vast the land of the Western Continent truly is.
Only then did I realize how cruel this world can be.
The thought that Lu Li was still alive and well in that den of Demon Beast made his gaze tighten.
I made a silent vow in my heart.
" Junior Brother Lu... wait for me."
I will never leave you alone...
With a determined gaze, Ye Chenfeng stopped thinking and focused on honing his cultivation every minute.
Western Continent has two prefectures: Heaven-Pacifying and Pacify the West.
Heaven-Pacifying is a demon, Pacify the West is a human.
The two prefectures have been locked in a stalemate for millennia, while the Demon Race race has grown powerful and repeatedly breached Pacify the West.
Many Demon Beast remained in the area.
Among them, the three major passes are the most formidable, having absorbed and resisted countless Demon Beast.
These three trials are the three trials that recruit cultivators: the Suspended Blade, the Cold Armor, Mighty Formation.
The three passes, along with the Pacify the West Prince's Palace, constitute the last human force in the entire Western Continent.
Because they faced the Demon Beast head-on, the three passes suffered the greatest casualties.
The inner palace was used to house cultivators and replenish the ranks with fresh blood.
This recruitment process lasted for a full month.
Once we've recruited enough people...
The sword-wielding cultivator who had been carrying the sword at the beginning then raised his hand and released a palm-sized, ancient magic boat from his Storage Bag.
"Go!"
He gave a soft shout and slightly raised his hand.
The Dharma Boat was thrown out, and its price rose with the wind.
In the blink of an eye, it transformed into a gigantic ship a kilometer long.
The ancient ship was as simple as a mountain, with intricate runes engraved on it, shimmering with a profound magical light.
The two large characters 'Suspended Blade' (Suspended Blade) are engraved on the side of the boat.
The Dharma boat hovered above the city, its immense pressure pouring down.
It stirred up a huge wave of air.
The surrounding cultivators seemed used to it and showed no surprise.
Ye Chenfeng couldn't help but let his eyes flicker slightly.
He had never seen such a Divergent Method in the land of Azure Pool.
A massive Dharma vessel, as imposing as a mountain.
Humans possess this artifact, yet their power is still weaker than that of the Demon Race.
How powerful must the Demon Race be...?
"No matter how strong... I will surely kill them."
Ye Chenfeng's mind was not even in a daze.
His answer to this question was to entrust his entire life and fortune to a single sword strike.
I will not return this sword until I avenge this great grudge!
"Fellow cultivators, follow me aboard the ship."
The Sword-Bearing True Lord faced the crowd, his voice booming.
Before he finished speaking, he stepped forward and stood on the deck of the large ship.
Seeing this, the hundreds of cultivators who wanted to be recruited by the Hanging Blade Pass quickly followed.
Hand Seals Hand Seals, others use swords.
Once everyone had boarded the Dharma boat, the ancient-style ship slowly rose into the sky.
As it disappeared into the clouds, the intricate patterns of the Movement Method array on the hull seemed to come alive, pulsating in unison.
Like the breath of a whale shark, waves rise and ripples surge, and inspiration surges forth.
The next second.
boom!
The enormous ship suddenly accelerated and shot through the air.
Its speed was comparable to that of Golden Core.
This extraordinary scene surprised Ye Chenfeng once again.
Only after leaving the Azure Pool did he realize that he was like a frog at the bottom of a well.
Apart from him, most of the cultivators on the Dharma Boat showed no unusual behavior, seemingly unfazed by the sight.
However, this is not an isolated incident.
There was a female cultivator, just like him, curiously looking around...