Volume 1, Chapter 25 – Heaven-Shaking Sword Intent

At the edge of an ancient forest in the outer reaches of the Tianjue Mountain Range, where the miasma was relatively thin, five cultivators dressed in matching fitted green robes and carrying long swords on their backs stood around a recently slain second-tier demonic beast, an Ironback Boar. They skillfully carved away its valuable parts.

A pattern of a flowing cloud coiling around a sword had been embroidered in silver thread on each of their lapels.

The five were inner disciples of the Flowing Cloud Sword Sect, an overlord-level power in the Southern Region with a Mahayana ancestor. Their cultivation ranged from late Foundation Establishment to the Golden Core realm.

They had entered the outer reaches of the Tianjue Mountain Range together to complete a sect mission: gathering several specific spiritual herbs and hunting a set number of demonic beasts to hone their combat skills.

Their leader was a steady-looking man named Zhao Feng. He was at the early Golden Core realm and had been placed in charge of the group.

He had just removed the boar’s tusks and was about to tell his junior brothers to hurry, lest the scent of blood attract more trouble.

At that moment…

“Hum…”

An indescribably sharp and chilling aura suddenly swept past them, seeming to come from somewhere unimaginably distant, yet also from the depths of their own souls.

Zhao Feng’s hand abruptly froze. He raised his head and stared toward a certain direction deep within the mountain range, his expression instantly turning grave.

The other four disciples also stopped what they were doing and looked up in unison, their faces filled with shock and confusion.

That aura…

It had been exceedingly faint, no more than a lingering trace transmitted across countless mountains and rivers.

Yet the lofty aloofness, icy coldness, and peerless sharpness capable of severing all things had been branded with perfect clarity into their senses.

“Senior Brother Zhao… what was that just now…?”

A younger disciple’s voice trembled slightly as his hand instinctively tightened around the hilt of his sword.

The instant that aura swept past, he had felt the natal flying sword he had nurtured for years begin trembling faintly beyond his control.

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“Sword intent… It was sword intent!”

Another disciple with somewhat broader experience cried out, his eyes full of disbelief.

“Such pure sword intent… Even from so far away, it was still able to shake our minds…”

Zhao Feng took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down, but his heart continued to pound wildly.

His cultivation was the highest among them, and his perception was also sharper. The fleeting sword intent had therefore affected him even more deeply.

It was definitely not something an ordinary sword cultivator could possess.

During a grand sect ceremony, he had once sensed from afar a trace of Sword Dao aura that occasionally leaked from their own Mahayana ancestor.

The ancestor’s sword intent had been as vast as the sea and utterly unfathomable, filling Zhao Feng with profound awe.

But that distant sword intent just now…

Unlike the ancestor’s overwhelming vastness, it had been “higher,” “purer,” and closer to some fundamental essence.

If the ancestor’s sword intent could be compared to a towering mountain, then what he had just sensed was like a ray of radiance descending from above the Nine Heavens.

Though it had seemed distant and faint, its very essence stood above all mortal mountains.

“Someone whose cultivation is… even higher than the ancestor’s!”

The thought sprang uncontrollably into Zhao Feng’s mind, startling even him.

“Senior Brother, that direction… doesn’t it lead deeper into the mountain range?”

One disciple pointed toward the general direction from which the sword intent had come, his voice dry.

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“Isn’t that the territory of the legendary Demon King Fushan?”

“Could some mighty Sword Dao expert be fighting the demon king?”

“Impossible!” Zhao Feng immediately rejected the idea.

“If they were fighting, the sword intent would be violent and fierce. How could it have erupted so naturally, then receded so quickly?”

“It felt more like… a trace of sword intent that some mighty expert released without even realizing it!”

This speculation horrified all five of them even further.

A mere trace of true intent leaked inadvertently could shake their minds and cause their natal flying swords to warn them from such a great distance?

What realm had that mighty expert’s true cultivation reached?

Peak Body Integration? Mahayana? Or even… Tribulation Transcendence?!

“This matter is no small thing!”

Zhao Feng swiftly made his decision and swept a solemn gaze across his four junior brothers.

“Pack everything up immediately. We are returning to the sect at once!”

“Senior Brother Zhao, but we haven’t completed the mission yet…”

One disciple hesitated.

“Foolish!” Zhao Feng barked.

“Compared with that sword intent, what does a mere sect mission matter?”

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“A Sword Dao expert with heaven-reaching cultivation has appeared deep within the Tianjue Mountain Range!”

“We do not know their intentions or their allegiance. It would be extremely unwise for us to remain here recklessly.”

“We must bring this news back to the sect immediately and report it to the Sect Master and the elders!”

Seeing how seriously Zhao Feng regarded the matter, the other four dared not delay. They hurriedly packed away their spoils as quickly as possible.

Then they followed Zhao Feng, racing toward the outer edge of the mountain range in the direction of the Flowing Cloud Sword Sect.

A heavy feeling weighed upon each of their hearts. They felt both reverence toward the unknown expert and a faint trace of excitement.

They knew they might have inadvertently brushed against the edge of a major event capable of shaking the entire Southern Region.

Nor was this scene limited to the disciples of the Flowing Cloud Sword Sect.

The Tianjue Mountain Range was vast. Besides the Flowing Cloud Sword Sect, many cultivators from other sects and clans had entered it, some to temper themselves and others to search for treasure.

Li Hanyi’s sword intent, though brief, possessed an exceedingly lofty essence. Like a stone dropped into a calm lake, the ripples it created were quietly spreading outward.

Several Nascent Soul and Spirit Transformation cultivators with keen senses also detected the unusual disturbance and turned uncertain, alarmed gazes toward the depths of the mountain range.

“What terrifying sword intent… Which mighty expert has emerged?”

“It seems to have come from the direction of Giant Rock Valley.”

“Could the Mountain-Covering Ape King have broken through to Tribulation Transcendence and also begun cultivating the Sword Dao?”

“It doesn’t resemble the style of the demon race… It feels more like the work of a pure human cultivator! Could some mighty expert have entered the Tianjue Mountain Range?”

“Send word back to the clan or sect at once. Dispatch more people and investigate cautiously! But remember, under no circumstances are you to offend them!”

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Communication talismans and secret-art seals quietly flew out from all corners of the mountain range, heading toward different factions.

Around the Tianjue Mountain Range, powerful currents were beginning to stir.

Yet Li Hanyi, the cause of all this, remained completely unaware.

She merely felt that Yaochi Immortal Palace was indeed a wonderful place. Even practicing her swordsmanship felt unusually smooth here.

Gu Han would never have imagined that a simple morning training session by her Grand Elder would cause such a tremendous disturbance in the outside world.

In a side hall of Yaochi Immortal Palace, Liu Ruyan was leading the three demon kings around while giving them a general introduction to the immortal palace’s main buildings and functional areas.

“This is the Transmission Pavilion. In the future, Master will expound the Dao here, and the Grand Elder may also share her insights into the Sword Dao.”

“Over there is the Scripture Repository. It currently lacks texts, but its collection will gradually grow in the future.”

“The Alchemy Pavilion and Artifact Refining Pavilion are located here. You may use them whenever necessary, but you will have to procure the materials yourselves…”

“Spiritual energy is richest around Yaochi. The island in the center of the lake is an excellent place for secluded cultivation…”

Liu Ruyan’s explanation was clear and well organized.

Although she was only at early Foundation Establishment, her manner was neither servile nor overbearing, and she already carried a hint of the bearing of a future sect administrator.

This composure came from the experience of her three lifetimes, as well as her absolute reverence and loyalty toward Gu Han.

Mo Lin and the other two listened with equal attentiveness.

Although they were demon kings with considerable experience, many of the facilities found in a top human sect were still novel to them.

More importantly, the dense spiritual energy and Dao resonance that permeated every corner of this place made them feel even more certain that joining Yaochi Immortal Palace had been a wise decision.