Inquiry about immortality

Chapter 2731 Heavenly Leak

A moment later, three sword lights flew out from the black rift and landed in front of Senior Sister Yin and Qi Yunsheng.

"Greetings, Senior Sister Yin and Junior Brother Qi!"

One of the three men, a burly-looking man, stepped forward and bowed in greeting. The other two, a man and a woman, also bowed in greeting.

The burly man was named Sheng Zhaoting, and the two men and women were named Zou Zhengqing and Zou Jia respectively. All three of them, like Qi Yunsheng and Senior Sister Yin, were sword cultivators from Xijue Sword City, and all of them were experts in the Integration Stage.

Senior Sister Yin's real name is Yin Qingyan. She is the most talented among her generation. She has won the top spot in several sword competitions and is admired by all her peers. She has always been highly respected. She has lived up to expectations and entered the late stage of the Integration Realm early on. She is expected to reach the Great Ascension Realm in the future.

Sheng Zhaoting's cultivation was slightly inferior to Yin Qingyan's, while Zou Zhengqing and Zou Jia were even worse, and their cultivation was about the same as Qi Yunsheng's.

Therefore, although Yin Qingyan was not from the same lineage as them, Sheng Zhaoting and the other two still treated her with great respect, addressing her as their senior sister.

After exchanging greetings, Sheng Zhaoting asked with some confusion, "It's been less than thirty years since I last entered the Sword Tomb, Senior Sister, what's going on...?"

The Sword Tomb is not only a place to bury the founders, but also a treasure trove for the Western Sword City. With good luck, one can obtain opportunities in the Sword Tomb, making great progress in swordsmanship. Some people have even obtained the founders' inheritance and swords.

However, the interior of the Sword Tomb is equally dangerous and unpredictable, and even powerful figures like Yin Qingyan dare not venture in casually.

The Western Sword City has established a rule that, every so often, top-ranking sword cultivators in the sword competition are allowed to enter the Sword Tomb for training. Recently, the limit has been a hundred years, and at other times, no one is allowed to enter the Sword Tomb.

Although Yin Qingyan and the others no longer need to participate in the sword competition, they must still abide by this rule: they cannot enter the Sword Tomb until the hundred-year period has passed.

"Senior Sister Yin receives the imperial edict..."

Qi Yunsheng recounted the whole story, looking at the chaotic scene deep within the Sword Tomb, "Senior Brother Sheng, you've been stationed here all this time, yet you didn't notice anything unusual about the Sword Tomb?"

"Unusual activity?"

Sheng Zhaoting and the other two looked at each other and shook their heads. "We have been stationed here the whole time, never leaving the Sword Tomb, and have not found anything unusual."

Yin Qingyan frowned slightly. "Senior Uncle Xi wouldn't make things up without reason. The decree ordered us to investigate why there was any unusual activity deep within the Sword Tomb. The only way is to go inside and explore. I have already gathered several junior brothers. You will come with me as well!"

"Yes, sir!" Sheng Zhaoting bowed and accepted the order, then turned to Zou Jia. "Junior Sister Zou, you stay here. If we encounter any accidents, someone will be there to help us. I will also leave markers along the way so that the other junior brothers can follow us when they arrive."

The group were all decisive individuals, and they quickly devised a foolproof plan. Then, Yin Qingyan and the other three unleashed their swords and vanished into the Sword Tomb in an instant, taking the lead.

The deeper one goes into the Sword Tomb, the more severe the spatial distortion becomes.

At first, they were able to speed along at high speed, but later they gradually slowed down and became more and more cautious. Later on, they even went so far as to take detours to avoid places that looked dangerous.

During their journey, they often saw sword energy moving about, sometimes just one or two, sometimes thousands or tens of thousands, whistling past, as if a large army of sword cultivators was going to attack a powerful enemy.

This was the scene they encountered when they first entered the Sword Tomb. The sword energy, its origin and destination unknown, lingered for years. Sword energy was also one of the dangers of the Sword Tomb; some of it was incredibly powerful, even Yin Qingyan might not be able to withstand it.

No one knows where these sword energies come from; the Western Sword City keeps it a closely guarded secret.

However, opportunities are often accompanied by dangers. Some of these sword energies contain the sword intent of ancient sword cultivators. If you are lucky enough to encounter one, you may be able to directly comprehend the sword intent and make great progress in your swordsmanship.

What attracts Yin Qingyan and his group now is the sword intent of the ancient sword cultivators. Although ancient spiritual swords are extremely precious, they all have their own natal spiritual swords, which are intertwined with their lives, and they will not change swords casually.

This time, they had no time to search for sword intent. Following Master Xi's instructions, they rushed to the depths of the Sword Tomb without stopping.

There were occasional setbacks along the way, but they were all easily resolved.

'Shuh! '

The four streaks of light stopped one after another. Yin Qingyan and the others stared ahead, their expressions solemn. Moving forward would take them into the deepest part of the Sword Tomb, also its most dangerous area.

"Did you sense anything unusual along the way, Senior Sister?" Sheng Zhaoting asked.

Yin Qingyan shook his head.

The four of them were all puzzled. What exactly was the strange phenomenon that Master Xi was talking about? Everything in the Sword Tomb was clearly normal.

Could it be that Master Xi made a mistake?

They dared not question Master Xi. After a brief discussion, they decided to go in and investigate. Yin Qingyan took the lead, while the other three lagged behind to prevent any danger from occurring.

Although it wasn't their first time entering this place, the four remained extremely cautious.

They hadn't flown far when Sheng Zhaoting and the other two saw the escape light suddenly disappear ahead, followed by Senior Sister Yin's voice, "Be careful!"

The three of them immediately held their breath and carefully stepped forward. When they saw the scene in the distance, they were shocked.

The surrounding scenery, though seemingly less chaotic than the outer perimeter, was actually far more mysterious and unpredictable. They were currently moving through pitch-black darkness, and at the edge of the darkness, a patch of blue light appeared out of nowhere.

Even more astonishingly, a human figure was visible within the blue light.

The man was dressed in a blue robe and had his back to them, so they could not see his face. They could only see his upper body, while his lower body seemed to be hidden in the darkness.

The next moment, a burst of sword light suddenly erupted in front of this person.

In an instant, Yin Qingyan and the other three were all drawn by the sword light, their hearts leaping in shock. They only snapped back to reality when the sword light and the figures disappeared.

The figure disappeared, and they remained standing there, stunned.

Throughout the entire ordeal, the man never turned around to look at them, seemingly unaware of their presence.

After a long silence, Sheng Zhaoting let out a long breath and broke the silence, "Senior Sister, do you recognize this person's identity?"

Legend has it that the Sword Tomb is filled with countless sword intents, and occasionally the phantom of the founder appears, even recreating scenes of ancient battles. However, few people have ever seen it, and this is the first time they have witnessed it firsthand.

'Swish! Swish!'

The four flew to the spot where the figure had disappeared, but the person had vanished without a trace.

Yin Qingyan couldn't tell which patriarch it was either.

"What a pity," Qi Yunsheng said with a regretful expression.

Everyone else agreed. If the illusion lasted longer, they would be able to see the sword strike within it, which might greatly inspire their swordsmanship.

"Business is more important!" Yin Qingyan said, then continued on his journey on his sword.

They encountered no further phantoms of the Patriarch, and after searching for a long time, they found nothing unusual. Although Master Xi had delineated a general area in the decree, the area was not small, and it would take some time to search.

After another arduous search, Yin Qingyan suddenly stopped, his face grave. "No! We've been to this place before!"

Upon hearing this, Sheng Zhaoting and the other two hurriedly looked around, but they hadn't noticed anything.

Upon closer inspection, the three of them felt a chill run down their spines and almost broke out in a cold sweat. Just as Senior Sister Yin had said, they had been to this place just now and unknowingly circled back.

Fortunately, Senior Sister Yin has a keen sense of perception...

This is too strange. Although the Sword Tomb is unpredictable, it couldn't possibly change that quickly. There must be something wrong here!

"It seems we're trapped by something..."

Qi Yunsheng murmured.

Before he finished speaking, Qi Yunsheng slashed at the void above his head with his sword, while Sheng Zhaoting and Zou Zhengqing also drew their swords.

In an instant, sword light flashed like lightning all around, and sword intent surged everywhere.

The swordplay appeared somewhat chaotic, with the three seemingly aimless, slashing haphazardly. Only the swordsman could discern the underlying principles.

Yin Qingyan pressed his sword without moving, his eyes slightly narrowed, shooting out a cold glint as he swept over the streaks of sword light.

Suddenly, she seemed to notice something, and the spirit sword behind her abruptly drew from its sheath.

Its sound was like a silver bottle suddenly breaking, its light was like a moon made of black ice, and its momentum was like a spring breeze and rain. There was no earth-shattering sword momentum. The spirit sword only left a thin white line in the void, as cold as frost and snow.

The white line passed through the sword light, freezing all the sword light, and the entire void seemed to be frozen by the cold.

The next moment, an ice pattern suddenly appeared in the void, accompanied by the sound of ice cracking.

'Click!'

'Click-clack!'

'Click click click...'

Amidst a series of explosions, ice patterns spread across the void, which resembled a piece of mysterious ice, shattered into pieces by this sword strike!

With a loud 'boom,' the void shattered, and the scene changed drastically!

The four looked around in surprise and found that they had somehow fallen into a black vortex. The airflow had silently pulled them in without them even noticing.

Those illusions were probably created by the power of the cyclone. Fortunately, Yin Qingyan discovered them in time. They had unknowingly gotten very close to the center of the cyclone. If they had been any slower, they might have been sucked into the cyclone, and the consequences would have been unpredictable.

"What is this?" Qi Yunsheng looked surprised. There was no record of such a cyclone in the ancient books of Xijue Sword City.

Also, where is the cyclone heading?

Senior Sister Yin stared at the vortex of energy, her delicate brows furrowing slightly. She said in disbelief, "Inside... it doesn't seem to be the Sword Tomb?"

"what?"

Sheng Zhaoting and the other two exclaimed in surprise.

The cyclone leads outside the Sword Tomb. Could it be that the Sword Tomb has a second entrance? No, it's more like a funnel. For some reason, the Sword Tomb has a hole in it!

What exactly is on the other side, and when did it appear? It's all a mystery.

They carefully observed the cyclone and found that it was not composed of the sword energy and sword intent they were familiar with, but rather some new power that had evolved over countless years in the Sword Tomb.

It seems that this cyclone is what alarmed Master Xi.

However, it is too early to go back and report. They need to find out the cause of the cyclone and it would be best if they went in and took a look themselves.

After a quick discussion, they decided to have Zou Zhengqing stay outside to provide backup, while the other three went inside to investigate.

Protected by the sword light, the three of them deliberately escaped into the vortex.

'Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!'

Three sword lights shot out of the vortex one after another, and upon sensing them, one could not help but be greatly surprised.

"Demonic energy!"

Qi Yunsheng shouted in a deep voice.

It was demonic energy! The vortex was directly connected to the Demon Realm. If this place were exposed, wouldn't it give the demons the opportunity to destroy the Sword Tomb?

Yin Qingyan and the other two immediately realized the seriousness of the problem.

At the same time, they saw sword energy fly past them and disappear into the darkness.

The sword energy within the Sword Tomb is constantly flowing into the Demon Realm through the leaks, and this situation has been going on for an unknown period of time.

The three hurriedly summoned their swords to track the sword energy, but before they had flown far, their expressions suddenly changed.

At the same time, a series of deep and powerful demonic intents surged from the front, the most powerful of which was no less than that of Senior Sister Yin.

"The Six Desires Demon!"

Sheng Zhaoting roared angrily.

Over the years, countless heroes and warriors of Xijue Sword City have either died at the hands of the Heavenly Demon or been corrupted by it. They harbored deep hatred for the Heavenly Demon.

Sensing the aura of the Six Desires Demon ahead, Sheng Zhaoting's natal spirit sword trembled, as if it wanted to slay the demon with a single strike!

At this moment, the other side also discovered them. These Six Desires Demons were naturally the demons such as Mienayu from the Bewitching Demon Kingdom.

The demonic figure paused slightly, then, sensing the sword intent emanating from ahead, exclaimed in surprise, "Sword cultivator!"

Then, a sinister laugh rang out, "No wonder there's sword energy here. Does the Western Sword City want to monopolize the Thunder Lord's secret treasure?"

The laughter concealed a hint of annoyance.

The two met here by sheer coincidence, with the entrance to the grotto right between them. Minayu was unaware that this wasn't the Thunder Lord's secret treasure at all, and Yin Qingyan was completely oblivious.

However, with Yin Qingyan's intelligence, he could sense the entrance to the cave and the Six Desires Demons who were about to enter it, and guess a thing or two.

"hiss!"

Sheng Zhaoting was filled with doubt and suspicion. "There is a grotto-heaven there. Could those demons have come for this grotto-heaven?"

The two sides met suddenly, but the demon did not pounce immediately, indicating that it was not attracted by the loophole in the Sword Tomb.

Moreover, these villains are not their old adversaries.

“They are the henchmen of the Demon Lord of Bewitching Brahma!” Qi Yunsheng said in a deep voice.

Having spent many years in the Demon Realm, he determined the origin of Mienayu from the demonic aura emanating from the other party.

Although the Demon Lord of Bewitching Brahma had established his demon kingdom nearby, unlike other demon lords, he had never sent any of his celestial demons to attack Western Sword City. While they were unaware of the Demon Lord of Bewitching Brahma's schemes, Western Sword City tried its best not to provoke him, lest it attract another powerful enemy.

While they were still hesitating about whether to make a move, the other party misunderstood their intentions.

"Three mere sword cultivators dare to vie for the Thunder Lord's secret treasure!"

Unaware that a loophole had appeared in the Sword Tomb, leading directly to this place, they assumed that Yin Qingyan and the others had infiltrated the Demon Realm and were not afraid!

There are only three opponents, which is a golden opportunity. This time, we can not only obtain the Thunder Lord's secret treasure, but also gain his companions!

Although the Demon Lord forbade them from participating in the war, he showed no mercy when encountering cultivators from within the realm outside the battlefield. Otherwise, where would they get their followers? Moreover, since the rumors of Lei Jun's resurrection appeared, the Demon Lord has relaxed his restrictions on them a lot.

'Shuh! '

In an instant, the demonic shadows flashed, and the demons including Mienayu suddenly changed their targets, rushing towards Yin Qingyan and the other two.

Yin Qingyan possessed exceptional cultivation and was unafraid of the Heavenly Demon, but the two people beside him were somewhat inferior, and the difference in numbers was too great, causing him to be greatly alarmed upon seeing this.

Just then, a shout came from behind.

"You demon, cease your arrogance!"

The junior brothers have finally arrived!

……

Unbeknownst to the demons, shortly after they entered the abyss, a torrent of celestial demons suddenly surged forth from above.

The raging torrent of demonic energy lingered briefly above the abyss before roaring and disappearing into it. (End of Chapter)