Challenge the Sword Emperor

In the Tomb of the Sword Emperor, Ye Xuan pushed forward relentlessly, crushing everything in his path as if entering an uninhabited land.

Those top-tier assassins of the Heavenly Fiend Hall, who had been lurking in the shadows waiting to deal him a fatal blow, were now all firmly blocked outside the absolute formation of the third trial.

They could only watch helplessly in incompetent rage as Ye Xuan's back disappeared deep into the formation gate.

Everyone was dumbfounded. To be able to pass through multiple trials consecutively was absolutely impossible without peerless talent in the Dao of the Sword.

When Ye Xuan, holding Ying'er by the hand, shattered the final layer of the barrier with a single step, the surrounding scenery suddenly overturned, replaced by a deathly still and vast pale blue mirror lake.

The lake water presented a profound pale blue. It was not the blue reflection of the sky, but a blue that seemed to seep out from an ancient abyss, carrying the heavy weight of time.

The brilliant river of stars overhead was reflected in it one by one, each completely motionless, like fireflies sealed in amber.

There was no wind here.

No sound.

Even the sound of breathing seemed to be entirely swallowed by this silence.

Ye Xuan's feet stepped onto the surface of the lake, yet did not splash a single drop of water. The lake surface supported his weight, as flat as a bluestone slab polished for ten thousand years. Ying'er tightly gripped the corner of his clothes, her little head looking around, her large eyes reflecting the sky full of stars, both afraid and uncontrollably curious.

In the center of this mirror lake of unknown vastness, three figures stood quietly.

They occupied three positions in the Three Talents formation. Three completely different yet equally terrifying auras surged like undercurrents in this deathly still space, faintly standing as equals against one another.

Ye Xuan's gaze swept over the three of them, a trace of solemnity flashing deep in his eyes.

The auras of these three were completely different from those before; they were true monstrous geniuses.

The person on the left was a woman in red.

She wore a flowing blood-colored long dress with extremely thin fabric that clung to her body at the slightest breeze, outlining a slender and sharp silhouette.

That red was not a vulgar red, but a dark red that revealed coldness and nobility, like dried blood under the moonlight, or the residual color of the last maple leaf in late autumn after being struck by frost.

Her face was extremely beautiful, her features so exquisite they were almost unreal, but there was no warmth in her eyes.

In her arms, she cradled a slender, flexible sword without a scabbard. The blade was as narrow as a willow leaf, so thin it was translucent, gleaming with a cold silver-blue luster under the starlight.

Her posture holding the sword was very peculiar—she was not gripping the hilt, but resting the entire sword horizontally in the crook of her arm.

The Unfeeling Sword Pavilion, Holy Maiden Pei Yuzhi.

She cultivated the Supreme Dao of Forgetting Emotions, known as One sword severs the mortal realm, a second sword cuts down the Tathagata.

It was said that those who cultivated this Dao must sever the seven emotions and six desires, using all things in heaven and earth as a scabbard, and their own heart meridian as a sword furnace. The day of mastery was the time when all emotions were extinguished.

The person on the right was a burly, arrogant man with a head full of messy hair.

He was bare-chested, his bronze skin gleaming with a metallic dark light under the starlight.

His muscles were engraved with dense sword scars—not ordinary scars, but marks so deep the bone could be seen. Each one retained a different sword intent; some were blazing like fire, some were cold as ice, and some carried a rotten aura of death. He treated these scars as medals, never hiding them.

He held no sword.

Because his entire person was a sword.

The nails of his ten fingers were polished as sharp as blades. Stepping barefoot on the lake's surface, each toe curled slightly, like a savage beast waiting to strike.

His eyes were an extremely rare amber color, with vertically slit pupils that burned with an inextinguishable battle intent.

The Mad Sword, Tantai Jue.

This person was a martial idiot. In order to hone his sword intent, he once charged into the heartland of the demon race alone with a single sword, beheading seventy-two Demon Kings and walking out alive.

And the person in the very center was the most mysterious.

He wore a green shirt washed until it was pale. It had been washed so many times that the fabric at the cuffs was already frayed. His eyes were wrapped in a black cloth band covered with vermilion runes.

He carried a quaint ebony sword on his back. The hemp rope wrapped around the hilt was already worn shiny, obviously having been gripped countless times.

He stood there quietly.

Clearly, there was no aura leaking out, not even a trace of spiritual energy fluctuation around him; he was calmer than the surface of the lake.

But Ye Xuan noticed a detail: there was no reflection on the lake surface beneath this person's feet. It wasn't blurry; it was completely absent. It was as if heaven and earth were unwilling to reflect this person's existence.

The moment Ye Xuan's gaze swept past him, the Heaven-Slaying Sun Sword in his hand let out an extremely faint hum. That was not excitement, nor was it fear, but a kind of vigilance.

The Heaven-Blind Swordsman, Mo Qixing.

It was said that he was born blind, yet he had cultivated the legendary Mind's Eye. His sword strikes were shadowless, unpredictable by gods and ghosts alike.

Someone once asked him, You cannot see, so how do you draw your sword? He only replied with four words—The sword sees for itself.

These three were the true peak combat forces of this trip to the Sword Tomb.

In comparison, the likes of Lei Wanjun and Zhang Jiuyou from before, although strong, lacked this kind of profound accumulation pointing straight to the Great Dao.

Those people were geniuses, while the three people in front of him had already touched the threshold of peerless monsters.

Hearing the footsteps, the three turned their heads simultaneously.

He is here.

Pei Yuzhi spoke lightly, her voice as cold and clear as shattered jade, every word devoid of the slightest superfluous emotion.

She raised her eyes to look at Ye Xuan, and then at Ying'er shrinking by his side, her pitch-black eyes seeming to have formed a layer of thin ice:

You are half a cup of tea slower than expected.

Tantai Jue grinned, revealing a mouthful of ghastly white teeth. That kind of smile was not friendly, but the instinctive reaction of a predator seeing its prey.

The battle intent boiled in his amber slit pupils, almost materializing:

He is that Ye Xuan?

He tilted his head, looking him up and down, the smile on his lips growing thicker. Looks delicate and tender. I hope he can take a beating. The last genius I encountered shattered with one punch; it was very boring.

Only the blind Mo Qixing slightly tilted his head.

He looked at Ye Xuan with those eyes wrapped in the black cloth band.

Although he couldn't see, Ye Xuan could feel an invisible divine sense sweep over his entire body, as if he had been sliced open from head to toe by an extremely fine knife for a split second.

Mo Qixing's brow furrowed imperceptibly.

Strange...

He muttered to himself in a low voice, his voice hoarse, as if he hadn't spoken in a long time.

Why is your sword weeping?

He paused, the angle of his tilted head shifting a bit more, as if listening to some sound only he could hear.

And why is it... cheering?

Ye Xuan's eyes flickered, but he did not answer.

He ignored the probing of the three and led Ying'er straight to the vacant corner of the mirror lake. His pace was neither fast nor slow, every step treading on the same rhythm. The reflection on the lake's surface shattered silently beneath his feet, and then healed silently.

Five people, four directions.

A four-legged standoff.

How do we pass this trial? Ye Xuan cut straight to the chase, his tone as flat as if he were asking for directions.

Pei Yuzhi looked sideways slightly, somewhat surprised by his neither humble nor arrogant attitude.

She raised her slender, jade-like hand and pointed at the mirror lake beneath their feet. That hand was so white it was almost transparent, with blue veins faintly visible, as if it had never been tainted by the mortal world.

"This is the Mirror Flower, Water Moon, and it is also the final barrier left behind by the Sword Emperor."

Her voice was unhurried.

"According to the stone stele at the entrance, in the time it takes an incense stick to burn, the phantom left behind by the Sword Emperor in the past will emerge from the mirror lake to personally test the intruders."

When she mentioned the words Sword Emperor, a trace of fluctuation finally appeared in her eyes. It was an extremely subtle change, impossible to catch if one wasn't paying close attention.

"Although this phantom is a lifeless entity, it possesses the combat prowess of the Sword Emperor during his youth at the same realm—the Peak Soul Formation stage."

The Peak Soul Formation stage.

When these words came out of her mouth, even the wild and untamed Tantai Jue unconsciously restrained his smile, a flash of poorly concealed solemnity passing deep in his eyes.

"The rules are simple."

Mo Qixing took over the conversation, his voice as calm as the stagnant water in a dry well that had lain dormant for a thousand years, without the slightest ripple.

"Survive a hundred moves without dying, and you can obtain a divine ability left by the Sword Emperor."

"If you can fight to a draw, you can obtain one of the Sword Emperor's personal magical treasures."

"If you can defeat it..."

Mo Qixing paused.

This pause lasted for three breaths of time.

His Adam's apple bobbed slightly, and his tone turned grave.

"You may enter the Sword Emperor's main tomb and comprehend the supreme Dao of the Sword."

A period of silence followed.

Starlight shimmered on the mirror lake. In the dead silence, only the heartbeats of the five people could be heard by one another.

"What if we kill it?"

Ye Xuan suddenly asked.

"Kill it?"

Tantai Jue was taken aback at first, his amber, slit-like pupils blinking blankly twice. Then, as if he had just heard the most absurd joke of his life, he threw his head back and laughed wildly.

His laughter was rough and unrestrained, shaking the surface of the lake beneath their feet into ripples that expanded in all directions.

"Hahahaha! Boy, did someone beat you stupid out there? Or are you still dreaming?"

He forcefully patted his own chest, which was covered in sword scars, laughing until tears came to his eyes.

"That is the Peerless Sword Emperor! Even if it is just a phantom at the Soul Formation stage, it is still an invincible existence within the same realm!"

He raised a thick finger and jabbed it forcefully in the air toward Ye Xuan.

"Do you know who holds the best record in the past ten thousand years?"

"It was that madwoman who appeared out of nowhere ten thousand years ago, who also happens to be your current backer, Ye Jiuhuang!"

"Back then, her talent was stunning. Fighting above her level with a Peak Soul Formation cultivation base, after three hundred moves, she only narrowly won by half a move to defeat the phantom. She is already the person who has gone the furthest in ten thousand years, and even so..."

Tantai Jue restrained his smile, his eyes suddenly turning serious.

"Even she couldn't manage to kill it."

Pei Yuzhi also cast a cold glance at Ye Xuan.

There was no anger or mockery in this glance, only the indifferent contempt of someone who had seen through it all.

"It is a good thing for young people to have pride, but excessive arrogance is sheer stupidity."

Her fingers slowly slid along the spine of the soft sword in her arms, her voice remaining cold and clear.

"To kill the Sword Emperor's phantom is equivalent to surpassing the Sword Emperor himself at the same realm. In ten thousand years, no one has achieved this."

"It is simply impossible."