Cultivating Immortality, Starting from Childhood Sweethearts

Chapter 241

A pair of eyes opened within the depths of the quagmire!

In the next moment, the enormous head of a monstrous beast emerged from the swamp. Its head was adorned with sharp teeth, and its body resembled a fortress, covered with blue void-like cracks that radiated an unsettling aura.

The beast lunged forward, jaws snapping toward the old man.

The old man frowned deeply.

He hadn’t expected this! That someone would summon such a creature!

“Clang!”

Several swords of energy materialized, intertwining to form a shield that stood firmly before the old man.

The beast bit down ferociously, its eyes blazing with even more savage intensity! From beginning to end, only its head was visible—its true form remained hidden beneath the black, murky swamp.

“You actually made a pact with a creature of the Abyss? Do you feel no shame as a member of the human race?” the old man said coldly, glaring at the man standing before him.

“Shame? What does it matter if I feel shame or not? What good is so-called righteousness for the human race? Can it raise my cultivation level by even a single stage? In this world, nothing else matters—only power! Once you reach the pinnacle, the entire world bends to your will!”

As soon as the words fell, the old man pressed his palm down heavily.

The beast’s massive head thrashed like a creature gone mad, biting down even harder. Its jaws broke through the shield of sword energy, and in the blink of an eye, the old man was swallowed whole by the monster!

The swamp gradually receded, and the Tianxuan Star Array began to dissipate. The scattered sword energy failed to reform the old man’s body and could only coalesce into a sword formation, standing as a final defense in front of Xia He.

“Heh. Futile resistance.”

Xia He chuckled softly and began striding forward step by step.

As he approached the sword formation, the swords moved on their own, stabbing toward him in an attempt to block his path. Yet, the yin-yang energy swirling around him deflected every strike with ease. He needed only to keep moving forward.

In a hidden cave, the old man slowly raised his head.

The moment he opened his eyes, everyone in the cave turned to look at him.

A sense of foreboding washed over them.

Though they had hoped the old man could kill the sect master of the Tianxuan Sect, they also knew it was an impossible wish.

The sect master, though part of a once-glorious lineage, was still a being at the peak of the Immortal Realm.

The old man, on the other hand, had been trapped here for countless years, his spiritual energy sealed. He could only release sword energy, and even that was heavily restricted.

If he could truly kill such an opponent in his current state, he would not have been confined here three thousand years ago.

“I couldn’t stop him.”

The old man shook his head.

“That man has reached the pinnacle of the Immortal Realm. He wields numerous powerful artifacts. But most importantly, he has forged a pact with an Abyssal beast.”

“Inhuman.”

“Even demonic sects wouldn’t stoop this low!”

“As a sect master of a righteous sect, how could he do such a thing?”

“Why is this surprising? He already sacrificed the lives of his sect members—this is just another step.”

“Truly, the world is full of the unimaginable!”

“Such a person deserves death!”

The people in the cave were filled with righteous fury at the revelation of the sect master’s pact with an Abyssal beast.

None of them could comprehend how a sect master of a supposedly righteous sect could commit an act so abhorrent.

“Enough with the outrage,” said Zhou Wanfeng, smiling faintly. “Throughout history, how many people have colluded with the Abyss or demonic cults? Plenty. It’s nothing new. What matters now is what we do next. We can’t let this drag on forever.”

“It all depends on the fate of those two young ones,” the old man said calmly, his gaze fixed on the pair lying unconscious on the ground.

“It’s their fate—and ours as well.”

Within the realm of the dream consciousness.

Xu Ming gripped the sword in his hand, carefully attuning himself to the sword intent passed down by the old man.

The old man had imparted countless strands of sword intent to him, yet they were constantly dissipating.

To a sword cultivator, such sword intent was akin to gold.

But even if it were gold, it was more like fine sand—impossible to hold onto. The grains would inevitably slip through one’s fingers.

Xu Ming didn’t expect to fully comprehend all the sword intent imparted to him.

It was impossible—this was the lifelong understanding of a Sword Cultivator at the Ascension Realm.

Even though his cheat ability was otherworldly, it couldn’t elevate his talent to such heights.

Moreover, Xu Ming didn’t believe in fully comprehending or following someone else’s sword path.

The sword intent and sword path of others would always remain theirs.

He could learn their techniques, he could learn their intent, but he would never allow himself to fully become someone else.

Thus, Xu Ming resolved to grasp whatever he could and focused on capturing the essence of the old man’s Heaven-Splitting Sword.

“Hm?”

In the dream consciousness, the old man seemed to sense something. He slowly opened his eyes, gazing at Xu Ming in the distance.

“This kid…”

The old man stroked his beard, the corners of his mouth lifting into a slight smile.

The sword energy surrounding Xu Ming became sharper, and the sword intent around him grew increasingly dense.

The old man couldn’t tell if Xu Ming had truly grasped the essence of his sword.

But he knew one thing: Xu Ming was about to unleash that sword.

At the same time, in Xu Xue’nuo’s dream consciousness, the old man there also sat up, looking at the young girl before him.

Both Xu Ming and Xu Xue’nuo had entered a state of selflessness.

Xu Ming no longer perceived his own existence, nor was he aware of the sword in his hand.

It felt as if he had transformed into a wisp of sword energy, melding with the crimson heaven and earth around him.

In the minds of Xu Ming and Xu Xue’nuo, an image suddenly appeared.

In the image, an old man radiating vitality and spirit stood tall above the heavens, holding an immortal sword in his hand.

Before him stood nine cultivators.

The nine cultivators stood together, their boundless pressure causing the very sky to tremble incessantly.

“Xu Cang, today you won’t escape,” declared a silver-haired woman who appeared to be in her thirties. Her golden eyes gleamed like those of a celestial deity.

“Hahaha! Escape?” Xu Cang burst into wild laughter. “I’ve never intended to escape! I just so happen to have a sword that I’ve yet to test. And you all—are perfect for it!”

“Courting death!”

The silver-haired woman let out a furious roar, shaking the earth and triggering volcanic eruptions.

As the nine raised their hands, the blazing sun in the heavens began to plummet toward Xu Cang’s head.

With the weight of all living beings upon his back, Xu Cang raised his long sword high.

“This sword… watch closely!”

The old man brought his sword down.

Boom!

In the mountain cave, the ground shook violently, and rocks began to fall incessantly.

The moment Xu Cang’s lips curled into a smirk, Xu Ming and Xu Xue’nuo, still in a dreamlike state, slowly rose to their feet, lifting the swords in their hands.

Almost simultaneously, they snapped open their eyes and swung their swords toward the old man.

The strike was clean and decisive!