Chapter 115 - 115 114 The Sword Appears Men Perish

115: Chapter 114: The Sword Appears, Men Perish 115: Chapter 114: The Sword Appears, Men Perish It seemed like merely a blink of an eye, yet also as if eons had passed, when a white light flickered, and Lin Xuan’s figure appeared. This was a strange place, surrounded by trees, with a river flowing in the distance, accompanied by the cries of monkeys and the roars of other creatures, teeming with vitality. “The spiritual energy here is so dense!” Lin Xuan took a deep breath and felt the spiritual power within his body circulate much faster. “No wonder so many people want to enter. Just the spiritual energy alone is several times denser than outside. Truly, this is a splendid place.” Utilizing his Purple Spirit Eyes in conjunction with his soul power, Lin Xuan scouted his surroundings. “Ah, Golden Thread Grass!” Lin Xuan exclaimed in surprise, his body flickering out of sight. A few meters away, there was a palm-sized plant with two rows of symmetrically arranged leaves, each gleaming as if forged from gold. “This is a third-grade Spirit Grass. Who would have thought that they’d be so easy to find here?” Lin Xuan put it into his storage ring. Spirit Grasses too are ranked, and different grades of these can produce elixirs of varying quality. This third-grade Spirit Grass was considered a relatively high-class herb in Yunzhou, only found deep within the Taihang Mountain Range in the outside world. “It seems that it won’t be long before I can refine some new Spiritual Wine.” The voice of the Lord of Wine echoed within Lin Xuan’s heart. “Based on the information, this is just the periphery; who knows what treasures lie within the Blood-colored Palace.” Lin Xuan was filled with anticipation. “Best you break through to the Spirit Sea Realm before venturing to the central area,” advised the Lord of Wine, savoring the sensation with Lin Xuan’s soul power. “Don’t worry, with such a treasure land, breaking through shouldn’t be difficult,” Lin Xuan replied. He turned into a bolt of lightning, weaving through the woods, and with the aid of his Purple Spirit Eyes and soul power, he picked plenty of Spirit Grasses. Whoosh! When he reappeared, Lin Xuan was near the river, where a stunningly beautiful Water Flower grew. With a flash, he reached the riverbank and bent down to pick it. Suddenly, enraged shouts came from behind. “Stop right there!” “Get away!” “Drop the Spirit Grass or die!” Lin Xuan had already sensed the presence of several people, but in such a place, speed was everything—whoever was faster got the loot. He wasn’t about to let go because of a few threats. Gently plucking the Water Flower, Lin Xuan placed it inside a jade box, then flipped his palm and stowed it into his storage ring. “You’re courting death, kid!” The people behind saw how leisurely Lin Xuan was in putting away the Spirit Grass and began to yell furiously. “He’s daring to venture into the Blood-colored Trial Land with just the cultivation level of Eighth Rank in Pulse Condensation? That’s practically a death wish!” “Look at the grade of that kid’s storage ring, it must be filled with goodies. Why not we…” the group sneered. The mortality rate in the Blood-colored Trial Land was extremely high, so these disciples could kill with impunity, knowing that as long as they were careful not to leave evidence, there’d be no consequences. Of course, if the elders from the outside world found out, that would be a different story. Seeing Lin Xuan alone and with lower cultivation, they immediately harbored malicious intentions. One of the followers with the character ‘Ling’ embroidered across his chest looked at Lin Xuan with a vicious expression. “Let’s all attack together; don’t give this kid a chance,” one of the Ling Family disciples, aware of Lin Xuan’s understanding of Sword Intent and fearing the unexpected, signaled the group to strike in unison. Three Ninth Rank of Congealing Veins disciples exuded spiritual light from their bodies and made their moves, their energy sweeping towards Lin Xuan. Under the powerful gaze of the Purple Spirit Eyes, these men were riddled with flaws. Lin Xuan’s fingertip sword light pulsated, transforming into lightning, and he thrust out with his sword. It was as if a golden lightning bolt streaked across the sky, the Sword Qi turbulent, piercing through all three in an instant. Thud, thud, thud! Lin Xuan took the storage rings from the three, then kicked their bodies into the river. Killing was tacitly permitted here, but being caught doing so would likely lead to significant trouble once outside. The three corpses plunged into the river, creating splashes of water. Pfft! Pfft! Several sinister-looking Demon Beasts emerged from the surface of the water, opening their blood-colored mouths wide and instantly devouring several people. The river water was immediately stained red with blood. These Demon Beasts resembled lizards and crocs alike, with bodies over two meters long, covered in gray-brown scale armor, and sharp teeth like saws, emitting a ghostly glow. “Those are Mutated Water Crocodiles, see if they have any Demon Crystals?” Lord of Wine reminded. Lin Xuan didn’t hesitate. His hand emitted golden thunder, and with a single wave, thunder surged forth, and golden electric arcs crackled thunderously. Boom! Boom! Boom! Three Mutated Water Crocodiles were knocked over and rolled on the ground, their scale armor charred. Roar! Roar! Enraged, these Water Demons growled lowly, their eyes glowing red, and ferociously pounced towards Lin Xuan. Lin Xuan was surprised; he hadn’t expected these Demon Beasts’ hides to be so thick. His recent attack would have severely injured even a Ninth Rank of Congealing Veins Martial Artist, but these Mutated Water Crocodiles were only knocked over. “Interesting!” Sword light condensed in Lin Xuan’s hand as he slashed out like lightning, forming a stance of thunder and lightning in the air. Pfft! Pfft! The thunderous longsword was exceptionally sharp, piercing the Mutated Water Crocodiles, making holes the size of thumbs in their bodies. With a few more slashes, the Water Demons fell to the ground, dead and breathed their last. Lin Xuan swiftly skinned them and found dark red crystals the size of fingernails inside. “Is this a Demon Crystal?” Lin Xuan played with it in his hand. Though small, the Demon Crystal contained powerful energy, and what’s more, it was surrounded by strands of Demon Energy, oddly alluring. “See if you can gather ten. If you can, I can refine a pot of Crystal Vein Wine for you, which will guarantee a breakthrough after you drink it,” Lord of Wine said with a smile. “Really?” Lin Xuan was overjoyed. He carefully stored the three Demon Crystals, then kicked the corpses of the Mutated Crocs back into the water to attract more Water Demons. Indeed, as the blood dispersed, more shadows appeared under the water. Several couldn’t wait to come ashore and started attacking Lin Xuan. Lin Xuan’s Sword Qi moved as he fought with the Mutated Water Crocodiles, and the surging energy drew the attention of nearby Martial Artists. “Who is this guy? He’s so fierce!” “His Cultivation may be low, but his Swordsmanship is extremely sharp!” Several pairs of eyes watched Lin Xuan, whispering to each other from their hiding places in the forest. “By the looks of it, he’s collecting Demon Crystals. Does he intend to Devour them?” “Impossible, that kind of Demon requires a special Secret Technique to refine. Ordinary Martial Artists who absorb it would be assimilated by the Demon Energy on it!” the group wondered. “Maybe this person has such a Secret Technique. Should we make a move?” “Let’s wait and see; I feel there’s an inexplicable power in his Swordsmanship.” Just as these people hesitated, a powerful presence quickly approached. The aura was like the ocean, turbulent and overwhelming, and utterly unreserved, arrogantly on display. “Not good, it’s a Spirit Sea Realm Martial Artist. Retreat!” The hidden observers’ expressions changed drastically, and they fled. These people were all Ninth Rank of Congealing Veins Martial Artists, including some at the Ninth Rank Peak, but they were insignificant compared to someone from the Spirit Sea Realm. Once one enters the Spirit Sea Realm, their strength increases dramatically, with external Spiritual Power emission and the ability to Shape Spiritual Power among other techniques, making them incomparable to Martial Artists of the Mystical Realm. In a moment, the Spirit Sea Realm Martial Artist quickly arrived near the river and locked onto Lin Xuan.