Chapter 12: A Sliver of Sword-Might Severs the Aura

Private complaints aside, Li Fengping quickly sent the two the relevant data on the secret realm.

It was a dependent realm, tied to the mortal world yet invisible to it; even its entrance required a special method to open, and the only known entrance was located halfway up a peak just outside Xuanjian City.

According to the records, the outer perimeter of the secret realm was overgrown with many sword-affinity Tongxuan herbs—this was also why the Elder had judged it a sword-nourishing site.

“A sword capable of generating an entire secret realm… its master must have been at least a great sword cultivator in life,” Jiang Jing said after reading it. “This mission is dangerous.”

Li Fengping nodded and continued explaining.

“Sister is right—our strength is insufficient to retrieve that sword of the great sword cultivator. All we need to do is gather information.”

“In addition to the base mission contribution points, the sect will award extra contribution points based on the value of the information we provide.”

The Ancestral Sword, as the core of the Sword Sect’s mission board, is absolutely impartial.

That makes sense—if things turn hopeless, we can withdraw in time.

“Why do you all assume the sword cultivator is already dead?” Xu Xing suddenly said. “Maybe he’s still alive.”

The air fell suddenly silent.

“…,” Li Fengping sighed after a few seconds. “Third Blade Brother, don’t scare me—the records also say this sword-nourishing secret realm has existed for over fifteen hundred years. Even a great sword cultivator, or one above that, wouldn’t let their sword stray from them so long, would they?”

If the master of this sword-nourishing secret realm were still alive…

“Hss~ If the sword’s master still lives, why didn’t he appear to stop the Elder when he entered the secret realm before?” Jiang Jing analyzed calmly.

The Sword Sect’s Elders are all Return Void cultivators. Even a Dao-Union or higher sword cultivator wouldn’t allow a Return Void sword cultivator to enter their sword-nourishing secret realm unchallenged, would they? “That’s true,” Xu Xing smiled. “Maybe I’m overthinking it.”

“How long will you two need to prepare?”

“I’m ready anytime,” Jiang Jing said coolly. “But how long will you need to recover from your injuries, Brother Li?”

“These are just superficial wounds—no big deal.”

Li Fengping tugged at the gauze, and a sliver of sword qi severed it, letting the strips flutter down.

Yet his head had swollen to twice its size, bloated like a pig’s head, covered in dark bruises, his right eye squeezed shut by the swelling.

“Your look’s quite interesting—more comical than before,” Xu Xing remarked.

Jiang Jing nearly laughed at the sight, but held it in: “Was the one who attacked you a body cultivator?”

“Yes.”

If it weren’t a body cultivator, he’d have healed from this long ago.

Every body cultivator cultivates a unique type of force, so their wounds are extremely hard to recover from—especially external injuries.

Who in their right mind created this method? It’s monstrous! “But it’s fine—the body cultivator who attacked me gave me a pill. These superficial wounds will take time to heal, but they no longer affect my combat ability.”

Li Fengping pulled out fresh gauze and began winding it around his head in layers.

It’d be better to just keep it wrapped.

“Does Third Blade Brother need time to prepare?”

“No.”

…………

Minutes later, the three left the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall building and flew into the sky over an open area.

The flight paths of Nascent Soul cultivators far surpass those of Foundation Establishment cultivators; all that could be seen were streaks of light flashing past.

Li Fengping led the way, Jiang Jing followed closely behind, and Xu Xing lagged leisurely at the rear—their speed was slow among the passing cultivators.

This wasn’t because Li Fengping’s sword flight technique was poor—the Sword Sect’s sword flight methods were peerless, far surpassing ordinary object-control techniques. They slowed down mainly because the two senior brothers had been caught speeding before…

emm…

Better to be cautious.

Even so, Nascent Soul was no low realm—their speed was still extremely fast.

Before long, they reached the peak outside Xuanjian City where the secret realm lay. The slopes teemed with lush vegetation, birds sang in chorus, tigers, wolves, apes, and monkeys roared together, and even giant snakes as thick as barrels slithered through the undergrowth—but all were ordinary beasts, no demons or spirits hiding among them.

The three slowed their pace and landed among the forest.

Following the mountain path upward, they finally reached a large, outward-protruding boulder.

At this point, many beasts had sensed their presence and quietly followed, eyes greedy—cultivators’ breath of spiritual energy made their flesh and blood immensely alluring to beasts and demons.

“Hmph!”

A cold snort spread the Nascent Soul cultivator’s magical pressure; the beasts instantly froze, fur bristling, then scattered in panic.

Only after all the lurking beasts had fled did Li Fengping withdraw his magical pressure.

“All these beasts on this mountain have the aura of becoming spirits or demons—but none have ever transformed,” Jiang Jing noticed something wrong.

This was highly unreasonable. The spiritual energy here was abundant—it shouldn’t be this way.

Moreover, she’d never heard of anyone regularly purging demons from this mountain.

You noticed it quickly—decent enough: “Because their auras were severed.”

For a junior disciple who showed even this much insight, Xu Xing didn’t mind elaborating.

Huh? Jiang Jing paused. “Third Blade Brother understands the art of observing auras?”

“A little,” Xu Xing smiled. “And the cause of this is precisely our mission’s objective.”

“The secret realm?”

“Correct. The Elder who posted this mission once opened the secret realm, causing a sliver of its aura to leak out. That sword—perhaps it dislikes demons and spirits—so it severed their potential to transform.”

Jiang Jing fell into thought, then suddenly lifted her head, her eyes shimmering with divine light.

Thick green qi rose in billowing clouds, stretching for miles—that was the “aura” of the entire mountain and its creatures.

Normally, such a vast aura could birth a demon rivaling a Nascent Soul cultivator.

But above the dense, heavy green qi, a single crimson streak blazed brilliantly—sharp, piercing, crushing and outright severing the mountain’s aura, and that of all life upon it.

Under the suppression of that crimson streak, not even the beasts on the mountain could develop spiritual awareness, let alone the mountain itself.

Soon, Jiang Jing felt a sharp pain in her pupils and had to withdraw her divine sight.

As she closed her eyes to rest…

“Brother Li, why are you just standing there? Open the secret realm!” Xu Xing urged.

Aren’t I listening to you two?

Besides, what you just said counts as part of the mission.

Li Fengping muttered under his breath, pulled out a talisman, infused it with magic power, and hurled it forward.

The talisman drifted slowly, then burst into flame; the space before them twisted, collapsed inward, expanding until it formed an elliptical vortex large enough for three people to pass through.

Within the vortex, gray mist churned, faint crimson light seeping through—deeply eerie.

“It’s open. I’ll go first—you two follow quickly.”

Saying this, Xu Xing stepped directly into the vortex, his figure vanishing into the swirling gray mist.

Third Blade Brother really is fearless.

Jiang Jing now opened her eyes, staring at the gray vortex glowing with crimson light, and frowned.

Just a sliver of leaked sword-might had severed the aura of an entire mountain—this secret realm was no ordinary place. And Third Blade Brother had spotted the cause immediately…

She drew her sword, gripping it firmly; her mind calmed, and she stepped into the gray vortex.

Both had entered. Li Fengping scanned the surroundings, confirmed nothing was amiss, then followed.

Please collect, please support!! (End of Chapter)