Chapter 416: The Valley of Heaven

I observe that you, young friend, are brimming with sword qi; surely you are a sword cultivator. That other cultivator’s body is like a dragon—clearly he follows the path of brute force, and in sword dao, he is no match for me.

This scroll contains my insights on sword dao from my demonic era; it should offer you some minor benefit in your sword dao.

With that, he fell silent.

The scroll in the Heavenly Evil Sword Immortal’s hand flew into the hands of Lord Tianhong.

Lord Tianhong’s face showed shock.

Could this white-haired elder have discerned the Dao of our Ancestor?!

Even as the leader of a top-tier power, he was stunned, his expression changing instantly.

No one knew better than Lord Tianhong the strength and Dao of his own Ancestor. In the same realm, if one deliberately concealed their Dao, others could rarely detect it—unless the observer was far stronger, not of the same level at all.

As if struck by lightning, Lord Tianhong froze in place, utterly stunned.

The white-haired elder before him was stronger than the Ancestor—and possibly, so was the other elder, whose aura of immortal qi he could not fathom either.

Horror, gravity, disbelief…

How could Lord Tianhong remain calm? On a day like this, two elders of unfathomable strength had appeared. If they turned against Tianhong Divine City, even with the Ancestor present, the city would not survive.

If the prodigies of all major factions died here, Tianhong Divine City would face utter ruin.

Out of the corner of his eye, Lord Tianhong glanced at the scroll in his hand, as if seeing a divine sword soaring into the heavens, manifesting the solemn, all-encompassing intent of sword dao.

A treasure of sword dao.

Sword cultivators focus on sword intent. The intent contained in this scroll is too powerful—any sword cultivator who meditates on it will see explosive progress in their sword intent.

“Elder, this is far too precious.”

Lord Tianhong’s conviction in the two elders’ strength deepened further. To give away such a treasure so casually—their realm must be extraordinarily high.

His gaze fell upon the sword behind the white-haired elder. The elder was also a sword cultivator—and one stronger than the Ancestor.

In an instant, Lord Tianhong mentally filtered through every renowned sword cultivator he knew in the Nine Realms—but none matched the elder’s identity.

“Merely a small gift, young friend. No need to dwell on it. I merely saw you are a sword cultivator with commendable skill, so I wished to lend a hand.”

The Heavenly Evil Sword Immortal spoke casually, unbothered by giving away the sword-intent scroll.

His sword intent was no longer what it once was. This scroll was something he could produce at will—like mass-produced goods.

“Thank you, Elder.”

Lord Tianhong bowed in gratitude. Regardless, the white-haired elder had bestowed upon him such a treasure—he owed him a debt.

“Elder, such a great gift—I shall never forget it. If you have any questions, I will answer them fully, if I know.”

Moreover, he could sense that the First Immortal Sovereign of Jiuzhou and the others harbored no ill intent. If this were an act to lower his guard and harm him or Tianhong Divine City, he found it utterly impossible—these two elders had no need for such tricks.

If they wished, they could simply strike and damage Tianhong Divine City’s foundation—even if they could not destroy it outright.

Then the Heavenly Evil Sword Immortal asked the question he wished to know.

“Do you know how to reach the Valley of Heaven’s Punishment?”

“The Valley of Heaven’s Punishment?” Lord Tianhong was stunned—he had not expected this question.

He had imagined many possible questions, but never one so simple.

The Valley of Heaven’s Punishment—anyone in the Northwest Great Region with even basic cultivation knowledge knows where it is. It’s like elementary school knowledge.

But this applies only to those in the Northwest Great Region; others in different realms may not know.

So the Elder must be a reclusive sword cultivator from another realm. No wonder I couldn’t recognize him—the Nine Realms are vast, and even Tianhong Divine City cannot know everything.

“Elder, are you going to the Valley of Heaven’s Punishment?”

Lord Tianhong took a ancient scroll from his storage ring and handed it to the Heavenly Evil Sword Immortal and the others, adding a cautious warning:

“The Valley of Heaven’s Punishment is a forbidden zone in the Northwest Great Region. No one who has entered has ever returned alive—not even Saints or Sovereigns. Nine thousand years ago, the Sovereign Hong of the Northwest entered—and never came out.”

In this world, the five steps of divinity are Saints; Sovereigns are the sixth step of divinity.

The scroll the Heavenly Evil Sword Immortal gave Lord Tianhong greatly aided him, helping him advance a major step in sword dao. This debt—he naturally did not wish his benefactor to die needlessly.

“Elders, this scroll contains all the information Tianhong Divine City has gathered on the Valley of Heaven’s Punishment. It marks the route there, as well as legends and recorded deeds about it. I hope it helps you.”

The First Immortal Sovereign of Jiuzhou gave a slight nod.

Then they turned to leave. Lord Tianhong froze, his eyes instinctively falling on Xiang Hong, who was leaving with them:

“Elders, you’re not seriously going to the Valley of Heaven’s Punishment? Will this young man go too?”

“Mm.”

“This…”

Lord Tianhong was genuinely startled, his face twisted in disbelief.

He could understand the Heavenly Evil Sword Immortal and the First Immortal Sovereign going to the Valley—they had strength to back it up. But Xiang Hong was so weak—going there was like walking to his death.

Were these two elders overconfident, believing they could protect Xiang Hong? Did they underestimate the Valley of Heaven’s Punishment? Or were they playing with fire, dragging everyone to their doom?

Honestly, Lord Tianhong leaned toward the latter.

He had plainly revealed the Valley’s horror—and still, the Heavenly Evil Sword Immortal showed no reaction.

“I have my own judgment, young friend. No need to worry.” The First Immortal Sovereign smiled, thinking Lord Tianhong was concerned for them.

Hearing this, Lord Tianhong could only nod—but at least now he knew they weren’t going to commit suicide.

Before leaving, Lord Tianhong glanced at Xiang Hong: “Young friend, today I am holding a marriage selection assembly for my daughter. If you’re interested, you may attend. My daughter is quite fine—her talent is not weak.”

Xiang Hong was momentarily stunned, his mouth slightly open.

What?

This was the first time in his life someone had tried to marry off their daughter to him.

The Heavenly Evil Sword Immortal and the First Immortal Sovereign exchanged a knowing smile. Clearly, Lord Tianhong had taken notice of Xiang Hong’s talent—and likely, also of the two elders themselves.

Lord Tianhong was no fool. These two elders were immensely powerful; Xiang Hong was clearly their junior. If he could win Xiang Hong’s favor, he gained two backings equal to his own Ancestor—immense gain.

Of course, he did not mean to sell his daughter. The key was whether his daughter would choose him—if not, he would not even invite Xiang Hong to the assembly; he would simply make him his son-in-law outright.

Compared to any other faction, the combined weight of these two elders was unmatched.

“Thank you for your kindness, Elder, but I still wish to marry a girl from the Initial Realm.” Xiang Hong declined, without hiding his Initial Realm identity.

As a man of the Initial Realm, Xiang Hong was proud of Hanzi and had no intention of concealing it.

“Initial Realm?”

Watching the Heavenly Evil Sword Immortal and the others depart, Lord Tianhong murmured softly. He did not bathe or change clothes, nor did he prepare to receive the great figures of other factions. Instead, he turned toward the mansion within the Lord’s residence.

He was not from this world.

Initial Realm? Could it be connected to the terrifying aura that shook the world just days ago?

Lord Tianhong could not forget: not long ago, the world had been shaken by two utterly terrifying auras.

If Xiang Hong knew Lord Tianhong’s thoughts, he would recognize those auras immediately—they were the clash between Abzu of ancient Babylonian myth and Suiren Shi of Chinese myth.

That battle had affected countless realms.

…