Chapter 717: Shan Xuan Yin Breaks Nine, Tai Shan Xuan Pierces Heaven (Combined)

Boom!

Dark clouds churned, filling the sky and reaching the ends of the earth; thunder dragons and lightning snakes rolled and writhed, ravaging all eight directions.

A figure sat high above the clouds, like an ancient thunder god, wielding thunder and riding lightning, his aura terrifying beyond measure.

And within that sea of lightning, a strange stone radiated brilliance; the thunderous essence and spirit, vast as the sky, did not diminish it in the slightest, and occasionally a wisp of aura overflowed, manifesting a resplendent sword scene.

It was the Sword-Grinding Stone.

"What the hell?!"

Li Yuan, controlling the Ying Mo Shen to dodge and weave, felt somewhat dazed.

According to his original plan, he was to let the Ying Mo Shen devour layer by layer, accumulating power for the Shan Xuan Yin Lei Chi; if he could accumulate a dozen or so Shan Xuan Yin Divine Thunders,

he might not be unable to assault the tenth layer of the Sword Realm, or even the eleventh!

Whether he could win or not didn't matter; as long as it served as an anchor, he could use the Human Tribulation Rod to forcibly fish out the treasures of the tenth layer, or even the eleventh layer of the Sword Realm!

Therefore, he had no desire to rush at all!

As a result, not having devoured enough in the first and second layers was one thing, but how had he been slaughtered all the way to the ninth layer?

"... Something in this Sword Realm is targeting me..."

As the thought arose in Li Yuan's heart, the thunder covering the sky and earth rolled down, like ten thousand thunder dragons rampaging and crisscrossing; their speed was extremely fast, unceasing across the sky, killing him until sweat drenched his back.

One after another, demonic shadows were shattered by the Lei Guang.

"Qian Yang Divine Thunder!"

Li Yuan's eyelids twitched wildly; he could almost confirm that something was indeed targeting him from behind.

For no other reason: the Ying Mo Shen was born from pure Yin, and Yin had not yet reached its extreme to give birth to Yang; this Qian Yang Divine Thunder, in a sense, was heaven-sent to counter the Ying Mo Shen!

Could this be a coincidence?

"Boom!"

Li Yuan had no time to think further; divine thunders wove together like a net, their aura surging for tens of thousands of li, the void covered by thunder, leaving him almost no room to dodge and weave.

He could only use demonic shadows to share the burden; in a short moment, he lost over a thousand Yi Er Jing demonic shadows, and more than ten third-realm demonic shadows also perished.

The losses were heavy!

"It is said that after those two Sword Dao Lords perished, their wills did not vanish, but lay dormant within the Sword Realm, perhaps waiting for successors to inherit..."

"Wasn't it to select a vessel?"

"How could it be to select a vessel? Many disciples of the Wei Tian Dao Sect have entered and exited the Sword Realm; if those two Dao Lords dared to possess a body, they would die again even if they came back to life."

"One step into the ninth layer; does it mean there is a talent that shocks the world, who gained the acknowledgment of those two Dao Lords' wills and is to inherit their legacy?"

"Since the Nine Eras, there have been no shortage of Mu Mu Xiantian Dao Bodies entering the Sword Realm; even such heavenly geniuses did not receive the Dao Lords' acknowledgment. Is there such a heavenly genius among those entering the Sword Realm this time?"

Outside the Sword Realm, divine thoughts fluttered; a group of Liu Qi Jing great cultivators were all shocked; this scene was unheard of even by them.

"Could it be a Mu Mu Xiantian Sword Dao Body?"

Suddenly, someone made this guess, and Yu Yu Xuanji, the gaze of the crowd of cultivators all turned sharply to Jiujitian, who stood with arms crossed.

Not only those present, but the majority of cultivators who knew the origin of the Sword God Tomb believed Jiujitian was the cultivator most compatible with the Sword Realm Dao Lords.

Including himself.

For no other reason: among those two Dao Lords, it was suspected that one was a Mu Mu Xiantian Sword Dao Saint Body.

"Hmm?"

Master Master Fujiu's expression darkened; he swept back with a sharp gaze, and the crowd of cultivators quickly averted their eyes.

"So unlucky; it has completely thrown my plans into disarray!"

Li Yuan, multitasking, listened to the discussion of the great cultivators while simultaneously diverting his attention into the Army-Commanding Space, picking up the Human Tribulation Rod to prepare for fishing.

His mood was very bad.

The Ying Mo Shen was still suffering within the ninth layer; with every breath, a patch of demonic shadows died; these were all the reserves he had painstakingly accumulated.

"Should I try to fish for the Sword-Grinding Stone, or gamble and try to deploy that one Shan Xuan Yin Divine Thunder?"

Li Yuan hesitated in his heart.

Being kicked straight to the ninth layer had completely thrown his plans into disarray.

The guardian of that ninth layer cultivated the Qian Yang Thunder Method; his killing intent was fierce and it countered the Ying Mo Shen; ordinary demonic shadows could not approach at all, so naturally they could not become an anchor.

If the Ying Mo Shen went up itself, he would be unable to glimpse the tenth layer.

Not to mention the sky-high price Master Master Fujiu offered; he himself also had great interest in that Sword Scripture.

"That guardian cultivates the Thunder Method; will one Shan Xuan Yin Divine Thunder be able to achieve success? For a safer approach, it would be best to accumulate another divine thunder..."

Li Yuan's thoughts turned in an instant; he had already made up his mind; he must gamble!

If the Shan Xuan Yin Divine Thunder failed, it would still be time for the Ying Mo Shen to become an anchor; but if one strike defeated the enemy, then he could still glimpse the tenth layer of the Sword Realm!

"Which layer are you on?"

At this moment, Li Yuan heard a voice; he looked up, and it was Master Master Fujiu.

"The third layer."

Li Yuan stood up and replied: "My second Primordial Spirit has not been cultivated for long..."

"Enter quickly!"

Master Master Fujiu cut him off: "We can delay no longer!"

"..."

The true disciples of Jingshan speak far too rudely.

Li Yuan cursed inwardly and simply did not reply, silently walking behind Master Master Fufa.

Master Master Fufa also remained silent, simply pressing his hand on the sword hilt and looking at Jiujitian.

"You think I'm afraid of you or something!"

Master Master Fujiu's Dao halo abruptly appeared behind his head, his fury surging within.

He had reckoned he had already been extremely courteous — he had even endured Master Master Fufa's outrageous demand, and yet this Fa Fa Wushe actually had the nerve to push his luck!

"Senior brother!"

Daoist Fuxiong strode over and wedged himself between the two.

He was so frustrated he nearly spat blood; with just that one sentence, his Empty Cauldron Flower had been given away for nothing.

"Something has changed in the Sword Realm; it's not suitable to go in."

Daoist Daoist Tongqing also walked over. She glanced at Jiuji Tian, and was quite annoyed as well.

Do you know who Li Yuan is?

The pillar who may inherit the mantle of our Mount Mount Dongxuan in the future!

If the Sword Realm hadn't changed, going in and out would be no problem, but now there's clearly a great upheaval. Not to mention Master Master Fufa, even she would not allow Li Yuan to risk his person.

This is the first change in the Sword God Tomb across nine epochs, over a million years!

"Misunderstanding, misunderstanding!"

Daoist Fuxiong was startled; he even sensed Daoist Daoist Tongqing's killing intent. This Mount Mount Dongxuan true lineage's fame may not match Master Master Fufa's, but she was equally a born killer.

What depressed him even more was that Daoist Fuxiang also looked over expressionlessly, and he lost another fellow Daoist.

"…Let's go!"

He flung Daoist Fuxiong aside and swept off in a fury, Jiuji Tian.

"…Hyper-masculine syndrome!"

Li Yuan muttered inwardly.

He had long heard that this Jingshan true lineage was wild and unbridled, and now he was seeing it for himself. If not for the Dao Lord's sword qi still hanging overhead, he suspected that even with three Mount Mount Dongxuan true lineages present, he would have erupted in violence.

"This trip to the Sword Realm was my oversight in planning."

Master Master Fufa released the Refine-Demon Sword. When the Sword Realm changed, he was first startled, then felt a touch of lingering fear.

Admittedly, the Sword Realm might well be the inheritance ground of those two Dao Lords, but one fears not ten thousand, only the one in ten thousand — especially when it concerns Li Yuan.

"What are you saying, senior brother."

Li Yuan waved his hand, feeling rather guilty.

He vaguely felt that this change in the Sword Realm might be related to Ying Mo Shen devouring the cave-heaven, though of course he figured he was probably overthinking it.

The Sword Realm was so vast; what he had eaten wasn't even a hair off nine oxen — there was no reason he'd be targeted.

"Let's wait and see how things develop."

Daoist Daoist Tongqing stepped forward, looked up at the 'black dot' revealed beyond the Sword Realm's nine-layered light barrier, her expression rather solemn:

"The first change in nine epochs — this Sword Realm is truly no kind place! If it's an inheritance, then so be it, but if that Dao Lord returns through possession, then we must cut him down here!"

When one's yang-life ends, for a Qi Jing cultivator, at most their cultivation speed slows, and descending into the present world is hindered; they need only retreat into the Opening Gui Xu, and by virtue of their Fa Tian, can still achieve longevity.

But if the Fa Tian shatters, then with the divine extinguished, they will inevitably be eroded by the Opening Gui Xu's qi. Even through possession, what returns will not be a Dao Lord, but a 'ghost-demon' imbued with obsession.

Such a demon is far more vicious and cruel than an evil god — the Weitian Dao Sect would surely kill it on sight!

"Jiuji Tian has gone too far!"

Daoist Fuxiang also walked over; her face was very unsightly, clearly annoyed within.

"This man is too mad; it's not wise to get close to him."

She walked to a corner behind Li Yuan, and the three true lineages, whether intentionally or not, shielded him at the center.

Li Yuan, however, could no longer spare attention for anything else. In one hand he gripped the Human Calamity Pole, while with his full attention he manipulated Ying Mo Shen, fighting that nine-layer guardian.

"Boom!"

The thunder dragon shocked the heavens; wherever it passed, the void trembled.

Li Yuan steered Ying Mo Shen to brush past the thunder dragon. The demon shadows he released scattered within the Lei Guang, yet more surged toward the thunder dragon, savagely tearing at it.

Qianyang Divine Thunder did indeed counter Ying Mo Shen, but it was not entirely impossible to devour.

"Devouring the thunder is too slow!"

Li Yuan's thoughts flashed. Beneath him, black mist churned and abruptly transformed into a thousand-zhang demon dragon. The demon dragon roared, carrying Ying Mo Shen as it charged into the thunder clouds, drawing the Feng Feng Mantian Lei Guang.

Meanwhile, more demon shadows scattered in all directions, pouncing upon the earth and mountains — whether grass, trees, mud, or stone, anything that could be devoured was devoured whole, transformed into demon shadows!

Every blade of grass and tree in this Sword Realm was like the present world, but the difference was that within them were divine patterns and magic power qi — faint, yet equally capable of being transformed into demon shadows.

"Devour!"

"Devour!"

Soaring and weaving through the myriad Lei Guang, Li Yuan pushed Ying Mo Shen Gong to its absolute limit, his magic power draining away like floodwaters.

At the same time, he activated the Soldier-Raising Record, relying on his 'defense set' — built around Dun Tian Zhou, a five-realm spirit tortoise shell, and a six-realm Shan Xuan Teng She skin as cores, supplemented by defensive spirit treasures — to withstand the myriad thunderbolts.

【…A prodigy of 'Qianyang Realm,' Lei Jingshi, descended into the present world and was defeated by me. Though he was at the peak of six realms at the time, he already possessed the power of Qi Jing, and narrowly escaped with his life… I have always deeply regretted this…】

When he fought his way near the thunder clouds, Li Yuan saw this nine-layer guardian's origins and its realm in life.

This was unmistakably a quasi-Qi Jing thunder cultivator. Even suppressed to the Dao San Jing level now, its killing power was extremely ferocious; every strand of Lei Guang it shot forth was thunder magic.

"Kill!"

The Lei Guang trembled, emitting sounds of slaughter.

……

"This bastard is still devouring!"

Within the nine-layered void, the sword light overlooked the battlefield, and seeing that demon cultivator still devouring the cave-heaven even in such circumstances, fury blazed within it.

But the Sword Realm had Zi You Fa; even it could not directly interfere. Kicking him into the ninth layer was already the limit — otherwise it would surely have kicked him straight to the twelfth layer!

The present world is yang, the Opening Gui Xu is yin. Anything that falls into the Opening Gui Xu — even the yang-attribute Fa Tian dojo — will inevitably be tainted by a trace of pure yin qi.

The Ruins of Return is corroding everything that comes from the Yang World!

Incense and offerings can resist the corrosion of the Ruins of Return, but the Sword Realm has no master. Even with incense and offerings, it still has to maintain its own integrity—any flaw, however slight, could accelerate the Sword Realm's fall.

This is something it absolutely cannot allow.

"How is this bastard still alive?"

The sword-light trembled, repeatedly urging the nine-layer guardian.

By its calculations, that demonic cultivator should not have been able to hold out this long.

"Because of his true body?"

The sword-light touched the Sword Realm, and through a vague intuition, it knew this demonic cultivator was only the second Primordial Spirit; his true body was a cultivator with a Chaotic Sacred Body.

"His true body doesn't come in, so he's being reckless?"

The sword-light looked down upon the battlefield and saw ten thousands of demonic shadows running rampant, the ground sinking dozens of zhang wherever they passed. It was instantly furious:

"Kill him!"

"Boom—!"

In that instant, the nine layers of the Sword Realm shook, and rolling thunder spread outward to numerous lesser grotto-heavens.