Chapter 79: Broken Blade Canyon

In the following days, Heishuicheng appeared to have returned to its usual bustle and chaos on the surface, but the undercurrents beneath remained unsettled. The mysterious disappearance of the four Nether Sect scouts was like a stone cast into the sea; while it didn't stir up large waves, it did provoke suspicion and vigilance among certain interested parties. The Zhao family seemed to have temporarily ceased their activities, though it was unclear whether they were brewing a larger conspiracy or had simply restrained themselves after a warning from the City Lord's Mansion.

Lin Xuan was happy to enjoy the peace, spending most of his time in the small courtyard arranged by the City Lord's Mansion without stepping outside.

He was in no rush to raise his cultivation realm; his Nascent Soul mid-stage was already stable, and greedily advancing would only damage his Dao foundation. He poured all his energy into consolidating and exploring his existing methods.

The Chaos Dao Seed was the foundation of everything he possessed. He repeatedly performed internal observation, nourishing it with his spiritual sense, and contemplating the profound mysteries of how it inhaled and exhaled spiritual energy and derived fragments of laws. He attempted to control his chaotic spiritual power with greater precision, aiming to create smaller spatial ripples when executing "Earth-Shrinking Step," more concentrated destructive power when channeling the "Finger of Annihilation," and deeper bone-tempering effects when operating the "Nine-Turn Thunder Body."

His greatest gain came from the further refinement and understanding of the Star Netherlight. This light contained the vastness of the stars and the deathly stillness of the netherworld, and it carried a characteristic capable of sealing all things. He no longer viewed it merely as a means of attack, but began to explore its broader applications.

He discovered that by integrating a trace of imperceptible Star Netherlight into the "Shadow Concealment Art," its concealment effect increased significantly, as if he could temporarily "seal" or "isolate" his own existence from the perception of this world. Unless someone was a full realm higher than him and specifically searching, it would be extremely difficult to detect him.

He then attempted to integrate the "annihilation" characteristic of the Star Netherlight into the "Finger of Annihilation." Once the finger was unleashed, it not only contained annihilation on a material level but also carried a trace of the Dao rhyme of annihilation that struck directly at the soul and froze the vitality of life. Its power was more than doubled. He vaguely felt that this might be the correct future direction for the "Finger of Annihilation"—under one finger, all things return to nothingness, and the soul falls into eternal silence.

At the same time, he began to study the Five Elements Demon-Sealing Stele (replica) obtained from the inheritance of the Five Elements Loose Practitioner. Although this stele was only a replica, the power of the Five Elements seal contained within was quite profound. He used his chaotic spiritual power to simulate the flow of the Five Elements, attempting to stimulate its power. While it was far from the vastness he experienced when borrowing the power of the earth veins in the secret realm, he had initially grasped some of its utility in sealing and trapping enemies, which might prove to have miraculous effects at a critical moment.

In his spare time, he also reviewed public information about the Southern Wilderness Ancient Domain provided through the City Lord's Mansion's channels, gaining a deeper understanding of that land of death. Miasma, poisonous insects, fierce beasts, treacherous and ever-changing terrain, lingering ancient restrictions... each was enough to be fatal. But what was most feared was the "space-time distortion" phenomenon that occasionally appeared in the Ancient Domain. Those who fell into it often went missing, or appeared in another region hundreds of years later, aged and frail, or vanished completely.

Ten days passed quietly in this fulfilling and tense state of cultivation and preparation.

On the morning of the tenth day, the rising sun cast the massive shadow of Heishuicheng onto the vast earth.

Lin Xuan bid farewell to Yue Qingtian and, without alerting anyone, left Heishuicheng silently. He maintained the appearance of an ordinary Golden Core loose practitioner, executed "Earth-Shrinking Step," and with one step, his figure was already several miles away, heading toward the Broken Blade Canyon in the southwest.

Deep within the vast mountain range, the further in he went, the denser and more ancient the vegetation became. Towering ancient trees blocked the sun, and the demonic aura permeating the air grew increasingly thick. Lin Xuan did not fly at high altitude, as that would make him too large a target, easily attracting the attention of powerful demonic birds or those with ill intentions. He moved through the forest like a ghost, his spiritual sense already spread out to cover a radius of several hundred miles, avoiding the nests of powerful demonic beasts and detecting several groups of cultivators also heading to the Broken Blade Canyon in advance.

A journey of three thousand miles was unreachable for mortals, but for the current Lin Xuan, it took no more than half a day.

In the afternoon, the outline of a massive, ferocious canyon appeared on the horizon.

Broken Blade Canyon lived up to its name. The cliffs on both sides looked as if they had been split by a giant axe from a god; they were steep and sheer, reaching a thousand zhang in height, and the rocks displayed a dark red hue, as if soaked in the blood of countless ages. At the entrance of the canyon, jagged rocks stood in disarray, and wild winds howled, emitting sharp shrieks like ghosts crying. The spiritual energy here was chaotic, carrying a tragic aura of slaughter; it was said that in ancient times, this was an important battlefield for the war between the human race and the Southern Wilderness demon race, and the unyielding battle intent and resentment still lingered to this day.

Lin Xuan stopped in a dense forest more than ten miles from the canyon entrance, not rushing to reveal himself. The "Eye of Truth" was quietly activated, chaotic brilliance swirling in his pupils as he looked toward a relatively flat open space at the canyon entrance.

Dozens of figures had already gathered there.

These people were clearly divided into several small groups, maintaining a vigilant distance from one another.

The most conspicuous was a group of seven or eight cultivators wearing uniform dark red spiritual armor, their auras stern and capable. The leader was a middle-aged man with a cold expression and eyes like a hawk; his spiritual power fluctuations had reached the Nascent Soul mid-stage, and a black iron token engraved with the characters "Demon Suppression" hung from his waist. They were indeed from the Imperial Demon Suppression Division.

Another group wore brocade robes embroidered with flame cloud patterns. There were only four or five of them, but each possessed an extraordinary bearing, with the lowest cultivation being the Golden Core peak. The leader was a handsome young master with a hint of subtle arrogance between his brows, whose cultivation had actually reached the Nascent Soul early stage! Standing beside him was an old man with a deep aura who appeared to be a servant, whose cultivation had reached the Nascent Soul mid-stage. Judging by their clothing and insignias, they were likely members of the imperial family, though not of the Third Imperial Prince's faction.

The third group wore uniform green Confucian robes, their auras gentle and upright, carrying a scholarly air, yet their eyes were wise and their spiritual power pure and refined. These were cultivators from the Heavenly Mystery Academy, numbering about five or six. The leader was a middle-aged scholar holding a book with an elegant temperament, whose cultivation was also at the Nascent Soul mid-stage.

In addition to these three groups clearly from major forces, more than a dozen cultivators stood scattered across the open space. They were dressed in various ways, men and women alike, with cultivation levels ranging from Golden Core late stage to Nascent Soul early stage, clearly loose practitioners or representatives of other small forces recruited or arriving on their own, just like Lin Xuan. These people sized each other up, their eyes filled with caution and scrutiny, occasionally flashing with a hint of greed.

Lin Xuan's gaze swept across the crowd, and he quickly noticed two acquaintances.

One was Ye Chen! He stood alone not far from the Demon Suppression Division's group, holding his long sword and closing his eyes to rest. Compared to the time in the secret realm, his aura was more restrained, but his sword intent was increasingly pure and sharp. Clearly, his cultivation had improved again, reaching the peak of the Nascent Soul early stage, only a step away from the mid-stage.

The other was the old man with a sinister expression at the Nascent Soul late stage—the third grandfather of that Zhao family young master, Zhao Kun, whom he had met once at the Hundred Know Tower! He was currently standing with two other Nascent Soul early stage cultivators, appearing to belong to the loose practitioner group, but their gazes occasionally swept across the entire field, especially lingering on the Demon Suppression Division and the imperial family groups with a hint of imperceptible coldness.

"The Zhao family really did send someone, and a Nascent Soul late stage at that..." Lin Xuan sneered in his heart; this was within his expectations. He firmly memorized the man's aura.

Just as Lin Xuan was observing, a powerful spiritual sense swept across the forest without ceremony, carrying a sense of scrutiny and warning; it was the Nascent Soul mid-stage leader of the Demon Suppression Division.

Lin Xuan knew he could no longer hide, so he withdrew his disguise, revealed his "Golden Core late stage" cultivation, and walked calmly out of the forest toward the open space.

His appearance did not cause much of a stir. A Golden Core late stage loose practitioner could only be considered the bottom of the barrel in this elite team. Many loose practitioners glanced at him and lost interest. Only a few, like Ye Chen, opened their eyes to look when he appeared, his gaze lingering on him for a moment as if he had sensed something unusual, but then he closed his eyes again. The sinister old man from the Zhao family also only gave him a cold glance, not connecting this "Golden Core junior" to the mysterious expert who had killed the Nether Sect scouts that night.

Lin Xuan was happy to be ignored, walking silently to the edge of the area where the loose practitioners were gathered, finding a rock to sit on, closing his eyes to regulate his breath, and waiting for the assembly time to arrive.

Time passed bit by bit, and several more people arrived. When the setting sun was about to sink into the distant mountains, dyeing the Broken Blade Canyon in a desolate, bloody color, the leader of the Demon Suppression Division, the cold middle-aged man, finally stepped forward, his gaze like lightning as he swept across the entire field.

"Everyone has arrived." His voice was like the clashing of metal, carrying an unquestionable majesty. "I am Leng Feng, Deputy Commander of the Demon Suppression Division."

He paused and continued: "I am fully responsible for this exploration of the Southern Wilderness Ancient Domain. Let me say the ugly things first: the Ancient Domain is dangerous, a life-and-death gamble. Since you are here, you must follow the rules! During the operation, obey all commands. If anyone acts in bad faith, deserts in the face of battle, or even stabs others in the back—"

Before he finished speaking, a chilling killing intent like the dead of winter instantly enveloped the field, causing many Golden Core cultivators to turn pale, and even some Nascent Soul early stage loose practitioners felt their breathing stifle.

"—do not blame my 'Demon-Suppressing Blade' for being heartless!"

The ancient-looking, sheathed long saber at his waist seemed to sense its master's killing intent, emitting a low hum.

"Now, distributing the 'Unity Talismans'." Leng Feng waved his hand, and dozens of streams of light flew accurately toward everyone present.

Lin Xuan reached out and caught it; it was a white jade talisman engraved with complex runes, containing a strange connection.

"This talisman can sense each other's positions within a hundred-mile range and can trigger a shield at critical moments, but its main function is positioning. If anyone leaves the team for more than a hundred miles without authorization, or damages this talisman, it will be treated as desertion!" Leng Feng said coldly, "Drop your blood to refine it!"

Hearing this, everyone followed suit and dropped their blood to refine it. Lin Xuan did the same; he could feel that this talisman had no effect of monitoring the soul, and its main function was indeed positioning and simple communication, so he followed the crowd and refined it.

"Target: the outskirts of the Southern Wilderness Ancient Domain, in the direction of 'Star Burial Valley'. Move out!"

Leng Feng did not drag his feet; at his command, he was the first to transform into a dark red stream of light, rushing into the depths of the canyon. The Demon Suppression Division members followed closely behind.

The imperial family team and the Heavenly Mystery Academy team also set off one after another.

Ye Chen said nothing, turning into sword light and sweeping across the sky.

The loose practitioners and other small force cultivators looked at each other, each displaying their own methods and following along.

Lin Xuan mingled in the loose practitioner team, executing his movement technique unhurriedly, his gaze looking calmly toward the dark region to the south, which was shrouded in thick miasma and looked like a giant beast crouching.

The Southern Wilderness Ancient Domain—he had finally arrived.

And behind him, the sinister old man from the Zhao family watched Lin Xuan's "struggling" back, a cold arc curling at the corner of his mouth as he transmitted his voice to the two people beside him: "Keep a close eye on that Golden Core late stage brat. Once we enter the Ancient Domain, find an opportunity to 'take care' of him."

The intent to kill quietly permeated the air as the team set off.