Cloud Hidden Mountain had a secret realm, and within that secret realm was a sword formation. Su Zhuyi had just heard this news from Miaoshe Shiqi, and her interest wasn’t particularly great. However, if he contacted her when the time came, she would probably go take a look, as long as she was still in the southern frontier.
When she had first arrived, the Sword Ancestor hadn’t reacted at all. Yet now, after walking out for only a short while, it had flown away. Could it be because it sensed the sword formation?
Su Zhuyi circulated her spiritual energy for low-altitude flight, chasing after the Broken Sword. She then discovered that the paths of Cloud Hidden Mountain had changed. When Cloud Hidden Mountain was shrouded in clouds and mist, it would occasionally create those ghost-wall situations. This kind of phenomenon was rare, perhaps once in a century. Su Zhuyi had never encountered it in her previous life. She had only heard that if one encountered it, they should try not to wander around carelessly, or they would be trapped in the mountain. When the mist cleared, the mountain would have gained several more sets of white bones. Though trapped for only a few days, only skeletal remains would be left.
Seeing the mountain paths shifting, Su Zhuyi knew the danger and didn’t plan to pursue further. However, the Broken Sword flew directly back and smacked her on the forehead. Having no choice, she could only follow the Broken Sword. After circling for a while, she saw a bamboo grove.
Cloud Hidden Mountain had a bamboo grove?
Just as Su Zhuyi was puzzled, a tremendous force struck from behind, pushing her forward more than ten zhang and directly into the bamboo grove. Before she could steady herself, with a sharp crack, a green bamboo lashed out like a soft whip, instantly shattering her defensive barrier and leaving a deep, bloody mark across her back.
The Broken Sword hovered above her head, swaying left and right in what was a spectator’s pose.
Could this be the sword formation? Had the Broken Sword led her here for the sword formation’s trial? Ever since she had comprehended sword intent in the red maple forest, she had been consistently using the sword. When recuperating at Luoxue Peak, she had practiced swordsmanship as soon as her body could move. She cared quite a bit about the sword dao—partly because she discovered that sword techniques with sword intent were indeed much more formidable, and partly because she hoped the Sword Ancestor could suppress the Longquan Sword in the future. But she had so many burdens weighing on her that she couldn’t wholeheartedly enter closed-door cultivation to focus solely on swordsmanship. So the Broken Sword was dissatisfied, and upon discovering this sword formation, it had directly driven her over here…
She feared Qin Jianglan’s disappearance, which was why she had been traveling the world performing heroic deeds and leaving behind a heroic reputation. If she hadn’t shouldered so many burdens, she too could have entered closed-door cultivation for decades or even centuries!
Sensing the Broken Sword’s dissatisfaction, Su Zhuyi roared inwardly. However, since she was already here and had already entered the sword formation, she wouldn’t be too frantic. She might as well fight this sword formation—perhaps it would bring some enlightenment to her sword dao. Su Zhuyi raised her hand and grasped the Broken Sword. She said coldly, “Stop watching the show. Since this is a sword formation and I’m fighting, you shouldn’t slack off either.”
She flourished the sword in her hand. “I’ll break this formation for you to see.” Just as she finished her bold declaration, several more green bamboos came crashing down. Three green bamboos struck down together. Su Zhuyi executed the Tianxuan Nine Swords, splitting them with one strike, only to discover that the green bamboos were extraordinarily flexible. When her Broken Sword slashed through, the bamboos instantly dissipated all force, causing both her and her sword to surge forward a distance. The bamboos bent like bows, their bamboo leaves green and bright like sword gleams, blindingly brilliant.
Sword momentum!
Su Zhuyi thought this was bad and immediately executed Shadowless Traceless to retreat, but it was too late. The tender bamboos rebounded, and a massive number of bamboo leaves shot forth. At least several hundred sword intents completely enveloped her. Her Tianxuan Nine Swords couldn’t possibly block so many sword intents, and she found herself unable to cast other techniques. With several popping sounds, three sword lights pierced her body, directly puncturing three bloody holes in her. She hurriedly swallowed pills, and before she could catch her breath, another green bamboo lashed over from the side.
Softness could overcome hardness, but how could hardness break softness?
She swung her sword to block. The Broken Sword indeed blocked the tender bamboo, but the bamboo was flexible. Though she blocked the bamboo sword, the bamboo tip, encountering resistance, continued to droop down and smacked her face with a crack, making her cheek burn with pain. Reaching up to touch it, she found she was bleeding.
Damn it, it dared to hit her face!
Immediately after, more bamboo leaves flew out, grazing past her body and shaving off strips of her flesh. Though this sword technique was soft, its power was considerable. It didn’t give one a quick death but instead shaved flesh strip by strip, like cutting meat. The person who set up this sword formation trial was probably not a righteous path sword cultivator.
The demonic path also had sword cultivators, and their sword techniques were all rather sinister—one sword to seal the throat, one sword through the heart, mostly using killing to stop killing. She had encountered several in her previous life. Thinking of how Cloud Hidden Mountain would gain several more sets of white bones after the mountain paths changed, could it be that those people had mistakenly entered the sword formation and been slowly shaved into skeletal frames by this sword formation?
Su Zhuyi had no time to think further because the next bamboo was already descending. She no longer blocked but struck out with one sword, only to encounter the same old problem—the bamboo was pressed down and rebounded back at her.
Her strength was insufficient. The Broken Sword’s sword intent was inadequate, its sword momentum not strong enough.
Softness could overcome hardness, which only meant that the hardness wasn’t strong enough yet. As long as her sword qi could directly sever these bamboos without giving them a chance to dissipate force and rebound, she could break through this sword formation. After realizing this, Su Zhuyi steeled her heart, circulated spiritual energy into the Broken Sword, and continued slashing!
She no longer dodged, no longer retreated.
When green bamboos lashed out, she swung her sword and slashed.
When bamboo leaf sword intents attacked, she swung her sword and slashed.
Gradually, she seemed to forget everything else. Only one thought remained in her mind: slash!
If you were to live again, what would you do?
Whoever dares obstruct me, I’ll kill them, regardless of whether they’re righteous path or the demonic path—this is my dao!
Slash!
She forgot all the moves of the Tianxuan Nine Swords. Each time, she simply slashed out directly. The sword wounds on her body multiplied, and large strips of flesh were shaved away, but she wasn’t afraid of pain and forgot about pain. She gripped the sword in her hand tightly and slashed at each green bamboo that continuously appeared before her eyes.
Previously, she had broken ten thousand enemies with one sword, using the Broken Sword horizontally in front of her to block swords and attacks—it could even be used as a shield…
Now, she still broke ten thousand swords with one sword. The rust on the Broken Sword seemed to melt away, dripping down the blade bit by bit. The rust water flowed along the sword’s body in meandering streams, melting into her palm and mixing with the blood on her body. She knew no fatigue, no pain. Facing those willow-like strips that continuously flew over, she swung her sword to slash at them all. Slash! Slash! Slash!
She didn’t know how much time had passed when Su Zhuyi finally heard a crisp crack.
Softness could overcome hardness, but hardness could also overcome softness—as long as she was strong enough! The Broken Sword in her hand seemed longer than before. Su Zhuyi struck out with one sword, and that blue-black sword light severed the green bamboo. After one bamboo broke in the middle, the second, third, and fourth bamboos all snapped in succession. Only after she had severed all the green bamboos did Su Zhuyi finally relax. Once she relaxed, her entire body ached. Looking down at herself, she was stunned.
Her clothes were now tattered and torn, her body covered in sword wounds everywhere. The deep wounds revealed bone. The way she looked now, standing next to Little Skull, they would truly be like siblings—guaranteed to scare anyone they encountered in a graveyard.
Looking again at the Broken Sword in her hand, Su Zhuyi’s eyes lit up.
The Broken Sword had originally been covered in rust, but now all the rust had completely disappeared. The sword body was dark green, a deep and weathered color that grew lighter and more translucent toward the top, like new sprouts growing from an old tree. Though this Broken Sword still lacked a sword tip, it was now two inches longer than before. Sword intent nourished the sword, so because her sword dao cultivation had improved, the Broken Sword had also benefited considerably. Gripping the Broken Sword in her hand, Su Zhuyi felt that the sword no longer seemed as cold as before. Even the sword hilt had warmth to it.
“Using a sword isn’t too bad.”
Broken Sword: “Hmph.”
She truly hoped that when the time came, the Broken Sword would prove useful and be able to suppress the evil Longquan Sword.
Was the bamboo grove sword formation broken?
Su Zhuyi looked at the ground covered with severed bamboo and scattered bamboo leaves—a thick layer blanketing the entire surface. She could still smell the fresh fragrance of bamboo leaves in the air. She frowned deeply, not daring to let her guard down. Her divine sense couldn’t see far, so she didn’t dare act rashly.
At this moment, the Broken Sword chimed softly once, its azure sword gleaming, pointing toward the ground. Su Zhuyi took a pill and followed that sword light. Before long, she entered a narrow mountain passage, and at the end of the passage sat a female corpse.
The female corpse had not decayed and looked lifelike. She was extremely beautiful, and even sitting cross-legged, her figure appeared graceful. On her left side was a jade bottle, and on her right side was a piece of clothing. The clothing was folded neatly and placed beside her right side, without a speck of dust on it.
Seeing that clothing, Su Zhuyi’s eyes gleamed. She hadn’t expected to see that azure robe woven from shark scales that Qin Jianglan had always loved wearing in her previous life.
So in her previous life, this sword formation had been broken by Qin Jianglan. Unfortunately, he had already forgotten, or she could have asked what other traps were inside.
This female cultivator should be evil. Even though she appeared harmless at the moment, Su Zhuyi didn’t plan to approach immediately. Though she had taken pills, she had been seriously injured, breaking the sword formation, and had completely exhausted her spiritual energy. Through the pills, she had only recovered a little—it wasn’t advisable to take more risks.
Su Zhuyi took out a formation disk and set up a defensive barrier, then sat down to meditate and regulate her breathing. However, before long, voices came from outside.
“The sword formation has been broken?”
“If someone has taken the items inside, the Beauty Gu transaction will be canceled.”
“There’s a formation ahead. The person who broke the formation hasn’t left yet. Go quickly!” In an instant, a sword light appeared. Su Zhuyi’s defensive formation was created by a formation disk and couldn’t possibly block such an attack. The formation barrier was shattered, and several figures approached on swords, stopping not far in front of her.
“It’s you!”
From the group, a woman wearing a black veil stepped forward. She looked at Su Zhuyi with a flash of vicious light in her eyes.
It was Hua Yining and the others from the Yunxiao Sect. Among the group, Su Zhuyi also spotted a familiar face.
Su Qingxun.
Su Qingxun had fallen into Hua Yining’s hands.
Could it be that Hua Yining had originally planned to use Su Qingxun to breed the Beauty Gu?