Bombarding Cultivators with Cluster Artillery
Chapter 710 - 691: The Rotting Smell from the Depths of the Soul

Unknowingly,

Jiang Ding had spent several years wandering within the territory of the Great Sun Sword Sect and finally neared the ruling core of the sect.

The Great Sun Sword Sect is a relatively traditional sect.

Its domain is situated deep within mountains devoid of human traces, separate from the secular world and forbidding outsiders from entering its territory, with trespassers to be executed without discussion.

Similarly, as a major power in the region, total seclusion is impossible.

The Great Sun Sword Sect possesses a core immortal city that engages in frequent exchanges of information and resources with the outside world, lying on top of a premium fourth-order Spiritual Vein, gathering loose cultivators, envoys from various powers, spies, merchants, Refining Masters, Spiritual Plant growers, Alchemists, and many others.

This core immortal city is known as Great Sun Sword City.

Intelligence reports indicate that Great Sun Sword City has no walls, no Defensive Arrays, and allows anyone and any force to come and go as long as they abide by the extremely strict and even harsh laws of the city—laws specifically designed so that one could easily transgress them without careful attention.

Offenders have two options.

One, pay a huge fine that could bankrupt a cultivator of their realm in an instant.

Two, go to the Dueling Platform and survive; aside from offenses involving the core disciples of the Great Sun Sword Sect, any crime would be absolved.

The Great Sun Sword Sect,

extends special privileges to their core disciples who have comprehended Sword Intent.

It rather gives the impression that penalties do not apply to the gentry.

All sorts of Heavenly Material and Earthly Treasures and elixirs are provided as much as possible; they even help take care of family members, with cultivators within the sect showing great affection and support for one another.

For example, True Master Void Square once preferred to put himself in danger rather than not save the Scorching Sun Swordsman.

It should be known that if he had been slack in his efforts, no one would have known, not even the Supreme Elders of the Great Sun Sword Sect could fault him for that.

Heaven Transformation Immortal of the Liudao Sect did just that.

Looking only at the core disciples and those above their level, this sect is the most typical of the great Righteous Dao sects, with affectionate seniors and respectful juniors, and a sense of community that could not be more profound.

Even if you grow tired of killing and no longer wish to practice swordsmanship, the elders still patiently instruct and kindly persuade you, and if they fail, they only sigh and express their deep concern.

There are hardly any sudden turnabouts, or disappointments behind one's back—such disheartening incidents are rare.

—The premise is that the Sword Intent must not be lost.

In the Great Sun Sword Sect, Sword Intent is the dividing line between being human and non-human.

Of course, generally speaking, no matter what, Sword Intent does not regress; once comprehended, it is comprehended, and it does not change.

If one's own people, who have grasped Sword Intent, make mistakes or fail, these are deemed normal.

The Great Sun Sword Sect's tolerance is remarkably high.

It lacks the cold and heartless nature often associated with Sword Cultivators; the cohesion within the sect is much stronger compared to other sects.

Over the years, Jiang Ding wasn't merely wandering and traveling.

He exerted a lot of effort setting up multiple ultra long-distance teleportation Formations as a retreat and for agile support in various secluded places.

Relatively simple and effortless.

These teleportation Formations are the products of the Xianmen Sect's industrial might, merely requiring installation, and his Formation Dao skills, nearly at the peak of the fourth-order, were completely sufficient.

As for maintenance, since teleportation Formations are rarely used, they only need to be serviced once every several decades, and should one break, running to the Xianmen Sect to replace a Formation component is easy, posing no great challenge.

This is the advantage of leaning on a robust cultivation industry—most problems can be solved with money.

As he neared Great Sun Sword City,

Jiang Ding overturned some of his previous judgments and made corrections once again.

This place near the heart of the Northern Plains where major Spiritual Veins converge, with surplus Spiritual Energy even in the wilderness where no Spiritual Veins or Gathering Spirit Formations are present, its concentration of Spiritual Energy nearly matches that of a first-order Spiritual Vein—a density dozens of times that of the Three Kingdoms, with an equally abundant quantity of Heavenly Material and Earthly Treasures.

The heroes that have historically dominated the Northern Plains all hail from here, due to such a material foundation.

Similarly, this is why a large number of Loose Cultivators have emerged here.

They are unbound and unrestrained, not directly controlled by any power, and wield a bizarre assortment of Magic Tools—throwing knives, hammers, copper figures, rocks, shields, and more.

These Loose Cultivators are permitted to use defensive Magic Tools and Treasures.

The Great Sun Sword Sect has not imposed such restrictions on Loose Cultivators, only its subordinate powers have such requirements.

Due to customs and habits, using defensive Magic Tools within the Great Sun Sword Sect's territory is an act that can be looked down upon.

Loose Cultivators obviously do not care and continue to do as they please.

After several days of travel and covering thousands of kilometers,

a gigantic Immortal City emerged in the distance, its buildings and landscapes twinkling with Spiritual Light, far surpassing Hei Clan's Tushan Immortal City in scale, beyond any comparison.

Among the cultivators coming and going, Foundation-building cultivators were a common sight and drew no special attention, while Golden Pill Monks were visible from time to time, with onlookers appearing nonchalant, unlike other places where droves of cultivators respectfully greet and refer to them as venerable ancestors.

This is one of the most prosperous Immortal Cities in the Northern Plains,

Great Sun Sword City!

The cultivators who come and go here mostly wear swords with sharp and exuberant auras about them, clearly possessing considerable swordsmanship expertise.

Here, sword techniques, Sword Dao cultivation methods, and flying swords are comparatively cheaper and of higher quality than in other places. Even without strict orders, the number of cultivators using flying swords wouldn't be small.

"So many auras of Sword Intent..."

Jiang Ding released his Divine Sense, feeling a slight agitation in his heart.

Instinctively, he felt a desire to slaughter, to destroy all Sword Dao cultivators who refused to submit before him, to cast aside all concerns and engage them in a duel of life and death.

Now, he had transformed into an ordinary-looking grey-robed cultivator with a longsword at his waist—a common sight in this place, easily disappearing into the crowd.

Clang!

The Sword Intent of Destruction in his Divine Soul gently sang, sweeping away the agitation in his heart.

No one asked him any questions, and no one registered his presence.

He casually stepped into the Great Sun Sword City, vaguely feeling an invisible fluctuation sweep over him, which then disappeared without a trace.

Ding ding ding ding...

Just as he entered the city, before he had the chance to look around, his ears were enveloped by the urgent sounds of sword ringing.

Fixing his gaze,

on a dueling platform spanning more than ten li, two Golden Pill Monks were battling to the death wielding flying swords, surrounded by numerous Golden Pill and Foundation-building cultivators watching with bated breath, daring not to disturb them in the slightest.

"What a grand scene, a life-and-death struggle between Golden Pill Monks just as I arrive."

Jiang Ding observed, clicking his tongue in wonder.

Golden Pill Monks, no matter what, couldn't be considered weak. They could dominate the situation in an area, but here in Great Sun Sword City, they were the ones engaged in mortal combat, some not for strategic sacrifices but merely internal strife.

And judging by the looks of the surrounding people, this wasn't considered anything too surprising; it was just an everyday occurrence.

"'Fufeng Sword' Immortal Fufeng is behind on his offerings to the Great Sun Sword Sect again and is going up on the dueling platform. I wonder if he'll die at the hands of a Great Sun Sword Sect Inner Sect Elder..."

"An Inner Sect Elder? Immortal Fufeng has already killed three Inner Sect Elders of the Great Sun Sword Sect on the dueling platform. It seems to me that he is the one who should be worried."

"True, we dare not enter the Great Sun Sword Sect's inner gates. Although the benefits are quite tempting, the potential for death is always present..."

Jiang Ding captured the discussions of the surrounding cultivators with his Divine Sense and looked towards the dueling platform.

A suave middle-aged swordsman was controlling a platinum flying sword treasure, fighting evenly with an old man at the later stages of Golden Pill with only a mid-stage Golden Pill cultivation base.

Time and again, he effortlessly dodged Sword Qi attacks using Sword Escaping, winning admiring glances from many cultivators.

"This person..."

Jiang Ding looked at the middle-aged swordsman.

The man was ordinary, with mid-stage Golden Pill cultivation, and decent swordsmanship. Jiang did not recognize him; he looked no different from many Golden Pill Monks he had encountered before.

However, somehow,

Jiang Ding suddenly smelled a rotten odor, no—not an odor, but a scent emanating from the soul.

It was like meat that had decayed and fermented over hundreds of years, slushy and maggot-ridden, faint yet penetrating deep into the marrow, a scent that one could never escape.

This feeling came about so unbidden.

It stemmed from the intuition of a Taoist disciple.

"This feeling..."

Jiang Ding's expression gradually turned solemn.

Whatever was prompting his intuition was definitely not something to be trifled with.

It should be known that not even the Scorching Sun Swordsman or the Six Dao Saint had managed to stir even a hint of it. Indeed, it could be said that even if those two advanced to Nascent Soul, they still wouldn't be able to provoke a reaction from his intuition.

In the meantime,

the suave swordsman on the dueling platform seemed to have sensed something too and likewise looked down.

A grey-robed young man.

Plain in appearance and manner, temporarily assuming a guise that even Immortals of Nascent Soul or Spirit Transformation Heavenly Monarchs wouldn't see through at a glance.

"Him!"

"No... It can't be!"

The middle-aged swordsman's pupils shrank sharply as his heart churned like a stormy sea.

"...Great Sun... Sword Master..."