Evil Venerable of the Sword Dao
Chapter 393 - 043: Ji Wu the Mysterious

Chapter 393: Chapter 043: Ji Wu the Mysterious

Hou Ling’er glanced over and felt as if she were gazing upon a glacial ice from the ancient Tai Chu era that had developed its own consciousness, her entire body gave her a terrifying sensation of being frozen in an instant.

The ’Ning’er’ of the past was now the ’Yu Ning, the Mysterious,’ as mentioned by the Saint.

Things change, people change...

In that moment, Hou Ling’er’s heart was filled with mixed emotions, and she sighed endlessly.

On the contrary, Jiang Yuning, after withdrawing her gaze, remained as cold and statuesque as before, not looking at anyone.

No Cultivator dared to stand close to her.

The only person who was not very far from her was the top-ranked, the first one named by Ji Wu—the Mysterious One.

He was a young man with a cold and deep demeanor.

Clad in white as snow, his tall figure was both handsome and aloof, radiating a powerful mystique akin to an unfathomable Chaos, the depth of which was impenetrable.

But his aura and Combat Power were at least at the Break Eight level.

And his Realm was at the very least the Void Realm.

...

Jiang Yuning’s gaze collided with Hou Ling’er’s, and not only Zhou Yan noticed it, but other geniuses did as well.

Yet Zhou Yan’s attention was involuntarily drawn to that side.

At this moment, he was all ancient Xuan Restrictions suppressing all Emperor Qi Intent, with the Thunderflame Sword Body’s aura becoming even stronger and more terrifying, overshadowing everything else.

His appearance, too, was after Yanyan had helped him change.

Zhou Yan thought that the Holy Daughter Ning’er would recognize this face.

But even when named by Yao, the Holy Daughter seemed as though she neither heard nor saw him.

...

"The farthest distance in the world is not when I stand before you, and you do not know I love you.

But when I stand before you, yet you do not recognize me."

Zhou Yan sighed inwardly, feeling an inexplicable sense of desolation.

Holy Daughter, do you not recognize a ’fool’? Didn’t they share a past together? What secrets lie between them?

Zhou Yan was somewhat distracted, but soon he snapped back to reality.

On regaining his senses, he saw Ji Wu’s Mysterious One suddenly turn his head and sweep over him with a chilling gaze.

That gaze was filled with contempt, disdain, indifference, and ruthlessness...

That gaze contained much information.

Zhou Yan could not imagine that a person could express so many emotions and states of mind with just a look.

But from just that one look, Zhou Yan understood the man’s meaning.

"You shouldn’t have looked at her, nor do you have the right to, nor are you worthy to use the name ’Zhou Yan’ to partake in the competition for the Holy Daughter’s hand. I will slay you in the Ten Thousand Ghosts Sword Tomb, as one would crush an ant, making you die in agony!

Do not harbor any luxurious hopes for what doesn’t belong to you, as it will only lead you to an early grave. While you indeed have some talent, you are still insignificant and only fit to quarrel with trash like Xiao Tianlun."

This was the message Ji Wu’s Mysterious One conveyed with that detached glance.

He didn’t utter a word, just a calm, indifferent look offered such an answer.

Zhou Yan was slightly taken aback, and before he could respond, the other party had already looked away, not even giving him the chance for a retort.

"Very strong, but also arrogant and domineering."

Zhou Yan judged inwardly.

"But no matter how strong the genius, I have killed them; no matter how wild the genius, I have trampled them; no matter how proud the genius, I have subdued them; no matter how overbearing the genius, I have ravaged them! You, Ji Wu, even if your Combat Power is Break Eight and you possess the Realm of the Void, so what?"

Zhou Yan gently clenched his fist.

Presently, with two remaining Fist Intents, just one would be enough to instantly kill this man.

Yet now was not the time.

...

"Alright, the time has come, the gates to the Ten Thousand Ghosts Sword Tomb are about to open.

Within the Ten Thousand Ghosts Sword Tomb, there are no limits to slaughter or revenge, no restrictions whatsoever. Out of ten thousand eight hundred talents, only one thousand will qualify, and those who pass will be able to enter the Nine Origin Heavenly City. After emerging, the number of ’Netherworld Sword Intents’ comprehended within the Ten Thousand Ghosts Sword Tomb will determine the ranking.

The top hundred, aside from automatically obtaining the right to compete for the Holy Daughter’s hand, will receive rewards in various aspects, such as Soul Crystals and Soul Devices, which are all recorded on your name tags for your perusal.

As for the competition for the Holy Daughter’s hand, it is a combination of talents; the strong become stronger, so in addition to strength, ability, Combat Power, talent, and so forth, background power is also a factor in the evaluation. In due course, a true genius, shocking through the ages, will be selected to marry the Holy Daughter, and the two will conceive an invincible next generation."

"Of course, if one possesses an ancient Constitution, such as the Emperor Qi Sword Body, Void Sword Body, Tao Sword Body, Thunderflame Sword Body and the like, there will be certain benefits in judgment."

Yao’s voice continued to echo in all directions.

And after this voice, Zhou Yan felt that he had garnered even more attention from the Cultivators.

Ancient Sword Bodies get certain bonuses, but what if an ancient Sword Body dies in the Ten Thousand Ghosts Sword Tomb? Then there would be no so-called special existence, and the competition would become level.

Zhou Yan analyzed in his heart.

Yao then went on to explain the unstable elements within the Ten Thousand Ghosts Sword Tomb, and then he activated the Void Array Plate, carrying the ten thousand eight hundred talents towards the Ten Thousand Ghosts Sword Tomb.

It was a grand gesture to traverse the Void, a single move with a sweeping and terrifying breadth, like Moving Mountains and Filling Seas or the Creation of Heaven and Earth, shockingly impressive.

...

"Boom!"

A terrifying energy burst forth from the heavens and the earth, followed by the shaking tremors akin to continuous magnitude nine earthquakes.

Suddenly, the space transformed, and the sky turned ominously dark.

A desolate, ancient aura filled the space between heaven and earth.

There was no sun in the sky, nor moon, only a murky, blood-red hue.

On the ground, there were pools of pitch black and muddy yellow water, emitting the stench of rotting corpses.

The feeling of oppression in the space was intense, as if the system of gravity had increased by more than a thousandfold.

Upon arrival, Zhou Yan felt his entire body sink; lifting his hands and feet was unusually difficult.

Here, even ordinary walking required effort!

However, Zhou Yan’s physical body was formidable, and he quickly adapted to the changes in the world. On the other hand, among the hundred and eighty thousand geniuses, some Cultivators with weaker bodies exploded upon arriving. The intense gravity crushed their flesh and left them shattered.

Merely the natural environment had already claimed the lives of geniuses; ordinary Cultivators would probably die instantly upon reaching this place!

"This... is the periphery of the Ten Thousand Ghosts Sword Tomb. Start moving on your own from here and you’ll trigger the Transmission Array, which will teleport you away at random. Do not hold hands and try to gather together, or it will release an infinitely multiplied suppression force that will instantly kill you."

Yao mentioned this casually, then in a flash, he vanished.

The moment Yao disappeared, Zhou Yan immediately sensed a dreadful killing intent. His heart went cold, and his body nearly twisted in an instant with the Void Ancient Scripture, but he was still unable to avoid this unexpected attack.

"Thunderhawk Sword Intent!"

Among the mutated Sword Intents, Thunderhawk Sword Spirit dominated with speed and ferocity.

With a mere thought, Thunderhawk Sword Spirit flew out, suddenly embodying ancient thunderous intents and manifested a terrifying urge to kill.

"Pfff—"

The mighty and invincible Sword Intent exploded upon contact and shattered. Thunderhawk Sword Spirit let out a wretched scream, nearly dissipating on the spot.

Even though Thunderhawk Sword Spirit was still unstable, it had mutated and was scarcely inferior to the earlier fusion of the Twelve Sword Spirits. To see it almost destroyed in an instant was unimaginable!

And at that moment, a twisted cold light suddenly shot towards Zhou Yan’s head.

"Humph!"

Ling’er was quick to react and, in an instant, slashed out with Holy Spirit Sword Intent. The Holy Spirit Sword Intent clashed fiercely with the twisted Sword Intent, rebounding harshly, while the twisted Sword Intent surged on, albeit with ninety percent of its power dissipated.

"Hum—"

Zhou Yan clenched his hand forcefully, barely crushing the twisted Sword Intent to pieces.

Yet Zhou Yan’s hand still burst open, and bright red blood flowed out, strikingly vivid.

"I hope that within the Ten Thousand Ghosts Sword Tomb, there are Cultivators willing to help you block the next move"

The voice of Ji Wu sounded casual as it came through.

Then, Ji Wu took a few steps forward, transformed into a stream of light, and was randomly teleported away.

Around Ji Wu, several powerful Cultivators could only sneer coldly, their eyes filled with cold and ruthless contempt, and they too, quickly fled the scene.

The other Cultivators each had their own expressions, avoiding trouble and paying no mind to the others as they left.

"Zhou Yan, how are you?"

Ling’er asked calmly.

"It’s nothing, just a minor injury."

"This Ji Wu is truly powerful. He has no special Constitution, but his chance encounters are unceasing, and his Qi Fortune is overwhelming, having cut down numerous formidable geniuses. There are several ancient Constitutions from beyond these lands, including an Emperor Qi Sword Body from the Void Realm, all suppressed to death by him..."

Feng Jiu Xian spoke with a solemn expression on his face as she approached Zhou Yan.

"I hadn’t heard of these people’s names before this."

Zhou Yan said gravely.

"Still waters run deep. The truly powerful are often not well-known, because those who battle them mostly end up dead, and even those Cultivators who witness it are likely to be killed, leaving no one to spread the word."

Feng Jiu Xian explained.

Zhou Yan nodded silently and said, "He used only thirty percent of his strength and dealt me a strike that I could barely withstand. He is indeed strong, but when we meet next time, I will strike first and slay him with one move.

Not far from Zhou Yan, there were many geniuses who had not yet left; upon hearing Zhou Yan’s words, many Cultivators showed sneers and disdain.

Yet, likewise, no one interjected or mocked.

The Cultivators who had made it here were neither worthless nor fools; they wouldn’t want to bring unneeded trouble upon themselves.

"Let’s hope so. With the random teleportation this time... it’s unlikely that we can look after each other. The Ten Thousand Ghosts Sword Tomb is as vast as the South Desolate Continent, and if we don’t start together, the chances of encountering each other are low. You... take care."

Feng Jiu Xian looked at Zhou Yan deeply, her eyes filled with worry.

"I will, and you both take care as well."

"My Nirvana Scripture is on the verge of Great Success. With the hidden dangers removed by you and having made several breakthroughs after comprehending the Xuan Restriction, you need not worry about me." Feng Jiu Xian explained.

"My Holy Spirit Sword Intent is blessed by the Saint Dao. I have mastered the Xuan Restriction without having to comprehend it; I may not compare with those geniuses, but unless a Saint comes in person, they cannot kill me." Ling’er also explained.

"Alright, let’s part ways."

"Take care."

...