Evil Venerable of the Sword Dao
Chapter 397 - 047 Ancestor of Ten Thousand Ghosts

Chapter 397: Chapter 047 Ancestor of Ten Thousand Ghosts

"Take away the Thunderflame Sword Body? Ridiculous. This youth, I, Ancestor of Ten Thousand Ghosts, have ensured his safety. You all can leave now."

"Ancestor of Ten Thousand Ghosts, you must be confused by your suppression. You’re merely a rotten soul, and you dare to—ah—"

"Life and Death!"

"Annihilation!"

"An Ran!"

Three terrifying Sword Intents suddenly shot forth, and the ancient, bleak eight-carried sedan chair suddenly shattered.

"Oww—"

The ghost within let out a dismal shriek, then burst like a bubble.

In the Heaven and Earth, many golden energies danced around.

These golden energies surged like the ocean into Zhou Yan’s Thunder Seal.

Zhou Yan stood rooted to the spot, enveloped by a suffocating pressure.

The beings here, with but a thought, could turn Heaven and Earth upside down, controlling life and death, granting and taking lives.

"Ancestor of Ten Thousand Ghosts—you, how dare you—"

"Leave! Never set foot here again, otherwise, even if I, Wan Jian Tian, am so suppressed that only a wisp of ghost remains, slaughtering your entire Netherworld Palace is not difficult! Go back, tell those old fellows not to play too much, or one day when I, Ancestor of Ten Thousand Ghosts, reemerge, I’ll ensure their lives are filled with misery!"

"You—you—"

The atmosphere of Netherworld suddenly disappeared like a gust of wind, carrying with it the mark of the Sacrificial Heaven Ancient City and the remnants of the shattered sedan chair, vanishing in an instant.

The wind howled past, and all the pressure and feeling of suffocation dissipated simultaneously.

"Young man, come here."

The voice of the Ancestor of Ten Thousand Ghosts, frail as a flickering flame in the wind.

"Ah... Elder..."

Zhou Yan was shaken, unable to pinpoint where the voice of the elder was coming from.

"I am beneath the purple thunder column 3,000 meters ahead of you. Think back on the ’An Ran’ emotions felt when ’Stele’ shattered; with such thoughts, you can safely cross this distance.

Moreover, comprehending this Sword Intent means you won’t die for now."

The voice of Ancestor of Ten Thousand Ghosts was very weak, obviously, his soul was nearly extinguished.

Zhou Yan heeded Ancestor of Ten Thousand Ghosts’ advice and walked silently forward, simultaneously contemplating the intense ’An Ran’ emotions, An Ran Sword Intent.

Under this state, his body and mind circulated a dark, defeated aura—a sensation of ’Heart as Ashes,’ ’All Hope Lost’ emotions of An Ran.

But amidst such emotions, Zhou Yan’s soul shattered, and his flesh disintegrated leaving only a layer of skin wrapping his body, yet he did not fall. Instead, the more he advanced, the more condensed he became.

The 3,000 meters distance, heavy as terror, but at this moment Zhou Yan walked with ease.

By the time he reached that thunderous column of light, the layer of skin on his body had become as formidable as the layer inside the Crystal Coffin.

This layer of Human Skin actually suppressed the disintegration of his body and the collapse of his soul—although both were still shattered, and Zhou Yan was still on the verge of life and death.

Here, twelve ancient Thunder Columns stood, each a different color, like Optimus Prime supporting this cavernous space.

In front of the column where Zhou Yan stood, purple chains bound an old man.

He was an aged, frail old man.

Thin as firewood, skin wrapped around bones.

He was very small, the size of a monkey, frail in a way that alarmed one’s heart.

If not closely sensed and analyzed, anyone would think it was just a monkey’s dried and decayed remains after death.

But he was an old man, a supremely powerful individual, just suppressed here for unknown reasons.

This faint warm breath also made Zhou Yan feel familiar. It was the same breath that had saved him earlier amidst the endless Sword Qi.

"Elder..."

Zhou Yan approached, immediately reaching out to touch the purple column of light, but just then, the old man’s deeply sunken, closed eyes suddenly opened.

A harsh coldness flickered in his eyes, the warning clear.

Zhou Yan’s hand involuntarily stiffened, frozen in mid-air.

"Young man, do not touch this purple light; this is the true Void Thunder Tribulation shackles. Even if you are a rare ancient composite Sword Body like Thunderflame or Emperor Qi Sword Body, touching it would certainly mean complete obliteration."

The old man’s voice was very weak, but his eyes shimmered with a crystal-clear brightness.

It was like tears appearing out of nowhere.

Zhou Yan felt a chill in his heart as the old man saw through his secret, yet he was not surprised.

For in that instant, he inexplicably felt a sense of ’familiarity’, but this feeling came fast and faded even faster.

"Young man, what is your name?"

The elder asked hoarsely.

His speech seemed to be getting more difficult, and after he said this sentence, he obviously struggled against the purple light shackles while enduring an indescribable agony.

"Elder, my name is ’Zhou Yan’."

Zhou Yan bit his lip and replied respectfully.

"Mm... good name...good name. Zhou Yan... This place is the core of the Ten Thousand Ghosts Sword Tomb—the Ten Thousand Ghosts Dragon Subduing Den.

Once you enter here, there... there’s little chance of getting out alive.

But... I... have a way to get you out safely, even... to heal the injuries on your body and soul, making you even stronger."

The old man said with a trembling voice.

His speech began to tremble, clearly... he was beginning to falter.

"Elder, how are you now? Can you hold on?"

Zhou Yan was somewhat anxious, instinctively worried about the safety of this elder, who seemed to be more important to him than anything else.

The feeling was strange, but Zhou Yan did not believe the old man would still attempt to scheme against him at this moment because, with the other’s strength, there was simply no need to do so.

Even if the other was in imminent danger, if he really intended to harm or scheme against him, no methods were necessary—a mere thought would suffice.

Because the difference between them was like heaven and earth—an unfathomable gap...even in such a state, a single thought could kill him billions of times.

Thus, Zhou Yan worried about the safety of the elder who had saved his life twice, but he was not worried about being deceived.

"I... am just severely drained, sleeping for a few years... and I’ll recover, don’t...worry."

The old man spoke strenuously and then fell silent again.

After several minutes, he seemed to gather some strength and continued, "In my life, I have no... regrets, but I possess a self-taught ability... that cannot be passed down.

The Ten Thousand Ghost Sword Dao of Wan Jian Tian...cannot just be buried here...

You are a combination of Emperor Qi and Thunderflame Sword Body, possessing the ultimate talent for the Sword Dao, also able to comprehend Gloomy Sword Intent; you are the best candidate.

Now... concentrate, and I will impart to you from a distance the Ten Thousand Ghost Sword Dao... as well as the Life and Death, Annihilation, and Gloomy Sword Intents. After you cultivate them to Great Perfection, you can undo your physical disfigurements, undergo Nirvana, heal all injuries, and advance even further..."

"If... you wish to repay, then...go to a Secret Realm in the Heavenly Emperor Universe and offer some help to the ’Wan Family’..."

The old man said, his gaze intensively fixed on Zhou Yan.

Zhou Yan vaguely felt that the old man’s gaze was filled with many complex emotions, which were not merely simple expectations.

But he sensed no malice from the old man and did not think that such an Ancestor-level powerhouse would have any reason to scheme against him.

So, despite some inexplicably strange feelings, he still chose not to doubt the old man.

Were it not for the old man’s rescue, he would have already died.

Zhou Yan was a person of great loyalty; the elder had saved him, and even if he knew of the elder’s scheming, he would still suffer himself to repay the favor, especially as the old man’s words were earnest and genuine, showing no ill intentions or schemes.

Zhou Yan concentrated and held his breath, and in a moment, the old man indeed transmitted a lot of information to him.

In just a short while, Zhou Yan’s body jolted sharply, looking incredulously at the old man, but by then, the old man had already completely entered a withered and silent state.

He still had a fragile thread of vital energy, but it was extremely unstable, as if it could extinguish at any moment.

...

Receiving the inheritance from the Ancestor of Ten Thousand Ghosts was a stroke of fortune.

But among this inheritance, the Life and Death, Annihilation, and Gloomy Sword Intents strangely matched those in his Superior Water Heart Method!

If... other aspects were hard to judge, but the ’Life and Death Sword Intent’, Zhou Yan would never detect wrongly!

The Life and Death Sword Intent passed down by the Ancestor of Ten Thousand Ghosts was clearly 90% similar to his own ’Life and Death Sword Intent’, even the early stages of using and activating the Sword Intent were exactly the same!

However, the Life and Death Sword Intent passed down by the Ancestor was deeper, stronger, more perfected, and more complex!

Yet, this Life and Death Sword Intent, which he had comprehended through lifethreatening experiences, how could it now appear as if it were first created by the ’Ancestor of Ten Thousand Ghosts’?

"Who... who is he?"

Zhou Yan stood frozen, staring at the now lifeless Ancestor of Ten Thousand Ghosts who had sunk deep into oblivion, filled with heavy doubts.