C1333

The snow bear's wounds were not only deep, but they had also shattered some of its bones. The sight was harrowing.

Yet, as Yu Yuan narrowed his eyes in concentration, he failed to detect any distinct sword's will. There was no piercing sharpness, which seemed somewhat illogical.

One name after another raced through his mind: the Grand Sword Immortals of the Sword Sect.

He knew these names by heart, along with their corresponding titles, and had a general grasp of each one's swordsmanship characteristics and subtleties.

Ranked third was Du Yuan, the Sword of Destruction. Fourth was Ji Ningshuang with her Stardust Blade. Fifth, Lu Hongpeng wielded the Sword of Seven Emotions. Sixth, Su Qingmo's Frostflower Blade, and seventh, Van Heqing's Shatterblade...

These were the well-known Grand Sword Immortals, often seen throughout the Everlands.

Through his study of the Nine Celestial Slashes, Yu Yuan had sensed some of their auras within the sword sheath, giving him a slight understanding.

Taking a deep breath, Yu Yuan's face set with determination. He stepped onto the Dragon Slaying Stage, narrowing the gap between himself and the snow bear. He stopped focusing on the sword's will, seeking instead a certain sensation...

Slowly, he felt a profound and substantial presence emanating from the snow bear's wounds and deep within its fractured bones. It was as if each stroke of sword light carried the weight of towering mountains.

Yu Yuan's heart raced.

Boom!

The snow bear, which had been floating on the sea's surface, suddenly plunged into the deep sea. A terrifying force, heavy enough to warp the very field around it, burst forth from its body.

Yu Yuan watched in dismay as it sank to the ocean floor, the injury in his chest intensifying once more.

"Sword of Gaia, Gu Xingkui!" he called out, his face grim, his teeth clenched. In the desolate expanse of the Frozen Wastes, he uttered the name of the second-ranked Grand Sword Immortal of the Everlands Sword Sect, the bearer of the title "Sword of Gaia."

From the news that reached him in this life, it was clear that after Nie Qingtian's demise, the vacant Supreme God seat was claimed by him, catapulting him from the pinnacle of the Unbound Realm straight to the status of a primordial spirit!

This transition was unanimously supported by the three upper sects, the Devil Palace, and Shadow's Keep, with no objections whatsoever.

The rationale behind this was his swordsmanship, which he had mastered, resonated deeply with the essence of the Everlands.

With him overseeing the Everlands, the realm gained a steadfast core, and the entire world was fortified with a robust shield.

Gu Xingkui's swordsmanship wasn't renowned for its sharpness, nor was his sword's will particularly conspicuous.

The so-called "Sword of Gaia" was, in fact, famed for its defensive prowess. It was rumored that his combat strength would significantly wane once he left the Everlands. Yet, as long as he stood within its bounds, his power would surge immensely.

Perhaps due to the unique nature of his swordsmanship, he also bore the title "Shield of the Everlands," a moniker that was widely recognized and endorsed.

The Everlands needed him, or more precisely, its defensive front needed him. Thus, in the wake of Nie Qingtian's passing, he was elevated to the Supreme God seat without any dispute.

Whoosh!

As Yu Yuan pondered, the snow bear once again breached the ocean's surface. Its upturned chest and abdomen revealed even more broken bones, and the visible organs showed clear signs of rupture.

Just as he moved closer, a sudden burst of residual strength erupted.

Boom!

The snow bear, freshly emerged, seemed to be crushed under the weight of an unseen colossal mountain, and it abruptly plunged back down to the ocean floor.

Yu Yuan's complexion turned steely.

He hadn't anticipated the residual force of Gu Xingkui's Sword of Gaia, his swordsmanship, to be so domineering and fearsome, continuing to wreak havoc on the snow bear.

Yu Yuan's mind involuntarily drifted back to his sole encounter with Gu Xingkui over three hundred years ago, before he had ascended to the role of Sect Master of the Order of Healing.

Back then, he had just become acquainted with Ji Ningshuang.

After spending some time with him at the Order of Healing, Ningshuang's affections for him had blossomed. Shortly after returning to the Sword Sect, she was already clamoring to visit the Order of Healing once more in search of medicine.

During that period, Ji Ningshuang's master was absent from the Everlands, having left to battle in extraterrestrial realms. The Sword Sect was overseen by Gu Xingkui, also known as the Sword of Gaia, who was a perennial fixture in the Everlands.

Ji Ningshuang's extraordinary potential was evident to everyone within the Sword Sect. They regarded her as the future Grand Sword Immortal and were fully committed to nurturing her talents. The Sword Sect placed great expectations on her and would not tolerate any hindrance to her development.

Gu Xingkui, however, was concerned that Ji Ningshuang might become ensnared by romantic entanglements. To prevent this, he traveled as a Lunar Spirit to the Order of Healing, seeking out its current leader. He leveraged the Sword Sect's influence to forcefully quell the matter.

Even as a Lunar Spirit, Gu Xingkui's presence caused the herbalists and cultivators of the Order of Healing to sense a profound disturbance. Upon his arrival, the earth's gravity seemed to surge, increasing manifold and rooting everyone to the spot, rendering them immobile.

Yu Yuan, who had not yet embarked on the path of cultivation, was especially affected, nearly flattened to the ground as if an immense, unseen weight bore down upon him.

Gu Xingkui, wielding the might of his swordsmanship, instilled a deep sense of dread in the cultivators and herbalists of the Order of Healing, making the terror of his power palpably clear to all.

Once Gu Xingkui's Lunar Spirit departed, Yu Yuan could breathe easily again. He hurriedly sought out his master, having been forewarned by Gu Xingkui not to impede Ji Ningshuang's future in swordsmanship.

Following an earnest conversation, his master presented a rationale that eased Gu Xingkui's concerns, ensuring he would not press the issue further. The argument presented was simple: Hong Qi's lifespan would not exceed a century. For Ji Ningshuang, a hundred years would pass in the blink of an eye, barely a moment in her journey of cultivation. Therefore, Gu Xingkui need not worry about any significant delay on her path.

Upon learning the inside story, Gu Xingkui left with his mind at ease, and he didn't dwell on the matter thereafter.

Indeed, that was the case.

In the final days of Hong Qi's life, despite his desperate attempts to extend his lifespan, the ultimate boundary of a hundred years could not be surpassed. Failing to reincarnate meant vanishing without a trace.

His life was too fleeting, preventing him from ever encountering Gu Xingkui again.

The only memory he had of Gu Xingkui was the humbling moment when, due to the shift in the cosmic order, he was compelled by the Lunar Spirit's descent to prostrate himself on the ground.

For many years afterward, the recollection of that scene left him feeling stifled and discontent.

Yet, considering Gu Xingkui's level of mastery and combat prowess, merely the arrival of the Lunar Spirit and the subsequent alteration of the cosmic order, not to mention the profound trust the five supreme forces placed in him...

Even after he had fallen from grace and turned to concocting lethal poison pills, creating numerous inhumane toxic concoctions, he was well aware that he was no match for Gu Xingkui.

And, of course, he was no rival for the Sword Sect.

"Gu Xingkui..."

Yu Yuan's face was somber as he whispered the name, weighed down by the enormity of it.

"The past is the past, and now is now! In Hong Qi's time, unable to embark on the path of cultivation due to a life too brief, I was powerless against you. But in this life, you, Gu Xingkui, won't be able to dominate unchallenged. With your Sword of Gaia, you won't force me to grovel again!"

As an herbalist in the Everlands, he was held in high regard and his status was unparalleled, yet his prowess in battle was admittedly insufficient.

For Gu Xingkui, who stood at the pinnacle of the pyramid with a primordial spirit seat, what could a mere herbalist, who had not embarked on the path of cultivation and whose life was finite, do against him, regardless of his exceptional talent in herbalism?

He could be easily suppressed.

But now, things were different!

Reborn into this world, he possessed a nearly infinite lifespan, thanks to the Altar of Rebirth. With his unique abilities, he had boundless potential and a vast future ahead.

"Sword of Gaia" Gu Xingkui was no longer untouchable, and there was now a chance that he could be brought down by Yu Yuan's hand.

He gradually regained his composure.

Then, once again, he caught sight of the massive silhouette of the snow bear emerging from beneath the sea, breaking the surface with diminishing strength each time. The sword force that had been concealed within it seemed to have been utterly depleted.

The ninth-level snow bear was now at death's door, its body crisscrossed with sword scars, bones shattered in multiple places, and its vital organs ruptured.

The one consolation for Yu Yuan was that its vital blood essence had been crystallized by the ice energy, preventing it from escaping.

"Ah!"

Suddenly, Yu Yuan noticed a translucent glimmer of ice shining through the gaps in the bear's tightly clenched paws. On closer inspection, Yu Yuan realized that there must be chunks of Ice Shard held within its grasp.

It had never released them...

The Ice Shard was something the endearing snow bear had gathered especially for him.

It was highly probable that it had been gravely wounded by Gu Xingkui, known as the "Guardian of Everlands," because it had ventured into a particular area of the "Wintermaw."

This had alarmed Gu Xingkui, the stalwart protector of the Everlands, who then struck with his sword, sending a fearsome sword light towards the "Wintermaw," and reducing the bear, once mining for Ice Shards, to its current state.

The yet-to-be-revealed Ice Shards sparkled brilliantly, painfully bright to the eyes.

Like a sword of frost, they pierced Yu Yuan's heart, filling him with a mix of admiration and sorrow for the foolish snow bear.

"What a foolish bear. Why go to such lengths?" he lamented, filled with self-reproach.

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