C2287 The Sword Light That Pierced Through the Frostlands
Encased within the sword-shaped pendant was a fragment of Lin Daoke's Solar Spirit, sparkling like a star.
Xue Jiu was exceptionally gifted and had earned significant honors for the Sword Sect during their extraterrestrial campaigns. To protect him from assassination attempts by the Otherkin, the Sword Sect bestowed upon him this pendant.
The pendant was designed to save his life in dire situations.
Within a certain range, it could even signal Lin Daoke for aid, allowing Lin Daoke to come to the rescue personally.
However, since Xue Jiu had received the pendant, he had never once called upon Lin Daoke for assistance.
"I hope to call him forth from the Frostlands."
Han Miaoyuan whispered to himself as he grasped the Sword Immortal pendant, channeling his pure spiritual energy into it.
He was aware that because of Lin Daoke's close association with Yu Yuan, the shadowy High Priest harbored murderous intentions. Consequently, High Priest Reid journeyed to Tyria, ensuring the ascension of Tan Junshan and Jun Chen to the highest ranks. He vowed not to hinder their further advancement or their quest for vengeance against the once mightiest of humanity.
Han Miaoyuan held a deep affection for Lin Daoke, which is why he personally visited this location at the Sword Sect's request.
"Little Lin!"
He summoned with his Divine Sense, and the diminutive sword-shaped pendant transformed into a slender stream of silver light.
Han Miaoyuan's Divine Sense flowed into the stream of silver sword light, locating the fragment of Lin Daoke's Solar Spirit and attempting to establish a connection.
"Buzz buzz!"
The shrill sound of sword hums filled the air as he beheld a blindingly bright river stretching across the Frostlands' void.
The river was immeasurably wide, with stars twinkling along its banks. Numerous formidable beings with awe-inspiring auras were fixated on the formidable River of Swords, as if cheering and shouting.
"Little Lin!"
Han Miaoyuan's spirit was deeply moved. He sensed a force within the River of Swords that surpassed his own and that of all the mightiest in the Everlands!
Lin Daoke's mastery of the sword had soared to heights beyond Han Miaoyuan's wildest dreams, leaving him profoundly astounded.
Suddenly, he witnessed the luminous River of Swords cleave through a deep purple veil of light.
The sword light appeared to rend a realm asunder, triggering the frenzied stirrings of some monstrous entity lurking within the veil's depths.
"It's truly a fierce battle with the Dark Phoenix!"
Han Miaoyuan's expression was deeply moved. As he was gearing up to muster more strength to reach out to Lin Daoke, a thunderous roar erupted.
Boom!
The sword-shaped pendant in his hand shattered to pieces.
Xue Jiu, normally stoic, was visibly shaken as he stared at the fragments, his voice trembling, "That roar, it... it..."
Even Xue Jiu, typically detached, now had a line of blood tracing his forehead, his veins bulging as if they were on the brink of bursting.
Han Miaoyuan seemed oblivious to the fact that his hand, clutching the pendant, was now torn and bleeding profusely.
"That wasn't a dragon's roar, nor did it resemble a phoenix's cry!"
Blood was steadily seeping from Han Miaoyuan's chest, his face contorted with discomfort.
"That beastly roar was aimed at Lin! It's because this pendant resonated with Lin's Solar Spirit Sword that the sound was transmitted to us!" Han Miaoyuan exclaimed.
The pendant in his grasp had taken some of the brunt of that fearsome roar, which was meant for Lin Daoke.
The horrifying roar bypassed the Dark Phoenix's purple demon energy barrier and detonated within the sword-shaped pendant.
The pendant's destruction resulted in lacerations across Han Miaoyuan's palm and chest. He was suddenly gripped by fear and said with a grave tone, "Perhaps, we should choose another time to return."
He retrieved a pill, popped it into his mouth, and chewed, his gaze darting uncertainly.
"What should we do, Sect Master?" Xue Jiu asked, his hesitation palpable.
He had accompanied Han Miaoyuan here after learning from Yue Mu and Van Heqing that their Sect Master had allowed Jun Chen and Tan Junshan to ascend to supreme status and then challenge their Sect Master.
This sent a clear message.
That individual was indifferent to Lin Daoke's fate.
Given the longstanding camaraderie between the Sword Sect and Ebon Star, Han Miaoyuan held Lin Daoke in high regard. After deliberation with several Grand Sword Immortals, they approached Han Miaoyuan, hoping he could convince their Sect Master.
Han Miaoyuan had, of course, agreed.
But now, after the pendant shattered and he heard that terrifying beastly roar, he seemed to have second thoughts.
"Lin is formidable, but it's uncertain whether he can make it out of the Frostlands alive."
Han Miaoyuan's expression was somber as he spoke with a sense of loss, "I had another reason for holding him back before. I've always felt that he was just shy of reaching Zhiya's level. I didn't want him to get hurt. Only by joining forces with Tan Xiaotian would he stand a chance against Zhiya. Alone, he would..."
With a shake of his head, Han Miaoyuan ceased speaking and drifted off into the sky.
"Sect Master."
Xue Jiu offered a respectful bow toward the crystalline mountain and whispered, "Please, survive this!"
...
In the Frostlands, within the deep purple sea of demon energy, Zhiya manifested her true form as the purple phoenix. Her purple feathers, sharp as blades, clashed with the fully matured Titan Spinosaurus.
The dense bloodline mysteries wove through the void, like rainbows or Divine Thunder, sparking as they met.
Showers of multicolored light fell through the void, piercing the dark red earth and creating massive craters.
Ji Ningshuang's brow was furrowed as she periodically communicated with the extreme cold at the planet's core. She swung her sword, summoning cold fog to fill the gaping holes in the earth, while also refining beams of sword light to strike at the purple sea.
Unmoved, the monstrous entity within the depths of the purple sea continued its slow, relentless advance.
She realized that the holes bursting open on the continent's surface would become conduits for the purple sea to enter the planet's core once it spread across the land.
The depths of the purple sea concealed a terror beyond her comprehension, and all her sword lights and mastery of swordsmanship seemed futile against the hidden behemoth.
The occasional roars from the creature shattered the ice rock barriers she had meticulously repaired, exposing the holes once more.
The purple firmament continued its descent, the surface of the Primal Blood Continent drawing ever closer to the ominous sky.
Taixu, Tianqi, Xuanli, and Ann Ziqing, beings of supreme power, could no longer bear the dreadful force and were compelled to withdraw from the Primal Blood Continent.
Soon, only the little spinosaurus and Ji Ningshuang dared to remain within the continent's heart.
"What should we do?"
Taixu, situated beyond the Star River, gazed anxiously at the Crimson Star, now fully engulfed by a purple sea. "It seems we've been too optimistic. This Dark Phoenix is outrageously powerful!"
Tianqi and the others wore expressions of concern.
"Hmm?"
Suddenly, their attention was captured by a brilliant sword light streaking across the void from another direction.
The sword light appeared to have cleaved through the Frostlands!
The sword's will it emanated caused God-Kings like Taixu, Tianqi, and Ann Ziqing to shudder with fear.
And it was still tens of thousands of miles away!
"Lin Daoke!"
The experts exclaimed in shock.
They immediately heard echoes of similar exclamations and screams throughout the starry regions traversed by the sword light.
Moments later, the radiant sword light approached like a boundless River of Swords.
Rip!
Like the rending of silk, the dark purple light barrier shrouding the Primal Blood Continent was sliced open by the River of Swords.
The barriers that neither the little spinosaurus nor Ji Ningshuang could penetrate shattered beneath the might of the River of Swords.
"Sect Master."
Ji Ningshuang, on the Primal Blood Continent, looked on in astonishment.
As the sea of demon energy split, Ji Ningshuang caught sight of the external Star River and the River of Swords that had penetrated deep into the Primal Blood Continent.
Lin Daoke, from the Sword Sect, had commandeered the awe-inspiring River of Swords, shattering Zhiya's blockade of the Primal Blood Continent.
"Mr. Lin!"
God-Kings Taixu and Tianqi were profoundly moved by the spectacle and called out from their position outside the Star River.
Whoosh!
Lin Daoke underwent a transformation, manifesting a thirty-meter-tall Divine Transcendence with an impassive face and detached gaze.
He stood at the forefront of the River of Swords, suspended high above the Primal Blood Continent, with a towering silver Sword Mountain slowly taking shape behind him. The mountain's surface was etched with countless deep sword scars.
Each scar represented the essence of a sword spell.
One particular scar shimmered with a cold light, interwoven with starlight, radiating a unique and striking brilliance.
Ji Ningshuang observed the sword scar and realized that the extreme cold mysteries she had been studying were etched into the Sword Mountain behind Lin Daoke!
She had ascended to the eleventh level of supremacy, her swordsmanship forged from the frigid principles of the Cosmic Order now manifested behind Lin Daoke as the Sword Mountain!
This Sword Mountain was unmistakably Lin Daoke's Primordial Spirit Sword!
Rivers and lakes adorned the Sword Mountain, echoing Yue Mu's "Rillrender," Lu Hongpeng's "Sword of Seven Emotions," and Van Heqing's "Shatterblade."
Any member of the Sword Sect who had deciphered the world's mysteries through their blade left their mark etched upon the Sword Mountain.
The Sword Mountain seemed to be the origin of all swordsmanship in the world.
Abyssal Leviathan, Taixu, and others scrutinized the Sword Mountain closely, sensing the presence and elegance of Yu Yuan's Soul Altar within it.
"Your ascension has catalyzed my own transformation."
Lin Daoke gave Ji Ningshuang a slight nod.
In the next moment, the luminous Sword Mountain transformed into a gleaming Divine Sword, which Lin Daoke grasped in his Divine Transcendence and brought down upon the purple sea once more.
Slash!
The purple sea fragmented, unable to obscure the deep crimson of the star any longer.
Zhiya, hovering above the Primal Blood Continent, had morphed into a dancing purple phoenix. She had ensnared the little spinosaurus and Ji Ningshuang, never anticipating that Lin Daoke would shatter the purple sea with a few swift strikes of his sword.
"Lin Daoke, you dare to thwart my grand scheme!"
Zhiya shrieked furiously.
"Remarkable!"
Denise of the Starborn exclaimed.
"The Everlands truly are the cradle of unparalleled geniuses!"
Elena was deeply moved.
"The master of the Sword Sect is truly formidable! Bertain conjured a tangible demonform, but he crafted an alternative Soul Altar with the Primordial Spirit Sword! He may not be the innate spirit of the sword, but his current power is surely that of a Sovereign, and no ordinary one at that!"
The Abyssal Leviathan praised Lin Daoke effusively, nodding its head in admiration.
"Lu Hongpeng of the Sword Sect perished because of you."
"Van Heqing, you've slain him once."
Lin Daoke spoke with a stoic voice, stating the facts, "I intend not only to disrupt your plans but also to vanquish you in the Frostlands."
The River of Swords, spanning countless miles, began to contract suddenly from the boundary of the Frostlands, converging towards Lin Daoke.
As the River of Swords condensed, it eagerly siphoned the cosmic energy of the Frostlands, transforming it into the purest spiritual energy deep within its flow.
Lin Daoke, bracing for an epic confrontation, seized the initiative by amassing an immense reserve of spiritual energy.
During his time at the Dragon Slaying Stage, he had devised a method to assimilate the Star River's psionic power and refine it into untainted divine force.
Remarkably, his inaugural attempt at this technique was a success.
The River of Swords, which nearly spanned the entirety of the Frostlands, continued to retract, greedily absorbing the cosmic energy along its path. By the time it had receded to the Primal Blood Continent, the aggregate divine force within the river had vastly exceeded the pinnacle levels of the Everlands.
Even at its most potent, the divine force of the Everlands paled in comparison to that within the River of Swords.
This signified that henceforth, Lin Daoke would no longer depend on Han Miaoyuan or the resources of the Everlands.
