C583 Withered Sword

The woman with white hair had her vitality, spiritual energy, remnant soul, and soul power all depleted, like a dried-up well.

The Sword Prison exuded a chilling and stern aura, with dense sword's will and sword light utilizing the Moon Soul to construct an intricate formation.

The small hill, solidified from the Moon Soul, acted like a massive magnet, drawing in all the residual power of those confined within.

The woman before him had her vitality, spiritual energy, and soul power nearly siphoned away, leaving just enough to cling to life.

Regardless of her once awe-inspiring cultivation level and combat prowess in the Everlands and extraterrestrial realms, being dragged into the Sword Prison meant that after decades, she would be reduced to her current state.

Yu Yuan could tell that she posed no threat now.

Even the most formidable cultivators, with the highest levels of mastery, were rendered powerless when stripped of their spiritual energy, vitality, and soul power.

In front of the woman, a small box partially revealed a sword blade tempered with White Bone, from which a subtle death aura emanated.

Upon hearing Chen Qingyan's soft call, the woman scrutinized Yu Yuan with a puzzled look and inquired in a hushed tone, "Young man, has your elder ever mentioned me?"

Yu Yuan felt a slight tremor, and she noticed it too. But without any distinguishing marks or familiar signs on him, she found it difficult to make a connection.

"I'm not acquainted with him; I've only heard of his esteemed reputation," Yu Yuan replied, shaking his head and casting a complex glance at the small box and the exposed section of the sword blade. "The Withered Sword, that's a name I've heard mentioned before."

"The Withered Sword!" Chen Qingyan gasped in astonishment.

She immediately understood why the woman had inquired about her master.

"Greetings, Aunt Xi," Chen Qingyan said, as she and Yu Yuan clasped one hand into a fist and placed the other hand over their hearts, bowing respectfully. "My master is doing very well. She has reached the late period of the Unbound Stage and is a Grand Sword Immortal. I often hear her speak of you. In recent years, she has been diligently seeking to refine her primordial spirit and achieve the ultimate realm!"

"She hasn't yet refined her primordial spirit?" The woman surnamed Xi's lips curled into a scornful smile. "Had the Sword Sect chosen to nurture me instead of her, I might have already taken that step, becoming yet another Grand Sword Immortal in the annals of our history."

Chen Qingyan hesitated briefly before speaking earnestly, "Given Aunt Xi's talent and the rapid progress she's made in swordsmanship, such a possibility does exist. Yet, Aunt Xi's Withered Sword technique is damaging to the harmony of the world. Though her advancement is swift, it could lead to endless troubles down the line."

"Damaging to the harmony of the world?" Xi Quan scoffed coldly. "I was dispatched to the extraterrestrial regions by the sect to nourish my sword with the essence of Sky Fiends and Otherkin. How could that possibly harm the world's harmony? And as for future troubles... what cultivator truly concerns themselves with that?"

Chen Qingyan fell silent. She knew little of the past and had never imagined that the junior sister her master occasionally mentioned, the one with even greater talent, had committed some error to warrant confinement in the Sword Prison.

The official statement from the Sword Sect was that she had been surrounded and slain by Sky Fiends and Otherkin in the Star River beyond our world.

Chen Qingyan had not expected her to be alive, much less to discover that it was the Sword Sect, her own people, who had imprisoned her. She had no idea when the imprisonment began or how many years Xi Quan had spent in the Sword Prison.

Yu Yuan inhaled deeply and, taking Chen Qingyan by the arm, said, "Let's go."

Upon seeing Xi Quan, he felt a measure of relief. He had long been aware of Xi Quan's intense nature; after all, she was their junior sister.

Three hundred years ago, Xi Quan was the prodigy whom the Sword Sect had fervently nurtured. Her practice of swordsmanship had been conventional until she unexpectedly developed the Withered Sword Spell. Following this revelation, Xi Quan's abilities surged, and she became a formidable force across the Everlands, causing both the Devil Palace and Shadow's Keep in the Land of Quiescence considerable distress.

Recognizing the potential danger, the Sword Sect soon sent her to the Star River in the extraterrestrial realms for further refinement, shortly after she had formed her Solar Spirit.

Rumors abounded of her significant accomplishments out there, instilling fear in both the Sky Fiends and the Otherkin.

The last piece of information Yu Yuan had received before his quest for reincarnation was that she was on the verge of seeking a breakthrough into the Unbound Realm in the extraterrestrial Star River.

The Sword Sect had even sought him out for medicine, going out of their way to find him. It was unclear what had transpired, but this once-renowned swordsmanship prodigy from the Sword Sect, three centuries prior, had somehow been relegated to banishment by his own sect.

In his past life, Yu Yuan had been acquainted with Xi Quan due to certain circumstances. They had been quite close, embarking on several journeys together, with Xi Quan always serving as the protector. Discovering that Xi Quan was now confined within the Sword Prison stirred some emotions in him. Yet, realizing that his old friend was still alive, albeit stripped of all power by the Sword Prison, Yu Yuan took some solace.

His purpose in entering the Sword Prison wasn't to rekindle old friendships, nor had he any intention of revealing his identity. Concerned about staying too long and risking exposure, he quickly ushered Chen Qingyan further into the depths.

The Sword Prison was a network of stone caves interconnected by stone pathways. However, curtains of sword's will, like strands of pearls, separated the caves, preventing the inmates from visiting each other and crossing into different caves.

For Yu Yuan, who possessed a sword spirit and held a sword sheath, these barriers meant to hinder escape posed no constraint. With Xi Quan watching, he effortlessly took Chen Qingyan's hand and crossed through the sword's will barriers.

"Could he be the successor of that individual?" Xi Quan pondered with a furrowed brow as Yu Yuan and Chen Qingyan moved away. "The sword sheath is his, and I can sense the faint presence of his sword spirit within the boy."

Her eyes narrowed, her demeanor frosty, "What a pity, that person's fate turned out to be even worse than mine! At least I am still alive. To live is to hold onto hope and endless possibilities."

When the Sword Prison was breached, and the Everlands fell from its extraterrestrial sanctuary, she felt it. Though she couldn't pinpoint the culprit or the force responsible, she was convinced that the fall of the Sword Prison signified a significant upheaval in the Everlands. The three major upper sects, along with the Devil Palace and Shadow's Keep, the rulers of the Otherkin, must have lost their grip on power in some way.

"I'm eager to see what the world has become. If only I could escape the Sword Prison, my Withered Sword would rejuvenate me!"

In a different cave, there was no sign of life.

Yu Yuan, accompanied by Chen Qingyan, surveyed the area before selecting a stone path and proceeding.

A large, pitch-black turtle was tucked away in a corner of the cave, motionless. The turtle, taking up half an acre, only extended its head from within its shell when it noticed Yu Yuan and Chen Qingyan. Its tiny, rice grain-sized eyes emitted a dim yellow glow as it briefly observed the pair.

Upon noticing the sword sheath in Yu Yuan's hand, the turtle quivered and spoke in human tongue, "Are you that fellow's disciple?"

Yu Yuan scoffed, "What transgression landed you in the Shadow's Keep's Sword Prison?"

He couldn't gauge the age of the turtle before him. Given the long lifespans of the evilkind, it was quite possible that this elder had been confined within the Sword Prison for over three hundred years.

He knew that Hong Qi had been a luminary of his time, but he had never come across any mention of the old turtle.

"I asked you first," the old turtle huffed.

"Don't bother with him."

Yu Yuan chuckled and, taking Chen Qingyan by the hand, continued on their way.

He was intent on getting a cursory look at the Sword Prison, to see who the inmates were, their level of power, and whether he recognized any of them.

"Hey, don't rush off. Let's chat some more. I can tell you anything you want to know," the old turtle called out feebly.

Yu Yuan paid him no mind and quickly exited the cave with Chen Qingyan.

As they passed from one cave to the next, Yu Yuan encountered various notorious figures from the Everlands: traitors from the Sword Sect, the Ebon Star, the Sunlit Order, the deranged from the Devil Palace, the Taintborn, the Poison Cult, and others.

The inmates of the Sword Prison were all from the Everlands, with no Sky Fiends, Otherkin, or extraterrestrial beings among them.

None of the inmates Yu Yuan came across were significant enough to hold his attention for long.

That is, until he encountered an inmate from the Colddeath.

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