C595 The Big Fish Ate the Small Fish

Inside the Sword Prison, chaos reigned supreme.

Warriors of Xi Quan's caliber, noticing the slackening sword light between the caves, unsheathed their swords and emerged.

Those who were in proximity to these formidable fighters yet lacked sufficient strength met swift deaths.

Evenly matched opponents like Loong Jie and Zhongli Dapan, upon realizing they were at a stalemate, ceased combat immediately.

The Sword Prison was teeming with experts, and none wished to engage in a life-or-death struggle before their escape.

Chen Qingyan, within her cave, watched as Loong Jie, informed by Zhongli Dapan of the Moon Slayer cultivator's demise, let out a roar and charged towards another cave.

Zhongli Dapan, with a wide grin, swiftly took his leave.

Before long, Chen Qingyan heard the dying screams of other powerful warriors echoing from the caves, which made her fear for her own safety.

Shortly thereafter, a cluster of orange spirits burst in, flickering like dim ghostly flames.

Upon its arrival, the orange spirit scanned the surroundings.

Once it realized Zhongli Dapan was gone, the Terra Fiend, weakened to the extreme from years of confinement in the Sword Prison, lunged at Chen Qingyan.

Chen Qingyan's head spun as a yellow oil lamp materialized within her mud pellet acupoint, its flame burning with the power to consume souls.

As she teetered on the brink of unconsciousness, she heard a piercing scream.

The oil lamp in her Mindscape extinguished silently.

The orange spirit, now huddled in a cave corner, wailed for mercy, "Spare me, please! This girl is an outsider; I just wanted to regain some Soul Power."

Chen Qingyan, taken aback, then noticed a woman of stunning beauty and poised elegance standing in the cave.

The woman, clutching the small box, surveyed the orange spirit with a warm smile.

Caught off guard, Chen Qingyan gasped, "Auntie?"

Xi Quan, rejuvenated, wore a smirk tinged with sarcasm. She didn't rush to reply, but instead addressed the Terra Fiend that had emerged from the Everlands, "I understand your plight. You've worked hard to cultivate and were fortunate enough to reach the extraterrestrial realm, only to be incarcerated in the Sword Prison. Your Soul Power was siphoned to fuel the sword light, and now you desperately need a fresh soul for sustenance."

The Sword Prison was enveloped in an endless existence of sword light and sword's will, sustained by the very essence of the Sword Prison itself. Those who were banished within had their vitality, spiritual energy, and remnant souls absorbed. Eventually, these essences were imprinted onto the arrays within the Sword Prison, transforming and channeling their power into the sword light. This process of extracting their power to infuse into the sword light would, in turn, keep them imprisoned.

"Yes, I want to survive too," the Terra Fiend stated in a panic.

"I'm in the same boat as you. I've depleted even more of my Soul Power," Xi Quan remarked, without resorting to using the Withered Sword. A pale beam of light shot out from the acupoint on her forehead.

This pale light merged with the orange flame that the Terra Fiend had become, causing the flame to slowly die out.

"A creature born of the vast Everlands, yet deceived by a Star-Spawned Terror," Xi Quan mused to herself. "Such a being should possess an aura in harmony with the Everlands, the place of its birth. Only a truly unique place could spare its life. Unfortunately, it's still too frail."

After her soliloquy, Xi Quan's gaze shifted to Chen Qingyan.

Chen Qingyan greeted her with a sweet smile, neither too proud nor too humble, "Hello, Martial Aunt."

"You're quite fortunate," Xi Quan said, her lips curling into a half-smile as she let out a snort. "Your master and I have been close since childhood. Even when I was expelled by the Sword Sect and hunted across the world, she defended me. Though her talent didn't quite match mine, her fortune far exceeded it, and you've inherited your master's good luck."

Her words implied that if Chen Qingyan hadn't been so lucky to encounter her, she might have perished in the Sword Prison.

"Come with me!" Xi Quan had fought her way here with one purpose: to ensure Chen Qingyan's survival.

"Sure thing," Chen Qingyan replied, nodding obediently.

...

Outside the Sword Prison.

As Yu Yuan's consciousness delved into the sword scar on his arm bone, he felt as though he was traversing an alien realm. Meanwhile, the outside world was eerily still, with the silver mountain peak exuding an unsettling tranquility.

Yan Qiling and the master of space magic found themselves at ease, no longer needing to exert themselves.

Standing on the floating palanquin, Loong Yang, buoyed by her mysterious Blood Call, suddenly trembled with joy and exclaimed, "My father, my father has moved! He's left the cave where he was imprisoned!"

Upon hearing this, Tan Yuan's gaze shifted towards the Sword Prison.

The entrance of the Sword Prison was still dense with sword's will and sword light. At this moment, no one could break free from its confines.

Tan Yuan realized that Yu Yuan, who was inside meditating on the sword, had not yet managed to gather all the sword's will and sword light into the sheath.

"In that case..." Yan Qiling squinted his eyes, contemplating a possibility. He turned to the figure in the white robe and mused, "The imprisoned can't leave for now, but if they can communicate with each other, what might happen?"

He glanced at Tan Yuan and Shen Feiqing, reading their expressions. Before they could respond, he had his answer.

"The ones confined in the Sword Prison haven't been killed by the guards, but with the internal seals lifted, many will likely perish," he said, frowning at the white robe.

"The weak will perish," came the indifferent voice from within the white robe.

Yan Qiling fell silent.

He had agreed to come here because the demons and devils detained in the Sword Prison were from the Everlands, not the alien Star-Spawned Terrors.

His master, the one who had shaped him, hailed from Boulderdawn—also branded as demonic.

And not just any demon, but the most significant, the very essence of evil!

The three upper sects, along with the Devil Palace and Shadow's Keep, had joined forces to topple the colossal Boulderdawn. As the new rule-makers, they rewrote everything, decreeing who was to be deemed a demon.

It didn't matter what past glories those sects had achieved, whether their cultivation methods had merit, or even if they had valiantly defended the Everlands and fought against the Sky Fiend to protect mortal beings. Those sects could also be labeled as demonic by the five supreme sects due to ideological differences.

Yan Qiling dismissed these notions and disagreed with them, which was why he had made his appearance in the Sword Prison.

But now, because Yu Yuan wielded the sheath and bore the sword spirit, having entered the Sword Prison to deepen his understanding of the sword, the isolating seals within had vanished.

Those who had obtained a measure of freedom were now engaged in mutual slaughter. The master of this place was well aware of this but chose to tacitly consent.

"Hand over what you promised me," Yan Qiling demanded, extending his hand toward the figure in white robes. "This is the only transaction we'll have between us."

"Don't be hasty. Once everything is settled, you'll have what was promised to you," the man in white robes assured him.

...

Yu Yuan stirred from his slumber gradually. As his eyes flickered open, he felt his consciousness waver—a telltale sign of excessive spiritual sense depletion.

He instantly recognized that delving into the sword spell hidden within the arm bone's sword scar was depleting his spiritual sense. The spiritual sense at the Subtlety level was a concentrated essence of the soul's energy. Overuse could lead to lethargy, difficulty concentrating, and an inability to deeply engage in the nuances of swordsmanship.

With a mere thought, his Bracelet of Holding glowed, and a pill appeared in his hand. "Soul Essence Pill."

He swallowed the pill, feeling the effects gradually unfold. Upon inspecting his Mindscape, he noticed the three souls converging, with the spiritual sense coalescing anew.

His concerns momentarily eased, Yu Yuan glanced down at the sword sheath, which now felt significantly heavier. As his consciousness merged with it, he was startled to see the bottom of the sheath brimming with dense sword's will and sword light, like innumerable delicate streams.

"A great number of magnate demons must now be able to move freely!" The thought caused his expression to darken. "I hope Chen Qingyan hasn't encountered any trouble."

He rose abruptly, not to continue his sword studies but to head towards Zhongli Dapan's cave.

As he moved through the once-segregated sword radiance, he noticed its absence.

He deduced that the barriers within the Sword Prison, which had been established by forces from beyond, must have failed.

The cave was deserted.

Clutching the sword sheath, Yu Yuan's gaze turned icy with rising concern.

Tap, tap, tap!

The sound of light and pleasant footsteps abruptly filled the air, halting Yu Yuan in his tracks just as he was about to leave and explore another cave.

With an impassive expression, he clutched the sword sheath, sensing the presence of the arm bone sword spirit, and fixed his gaze ahead.

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