Chapter Seven: Sword Intent Pierces the Heavens

Clang! Clang! In the span of a lightning flash, the two weapons clashed tens of thousands of times. Though Long Yun’s cultivation was not high, his sword intent was immense, and with the relentless intensity of his assault, the black long saber was significantly weakened. Yet even so, danger loomed—because the black saber had already broken through the barricade of sword intent and now hung directly above Long Yun’s head.

“Not good!” The Swordstone Spirit Soul cried out in alarm. “Even when the elder from the Heart Sword lineage came here in the past, the seal never unleashed such a killing move. It must have been this boy’s overwhelming sword intent that enraged the seal, provoking it to strike with all its might!”

Heaven truly envies the talented! The Swordstone Spirit Soul knew what this power represented: even if the entire Jade Sword Sect united and formed a grand array, they would not be able to withstand it. As for this boy—a mere Condensation Realm cultivator—he had no hope of resisting. The only outcome was certain death.

Long Yun sensed the peril as well. The torrent of sword intent flooding through him revealed the terror of this black long saber, far surpassing the boundaries of his understanding. Its power was staggering—among all the masters he had encountered, none could withstand such a strike, and he himself was even less capable.

In that instant, Long Yun was thrust into mortal danger. His gaze locked onto the black saber poised to cleave him in two, yet the fighting spirit within him did not waver. This was the way of the sword: once drawn, one must achieve victory or perish; there is no retreat.

“Break for me!” Long Yun roared, thrusting both palms upward. The sword intent within him surged forth in a raging storm, whirling in the air to form a giant sword, seven or eight zhang in length. As soon as the giant sword took shape, it swept across in a sudden arc, unleashing a razor-sharp energy that filled the space with dazzling light.

Yet, alas, it was all in vain. Though Nangong Ruoli’s technique had reached the level of Gathering Essence, it was still far outmatched by the black saber. When the two collided, it was as if glass shattered—the giant sword Long Yun had forged exploded into fragments, countless threads of sword intent dispersing.

Long Yun grunted in pain, forced to watch as the black saber, having demolished his sword, plunged straight into his dantian. The blade left no mark on his body, did not pierce through his core. Instead, upon entering, it transformed into a black rune. The rune writhed and twisted, coiling around Long Yun’s dantian like a gaping black maw, threatening to devour him whole.

Devour! It sought to consume Long Yun’s sword intent and cultivation, absorbing it into itself. From the depths of that maw, a torrent of devouring power erupted, and within Long Yun a violent storm raged. He was utterly helpless—his strength was no match for the black rune, which suppressed him completely. He could only watch, powerless, as the essence of sword intent he had comprehended was swallowed away.

The maw now shrouded his entire dantian, and like a giant whale gulping water, pure sword intent visibly streamed from Long Yun’s core into the black abyss. “It’s over,” Long Yun thought, desolate. He let go of all resistance, resigned to his fate, allowing the rune to rampage within him.

But in that moment, a spark of golden light suddenly flickered on Long Yun’s right arm. Amidst the shroud of black mist, a faint golden glow blossomed, then burst forth, growing into a raging inferno. The golden light surged, billowing into Long Yun’s dantian, annihilating all black energy in its path.

Long Yun felt the change—the power was sacred, a nemesis to the black mist, cutting through all obstacles. The black mist receded, condensing into a strange black rune, which pulsed with dark light and stood opposed to the faint golden glow at the other end.

With a sudden flare, the golden radiance seemed to awaken, transforming into a bolt of light that shot forth, dragging the rune with it. A tidal wave of power twisted and enveloped the rune completely. A burst of divine energy swept out, exuding an aura of supreme authority—an authority that brooked no defiance, no sacrilege. The mere presence of this might caused the rune to tremble in terror.

With a crash, the golden light crushed the rune, shattering it into black motes that dissolved away. The sword intent that had been absorbed was restored and returned to Long Yun.

Long Yun opened his eyes—a flash of brilliance flickered and vanished. His cultivation circulated smoothly, and the dispersed black energy within his dantian was quickly refined. The golden light had destroyed the rune’s essence. Though the black energy was suffused with fierce demonic qualities, the sacred aura purified it entirely, transforming it into pure power for Long Yun to absorb.

Even the little that remained of the rune’s formidable strength was enough to bring Long Yun immense benefit. His cultivation surged; his nine apertures opened. The ambient energy of the space poured into him, and nine pillars of light formed a majestic spectacle.

The Swordstone Spirit Soul, who had been certain of Long Yun’s demise, was stunned. In just an instant, the black rune had perished within Long Yun, and his cultivation had soared dramatically. The image of nine-aperture condensation was deeply etched in the spirit soul’s mind.

“Nine-aperture condensation... It’s truly nine-aperture condensation!” the Swordstone Spirit Soul muttered, momentarily dazed.

At that instant, the black rune encasing the Swordstone Spirit Soul suddenly blazed with light, releasing an ancient, immense aura. “Lowly lifeform, how dare you challenge the Demon Lord’s authority? Die!” The rune whirled, transforming into a pitch-black column of energy that surged furiously toward Long Yun.

Long Yun stood unmoving as a beam of golden light shot from his brow, colliding with the black pillar. Light erupted—the black column shattered with a thunderous roar, accompanied by agonized shrieks that chilled Long Yun to the bone.

The golden radiance, its momentum undiminished, struck the Swordstone Spirit Soul as well. The entire space trembled violently, and like snow melting, all the black runes in the golden light’s path were shattered and dissolved.

Having completed its work, the golden light sank back into Long Yun’s brow as if it had never appeared. At the same time, his aura shifted—having refined all the black energy within, he finally broke through the barrier of the Openings Realm, ascending in a leap to the fourth level of the Postnatal Eight Realms: the Gathering Essence Realm.

The Swordstone Spirit Soul hovered there in shock, the black rune seal that had bound it now utterly destroyed by the golden light, leaving no trace behind.

What kind of divine power was this? How could such an aura exist? The Swordstone Spirit Soul murmured in wonder, beginning to absorb the surrounding energy to repair its wounded essence now that the seal was broken.

Long Yun was equally astonished. He had not expected the golden light to be so overwhelmingly powerful. But where had this sacred power come from? It felt strangely familiar, reminiscent of the sword’s aura he had encountered long ago in the Forbidden Grounds of Divine Dragon Island. But why would the sword’s power now reside within his body?

For a moment, Long Yun’s mind went blank—even the excitement of breaking through to the Gathering Essence Realm was lost on him.

“Young man, that golden light just now—what was it?” The Swordstone Spirit Soul finally recovered and could not help but ask.