Chen Ping turned to Master Zhang. “Senior, I won’t enter the Ten Thousand Swords Grotto. I’ll take the reward and bid farewell now.”
“You’re not reconsidering?” Master Zhang said with a hint of regret. “The Ten Thousand Swords Grotto is a rare opportunity for sword cultivators.”
“It’s a great opportunity, but I need to stay alive to enjoy it,” Chen Ping said with a smile. “Once I’ve dealt with Divine Sword Manor’s trouble, I’ll return to seek your guidance.”
Master Zhang nodded. “Very well. I’ll arrange for someone to escort you through the secret passage to avoid prying eyes.”
“Outside Sword Saint City, there’s a Sword Tomb where you can train. Since you can’t enter the Ten Thousand Swords Grotto, training at the Sword Tomb can be considered compensation.”
“Thank you, Senior!” Chen Ping said, clasping his hands in respect.
Half an hour later, the group from the Sword Sect left the bustling Sword Saint City through the secret passage.
Standing on a hillside outside the city, Chen Ping looked back, watching the outline of Sword Saint City blur in the sunset.
“Chen Ping, where to next?” Mo Chen asked.
Chen Ping gazed westward. “I want to visit the Sword Tomb first.”
“Alright, I’ll take you there. But the Sword Tomb is different from the Ten Thousand Swords Grotto. It’s a place of slaughter. Those with weak resolve can easily lose themselves to madness.”
“And it depends on individual comprehension. Not everyone who enters the Sword Tomb improves. Some come out as fools!”
Mo Chen warned Chen Ping of the dangers of the Sword Tomb.
“I’m not afraid. I have to try,” Chen Ping said with a faint smile.
The group headed toward the Sword Tomb.
Located behind Sword Saint City, the Sword Tomb was a vast valley filled with countless ancient swords, each radiating faint sword intent that collectively formed an invisible sword domain.
Each sword represented a lost life, and beneath this sword domain lingered a heavy aura of malevolence.
“This is the Sword Tomb,” Mo Chen said, pointing to a stone tablet in the valley’s centre. “That tablet is inscribed with the ‘Sword Saint Scripture.’ How much you comprehend depends on your fortune.”
Chen Ping approached the tablet, observing the dense ancient characters etched upon it. The words seemed alive, flowing slowly across the stone, exuding a majestic sword intent.
As Chen Ping studied the text, a vast stream of information flooded his mind, revealing countless profound truths of the sword path.
He envisioned scenes of past Sword Saints training: some grasping the sword intent of heaven and earth atop lofty peaks, others honing killing swords in seas of blood, and some understanding the sword principles of human emotions in bustling markets.
Time passed unnoticed. Chen Ping slowly closed his eyes, forming hand seals as his spiritual energy began to circulate according to the ‘Sword Saint Scripture.’
His aura gradually merged with the Sword Tomb, and the ancient swords in the valley, as if summoned, began to hum crisply.
Watching from a distance, Mo Chen’s eyes were filled with astonishment. “I didn’t expect his comprehension to be so extraordinary, resonating with the Sword Tomb’s sword intent in such a short time.”
Just as Chen Ping’s aura perfectly blended with the Sword Tomb’s sword intent, and the humming of the surrounding ancient swords grew more urgent, an abrupt change occurred.
The faint black malevolent energy that had lingered in the valley was suddenly drawn by an unseen force, turning violent.
No longer wisps of mist, it transformed into surging black torrents, carrying a nauseating stench, converging from all directions toward the stone tablet where Chen Ping stood.
A deafening rumble shook the earth, as if a giant beast was awakening underground.
With the stone tablet at its centre, the ground of the Sword Tomb valley cracked open, and from countless deep fissures, eerie white bone claws burst through the soil.
