As Ye Qiu and the others rode their swords through the wind, who knew how much time had passed when at last a colossal mountain range appeared in their sight.
Standing atop the Seven-Coloured Blazing Sun Sword, they looked down. The mountain range resembled a divine dragon lying prone upon the earth, stretching for hundreds of thousands of li, suffused with an ancient, desolate aura.
“What an enormous dragon vein!”
Elder Longbrow exclaimed, “If one’s ancestors were buried at the dragon’s head, their descendants would surely produce a true-dragon genius, and the clan’s glory could endure for centuries.”
Yun Xi said, “The Hengduan Mountain Range should be just ahead.”
The Seven-Coloured Blazing Sun Sword tore through the sky.
After a while, a massive rift suddenly appeared before them, like a heavenly chasm.
The chasm was bottomless, slicing the mountain range clean in two, as though severed by a single stroke of a blade.
“What a pity. A perfectly good dragon vein ruined like this.”
Elder Longbrow grieved bitterly. “Had this dragon vein not been cut, it would surely have produced heroes of the calibre of the First Emperor of Qin or Emperor Wu of Han.”
“First Emperor of Qin? Emperor Wu of Han? Who are they?&rd; Yun Xi asked. “I’ve never heard of them.”
Ye Qiu explained, “They were men of the mortal world. They once unified the realm and founded mighty kingdoms.”
“I see,” Yun Xi said. “Let us descend.”
At once, Yun Xi formed seals with both hands, silently reciting an incantation before sending a surge of power into the Seven-Coloured Blazing Sun Sword.
Instantly, the sword traced a graceful arc through the air like a long rainbow and landed before the cliff.
The moment Ye Qiu and the others leapt from the sword, a thick stench of blood assailed their nostrils, as though they stood amidst mountains of corpses and seas of blood. It was enough to make one’s heart tremble.
“Where is this bloody smell coming from?”
Even as Elder Longbrow spoke, his eyes scanned the surroundings. He saw neither corpses nor blood upon the ground.
The disciples of the Qingyun Sword Sect each placed a hand upon their sword hilts, facing a great enemy.
Ye Qiu sniffed the air, then stepped forward until he reached the very edge of the cliff.
He looked down and saw that the cliff face was a deep brownish-red.
Slowly he crouched, brushed his fingers lightly across the rock, then brought them to his nose. Shock appeared on his face.
He glanced across to the opposite cliff, at least four or five hundred metres away, and saw the same deep brownish-red.
“Changsheng, what have you discovered?” Yun Xi came to his side and asked softly.
Ye Qiu rose and pointed at both cliff faces, saying gravely, “These cliffs were not originally this colour. They changed only because they were once drenched in blood. That is why we smell such a strong stench of blood.”
Yun Xi was startled. “You mean the colour of the cliffs was altered by blood?”
Ye Qiu nodded slightly. “Yes.”
Hiss.
Yun Xi sucked in a cold breath, her expression turning solemn. “How many people had to die for the blood to stain both cliff faces this colour?”
“My initial estimate is at least several hundred thousand, and it happened long ago. Otherwise the blood would not have turned brown.” Ye Qiu spoke, then looked at the edge of the cliff once more. He crouched again, ran his fingers over it for a moment, and shock appeared on his face anew.
“Xi’er, look at the cliff face.” Ye Qiu pointed. “These two cliffs were once a single whole. In other words, this mountain range was never meant to be severed.”
Yun Xi looked puzzled. “Then why is it broken here?”
“Look closely,” Ye Qiu said.
Yun Xi gave Ye Qiu a puzzled glance, then slowly crouched and examined it carefully. “The cut at the edge is perfectly straight and vertical. The surface is extremely smooth. This mountain range… was sliced by a bladed weapon?”
“Exactly,” Ye Qiu said. “If I’m not mistaken, this mountain range was cleaved by a single strand of sword qi, thus forming the Hengduan Mountain Range.”
Clang!
At that instant, a heaven-shaking sword intent suddenly erupted from the chasm.
In that split second, Ye Qiu felt his very soul suppressed by the sword qi. His breathing stopped.
“Fall back!” Ye Qiu shouted. He seized Yun Xi and retreated ten thousand metres in a flash.
When he looked again, the sword intent had vanished.
“It really was a strand of sword qi?” Yun Xi’s face was filled with astonishment. “What level of cultivation would it take to do this?”
After she spoke, she turned and looked. The chasm stretched endlessly, millions of li in length, even longer than the entire mountain range.
“Even a peak Through-the-Heavens expert wielding the Seven-Coloured Blazing Sun Sword at full power could not achieve this,” Lin Da’niao marvelled.
Elder Longbrow said, “If it were a Saint wielding a peerless divine weapon, perhaps it might be possible.”
“Impossible,” Yun Xi shook her head firmly. “The exterior of the Undead Mountain is covered with prohibitions. Before we entered, the two ancient saints from the Beast Emperor Sect and the Desolate Ancient Sacred Ground, wielding the Tyrant Bell and the Sacred Emperor Sword, exhausted their strength yet failed to breach the mountain’s barriers. A Saint could never enter this place.”
“Could it be…”
Yun Xi’s heart pounded. “An Emperor-level powerhouse?”
What? An Emperor-level powerhouse?
Everyone was stunned.
Yun Xi continued, “If it truly was an Emperor-level expert, a single strand of sword qi could indeed leave a sword scar millions of li long.”
Ye Qiu said, “I have heard that a Great Emperor once entered the Undead Mountain.”
Yun Xi nodded. “Yes. The Eternal Azure Heaven Great Emperor once entered the Undead Mountain. That piece of history is recorded in the archives of many top-tier sects.”
“According to the records of our Qingyun Sword Sect, when the Eternal Azure Heaven Great Emperor entered the Undead Mountain, several supreme Saints of our sect observed from afar.”
“They personally witnessed the Eternal Azure Heaven Great Emperor wield an imperial weapon, break through the prohibitions of the Undead Mountain, and walk inside. From that day onward, there has been no further news of him.”
Elder Longbrow asked, “Could the Eternal Azure Heaven Great Emperor have perished here?”
Yun Xi shook her head. “No one knows. In any case, after he stepped into the Undead Mountain, he vanished from the world.”
Lin Da’niao sighed. “The Undead Mountain truly is mysterious!”
Ye Qiu said, “This is no auspicious place. We should quickly search for the supreme opportunity. Once we obtain it, we leave at once.”
“I think the little brat is right. Finding the opportunity is what matters,” Elder Longbrow said, looking around. “But where is it?”
Yun Xi instructed the disciples of the Qingyun Sword Sect, “Everyone spread out and search, but do not go far. If danger appears, signal immediately.”
At once, the group scattered to search the area.
Yet after a full circuit, they found nothing.
“Second Brother, why don’t you divine it?” Lin Da’niao suggested.
“Very well.” Elder Longbrow agreed at once. He drew three copper coins from the sleeve of his Taoist robe and prepared to cast a divination. Suddenly, a shocking surge of killing intent came from the distance.
