Chapter 290: Going Back Home!
"Exactly. We'll give them a taste of their own medicine. The Ku Family failed because their target was Exile Yun. Against absolute strength and talent, all slander and rumors fall apart on their own. His Dao Heart bends to no one!" The Sword Warden sighed with emotion.
"Indeed" Mu Dalong looked at the young man in white with eyes full of admiration.
To be honest, it was only when people saw Yun Xiao stepping directly over Ling Chen's head that his true advantage in appearance burst forth. At a glance, such a divine-looking young man, if not a real Immortal, then what was he?
"I'd call him the most handsome man in the Nine Hells."
"With such a divine face, whoever gets a whiff of his fragrance is the real winner."
"Don't talk nonsense, Exile Yun is not like Exile Ling, who is superficial!"
Without a doubt, at this moment, Yun Xiao completely conquered the Sword Ruins and would soon conquer the Eternal Sword Prison!
All the Sword Cultivators would form a united force, fighting for him! This was crucial! A united Eternal Sword Prison was at least several times stronger than a fragmented, divided one!
Without suppressing Ling Chen, this effect would not have been achieved! The unity of the Sword Cultivators was exactly what the Inscription Cultivators did not want to see, so this outcome was the worst possible one for Qingzan!
Her face remained in deep shadows. She, along with her group of gloomy-faced Inscription Cultivators, left the scene without a word.
"Heh." Yun Xiao knew that this group of Inscription Cultivators would not let things rest.
"All married, and still such a busybody, meddling in the affairs of others? A traitor, that's what you are." After dealing with the Withered Bone Keeper, Yun Xiao would soon take care of them.
"Master" Ling Chen looked at him, hesitating to speak.
"Speak," Yun Xiao said.
"The Withered Bone Keeper's roots are deep; we can't topple them yet. That's why I haven't called them out for spreading those rumors about you yet. You don't blame me, do you?" Ling Chen asked.
"Of course not," Yun Xiao replied.
"Then should I follow you to the Valley of Ruins next, or will you come to stay at the Exile Palace?" Ling Chen asked, head bowed.
"No need, just stay at the Exile Palace. Pretend you're still competing with me in front of them, to draw out more of their secrets for me to exploit," Yun Xiao instructed.
"Absolutely!" Ling Chen nodded emphatically.
"Go on, then!" Yun Xiao patted his shoulder. "Don't fret. Being my sword slave is an honor. Your path to greatness truly starts now."
"Yes..." Ling Chen gave an awkward smile. "I was overstepping before."
"That's normal. An Exiled Sword Immortal, how could you not have a bit of pride?" Yun Xiao said with a smile.
"Right..." Ling Chen took a deep breath, paused for a moment, and then spoke, "Master, there's something I've always been curious about."
"Speak."
"How did you learn the Divine Sky Sword Dao?" Ling Chen asked, looking up.
"That?" Yun Xiao said casually, "Just picked it up watching you, and found it quite handy."
"..." Ling Chen was struck speechless. After bowing to Yun Xiao and uttering a word of awe, he left to carry out his task.
As he turned, a million mocking gazes fell upon him. Ling Chen pursed his lips, swallowing all the ridicule and mockery, dissolving it into nothingness.
"This is getting interesting." He wiped the blood from his ears and disappeared into the crowd, alone.
In the Ancestral Sword Tomb, Ling Chen and the Withered Bone Keeper stood in the tomb, their expressions solemn.
"The Heavenly Land is our only hope now," Ling Chen said.
"Yes." The Withered Bone Keeper, hunched and with a voice as frail as if on his last breath, agreed.
"Bring out the Heavenly Mirror," Ling Chen said calmly.
"Exile Ling, this Heavenly Mirror is a treasured relic guarded by our ancestors, as precious as the Sword Relic, and it deteriorates with each use. Though it's buried in the Ancestral Sword Tomb, I have no right to use it. If discovered, we'll have no choice but to fight to the death with the Sword Warden and Exile Yun," the Withered Bone Keeper said gravely.
"Is there any other way to expand the passage to the Heavenly Land?" Ling Chen asked coldly.
"No." The Withered Bone Keeper shook his head.
"Then that settles it." Ling Chen's eyes blazed as he looked forward, his heart still pierced by the countless jeers and taunts. "That sword... even more profound than the Divine Cosmic Sword..."
His heart after rebirth was bleeding profusely. The humiliation of being a sword slave, like a brand of fate, was forever etched upon him.
"Exile Ling endures such tribulations without faltering! True victory belongs to those who can bend and stretch, endure hardships like sleeping on sticks and tasting gall," said the Withered Bone Keeper.
"Enough praise, he's formidable, unimaginably terrifying... he's undoubtedly not of this realm," Ling Chen spoke, his eyes bloodshot, the sting in his ears still fresh. This was adversity.
"Perhaps this is right! Only through adversity can one strengthen themselves, truly refine their spirit, and transcend the past..." Ling Chen closed his eyes.
"Exile Ling is right. In the end, though, he's still just a junior. If he gets too carried away, there are plenty who could end him!" the Withered Bone Keeper said coldly, "Your ability to swallow such humiliation today, willingly becoming a sword slave for a glimmer of hope, honestly, it astounds an old man like me. A man of your spirit won't be let down by fate."
"Actually, it's a good thing..." Ling Chen suddenly chuckled.
"How so?"
"Judging by Qingzan's attitude, the other eight hells of the Nine Hells are dead set against us Exiled Sword Cultivators. In such times, let him hog all the limelight, attract all the killing calamities, while I, in my utmost humility, avoid this tribulation... I just need to get the Heavenly Land, and everything will change," Ling Chen said.
"Can you endure the humiliation of this process?" the Withered Bone Keeper asked.
"The most humiliating moment has already passed, hasn't it?" Ling Chen's eyes blazed, his resolve growing stronger, "In life, who doesn't face setbacks? Enduring a thousand hardships, one becomes an Immortal... Time will give the answer."
"Hmm," the Withered Bone Keeper's eyes flickered with a dim light, "So be it, if you have that much resolve, it would be disrespectful not to match it. At the risk of being called a traitor, I'll open the Heavenly Mirror for you! Once the Heavenly Land is seized, everything will improve... As for Exile Yun, let his high profile attract all the wrath of the eight hells."
"He is a respectable opponent. It's a pity..." Ling Chen shook his head regretfully.
"A pity what?"
"In this world, no one can forever avoid bowing their head."
In a dim palace within the Sword Ruins, Qingzan stood by the window, her gaze deep.
"Madame!" An elder came in quietly, his eyes filled with excitement.
"What is it?" Qingzan turned to ask.
The elder whispered a long message into her ear.
"Heavenly Land?" After hearing it, Qingzan's face went through several changes, her gaze uncertain. "Such a significant discovery, and my father, my grandfather, they kept it from me?" In Qingzan's green eyes, the coldness intensified.
"This shows that these Sword Cultivators never truly considered you one of their own. They're guarding against you," the elder sneered.
"Shut up!" Qingzan glared at him.
"Yes." The elder bowed his head.
After a moment of thought, Qingzan instructed the elder. "Arrange for someone to go back to the Calamity Seal Purgatory immediately and report about the Heavenly Land! Also, you mentioned there's an entrance in the Endless Netherworld?"
"Yes!" The elder nodded.
"The Sword Ruins are sworn enemies with the demons and devils. Perfect, we Inscription Cultivators can negotiate with them," Qingzan said in a low voice.
"Madame, if we join forces with the devils, your reputation in the Sword Ruins will plummet," the elder cautioned.
"It's already hit almost rock bottom today, it doesnt matter if it falls further. As long as those two Exiled Sword Cultivators live, my reputation can't rise... But once they're dead, aside from me, the Sword Ruins will have no other choice," Qingzan, holding onto the window sill, looked out over the mountains and rivers of the Sword Ruins, "Besides, we're just the middlemen. Devils or Sword Ruins, whoever offers more, we align with. The Heavenly Land should belong to the strongest hell, right?"
"Of course," the elder agreed deeply.
"Act!" Qingzan commanded.
"Yes!"
The elder bowed and quickly retreated.
In the Valley of Ruins, Zhang Mu, covered in blood, knelt in front of a grave. The grave was engraved with the wordsBeloved Husband, Zhang Qian.
At this moment, Zhang Mu, with disheveled hair, blood-stained clothes, and a black and red abdomen, was utterly defeated. His face was pale, his eyes dim, completely devoid of hope.
Beside him stood Yun Xiao, the Warden, along with Mu Dalong, Mu Daxiong, and Mu Qinghuan.
"Zhang Mu, anything left to say?" Mu Dalong, holding a gilded Sword Soul, her eyes red, looked at him.
"Nothing more." Zhang Mu bowed his head, tears streaming down. "Life is like that, one wrong step leads to another, and there's no turning back," he choked out.
"Why take that wrong step?" Mu Dalong was deeply pained.
"I envied him! Everything was almost the same, yet he was always ahead, stealing all the glory that should have been mine, including you..." Zhang Mu said.
"Stop, you've made your choice. Your actions can't be forgiven. Nothing will excuse your evil." Mu Dalong shook her head.
"Is that so? Haha..." A desolate laugh from Zhang Mu. As Mu Dalong's sword was about to fall, he suddenly said, "Wait!"
"What?" Mu Dalong asked.
"Exile Ling won't admit defeat. Dont trust him. He betrayed me, hell betray anyone. Hes selfish to the core, with no bottom line!" Zhang Mu looked at Yun Xiao.
"At least you said something sensible," the Sword Warden suddenly spoke.
"You all knew? Then why not just kill him and end it all?" Zhang Mu was dumbfounded.
"Because I want to kill more," Yun Xiao said.
"Alright!" Zhang Mu bowed his head deeply, no longer fearing Yun Xiao, and said to Mu Dalong, "Fourteen years of nightmares, end my suffering."
Then, Mu Dalong struck him down. As the sword fell, tears streamed down the faces of mother and daughter, who then sat desolately by the grave for a long time.
Yun Xiao, too, was getting ready to leave.
"Exile Yun Xiao, where are you headed next?" the Sword Warden asked.
"Back to my hometown," Yun Xiao replied, and then extended his hand to the Sword Warden, "I'm not asking for much this time, just 100 million Immortal Jades!"
"Uh!" The Warden stepped back! Last time it was 10,000, this time 100 million!
"By the way, do you still have any more Golden Springs Wine?" Yun Xiao grinned.
The Sword Warden backed up ten steps, nearly falling into the Golden Springs.
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