Chapter 315: Ruination Sword Array!
At the Eternal Sword Prison, right smack at the entrance of a passageway, stood the Sword Warden and his band of more than twenty Sword Ruins powerhouses. They were as icy as their sword intent, chilly enough to give you the shivers.
Surrounded by encroaching shadows between the mountains, they were trapped tighter than a cork in a bottle.
This forest was silent, steeped in a deadly stillness. Meanwhile, the uninvited guests from the other eight hells had eyes cold as a winter pond, faces as expressive as a brick wall, and even a hint of mockery playing at their lips.
Just when the tension was at its peak, the entrance of the passageway started to shake.
The would-be assailants, over a hundred of them, narrowed their eyes, their sacred power whirring to life, murder in the air thick enough to cut with a knife.
Some had already whipped out their Life Sigils and magic treasures. They had seen the portraits of the two Exiled Sword Immortals, Yun Xiao and Ling Chen, more times than they'd seen their own reflections.
BUZZ! Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Sword Cultivators started popping out of the passageway.
"Sword Warden, we're in hot water!" Du Zhongyuan, pale as a ghost, half-knelt before the Sword Warden.
"What's the trouble?" the Sword Warden asked, his voice grave.
"Exile Ling got his hands on the Heavenly Land!" Du Zhongyuan spat out through clenched teeth.
"Ling Chen?" The Sword Warden's brow furrowed like a plowed field.
"Yes! The whole Demon Continent crumbled, turning into a Life Sigil in Exile Ling's hand. Its power was earth-shaking, unstoppable. We had to high-tail it out of there!" Du Zhongyuan's voice shook like a leaf.
The faces of the Sword Warden and the others turned stiff as a board.
"Ling Chen got the Heavenly Land?"
This news, blurted out in Du Zhongyuan's panic, was overheard by many, and their expressions warped.
"They said it was Yun Xiao who had the upper hand, but now Ling Chen's turned the tables, from losing to winning?"
"The legend of the Heavenly Land... it's true?"
Not just the Sword Ruins big shots, but also other heavy hitters from the eight hells alliance, including Qingzan and those from the Endless Netherworld, went as pale as if they'd seen a ghost.
"We need to send word to the Endless Netherworld, get more manpower. Ling Chen can't be allowed to return to the Sword Ruins alive!" Qingzan said urgently to an elder from the Calamity Seal Purgatory.
The other powerhouses from the Nine Hells, looking as grim as a stormy sky, spread the news like wildfire.
The murderous intent was unmistakable and stronger than ever!
"If we take down Ling Chen, can we get our hands on the Heavenly Land?" one Inscription Cultivator asked.
"As long as we control the core to the Heavenly Land, it's more than possible," Qingzan replied, fire blazing in her eyes.
"I'll go inform the Talisman Emperor!" an excited Inscription Cultivator exclaimed.
"No need, he's already here," Qingzan said, turning to look at a shadow-draped mountain, where light rippled like water.
"It's time for a little payback for the Talisman Prince..."
"Time to take back the Calamity Seal Sword!"
The Inscription Cultivators' hatred, most of it, was heaped upon Ling Chen!
"We thought Yun Xiao was the freak. Turns out Ling Chen was the real heaven defying monster after all!"
Undercurrents of emotion roiled in their hearts.
This news spread like wildfire to the Ku Family.
Ku Xuan, Feng Buhui, and the others were over the moon!
"Dad!" Ku Xuan turned abruptly, gripping his father's arms, eyes burning with fervor.
The Withered Bone Keeper, his face usually as crinkled and gloomy as a stormy sea, finally showed a hint of a smile. "Exile Ling, laughing last..."
Their long-held frustrations were finally turning into jubilation, a chance to wipe the slate clean! In their excitement, they quickly regained composure, their gazes fiercely fixed on the swirling passageway.
"The Heavenly Land matter will make Exile Ling their prime target!" Yun Xinghe said gravely.
"Dad, no matter what, we have to ensure Exile Ling makes it out alive," Ku Xuan said through clenched teeth.
"Is it possible to collaborate with Qingzan? She must understand the importance of Exile Ling..." Shuang Jiang whispered.
"She's the last person who would." The Withered Bone Keeper slowly stood up, shaking his head.
The Heavenly Land news was a blessing, but it also spelled a dire situation!
"Should we head back to the passageway entrance to guard Exile Ling with our lives?" Feng Buhui asked.
"With the Heavenly Land, Exile Ling must have some tricks up his sleeve. Together with us, we stand a chance, right?" Yun Xinghe speculated.
As he spoke, the passageway began to change.
The Sword Warden and a group of Fate Ocean Realm Sword Cultivators who had just returned from the Demon Continent turned their swords and left without a backward glance!
Their departure was unobstructed, of course.
"They're giving up on Yun Xiao just like that!"
"Mu Tianjian, truly decisive..."
"He's smart. He knows Yun Xiao's a lost cause now."
"So, who's left to save these two Exile Sword Immortals? The Withered Family? Ha!"
Swords sang like a chorus of metallic sparrows, streaking back towards the Sword Ruins. Save for Yun Xiao, the Sword Warden's nearly hundred men had retreated, safe and sound.
"Mu Tianjian!" The Withered Bone Keeper's face twisted with rage at the sight. With their departure, the Ku Family was left to hold the fort alone.
"Let them go. Once Yun Xiao is out of the picture, if we can save Exile Ling, they're all toast!" Ku Xuan growled menacingly.
"And us...?"
The Overseers all turned their eyes to the Withered Bone Keeper.
"Move in closer," he ordered gruffly.
From their current position, they'd be little help once Ling Chen emerged. So, with serious expressions, they quietly edged closer.
"Madame, Mu Tianjian has pulled back, but your grandpa's stepped up," someone said to Qingzan.
"It doesn't matter. People like him won't learn their lesson until they've experienced some suffering firsthand," Qingzan replied nonchalantly.
"Understood!"
The Inscription Cultivators nodded. The message was clear. When it was time to strike, they wouldn't hold back.
"So, only the two Exiled Sword Immortals have yet to come out?"
"That's right!"
All eyes, sharp and intense, were glued to the vortex entrance.
BUZZ! That vortex started stirring again!
"Let's go!" Ku Xuan and the others, eyes blazing, strode forward.
And from other directions, hundreds of formidable figures emerged from the shadows, their killing intent nearly suffocating the air!
Suddenly, out of the vortex, burst a black copper coffin.
"What the hell!?"
Everyone was momentarily stunned.
Confused, but not for long, a slew of terrifying life sigils and magic treasures tore through the sky, shaking the earth as they hammered down on the coffin.
"Son of a bitch, wait just a darn minute!" Blue Star gritted his teeth.
"We'll remember this!" Red Moon, taking the brunt of the attacks as the coffin's body, chimed in.
The barrage they were enduring, each blast was strong enough to wipe out a Fate Ocean Realm powerhouse.
If Yun Xiao weren't lounging in that copper coffin, he'd have been torn to shreds a thousand times over!
Most of these attackers were peak powerhouses from the Nine Hells, well above the Fate Ocean Realm.
"Go!" Yun Xiao didn't bother with them. He'd settle the score with these people sooner or later! He memorized every cold, cruel facehe was a man who kept his grudges, and he didn't miss a single one.
BOOM! The ancient copper coffin burst through the encirclement, slipping into the void. The enemy was numerous, but they couldn't stop it.
In a blink, it was gone.
"A bunch of good-for-nothings!" Yun Xiao's voice echoed between heaven and earth.
"It's him!" Qingzan and the others recognized the voice instantly. But as soon as they did, he was gone.
"Wow, that wasn't so bad, was it?" Once free, Yun Xiao cracked a relaxed smile.
"Just this little scuffle must've cost at least 30 million Immortal Jades." Blue Star chuckled.
Yun Xiao's face twisted in annoyance.
"Damn it, wait! Each of you owes me 300 hundred million!"
Red Moon's eyes widened. "You're skinning them alive!"
"This is just returning a drop of water with a gushing spring," Blue Star cackled.
As they spoke, Yun Xiao had already caught up with the Sword Warden and the others. Stepping out of the coffin, he rode on his Sovereign Sword.
"Exile Yun!" Nearly a hundred Sword Ruins Sword Cultivators, including the Sword Warden, suddenly turned around, their eyes bloodshot, half-kneeling on the ground.
Before today, Yun Xiao and the Sword Warden were on equal footing. But now, knowing all about the Demon Continent, Mu Tianjian actually lowered himself to a half-kneel!
That told you just how shaken he was inside.
"Exile Yun, always with the cunning plans. Ling Chen's spirit heads west, and you still manage another trick," the Sword Warden said with a wry smile.
"Just another day for me." Yun Xiao glanced back and, sure enough, not many were chasing him.
"Those folks are still hanging around the entrance, waiting for Exile Ling to show up with the Heavenly Land... That thing sure is a magnet," Mu Dalong said with a charming smile.
If Yun Xiao hadn't shouted and given himself away, those people would probably still be hot on his heels.
"In that case, we can safely return to the Sword Ruins, activate the Ruination Sword Array, and keep Exile Yun safe. We don't have to worry about the Nine Hells Conquest Clash until then," Du Zhongyuan said.
"Let them wait here," Yun Xiao said coldly, still peeved at the 30 million Immortal Jade loss. "Back to the Sword Ruins, I need to go into seclusion."
"Seclusion?" The Sword Warden knew this had to be about the Heavenly Land.
They were all looking forward to it, eyes sparkling with anticipation.
VROOOOM! They soared on their Sovereign Swords, vanishing in a blink.
Back at the vortex passageway, many were still lingering.
"What's the deal with Yun Xiao's coffin?"
"No idea..."
This left them looking pretty foolish.
"Only Ling Chen is left now."
"If he's got a coffin like that, we're in real trouble."
Their faces were grim as they stared at the passageway.
Not long after, Qingzan called over a slightly younger Inscription Cultivator. "Fu Shan, go in and have a look. Come back immediately if there's trouble."
"Well, if I must," the young Inscription Cultivator said, visibly trembling with fear. Defying orders would lead to severe punishment, so he had no choice but to go in. Thankfully, the other hells soon sent their own people to join him.
Seven brave souls ventured in! But it was like they vanished into thin air; once they went in, there was no sign of them.
"They must be dead."
"Is Ling Chen really that powerful?"
The crowd's faces grew even colder.
"Or is it because of..."
Some glanced towards the receding figure of Yun Xiao, their expressions even grimmer.
Back in the Sword Ruins
"Exile Ling has obtained the Heavenly Land!"
Before long, this explosive news spread like wildfire.
The Sword Ruins were abuzz once more. Those who had been suppressed were now stirring, eager to reclaim their positions.
"Did I hear right? Exile Yun is back in the Valley of Ruins?"
"I wonder what he's feeling now..."
Inside and outside the Sword Ruins, the rumors swirled. The twists and turns of this struggle for supremacy had everyone on the edge of their seats.
Yun Xiao, once the talk of the town, seemed a bit less formidable now.
Suddenly, the long-quiet 999 Sword Peaks rumbled, and countless sword lights shot into the sky.
"The Ruination Sword Array is about to be activated!"
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