Chapter 162: Nascent Sword Intent
Rushing into the grotto, Fang Hao and Mu Fenghua were startled by the scene before them! My goodness, dozens of Sword Qi of various colors, as solid as real swords, buzzed like a disturbed hornet’s nest, all turning at once with their tips pointed straight at them! That mixture of sharp Sword Intent was suffocating, making the air in the grotto feel as if it had solidified.
Mu Fenghua’s face turned pale instantly, her hand holding the vermilion bird feather fan trembling slightly. Although she had many treasures, she had never seen such a formation! If these dozens of Sword Qi struck at once, even a Late Golden Core Stage cultivator would lose a layer of skin!
Fang Hao’s heart also skipped a beat, inwardly cursing his carelessness. He had been so focused on the star soul of the sword that he hadn’t noticed so many "guards" below! He quickly grabbed Mu Fenghua, who wanted to retreat, and growled, "Don’t move! This sword array is strange; moving recklessly will only make us die faster!"
He pushed his Clear Spring Spirit Eyes to their limit, staring intently at the dozens of circling Sword Qi. These Sword Qi seemed chaotic but were actually moving according to a mysterious trajectory, echoing each other and forming a unified field where a single move would affect the whole! If they had retreated rashly just now, it would have surely triggered a storm-like attack!
"Then... what should we do?" Mu Fenghua’s voice trembled slightly. Although she was proud, she wasn’t stupid and knew the situation was critical.
Fang Hao’s mind raced as his gaze swept across the grotto. In the center was the broken sword radiating intense Evil Qi and the floating sword soul, surrounded by Sword Qi guards. In the corners of the grotto, near the stone walls, grew a few inconspicuous silver grasses with leaves shaped like small swords, emitting faint ripples of Sword Intent.
"sword intent grass!" Fang Hao’s eyes lit up! This was good stuff! Containing pure Sword Intent, it was incredibly effective for a Sword Cultivator to comprehend Sword Intent! It seemed the Sword Qi in this grotto not only protected the sword soul but also nourished these Spiritual Plants.
A thought flashed through his mind. Hard confrontation definitely wouldn’t work; he had to use wit!
"Fellow Daoist Mu!" Fang Hao spoke rapidly. "Find a way to distract those Sword Qi. You don’t have to face them head-on, just move around and stall them! I’ll go pick the sword intent grass! Maybe it can be used to disrupt the sword array!"
Mu Fenghua was stunned. She looked at the sword intent grass in the corner, then at Fang Hao, and gritted her teeth. "Fine! I’ll trust you this once! Hurry up!" She also knew this was currently the only way.
With that, she gave a sharp cry and swung the vermilion bird feather fan in her hand! A massive flaming Vermilion Bird shrieked and lunged toward several Sword Qi at the edge of the array! She didn’t dare attack the core, fearing a full-scale retaliation.
Boom! The flames exploded, and the targeted Sword Qi immediately became restless, breaking formation and shooting toward Mu Fenghua like streaks of light!
"Good!" Mu Fenghua’s movement technique unfolded like a fire spirit, dodging rapidly within the grotto. Meanwhile, she continuously waved her fan, creating walls of fire and firebirds to harass and attract even more Sword Qi into chasing her. She didn’t dare take them head-on, relying entirely on her movement and Magic Treasure to maneuver through the peril.
The moment Mu Fenghua drew the fire, Fang Hao moved! His Divine Spirit Steps and Shrinking the Ground to an Inch erupted simultaneously, his figure turning into a faint, almost invisible wisp of green smoke, gliding silently along the stone wall toward the sword intent grass in the corner!
His movements were as swift as a ghost, his aura suppressed to the limit. With most of the Sword Qi’s attention drawn by Mu Fenghua, he actually managed to sneak into the corner!
Without hesitation, he reached out to pluck the sword intent grass!
Just as his fingers were about to touch the leaves, a sudden change occurred!
The sword intent grass seemed to possess a spirit of its own. Its leaves suddenly shook, and several highly condensed silver sword phantoms shot out like provoked venomous snakes, stabbing straight at Fang Hao’s face! Their speed was comparable to the Flying Sword of a Golden Core Cultivator!
"Not good! Even the grass has a spirit!" Fang Hao was startled, but his reaction was lightning-fast! The yitian sword instantly appeared in his hand, and he performed the Dividing Light Sword Shadow, meeting those sword phantoms with dozens of precise sword lights!
Clang, clang, clang—!
A series of dense, crisp sounds! The sword phantoms were crushed, but Fang Hao’s arm was also shaken until it felt numb! The Sword Qi from the sword intent grass’s spontaneous self-defense was actually this sharp!
This commotion finally caught the attention of the sword array’s core! Over a dozen of the strongest Sword Qi circling the broken sword suddenly turned, carrying a terrifying Sword Intent that could tear everything apart as they converged on Fang Hao!
"Fang Hao, be careful!" Mu Fenghua, who was dodging clumsily in the distance, cried out in warning!
With the grass spirit’s counterattack in front and the Sword Qi incoming from behind, Fang Hao was in a desperate situation!
"Damn it! I’m going all in!" A flash of madness appeared in Fang Hao’s eyes! He knew he couldn’t hesitate any longer! He suddenly opened his mouth and spat a mouthful of essence blood onto the yitian sword, causing the blade to instantly erupt with blinding blood-red light! The strongest killing move of the Starfall Sword Art—Blood Meteor Star Burst!
He ignored the incoming Sword Qi from behind, becoming one with his sword and turning into a blood-red meteor, recklessly crashing into the sword intent grass! He was going to take them by force!
Boom—!!!
The blood-red sword light collided violently with the final protective Sword Qi of the sword intent grass! Leaves flew, and Sword Qi scattered everywhere! Fang Hao groaned, blood leaking from the corner of his mouth, but his hand finally grabbed the sturdiest, most silver-glowing sword intent grass! He pulled with all his might!
The moment the grass was pulled out, the entire sword array in the grotto suddenly stalled! It was as if some balance had been lost! With the main grass removed, the Sword Intent field in the corner weakened instantly!
Now! Enduring his injuries, Fang Hao roared at Mu Fenghua, "Now! Grab the sword soul!"
Even without his shout, Mu Fenghua had felt the anomaly in the sword array! Her beautiful eyes flashed with brilliant light as she instantly activated a golden Talisman she had been holding—a Fourth-Tier Low Grade ’Restriction-Breaking Talisman’!
Buzz!
A golden light shot like a sharp arrow toward the core of the sword array! The originally seamless sword array, disrupted by both the removal of the sword intent grass and the Restriction-Breaking Talisman, revealed a flaw! The golden light hit a node of the sword array’s operation with precision!
Crack!
A sound like shattering glass rang out! The sword array’s operation stalled for a brief moment!
"Vermilion Bird Incinerating the Heavens!" Mu Fenghua seized this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, bit the tip of her tongue, and spat a mouthful of her Life-Essence Blood onto the feather fan! The fan shone with ten thousand rays of light, transforming into a highly condensed Vermilion Bird divine bird emitting terrifyingly high temperatures. It let out a cry that shook the grotto and instantly pierced through the stalled sword array, catching the floating star soul of the sword in its beak! Then, it flew back to Mu Fenghua’s hand like lightning!
The sword soul was hers!
Almost at the same time the sword soul was taken, the pitch-black broken sword in the center emitted an unwilling hum and then "cracked," completely shattering into powder! Having lost its core, the entire sword array collapsed instantly! The dozens of sharp Sword Qi scurried around like headless flies for a while before slowly dissipating into the air.
The crisis was averted.
Mu Fenghua held the warm, cool sword soul with its flowing starlight, her face filled with excitement and joy as she let out a long sigh of relief. She looked at Fang Hao, about to thank him, but saw him sitting cross-legged on the ground, his face pale. He was tightly clutching the silver-glowing sword intent grass, surrounded by Sword Qi, seemingly having entered a mysterious state.
He had just forcibly taken the sword intent grass and was injured by the aftershocks of the Sword Qi. Now, he was using the pure Sword Intent contained in the grass to heal while also frantically absorbing and comprehending it!
Mu Fenghua was stunned for a moment, then understood. A flash of complexity appeared in her eyes. She didn’t disturb him but silently walked to the grotto entrance, took a Medicinal Pill, and while regulating her breathing, acted as a Protector for Fang Hao. If Fang Hao hadn’t risked pulling the grass to create an opportunity, she never could have obtained the sword soul. She would remember this favor.
Fang Hao’s mind was now completely immersed in the comprehension of the sword intent grass. That pure, attribute-less original Sword Intent flowed into his Sea of Consciousness like a clear spring, constantly clashing, fusing, and sublimating with the Concepts of the Starfall Sword Art, Dividing Light Sword Shadow, and Seven Absolutes Sword Seal he had cultivated for years!
He seemed to see the decisiveness of falling stars, the shifting reality of divided sword light, and the solemn barriers of the sealed seals... Various insights flooded his mind, and many previously obscure points suddenly became clear!
After an unknown amount of time, he suddenly opened his eyes, and a silver sword light an inch long flashed through them! He pointed his fingers like a sword and made a casual swipe forward!
Ssh!
A highly condensed silver Sword Qi, carrying a Concept of charging forward and destroying stars, shot from his finger, carving a sword mark over a foot deep into the stone wall ahead! The Sword Qi remained condensed and didn’t dissipate for a long time!
"Nascent Sword Intent!" A look of wild joy appeared on Fang Hao’s face! Although it was still very weak, he had truly touched the threshold of Sword Intent! From now on, his sword techniques would no longer just have the form, but would possess "spirit"!
He looked at his hand; the sword intent grass had become dim and mostly withered. But it was worth it! Totally worth it!
He stood up and stretched his muscles. His injuries were mostly healed, and he felt his understanding of the Sword Dao had reached a completely new level!
"Congratulations, Fellow Daoist Ning, on comprehending Sword Intent." Mu Fenghua stepped forward and offered her sincere congratulations, her beautiful eyes sparkling. To be able to achieve a Breakthrough in such a dangerous situation, this person’s talent in the Sword Dao was truly astonishing.
"It was just luck, and thanks to Fellow Daoist Mu’s help." Fang Hao was in a great mood and cupped his hands in return. This cooperation, though dangerous, had yielded immense benefits for both of them.
"The sword soul has been obtained. This place isn’t suitable for a long stay. Shall we go?" Mu Fenghua suggested.
"Alright!" Fang Hao nodded. The two smiled at each other, and the slight estrangement from before seemed to have dissipated quite a bit. They quickly left the grotto and headed deeper into the Ten Thousand Swords Valley. After fighting side by side, their relationship seemed to have grown closer.
