Chapter 70 - 68: Gathering of Spirit Transformation Experts, the World-Shocking Figure of the Celestial Sword Sect

Chapter 70: Chapter 68: Gathering of Spirit Transformation Experts, the World-Shocking Figure of the Celestial Sword Sect

Time flew by. In the blink of an eye, a month had passed.

On this day, Jiang Hao and his group finally neared the depths of the ancient ruins.

The good news was that along the way, they had begun to see many ancient sect ruins, and the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi around them was incredibly dense. The bad news was that Lin Chen and his group were closing in on them, coming so close that they could even see each other from a distance on several occasions.

"Damn it, let’s fight them!"

In the boundless ancient sect ruins, after four consecutive months of a great escape, someone finally broke under the pressure.

It wasn’t just the unimaginable psychological torment they had endured. More importantly, the Small Spirit Revitalization Pills Jiang Hao had distributed to everyone were completely used up. Even similar pills had been exhausted during this period. Although Jiang Hao was a Tier Two Eighth Grade Alchemy Master, Alchemy required time. Constantly being hunted on the run offered absolutely no conditions for him to refine pills.

"That’s right, let’s fight them! The worst that can happen is death."

"Foolish! It’s not just risking death; it’s practically throwing our lives away. They have six Spirit Transformation Realm Powerhouses guarding their ranks. We don’t stand a chance."

"What are you afraid of? Mr. Qin Ye and the others have also stepped into the Spirit Transformation Realm. Including Fairy Qin, we also have three great Spirit Transformation Realm experts. Let’s fight them!"

"Everyone, don’t fall apart. It’s crucial to steady your Dao Hearts. Although Mr. Qin Ye and Zhang Tao have stepped into the Spirit Transformation Realm, they forced their breakthroughs. Their foundations are unstable, so they can’t possibly be a match for the enemy."

"Can you all stop making a mess of things? As long as we wait for Brother Qin to step into the Spirit Transformation Realm as well, we’ll have a sliver of hope. Even if we have to risk it all, shouldn’t we wait until Brother Qin achieves his breakthrough?"

The genius team from Qin City argued fiercely. Some wanted to risk it all for a quick resolution, while others chose to keep fleeing and wait for a better opportunity.

At the mention of Jiang Hao entering the Spirit Transformation Realm, many gazes immediately shifted toward him.

It had been nearly five months since they entered the ancient ruins, yet Jiang Hao was still suppressing his cultivation, showing no signs of breaking through. This left countless people deeply astounded. Not just anyone could suppress their cultivation for so long. The longer one suppressed it, the more terrifying their potential proved to be. Invisibly, Jiang Hao’s stature in everyone’s hearts had reached an unprecedented height.

Seeing the division in their camp, Qin Xiangyuan had no choice but to step forward.

"Everyone, stop arguing. A bloody battle between them and us is inevitable, but not right now.

"Everyone, seize the time to recover your Spiritual Power. Even one more hour of recovery will increase our combat strength by a margin."

Under Qin Xiangyuan’s commanding presence, everyone immediately fell silent and sat cross-legged to restore their Spiritual Power. Indeed, they had to rely on natural recovery. Jiang Hao and the group were now at the end of their ropes, with their Small Spirit Revitalization Pills nearly depleted.

Time ticked by by the second.

Possessing the True Dragon Martial Soul, Jiang Hao was undoubtedly the first Cultivator to fully recover. Looking at the others who were still meditating and regulating their breathing, he didn’t disturb them. Instead, he slowly stood up, finally having the time to observe this world.

He saw that they were currently in an ancient sect ruin. The dozens of surrounding mountain peaks all showcased its former magnificence. However, the ruins and broken walls scattered across the mountains also told the story of its decay.

Jiang Hao strolled through this ancient ruin.

At a certain moment, completely off guard, Jiang Hao suddenly felt the Martial Soul within his body jolt violently. It seemed to have a strange resonance with a specific direction. The direction his Martial Soul sensed was precisely the deepest part of this ancient sect ruin.

After a brief moment of thought, Jiang Hao carefully explored in that direction.

"Brother Qin Fan?" Qin Xiangyuan had naturally noticed Jiang Hao’s movements and subconsciously called out.

Jiang Hao simply replied indifferently, "It’s nothing, I’m just taking a quick look around," before taking large strides forward.

Everywhere he looked were collapsed ancient buildings. Although they were severely weathered from the wind and sun, they still faintly exuded a majestic aura. An ancient presence washed over him as Jiang Hao walked along a faintly visible old path.

Before long, he spotted a dilapidated cave.

"Such strong Soul Power."

When he arrived in front of the cave, Jiang Hao was slightly startled. There was a terrifying fluctuation of Soul Power at the entrance. The sudden anomaly of the True Dragon Martial Soul likely originated from here.

Standing at the entrance, he pondered for a moment before finally choosing to step inside cautiously. As the saying went, wealth is sought amidst danger. The very purpose of everyone coming to the ancient ruins was to seek opportunities. Intuition told Jiang Hao that whatever was inside was definitely extraordinary. After all, this was the ruin of an ancient sect. Even if it wasn’t a particularly massive Daoist Lineage, it must have been a sect that dominated a region in its prime.

Walking into the cave, everything seemed normal and terrifyingly quiet.

It wasn’t until Jiang Hao walked completely inside that he realized there was a whole new world hidden within. Spiritual rocks clustered at the ceiling, jagged and bizarre stones filled the middle, and the bottom was an abyss enshrouded in mist. Countless Dao Platforms hovered in mid-air, making it look exactly like an immortal’s cave dwelling.

The massive cave dwelling seemed large enough to accommodate hundreds of people cultivating simultaneously. Even though endless years had passed, the Spiritual Power inside remained terrifyingly dense.

What surprised Jiang Hao even more was that the moment he stepped into the cave dwelling, he saw a remarkably gargantuan ancient tree. The ancient tree seemed to grow from the bottom of the endless abyss within the cave dwelling, brimming with lush greenery.

And those terrifying waves of Soul Power were emanating from this very tree, surging one after another in an unbelievable manner.

"Is this... a Dragon Soul Tree?" Even Jiang Hao couldn’t help but cry out in astonishment.

He had only ever seen the Dragon Soul Tree mentioned in the ancient texts of the Ye Family. It was naturally born vegetation of the soul kind. Once it generated Soul Power, it was an immense nourishment for a Cultivator’s Martial Soul. No wonder the True Dragon Martial Soul had suddenly trembled; its intent was self-evident.

Those hovering Dao Platforms surrounded the ancient tree. They were likely the secluded cultivation spots for the higher-ups of this ancient sect endless years ago. Although absorbing Soul Power wouldn’t elevate the grade of an existing Martial Soul, it could strengthen one’s Soul Power, enabling an earlier awakening of Martial Soul Divine Techniques.

"With such terrifying Soul Power, if I can absorb even a fraction of it, awakening my Martial Soul Divine Techniques will be just around the corner," Jiang Hao thought inwardly. Looking at the majestic, ocean-like Soul Power, he couldn’t help but feel tempted.

However, just as he was about to soar into the air, suddenly...

"Hmm?"

Jiang Hao abruptly raised his eyes. Feeling a sliver of killing intent rushing straight at his face, he subconsciously dodged to the side.

The next moment, BOOM!!!

A heaven-shaking Sword Qi shattered the void and pierced through everything, streaking right through the spot where Jiang Hao had just been standing. With a thunderous boom, it slashed against the stone wall of the cave dwelling, causing the entire cave to tremble.

Seeing that terrifying sword strike, Jiang Hao’s expression changed drastically. He swiftly looked toward the direction the Sword Qi had come from.

Only then did Jiang Hao discover that at the peak of the towering ancient tree, on the very highest of all the Dao Platforms, a figure was sitting cross-legged. As Jiang Hao looked at the person, the figure slowly looked over as well, his eyes filled with vigilance and hostility.

"Friend, this is not a place you should be. Leave immediately. That sword strike just now was merely a warning. If you dare to take another step forward, you will be killed without mercy!"

The cross-legged figure spoke coldly, and a wave of chill instantly enveloped Jiang Hao.

It was a young man with sword-like eyebrows and bright, starry eyes, truly peerless in his elegance. The aura surrounding his body was terrifying enough to make one tremble. Just by sitting there, the young man was like a blazing sun, radiating so brightly that it was almost blinding.

"A disciple of the Celestial Sword Sect?" The moment Jiang Hao got a clear look at the person, his brows immediately furrowed tightly. He didn’t recognize this young man, but the attire he wore was all too familiar.

Hearing this, the young man narrowed his eyes slightly, his demeanor growing even more condescending. "Since you know it’s the Celestial Sword Sect, leave at once. This place holds my opportunity; it’s not something a mere Unity Realm nobody like you can covet."

Although the young man told Jiang Hao to leave, the murderous intent in his eyes was already evident.

Listening to the other party’s words, Jiang Hao subconsciously turned solemn. Judging from that sword strike just now and the aura on his body, he was clearly also at the Peak of Unity Realm, yet his arrogance was shocking. A fellow Peak of Unity Realm Cultivator was actually deemed a ’mere Unity Realm nobody’ in his eyes.

However, upon closer inspection, Jiang Hao instantly understood. The young man before him was no simple figure; he was definitely an unparalleled genius among the unparalleled geniuses of the Celestial Sword Sect. The other party was evidently suppressing his cultivation as well, and had been doing so for a very long time. A trace of Spirit Transformation Qi had clearly emerged on his body.

What was even more terrifying was that his vitality surged like a rainbow and his Spiritual Power was vast and unfathomable. Among those at the Peak of Unity Realm, he was absolutely an almost invincible existence.

"He’s a tricky guy, probably very tricky," Jiang Hao evaluated inwardly, yet his body remained still.

Obviously, the other party possessed means to increase his speed and had probably been here for some time. This Dragon Soul Tree was definitely treated as a heaven-sent opportunity by him. And since Jiang Hao had discovered this cave dwelling, the young man would absolutely not let him leave alive.

While Jiang Hao and the young man were in a standoff inside, outside the cave dwelling, Qin Xiangyuan and the others felt the tremor and quickly rushed over.

When everyone arrived at the cave entrance and saw that cross-legged blazing sun inside, they all paled in shock. Sitting cross-legged, the young man was like a drawn sword, his sharp edge fully exposed and striking fear into anyone who looked at him.

"Ranked thirty-second among the thirty-six Sword Cultivators of the Celestial Sword Sect... Sword... Sword Unrivaled?"

BOOM!!!

The moment Qin Ye’s words fell, everyone’s expressions changed drastically, as if struck by lightning.

"What did you say? Sword... Sword Unrivaled?"

It was obvious. For Qin Ye and the others, they had already familiarized themselves with the records of various prodigies long before the Genius Hegemony began, so they recognized that figure at a glance. The name Sword Unrivaled was like thunder piercing their ears.

Qin Xiangyuan’s beautiful face turned exceptionally grim, immediately realizing that Jiang Hao had trespassed into the other party’s place of opportunity.

"Brother Qin Fan, come back quickly!" As Qin Xiangyuan called out, she soared toward Jiang Hao.

Although she knew that Jiang Hao’s talent in the Sword Dao was terrifyingly strong, the other party was, after all, one of the long-renowned thirty-six Sword Cultivators of the Celestial Sword Sect. More importantly, the cultivation resources between the two sides were worlds apart. The Celestial Sword Sect possessed countless Supreme Sword Techniques. No matter how terrifying Jiang Hao’s talent in the Sword Dao was, he was ultimately a step behind in resources. The best the Qin Family could provide him was merely the Tier Ten Martial Technique, Heavenly Spirit 72 Swords.

However, the moment Qin Xiangyuan and the others entered the cave dwelling, they had already been taken in by Sword Unrivaled’s eyes.

"Spirit Transformation Realm Cultivators?" Seeing that the opposing camp actually had three Spirit Transformation Realm Powerhouses, the young man was slightly surprised, but he didn’t panic in the slightest.

He simply waved his large hand.

In an instant, a transparent leaf expanded against the wind. In the blink of an eye, it grew from an inch in size to over ten meters in radius. With a boom, it slammed against the stone wall at the cave entrance, sealing the passage tightly.

"An Upper Spirit Magical Artifact, the Celestial Silkworm Leaf!" The moment Qin Ye saw that Magical Artifact, his expression changed drastically.

Magical Artifacts were divided into Tier One to Tier Ten. Above Tier Ten were Upper Spirit Magical Artifacts. The Qingfeng Sword that Ye Canghai gifted Jiang Hao back in the day was a Tier Seven Magical Artifact. And as Sword Unrivaled’s primary nurtured Magical Artifact, the Celestial Silkworm Leaf had also reached the rank of an Upper Spirit Magical Artifact.

The crucial point wasn’t the grade of the Magical Artifact, but the material used to forge it: the Celestial Silkworm Leaf.

"The Celestial Silkworm Leaf is a Magical Artifact refined from a leaf of the Celestial Sword Sect’s number one spiritual tree, the Celestial Silkworm Tree. The most terrifying thing isn’t that it has been nurtured to the grade of an Upper Spirit Magical Artifact, but the terrifying defensive capability of the Celestial Silkworm Leaf itself."

By the time Qin Ye finished speaking, Qin Xiangyuan had already been blocked by the leaf and bounced back. No matter how much she channeled her Spirit Transformation Realm cultivation and erupted with terrifying Spiritual Power, she couldn’t shake the Celestial Silkworm Leaf in the slightest.

"It’s useless. Unless it’s a powerhouse above the Spirit Transformation Sixth Stage, the Celestial Silkworm Leaf cannot be shaken."

Hearing Qin Ye’s words, Qin Xiangyuan’s exquisitely beautiful face was filled with anxiety.

"Brother Qin Fan?"

On the other hand, the young man looked at the anxious crowd outside the cave entrance, a cold sneer curving his lips. He looked indifferently at the white-robed figure, his eyes brimming with disdain.

"You could have just rested well and left. Why did you have to step inside?

"Truly, there is a path to heaven, yet you refuse to walk it; there is no door to hell, yet you barge right in.

"It’s just that killing a small fry like you will inevitably dirty my sword!"