A vast expanse of crimson spread across the heavens and earth, stretching endlessly, as if the entire sky had been stained red with blood. The sky itself took on a chilling crimson hue, like dried bloodstains.
The air was filled with the wailing of ghosts and howling of spirits, the howling of the cold wind, and the towering waves, as large as mountains and peaks. It was a vast expanse of water, but it was not the usual azure blue of the ocean; instead, it was a dark, gloomy, and deathly black.
Looking around, one can occasionally see pale, bare islands rising and falling. But upon closer inspection, these so-called islands are all made up of piles of bones, stretching endlessly. One wonders how many lives' remains have been accumulated to reach such a scale.
Click! Click! Click!
On the shore of the Black Sea, a figure draped in a gray robe marched forward against the fierce wind. Beneath his feet lay countless piles of white bones.
This is a world for the dead!
roar!
A chilling wind howled, a malevolent aura filled the air, and the roars of demonic corpses echoed. Emerald soul flames burned, silently enveloping the figure advancing towards the Black Sea. Even with magical concealment, the living essence could not be hidden, and nearby undead could still sense it.
The gray-robed figure remained unmoved, his steps firm and powerful as he marched toward the Black Sea, seemingly unaware of the undead horde that had surrounded him.
After a brief period of observation, the undead, possessing only low-level intelligence, could no longer suppress their thirst for the blood and souls of the living. With a roar, dozens, nearly a hundred, demonic corpses charged towards the gray-robed figure.
Clang~
A clear, melodious sword cry, like the cry of a phoenix, rang out. Sword energy surged forth, its sharpness fully revealed. Then, everything fell silent. Even the howling of the cold wind lessened considerably, and the pervasive malevolent aura diminished considerably.
As the gray-robed man took a few steps forward, the sound of countless heavy objects falling to the ground rang out. At this moment, all the dead soul flames within a hundred feet of the gray-robed figure had been extinguished.
The gray-robed man acted as if he had done something insignificant, and his pace did not change in the slightest. Soon he reached the edge of the turbulent Black Sea.
But this vast ocean standing amidst the bones is no normal body of water. The surging blackness is not seawater at all, but an endless stream of dead souls.
Seemingly sensing the presence of the living, the previously drifting souls instantly surged into a frenzy. They roared silently at the gray-robed figure, jostling and struggling, stretching out countless pale, translucent hands or claws, trying to seize this living being who dared to set foot in the land of the dead and tear him to shreds!
The number of the dead was countless. In its surging, it was like a raging storm. The once calm sea was suddenly engulfed by towering waves that swept towards the still calm figure.
Clang~ Clang~ Clang~
Just as the surging waves of ghostly spirits were about to engulf the gray-robed figure, endless sword cries rang out. Behind him, a world belonging to the sword opened, connecting this endless land of death and bones.
In an instant, countless sword lights burst forth, illuminating the area. The roaring ghosts fell silent, and the massive black wave that was about to crash down instantly disintegrated, losing all its terrifying power.
The gray-robed man remained calm throughout, but behind him floated hundreds and thousands of swords, some wide, some narrow, some long, some short, some plain, some sharp and gleaming, each with its own unique shape and style; no two swords were alike.
A first-class extraordinary phenomenon, an endless sword domain!
Upon reaching the seaside, the sword cultivator unleashed a strange phenomenon, suppressing the souls of the Black Sea. He remained silent for a moment, seemingly pondering, or perhaps hesitating, but more likely sensing something.
After a moment, the swordsman finally sensed it. He reached into his sleeve and pulled out a small boat the size of a palm, then gently tossed it into the sea of dead souls in front of him.
The small boat grew longer as it faced the wind, and soon it transformed into a seemingly unremarkable awning boat, just like the small boats used by ordinary fishermen. However, it floated on the Black Sea without showing any signs of sinking.
The gray-robed swordsman rose gracefully and landed on the awning boat. The moment he landed at the bow, the souls that had been agitated by the presence of the living lost their senses and reverted to their original frenzied and violent state, beginning to fight and devour each other.
We're almost there!
At this moment, the sword cultivator's usually calm eyes now held a hint of anticipation as the awning boat beneath his feet steadily sailed towards the center of the Black Sea.
This place is one of the most dangerous places in the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths. Even those spirit-possessing demon corpses and soul-devouring evil spirits that are far beyond his level and impossible to defeat have all been suppressed by the laws left by the sages.
However, the undead souls that can still move freely within them remain a great threat because there are simply too many of them. Even if he cultivates to the first rank of extraordinary phenomena, if he enters them rashly without prior preparation, he will only perish.
Even with thorough preparations, he still faced immense pressure. As the awning boat carried him deeper into the Black Sea, the waters, composed of countless dead souls, surged and churned, seemingly reaching for the heavens.
The First Cause of All Realms
Compared to that, the seemingly ordinary fisherman's awning boat was so small, it seemed as if it could capsize at any moment in this sea of souls.
However, the awning boat did not sink despite being battered by towering waves. It possessed an extremely peculiar power that not only prevented it from sinking into the sea of the dead, but also prevented the countless, billions of dead souls from sensing the presence of a living person on board.
"We'll be there soon!"
The gray-robed swordsman remained calm as the awning boat glided past one bone island after another. These islands stood in the Black Sea, and although the souls within them surged and raged, not a single one set foot on the land of bones, clearly distinguishing them.
However, the gray-robed swordsman remained unmoved by these islands, showing no intention of climbing them, even though many of them had buildings faintly visible on them and some astonishing phenomena were also revealed.
“…La, Ma…Mi…”
Faint Buddhist chants rang out. It was an ancient temple, but it was situated on a mountain of bones. A sacred and peaceful aura permeated the air, and magnificent golden light burst forth from the island, illuminating the Black Sea. The once violent and ferocious spirits of the dead also revealed a peaceful and serene appearance.
The gray-robed swordsman remained indifferent. He knew that the ancient temple must contain an extremely astonishing Buddhist tradition, but that was not his path.
Not long after the awning boat passed the island, another ancient palace appeared, floating above the sea of souls. From within it came sounds like chanting, as if someone was reciting the Great Dao scriptures. Countless ancient characters, densely packed, were imprinted in the void, absorbing and exhaling boundless yin energy, transforming into divine radiance filling the sky.
The gray-robed swordsman sat cross-legged, calming his mind and remaining unmoved. That was still not his goal, although it was somewhat in line with his path, it was not the best for him.
"arrive!"
Finally, after an unknown amount of time, and having overlooked the legacy left behind by countless sages in this perilous place, the gray-robed swordsman finally found the opportunity his father had been longing for.
There were seven interconnected yet subtly independent mountains of white bones, each with a grand hall atop its peak. However, their style was remarkably consistent with the soul sea of these bone mountains, as the halls were also constructed from piled-up bones.
"The Seven Killing Swords of Profound Yin!"
A ripple appeared in the gray-robed youth's eyes. This was his first time here. The reason he was so purposeful was that his grandfather and his father had both tried to come here before, but they had all failed.
Two cycles of sixty years ago, his grandfather entered the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, fought his way into the Soul Sea, and comprehended the Daoist teachings left by the sages. Just before the time was about to end, he discovered this place, which was extremely suitable for sword cultivators to pass on their teachings.
The old sword cultivator, who has now become a powerful figure, traveled to all seven White Bone Mountains in the remaining month and discovered that each mountain nurtured a bone sword.
The most ingenious thing is that these seven bone swords are interconnected, which also increases the difficulty of obtaining them. Even his grandfather, a genius, could only figure out how to obtain these seven killing swords in his final days.
Thus, the old swordsman left the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands with great regret, placing his hopes on his son. Therefore, sixty years ago, his father entered the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands and, in accordance with his father's instructions, went to the island.
Then, his father inevitably failed, otherwise he wouldn't have had the chance to come here. The most important factor in his father's failure was that he lacked talent in swordsmanship.
This was his father's self-summarized reason for failure: he devoted all his time to studying the killing sword diagram engraved on the Xuan Yin Seven Kill Sword. Although he comprehended a sword scripture from it, he did not gain the Seven Kill Sword's recognition.
The young man arrived here carrying the hopes and expectations of two generations, intending to take these seven killing swords back to fulfill his father's regrets and obsessions.
He came prepared this time, and even investigated the origins of these seven killing swords.
From the fragments gleaned from the vast sea of ancient texts, it can be deduced that the Xuan Yin Seven Kill Sword originated in ancient times and was created by Hong Yezi, an extremely famous swordsmith of that era.
This swordsmith was also a legendary figure from ancient times. He was originally a weaponsmith who could forge all kinds of magical artifacts.
However, he fell in love with a female sword immortal, devoted himself to one person, and spent the rest of his life forging swords. Influenced by the female sword immortal's special experience, this swordsmith who switched careers halfway through his life became a vicious villain who liked to forge swords with the bones of gods, demons, and monsters.
Of course, none of this mattered to him. All he needed to know was that these seven killing swords were inherited from ancient times. These seven swords had been broken and damaged during the human race's war of expansion, so they were kept here by the sages as an opportunity left for future generations.
The young man left the awning boat and landed on White Bone Island. He casually took off the gray robe he used to conceal his presence, revealing a simpler, more rustic cloth robe and straw sandals.
This is an ascetic!
Although his clothes were simple, he was tall and slender, with a handsome face, slanted eyebrows, bright eyes, black hair, and sideburns that looked as if they had been cut by a knife. He had the air of a great Taoist master.
"Father, I will make up for your regrets!"
The young man strode forward, his eyes full of confidence. He was certain that he could do what his father couldn't, because his talent surpassed his father's.
He possessed the Heavenly Heart Sword Body. At the time of his birth, at the Sword Tomb of the Mountain Gate, ten thousand swords clashed and sword energy filled the sky. Moreover, spiritual swords vied to embrace him and recognize him as their master!
One after another, wisps of refined and profound sword energy emerged as he moved forward. He did not try to comprehend the sword scriptures inscribed on the seven killing swords; instead, he attempted to use his unique physique to communicate with the killing swords nurtured on the seven mountains of white bones.
No sword can refuse me!
His birth experience instilled in the young man such confidence that the spiritual swords that ordinary sword cultivators could not obtain would readily offer themselves to him without him having to do anything.
"Hmm! Very good!"
On the mountain of bones, a chilling aura flowed, and all was silent. The seven bone palaces standing atop the mountain remained motionless, clearly indicating that their presence had not attracted the attention of the seven killing swords.
This made the young man even more satisfied, and his expression became much more serious. It was indeed a sword that left his grandfather and father with regrets and obsessions. Only a sword like this could bring the thrill of conquest.
He ascended the first Bone Peak and saw the killing sword nurtured in the Bone Palace. It was a slightly crystalline bone sword, with the blade alone measuring three feet long. On the blade's edge were engraved terrifying scenes of slaying demons and killing gods. With just a few strokes, it exuded a tragic and fierce aura, and a terrifying pressure permeated the air.
"The bones of a glutton!"
The young man who came into contact with the killing sword had his eyes light up. He recognized the material used in the sword; his master had a domino made from an ancient ferocious beast.
"good!"
The young man traveled through the seven bone halls that housed the killing swords, and he was fairly certain that the seven killing swords were well-preserved, but their spirituality was still dormant and had not been attracted by the sword intent he had just displayed.
"The Seven Killing Swords of Profound Yin are rightfully mine!"
The young man began to study the sword manual. Although his father taught him what he had learned, there was an insurmountable gap in their aptitudes, and their understanding was not necessarily the same.
The young man with the Heavenly Heart Sword Body comprehended the sword for less than a day, and a wisp of sword intent filled with killing and destruction emerged. His aura also became much more fierce, like a vicious sword ready to be unleashed.
Clang~
The young man suddenly opened his eyes and looked at the bone sword ringing on the stone platform in front of him. The surprise in his eyes flashed for a moment, and then he returned to calm.
It was faster than he expected, but that was normal. After all, he had already cultivated a sword intent that resonated with it. The fact that the Profound Yin Seven Killings Sword had managed to hold out until now and finally respond to him was already quite remarkable.
The youth stopped trying to comprehend it, and instead stood up, waiting for the sword's spirit to revive and for it to recognize him as its master.
Under his gaze, besides the killing sword in front of him gradually revealing its terrifying and oppressive sword intent, outside the White Bone Hall, there were six other sword energies that were different but essentially of the same origin soaring into the sky.
Chant~
Seven sword cries, almost simultaneously and violently like the roar of a monstrous dragon, rang out at the same time. The raging sword energy tore everything apart, and all seven white bone palaces collapsed and scattered in all directions.
"What happened?"
In the sudden turn of events, the young man who was thrown into the air shook off the broken bones on his body and stared in astonishment at the seven receding sword lights, unable to recover for a moment.
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