204: Chapter 204 Sword Abyss's Enlightenment Reaches Perfection; Before Reaching the Dao Integration Realm, His Heart Becomes Clear.

Ye Qing passed through the portal formed by gray light, and with a flash of light before his eyes, the surrounding scenery changed once again.

He realized he had already left that gray space of Sword Intent and was standing once again on the familiar black rock wall at the edge of the Sword Abyss.

Behind him, the bottomless Sword Abyss still lay there quietly, emitting an ancient and desolate aura, as if nothing had happened.

He lowered his head to look at his palm; his fingertips seemed to still retain the cold sensation from touching those broken swords.

The memories of countless Sword Dao Legacies flooding into his mind were etched into the depths of his Sea of Consciousness like a brand, incredibly vivid.

He let out a long, turbid breath; the Qi condensed into a straight white arrow in the air, only slowly dissipating after a long time.

"The harvest from this trip to the Sword Abyss far exceeds my expectations." He whispered to himself, his tone carrying a trace of emotion.

Although his cultivation still remained at Void Refining Perfection and had not directly reached a Breakthrough to the Dao Integration Realm as expected, he could clearly feel that he was only a thin barrier away from that Realm.

He could even vaguely touch the threshold of the Dao Integration Realm, sensing the more vast aura of the Laws of Heaven and Earth emanating from behind that door.

All that was missing was a bit of patience and refinement, or perhaps, the perfect opportunity.

He glanced back at the Sword Abyss one last time, then turned and flew back the way he came without lingering.

After flying for about an hour, he found a relatively secluded valley with fairly abundant Spiritual Qi and descended.

The valley was small, surrounded by steep cliffs on three sides, with only a narrow passage for entry and exit.

It was overgrown with waist-high, gray-brown wild grass that felt soft underfoot, and the air was filled with a faint, earthy scent.

He chose a relatively flat and dry patch of ground and sat cross-legged.

He did not immediately begin to Cultivate, but instead carefully sorted through everything he had gained from this trip to the Sword Abyss.

The Sword Dao Legacy contained within that Sword Mountain was as vast as the sea.

Although he had forcibly memorized most of it in a short time, many of its subtleties still required time to be savored, digested, and absorbed before they could truly be made his own.

He closed his eyes, immersed his mind into his Sea of Consciousness, and began to flip through the newly acquired Sword Dao Legacies page by page, as if reading a book.

He saw the fierce and domineering "Patrol Inspector Lietian Sword Art," where a single strike seemed capable of splitting the firmament; he saw the agile and treacherous "Shadow Kill Sword Technique," where the sword emerged silently, as impossible to defend against as a ghost; he saw the upright and peaceful "Haoran Righteous Qi Sword," which used its righteous momentum to crush all petty villains; he saw the unorthodox "Seven Absolutes Soul-Devouring Sword," which used one's own essence blood as a guide to harm others before harming oneself...

Each sword technique represented a unique Sword Dao philosophy, containing the lifelong efforts and insights of a Senior Sword Cultivator.

Like a hungry traveler, he greedily absorbed these nutrients, verifying, clashing, and merging them with his already formed Chaos Sword Dao.

He discovered that although these Sword Dao Legacies each had their own unique qualities, ultimately, they were all interpretations and applications of the Laws of Heaven and Earth.

His Chaos Dao, being all-encompassing, was perfectly suited to melt these seemingly contradictory Sword Dao philosophies into one, removing the dross and selecting the essence to form a more complete, more inclusive, and brand-new system.

He remained in this seated position for several days.

When he opened his eyes again, a trace of enlightenment seemed to dwell in their depths, as if he had pushed aside layers of mist to see a clearer path for his Sword Dao.

He stood up and stretched his slightly stiff body, his bones popping with a series of crisp cracks.

"The Sword Dao is myriad, yet all paths lead to the same destination. Dao Integration, Dao Integration—what one integrates is not only the Laws of Heaven and Earth, but also one's own Dao." He muttered to himself, as if speaking to himself, or perhaps to the world around him.

He looked up at the sky in the depths of the Secret Realm, still shrouded in gray mist, a glimmer of anticipation flashing in his eyes.

"There is still some time before the Secret Realm closes. This is the perfect opportunity to properly consolidate my gains and completely break through that final barrier."