72: Chapter 72 Ancient Sword Tomb

The wild wind swirled the yellow sand, hitting the withered Populus euphratica trunks with a rustling friction.

Su Qianxue stopped. Ahead was a bottomless canyon spanning the end of the red land. There was no wind in the valley, only crisscrossing grayish-white air currents. Those were masterless Sword Qi that had settled for tens of thousands of years.

"Girl, suspend the shennong seal above your head. The Sword Qi here doesn't recognize people; if you're touched by even a bit, a piece of your Primordial Spirit will be sliced off." Danqingzi's phantom floated in mid-air, pointing at the canyon entrance.

Su Qianxue manifested the shennong seal as instructed. A green wood halo descended, protecting her entire body within it. She stepped into the canyon.

After walking just a hundred zhang, the grayish-white air currents ahead were forcibly crushed by an external force.

Three blue-robed Cultivators carrying sword boxes blocked the way. A small silver sword was embroidered on their cuffs.

Wan Jian Holy Land.

The leading youth unsheathed the longsword from his back, pointing the tip diagonally at the ground. "This place has been taken over by the Wan Jian Holy Land. Idle people, retreat."

Su Qianxue looked toward the depths of the canyon behind the youth. The Jade Slip left by her father indicated that the distress signal was in that direction.

"I am here to find someone." She gripped the Taiyi Divine Needle tightly.

The youth sneered. "Finding someone? There are only dead people in the Sword Burial Abyss. Seeing that the grade of the Magic Treasure on you is not low, leave the Magic Treasure and get out of the West Barren."

Before his voice could fade, the two companions behind him unsheathed their swords at the same time. Three sharp sword lights blocked all of Su Qianxue's paths of retreat. Their Soul Transformation Early Stage cultivation was fully revealed.

Su Qianxue did not retreat. The Taiyi Divine Needle transformed into golden light filling the sky, meeting the sword lights.

The sounds of clashing metal rang out in quick succession.

The green light descending from the shennong seal shook violently. Su Qianxue let out a muffled groan and slid back more than ten zhang. Facing three opponents alone, and since they were Sword Cultivators specialized in slaughter, she could not gain any advantage.

"The Cultivation Technique of Baicao Valley." The leading youth recognized the Origin of the Taiyi Divine Needle. "An alchemist dares to run wild in the Sword Burial Abyss. Form the array, take her alive."

The three of them stepped in the Gang Pattern, their Sword Qi connecting into a single piece, transforming into a seamless sword net that covered her from above.

Su Qianxue was just about to activate a secret technique.

A crisp sound of a zither drifted down from high above.

Zheng.

Just a single note.

The descending sword net shattered inch by inch, turning into flying ash. The three Wan Jian Holy Land Disciples spat out blood simultaneously, retreated dozens of steps, and slumped to the ground. The sword boxes on their backs wailed as their natal Flying Swords inside were snapped by this zither sound.

Above the canyon, a man and a woman walked down slowly.

The man fanned a folding fan, his white clothes whiter than snow. The woman held an ancient zither emitting extreme cold Qi, her face covered in frost.

"Pavilion Master Gu?" Su Qianxue put away the Taiyi Divine Needle upon seeing who it was.

Gu Sheng closed the folding fan and tapped it against his palm. "Valley Master Su, your efficiency in finding people is truly worrying. If I had arrived half a step later, Baicao Valley would have to change to a new Valley Master again."

[System Alert: Host has successfully intervened in the Destined Daughter's crisis, changing the plot's direction. destiny points plus five thousand.]

"Mosquito legs are still meat," Gu Sheng complained in his heart.

He walked up to those three Wan Jian Holy Land Disciples.

The leading youth clutched his chest, staring fixedly at the zither in Luo Qingxue's hands. "Extreme cold zither notes... You are Luo Qingxue!"

"Good eyes." Gu Sheng used his folding fan to lift the youth's chin. "Why isn't the Wan Jian Holy Land staying in Zhongzhou, but running to the West Barren's Sword Burial Abyss instead? Don't tell me you're here to enjoy the scenery."

The youth gritted his teeth and did not answer.

Gu Sheng turned to look at Luo Qingxue. "Cripple their cultivation and throw them into the Sword Qi storm."

Luo Qingxue placed her fingers on the zither strings.

"Wait!" The youth's face was deathly pale. "We are following the Sword Lord's orders to find the Ancient Sword Tomb in the Sword Burial Abyss. The Buddha Sect is holding the Ten Thousand Buddha Dharma Assembly, and all the powers of the West Barren are in Brahma City, so the defense here is the weakest."

"Ancient Sword Tomb."

The youth lowered his head, not daring to respond.

"Interesting." Gu Sheng laughed. "The immortal Legacies of Zhongzhou each have many schemes. Taichu Holy Land went to test the Great Xia, while your Wan Jian Holy Land ran to the West Barren to raid their home. The great era hasn't fully opened yet, but you've already filled all the holes."

He turned to look at Su Qianxue. "Where is the distress signal from your father?"

Su Qianxue took out the Jade Slip and pointed at the deepest part of the canyon. "The place where the Sword Qi is most dense. The Jade Slip shows that there is a broken ancient Formation there."

"It matches." Gu Sheng unfolded his fan. "Ancient Formation, Ancient Sword Tomb. Your father is likely trapped inside after accidentally entering the Sword Tomb. What the Wan Jian Holy Land is looking for is also that place."

Danqingzi's phantom floated out and bowed to Gu Sheng with hands cupped. "Pavilion Master Gu, the Sword Tomb is dangerous, and this girl's cultivation is too shallow. This old man has an ungenerous request..."

"None of that." Gu Sheng interrupted him. "I don't run a charity. I can save him, but the price will be calculated accordingly. The high-level Medicinal Pills of Baicao Valley for the next ten years will be entirely handled by the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion, settled at fifty percent of the market price."

Su Qianxue did not hesitate. "Deal."

Gu Sheng nodded with satisfaction. He turned to look at the three Wan Jian Holy Land Disciples on the ground.

"You three, lead the way in front."

The youth was struck with horror. "Your Excellency, there is an Arhat Array set up by the Buddha Sect on the periphery of the Sword Tomb; we cannot break through it..."

"That is your problem." Gu Sheng's tone turned cold. "Lead the way, or die now. Choose for yourselves."

The three had no choice but to struggle to get up and scout the way ahead.

An entire party walked toward the depths of the canyon.

The further they went, the more concentrated the grayish-white Sword Qi became. Even the green light of the shennong seal was compressed to a thin layer.

Luo Qingxue plucked the zither strings, and the extreme cold Qi froze the approaching Sword Qi into ice shards that fell one after another.

After walking for about half an hour, the path ahead suddenly opened up.

A massive basin appeared before everyone's eyes. In the center of the basin, countless broken Flying Swords were stabbed into the ground. The sword bodies were rusty, yet they emitted a heart-palpitating sharpness.

On the edge of the basin stood eighteen golden-bodied Arhat statues, each about a zhang tall. Buddhist golden light flowed over the surfaces of the statues, sealing off the entire basin.

This was the Arhat Array set up by the Buddha Sect.

The three Wan Jian Holy Land Disciples stopped. "The Arhat Array is just ahead. We tried to force our way through, but were nearly converted by the golden light."

Gu Sheng looked at those eighteen Golden Arhats.

He retrieved System data in his mind.

[The Eighteen Arhat Array, a simplified version of the Buddha Sect's mountain-protecting Formation. The array eye is on the Tiger-Subduing Arhat statue in the due east direction. Forcibly breaking the Formation will attract the Guardian Vajra of the Great Leiyin Temple.]

"Forcibly breaking the Formation is not advisable." Gu Sheng closed his folding fan. "Since the Buddha Sect has sent out invitations to heroes, we must send a big gift."

He looked at Luo Qingxue. "Suppress your extreme cold Origin to the minimum. Use pure sound waves to vibrate the string of prayer beads in the Tiger-Subduing Arhat's hand. Don't shatter them; just disrupt the rotation frequency of the beads."

Luo Qingxue did as she was told.

The zither sound turned into a thin thread, silently entering the Arhat Array and accurately hitting the prayer beads in the Tiger-Subduing Arhat's hand.

A slight stagnation appeared in the rotation frequency of the prayer beads.

The originally flawless golden light barrier rippled like water.

"Go in." Gu Sheng raised his foot and kicked the three Wan Jian Holy Land Disciples into the array.

The three let out a scream as they tumbled into the basin.

The Arhat Array was fully activated. The eighteen Golden Arhats opened their eyes simultaneously, and the sound of chanting echoed through the canyon. Countless golden Swastika marks descended from the sky, smashing toward the three.

To save their lives, the three could only resist desperately, erupting with all their Sword Qi.

Sword Qi and Buddha light collided fiercely.

The entire Sword Burial Abyss was shaking.

"Let's go." Gu Sheng grabbed Su Qianxue's shoulder, and his figure flashed. Taking advantage of the moment the Formation was being occupied, he directly penetrated the light barrier and entered the interior of the basin.