53: Third Life: How Am I the Villain? (18)

Xu Yuan only felt his whole body wrapped in a cold and viscous force, with a blurry, deep blue before his eyes, and a slight sense of dizziness from the spatial transition.

But this feeling only lasted for a short moment; the next moment, his feet stepped onto solid ground.

The scene before him suddenly opened up.

The sky was a gray color, with no sun, moon, or stars, yet there was a faint light coming from unknown sources, preventing the view from being pitch black.

The surrounding air was filled with water spiritual Qi so dense it was almost tangible. Taking a deep breath, he felt refreshed, and his spiritual power circulation seemed to speed up slightly, far richer and purer than in the outside world.

Looking around, the ground beneath his feet was damp, dark brown soil. In the distance, mountains rolled, and the vegetation mostly presented a deep green, almost black hue, appearing ancient and strange.

Xu Yuan soared into mid-air, gathered spiritual power into his eyes, and gazed into the distance. He could vaguely see a vast, boundless black water area—this was the core of this Secret Realm: the Blackwater Abyss.

"Sure enough, as recorded in the ancient texts, the Blackwater Secret Realm is not just a water area, but a Small World with a complete land ecosystem. It is only because of the profound pool that nurtures the supreme treasure, the 'Black Water Spirit Lotus,' that it is called the Blackwater Secret Realm."

Xu Yuan understood in his heart, then flipped his wrist, and a palm-sized dark gold compass appeared in his palm.

The spatial force when entering the Secret Realm was a random teleportation. At this moment, Xu Yuan was alone, and the other Disciples of the Overlord Blade Sect had been scattered to different corners of the Secret Realm.

He was not surprised by this.

Every time the Secret Realm opened, it was like this. The major Sects had long since had countermeasures, just like the master-slave induction compass in Xu Yuan's hand.

Xu Yuan held the master compass, which could sense the position of other Overlord Blade Sect Disciples holding slave compasses, while other slave compasses could sense each other's positions, or point to the meeting point agreed upon by the Sect in advance.

Burial Mound of Soldiers!

The compass needle trembled slightly, pointing to the Southeast.

Xu Yuan identified the direction and took another look at the black water area in the distance that was emitting alluring spiritual fluctuations.

The Black Water Spirit Lotus had not yet matured. Rushing to the central area at this moment was not only meaningless but would also cause him to miss the Opportunity to search for other Opportunities in the Secret Realm.

According to the Sect's established plan and the guidance of the compass in his hand, Xu Yuan's figure moved like lightning, silently speeding towards the Burial Mound of Soldiers in the Southeast.

In the Secret Realm, danger lurked everywhere.

Not only were there threats from other Sects, but the Yao Beasts, poisonous miasma, and natural traps of the Secret Realm itself were equally fatal.

On the way to the Burial Mound of Soldiers, Xu Yuan's sharp Divine Sense was constantly alert to his surroundings.

Xu Yuan also encountered a few ferocious water beasts that lurked in the swamps and suddenly attacked, but their strength was at most equivalent to a Cultivator at the 9th Layer of Qi Refining. He didn't even need to draw his saber; he just pointed his fingers like a saber, and a few condensed flashes of Saber Qi killed them easily.

About an hour later, a desolate and murderous valley came into view.

Inside the valley, the scene was peculiar. The earth was a dark, reddish-brown color, as if it had been soaked in blood and then weathered by the years.

Broken armor, fractured weapons, and the white bones of huge beasts could be seen everywhere, half-buried under the soil and dark moss, revealing an ancient and dead atmosphere.

Even more striking was the invisible yet tangible sharp Evil Qi permeating the air!

It was a mixture of ferocious Qi and unwilling Battle Intent that had remained undissipated after countless years of countless broken weapons. It was cold and bone-piercing; ordinary Cultivators would even feel restless and have turbulent blood if they stayed here for too long.

This was the Burial Mound of Soldiers, suspected to be the ruins of an ancient battlefield.

However, this ferocious Evil Qi, which was torture for ordinary Cultivators, was a rare Treasure Land for Disciples of the Overlord Blade Sect who Cultivate the overbearing and fierce Saber Dao!

"What dense Soldier Evil Qi and Battle Intent!"

Xu Yuan took a deep breath. Not only did he not feel uncomfortable, but he felt his Innate Blade Heart palpitate slightly, and his Innate Blade Bone also sent a faint feeling of excitement, as if it had encountered some kind of great tonic.

Just as recorded in the Sect, the ferocious Evil Qi remaining in the Burial Mound of Soldiers had great benefits for honing Saber Intent and tempering the mind!

Cultivating here, if one could withstand the impact of the Evil Qi, one could make their own Saber Intent more condensed and pure, carrying a trace of the battlefield's weapon Evil Qi, increasing its power!

The needle of the induction compass in Xu Yuan's hand trembled more obviously here, indicating that several Overlord Blade Sect Disciples had arrived here before him.

His gaze swept across the valley, and he quickly found three Overlord Blade Sect Disciples behind a natural shelter formed by a huge broken shield.

They were sitting cross-legged, seemingly trying to operate their Cultivation Technique to absorb and refine the Evil Qi here, but their faces were a bit pale, clearly under considerable pressure.

Seeing Xu Yuan arrive, the three Disciples immediately stood up, their faces showing joy and respect: "Daozi Highness!"

Xu Yuan nodded slightly, scanned them, and said: "Although the Evil Qi here helps to hone Saber Intent, one must not be greedy or reckless. You must proceed step by step, using your own spiritual power to protect your heart meridians and guide the Evil Qi to temper your Saber Intent, rather than forcibly swallowing it."

He casually gave a few pointers, which were the key methods to deal with the Evil Qi here.

Hearing this, the three Disciples' eyes lit up, and they hurriedly sat down again to try. They indeed felt much more relaxed and were even more grateful and respectful to Xu Yuan.

Seeing that not everyone had arrived, Xu Yuan planned to explore the Burial Mound of Soldiers first, so he walked alone towards the depths of the valley.

The further he went into the depths of the valley, the more tragic and ancient the surrounding scenery appeared.

The color of the ground became darker and darker, almost pitch black, as if it had been soaked in countless blood and oxidized over the years. Broken armor and huge skeletons appeared more frequently. Some of the armor styles were very ancient, and the patterns engraved on them were already blurred, yet they still emitted faint, heart-palpitating fluctuations.

One could even see the wreckage of huge machines half-embedded in the mountain rocks, appearing to be parts of giant war weapons or some kind of war chariot, making one wonder about the scale of the war that broke out here in the past.

The ferocious Evil Qi in the air also became more intense and violent, with pressure like substance squeezing from all directions.

Even more terrifying was that the ferocious Evil Qi was mixed with all kinds of chaotic negative emotional fragments: unwillingness, anger, despair, fear, killing intent...

If an ordinary 9th Layer of Qi Refining Cultivator were here, their mind would have been shaken, their spiritual power would be chaotic, and they would have to retreat.

However, Xu Yuan walked as if on flat ground.

His whole body seemed to be shrouded in an invisible Domain. His "Innate Blade Heart" circulated spontaneously, rejecting all the violent Evil Qi and chaotic thoughts that invaded, and even vaguely absorbing and transforming them into nutrients to nourish his own Saber Intent.

His "Innate Blade Bone" also hummed slightly, producing a peculiar resonance with the weapon Evil Qi remaining in this ancient battlefield. Not only did he not feel uncomfortable, but he felt a sense of smoothness, like a fish in water.

Soon, he arrived at the limit area marked on the compass that previous Sect Seniors had explored.