Chapter 449: Yan-Chu Immortal Dynasty, Sword Abyss

Li Hao was unwilling, and Yuexi couldn't force him. She only felt that Li Hao was prevaricating and looked down on her. She secretly steeled her resolve, thinking that there would naturally be opportunities to compete with Li Hao again when they arrived at the Great Dream Nine Abyss.

The Great Dream Nine Abyss was not far from Ask-Heart Pagoda City, a round trip of only three days.

On the way, Li Hao and Yuexi also learned the nickname of the wine-nosed old man. He was Elder Sword Abyss from the Great Dream Nine Abyss, Li Tiemu.

Li Tiemu inquired about the origins of Li Hao, Lin Yufeng, and Yuexi on the road. He already knew something about Yuexi, but he couldn't discern the background of Li Hao and Lin Yufeng, who were clearly companions.

Yuexi only said that she was temporarily residing in nearby Nanyang City and belonged to the Affliction Clan.

Many forces in the True World held this clan at arm's length, unwilling to be tainted by misfortune.

Li Hao said that he came from a distant land, was a newcomer, and was not familiar with this place.

Seeing that Li Hao was unwilling to reveal details, Li Tiemu didn't press him. He simply said:

"Once you enter my Great Dream Nine Abyss, you are disciples of the Great Dream Nine Abyss. No matter where you come from, in the future, the Great Dream Nine Abyss will be your refuge. Likewise, you must not harm each other within the sect. This point will be established in your Dao Heart when you return to the sect to formally become disciples."

Li Hao and Yuexi both agreed.

Li Hao asked him about the situation in the True World, as they currently knew nothing about it, including the forces and cities of the True World.

Seeing that Li Hao was seriously playing the role, Li Tiemu also chatted with him, treating Li Hao as an outsider and explaining in detail:

"I'll assume you are from the West Region. You should know about the four regions of the True World, right? The East Region is governed by the Ancestor Dragon Royal Court, the South Region is governed by the Heavenly Palace Supreme, the North Region is the territory of the Demon Emperor Palace, a place where demons and monsters gather, and all races coexist. The West Region is the Red Burning Royal Domain, a place where many forces are mixed, with immortals, demons, monsters, gods, ghosts, and spirits standing side by side."

"In the South Region, the territory is as vast as the West Region. It is said to stretch for billions of miles. Even for an Immortal King to traverse, it would take a year to reach the border."

"This place is the borderland of the South Region, close to the ancient battlefield 'Emperor's Abyss'. Do you know Emperor's Abyss?"

Li Tiemu suddenly asked.

Li Hao's heart stirred. They did come from an ancient battlefield, but whether it was the Emperor's Abyss that the other party was talking about was unknown.

Before he could answer, Yuexi calmly said: "I know. That's the place where Great Emperors fell ten thousand years ago. I heard that the Heavenly Palace recently cleared and opened it up. I went there to explore once. Bones piled up like forests, ancient demon corpses littered the ground, true treasures crumbled into mud, countless discarded immortal weapons and domain artifacts, and even broken and dimmed Immortal Forbidden Emperor Artifacts..."

Hearing her words, Li Hao and Lin Yufeng immediately knew that it was very likely the ancient battlefield they had come from.

The casual and slightly lewd smile that was always on Li Tiemu's face disappeared at this moment, replaced by a rare silence. He waited for Yuexi to finish before sighing and saying:

"That's right, that battle was extremely tragic, severely weakening the vitality of the True World. In the past, nine Immortal Emperors ruled the four regions and the Original True World, but more than half of them fell in that battle!"

"Even today, there is still no Emperor in the North Region. Many Quasi-Emperors are vying for it, and the current North Region is also the most chaotic place. In addition to the rampant ancient demons, various forces are also vying for the supreme throne, wanting to unify the North Region..."

As he spoke, he seemed to feel that he was talking too far afield, shook his head slightly, and said to Li Hao:

"Where were we? Emperor's Abyss, right? The current territory of the South Region is much smaller than it used to be. In the border areas, humans are rare. This Ask-Heart Pagoda City is already considered a relatively remote area. Towards the center are gathered Heavenly Sects and established Immortal Dynasties."

Li Hao asked, "What forces are stronger than Heaven One Sect?"

"Ancient Immortal Dynasties!"

Li Tiemu said, "Our Great Dream Nine Abyss is within the Yan-Chu Immortal Dynasty, one of the seven ancient Immortal Dynasties in the South Region. So is the Ten Thousand Mountain Sword Pavilion. To be precise, the region we are currently in is within the territory of the Yan-Chu Immortal Dynasty."

"What about the Heavenly Palace?"

"The Heavenly Palace is governed by the Immortal Emperor Supreme, standing above the ancient Immortal Dynasties. The Immortal Emperor rules a region, and all Immortal Dynasties bow their heads."

Li Tiemu said.

His expression was slightly solemn, and there seemed to be a hint of deep meaning in his eyes.

With Li Tiemu's introduction, a rough map of the True World immediately emerged in Li Hao's mind.

In three days, they teleported out of Ask-Heart Pagoda City and transferred through several cities in succession. Some of these cities were extremely ancient and dilapidated, and there were still incomplete grand formations outside. According to Li Tiemu, these were once major cities that rushed to the front lines of the battlefield, but now they were abandoned here.

"We've arrived."

Li Tiemu said.

They teleported out of an immortal city and came to a void. There were flowing, colorful avenues of immortal energy here. Stepping on them seemed to propel the body forward without consuming immortal energy.

Ahead was a continent as large as a tortoise, suspended in the void, rising and falling.

The continent was shrouded in immortal formations, isolating meteorites from the outside.

The flowing, colorful avenue led to the continent. As they approached, Li Hao felt the continent's immortal formation exuding steaming heat, as if it could directly vaporize him.

Li Tiemu raised his hand and waved a stream of immortal energy, and a passage suddenly opened on it. The verdant green and rivers and mountains within the continent immediately unfolded like a scroll painting.

"This is where my Great Dream Nine Abyss is located."

Li Tiemu said.

A look of shock appeared in Li Hao's eyes. This was the Heavenly Sect force of the True World? The entire world was actually just a sect?

Moreover, the area of this continent seemed to be even broader than the small worlds of the Heavens.

"My Great Dream Nine Abyss has nine branches, which is also the origin of Nine Abyss. The founding ancestor was once closely related to an Emperor Lord and was taught nine unique techniques by the Emperor Lord, establishing this Great Dream Nine Abyss Sect."

Li Tiemu said, "You two are sword cultivators, you can join Sword Abyss. I happen to be from Sword Abyss as well. As for you..."

He looked at Lin Yufeng and said, "You said you are good at using spears. Coincidentally, our Great Dream Nine Abyss also has Spear Abyss, which is also the branch with the most disciples among the Nine Abyss."

Hearing this, Lin Yufeng glanced at Li Hao.

Li Hao patted him on the shoulder, "I'll send you off on the wind, soar on your own."

Lin Yufeng understood Li Hao's meaning and nodded forcefully.

"I'll take you to Spear Abyss first and say hello to Old Tao over there. You can become a disciple under his tutelage."

Li Tiemu said.

Then he led Li Hao and others towards the east side of the continent.

Countless mountains and rivers, verdant plains, and forests flew by beneath their feet. In a swift and lightning-like shift in scenery, before long, they saw a towering and steep mountain piercing the sky, standing on the earth with its peak reaching straight into the clouds. Countless pavilions were built against the mountain, the environment as beautiful as a fairyland.

Li Hao's eyesight was astonishing, and he could see many people practicing martial arts in the training grounds in the mountain, wielding spears and competing, unleashing bursts of divine light and immortal power.

As they arrived, a figure flew out of the mountain.

When Li Tiemu saw him, his face bloomed like a flower with a bright smile, "Old Tao, over here, I've brought you a genius!"

"Hmph, a genius? Would you be so kind to send one to my place? You're probably just trying to persuade him to switch to sword cultivation, and it didn't work out."

The other party obviously knew Li Tiemu's nature well and snorted coldly without any politeness.

Li Tiemu smiled shamelessly, "You're hurting my feelings by saying that."

"Do we have feelings?"

The other party retorted.

Li Hao saw that this Old Tao was wearing a peach-red robe with peach blossoms on it, looking a bit flushed. His sleeves were extremely wide, swinging back and forth.

"Five jins, one price."

Tao Chunfeng said with a cold face.

Li Tiemu obviously understood the meaning of these words and was somewhat helpless. "Three jins? This is very difficult to brew, one jin takes ten thousand years."

As soon as Tao Chunfeng heard this, he turned around and left without looking back.

"Hey, hey, alright, alright, five jins it is, you old ghost."

Li Tiemu hurriedly waved, a little helpless, and at the same time glanced at Li Hao, as if to say, look, for you, I spent five jins of good wine!

Li Hao was speechless. Lin Yufeng was not just anyone. Although not a top-tier prodigy, his talent for cultivation was definitely above average. Moreover, with the supreme immortal techniques he taught him, he would definitely make a name for himself.

Lin Yufeng also realized what the two were bargaining about, and a layer of frost veiled his face, but he didn't react. He knew that a man's words were often backed by actions.

"Which one is it?"

Seeing that Li Tiemu agreed, Tao Chunfeng stopped and swept his gaze over Li Hao and the other two.

"Him."

Li Tiemu pointed to Lin Yufeng.

Tao Chunfeng glanced at him, then casually waved his sleeve and said, "Follow me."

Li Tiemu nudged Lin Yufeng with his mouth. Lin Yufeng cupped his fist at Li Hao and said, "I'll go first."

"Mm."

Li Hao nodded and watched him leave with the other party, heading towards the towering mountain. Li Tiemu called out, "Don't watch, let's go too."

Saying that, he hurriedly led Li Hao and Yuexi away, turning north. Here, there was also a towering mountain, its peak out of sight, but one side of the mountain was a vertical cliff, as if it had been cut flat.

"This is Sword Abyss."

A smile appeared on Li Tiemu's face. Back at the sect, these two disciples were secured.

He was in a very good mood and casually introduced, "This is the mark left by the former Chief Sword Immortal of Sword Abyss when he comprehended the Emperor Sword Style three thousand years ago. It was later used by Sword Abyss disciples to inscribe their names. Emperor Sword intent remains on it. The closer you are to the center, the stronger the sword intent. Therefore, most Sword Abyss disciples consider it an honor to inscribe their names in the center of this Emperor Sword Cliff."

Speaking of this, he smiled and looked at the two of them, "When you formally join the sect, you can also try it if you are interested."

Hearing this, Li Hao just glanced at it and showed no interest.

Leaving names was something monkeys liked to do.

Yuexi's beautiful and radiant face seemed to glow with a layer of light. Her eyes gazed deeply at the Emperor Sword Cliff, and she softly asked:

"What realm is that Chief Sword Immortal in now? Can I become a disciple under his tutelage?"

Li Tiemu shook his head, "He is no longer here."

"No longer here?"

Yuexi turned her head to look at him.

A trace of sadness flashed across Li Tiemu's eyes. "After comprehending the Emperor Sword Style, the Southern Region battlefield was in turmoil at that time. He was ordered by the Immortal Dynasty to go to the Southern Region to suppress it. He consecutively beheaded nine King-level Ancient Demons, but in the end, he regrettably fell. Only a hand holding a sword was brought back..."

Speaking of this, in addition to sadness, there was also some killing intent in his eyes.

Li Hao and Yuexi exchanged a glance. Although Elder Li didn't elaborate, waves of shock rippled in their hearts.

Such a figure must have been exceptionally brilliant, yet he fell on the battlefield, even without a complete body?

If the Emperor's fall ten thousand years ago was extremely distant to them, then the towering and straight Emperor Sword Cliff before them was very close...

"Ancient Demons, the only goal of our Affliction Clan's cultivation is to eradicate all Ancient Demons in the world!"

Yuexi slightly clenched her fingers, and a cold light flickered in her eyes.

Li Tiemu nodded. Ancient Demons were the common enemy of the True World. Sects fought with each other for resources, but they were united in their hatred towards Ancient Demons.

"Let's go."

Li Tiemu led the two up the mountain.

The sword path on the mountain was like a dragon's spine, layered and winding, snowy white.

"It seems that there are fewer disciples in Sword Abyss than in Spear Abyss?"

On the way up the mountain, Li Hao noticed that there were fewer auras on the mountain, far less than what he had seen in Spear Abyss earlier.

Li Tiemu nodded slightly and said, "Sword Abyss has been in decline in recent years. The Ten Thousand Mountain Sword Pavilion has gathered many sword dao geniuses, while my Great Dream Nine Abyss is..."

He shook his head and continued to lead the way ahead with his hands behind his back.

On this day, Elder Li of Sword Abyss returned, bringing back two fresh and tender new disciples, a boy and a girl.

When they reached the top of the mountain, Li Hao and Yuexi saw many Sword Abyss disciples practicing swords, sparring, meditating, and comprehending sword dao here.

Sword lights fluctuated in the void. Some were practicing sword control, wielding ten thousand swords.

Some were practicing sword formations, with swords arranged in dragon formations, filled with roars.

Li Tiemu's arrival attracted the attention of some people. Some hurriedly sheathed their swords and greeted their master.

"Another junior brother and junior sister have come?"

"Looking at these two, they seem to have extraordinary bearing."

Although they couldn't see through Li Hao and Yuexi's cultivation, many people noticed their bearing and demeanor, which were quite striking in the crowd.

"Our Sword Abyss has four courtyards, namely Heaven, Earth, Profound, and Yellow. Those who initially join the sect, unless they directly become disciples of a certain elder, are normally recruited disciples who must first pass the entrance test and be assigned to the Yellow Courtyard. Then, through cultivation and performance, they will gradually advance!"

Li Tiemu transmitted his voice to Li Hao and Yuexi as he walked, "The cultivation resources available to each courtyard are also different. The Heaven Courtyard is naturally the best. You are very lucky. I am one of the three elders of Sword Abyss. By becoming my disciples, you can directly enter the Heaven Courtyard for cultivation!"

Hearing this, neither Li Hao nor Yuexi's expressions changed much.

Li Hao didn't care, while Yuexi felt that it was only natural.

If she were placed in the Yellow Courtyard or Earth Courtyard, she would immediately draw her sword and fight her way into the Heaven Courtyard, competing with those Heaven Courtyard disciples to see exactly where she was lacking!

Seeing that the two of them didn't look surprised at all, Li Tiemu couldn't help but feel a little helpless. This was the downside of taking in geniuses: the emotional value they provided was too low. Even when bestowed with rewards and titles, they were indifferent. He couldn't tell if they were genuinely sophisticated or just pretending.

"Are you two willing to become my disciples?"

He inquired.

Li Hao nodded.

Yuexi also nodded, but both of their expressions were casual.

Li Tiemu felt that being a master didn't seem to bring him much sense of accomplishment. He smiled wryly in his heart, but when he thought about the fact that these two were an eight-resonance and a nine-resonance, both geniuses, he decided to let it go.

After passing through the square in front, Li Tiemu led the two of them to the Sword Immortal Pavilion at the top of the mountain.

He sent out a message, summoning all the disciples under his tutelage.

"Don't look at me being all smiles. I am strict in accepting disciples. I only have five disciples under my tutelage, making it seven with you two!"

Li Tiemu's expression turned solemn as he said to the two of them, "Once you become my disciples, the future cultivation trials will be extremely strict. If you are lazy or try to be slick, I will never let you off lightly!"

Li Hao asked, "Apart from the trials, will you leave me alone normally?"

Li Tiemu glanced at him and said, "As long as you meet the requirements, I can leave you alone."

Li Hao nodded and felt relieved, "That's good."

At this moment, three figures flew over in rustling sounds and landed in front of the Sword Immortal Pavilion.

"Master."

The three greeted Li Tiemu and bowed, then began to size up Li Hao and Yuexi.

"Junior brother and junior sister we just took in? Did we actually receive two at once this time?"

The three were somewhat surprised. They knew that although their master, Elder Li, was usually improper, they also knew that their master had another resounding name in the Yan-Chu Immortal Dynasty: Iron Sword Immortal!

"Where is your senior brother?"

Li Tiemu asked.

"Senior brother has gone out to slay Ancient Demons."

"Fifth junior sister has gone to the Immortal Dynasty to lecture on swordsmanship and has not yet returned."

A young man with bright eyes responded with a smile.

Li Tiemu nodded and said, "These are the new disciples I just accepted, and also your junior brothers and junior sisters. You must take care of them. You guys, offer tea first."

As he spoke, he raised his hand and summoned a grand master chair, sat down on it, his expression solemn.

Yuexi did not hesitate. She picked up the tea handed over by the young man next to her, then knelt and offered tea.

Li Hao also picked up the tea and was about to offer tea when suddenly a buzzing sound came from the Sword Immortal Pavilion behind Li Tiemu, and the ground vibrated slightly.

Li Tiemu, who had just taken a sip of Yuexi's tea, was startled by the tremor. The previous solemnity instantly vanished. He jumped up and looked at the Sword Immortal Pavilion in astonishment.

"Good, it seems, it seems to be..."

The three beside him seemed to understand what had happened, revealing shocked expressions and looking at each other.

Li Tiemu was equally shocked. The broken iron sword inside the Sword Pavilion was actually vibrating. What was going on?

As he got up, the vibration quickly disappeared, and everything seemed like an illusion.

Li Tiemu's expression flickered uncertainly. At this moment, several figures suddenly appeared above the Sword Immortal Pavilion as if teleporting, their figures shrouded in clouds and mist, making them unclear.

Li Tiemu also ignored Li Hao's tea offering and flew forward. They were shrouded in a barrier, and he spoke in a low voice.

After a moment, the barrier dissipated, and those figures also disappeared. One of them glanced at Li Hao and Yuexi and also turned to leave.

Li Tiemu returned to the front of the Sword Immortal Pavilion, smiled wryly, and said, "I don't know what kind of trouble has occurred, I'll go take a look later."

He looked at the tea in Li Hao's hand again, realizing it had already cooled down. He waved his hand and said, "Forget it. From today onwards, you two are my disciples, Li Tiemu's disciples. You are number six, and you are number seven!"

He assigned rankings to Li Hao and Yuexi respectively.

Yuexi offered tea first, ranking ahead of Li Hao.

Li Hao smiled wryly upon hearing this. He suddenly thought, could this girl have been so eager to offer tea just to get one rank higher than him in seniority?

When he saw the slightly proud curve of her jade-like neck, he seemed certain of the answer.

"You really are number six (a cunning person)!"

Li Hao said to Yuexi.

Yuexi frowned slightly. Although there was nothing wrong with these words, she inexplicably felt that they were not good words.

"Now, I will first teach you one of the core sword techniques of the Great Dream Nine Abyss Sword Sect, the Great Dream Nine Abyss, Immortal Sword, first style, Immortal Guides the Way!"

Li Tiemu raised his hand, and a seemingly ordinary wooden sword suddenly appeared in his palm. His expression returned to a relaxed look, and he said, "Master it within half a month. This is the minimum requirement for you."

Hearing this, the three beside them showed strange expressions. They hadn't been told this back then, but they were used to it. Their master's requirements were different for each disciple, and it seemed to be based on aptitude. This also indicated that these two new junior brothers and junior sisters seemed to have formidable aptitudes...

They had taken months, or even half a year, back then.

Yuexi's eyes lit up when she heard this, revealing a hint of challenging fighting spirit.

A strange look flashed in Li Hao's eyes, but he didn't show anything.

Li Tiemu raised his hand and demonstrated the sword intent. Li Hao felt as if the afterimages on the Sword Wall of Heavens had come back to life, dancing with the sword before his eyes.

Yuexi watched intently, while Li Hao's eyes carried a hint of reminiscence and emotion.

The three beside them were paying attention to the expressions of these two junior brothers and junior sisters. Seeing that Li Hao clearly didn't seem to be engrossed, they glanced at him a few more times.

Before long, Li Tiemu finished demonstrating and said to the two, "Have you both remembered it? Go back and comprehend it well."

Yuexi closed her eyes without answering, obviously already beginning to comprehend it.

Seeing this scene, Li Tiemu did not blame her, but instead revealed a hint of satisfaction on his face.

Li Hao laughed and agreed. Li Tiemu nodded when he saw this and said to Li Hao, "Although your talent is high, you must not be arrogant. You are a True Immortal, right? If you perform well, this time I will recommend you to represent our Sword Abyss in the upcoming war."

"War?"

Li Hao asked in confusion.

Li Tiemu smiled slightly, not elaborating.

The three beside him were surprised, but they immediately thought of Elder Li's nature, which was always about drawing grand blueprints, so it was not surprising.

"Alright, you guys get to know each other. If you don't understand anything, just ask them. If they dare to act up, you can come and find me."

Li Tiemu said, abandoning Li Hao and Yuexi, then flashed and left.

Yuexi slowly opened her eyes at this time, her eyes still carrying a hint of aftertaste and contemplation.

Seeing Elder Li leave, the three immediately stepped forward to greet Li Hao and Yuexi.

After a brief introduction, Li Hao also learned something about the three of them. The one who looked twenty-seven or eight was the second senior brother, named Lu Wuchen. He seemed to have a rather cold temperament. After simply greeting Li Hao and Yuexi, he followed Li Tiemu's disappearance and also teleported away.

Another voluptuous and beautiful woman with an elegant temperament, dressed in plain white with gauze sleeves like curtains, was the third senior sister, named Wei Hongye, who was quite easy-going.

The young man with bright eyes, Xu Jianming, who ranked fourth, was the most lively and talkative. He incessantly inquired about their situation with Li Hao and Yuexi, such as how they were taken in by Elder Li, their aptitudes, and Dao Hearts, and so on.

Yuexi's thoughts were interrupted by him, and her expression turned a little cold. She seemed to be deliberately revealing her identity.

Upon learning that she was from the Affliction Clan, Xu Jianming's voice immediately died down, and then he pitifully and softly inquired about Li Hao's family background.

Only when he learned that Li Hao was just from an ordinary human race did he breathe a sigh of relief.

Although Wei Hongye was surprised by Yuexi's identity, she did not show fear. Instead, she asked about her aptitude with a smile.

The Affliction Clan could still be accepted by Elder Li, there must be something extraordinary about her. They still understood their master's nature quite well.

Seeing that this third senior sister did not show fear or rejection in her eyes, Yuexi felt a little more goodwill in her heart, and the coldness on her face also turned into peace, revealing her Dao Heart.

"Eight resonances?"

Upon learning that Yuexi's Dao Heart was an eternal Dao Heart with eight resonances, Wei Hongye and Xu Jianming were both greatly surprised.

Yuexi saw their reactions, glanced at Li Hao next to her, and said, "Mine is nothing. He has one more resonance than me."

(End of Chapter)