Chapter 30: Space Within The Mountains

Xian Zhan stood sternly in front of the stone wall, holding his spiritual weapon. He swung it hard, and fragments of stone exploded from the wall, creating much dust and rubble around it. The eagerness to win beams out of his eyes, and at times, he activated his eternal sword body, and a unique energy resonated through him. Every stroke of his sword seemed to reverberate louder and clearer to him until it became some inner guiding towards a hidden truth.

This resonance was no small thing; it was related to the unique heritage of swordsmanship he carried inside, an ancient art that strengthened his connection to the art of the sword. This was body resonance, a space where his being nearly harmonized with the current of sword intent around him.

"It's here. it has to be here," Xian Zhan whispered to himself as his excitement climbed on. He felt it—there in the depth of this stone, a rich swordsmanship heritage awaited him. He had once bought a Saint Grade inheritance; however, that was not a pure technique of kendo. This site felt different, as if it throbbed with some kind of purity regarding the essence of swordsmanship. One almost could picture the master's blade carved into the veins of that mountain.

Xian Zhan was a man who could chop down cultivators from the Law Manifestation Realm with ease. He was aware that this would make him do something he never did before. So, hours of hacking away at the stone passed, his focus not wavering one jot. Finally, at what seemed like an eternity, there was the loud, earthshaking rumble as the final layer of rock gave way in the mountains. A brilliant ray of light shattered forth from the mountain depths, accompanied by a shrill, piercing sound-the unmistakable cry of a sword, echoing across the Feihua Mountains.

It was not a sound. The cry of the sword bore with it an indefinable aura, a Tao Yun—the rhythm of Dao itself—to put it into all those minds hearing it. A sensitive enough perception would regard that cry as a blade sharp and pointed at one's very soul, involuntarily making shiver course through their body.

Far, far away in Feihua City, the mistress of Blossom Beast hall suddenly stiffened. Quietly feeding fish in a serene lake, she had been stirred; her normally lugubrious eyes snapped to attention, sharp and focused now, as they gripped the afar-distant Feihua Mountains.

"That sound. Could it be? " she whispered, the voice faltering with her speech. "The inheritance of the Great Emperor? After so long, finally revealed?"

Her heart pounded. The shriek of the sword was unlike anything she had ever heard before - its strength, its lucidity, its sheer presence. It stirred something deep down in her, an ancient craving buried long years ago. The strongest legacy that the Great Emperor ever left behind is the sword formation, which nothing in the world can stop it from leveling mountains or severing the heavens. And the notion of such power being hers to wield made her heart pound with excitement.

At the same time, a young Xian Zhan, who was standing at the discovery site, felt that he had walked into another world. His surroundings shimmered and shifted, unveiling an immense ethereal space where the sun, the moon, and stars were all hanged in the sky, lighting up the realm with otherworldly light. It wasn't a simple inheritance ground; it was a pocket dimension of vast power.

The sword marks rent the air, cutting at the atmosphere itself and leaving trails of energy that crackled and surged. If not for his eternal sword body, Xian Zhan would have been torn to shreds by the sheer density of sword intent. Instead, however, the marks seemed to part before him, accepting him as one of their own. He took another step, and the energy around him rippled like water, avoiding him, but acknowledging his presence.

Nine giant swords stood upright in the middle of this uncanny new world. Each was as tall as a monument, with blades sticking out straight into the sky. Swords of such enormity did almost seem to be propping up this space, so they appeared to do. It had Xian Zhan's heart pounding in his chest as he gazed at the structures before him.

"Nine swords…" he said muttering in disbelief. "Is this the legendary Feihua Sword Dao legacy?"

Racing towards the swords, he moves not a hair, fluid and effortless, bounding into harm's way as the eternal sword body insures guidance. It would take the breath from anyone's chest just to see them-these aren't mere weapons, but actually artifacts of unimagined power, the handmade tools of some master in his heyday in swordsmanship.

As Xian Zhan began to look at the intimidative blades, another character came into view. She was a proprietor of Blossom Beast Hall, and with that, she wore an eye-catching red robe. Her features fell into the middle ground of charm and danger. She took a stride in to the end of the hall. Her heart skipped a beat as she saw the nine swords.

"This... This has to be it!" she whispered, a mixture of greed and hope dropping from her voice. "The formation of the Emperor's sword. After all these years. I've finally found it."

But as she tried to make one more step inside, a danger wave rolled toward her. The sword marks that had appeared only moments before now were all around her, filling the air like deadly rain. Each one pulsed with promise of death. Her eyes went wide in horror as she realized, even her cultivation-that was so formidable-was not enough to stand such pressure in this place.

"What? No. This is not possible!" she whispered, her foot already severed by one of the marks. Agonizing pain shot through her body, and for the first time in years, true fear filled her heart. She had been so close only to have it absolutely out of reach with this inheritance. The despair that followed was unbearable.

But she couldn't give up. Grinding her teeth, she forced herself to control her breathing. If she can't do it alone, then there is probably another way to it. Her eyes squinted as she focused on the profile of the person in the corner of the view-Xian Zhan.

"Who is he?" she pondered, watching the young man stroll through the slash-filled area so easily. "He must be the one chosen by the Great Emperor.".

A flicker of hope reignited in her. If she could not inherit it herself, perhaps she could take it from him who did. She would wait. She would bide her time until Xian Zhan appeared, and then, she would take whatever she had to by any means necessary.

At the bottom of one of the humongous swords was Xian Zhan, deep in the pocket dimension. As he looked closer, he saw carvings that seemed to be scriptures etched into the blade, imbued with sword intent—that is, advanced techniques far beyond even the advanced Saint Grade techniques he had gained.

"These. are sword scriptures," Xian Zhan thought as light dawns on his eyes. The texts were rich, intricate, but his new understanding was enough to make them seem slightly less intimidating. He read them easily now, even though he knows that without his eternal body, his sword form, such scriptures would have been impossible for him to understand.

"If I can honestly master these teachings, then I will surely be able to harness this spirit of the sword through these swords," Xian Zhan whispered, his exuberance almost unbearable to contain.

Folding his legs back into a cross-legged position, he leaned back on his heels as he sat before the mighty sword, shut his eyes, and focused on meditation upon the scriptures. His thoughts were pure and sharp as the needle. The legacy was his to assume, and nothing would hold him back.

But behind the scenes, the mistress of Blossom Beast Hall saw and waited, her eyes glinting with a combination of envy and lust.

Back at the Wang estate, the air was thick with tension. A massive wooden table splintered apart as the head of the Wang clan, Wang Yuan, slammed his fist down in anger.

"What do you mean the three Law Manifestation experts we sent haven't returned yet?" Wang Yuan snarled, his face like a thundercloud.

An old man stood up, with a scowl. "It's been days since we heard from them. They were supposed to care for the rest of the Xian Zhan's family, but since they entered the Feihua Mountains, nothing has been heard of them."

Wang Yuan furrowed his brow. "The Feihua Mountains? Such a remote location shouldn't be a problem for three Manifesting-Stage cultivators. What could possibly have gone wrong?

The elder shook his head, a deep sense of foreboding settling over him. "We fear the worst, clan leader. Whatever happened out there, it's possible they've met their end."

Wang Yuan's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Then find out what's going on in Feihua City. If Xian Zhan is involved, I want him dead before he becomes a greater threat."