Protect Our Clan Leader

Chapter 1497: Chapter 74 I’ve Been Hit by the Demon Lord, I’m Proud_3

However, the simpler it is, the less anyone dares to be careless or cheat. Perhaps the codex’s artifact spirit is watching in the shadows, not only testing their fundamental knowledge, but their character as well?

Therefore, the four examinees were particularly honest, earnestly completing the first test.

After the examination, there was no teacher to grade the papers; instead, the examinees had to put the test papers back into the Refining Artifact Creatures themselves. In just a short while, the scores of all four were revealed. Although there were differences in the scores, all of them passed the first test successfully.

The difficulty of the first test was not high because these were all ancient questions from seven or eight thousand years ago. As times are advancing, basic education is also continuously innovating, and the difficulty will only increase. Nowadays, as long as one is a long-term practitioner of the Sword Dao and Formation Dao, most should be able to pass.

After the first test ended, the Sword Intent cloaking the Sword Tomb weakened noticeably.

Ji Yanxiu then led the four up the stairs.

These stairs were composed of giant stones, with each step nearly a zhang tall, conveying a sense of vicissitude sculpted by the epochs.

If an ordinary person were here, they would likely find it difficult to climb, but those present were all Profound Martial cultivators; even the weakest among them, Jiqianqian, was already in the advanced stage of the Celestial being realm, so naturally, these stairs posed no problem to them.

In a flash, the group soared and landed at the top of the altar.

Amidst the countless crude ancient swords, a massive stele slowly rose.

That was a Sword Stele.

On the verdant, rectangular body of the stele, dense sword marks, either deep or shallow, covered its surface. The multitude of marks numbered at least a dozen, each one exuding an aura of Sword Intent.

The most eye-catching mark among them slanted across the surface of the stele, deep enough to measure nearly half a foot, nearly a zhang in length, just short of penetrating the whole stele.

Overwhelming Sword Intent radiated from it, vast and majestic, as if the Milky Way hung upside down or as the Hanhai surged, intimidating and bone-chillingly stern.

Even just standing in front of this Sword Stele, each of them felt their legs beginning to weaken, with an urge to bow down and worship.

For a moment, everyone except for Ji Yanxiu inhaled sharply in astonishment.

All those present were sword cultivators, and they were most familiar with Sword Steles.

Sword Steles themselves are not particularly rare. In essence, they are just a type of stele, but their material is very special; after processing, they can hold Sword Intent for a very long period. Elders typically use them to imprint their own Sword Intent for the younger generation to comprehend.

A Sword Stele can be as large as a mountain, or as small as the size of a palm, depending on its intended use.

But even though they had seen and even comprehended many Sword Steles, they had never witnessed such terrifying Sword Energy.

“Hiss! Such a terrifying Sword Intent… I feel like even our Purple Void Sacred Land’s stele doesn’t seem to be quite… this…” Jiqianqian murmured to herself, her eyes flickering with shock and doubt.

She unconsciously conceived a shocking guess in her mind, yet dared not believe it.

After a good while, the four of them finally shifted their attention away from the sword stele.

Next to the sword stele, an identical Spirit Wood Material sign was erected, detailing the rules of the sword stele trial. This challenge was still a self-guided trial.

“Anye, this sword stele is the ancestral legacy of our Sword Formation Dual Absolutes lineage. Initially, Ancestor Chen Jianming came across this stele from the Divine Martial Dynasty Era by chance and was fascinated by the sword marks. The ancestor originally specialized in formations, but from then on, he immersed himself in understanding the sword and, after many years, derived his own Sword Dao, combining formations and Sword Dao, thus founding our Sword Array lineage.”

“Since then, this stele has also been known as the ‘Sword Enlightenment Stele’.”

“Those who have left sword marks on the stele are all past successors or candidates of our Sword Array lineage. See that sword mark that’s five inches deep on it?” Ji Wuchen said with a heavy heart.

“Is that the mark left by you, Master?” Wang Anye’s eyes brightened as he spoke with admiration, “Truly worthy of being my Master, the sword mark you left has such a presence.”

“Uh… cough cough~ That was left by Ancestor Sword Chime.” Ji Wuchen coughed awkwardly, “If I had such Sword Dao capabilities, perhaps I wouldn’t have perished back then. Maybe I could have even escaped from that monstrous individual’s grasp.”

Whenever Ji Wuchen recalled that incident, he felt deep regret: “When I went to seek revenge against Chao Qiubo in the Demonic Dynasty, I was fully prepared. To seize an opportunity, I even went undercover in the Demonic Dynasty for a long time, leaving behind many contingencies. After killing him, I managed to evade the pursuit of two Void Realm bigshots from the Chao Clan using those contingencies. However, just when I was about to leave the Demonic Dynasty, I was intercepted by a junior from the Chao Clan whose cultivation base was close to mine.”

“That junior from the Chao Clan was exceptionally powerful. I was nearly powerless against him and, in the end, had to use a forbidden technique with severe consequences to barely make my escape. Still, I couldn’t survive the backlash that followed. Sigh~”

“Master.” Wang Anye rarely heard Ji Wuchen talk about that incident, and seeing him in low spirits, he couldn’t help but console, “That was seven or eight thousand years ago; that junior from the Chao Clan is probably long dead.”

“That’s true. I remember that junior was called ‘Chao Qiancuo’. He had the appearance of a decent person but was exceptionally irritating when he spoke. If it weren’t for the fact that I couldn’t beat him, I would’ve… Unfortunately, even a Void Realm powerhouse has a lifespan of merely four thousand years; how could he still be alive now?” Ji Wuchen spoke indignantly, “Hmph~ It’s also unfortunate that I accepted a disciple rather late, otherwise my Anye would surely be able to avenge me.”

“Wait? Chao Qiancuo?” A light flashed through Wang Anye’s mind, and he furrowed his brows, “When our spies from the Demonic Dynasty sent back their reports last time, I also browsed through them, and this name seems very familiar.”

“Impossible, if Chao Qiancuo were still alive, he should be eight or nine thousand years old by now. Who could live…” Ji Wuchen stopped halfway through his sentence, suddenly halting.

Because he had thought of a possibility.

“Uh… Master, I remember now too. The Demon Lord of the True Demon Hall of the Demonic Dynasty is actually called by this name.” Wang Anye’s expression was subtle, and for a moment, he didn’t know whether to be shocked or resigned, “I never thought that the person you encountered back then was actually the Demon Lord. This is really…”

The fact that his Master’s death could be connected to someone still alive today was something he had never imagined before.

“No wonder, no wonder… I felt at the time that he was excessively powerful. After all, upon inheriting the Sword Array Codex, I was considered to have the qualities of an Unparalleled Heavenly Child, so it made no sense that I was suppressed at the same level.” After a moment of stunned silence, Ji Wuchen was not only not angry but somewhat relieved, “All these years, I’ve felt quite aggrieved, thinking my death was somewhat unjust. But now, it seems that it was not in vain; at least I was killed by the Demon Lord.”

His tone actually carried a bit of pride, truly embodying the sentiment of “I’m proud to have been defeated by the Demon Lord.”

…

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