Supreme Sword Exalt

The joint attack by Murong Yuan and the other three sent the Yang and Meng families reeling backward, coughing up large mouthfuls of blood.

Aside from the Murong family, who stayed put, the other four families each suffered casualties. The Yuqing Sect had always outmatched the others, and with the Qixia Court backing them, the Yang and Meng families paid the steepest price in blood.

Caught off guard, Yang Xiong was struck by a coordinated attack that sent him flying. Murong Hai appeared beside him the next moment.

Yang Xiong’s pupils contracted. “W-what are you trying to do?!”

Murong Hai was dead serious. “Old Ancestor ordered: no one is to escape.”

Yang Xiong lost it. “When did I ever say I was going to run?!”

Without giving him a chance to explain, Murong Hai’s aura surged as he launched a fierce assault. “It’s just my guts. I think you’re going to run, so you are!”

Yang Xiong could see that Murong Hai was just bored and itching for a fight. He was so angry that he nearly spat out a mouthful of blood. “You’re taking it too far!”

His eyes turned bloodshot, and he simply stopped caring about the battle, engaging Murong Hai in combat. “I’ll fight you to the death!”

Seizing the chance, Murong Hai roared, “Men, these two families want to escape! Brace yourself! Don’t let a single one get away!”

Upon hearing this, his clansmen’s spirits lifted. They were growing impatient after watching from the sidelines for quite a while. Now that they had orders, they wouldn’t hesitate in the slightest. They rubbed their hands eagerly as they charged at the two families.

The subordinates followed the lead of their superiors. Since Murong Yuan disliked these two families, they wouldn’t bear any goodwill toward them either. Each and every one of them went all out. The two families, who were already at the end of their rope, were instantly routed.

Watching his clansmen nearly halved in number, Meng Chuan’s heart bled. “Old Ancestor, what should we do—”

Before he could finish, several sharp attacks came at him, cutting off his next words.

Wu De couldn’t suppress his excitement. “Put in more effort! They’re almost at their limit! Kill them and we’ll have two fewer opponents. We can discuss the ownership of the cultivation technique afterward!”

Yang Tong’s heart was also bleeding. “What...”

Driven by his determination to obtain the cultivation technique, he brought along the Yang family’s elites. He never expected that before even catching a glimpse of the technique, half of his clansmen would be dead.

He angrily shouted, “STOP!”

The crowd’s eardrums ached from the shock, and they instinctively stopped their movements.

Duan Ren sneered. “Yang Tong, now you know to yield? It’s too late!”

Yang Tong’s eyes were bloodshot, his face contorting. ”Don’t push me!”

Murong Yuan stepped forward once more. “Push you? Isn’t it a bit late to say such things?! You’re going to die here!”

No one wanted the two eliminated more than he did.

Meng Qing was also going all out. “Then let’s all die together! With our level of cultivation, you should know already! If we fight with our lives on the line, how many of you can survive?! If we can’t obtain that cultivation technique, then no one can! We’ll raze this place to the ground before we die! Anyone who dares to stop us, just try!”

Yang Tong gritted his teeth. “That’s right! At worst, we all lose!”

Murong Yuan’s heart jumped. “Everyone, don’t listen to them! Let’s act quickly to avoid complications!”

However, Wu De and the other two hesitated. Murong Yuan secretly sighed. That was when he understood that completely eliminating Yang Tong and Meng Qing would be extremely difficult. If they had been of one mind instead of harboring their own agendas, everything would have been easier. For a moment, the situation at the scene fell into a stalemate.

Just then, a Wei Fang’s cold voice came through. “Everyone, please hear me out.”

Following that, Elder Mu’s voice also sounded. “That’s right. Continuing to fight will only result in mutual destruction, which is not beneficial for anyone.”

As they spoke, they appeared before the crowd. No one was surprised when they arrived, but their status weighed heavily on the crowd, plunging the scene into silence.

Wei Fang cupped his hands. “Everyone, by now, you must understand that this cultivation technique is not something one family can bear alone. Since that’s the case, why not calm down and sit down to discuss this reasonably?”

Wu De showed a forced smile. “Brother Wei, speak your mind.”

Wei Fang nodded. “Alright then. I have a proposal, let’s split the cultivation technique equally. How about it?”

The crowd hesitated, clearly very dissatisfied. If they were truly willing to split it equally, they wouldn’t have gone to such lengths from the start. Of course, Wu De and the other two had no choice but to accept this outcome. Sacrificing themselves to benefit others was something they simply couldn’t do.

Upon seeing the others agree, Wei Fang glanced at Yang Tong and the other. “Good then! You two, what do you think?”

They practically squeezed the words out from between their teeth. “No problem!”

Actually, they were even more unwilling than anyone else. Even if they secured the technique, they would pay a far steeper price than the others. Yet if they didn’t compromise, their lives would be the price. They refused to choose the dead-end path unless absolutely necessary.

For a moment, the two were so frustrated that they felt like vomiting blood. If they had known this would be the result, they would never have chosen such a head-on method from the start!

Elder Mu was in high spirits. “Good! Now that the dispute has been settled, shall we go explore that relic site?”

Upon hearing this, the crowd took deep breaths, suppressing the killing intent and dissatisfaction in their hearts. At this point, obtaining the cultivation technique came first. They could deal with the rest after returning. This matter absolutely couldn’t end like this!

Everyone rushed into the cave one after another, afraid of falling behind.

“Be careful! This is an ancient relic site. The methods left behind by that great power are likely extraordinary. I don’t need to spell out what will happen by the barriers here, right?”

Upon hearing this, everyone immediately became cautious. Only Meng Qing, who entered first, seemed to notice something, hesitating to speak.

Elder Mu noticed something off. “Hmm? Something’s not right. This place looks like it’s been explored many times!”

The cave was dilapidated, on the verge of collapse, having weathered who knows how many years. Forget barriers, there wasn’t even a single low-grade spirit artifact.

The crowd came to the same conclusion. With a relic site so conspicuous, they absolutely refused to believe no one had ever explored it before.

Meng Qing looked grim. “Meng Chuan, didn’t you say the technique is inside?!”

Meng Chuan braced himself. “Old Ancestor, it’s inside the main hall ahead, sealed by a barrier.”

Everyone’s spirits lifted. “Let’s go!”

They picked up speed, arriving at the quite spacious main hall in no time. Similarly, it was also empty, except for the stone platform in the very center. A barrier glowed dimly on the stone platform, with a jade talisman missing a corner lying quietly there. A line of small words were carved on the side of the platform.

“The Art of Returning to Origin and Heart!”

Below that were the opening lines of the cultivation technique. Only the writing was worn and blurry, clearly having weathered a long period. In an instant, everyone’s breathing became heavy.

Wu De’s eyes gleamed, automatically filling in the gaps. “Marvelous! Truly marvelous! There must have been a barrier here originally. It probably only recently exhausted its spirit qi, exposing this stone platform. No wonder no one ever discovered this cultivation technique before.”

Duan Ren admired the scene. “Exactly! Not only that, this senior must’ve been a generous, open-minded person! He made the technique public without keeping it to himself!”

Murong Yuan’s mouth twitched. Does that even describe that kid in the slightest?

***

Gu Han didn’t know that he had become the open-minded, generous old senior in Wu De’s words.

The group were now outside the Meng family’s secret realm. Unlike the Yang family, the Meng family didn’t leave behind a single elite clansman above the Divine Connection realm. They had only symbolically stationed a few Spirit Profound realm cultivators outside.

Compared to Yang Tong, Meng Qing was even more confident. The idea of the secret realm being robbed never crossed his mind. In his mind, it was utterly impossible. Absolutely no one would dare.

After casually dealing with those few clansmen, Gu Han opened the secret realm once more. “Open!”

Instantly, a rich wave of spirit qi greeted him. He was extremely excited. “Let’s go!”

This is what a secret realm should be like!

Indeed, the Meng family’s secret realm was many times better than the Yang family’s. In neatly arranged medicinal herb plots, clusters of spirit herbs and spirit materials swayed gently in the breeze, nourished by spirit spring water. The air was filled with the scent of various medicinal herbs.

Perhaps too excited, Yang Ying’s old habit flared up again. He kept muttering nonstop, “Here! Star Vine Grass, spirit herb category, five pieces, worth three million essence crystals! Hundred-Year Scarlet Fruit, spirit herb category, three pieces, worth two million essence crystals! Profound Frost Flower, already evolved to the precious herbs level, worth five million essence crystals! Thousand Autumn Vine, top-grade spirit material, essential for refining treasure artifacts, worth eight million essence crystals!”

Murong Yan and Shen Xuan were dumbfounded.

“Wow! Yang, you have this skill too?”

“Never judge a person by appearance. To enter the Qingyun Pavilion, Junior Brother Yang indeed has extraordinary abilities!”

Gu Han was not surprised. “Don’t just stand there! Take everything you can! Don’t hold back!”

Upon seeing so many spirit herbs and spirit materials, his heart was also filled with excitement. This time, we’ve really hit the jackpot!

Upon saying that, he spotted a pale purple fruit shrouded in spirit qi, looking obviously extraordinary. He reached out to pick it.

Yang Ying quickly stopped him. “Wait! This is a Purple Mist Fruit. It’s a rare precious herb! If you don’t have a Millennium Profound Jade to preserve it, it will vanish once picked. It’s such a pity we came in such a rush and weren’t well prepared!”

Gu Han glanced at him. “I don’t see a problem here. Why not just eat it?”

“Don’t—“

Just as Yang Ying tried to stop him, Gu Han plucked the fruit. He stuffed it into his mouth before it could dissipate.

“What’s wrong?”

“There’s a problem—”

His expression changed. As soon as the fruit entered his stomach, it immediately turned into an extremely violent surge of spirit qi. With an overwhelmingly domineering force, it rushed into his meridians.

His expression turned odd. “Wait a moment. I-I need to break through first.”

After saying that, he sat down right there, slowly guiding that spirit qi into his spirit pool.

Murong Yan gazed at him with admiration. “Brother Gu is indeed extraordinary!”

Yang Ying was speechless. “If he didn’t have a great physique, just the medicinal power of this fruit alone could cause him to explode and die.”

Shen Xuan’s expression was somewhat complicated. “Did you notice that ten days ago, he was only at the first stage of the Essence Gathering realm? He’s progressing so fast, I’m afraid it won’t be long before he catches up to us!”

Murong Yan examined Gu Han over a few times. “I’m curious, though. How many zhang is Brother Gu’s spirit pool?”

Shen Xuan gave a number. “Seventy?”

Yang Ying shook his head. “It’s more than that. At least eighty zhang. When I fought alongside him, his combat power was simply not something an Essence Gathering realm cultivator should have.”

Just as the three were marveling, Gu Han opened his eyes again, gritting his teeth. “You guys, talk about this after we get out! Right now, hurry up and take everything! Also, tell me which ones can’t be taken, I’ll eat them all—”

Before he finished, his aura fluctuated once more. He had already broken through to the fourth stage of the Essence Gathering realm.

He glared fiercely at the others and went back into meditation. “Hurry up!”

The three were speechless.

***

Inside the relic site, Wei Fang cupped his hands toward the crowd. “Everyone, you’ve probably heard of my character. If you trust me, how about letting me take a look at this cultivation technique first?

No one spoke a word as they tacitly agreed. Compared to those beside them, they clearly trusted him more. Wei Fang no longer hesitated. In less than half a breath, he had broken the barrier and taken the jade talisman in hand.

With a sweep of his divine sense, the smile on his face instantly froze.

Elder Mu found it strange. “Hmm? Brother Wei, what’s wrong?”

Wu De looked eager. “Maybe the technique is too profound, and he is somewhat immersed in it?”

Suddenly, Yang Tong flashed in front of Wei Fang, snatching the jade talisman away while the man was distracted. “Let me see!”

The crowd was furious. “How dare you!”

Yang Tong sent his divine sense into the jade talisman, sneering coldly. “Don’t worry! Since we have an agreement, I will abide by it. After I finish reading—”

Halfway through his sentence, he paused. He trembled slightly, his eyes instantly turning bloodshot.

Elder Mu frowned deeply. “What...”

Is the allure of this technique really that great?

He took the jade talisman from Yang Tong and glanced at it. Soon, he was dumbstruck as well, not reacting for a long moment. Following that, Wu De, Duan Ren, Li Xun, and the remaining few viewed the jade talisman one by one, rendered speechless all the same.

Finally, the jade talisman ended up in Murong Yuan’s hands. He was only responsible for initiating this. He didn’t know the specifics of Gu Han’s plan, so he was extremely curious and quickly scanned it.

Just one glance and his eyes instantly widened. This kid is downright vicious!

Inside the jade talisman were only a few simple lines.

This seat, sensing a glimpse of the opportunity, specially leaves behind the Art of Returning to Origin and Heart for a destined one to find here! It uses the body as a furnace, the soul as the foundation, and qi as nourishment, condensing an indestructible dharma form, dominating the six directions, reigning supreme across the eight wastelands, peerless and invincible. Hmm? The opportunity is gone? Oh well, fate ends here. The remaining content, you must deduce for yourselves.

Right at that moment, Yang Tong and Meng Qing could no longer hold on, spitting out a mouthful of blood.