Sword cultivators are renowned for their formidable offensive power, and a full-force strike from one at the Foundation Establishment stage was enough to make even a late-foundation expert like the Black Steward take it seriously.
With a sweep of his sleeve, the Black Steward summoned a winding river of blood in an attempt to engulf the incoming sword light. But he had miscalculated the sword light cleaved through the blood river with ease and crashed directly into the protective aura surrounding him.
"Ugh."
A muffled grunt escaped his lips as a trickle of blood ran down from the corner of his mouth. Though not a severe injury, he had taken some damage.
Wiping away the blood with a cold expression, the fury in the Black Steward's heart surged to its peak. He was done playing games. Now, he simply wanted to kill.
"Blood Sea Overwhelms the Sky!"
With a dramatic flourish of his arms, a vast sea of blood materialized, sweeping toward Song Changsheng and the others.
Fortunately, by that time, Song Changsheng and the rest had already made it into the Xuan Yang Heavenly Steel Array, though two unfortunate stragglers were caught in the oncoming tide.
They barely struggled for a moment before being consumed becoming part of the blood sea itself.
As the sea of blood surged forward, a faint protective barrier emerged, halting its advance.
The filthy blood sizzled and spat violently upon contact with the light shield, emitting a continuous "zzzz-zzzz" sound.
"What? The Xuan Yang Heavenly Steel Array?!"
The Black Steward's expression darkened in shock. Wasn't this formation supposed to have been broken?
Zhu Yiqun and the others were just as stunned by the sudden reactivation of the formation. Their gazes all turned, one after another, toward Song Changsheng.
Meeting their eyes calmly, Song Changsheng said plainly, "I managed to gain control of the formation's permissions specifically to handle emergencies like this."
The group exchanged looks, and it was Zhu Yiqun who first broke the silence.
"Either way, it's a good thing. Otherwise, today might've been the end for us."
Zhuang Yuchan also chimed in,
"We must thank Fellow Daoist Song for leaving us a way out. I've already sent a message to my elders if we can just hold out a bit longer, help will arrive."
"This Xuan Yang Heavenly Steel Array is pure Yang and extremely rigid it's a famous demon-suppressing array. That Foundation Establishment stage blood cultivator may be powerful, but breaking through it won't be easy. Now, we can focus on exploring the ruins."
Song Changsheng wasn't surprised by their change in tone. He knew if the roles were reversed, he'd likely react the same. So he said nothing, choosing instead to turn his gaze toward the cave-dwelling not far behind them.
By now, only a handful of them remained: Zhu Yiqun, Zhuang Yuchan, Xu Yunhe, and Song Changsheng. The rest had already perished in battle.
All for the sake of this cave-dwelling...
The entrance to the Foundation Establishment cultivator's cave dwelling lay hidden beneath a low hill, concealed within a vine-covered cave. A dark, narrow passage extended deep into the mountain.
Song Changsheng walked to the front of the group, holding a treasure gourd in his hand. Zhu Yiqun followed in the middle, supporting the heavily injured Xu Yunhe, while Zhuang Yuchan brought up the rear, cradling her treasured zither.
The passage was long and silent. Were it not for the powerful formation outside, no one would ever suspect that a Foundation Establishment cultivator's dwelling lay within this quiet tunnel.
At the end of the passage stood a stone door made of bluish-green rock, blocking their path.
Song Changsheng stepped forward cautiously to examine it. He quickly discovered that a formation was embedded into the door but something about it struck him as odd. Part of the formation was missing.
Even more curious, the formation itself wasn't of particularly high grade. However, the person who set it had such profound mastery over formations that this simple array had been elevated into something intricate and complex.
"What's the situation, Changsheng?" Zhu Yiqun asked in a hushed voice.
"The formation on the door is unique. We need to repair the missing part before it'll open."
"Do you think you can do it?"
Song Changsheng furrowed his brow slightly, then nodded. "I'll give it a try."
With that, he sat cross-legged before the stone door and began working to complete the formation.
Meanwhile, Zhu Yiqun finally had time to tend to Xu Yunhe's wounds. Xu's right arm had been severed cleanly at the shoulder, and the wound was tainted with the telltale blood-colored demonic light characteristic of blood demons. If left untreated, it would surely cost him his life.
Zhu Yiqun took out a white jade bottle from his storage pouch and poured out a round, milky-white pill. Holding it near Xu Yunhe's lips, he said, "This pill will help with your injuries. Take it."
Xu Yunhe's face was deathly pale from blood loss. He looked at the fragrant pill with lifeless eyes and muttered, "Fellow Daoist Zhu, there's no need to waste such a precious item on me. My path has ended I'd rather die."
His words were thick with the will to die like a withered tree in a swamp waiting quietly to rot.
To a swordsman, the sword was everything. Now that he had lost the very arm that wielded it, what was the point in living? Death was preferable.
Zhu Yiqun's expression darkened with anger. He grabbed Xu Yunhe by the collar and hissed through gritted teeth, "What nonsense are you spouting? So what if you lost your right arm can't you train your left instead?
You're still young! Even if you have to start from scratch, so what? Why give up on yourself? So many of our comrades died today. The fact that we're still alive means we must cherish it!"
Xu Yunhe gave a bitter smile, his voice filled with despair. "I'm just a rogue cultivator, struggling with all my might along the path of longevity. Reaching the Foundation Establishment stage was already a near-impossible dream.
Now, my body is maimed, my meridians and flesh incomplete my chances of a breakthrough have become even slimmer. Instead of dragging out a meaningless existence, I'd rather die with dignity."
Zhu Yiqun fell silent. For ordinary cultivators, breaking through to Foundation Establishment was perhaps only a ten percent chance. Even those with excellent talent only had a twenty to thirty percent likelihood at best.
Xu Yunhe's talent had always been average and moderate at most. His chances were already slim, and now, even slimmer.
The combination of physical trauma and spiritual despair had broken his will to carry on.
Just as Zhu Yiqun struggled to find words of comfort, Song Changsheng having completed the formation stood up and spoke coldly, "A true swordsman would rather break than bend. No matter how difficult the road ahead may be, you must face it with unyielding determination.
To speak of death at the first setback do you think you're worthy of the sword you carry? Of the title 'swordsman'?
If you must die, then die moving forward not like a coward in this barren place!"
"I…"
Xu Yunhe's spirit trembled, waves of emotion crashing within him. Yes, he was a swordsman. No matter how difficult the path, he was meant to cut through it with his sword. Only then would he be worthy of the blade in his hand!
"Fellow Daoist Song's words are like a slap to the face I see now. You're right. Even if I must die, I won't die here."
A new light sparked in Xu Yunhe's eyes. He slowly lifted his left arm and took the pill from Zhu Yiqun's hand, swallowing it. As its sweet medicinal essence spread through his body, some color began to return to his pale face.
Zhuang Yuchan gave Song Changsheng a surprised look. This guy… he always manages to surprise me.
"Changsheng, is the formation done?" Zhu Yiqun asked, eyeing the large stone door ahead.
"It's ready. But I suspect there may be more formations beyond the door, so stay close and follow my lead."
With a wave of his hand, the stone door began to rumble open.
Finally, the inner sanctum of the cave-dwelling lay before them…
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