Chapter 1279: Turmoil from All Sides

The scene before him was truly terrifying.

The Maze of Confusion, even he could only break it by exploiting its flaws, and now it was on the verge of collapse. The power beneath the stream had exceeded imagination.

Rip!

While he was still in shock, a sword intent shot straight up to the heavens, as if to split the sky in two. The protective formation around them was pierced through, creating a large hole under the impact of this force.

The surging sword intent rushed upward through the hole, emitting a dazzling light, like a rainbow connecting heaven and earth.

Creak! Creak!

Seeing this rainbow, "Zhang Xuan" immediately felt the sword intent he had cultivated within him being completely suppressed, as if he could not unleash it.

Then, the ground churned again, and a blood-red stone platform slowly emerged from the crack in the stream. On it was inserted a longsword. Even from a distance, one could feel the sharp sword qi tearing incessantly, as if it would grind a person to dust.

"This is... a top-grade sacred artifact?"

His fists clenched, and "Zhang Xuan's" face changed instantly!

Such a powerful aura, which even the Maze of Confusion could not block, and which released such formidable sword intent, could only mean one thing...

This longsword had surpassed the shackles of a mid-grade sacred artifact and reached the top-grade level!

Only at this level could it possess such power, enough to break through even an eighth-rank formation, and even he felt awe and dared not resist.

"It's Sword Elder's personal sword!"

Just as he was wondering, another identical "Zhang Xuan" appeared, his expression solemn.

The one who had just fought Ji Lingzhen and beaten him soundly was, of course, the clone; the one now emerging was the real Zhang Xuan.

Earlier, when he was no match for his opponent, he had sent out the clone while deploying the formation disk.

As expected, the clone easily crushed him... but he never dreamed that this guy still had a trump card!

This longsword... should be the personal sword of the Sword Elder who left behind the Sword Pool...

Could it be that Ji Lingzhen had already refined it?

"I said, only when you achieve true understanding of the Way of the Sword will you be worthy of my submission and receive the Sword Elder's inheritance... What, have my words lost their weight?"

Amid the rumbling, the longsword shook, its voice like a great bell, piercing the mind.

A top-grade sacred artifact could not only slay the primordial spirit and cause mental disarray; with a single swing, it could also affect one's state of mind, making it hard to resist.

"In reply to you, senior, I beg you to emerge only to help me repel an enemy... to kill that... that Zhang Xuan!"

Gritting his teeth, Ji Lingzhen pointed at the young man, then his face stiffened.

There had been only one just now; how had it become two in the blink of an eye?

"Kill someone?"

The longsword on the stone platform seemed to look over, and Zhang Xuan immediately felt locked onto by a sword intent from which he could not escape, sending cold sweat streaming down his body.

"Yes!"

Ji Lingzhen said.

"Hmm, over the years, you've fed me quite a bit; otherwise, I would surely still be asleep. I remember this kindness. It's just one person; I'll kill him for you. But... for me to submit to you, you're still lacking. When you truly understand the Way of the Sword, then we'll talk!"

The longsword on the stone platform shook, its sword intent like an ocean, enveloping both Zhang Xuans, as if with a mere thought it could easily slay them.

"Thank you, senior!"

Ji Lingzhen breathed a sigh of relief, then turned to the young man not far away, his face twisted with intense hatred.

If he could easily kill this fellow, by offering the Qingyu Sword and Qingming Sword as sacrifices, he could curry favor and gain goodwill... and perhaps even obtain the inheritance!

But now, he could only kill him first.

"These two are identical; which one should I kill?"

Just as the longsword was about to act, its puzzled voice rang out.

"Which one?"

Ji Lingzhen also frowned.

He too was puzzled. Wasn't this Master Teacher Zhang Xuan only one? How had he suddenly become two, identical in appearance and temperament, without the slightest difference?

"I'm the fake; he's the real one!"

"I'm the fake; he's the real one!"

Both Zhang Xuans pointed at each other, both looking indignant and glaring angrily.

"This..."

Seeing the two, mirror images impossible to distinguish, Ji Lingzhen stood frozen.

...

While the Sword Elder's personal sword pierced the formation and emerged from the stream, outside, chaos had also erupted.

The many sword cultivators behind the stone wall stopped their studies, staring at the sword qi shooting into the sky, their bodies trembling with excitement.

"That's the Sword Elder's personal sword... meaning the inheritance is about to appear!"

"We've waited so many years for this day; let's go see!"

"Whoever gets it, we must seize it..."

"Anyone who competes with me, I'll kill them..."

Everyone's eyes were bloodshot.

They had stayed here for centuries, partly to deepen their understanding of the sword, but more importantly to await the emergence of the Sword Elder's personal sword and obtain the inheritance!

Otherwise, they would have left long ago, not remained here without regret.

The Sword Elder, in his time, roamed the empire unchallenged. Obtaining his inheritance would surely skyrocket one's strength, making breakthroughs to the Out-of-Body realm or even the Domain realm not too difficult!

"It must be that young man who went in earlier; let's go see!"

Someone shouted, and the crowd, no longer caring about their studies, rushed toward the Sword Pool Maze.

That Zhang Xuan had easily defeated Ma Minghai, who had comprehended half-step True Interpretation, and within ten minutes of entering, the sword qi had burst forth... meaning he must have freed the longsword from its seal!

With treasures and inheritance appearing, everyone wanted them. Even if the opponent was strong, they would not give up.

Soon, they arrived at the formation.

The Maze of Confusion, pierced by the longsword, had its structure damaged, teetering on the verge of collapse.

Previously, entering was extremely difficult; now, it was easy.

"Hold on. We've seen that guy's strength; it's extraordinary. Fighting him alone would surely be futile... Let's join forces!"

An old man stopped the crowd and said.

"Right, only by joining hands do we have a chance!" someone agreed.

"Fine, we can join forces, but what about the inheritance?"

Someone asked.

"We've been together for so long; we know each other well. Let's join forces first to obtain the inheritance, then we'll study it together!"

The old man said.

"Good!" everyone responded in unison.

The Sword Elder's inheritance was immensely powerful. If they could study it individually, they wouldn't have lingered by the stone wall for years without progress.

Moreover, if anyone tried to keep it for themselves, they knew they wouldn't leave alive.

"Let's go!"

With a common goal, they all stepped into the formation.

...

On the island where the Sword Pool was located, several young men stood facing each other, their eyes wary.

"Sun Qian, we're old acquaintances; we know each other well. Even if you manage to take my jade token, you'll suffer significant losses, and then you'll be eliminated by others. How about we join forces..."

A young man spoke. Opposite him was the "Brother Sun" familiar to Ma Minghai.

"Brother Hu is right. Fighting you would indeed cost me dearly. Since only thirteen people need to be eliminated, and only ten remain, we can join forces to deal with the others instead of fighting to the death."

"Brother Sun" Sun Qian smiled slightly.

"Then let's make a master teacher pact to cooperate and eliminate others together."

The young man nodded.

Master teachers valued their reputation; once a pact was made, it was rarely broken.

"Good..."

Sun Qian nodded and smiled, about to continue, when he felt the surrounding spiritual energy violently shake, and then saw a sword intent shooting straight to the heavens.

"A treasure has appeared..."

Their eyes narrowed simultaneously.

As geniuses from across the empire, they were well-versed in the phenomena accompanying the emergence of treasures.

"I heard that the Qianchong Empire has a Sword Pool hiding an unknown sacred artifact of unspecified rank. Some experts came to investigate but were driven away by the Master Teacher Hall, who said it was the Qianchong Empire's opportunity and they should handle it themselves... I always thought it was just a legend. Could it be true? Is the island we're on actually the site of the Sword Pool?"

His fists clenched tightly, Sun Qian recalled something, filled with excitement.

They had all heard of the Qianchong Empire's Sword Pool. He never expected the re-examination to be held here, and most importantly, the aura of the treasure's emergence was so intense... meaning the treasure no one had ever seen had now appeared!

If the legend was true, obtaining it would greatly boost his strength, allowing him to stand out even in the Saint Son Hall.

"Let's go see!"

Brother Hu nodded, barely containing his excitement.

"Hold on. Such a major disturbance must have been noticed by everyone on the island. They'll all act, and the fight will be fierce. Let's first agree on a plan; otherwise... we're not at an advantage compared to others, especially that Zhang Xuan!"

Blocking the eager crowd, Sun Qian thought for a moment and said.

"Zhang Xuan? Here, weapons and puppets are forbidden. He's just strong at the same level. As long as we don't suppress our cultivation, we can easily crush him, right?"

Brother Hu disagreed.

That guy was only invincible at the same level; compared to their true strength, he was still far behind.

Nothing to worry about!

"Teacher Zhao's rule is no puppets, but with a treasure at hand, who can control themselves? Besides, he could just use puppets to block us while he takes the treasure for himself. As long as he doesn't snatch jade tokens or destroy them, it doesn't violate the rules!"

Sun Qian said.

"This..."

Brother Hu was stunned.

Teacher Zhao Xingmo only said no using weapons or snatching jade tokens... Using puppets to block them indeed didn't break the rules.

"Then what do you suggest?"

After a pause, knowing that with their strength they were no match for those puppets, Brother Hu asked.

"Simple... If we see Zhang Xuan, I suggest we charge together, defeat and injure him before he can release his puppets! That will surely avoid a lot of trouble."

With a gleam in his eye, Sun Qian said.