Chapter 28: The Tomb of the Sword Saint

A mighty surge of external profound energy crashed down on Xia Jiuxuan like a mountain boulder. Strangely, however, the moment his figure collided with the stone door etched with profound markings ahead, he vanished in a flash.

“What—!”

The two Cultivators at the Profound Connection Realm froze, stunned as their attacks were entirely blocked by the stone door. “Could that brat be versed in array patterns? Did he open the Sword Saint’s Tomb?”

This place was, in fact, an undiscovered Sword Saint’s Tomb, as yet unknown to the Imperial House of the Celestial Martial Dynasty. The two cultivators glared at the mysterious stone door, frustration and anger warring in their hearts.

“Old Hei, now that the young master has been killed and the murderer has escaped into the Sword Saint’s Tomb, what should we do?”

“At this point, our only option is to report the truth to the family and have them send people to capture the boy.”

“We can’t.” The one called Old Hei refused flatly, then continued, “To steal from a sacred tomb is a grave crime. If word gets out, no one will be able to bear the consequences.”

Within the Celestial Martial Dynasty’s borders, there were many perilous places, often the resting grounds of ancient mighty ones, filled with unimaginable treasures. The dynasty had strict decrees: all ancient tombs belonged to the imperial family. Anyone who discovered but did not report them was guilty; those who plundered them privately committed a capital offense that could lead to extermination of their entire clan.

This time, Young Master Yang Wei of the Yang family had come to the Xuan Yin Mountains with friends for training, only to stumble upon a Sword Saint’s Tomb. Consumed by greed, he conspired with his companions to rob the tomb. Fearing discovery, they sealed off the path and detained all passersby—though in truth, their intention was to kill everyone afterward. Only the dead could keep a secret.

“No matter what, the young master is dead. If we want to stay alive, we must capture that brat and give the family head an explanation.”

As Yang Wei’s protectors, they had watched him be killed and the culprit escape—an unpardonable offense. Yet if they caught the killer, perhaps there was still hope; otherwise, death was certain.

“Old Hei, the boy is already trapped in the tomb with no way out. You stand guard here with some men, while I lead others through another entrance and seize him inside.”

“Very well. The tomb is exceedingly dangerous—be careful.”

Without delay, the other Profound Connection Realm cultivator led ten guards through a second, already opened entrance.

...

Within the narrow passageways of the tomb, Xia Jiuxuan pressed forward. This tomb belonged to a sword cultivator who had attained the Saint Realm. To the world, this was known as a Sword Saint’s Tomb, but that was only in the eyes of mortals; to Xia Jiuxuan, the tomb’s master barely qualified as an apprentice sword cultivator.

He remembered every secret of the Xuan Yin Mountains, each detail carved indelibly into his soul’s memory. Thus, before he made his move, Xia Jiuxuan had already planned his retreat—this tomb was his escape route.

A Saint Realm sword cultivator’s tomb was guarded by arrays and mechanisms too formidable to break easily. Reaching an underground palace, Xia Jiuxuan halted.

“The Nine Form Twelve Sword Array—excellent.”

This place was safe for him, but for outsiders, unless they were masters of both arrays and swordsmanship, entry meant certain death.

“Second Father, it’s so dark here. I’m scared,” Xia Ran whimpered, shrinking into Xia Jiuxuan’s embrace, more frightened than ever before.

“Don’t be afraid, I’m here.”

With a snap of his fingers, Xia Jiuxuan lit twelve lanterns throughout the palace.

“Wow, it’s bright now! Second Father, you’re amazing!” Xia Ran cheered, utterly amazed by the spectacle.

With the memories of his divine soul, this tomb felt as familiar as his own home—such minor things posed no challenge at all.

“Ranran, do you remember the breathing technique I taught you?”

A dense aura of spiritual energy filled the place. Xia Jiuxuan intended for Xia Ran to absorb and cultivate it; otherwise, it would be a waste.

“I remember! It’s just like going to sleep.” Xia Ran replied with a grin, clearly fond of the sensation.

“Good. Take a nap then. When you wake up, I’ll reward you with a vermillion fruit.”

“Yay!” The little one clapped her hands excitedly; the taste of that fruit was simply irresistible.

Sitting cross-legged, Xia Ran placed her hands just so and, within a few breaths, entered a state of deep meditation.

Meanwhile, Xia Jiuxuan’s consciousness slipped into the Slaughter Arena within his mind. With a glance, he saw that the arena already held dozens of puppets captive—especially the recently slain Yang Wei and his talented friends.

He immediately allocated several thousand profound crystals to these puppets. At the Palace Entry stage, advancing in cultivation consumed vast amounts of profound crystals, and with so many puppets, it was normal to use thousands in a day.

As he was checking, Xia Jiuxuan’s own cultivation advanced a level, reaching the second tier of the Palace Entry realm.

“It seems I’ll need to provide spirit stones in the future.”

Profound crystals contained too little spiritual energy. Spirit stones, on the other hand, had a richer, purer essence and were much more effective. There were, of course, low, middle, high, and supreme grades of spirit stones, and above even those, there were super profound crystals, super spirit crystals, and divine stones.

By his calculations, he had less than half a million profound crystals left from his various sources. At this rate, by the fifth tier of Palace Entry, he’d have exhausted them all. With each advancement, the demand would only double—he was in dire need of resources.

“The underground mineral veins are countless, but unfortunately, I lack the ability to mine them now.”

He knew the locations of every vein in this world, but they were either monopolized by powerful clans or buried deep underground, or hidden in perilous places, beyond reach for now.

For the time being, he’d have to earn resources by his own means.

“I’ll deal with it after I get out.”

Dispelling further thoughts, Xia Jiuxuan exited the Slaughter Arena and turned his focus to assisting Xia Ran’s cultivation.

Before long, a day and a night passed. Xia Ran awoke from her meditation.

“Ah!”

She opened her eyes, feeling refreshed and clear-headed.

“Little one, you’ve reached the fifth tier of Innate Realm—impressive.” Xia Jiuxuan was very pleased with her progress. Yet, worry tugged at his heart; in the future, this child would likely devour resources at a tremendous rate—perhaps even more than himself. Raising a child, he mused, was a heavy burden.

“Second Father, where’s my fruit?”

Xia Ran held out her little hands impatiently.

“You greedy thing—you never miss out, do you?”

With a smile, Xia Jiuxuan fetched a vermillion fruit from his spatial ring.

“Thank you, Second Father!” Xia Ran cupped the fruit in both hands, taking tiny bites and carefully licking the juice that trickled out, reluctant to finish it too quickly.

Suddenly, a group burst into the underground palace, led by the Profound Connection Realm expert.

“There you are, brat! Let’s see where you run this time!”

Xia Jiuxuan had sensed them long before with his spiritual perception and remained unruffled.

“In such a hurry to die?” A cold smile played at his lips; he didn’t even bother to stand up.

“Seize him!”

“Wait! None of you are his match—I’ll handle this myself.” The Profound Connection Realm expert waved his men back and produced a black-and-white disk.

“Brat, still pretending to be calm at death’s door?”

“You’re welcome to try,” Xia Jiuxuan replied, raising an eyebrow but remaining motionless.

“Die!” The old man hurled the black-and-white disk, which spun in the air.

“Eightfold Mountain-Sealing Mark—suppression!”

As he shouted, his palm descended, its imprint like a mountain falling from the sky. Anyone below the Profound Connection Realm would have been reduced to a bloody mist.

Just as the palm print was about to fall, a pure black sword materialized out of thin air and slashed toward it.

With a thunderous crash, the massive palm print was shattered by the black sword.

“Damn—there’s a sword array!”

The elder realized the truth: no wonder the youth was so calm—he’d found protection in the tomb’s sword array.

“Retreat!” Panic struck his heart; having triggered the Sword Saint’s array, he dared not contest it further.

From all directions, countless black swords shot forth, slicing through the ten guards behind him and turning them into a bloody mist.

“Heavenly Vajra Shield!” Gritting his teeth, the old man recalled his black-and-white disk and desperately channeled his profound energy, summoning the life-bound Vajra Armor he’d refined over many years.

Sword after black sword crashed against his armor; he could only endure with all his might, blood spraying from his lips again and again.

Meanwhile, across from him, Xia Jiuxuan sat at his ease, utterly untouched.

“So—it’s you controlling the sword array!” The old man was struck by a wave of terror, a nameless dread invading his soul.