14 eaten
The sword light condensed from above fell like a heavenly punishment, striking the surface of the pool and sending ripples scattering. Even the shadowy burial beast guarding the tomb was shaken back half a step.
As the dense mist cleared, the floating figure in the air caught the attention of the cultivators.
It was a sword cultivator, carrying a sword weapon on his back, his face covered only by a coarse cloth mask.
At this moment, his sword weapon remained sheathed, yet numerous sword formations hovered around him. The burial beast had never faced such a threat before; it roared fiercely toward the sky. Following its roar, the sword formations above suddenly shifted, raining down like a storm of blades onto the misty pool.
“A sword cultivator?!”
“That sword cultivator hasn’t drawn his sword!”
Among the crowd, Su Yi’s gaze was fixed. An ancient seal, a burial beast... The things suppressed here must be priceless relics from the ancient past. His eyes shifted slightly toward another direction, staring straight at the swordsman hovering over the misty pool. The intimidating sword formations—who was the wielder?
Across the world, many cultivators wield swords; those dedicated to sword cultivation are known as sword cultivators.
Their practice depends entirely on their skill in swordsmanship; merging sword and mind is the highest realm.
This cultivator arriving from above hadn’t drawn his sword before the burial beast, indicating he controlled the sword formations with his mind. In the entire Eastern Continent’s cultivation world, only those at least at the Nascent Soul stage could reach such mastery. This cultivator was a powerful Nascent Soul expert.
All eyes were drawn to the sword cultivator above. Behind him was a figure in red. The red-clad cultivator followed closely; after the sword formations struck, talismans floated from his hands and landed like an exorcism formation, instantly dispelling the surrounding malevolent forces.
“Someone else! There’s a talisman cultivator too!”
“Two Nascent Soul cultivators came? Did the news of this place leak so fast?” whispered a cultivator from the Su family.
Su Yi remained silent, aware that while the Su family and Cangxue Sect were among the first to receive news of the anomaly on Nanwu Mountain, other sects might not be entirely uninformed.
Among the four gates and eight great clans of the mountain, which faction did these two belong to?
Meanwhile, unnoticed in a corner, a figure leapt from the upper reaches of the mist river. The corpse-infested water, thick with yin energy, flowed more turbulently. Within moments, the figure plunged into the mist pool where the sword light had shattered the surface, disappearing into the deep waters.
Above, the swordsman struck the burial beast with a single sword strike; the sword formations condensed between his fingers did not cease.
He lowered his gaze, surveying the mist pool. He watched as the ‘Nascent Soul-level’ fierce manifestations formed by the fog were swallowed one after another by the burial beast... No, not these. He searched quickly and suddenly spotted a living corpse within the pool.
The living corpse was not devoured by the burial beast but stood upright under the sword formations’ threat. On its forehead appeared a familiar mark, identical to the sinister blood-burning technique from the withered forest on Nanwu Mountain.
Found it.
The sword formation at the swordsman’s side pointed decisively, locking onto the living corpse, when the burial beast above roared angrily.
The sword formation was shattered by the yin energy; the living corpse was swallowed by the pool water and vanished. The swordsman swiftly dodged the burial beast’s pounce. Just as his hand touched the sword weapon on his back, he suddenly hesitated and released the hilt, not drawing the sword.
On the shore, cultivators watched the standoff between the burial beast and the swordsman. An elderly man with white hair swept his cloudy eyes over the creature. Under the sword light, what had been obscured by mist became clearer. Suddenly, his expression changed: “Young friends, this burial beast bears an ancient divine talisman. This is an ancient artifact... it carries a sealing formation.”
The swordsman above lowered his gaze upon hearing this, looking toward the white-haired elder below.
Jiang Xingfeng said, “Ancient divine talisman... Hiss, I’ve heard from my master that this is no easy matter.”
Ancient seals, burial beasts, ancient divine talismans.
This indicated that the beast’s value far exceeded that of an ordinary powerful cultivator’s burial ground. If it were a common burial beast, it would merely guard the tomb’s entrance. But one bound with an ancient divine talisman was different—it was a primordial beast, requiring both the ancient divine talisman and ancient seals to suppress it.
Regardless of how only the pressure of a peak Nascent Soul remained, its cunning meant dealing with it would not be simple.
The immediate priority was to control this beast and await reinforcements. Any misstep could turn Nanwu Mountain into the next abyss of demonic energy like the Extreme North.
The swordsman looked at the increasingly agitated burial beast below; the sword weapon on his back trembled faintly. Calmly, he said, “If necessary, I will draw my sword to block it. You send word to Tianlu Mountain and the Gu family...” Before he finished, he suddenly shouted urgently, “Danger! Stay back!”
The two retreated swiftly. The burial beast, sensing the surrounding threats, roared furiously toward the heights. The spirit boat was shaken; the white-haired elder had no choice but to steer it in search of a landing spot.
“It’s gone mad!”
“What is this thing?! The surrounding yin wind grows stronger.”
---
“Steady your mind!”
Chaos reigned around the mist pool, yet the deep waters remained unusually calm, as if stilled by the burial beast’s suppression.
The stench of putrid corpse water filled the air, but Su Yu was unmoved and paid no heed to the swirling yin energy. The yin energy congealing again in his barren dantian was drawn forth. Following his line of sight, he swam swiftly toward the position of the ink stone. The closer he got, the more he felt the ink stone hidden at the pool’s bottom stimulating his consciousness.
The yin energy of the mist pool clawed eagerly at Su Yu’s body, as if biting into his exposed wounds. His injuries reopened, blood being drained and devoured by the endless yin energy—
At that moment, Su Yu saw the source of the disturbance. The beast’s shadow above the pool was only a projection; beneath the water lurked a smaller beast resembling it. This beast sat atop the massive ink stone formed from dense qi, exhaling endless yin energy, as if the entire mist pool was the cosmos within its mouth.
The burial beast beneath the water noticed something upon approaching; it realized the person was the one above the mist pool. It had intended to devour the human for nourishment but hadn’t expected him to enter its domain willingly.
Food delivered on a silver platter... Greed flashed clearly in its eyes. It released the tail coiling around a distant living corpse and instead wrapped around Su Yu.
Su Yu had been pondering how to approach but was suddenly engulfed by the burial beast’s tail.
He gave up resisting, allowing himself to be drawn deeper. The thicker the yin energy became, the harder it was to breathe. His meridians threatened to burst; the totem in his dantian spun wildly. In an instant, Su Yu felt his consciousness fading.
The yin energy at the pool’s bottom was too dense; his body absorbed it indiscriminately. If this continued, he would collapse under the tremendous circulation before even reaching the burial beast.
Stay calm... Su Yu clenched his teeth, the pain pulling him back to clarity. He forcefully suppressed the totem’s frenzy; the yin energy once drawn by the eye totem halted abruptly. Then he suddenly grabbed the tail coiled around his waist.
As the tail wrapped tighter, the yin energy was unusually absorbed by Su Yu.
The burial beast, focusing on the cultivators above, lost its grip momentarily and nearly got struck by the sword formations. It lowered its head in fury, discovering its own strength rapidly draining.
Most of its physical form had been extended to attack the cultivators outside. The waters beneath were its domain, yet this cultivator was forcibly siphoning its essence. The burial beast struggled to shake off Su Yu, who clung tenaciously to its tail.
Above the mist pool, the white-haired elder leapt to a higher vantage, steering the spirit boat to pin down one leg of the burial beast for the two Nascent Soul cultivators: “Young friends, the rest is up to you.”
Jiang Xingfeng’s mind was filled with thoughts of the ancient divine talisman. Even with the sealing formation, this was a primordial beast. He scratched his head. “Leave it to us. We’re demon slayers, but we’ve never faced a primordial beast before. How do we kill this thing? Gu Qi, what do you think—Gu Qi?”
The swordsman narrowed his eyes and said suddenly, “Something’s off about it.”
Jiang Xingfeng blinked. “Isn’t it fierce enough?”
“It’s attacking slower.” The swordsman’s gaze sharpened toward the pool bottom. The darkness there revealed nothing, but since the beginning, the beast had repeatedly looked not at him, but toward the depths, as if wary of something.
Beneath the mist pool, Su Yu felt his hunger subside. The eye totem greedily drew yin energy through him; his consciousness grew clearer. Drawing closer, he clearly saw the burial beast’s anomaly.
Clutched in the beast’s mouth was a shrunk ink stone—it seemed that this stone, held in its jaws, was the true essence of both the stone and the burial beast itself. Upon spotting the stone, Su Yu climbed the tail, leveraging it to leap onto the beast’s back.
The burial beast, focused on the cultivators above, bristled with agitation. Seeing its yin energy techniques absorbed, it grew restless, eager to expel the intruder. Just as it reached out to pin the person down, the shadow above the pool was struck from all directions.
Several sword energies pierced through the mist pool’s defenses, stabbing into the waters beneath the burial beast.
The sword light broke through the beast’s defense, striking the stone stele beneath it like a tomb gate. The stele cracked under the assault, and the burial beast howled in pain.
Su Yu saw the sword light shimmering above, piercing the ink stone beneath the burial beast. Cracks appeared on its surface, and the beast’s movements slowed. At that moment, the eye totem inside Su Yu sensed his actions, uncontrollably surging out yin energy that forcibly pushed Su Yu forward, placing him before the beast.
Su Yu looked up into the burial beast’s mouth filled with condensed yin fangs. He didn’t resist the rebellious totem within. At the instant the beast was struck again by the sword light, he thrust his hand into its mouth and grasped the ink stone.
A sharp pain shot through his shoulder as the beast tried to tear off his arm, but Su Yu held firm, wrenching the stone free amidst their struggle.
The burial beast emitted a silent, piercing shriek; Su Yu’s ears bled from the shock.
At that moment, the burial beast’s shadow on the surface swayed. The swordsman seized the opportunity; his sword formations split into seven small swords crackling with thunder, all aimed at the beast’s limbs and joints, stabbing in simultaneously.
Instantly, the entire shadow collapsed like a deflated balloon, yin energy swirling outward.
Jiang Xingfeng’s pupils contracted; he formed hand seals, raising a protective barrier around the cultivators behind him, and suppressed the turbulent yin energy with a formation, sweat beading his brow. “Gu Qi!”
The swordsman’s expression shifted; the sword formations solidified.
In the deep pool, the burial beast lunged at Su Yu, swallowing him whole.
---
At the same time, Su Yu pushed the ink stone into his mouth.
The stone melted instantly, pouring massive yin energy into his body. His ravenous hunger eased as the pale burial beast, now deprived of the stone, was shattered by the sword formations above. A strong sense of threat surged in Su Yu’s heart. He looked up to see dazzling light—massive swords suspended overhead.
The great swords appeared clearly within his vision, their pure, condensed sword qi sharp and blinding. The sword tips pierced through the burial beast’s shadow above, pointing directly at him.
The eye totem in his dantian suddenly erupted. Su Yu gritted his teeth; at the critical moment, he mobilized his yin energy again, forcing his way out of the beast’s jaws.
Immediately, the sword formations above descended straight down; the corpse-filled waters churned violently.
The currents swept Su Yu away, rushing him to a distance.
Dawn broke; the sword light pierced like thunder, breaking through the dense yin energy above the mist river’s deep pool, a brilliant white arc plunging into the glowing gray-blue stone gate below. The burial beast on the stone gate nearly turned to shadow under the assault. The seals covering Nanwu Mountain cracked and collapsed instantly.
Around the mist pool, the white-haired elder hurriedly maneuvered the spirit boat, protecting the cultivators. He looked far ahead with a thoughtful gaze. On the surface, it seemed that two Nascent Soul cultivators had broken the stalemate, but he noticed the burial beast growing weak.
He glanced toward the pool’s depths. What else was hidden there?
The yin wind dissipated swiftly; the oppressive yin energy shrouding Nanwu Mountain gradually dispersed.
The ancient seals above fractured and vanished, dissolving into scattered starlight.
“The ancient primal yin gathering formation formed by yin energy... Fortunately, the yin energy here wasn’t sufficient. Otherwise, even if we worked together, we couldn't have shattered this illusion,” Jiang Xingfeng murmured, lowering his head to see injured cultivators nearby and members of the Su family. “Tsk, this thing’s cultivation is at peak Nascent Soul. Even the Su family’s few Golden Core cultivators dared to challenge it. Hey, looks like the Su family’s young master is watching you...”
He noticed the swordsman’s silence and shifted tone: “What’s wrong?”
The swordsman’s dark eyes fixed on the riverbed, voice low: “It’s gone.”
Jiang Xingfeng paused. “What’s gone?”
The dense mist over the pool faded; the burial beast’s shadow vanished; nothing remained but corpse-filled waters.
The swordsman added, “That fiend—I didn’t kill it.”
Moreover, the living corpse with the strange mark on its forehead was also gone... The entire mist pool, aside from the corpse water, was empty.
Jiang Xingfeng’s expression changed slightly as he hurried toward the pool’s surface.
The swordsman lowered his head. Among the scattered rubble lay a person.
Though called a person, he was covered in blood and filth, as if washed ashore by the surging river. So filthy, his original appearance was unrecognizable. Yet at a glance, the swordsman recalled the bloodstains seen not long ago in the withered forest.
He bent forward, reaching toward the rubble. The moment his hand touched the figure, he felt a handful of crimson.
The scent of blood on the youth was close and sharp. The veins on the swordsman’s neck tensed instantly. Just as he hesitated, the ‘dead man’ suddenly flipped upright, grabbing his wrist and pushing forward, sweeping the swordman’s mask from his face.
The blood smeared on the swordsman’s face, the metallic stench of blood overwhelming.
What was that smell—
The swordsman’s entire blood energy surged simultaneously. Suppressing the deep pool burial beast had not caused such a loss of control in his energy channels. He seized the sword weapon behind him, but the youth who had sprung from the ground kicked him sharply in the side of the face.
In an instant, the youth spun and dove into the pool.
The swordsman bent forward to pursue, condensing sword formations between two fingers. His uncontrollable energy burst through his channels.
“Gu Qi, what was that just now—” Jiang Xingfeng rushed over and stopped abruptly, seeing the swordsman wipe the blood from his face. Then he stared at the faintly elongated fangs at the swordsman’s mouth corner, his face drained of color. “Gu Zizhou, your teeth have grown!”