All over the ***Moon Shadow Sword*** Sect, dusk colored the sky.
Across the rugged mountains and fields, a fat old man with frosty temples carried a girl on a flying sword up a mountainside and stopped in front of a cave with a stone tablet that read "*Tomb*" at the entrance.
In the cave, countless dusty and rusted spiritual swords embedded in the mud could be vaguely distinguished. They were surrounded by white bones, all forming a desolate landscape.
Yun Xi, whose hands and feet were tightly bound with *Immortal Binding Locks*, and was being carried on Zhuang Yan's shoulders, turned and looked around. Seeing the bleak scene, she blinked, startled, then gulped before hurriedly saying, "Elder Zhuang, you see there is no point in me following you, right? You could let me go here. I don't have a flying sword. By the time I get back to **Night Tide Peak**, you'd be done with your business, so you don't have to worry about me telling the other Elders, yes?..."
"Haha..." Zhuang Yan chuckled. "Now that we're here, don't you want to see your eldest brother?"
Yun Xi had a deep feeling that she would probably die if she saw Yun Kunwu, and replied with a trembling voice. "I heard that Brother Yun is handsome and talented, and he successfully reached the *Nascent Soul* stage at only thirty years old. He is the pride of our Immortal Father. But look, I have never seen my brother in hundreds of years. Can I at least go back and dress up? I should make a good impression on Brother Yun, shouldn't I?"
"Don't worry. Kunwu will like you as you are."
Zhuang Yan answered with a smile and walked into the cave. On his shoulders, Yun Xi changed her expression and started struggling and cursing. "Ah... Damn it! Old man Zhuang! You put me down! When I get back, I'll tell my father about this and let him chop you to pieces!"
"You have to go back first to do that, hehehe..."
As the sunlight outside the cave gradually moved away from her, tears began to well up in Yun Xi's eyes. "Woo... Sister Pei! Big sister!... Help!!"
Yun Xi and Zhuang Yan's figures slowly disappeared inside the cave, and her cries for help were gradually obscured by the rock walls.
After walking along the mountain road in the dark for a while, the initially narrow passage suddenly opened up. Zhuang Yan slightly raised his right hand, and several white lights flew out from his sleeves, illuminating the space in front of him.
They were standing on the edge of a cliff, and below was a dense forest that felt like a place out of this world.
The top was sealed by rocks, and the sun, moon, and sky could not be seen. The dense forest was full of trees with strange shapes, and a small river ran through the forest from south to north. The most conspicuous thing was the countless broken spirit swords embedded in the ground.
These swords were distributed in a circle, and the closer a sword was to the center, the higher the quality and the status and cultivation level of its original owner. However, the swords that could be seen here, even the worst, were all used by famous cultivators who once dominated the **Immortal Realm**.
This was the first time Yun Xi was inside the **Thousand Sword Pool**, and she was shocked by the rows of amazing spirit swords. Just by staring at a sword for a long time, it was as if she could hear a special language, telling the sword life and its owner's experience.
Every notch on the swords, every smudge of rust and blood, had a story. She couldn't understand it, but she could see the images.
These swords seemed to have consciousness like living beings, with love and hatred.
"These swords..."
"Oh?" Zhuang Yan glanced at Yun Xi, who looked like she was in a trance, and said in surprise, "Can you understand these swords?"
"... What do you mean?
"Although your qualifications are average, the quality of your sword skill is outstanding." Zhuang Yan flew off the cliff with her and slowly walked toward the center of the dense forest. "It's a pity you're still far behind my disciple."
"..."
After walking for a hundred steps among the broken spirit swords around him, Zhuang Yan stopped by a sword with a completely black blade without any jade decorations. He put Yun Xi aside on the ground, then took out a bloodied clay figurine from his storage bag and placed it on one side of the sword.
"Kunwu, I made you wait for a long time. Over these hundreds of years, I have requested countless times for Yun Tianchong to reshape your physical body and release you from the **Sword Pool**, but unfortunately, he felt that you would still be a scourge even if you were released. No matter how much I pleaded, he would never agree to this matter."
"..."
"But on the journey to immortality, talent and aptitudes determine one's fate. Even the two old Immortals from the ***Bright Star*** Sect and ***Black Star*** Sect cannot match the blessings and talent you have. The road to immortality is long, and every cultivator wants to see the scenery at the top of the path. Unfortunately, I, as your Master, won't get to see it, but you can..."
Zhuang Yan appeared relieved and reached out to grasp the hilt of the sword. Yun Xi, who was lying on the ground, turned her head and shouted, "Wait!!"
"Third Miss, do you have anything else to say?"
"... Elder Zhuang, look, your disciple is about to regain his freedom. Shouldn't this be a little more festive? It's quite gloomy in here. Why not decorate it a little? Hang some red lanterns around, set a banquet or something, and wait for Brother Yun to come out. This will make him happy, right?"
"..."
Zhuang Yan rolled his eyes, grabbed the hilt, and infused the sword with spiritual power.
Streaks of greenish spiritual energy flowed from his ancient body like a stream of water, converging toward the hilt of the sword.
In the originally quiet forest, a strong wind stirred up suddenly, filling the air with an evil black aura, and the ancient swords stuck in the ground trembled as if they were afraid.
The mournful clangs of countless swords echoed in the mountains.
*Clang, clang, clang---*
Almost blown away by the sudden gusts of wind, Yun Xi screamed at the top of her lungs, but her voice was completely drowned out by the infernal noise of the swords.
Zhuang Yan's energetic appearance became dry and wrinkled as if he had suddenly aged dozens of years.
Because of that damn kid who threw the *Water Spirit Pearl* into the alchemy furnace, the evil pill was not completely refined, so he had to sacrifice his *Nascent Soul* life essence to fill in the gaps.
"My disciple! Follow your master's *Nascent Soul*!!"
As the strong wind intensified, the evil aura that soared into the sky, guided by Zhuang Yan's *Nascent Soul*, rushed toward the bloody clay figure that was set aside.
The clay figurine's skin and hair grew, and in a short while, it turned into a naked teenage boy with golden-white long hair.
Yun Kunwu slowly opened his emotionless crimson eyes, exhaled a blood mist from his mouth, and then glanced sideways toward Yun Xi. A burst of murderous intent in his eyes caused Yun Xi to hold her breath, not even daring to swallow her saliva.
But suddenly, his eyes changed to gentleness, and he whispered, "Master, you have made a big mistake. My father will never allow you to release me."
Zhuang Yan was taken aback for a moment, then asked, "Kunwu, look at this girl... Do you recognize your sister?"
Yun Kunwu raised his eyes, slightly surprised, but couldn't tell why he was surprised. He stood up and walked to Yun Xi. With a slight flick of his fingers, he loosened the ties on her hands and feet. "Master, since she is my sister, she is a descendant of the Sword Sect. Why are you treating her like this?"
Yun Xi was shocked. She didn't expect that Yun Kunwu would speak for her. Yun Yiyi had told her before that Yun Kunwu was imprisoned in this sword tomb because of a horrible deed, but why did he give her the impression he was actually not so bad?
Zhuang Yan also froze. "Kunwu?"
"Once, I was young and reckless, and I made a big mistake, so I was locked up here by my father to meditate on my misdeeds." Yun Kunwu sighed softly as he murmured, "It was not my intention to be released now. Master, you'd better go back and apologize to my father."
"..."
After he finished speaking, Yun Kunwu turned to Yun Xi and reached out to help her stand up. "Sister, I am sorry you suffered so much because of me."
Seeing him apologizing so sincerely, Yun Xi needed a moment to recover from the surprise. She then slowly reached out to hold his hand, stood up, and replied weakly, "Thanks?"
"You're welcome." Yun Kunwu replied with a smile, then walked back to the dark spirit sword in front of Zhuang Yan. "Sister, can you put two drops of blood on the hilt of this sword?"
"Why? What do you want to do?"
"There is a blood restriction on my father's sword. Unless your blood essence activates the restriction, my soul will not be able to return to the sword. As your elder brother, I hope you can help me lock myself into the sword again, okay?"
Yun Xi shrank back warily, looking at her brother's smile. She inexplicably thought of Sister Pei's brother. She had this feeling that her brother was very similar to Ye Anping, especially his figure and temperament.
She paused before asking, "What if I don't agree?"
After a moment of silence, Yun Kunwu laughed."Sister, you don't have to be so nervous. Tell you what... I can prove that I am not what you think."
Saying this, he turned to look at Zhuang Yan and narrowed his eyes.
Zhuang Yan was a little confused, but the next moment, although Yun Kunwu's body and arms did not move at all, a black sword light flashed directly past Zhuang Yan's left arm.
*Swish---*
His whole left arm suddenly fell to the ground into a pool of blood.
"Hiss--"
Zhuang Yan gritted his teeth and took a step back, covering his shoulder and looking at Yun Kunwu incredulously.
"Kunwu?"
There was no mercy in Yun Kunwu's eyes. "Master, since you have broken the rules of the sect, you must be punished. I am also a member of the Yun family, so naturally I am going to punish you for acting against the Sword Sect."
Then, he turned to look back at Yun Xi and said softly, "Sister, only two drops of your blood essence are needed to send me back to the sword, unless... do you also want to go against my father's wishes and release me now?"
Zhuang Yan half-knelt on the ground while covering his bleeding shoulder and gritted his teeth. "Kunwu, Yun Tianchong is in seclusion, trying to break through the *Void Returning* stage. Right now, the old man Tianxing is in charge of the big picture in the Sword Sect. You don't have to be this cautious."
"..."
Hearing this, Yun Kunwu paused slightly, and the smile on his face instantly vanished as he said, "Master, why didn't you say so earlier? You made me waste time like a fool with a useless girl?"
"Kunwu, if you don't ask, how can I know what you think?"
"You have been my master for so many years, but you still can't understand my thoughts. You are really not qualified to be my master, hahaha..."
He smiled twistedly, turned to look at Yun Xi, who was pale with fright and said with narrowed eyes. "You can forget what I just said. Since Father is in seclusion now, the situation has changed..."
"Hiss..."
Yun Xi took a deep breath and glanced at the black sword between Zhuang Yan and Yun Kunwu.
Yun Kunwu must have been afraid of her father coming over, so that's why he pretended to be gentle. In that case, what he just said about those two drops of blood essence sealing him back into the sword must be true.
With this in mind, Yun Xi rushed forward, bit her own wrist, and spread her blood over the dark sword.
Seeing this, Yun Kunwu quickly reached out to block it. "Wait!!"
But how could the blood be blocked with the hands? Two or three drops spattered the hilt of the sword, and in an instant, an evil aura came out of the sword blade and surged toward Yun Kunwu's body.
Yun Kunwu instinctively tried to dodge but was still caught by the evil aura, and he screamed miserably. "Uh--aaah--"
Zhuang Yan wanted to go forward to help, but when he stretched out his hand, he was blocked by the evil aura.
Seeing he was in a difficult situation, Yun Xi wiped her nose, rubbed the wound on her wrist, and smiled. "Haha -- you are such an idiot, it's time to be locked up for another few hundred years."
But as soon as Yun Xi said these words, Yun Kunwu's howls to the sky turned into a burst of loud laughter. "Uh-huh-hahahaha..."
?
Yun Xi was dumbfounded. "Huh?!"
Zhuang Yan also changed his puzzled expression. "Disciple, I brought her here just to use her Yun family bloodline to remove the restriction on your sword. Why bother to do all this?"
"Just for fun. Master, your left hand was useless anyway. Wasn't it better to cut it off? Haha..."
As he said that, Yun Kunwu, whose whole body was wrapped in a black spiritual energy, turned to look at Yun Xi again. Seeing the expression of despair on her face, a sinister smile spread gradually on his face.
Yun Xi stepped back slowly but after a few steps, she felt something poke her butt. She turned around and saw it was a silver-white spiritual sword. Without hesitation, she grabbed the sword's hilt and pulled it out with all her might.
She initially thought she had to use a lot of strength, but found that with just a slight pull, the sword immediately came out from the ground and fell into her hand as she also fell on her bottom because she used too much force.
When Zhuang Yan, who was holding his left arm next to him, saw this scene, he seemed a little shocked. Just as he was about to step forward to kill Yun Xi, Yun Kunwu raised his hand to stop him. "Oh? This is rare."
Looking at the two men's eyes, Yun Xi realized that she must have found a treasure, and she felt a little more confident. Holding the sword, she quickly stood up, looked at the two of them warily, and then...
"Damn it!! What the hell have you fathered, Dad?!!"
She turned around and sprinted back, leaving Yun Kunwu stunned.
Yun Kunwu shook his head, picked up his dark spiritual sword, and with one step, he instantly arrived in front of Yun Xi.
*Ding---*
As the sword light flashed, Yun Xi immediately lifted the spirit sword in her hand, but the force was so strong that she didn't have time to react at all. She flew backward, hitting another sword with her body, and coughed up a mouthful of blood.
"Cough... Damn..."
*Rumble---*
At this moment, debris suddenly fell from the ceiling of the cave, and a sound like a dragon rolling underground echoed throughout the cave. Yun Kunwu, who was slowly walking toward Yun Xi with his sword, stopped in his tracks and looked around, slightly confused.
"Master, what is this?"
"I think... it should be your other sisters who joined forces with the Sword Sect Elders to forcefully break down the restriction on the forbidden area. They are trying to break in and destroy your soul."
"What are the cultivation levels of the Sword Sect Elders now?"
"The highest is that old man Tianxing, in the late *Nascent Soul* stage."
"After all this time, that old geezer is still in the late *Nascent Soul* stage?" Yun Kunwu raised his eyebrows and said with disdain, "I remember when I was imprisoned here. Wasn't he also at the late *Nascent Soul* stage?
"My disciple, who among the cultivators in the whole world could match your abilities? In the four Regions, you are the only one who achieved the *Nascent Soul* at the age of thirty."
Yun Kunwu smiled slightly. "That's right, hahaha...Then, I'll wait here. Sister, there have been interesting things in the past hundred years. Why don't you tell me about it? Eh... why did you faint now? Didn't you only take one hit? I didn't even use my full strength, what a waste..."
Yun Xi, with her eyes tightly closed, cursed in her heart: *Ah, shit! What is your cultivation, and what is my cultivation? It really hurts...*
At the same time, she prayed: *Please, don't see me pretending to be dead!! Sister Pei!! Elder Tianxing!! Come and save me!! What kind of shitty bastard did that stinky old man spawn?!*
