Chapter 152: Sword Soul

Stepping onto this eighth-layer teleportation array, my vision blurred for a moment, followed by the sound of fierce howling winds ringing in my ears, so violent that it was difficult to keep one's eyes open. The temperature had plummeted to an extreme, and gasps of exclamation echoed continuously.

"Where is this? Why is the wind so strong!" Lin Feng heard the complaints of his Second Senior Brother, Qian Cai. At this moment, everyone was huddled together. The surrounding cliffs were buffeted by the gale, producing a terrifying wailing sound akin to weeping ghosts and howling wolves. This was a valley surrounded by mountains on all sides, and the fifteen disciples stood huddled at the foot of the cliffs, not daring to advance.

Once everyone had gathered their wits, they realized that while the gale chilled one to the bone, it did not harm the skin and could be resisted with spiritual power. However, at the same time, this terrifying, bone-chilling wind consumed spiritual energy at an astonishing rate, much like a pot of boiling oil set ablaze.

"Look over there!" someone shouted.

"What is that? A sword graveyard?" Lin Feng also noticed a strange sight several hundred feet ahead. Gale-force winds swirling across the sky whipped up multicolored radiances, forming a vibrant, dozens-of-feet-wide chromatic tornado.

From within this tornado, a magnificent and awe-inspiring sword Qi, carrying a proud detachment from the mortal world, vaguely emanated, instantly bracing the spirits of everyone present!

"Since you have arrived, enter the Sword Soul Graveyard and select your respective sword intents." A sallow-faced elder dressed in a gray robe, with his hair tied up haphazardly, walked out quietly from the vortex of the sword array, his dull, aging eyes gazing indifferently at the group of young people.

"Senior, is the Sword Soul Graveyard you speak of this gale-force sword array?" Feng Yiyuan asked, cupping his fists.

The old man snorted and slowly said, "Indeed. Did your masters fail to explain clearly? Truly, each generation is inferior to the last."

Feng Yiyuan and the others felt a jolt in their hearts, but they did not dare to ask further.

The gales whistled, and the massive sword array was just a hundred feet away. Two disciples who still did not understand what was happening attempted to soar into the air and charge forward.

The moment their feet left the ground, their bodies were like kites with broken strings, violently tossed up by the whirlwind, crashing repeatedly against the cliff walls. Before they could even open their mouths to cry out, the fierce wind swallowed their voices, and they plummeted down.

"Hmph, overestimating your capabilities." The old man sneered softly, walking slowly into the sword array before disappearing from view.

"Everyone be careful, there is something wrong here, do not fly—" Cang Bailang looked left and right, then stepped forward without yielding, taking the first lead. The violent whirlwind immediately surged toward him with a destructive momentum.

"Eldest Senior Brother!" Su Shenwu rushed forward, but the gale intensified instantly, blowing both of them back to their original spots in a flash, where they were caught by Qian Cai and the others.

"We cannot go together; we must take turns. The more people there are, the fiercer the wind becomes!"

Lin Feng realized this instantly and shouted to the crowd.

"Indeed! Who goes first?" Yu Xi glanced at him and continued, "This gale seems to be a test for us. No one can help another; let each rely on their own fate."

"I'll go!" Feng Yiyuan stepped forward, moving forward with extremely swift footwork that was even faster than the whirlwind. In the blink of an eye, he had reached several dozen feet away. However, immediately after, he resembled a thirsty traveler in a desert, moving forward step by step with immense difficulty toward the Sword Soul Graveyard. His robes fluttered loudly in the wind, and his long hair danced wildly.

Every step Feng Yiyuan took required prodigious effort, causing the spectators behind him to hold their breath in suspense.

Finally, just as he pressed within ten feet of the Sword Soul Graveyard, with a rip, the clothes on his body were completely shredded! Yu Xi and another junior sister from Furong Peak cried out in surprise and hurriedly turned their heads away.

"He made it, he made it!" Soon, everyone cheered in pleasant surprise. Only then did the two young women cautiously turn back, but Feng Yiyuan's figure was already out of sight.

"Junior brothers and sisters, cross over at maximum speed. Junior Sister Chen, Junior Sister Yao, the two of you go last." Cang Bailang gave a brief instruction, his figure darting out like lightning. With a single stride, he covered thirty feet before facing the fierce onslaught of the gale!

Similarly, at a distance of ten feet from the tornado-like sword array, he was left stark naked, his attire completely destroyed.

The next few did not cross over quite as smoothly. Lin Feng watched as several senior brothers reached the two-hundred-foot mark, their pace reduced to slow motion, taking two steps forward and retreating one, progressing with extreme difficulty. By the final ten feet, they were practically crawling across on their bellies.

It took the twelve of them a full half-hour to entirely enter the Sword Soul Graveyard.

"Two Senior Sisters, I have a few sets of clothes here. Would you like to borrow them temporarily?" Once everyone had left, Lin Feng suddenly asked the two of them.

"No need, we have spares." Yu Xi smiled, a faint blush unexplainably rising on her cheeks.

Yao Nianhe glanced at Yu Xi, then looked at Lin Feng, covering her mouth with a chuckle without saying anything.

"Ahem, then I'll head over first. Two Senior Sisters, please take care." Lin Feng's expression was slightly unnatural as he hurriedly employed the Rain-Treading Star-Plucking movement technique to charge toward the Sword Soul Graveyard.

"Senior Sister, he seems to care quite a lot about you, even proactively offering clothes. Ah, if only someone could treat me like that." Yao Nianhe deliberately pouted, putting on a grievance-stricken expression.

"Junior Sister, you've grown mischievous too. Have your eyes on some senior brother? Would you like me to help you?" Yu Xi smiled relentlessly.

"Hateful, Senior Sister, don't change the subject. Ah, look, look, he's about to reach it!" Yao Nianhe whispered excitedly.

Yu Xi felt a jolt in her heart and looked out. Lin Feng had already walked past that ten-foot mark. Without any suspense, the massive gale instantly tore his clothes to shreds, reducing them to powder.

"Ah!" Both girls cried out in alarm simultaneously. Yu Xi's face was flushed with red, yet her eyes were unwilling to look away. Yao Nianhe was likewise stunned. The two of them held their breath, watching Lin Feng move step by step toward the Sword Soul Graveyard. His muscular frame, brimming with masculine power, stood out with exceptional clarity in their line of sight, leaving the picture of a flawless male back completely exposed to their gaze.

"Tsk! You wicked girl, haven't you seen enough yet?" Not until Lin Feng entered the array did Yu Xi snap back to her senses, her face blushing crimson as she spat playfully at Yao Nianhe.

"Oh my, Senior Sister, you're jealous. I'm running away!" Yao Nianhe shifted her footing and darted off like a wisp of smoke, making it impossible for Yu Xi to pursue even if she wanted to.

At the same time, Lin Feng, having stepped into the Sword Soul Graveyard, faced the most difficult choice.

Inside this massive Sword Soul Graveyard, not a single human figure was present at the moment. All that existed were dozens of sword Qi phantoms of various shapes, alongside immense sword intent and sword Qi! Within this strange sword array, there was not the slightest trace of a gale. Colorful sword soul phantoms floated in the air, while incomparable, peerless sword Qi slashed wantonly across his body—inflicting the pain of a thousand cuts without harming his life.

Sword souls were the essence used to forge the strongest sword intent. Since everyone's cultivation path and worldly experience differed, their sword intents varied as well. For instance, Yan Dongjue's killing sword intent and Jun Wuji's gentleman's sword intent were both drawn from this very Sword Soul Graveyard.

For thousands of years, the supreme sword intents left behind by successive generations of experts of the Hundred Flowers Sect had been stripped from their swords by the Guardian Elder and gathered here for future generations of outstanding disciples to choose from. This was an important reason why this millennium-old colossal sect was able to flourish and prosper.

Slaughter, destruction, vastness, wrath, aloofness, dominance... Dozens of sword souls took turns circling around him, as if recommending themselves, or perhaps looking down upon this mortal. From time to time, wisps of sword Qi gently carved intersecting cuts and wounds across his body.

Suddenly, an epiphany arose in his heart. He opened his mind unreservedly, allowing the sword souls to probe back and forth. Boom! Three sword souls with immensely powerful auras vied to rush in: the red aura of slaughter, the white aura of vast righteousness, and the black aura of dominance. The three sword souls refused to yield to one another, instantly surging into his spiritual consciousness. They lingered for just a single breath before passing completely through his body.

In that instant, Lin Feng experienced a wondrous sensation, as if he were the only person left between heaven and earth, filled with the heroic ambition of holding a single sword and holding the entire world in contempt.

Just as he was about to savor this peculiar feeling, the scenery before his eyes shifted, and he was already standing inside a mountain cave, with his senior brothers smiling and looking at him.

"Quickly change into these." Cang Bailang tossed over a gray robe. Lin Feng chuckled and quickly draped it over his shoulders.

"I must say, my fellow brothers and senior sisters, the two junior sisters are about to appear. We had best keep our distance." Qian Cai pinched his chin and smiled sideways.

Feng Yiyuan nodded repeatedly, saying, "Indeed, everyone walk a little further inside. Once Junior Sister Yu Xi and the others arrive, we shall proceed to the Sword-Storing Chamber."

The group laughed and walked away, each ignoring the sword scars and wounds on their faces, their hearts filled with joy.

Lin Feng looked up. The walls of this cave were smooth and bright, with night-pearls embedded along both sides, and the passageway stretched endlessly into the distance.

"Eldest Senior Brother, does this lead to the Sword-Storing Chamber?" he asked curiously.

"Correct. Before you all arrived, that senior explained the situation to me. Straight ahead lies the Sword-Storing Chamber, and inside are precisely the spiritual artifacts we seek. We must wait for everyone to arrive before entering together," Cang Bailang said.

"Senior Brothers?" Right at that moment, Yao Nianhe's voice came from behind them.

"Junior Sister, have you changed your clothes?" Too embarrassed to turn back, Feng Yiyuan shouted toward the cave wall.

"Hehe, I'm not like you lot; I'm completely fine," Yao Nianhe said with a light chuckle.

"Huh?" The group was slightly stunned, immediately realizing the truth. Turning around, they saw Yao Nianhe standing at the head of the passageway, her garments completely intact.

With a flash of light, Yu Xi also appeared there, her attire likewise as normal as ever.

"Sigh, this is far too biased." Qian Cai smacked his lips.

The senior brothers exchanged wry smiles, and Cang Bailang gave a wave of his large hand. "Let's go! To the Sword-Storing Chamber!"

Following the passage deep within the mountain for about a thousand feet and crossing a pale golden magic array, the group arrived at an extremely spacious circular secret chamber.

The gray-robed elder sat serenely in the center of the chamber, while dozens of bizarrely shaped flying swords and spiritual artifacts hovered in mid-air, quietly awaiting selection.

The immense aura emitted by these flying swords penetrated straight to the bone. Every single one of them was breathtaking and mouth-watering: some shaped like flying snakes or bamboo leaves, others resembling crystals or strange horns. There were giant swords nearly a zhang in length, as well as exquisite, dainty short swords, and twin dragon-and-phoenix swords. Their colors varied as well, radiating brilliant lights with sword Qi flashing like luminescence. Aside from flying swords, there were also a few rare treasures—staffs, sabers, spears, pearls, and the like—though their numbers were few.

"This place is the top-secret forbidden ground of our sect. None of you may reveal a single word of it to anyone. The fifty-four spiritual artifacts remaining here are yours to choose from, each depending on your own affinity. No picking and choosing." The gray-robed elder opened his eyes and gazed deeply at the young people.

Eager anticipation appeared on everyone's faces as they looked up at the treasures, momentarily dazzled by the sight.

Even among top-tier spiritual artifacts, there were differences in quality, yet it was difficult to know which one suited oneself best.

No one could know the exact extent of these artifacts' power, but one thing was certain: any single one of them was far more precious than the items on the lower levels of the Xuanzang Pavilion, or else they would not have appeared here.