Transmigrating Into a Fantasy World: Signing in During Pregnancy, Reaching the Summit with My Childhood Sweetheart

153: Chapter 153: The Sharpening of the Edge and the Valley Mouth Sword SteleFacing the encirclement and foul language of five Golden Core Cultivators, Nangong Xuan’s eyes did not ripple in the slightest, with only a deep chill condensing like ten-thousand-year ice marrow. Su Muxue’s willow-like brows furrowed slightly; she did not grow angry at the provocation, but quietly put away the key of living beings. Taiyin Star Power circulated around her, transforming into a thin but opaque ice-blue shield—not for defense, but to block the other party’s nauseating Divine Sense prying.

”Seeking death!” Seeing the two remain silent, and especially Nangong Xuan’s attitude of completely ignoring them, the One-eyed Burly Man felt his dignity was damaged. He gave a violent shout and raised his Ghost-headed Greatsword, which was wrapped in a ghastly green, sinister blade light, as he was the first to hack forward! Everywhere the blade light passed, the air made a corrosive sizzling sound, clearly containing a potent poison.

The other four also launched their attacks simultaneously. Flying Swords, Poison Banners, Bone Nails, and Blood Claws—various sinister Magical Artifacts and Spells accompanied by ear-piercing shrieks—covered Nangong Xuan and Su Muxue from different directions. Their methods were ruthless, clearly the work of seasoned veterans accustomed to killing and looting.

However, facing this seemingly airtight siege, Nangong Xuan only slowly raised his right hand.

He held his fingers together like a sword.

There was no earth-shattering explosion of spiritual energy, nor any brilliant and dazzling Spell light. There was only a wisp of extremely restrained dark gold sword light that seemed capable of swallowing all light, quietly extending from his fingertips.

At the very moment those attacks were about to strike his body—

Buzz!

Time seemed to freeze for an instant.

In the next instant, a thin dark gold line centered on Nangong Xuan silently sliced through the surrounding space.

That line was as thin as a strand of hair and faster than a bolt of lightning, appearing as if it were merely an illusion left by a visual afterimage.

Pfft, pfft, pfft, pfft, pfft!

Five muffled sounds, so faint they were almost inaudible, rang out nearly simultaneously.

The One-eyed Burly Man’s forward-charging posture suddenly froze, and the cruel grin on his face solidified as his single eye filled with unbelievable horror. His Ghost-headed Greatsword, along with the arm he used to hold it, silently slid off from his shoulder. The cut was as smooth as a mirror, and not a single drop of blood flowed out; all vitality had been completely annihilated the moment it touched the sword light!

The four people behind him similarly maintained their attacking postures, standing frozen in place. A tiny dark gold dot appeared on each of their foreheads, hearts, or Dantians.

Crack... Crash... The spiritual light of their Magical Artifacts instantly dimmed, shattering into the most primitive fragments as they fell. Immediately after, their bodies were like sand sculptures weathered for ten million years; starting from the points where they were hit, they rapidly turned into fly ash and dissipated into the air.

Without even having time to let out a scream, the five Golden Core Cultivators, who were powerful enough to dominate the nearby area, were annihilated in both body and soul in an instant, as if they had never existed.

From the moment he struck to the end, it was but the blink of an eye.

Nangong Xuan slowly lowered his finger, and the dark gold sword light at his fingertip faded away. The aura around him did not even fluctuate significantly, as if he had only performed a trivial task. The efficiency of the slaughter and the terrifying power of the Nirvana Sword Intent after its Nirvana could be seen from this.

Su Muxue inhaled a soft breath of cold air. Although she had long known that Nangong Xuan’s strength had increased greatly, seeing such a clean and efficient erasure with her own eyes was still shocking. That was not an absolute crushing of power, but rather a complete negation of ’existence’ itself.

However, something eerie happened.

The fly ash left after the five Cultivators were annihilated did not scatter with the wind. Instead, as if drawn by some invisible force, it transformed into five wisps of extremely faint black Qi and was sucked into the mirror-smooth rock wall of the nearby Jijian Valley with a whoosh!

Upon the rock wall, seemingly imperceptible patterns flashed and vanished, and that cold, solemn aura of slaughter seemed to grow thicker by an extremely minute degree.

”Is this canyon... absorbing Death Qi and Evil Qi?” Su Muxue asked in surprise.

Lin Mo’s intent also came through with alertness: ”Father, Mother, this place is so wicked! The Divine Soul fragments of those people just now and the Evil Qi produced upon their deaths weren’t wasted at all; they were all ’eaten’ by this valley! It’s like a living, hungry devourer!”

Nangong Xuan’s gaze swept across the rock wall that had swallowed the black Qi, his eyes deep. He could feel that the purpose of Jijian Valley’s existence seemed to be to gather and refine endless slaughter and Death Qi.

”It seems this is no benevolent place; every step must be taken with caution,” Su Muxue said solemnly.

Nangong Xuan did not answer, but his attention was drawn to a giant rock on the other side of the canyon entrance. The rock was dark all over, the same color as the surrounding mountain walls. It had just been obscured by the escape lights of those five Cultivators and was only now revealed.

The surface of the giant rock was not naturally formed but was covered in dense carvings. Those carvings were not words, but rather crisscrossing sword marks of varying depths!

Every sword mark retained a completely different Sword Intent: some were sharp and overbearing, pressing forward indomitably; some were treacherous and varied, sinister and ruthless; some were steady and heavy, as unmoving as a mountain; some were light and elegant, elusive and unpredictable... In total, there were probably no fewer than several hundred kinds!

These sword marks overlapped and crossed each other, as if they were imprints left here by countless Sword Cultivators over countless years. Together, they formed a silent yet deafening Sword Dao Stele Forest!

In the very center of these chaotic sword marks, however, there was a small area that was exceptionally clean. There was only a single sword mark there.

A straight, bottomless sword mark that seemed to have been carved by the purest light!

Upon this sword mark, there was no complex Concept, only an extremely pure ’sharpness’!

An absolute sharpness that cut through everything, broke through everything, and used one blade to break ten thousand laws!

The moment Nangong Xuan’s gaze touched this sword mark, the Nirvana Sword Intent within his body involuntarily began to buzz again. It was not fear, but a kind of... excitement from encountering one of its own kind, or even a target worth cutting down!

This sword mark was from the same source as that pure Sword Intent that had flashed and vanished deep within the canyon just now!

Su Muxue also felt the specialty of that sword mark. With only a slight Perception, she felt a stinging pain in her Divine Soul, as if it were about to be sliced by an invisible blade. She hastily looked away, her heart filled with horror. The strength of the master who left this sword mark was likely far beyond imagination.

”These sword marks...” Su Muxue looked at the dense traces around them, ”seem like they were left by countless Sword Cultivators testing their swords, debating with swords, or even... falling with their swords here.”

”I’m afraid it’s not as simple as just leaving marks,” Lin Mo’s intent said with an analytical tone. ”Father, Mother, look closely at the ends of those sword marks, especially the dimmer and more ancient ones...”

Nangong Xuan and Su Muxue looked closely as instructed and indeed found that at the ends of many sword marks—especially those from long ago with restrained Concepts—there was actually a trace of extremely weak Essence Soul Evil Qi from the same source as the sword mark itself. It was firmly locked within the stone wall like an insect in amber, becoming a part of this Sword Stele and one of the nutrients nourishing this Jijian Valley!

Leaving a sword mark seemed to also mean permanently branding and sacrificing a part of one’s own Sword Dao intent, or even a remnant soul, to this valley!

This place was both a trial ground for Sword Cultivators and possibly a giant... Sword Tomb!

Just then, deep within the canyon, that pure Sword Intent flashed and vanished once more.

And this time, accompanying the appearance of the Sword Intent was an extremely weak yet ancient sigh filled with endless unwillingness and obsession, faintly carried over by the wind:

”...Latercomers... stop... this is... a place to fall... not a place to prove the Dao... return... return...”

The voice was ethereal and uncertain, filled with sorrow and warning.

However, this warning had the opposite effect.

Not only did Nangong Xuan not retreat, but he instead took a step forward, getting even closer to the giant rock covered in sword marks. His gaze was burning as he stared fixedly at that single pure sword mark in the center.

”A place to fall? A place to prove the Dao?” He murmured in a low voice, the corners of his mouth curling into an arc as sharp as a sword. ”At the peak of the Sword Dao, where is not a dangerous place? Where can the Dao not be proven?”

The Sword Intent in his heart had been completely triggered. The cruelty and eeriness of this Jijian Valley and the challenge of that pure sword mark did not make him fear; instead, they aroused a strong desire for conquest and a heart seeking proof.

His Nirvana Sword Dao needed to reach Perfection amidst thousands of tribulations. This place—this valley that gathered countless Sword Intents and was filled with endless Evil Qi—might just be the best furnace to temper his blade!

And as for that star key that was very likely related to this place, he was determined to get it!

”Mu Xue,” Nangong Xuan spoke, his voice steady and firm, ”I wish to enter the valley to investigate. The Evil Qi and Sharp Metal here have many restraints against you; you should find a safe place outside the valley to wait, just to be safe.”

Su Muxue knew well the suppression this place had on her; following him forcibly would instead make her a burden to Nangong Xuan. Although she was worried, she knew her limits even better and nodded, saying, ”Alright, be careful in everything. If there is any change, contact me immediately with the jade talisman.” She handed a Taiyin Transmission Jade Talisman to Nangong Xuan.

Nangong Xuan put away the jade talisman, took one last look at that central sword mark, and without further hesitation, turned and stepped into the entrance of Jijian Valley, which was filled with Evil Qi and shimmering Sword Intent!

His figure was instantly swallowed by the grayish-white evil mist pervading the valley.

Su Muxue’s heart tightened, but she quickly composed herself. Her figure flashed, transforming into a faint blue stream of light as she flew toward a nearby high-altitude stone peak, intending to open a temporary Immortal Cave there to both Cultivate to adapt to the environment and act as a Protector for Nangong Xuan.

The chaos star core naturally followed closely behind Nangong Xuan. Lin Mo’s intent was highly concentrated, operating the star core with all his strength to perceive all dangers and opportunities in the mist ahead for his father.

Upon entering the canyon, the surrounding scenery changed abruptly.

The light became dimmer, and the evil mist was so thick it almost couldn’t be dispersed. Within it was not only the Sharp Metal Qi that could tear the Physical Body, but also countless chaotic and violent fragments of Sword Intent and fragments of negative emotions! Countless minute roars, shouts, wild laughter, and wails from different eras directly struck the Divine Soul!

If an ordinary Golden Core Cultivator were here, they would likely be driven mad by this terrifying environment within moments or be torn to shreds by the chaotic Sword Intent!

Dark gold dao patterns flowed on the surface of Nangong Xuan’s body, completely isolating and annihilating the encroaching Evil Qi and mental shocks. His steps were steady as he walked deeper step by step, his Divine Sense like the most precise radar, carefully distinguishing the dangers hidden in the mist.

The ground beneath his feet was not soil but an incredibly hard metal mineral vein, covered in various marks from weapon hacks. Occasionally, some broken weapon fragments or long-weathered bones could be seen, silently telling of the cruelty of this place.

Suddenly!

Ssh!

From the thick mist on the left, a highly condensed blood-colored sword light shot out without warning, aimed straight at Nangong Xuan’s temple! This sword strike was tricky and ruthless, its speed extremely fast, and it even carried a sinister Soul-Devouring Power!

This was not an attack from a living person, but a powerful Sword Intent left here that, after absorbing enough Evil Qi, had transformed into an autonomously attacking Sword Evil!

Nangong Xuan didn’t even turn his head; he simply flicked his finger.

A wisp of fine dark gold sword light arrived later but struck first, precisely hitting the weak point of that blood-colored sword light.

Pfft! The blood-colored sword light was like a punctured bubble, instantly collapsing, and that trace of sinister Sword Intent within it was also turned into nothingness by the Annihilation Power.

But immediately following that, to his front, back, left, and right within the thick mist, dense light spots of various colors—numbering in the hundreds—lit up!

Those were countless Sword Evils formed by the combination of residual Sword Intent and Evil Qi that had been disturbed! They felt the aura of a living person and the powerful Sword Intent within Nangong Xuan’s body; like sharks that had smelled blood, they swarmed toward him!

In an instant, the sound of sword whistles tore through the thick mist as countless sword lights of different colors and attributes shot from all directions, forming a net of death that completely submerged Nangong Xuan!

Instead of fear, a raging Battle Intent ignited in Nangong Xuan’s eyes.

”Good timing!”

He gave a low shout and held his fingers like a sword as his dark gold Nirvana Nirvana Sword Intent erupted in full force!