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

174: Chapter 174: First Test of Skill and Whispers of the MistWithin the Sword Nurturing Pool, the Sword Qi gradually calmed, no longer boiling. Nangong Xuan stood in the pool and slowly opened his eyes.

His eyes were no longer pure Nirvana darkness, but deep as a Star Abyss, with countless fine silver lights flowing within. This was the manifestation of the preliminary Fusion of the extremely sharp Cutting Law and his Origin Nirvana Sword Intent. With a slight movement, the bones and muscles throughout his body produced light sounds like the clashing of metal. Surging power flowed ceaselessly through his Meridians, and his cultivation had surprisingly stabilized at the peak of the Late Golden Core Stage, only a step away from the Nascent Soul!

What surprised him even more was that the Innate Sharp Metal Barrier had completely fused with his Physical Body, becoming indistinguishable. At this moment, beneath his skin, it felt as if a layer of liquid white gold was flowing. With a thought, subtle dark-gold glimmers containing ancient sword patterns would surface on his body’s exterior, providing astonishing defensive power. His understanding of the Dao of the sword, especially his comprehension of ”severing” and ”destruction,” had reached a brand-new height.

He looked down at his reflection in the pool; that ”shadow hunter imprint” still existed deep within his Dantian, suppressed and isolated by his newly born power. Although it hadn’t been eliminated, it could no longer stir up trouble.

”Power... is sufficient!” Nangong Xuan clenched his fist, feeling a strength within his body he had never experienced before. His gaze was as sharp as a divine weapon about to be unsheathed. He felt no joy after his Breakthrough; his heart was filled only with worry for the situation of his wife and child.

He leaped out of the Sword Nurturing Pool. His clothes had already turned to ashes during the previous transformation, but with a slight thought, sword patterns flowed over his body, and a set of dark-gold robes condensed from pure Sword Essence and Sharp Metal Qi covered him. Though not a physical object, it offered more protection than ordinary dharma robes.

He looked again at the three sets of remains and the floating fragments of the dao cutting sword, performing a respectful deep bow. This Opportunity was all thanks to the Senior. He did not take any relics; this place should be the Senior’s final resting place and should not be disturbed. That Legacy and those insights were already priceless treasures he could use for a lifetime.

Immediately, he took out the ”phantom star key” that continued to grow hot, sinking his Divine Thought into it to sense with all his might.

This time, the Perception became much clearer! Although he still couldn’t pinpoint the exact location, he could vaguely sense that Su Muxue and Lin Mo were roughly in the northwest direction. Their auras were extremely weak, like candles in the wind, and they seemed to be in a bizarre state of constant movement and occasional stagnation. The surrounding environmental energy was chaotic and dangerous, completely different from the vast Sword Intent of this Deep Abyss.

”Bewitching Sword Fog Forest...” Nangong Xuan remembered the marking on the map, his eyes turning cold. He had to rush there immediately!

He no longer hesitated. With a flash of his body, he appeared at the cave entrance. Looking at the still violent and chaotic Sword Intent force field and the Deep Abyss of Evil Qi opposite him, there was no fear in his eyes.

He pointed his fingers like a sword and lightly slashed at the Void Realm ahead.

”Nirvana, Returning to the Void.”

A thin black scar, several times more condensed than before and with even more silver light at its edges, appeared quietly. It silently sliced through the chaotic energy field ahead, opening a brief passage.

Nangong Xuan’s figure was like lightning, instantly shooting into the passage. His speed was many times faster than when he arrived! Wherever he passed, the stray Sword Qi that attacked before even getting close was ground to dust by the Sword Intent barrier naturally flowing around him.

In just a few breaths, he had crossed the Deep Abyss and landed steadily on the opposite shore. Looking back, the crack slowly closed.

With the increase in strength, the natural chasm had become a thoroughfare!

Without stopping, he followed the direction sensed by the star key, turning into a dark-gold light that was difficult for the naked eye to catch, racing toward the Bewitching Sword Fog Forest. His speed was far beyond before, leaving behind only a faint, heart-palpitatingly sharp Sword Intent along the way... Deep within the Bewitching Sword Fog Forest.

Su Muxue hid in a tree hollow, doing her best to absorb the weak energy converted from the chaos star core to heal her wounds. This energy could alleviate her injuries, but the speed was too slow. The pain of the Blood Burning Backlash and the tearing of her Divine Soul still clung to her like maggots on a bone, constantly torturing her.

What made her even more uneasy was that this fog forest seemed to be more than just about losing one’s way.

Wuwuwu—

From within the surrounding thick fog, indistinct whispers and wails began to drift. Those sounds did not come from pursuers but acted directly on the Divine Soul, filled with resentment, unwillingness, temptation, and madness, as if they were the manifestations of the remnant thoughts of countless Sword Cultivators who had fallen here.

These Whispers of the Fog Nightmare tried their best to stir up the negative emotions in Su Muxue’s heart, amplifying her pain and despair, tempting her to give up resistance and merge into this eternal mist. She had to divert a portion of her already fragile mind to guard her Spiritual Platform and resist this invisible erosion.

”Hold on... Brother Xuan will definitely come...” she told herself repeatedly; this was the only belief supporting her.

However, misfortunes never come singly.

Perhaps it was because the Star Core’s continuous conversion of the fog forest’s energy caused some kind of change, or perhaps her life force attracted the ”denizens” of the fog forest.

Sss—

Accompanied by a hair-raising friction sound, the mist outside the tree hollow began to condense, turning into several bizarre, translucent tentacles composed entirely of greyish-white mist and chaotic Sword Intent. Like venomous snakes, they silently probed into the tree hollow!

These Fog Nightmare Tentacles emitted a cold, bloodthirsty aura. Their target was surprisingly Su Muxue, who was currently healing, and the chaos star core that was emitting special energy fluctuations!

Su Muxue was startled awake. Sensing a fatal crisis, she forced her remaining Taiyin Star Power and waved her hand to create an ice wall to block the cave entrance.

Crack!

The ice wall was instantly shattered by the Fog Nightmare Tentacles! Their attacks actually contained chaotic Sword Intent and were extremely sharp!

Su Muxue’s face was deathly pale as she stumbled back, leaning against the cold inner wall of the tree hollow, a flash of despair in her eyes. Just after escaping her pursuers, she encountered another dead end. Was heaven truly going to destroy her?

Just as the Fog Nightmare Tentacles were about to touch her—

In her arms, the chaos star core, which had been slowly converting energy, seemed to sense this extreme malice and threat. The Chaos light at its Core flashed violently once again!

This time, it no longer converted energy but suddenly released an extremely brief yet incredibly pure—Chaos Shockwave!

Silent and soundless!

The moment those Fog Nightmare Tentacles were swept by this Chaos power, they were like snow thrown into a fire; their structures instantly collapsed, turning back into disordered mist, and the remnant thoughts of chaotic Sword Intent within them were directly erased!

Even the whispers in the surrounding thick fog seemed to have their throats gripped by an invisible giant hand, suddenly becoming silent for a moment!

This sudden change left Su Muxue and the pursuers, who were cautiously searching not far outside the tree hollow, simultaneously stunned... Nangong Xuan, who was rushing over at high speed, suddenly sensed an extremely brief but exceptionally strong Chaos fluctuation coming from Su Muxue’s direction through the phantom star key. Immediately after, her aura rapidly weakened again!

”Mu Xue!” Nangong Xuan’s heart tightened, and his speed soared once more. His Sword Intent surged to the heavens, tearing through the mist without concealment, crashing toward the sensed location like a shooting star!

His arrival, along with that unconcealed and powerful Sword Intent, instantly startled all the beings within the fog forest.