In fact, the biggest challenge that Zhang Ruochen faced right now was not to comprehend the Precepts but to knit the Lesser Precept World.
Before this cultivation session, he already had nearly 7 million Precepts in his body, almost fulfilling the requirement of Nine-Step Saint Kinghood.
With his present rate of Precept comprehension, he could at least conceive 100,000 Precepts a year. He expected that the number of Precepts in his body would surpass the 7-million mark in a few years.
But having Precepts only was not enough. Knitting these Precepts into Lesser Precept World was crucial. It was the foundation that had a significant influence on cultivating Precept Domain and even forging immortal saint bodies.
For this reason, he was very careful at such an important stage. He would rather not ascend to Nine-Step Saint Kinghood if he could not knit a perfect Lesser Precept World.
While everyone was feeling tense and busily preparing for battles, a red shadow was meander inside the Sword Vault Palace.
This person was none other than Luo Yi.
Since Zhang Ruochen and others had entered the closed-door cultivation, Luo Yi started to roam around Lord Ming’s Sword Vault Palace. Because of Zhang Ruochen, none of the Zhengyu cultivators stopped him.
Coupled with this emergency time, no one would bother about him.
Luo Yi evaded the Zhengyu Clan’s guards and came to an ancient site.
The Sword Vault Palace was akin to a world on its own. It had a vast interior space. Some places, which even the Zhengyu Clan had no good knowledge of, were filled with dangers.
“I knew it. Luo Yi is indeed very suspicious!” A cold light flashed in Bao Lie’s eyes.
Ever since Zhang Ruochen mentioned things about Luo Yi, he had been keeping an eye on Luo Yi. Now he had finally found out something.
Instead of preparing for battle, Luo Yi roamed around inside the Sword Vault Palace and even entered some mysterious areas. Something was definitely wrong with Luo Yi, no matter how he looked at it.
“I would like to know what you are up to.” Boa Lie did not want to alert him but observe him in the dark.
He figured that he did not want to do anything about him first before he could have something on him.
But as soon as he found out that Luo Yi could threaten Zhang Ruochen’s safety, he would not hesitate to kill him.
Walking on the black sword mountain, Luo Yi could not help but fall into thought. “Countless swords and sword cultivators have been buried inside the Sword Vault Palace, and what is in here is only the Precepts of Sword. This is weird. Could the legend be true?”
It was hard to find a place as weird and mysterious as the Sword Vault Palace in all the macroworlds in the universe, let alone in the Kunlun Realm.
The Sword Vault Palace had been the most mysterious place in the Kunlun Realm all along, and in existence since time immemorial. Probably not even a god could fathom the secrets hidden within it.
“Legend has it that the Sword Vault Palace is the tomb of a taboo figure. If this is true, I might find something if I am lucky,” Luo Yi whispered to himself while walking.
After a few days of investigation on the Sword Vault Palace, he got the feeling that the legend was true. Otherwise, how could it explain a strange place like this?
“Right now, security is the laxest inside the Sword Vault Palace. I have got to seize this opportunity and hope I can find something. If not, it would be too late when those Immortal Vampire idiots get in.” Luo Yi’s eyes were gleaming with powerful spiritual power.
Once inside the mysterious area of the Sword Vault Palace with no one else around, he had nothing to worry about.
That is a powerful spiritual power. There is more to this man than meets the eye! Bao Lie was quietly shocked.
He had practiced cultivation in the Nether Dungeon for eight hundred years. Although not majoring in spiritual power, at 59-order, he was not a weakling in this field. Otherwise, he would not have fought off the Shi Mingyuan-embodied monster at Level 15.
But now he suddenly found that Luo Yi’s spiritual power was more powerful than his. Judging by this alone, he could not be more careful in dealing with him.
He had no choice but to conceal his spiritual power and Precept Domain, lest Luo Yi detected him.
After spending a few years inside the cold volcano, Lu Huaiyu and a few alchemy grandmasters of the Sword Sanctum finally embedded the Violet Godstone on the hilt of the Ancient Abyssal Blade. The two were a perfect match.
Zhang Ruochen was very pleased.
I already have over seven million Precepts in my body, and could ascend to Nine-Step Saint Kinghood. But how should I form the Lesser Precept World? Zhang Ruochen was deep in thought as he looked with his mind’s eye at the Precepts flowing in the Heavenly Stream.
It was easy to knit an ordinary Lesser Precept World. But that kind of strength would be weak. It could impact his subsequent cultivation. So this was not acceptable.
He needed to incorporate his personal situation to knit a special Lesser Precept World. As for how to do it, he needed to think it over and not rush it.
On the Black Wilderness, several thousand miles away from Lord Ming’s Sword Vault Palace, two shadows, one tall and one short, zoomed past at warp speed.
They were none other than Sikong the Elder and Sikong the Younger, who had received a message from Zhang Ruochen and were now hurrying over from Brahma Path, Western Region.
“Wait a second!”
Sikong the Elder suddenly stopped in tracks.
Sikong the Younger followed suit and was puzzled. “What’s wrong? We have got to hurry to Lord Ming’s Sword Vault Palace. Master Zhang is waiting for us.”
Sikong the Elder rolled his eyes at him. “I know that. But didn’t you read Master Zhang’s message? The Immortal Vampires are surrounding Lord Ming’s Sword Vault Palace now. If we go there just like this, those Immortal Vampires would have torn us to pieces before we could see Master Zhang.”
“Then what should we do?” Sikong the Younger scratched his head anxiously.
Sikong the Elder put his hand to his chin and thought about it seriously.
“I don’t know,” he said after a long while.
Sikong the Younger, whose face had darkened, became even darker.
Yet Sikong the Elder chuckled. “It is still not too late to think of a way after we see the situation at Lord Ming’s Sword Vault Palace.”
Having no better idea, Sikong the Younger could only listen to what Sikong the Elder said.
The army of the immortal Vampires had sealed off an area with a several-hundred-mile radius around Lord Ming’s Sword Vault Place. Unless the Immortal Vampires let them pass, not a fly could enter Lord Ming’s Sword Vault Palace.
When Zhang Ruochen and others were coming to Lord Ming’s Sword Vault Palace earlier, Nine-Eye Heavenly Lord and gangs would have stopped them if not for Baihuan Shenzi and Ji Fanxi.
“Terrifying. That army of the Immortal Vampires gathered outside Lord Ming’s Sword Vault Palace is terrifying. We will be dead if caught.” Sikong the Elder got chills.
“We have got to deliver the Dreadblade to Master Zhang, no matter what, even if we have to fight to the death,” said Sikong the Younger.
Sikong the Elder knocked his mate on his bald head. “Fight to the death? I am not ready to die yet. Besides, do you really think we could make it through by fighting to the death? You idiot!”
“Then what should we do?” asked Sikong the Younger with a darkened face.
Sikong the Elder rolled his eyes. “What else could we do except for sneaking past them? The Immortal Vampires could not have sealed off an entire place as vast as Lord Ming’s Sword Vault Palace. There must be some loopholes. Besides, we have got the scent-concealing treasure from our master. It will not be so easy to detect us.”
He paused for a second, then continued. “If possible, we had better kill a few Immortal Vampire elites, then Master Zhang will surely be pleased. Let me think of a way to catch them by surprise!”
Just when Sikong the Elder was rummaging in his mind, Sikong the Younger pulled him by his monk’s robe.
“What is it? Don’t you see I am thinking?” Sikong the Elder was not too happy.
Sikong the Younger pulled on his robe again. “We have been surrounded, brother.”
“Eh?” Sikong the Elder’s expression changed, and he almost jumped out of his skin.
He looked around and saw a circle of Immortal Vampires appearing. They had been surrounded indeed.
One minute he said the treasure of his master could make them less detectable and the next the Immortal Vampire had surrounded them. The slap in the face could not have come quicker.
Not that the treasure given by Master Indra did not work. It was because of their sheer bad luck, intruding into a stronghold of the Immortal Vampires. They had literally walked into the enemy’s trap.
“From where you two bald donkeys come? Why is that you two want to travel to Lord Ming’s Sword Vault Palace?” An Immortal Vampire commander shouted.
“Let us kill our way out, brother.” Sikong the Younger looked determined, his strength surging in his body as he was ready to strike.
Sikong the Elder put his hand to Sikong the Younger’s shoulder. “Hold your horses. Let me talk to them. Who knows, they will let us through?” he whispered.
Sikong the Younger had no word for it. Just when he wanted to say something, Sikong the Elder had stepped out with a broad smile on his fair and chubby face.
“We are mendicants from a small temple in the wilderness. We are here for alms. Misters, you all look like good persons. It will certainly do a great deal of good if you could grant us your kindness.
“Do I look like an idiot to you, Bald Donkey? Seize them!” ordered the Immortal Vampire commander.
The commander did not order for a kill as he thought that anyone coming outside Lord Ming’s Sword Vault Palace must be up to something. He figured he needed to apprehend and interrogate them first.
Seeing a group of Immortal Vampires lunging at them, Sikong the Elder’s expression changed. “It seems that talking nicely to you all doesn’t work. Do I look like an easy target to you all? Brother, let’s teach them a lesson.”
Before his voice trailed off, Sikong the Younger had struck, performing a Great Dragon Claw, the master skill of Path of Thousand Buddhas, sending the group of army flying backward.
Following immediately, he lunged at the commander, and before the commander could react, he crushed his skill with his dragon claw.
With just Five-Step Saint Kinghood, the commander could not stand a chance.
“You have taken another life again, Brother. May the Buddha have mercy on you. Amitabha.” Sikong the Elder glared at Sikong the Younger and shook his head.
Sikong the Younger could not give a damn. “Master has said it: to kill is to save a life. Besides, who else if not me?”
“Then what are you still waiting for? Kill them all!” hurried Sikong the Elder.
Sikong the Younger said not a word again. He made his move with such a swift and clean movement that none of the Immortal Vampire soldiers could escape from death.
“Amitabha.”
He did an obligatory chant after he had finished them off.
Sikong the Elder reached to grab him. “Leave this for another time! Run now!”
While speaking, he had grabbed Sikong the Younger and ran as if their tails were on fire.
