Naturally, Lu Zhou did not think much about these swords as well.
The four of them walked forward.
The low-ranked cultivators noticed this problem as well. After looking around, they did not find any sword that they were satisfied with. Ordinary swords had to be nurtured and further tempered. It was too much trouble. Usually, the swords would be better further into the mausoleum.
Jiang Aijian walked as he said with a smile, “Old senior, I’m curious. Who made such a huge mausoleum, and who gathered so many swords? What are their objectives?”
Lu Zhou stroked his beard and said, “The so-called sword mounds are places where swords are buried. The lifespans of swords are longer than humans after all. As time went by, the people died while the number of swords increased. Those with too much time on their hands gathered them and made these sword mounds so that the swords would be refined, tempered, and nurtured.”
Qin Jun chimed in, “The Mausoleum of Swords is nothing. In the past, it’s said that in Great Yan’s Misty Forest, there’s a sword mound that holds ten thousand swords… It’s where the swords of countless Seven and Eight-leaf elite cultivators are buried. Their swords are all one in a million. They were buried along with the ten thousand swords.”
Little Yuan’er said grumpily, “A bunch of nutjobs.”
“They’re not crazy. I can understand them… If I’m going to die, I’ll gather all the good swords and bury them together. Nobody can defile my precious swords. I’ll set up a Grand Formation to protect them as well! Then, I’ll look for a million swords to be buried alongside myself. I’ll be buried standing in the middle of the sword mound. I’ll see who dares to covet my swords then,” Jiang Aijian announced.
II
11
“Uh… don’t give me that look. I’m just bragging… just bragging…” He chuckled before his voice trailed off.
The others stopped in their tracks. They looked at Jiang Aijian as though he was a lunatic.
Lu Zhou merely glanced at Jiang Aijian before continuing on his way. One of the three Sword Freaks… Jiang Aijian truly lived up to his name. Qin Jun said, “The Sword Formation inside the Mausoleum of Swords Sword is the Seven Terminal Sword Formation… It’s rumored to have been laid by powerful cultivators with the Seven Stars Landing as a reference. Who knows how many years have passed since then.”
“Seven Stars Landing?”
“It’s just something from the books… but the Sword Formation is indeed powerful. After all, it’s capable of forming the Seven Terminal Sword Formation. Low-ranked cultivators can never get into the core area of the Sword Formation, let alone take the Demon Sword,” Qin Jun said.
As soon as they finished speaking, they heard a wretched wail from the deeper parts of the Mausoleum of Swords.
The others looked in the direction of the noise.
“Someone’s there.”
“Let’s take a look.”
Jiang Aijian remembered Qin Jun’s words, and he hastened his steps. He was determined to get the Demon Sword. If it was taken away by Si Wuya, he would not be able to take it back.
The others moved quickly as well as the low-ranked cultivators followed closely behind.
Although they were nervous, when they thought about the possibility of coming across good swords deep within the sword mounds, they would feel exceptionally excited and invigorated.
As the saying went, ‘Men died for wealth while birds died for food’. If they wanted riches, there was no easy path to take. They had to continue forward!
Lu Zhou flew forward.
Jiang Aijian glanced at him and said with a smile, “Old senior…”
“What?” Lu Zhou asked as he flew.
“Nothing…”
Qin Jun was once again touched. He thought that Lu Zhou was kind to him and slowed down to accommodate his speed. Even at such an important time, Lu Zhou was still being considerate toward him.
The other low-ranked cultivators could only run on the ground. A short while later, the four of them flew deeper into the mausoleum.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Swords flew in the air.
When they looked up, there was no source of light.
“There are flying swords. We’re at the Sword Formation.”
Primal Qi flowed in the air as if some unique power was pulling it along. The flying swords were flying due to the airflow.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Many flying swords shot past them.
“There’s a body.”
With the scant amount of light, they could make out the corpse of a cultivator on the ground.
Jiang Aijian went over to examine it and said, “He’s recently dead…”
“A member of the Darknet?” Lu Zhou asked.
“A member of the Core Heart Sect…” Jiang Aijian replied.
“What’s a member of the Core Heart Sect doing here instead of cultivating his core?” Qin Jun asked.
“To be more precise, the Core Heart Sect isn’t the only one… The people from the Celestial Masters Sect, Hengqu branch, and the Seven Stars Villa are here as well! The Mausoleum of Swords has finally opened, how could they let this chance slip away?”
When Little Yuan’er heard this, she asked in confusion, “Master, is the Demon Sword really that powerful?”
“It’s one of the greatest heaven-grade treasures,” Lu Zhou replied. Then, he seemed to think that merely describing it as a heaven-grade item did not do it justice. He added, “It’s one of the best.”
That was a vague way to describe it. However, it was enough to describe the Demon Sword’s value.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
More swords flew in the air from the surging Primal Qi.
Jiang Aijian wore a faint smile on his face as he unsheathed Dragonsong. His sword shone with a brilliant golden light as the energy blade began to spin.
Bam! Bam! Bam!
More than ten swords were struck out of the air.
Jiang Aijian merely glanced at them, clearly disappointed, and said, “Yellow-grade?”
Dragonsong returned to its scabbard.
The fallen swords vibrated, wanting to return to the Sword Formation.
“Ah! So they must be destroyed! What a pain…” Jiang Aijian raised his hand.
At this moment, the cultivators who finally caught up exclaimed in surprise.
Someone laughed happily. “Yellow-grade! It’s a yellow-grade sword! I want it!”
“At least it’s graded!”
The cultivators picked up the swords before they could return to the Formation. “We were right to bring them here,” Jiang Aijian said.
Qin Jun said, “Those who got their swords and have no wish to die should get lost right now!”
“Thank you, senior!”
“Don’t thank me. Thank this old mister if you must,” Qin Jun answered.
The dozen or so cultivators bowed at Lu Zhou.
“Thank you, old mister!”
“Ding! Received genuine worship from 12 individuals. Reward: 120 merit points.”
There were also other cultivators who were not satisfied with yellow-grade swords. They continued to follow Lu Zhou and the others.
Bam! Bam! Bam!
Another loud explosion rang further down the path again. Lu Zhou stepped into the Sword Formation’s range as though it was nothing, activating his protective energy. He gauged the damage inflicted by the Sword Formation. It was not high. It could be blocked by his energy.
When Jiang Aijian saw this, he said, “Your control over your Primal Qi is truly amazing, old senior. I’m impressed!” Lu Zhou ignored him and continued walking forward.
In no time at all, they arrived at the deepest part of the Mausoleum of Swords.
The scene that greeted them shocked them.
There was a huge, towering tombstone with the top nearly disappearing into the ceiling. Dense rows of inscriptions could be seen on the stone.
The tombstone was shackled by eight thick chains in different directions. It stood there steadily in the center of the mausoleum. Swords of various sizes and lengths were scattered around the tombstone. The flying swords circling the tombstone were too many to be counted. They resembled a school of fish swimming in the sea.
It was these countless flying words that repelled the cultivators who wanted to get close.
About 100 cultivators were spread across all corners of the place as they stared at the tombstone.
Lu Zhou frowned and said, “Where’s the item that I want?” He was not interested in these swords at all. His goal was to obtain the final remnant piece of the Open Heavenly Writing scroll.
Qin Jun pointed at a dimly lit path in the distance. “That tunnel…”
Little Yuan’er noticed it as well. She said, “It’s a tunnel that leads to your family’s tomb…”
Jiang Aijian was taken aback. ‘This little ancestor’s words can make you choke. However, her words are true…’
Qin Jun said, “How’re we supposed to get there? The Seven Terminal Formation is blocking our way. It won’t be easy.”
Lu Zhou was thinking about this matter as well. There were too many flying swords in the Sword Formation. Also, they were powerful to boot. Unless… he used an Impeccable Card while he flew over. However, what if one card was not enough? What if there were other traps inside the tunnel?
At this very moment, the cultivators who were surrounding the tombstone charged toward the Sword Formation.
“Heed my orders! Take down the Sword Formation.”
“The newcomers… Stand back and get in line!”
‘Get in line?’
