C2 Sword Blood Inheritance

A somewhat heavy voice reached Yuan Ling's ears.

"The two of us have been preparing with all our might for ten years. I'm confident that we've gone undetected."

The voice was hoarse and low, reminiscent of someone suffering from a cold. It struck a chord of familiarity with Yuan Ling, yet he couldn't quite place who it belonged to.

His curiosity now fully aroused, Yuan Ling took a deep breath, squatted down, and cautiously concealed himself.

"Excellent. The Saintess herself will oversee this critical endeavor. There can be no slip-ups. Should we succeed, your contributions will certainly be recognized."

"Rest assured, sir. The children being baptized are under the direct supervision of the old Village Chief. That old fellow is merely a Perfection Stage martial artist, hardly a concern for us."

"But we mustn't be negligent. We've failed before, and another failure means waiting another decade. This time, with the Saintess at the helm, failure is not an option."

It was then that the low, raspy voice interjected, "Sir, is the Divine Sword truly here?"

"The Yuan family are descendants of ancient survivors, tasked with guarding this Sealed Land. A millennium ago, the Emperor Sword vanished into the heavens, and the Sealed Land disappeared with it. It took a thousand years to relocate this place, but to break its seal, the Divine Sword is essential."

Yuan Ling, listening intently, slowly peered out.

The speaker was a man clad in a thick cotton coat, his eyes occasionally glinting with a fierce light.

"Why bother with all this effort when our alliance is so formidable? Can't we just storm in?"

The question came from another man, slightly stout, with a low, gravelly voice that Yuan Ling found oddly familiar.

"Hmph! What do you know?

The Divine Sword is the premier Divine Artifact of the wilds!

Forged by the Supreme Expert of the Sword Dao, the Sword Sovereign himself, it is the most revered of its kind throughout history. Endowed with its own sentience and immeasurable power, without the Divine Sword's acceptance, even the Alliance Master's direct intervention would prove futile."

Legend has it that an ancestor of the Yuan family was once fortunate enough to be accepted into the Sword Pavilion for cultivation and received the legacy of the Sword Sovereign. His prowess was immense, which is why only their bloodline descendants could gain the recognition of the Divine Sword. Otherwise, we wouldn't have invested so much time in preparing our plan.

"Alright, the Saintess will arrive tomorrow. The two of you must proceed with the utmost caution. We can't afford any mishaps at this juncture."

"Yes, we will be vigilant!"

The slightly overweight man with the raspy voice responded, not daring to waste any more words. He turned and quickly vanished into the snowy landscape.

The other man, bundled up in a thick cotton coat, remained in place, motionless. After about the duration of an incense stick burning, he turned his gaze towards the dense woods and a cold smile spread across his lips.

"No need to hide any longer. Come out."

His eyes were chillingly cold and dark, sending a shiver down Yuan Ling's spine.

He was acutely aware of two piercing stares fixed on his hiding spot.

"I've been discovered!"

A sense of dread filled Yuan Ling. Clearly, these two were in cahoots and harbored ill will towards the Yuan family.

Having stumbled upon their scheme, he knew they would want to silence him for safety's sake.

"Run!"

Yuan Ling was no fool; he realized they were intent on taking his life.

With no other options, he had to flee.

Without a moment's hesitation, Yuan Ling burst from his hiding spot and sprinted towards the edge of the forest.

The Rushing Thunder Nine Swords Heart Technique kicked into overdrive, propelling his speed to its peak.

Despite not having unlocked a single meridian, his velocity had significantly improved upon activating the Heart Technique.

In just a breath's time, he had already dashed a distance of ten to fifteen feet.

This speed was nearly beyond those who had opened two or three meridians.

"Just a fledgling, not a single meridian open, and yet you run quite fast!" the man in the thick coat remarked. With a swift motion, he materialized above where Yuan Ling had been concealed.

"Keep running! I want to see just how fast you can go."

The man, observing Yuan Ling's rapid pace, watched with a mocking glint in his eyes.

Yuan Ling exerted all his might, yet he couldn't shake off his pursuer.

Contrarily, with just a slight sway, the chaser closed the distance before Yuan Ling could get a clear look.

"Damn it! Even with just one meridian open, my chances of survival should be greater, but now..."

Yuan Ling's face turned ashen, his heart brimming with fear and defiance.

Even with a single meridian open, the assistance of Genuine Qi should have at least doubled his speed.

But at this moment, his adversary was nearly on top of him, a mere three to five steps away.

This was even with the other intentionally allowing him some leeway to escape.

"Little guy, I think you've had enough fun," the pursuer said, as the playful malice on his face gave way to a glint of cold intent in his eyes.

He extended a finger and nonchalantly pointed towards Yuan Ling's back.

In a flash, a seemingly transparent, dark blue force struck out towards him.

The qi strength was unleashed!

Yuan Ling caught a glimpse of this and felt a chill run down his spine.

He was facing a formidable warrior who had tempered his body beyond the first level of the Physical Body Stage!

An intense killing intent washed over him, and the chill of impending death swiftly enveloped him.

In that instant, driven by the threat of death, all his strength surged, focusing intensely into his legs.

Crack...

A sharp sound echoed from within him, followed by an unexpected rush of warmth flooding his legs.

Thump!

Yuan Ling's feet pushed against the ground, kicking up a spray of snow as he transformed into a fleeting shadow, darting forward.

His speed surged, more than doubling.

"My meridians have opened!"

There was no time for Yuan Ling to savor the moment. He immediately rolled upon landing, propelling himself out of the forest.

"Unexpected, you managed to evade that. But what does it matter? You're still going to die here today!" the man said with an indifferent chuckle after seeing Yuan Ling's escape.

With another swift movement, he reappeared just outside the forest and, with yet another sway, he materialized in front of Yuan Ling, turning to face him with a mocking gaze.

Yuan Ling halted, his eyes locked intently on his opponent.

Inwardly, he was bitterly lamenting. Even though he had finally managed to open his first meridian, it was of no use at the moment.

The opponent was simply too powerful!

Yuan Ling was utterly outclassed in terms of cultivation level. With such might, he could be crushed by a mere flick of the finger.

Now, it didn't matter that he had only one meridian open; even opening several more would be futile.

The adversary lifted his finger once again, a mocking smile still playing on his lips as he aimed at Yuan Ling's forehead.

Qi strength converged at his fingertip, the blue energy pulsating unpredictably.

It resembled a venomous dark blue snake, poised to strike.

Swoosh!

The snake lunged!

"No, I refuse to die! I won't accept this!"

Suddenly!

An intense white light burst forth, transforming the world into a blinding white expanse. Every detail was melted into the brilliance.

Yuan Ling instinctively shut his eyes tight.

Boom!

The sound was deafening, like thunderclap right beside his ear.

Simultaneously, it felt as though a colossal object had plummeted from the heavens, crashing down beside him.

A fearsome power flung him into the air.

Yuan Ling felt as though he had been hammered by a giant mallet, his body nearly shattering.

It took a considerable time before his vision began to clear, the white receding and his hearing slowly returning from the overwhelming roar.

"I'm actually still alive!"

Yuan Ling struggled to his feet, ecstatic.

"I'm actually still alive! I'm alive..."

Suddenly, Yuan Ling snapped back to reality, searching for the formidable warrior.

"What is this..."

His eyes widened in shock as he took in the sight before him.

A massive black stone tablet, several meters tall, stood next to him, surrounded by a crater several dozen meters across and two to three meters deep.

He was standing right in the middle of the crater created by the stone tablet.

The trees and snow within the crater had vanished, leaving only the dark brown earth exposed.

Aside from himself, unscathed, the crater was empty.

The fate of the powerful warrior was clear.

Yuan Ling gazed at the stone tablet before him—it had saved his life.

"Sword Tomb!"

On the massive stone stele, there were only two intricate and enigmatic characters. They belonged to an extremely ancient and complex script that, to Yuan Ling's knowledge, was unprecedented elsewhere.

Together, the ancient characters and the stone stele radiated an extraordinary sense of age and gravity.

It was as though they had emerged from the depths of history itself. Despite appearing pristine and new, they bore the profound weight of the past.

"These are the ancient characters of my Sword Blood Clan..."

Yuan Ling fixated on the characters as though he were witnessing two unparalleled sword masters materializing before him.

Almost instinctively, he began to commit them to memory.

He endeavored to etch the ancient characters of the Sword Blood Clan firmly into his mind.

Yet, these characters seemed to possess a magical power.

As he attempted to memorize them, Yuan Ling's consciousness felt as though it was being engulfed, as if plunging into an endless abyss, drawn inexorably towards the characters.

Startled, Yuan Ling struggled to break free, but the more he fought, the deeper and faster he sank.

The characters on the stone tablet began to glow. As the stone trembled, Yuan Ling sensed the whole world quaking in tandem.

It seemed as though they were on the verge of surging into his forehead.

A piercing pain throbbed at his brow, as if it were about to split, while his eyes ached intensely, threatening to burst.

Unspeakable pain spread throughout his body.

Yuan Ling realized that his essence, energy, and spirit were utterly captivated by the characters on the stone tablet, and the sensation of losing consciousness grew increasingly strong.

Boom!

A thunderous explosion echoed in his mind.

Yuan Ling lost consciousness. The last thing he saw was the characters on the stone tablet shining brightly, transforming into a radiant sword light that surged into his forehead.

Then, his mind was enveloped in darkness...

"Descendant of the Sword Blood Clan confirmed...

Meridians have been opened...

Basic recognition requirements satisfied,

Initiating recognition,

Activating the Sword Aperture for the host..."