Days passed, marked only by the rising and setting of the sun. He didn’t know exactly how many days had gone by—perhaps ten, perhaps half a month.
On this particular day, as the moon ascended, Ye Xuan lay on the grass, chewing on a weed. "So quiet. Is this loneliness?" he murmured.
Under the moonlight, absolute silence reigned. Aside from Ye Xuan’s soft whisper, the entire world was devoid of sound. There were no chirping insects, no singing birds, not even the whispering wind. It felt like a place completely saturated with solitude.
Suddenly inspired, Ye Xuan summoned a sword into his hand.
HUM!
The blade trembled. A sword struck from the west. This was the first stance of the Sixteen Sword Poem Techniques: One Sword Dances to Shock the Heavens.
In the past, whenever Ye Xuan executed this move, he could never follow it up with the second. But at this moment, as the first strike fell, the second rose. The original heaven-shaking Sword Intent suddenly shifted, turning somewhat icy. The transition was so abrupt, much like the dramatic peaks and valleys of a person’s life.
The second stance of the Sixteen Sword Poem Techniques: Loneliness Stems Only from Loathing Parting.
Previously, Ye Xuan had been unable to grasp the true concept behind this phrase. He used to think it was meant to emphasize loneliness. But he had been wrong. The true essence of this sword was having a heart of stone. Why was he so lonely? Because he loathed parting. Rather than facing separation, it was better to remain completely isolated, sealing the heart in iron so no one could ever get close. It was an intent that could only be comprehended, never adequately described with words.
Although the aura of this second sword was not as startling, its power surpassed the first. If the two moves were chained together and executed consecutively, they would be utterly impossible to defend against. The Swordsmanship transitioned far too quickly, mirroring its conceptual state of dramatic ups and downs. Even if an opponent managed to block the first strike, they would be doomed against the second.
BOOM!
A violent explosion rang out. The Sword Intent obliterated everything in the vicinity. Afterward, the world descended into tranquility once more.
Amidst the silence, a sudden burst of laughter echoed.
"Hehehe."
The giggle was crisp, much like a child’s. Ye Xuan’s pupils shrank as he whipped his head around. Two meters away, a silhouette had abruptly appeared on the surface of the lake. The figure stood upon the water without sinking. Under the cascading moonlight, Ye Xuan could vaguely make out that it was a woman. She had a graceful figure, the side profile of her peaks clearly visible in the dim light.
"Hmm? Who are you?" Ye Xuan asked, incredibly surprised.
The woman’s appearance was far too sudden and bizarre. She seemed to have risen straight out of the water. What put Ye Xuan on edge the most was that the surrounding air had grown frigid the moment she appeared. An icy and malicious aura lingered around them. Ye Xuan glanced around but spotted no other immediate danger.
"Huuu... ngry... huuu... ngry."
Instead of answering, the woman mumbled indistinctly. It took Ye Xuan a moment to realize what she was saying: she was hungry!
Ye Xuan raised an eyebrow. He wondered, "Could this woman be a member of the Gongsun Family who was thrown into the Forbidden Area ten years ago?"
For ten years, she had actually survived. Perhaps she had the foresight to pack plenty of rations in her Qiankun Bag. Shaking his head, Ye Xuan spoke up, "I have food here. Come and eat." He reached out his hand, revealing a large chunk of dried meat.
"Hehehe."
The woman giggled. In the next instant, her figure vanished. Just as Ye Xuan was feeling bewildered, the woman’s voice echoed from behind him.
"Hungry... hungry..."
He thought, "She is behind me!" Ye Xuan was astonished by her incredible speed. He wondered how she had done it. He turned around, fully intending to hand the dried meat over, only for his pupils to contract violently. Now that she was up close, he realized she wasn’t wearing any clothes! The twin peaks, the dark forest—every scenic detail was bared completely before his eyes. Perhaps it was a trick of the moonlight, but her body was terrifyingly pale.
Ye Xuan looked up at her face. Her gaze was dull and lifeless, her skin ghastly white. Her hair wasn’t black, but rather an eerie, bloody crimson. The blood-red locks cascaded over her shoulders, covering a large portion of her chest, yet this only made her appearance all the more seductive.
However, Ye Xuan wasn’t seduced in the slightest; instead, he sensed immense danger! He realized that the frigid, malicious aura was emanating directly from her. It sent chills down his spine. This woman didn’t seem human at all. Without hesitation, his right fist flared with dazzling light as he punched her squarely in the chest.
It felt very soft, but it was freezing cold. Her body was like a block of ice.
BAM!
With a muffled thud, the woman was sent flying backward like a kite with a snapped string, skidding ten meters before coming to a halt.
"Hmm? She doesn’t even know how to dodge? Is she dead?" Ye Xuan murmured. He had used his full strength in that strike; it should have been enough to shatter her heart meridians.
But in the next second, the woman stood back up as if nothing had happened.
"So hungry... so hungry..." she let out a hoarse growl before breaking into a sprint toward Ye Xuan.
Her running speed grew faster and faster until her body suddenly vanished once more. Ye Xuan couldn’t track her movements at all. From behind him, that malicious aura surged again. This time, an icy hand clamped onto the back of his neck.
Ye Xuan didn’t even turn his head. A mid-Spirit rank Treasure Sword materialized in his grasp, and he delivered a swift backhanded slash.
CLANG!
Sparks flew accompanied by a heavy thud. Ye Xuan’s sword actually failed to pierce the woman’s skin. Her physical body was absurdly tough! Without missing a beat, a twenty-meter Divine-Demonic Overlord Body instantly manifested around him.
Spinning around, Ye Xuan unleashed a black aura from his right hand and grabbed her by the throat. He channeled all of his Demon God’s Power into his grip, intending to snap her neck. Yet, no matter how much strength he applied, the woman didn’t react at all! It felt as though he wasn’t squeezing a neck, but a solid piece of supreme refined steel; he couldn’t compress it in the slightest.
"Hungry..." the woman repeated, breaking into a wide grin.
Under the moonlight, her two pronounced canine teeth glinted coldly, looking like a pair of peerless weapons. In the blink of an eye, she seized Ye Xuan’s arm. Even with the protection of the Divine Demon Statue, Ye Xuan’s hand let out a sickening CRACK under her grip. Her strength was monstrous, seemingly intent on crushing his arm into a pulp.
Greatly alarmed, Ye Xuan held nothing back.
Dragon Soul Power, erupt!
The world abruptly changed color. A Five-Clawed Golden Dragon appeared squarely above Ye Xuan’s head. Its scales, whiskers, horns, and claws were all incredibly distinct. The gaze of the Divine Dragon, in particular, was incredibly lofty, looking down upon all living beings. The Hundred-Foot Golden Dragon possessed boundless divine might.
This time, Ye Xuan didn’t activate the Hidden Dragon Technique, as there was no fear of exposing his secrets here. The Hundred-Foot Golden Dragon blotted out the clouds and the moon. The entire Secret Realm was bathed solely in the endless golden light radiating from the dragon. Soon after, the Golden Dragon shrank, transforming into a two-meter dragon-shaped shield that enveloped Ye Xuan within. The Dragon Soul could expand or shrink at will, completely under his control, but regardless of its size, the strength boost it provided to a Cultivator remained constant.
At this moment, Ye Xuan looked like a reviving Dragon God, exuding supreme majesty. Cloaked in the Dragon Soul Power, he felt as though he wielded the Power of Ten Thousand Juns.
"Die!"