As the chief representatives of the Taiyi Immortal Sect, the Heavenly Demon Gate, and the Coldwater True Spirit Sect, without exception, took a step back.
The negotiations between the three parties began once more.
This time, the pace of the negotiations accelerated significantly.
The representatives of the Taiyi Immortal Sect and the Heavenly Demon Gate abandoned their third, fourth, and fifth conditions, retaining only the first and second.
Meanwhile, the Coldwater True Spirit Sect made a slight concession regarding the unrestricted entry and exit of cultivators from Qingzhou to the overseas regions, agreeing to this condition.
Of course, the monopoly over overseas cultivation resources and the control of spirit stone prices for various marine resources were non-negotiable.
Otherwise, how could the higher echelons of the Coldwater True Spirit Sect face their ancestors in the future?
...
Naturally, these major decisions, which determined the life and death of millions of cultivators in the two regions of Qingzhou and the East Sea, held little significance for individuals like Wu Tao, whose status was not high enough to participate in council decisions or voice their opinions and determine their own fate.
Because even if you knew, what could you do?
...
Speaking of Wu Tao's situation, after being hunted multiple times and fleeing like a drowned dog in distress.
He was forced to sustain severe damage to his foundation to save his life, a harsh reality.
Wu Tao had been feeling extremely dejected over these matters in recent days.
A deep sense of frustration and regret was buried in his heart.
...
At this very moment, Wu Tao, who particularly yearned for power, after careful consideration, made up his mind to take a gamble.
He would venture into the extremely dangerous Sea of Ten Thousand Swords, to see if he could obtain the ancient sword cultivator's inheritance and change his current predicament.
He wasn't doing it for anything else, but to prove himself, to show that he was no weaker than anyone else.
For the sake of experiencing the most magnificent scenery in his life.
To prove self-improvement, continuous strengthening, and the true self-respect and dignity of a man.
...
After several days of flying on his artifact, Wu Tao arrived at the dilapidated Zhang family ancestral home.
He cleared away the piled-up rocks that had obstructed the entrance to the Sea of Ten Thousand Swords.
The very next second, Wu Tao jumped straight in.
Darkness enveloped Wu Tao's vision. When he opened his eyes again, the world had transformed.
Sharpness, extreme sharpness.
Before his eyes could register anything, he perceived a golden expanse, and a prickling sensation spread all over him, as if countless immortal swords were in close proximity.
The sharp tips of the immortal swords were mere inches from his skin, causing Wu Tao's hair to stand on end.
He felt a chill and dared not move. After a slight adjustment, he finally dared to look around.
Countless immortal swords floated, emitting an oppressive aura of killing intent that permeated the air.
This was a test, the first hurdle to obtaining the ancient sword cultivator's inheritance.
Failure to pass this hurdle meant certain death.
Hum—
Within the Sea of Ten Thousand Swords, the hum of millions of immortal swords grew louder, as if possessing their own sentience and roaring.
The aura of sharpness stirred the wind and clouds, shaking the four seas and eight directions.
After deep thought, Wu Tao gritted his teeth and encouraged himself aloud, "I'll go for it, let's try to break through. Fortune favors the bold. With this ancient sword cultivator's inheritance, I will surely defeat Lu Shaolin and get my revenge."
As for the dangers of the Sea of Ten Thousand Swords, given his current situation, Wu Tao had no other choice.
He would rather die a glorious death than live a life of indignity.
Furthermore, he was somewhat different from Zhang Tong, who had died tragically earlier. He possessed the sword bud, which served as a token, giving him the status of a partial inheritor, and this gave him some confidence.
His spiritual power circulated within his body, and Wu Tao stepped forward, entering the Sea of Ten Thousand Swords.
...
Rumble!!!
Sword intent surged through the eight desolate lands, and sword energy illuminated the nine heavens.
...
The moment he entered the Sea of Ten Thousand Swords, Wu Tao felt the pure spiritual energy he had cultivated for over twenty years in his dantian instantly dissipate. He became like inanimate stone or wood, falling uncontrollably.
Chime—
At this moment, millions of immortal swords chimed in unison, and the void of the entire Sea of Ten Thousand Swords began to shift, with boundless sword light igniting in the air.
Poof—
An immortal sword pierced through his chest. Wu Tao looked down in disbelief. Immediately, millions of immortal swords rose simultaneously, obscuring the entire space.
Millions of immortal swords flew out, obliterating Wu Tao in an instant, leaving nothing behind.
Including his body, years of accumulated treasures, storage bags, and so on.
Before he could even feel pain, Wu Tao's consciousness and reason vanished.
Only a sword bud and a fragile soul remained.
The sound of swords chiming continued in his ears. Ten thousand swords pierced his heart, and the boundless pain numbed him. Wu Tao plunged into a void of chaos.
Perhaps a year, perhaps ten, a hundred, or a thousand years. Wu Tao's soul drifted in the chaos. After an unknown period, a light finally guided him elsewhere.
The next second, what he saw before him surprised him. After being reshaped and tempered by millions of immortal swords, he had transformed into a skeleton without flesh and blood.
Although it was merely a skeleton, it emanated a layer of golden treasure light. Each bone was infinitely sharp, crystal clear, and even solidified golden marrow could be seen.
The golden skeleton exuded an aura of sharpness. The bones were translucent, and dried marrow was visible.
Within the golden skeleton, each bone was as fine as jade, its sharpness slicing through the air, silent and incomparably overbearing.
The skeleton frame stood tall, its spine resembling a divine sword. Despite being only a skeleton, it possessed an aura that could shake the heavens and earth, and traverse the world.
"Thump! Thump! Thump!"
In the midst of this deathly silence, a drumming sound suddenly echoed in the silent Sea of Ten Thousand Swords.
Each beat resonated through the nine heavens.
If anyone were present, they would likely be terrified and flee in panic!
...
A heartbeat!
This was the sound of a heart beating.
Moreover, this heartbeat, as time progressed, was increasing at an astonishing speed, gradually becoming stronger and more forceful from a faint whisper.
After some time, flesh and blood slowly grew on Wu Tao's entire body, transforming him into a normal person.
For the first time, a divine light emanated from Wu Tao's newly formed eyes. This light was gentle, yet it possessed terrifying sharpness. This sharpness resided within his eyes, capable of killing people invisibly, extremely frightening.
...
"The Sword Dao of the current era is difficult to cultivate, known for being the strongest in combat power among those of the same realm. Its true ability to overcome higher realms and even challenge immortals is even more terrifying than rumored."
"One sword breaks ten thousand laws, one sword creates the world, one sword destroys the world—these are all words used to describe the terrifying nature of sword cultivators."
Innate Sword Qi! The cultivation method of the ancient sword cultivator lineage. Not to mention compared to the current era, even in the ancient era of a hundred schools of thought flourishing and myriad sects warring, the sword cultivator lineage followed a completely different path.
The ancient sword cultivation path was vast, profound, and infinitely mysterious.
A sword cultivator first nurtures a sword bud, then condenses a sword embryo, then contains a sword soul, and finally, the soul and spirit merge to achieve a sword core.
The next stage of cultivation for a sword cultivator was to ascend to the Dao of the Sword, achieving the Nascent Soul stage.
Following that was the Purple Mansion realm.
The furthest path could reach the Soul Transformation realm.
Wu Tao pondered for a moment. The ancient sword cultivator inheritance stated that to nurture a sword embryo, one must first generate sword qi. Currently, having forged his sword body, he needed to lay a foundation first.
...
After all, his more than twenty years of diligent cultivation and Foundation Establishment realm had vanished in an instant, turning him into an ordinary mortal. He had to start all over again.
With this thought, Wu Tao calmed his mind and senses, following the methods taught by the inheritance to perceive the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.
Cultivators perceive the great Dao of heaven and earth with their mortal bodies, using their finite existence to respond to infinite changes. What they refine is a breath of spiritual energy from heaven and earth.
And a sword immortal is considered to have initially succeeded only after cultivating sword qi.
Due to the assistance of the Sea of Ten Thousand Swords, in just a few breaths, Wu Tao sensed a golden sea in the heavens and earth.
This golden sea was boundless, with radiant golden light, like gold and jade.
The golden sea seemed to sense Wu Tao's thoughts, and a golden stream of water descended from the void, pouring into Wu Tao's dantian.
This was Innate Sword Qi!
His divine sense submerged into his dantian, and Wu Tao saw a fist-sized golden sword. This golden sword was as brilliant as the sun, its sharpness gleaming, seeming to contain infinite power.
Even with just this fist-sized sword spirit energy, Wu Tao clearly felt a power far greater than his entire spiritual energy before.
...
Above the Sea of Ten Thousand Swords, the golden sword qi suddenly began to churn like boiling water.
Streams of lustrous, glazed sword qi abruptly appeared, eagerly drilling into Wu Tao's body.
Wu Tao accepted them all, absorbing all the spiritual energy that poured in, as if he had a bottomless pit within him, never enough no matter how much he consumed.
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