Chapter 408

Chapter 408: Rampant Sword Intent

The shadows of dusk descended, shrouding the enormous mountain peak.

There was no moon tonight, only thick clouds and mist, rendering the entire world dim and gloomy.

At the foot of Lieyang Mountain, some disciples, finding the proceedings dull and uninteresting, had already departed.

They didn’t believe those two could pass the trial. Even if they were still persevering, it was ultimately meaningless; it was better to use that time diligently cultivating.

Other disciples, however, watched the pair who had entered the mountain with great interest, especially Zhou Luo, who had stirred immense curiosity within them.

People always sympathize with the weak; it is human nature.

Simultaneously, people also take pleasure in witnessing the spectacle of the weak overcoming the strong and defying fate.

So regardless of their personal stances, deep inside they still hoped the two genuinely could pass the trial.

At this moment, on the mountain path, Zhou Luo’s figure was obscured by dense woods. He had brought out his white jade formation disk and was currently deducing the formations.

At such a time, he could no longer care about the secrecy of his identity as a formation master.

After all, this was within the Jin Yun Domain at Wan Gu Sect; likely, those lofty Golden Core masters had no interest in relaying such trivialities to outsiders.

Holding the formation disk, his whole body emitted a spiritual glow. His slender fingers constantly plucked at the threads of light emanating from the white jade disk, the rays twisting under the clear radiance at his fingertips into ambiguous, difficult-to-understand patterns.

These patterns, however, appeared perfectly clear to his eyes, especially those revealing the operating rules of the entire sword formation.

After being imbued with such potent sword intent, this formation possessed the power of a Third Level formation.

Under normal circumstances, Zhou Luo should be incapable of unraveling it.

But after entering Lieyang Mountain, he made a surprising discovery: although the mountain’s sword formation rivaled a Third Level formation in power, its sheer abundance of sword intent had fragmented the area into numerous independent smaller zones.

When confined within one of these smaller zones, Zhou Luo no longer needed to contend with the entire vast sword formation; he only had to solve the formation governing that specific localized area.

Effectively, the peak’s entire sword formation was an amalgamation of countless smaller formations.

This represented their path to survival.

Holding his disk, Zhou Luo proceeded along the mountain path. He turned sideways sometimes, backtracked at others, and leaped forward on occasion. His pace wasn’t rapid, yet he maintained a steady advance.

Earlier, he had contemplated leaving the mountain path and venturing into the surrounding woods, but he discovered that the seemingly lush, towering trees emanated an even more terrifying sword intent.

All factors considered, sticking to the main path was the lesser challenge.

Behind him, Yao Wu followed his every move precisely: when he moved, she moved; when he stopped, she stopped—a mirror image of Zhou Luo.

Because of this synchronized adherence, even though Zhou Luo sustained injuries while breaking formations, she remained completely unscathed.

This steadied Yao Wu, whose heart had been filled with anxiety and confusion, replacing it with calm and resolution.

Watching the tall, upright figure wielding the formation disk ahead of her, a wave of overwhelming gratitude surged within her.

Ever since the first time she laid eyes on him, he had appeared with an aura of immense power and courage, saving her from the clutches of an evil cultivator.

Later, after her master perished, when she faced assassination by evil cultivators, once more it was he who intervened, restoring her from the brink of death.

And now again, he had stepped forward. For her to secure a place within the Wan Gu Sect, he personally entered this treacherous mountain peak, striving to help her pass the trial.

How could such deeds fail to move this woman to tears?

Her heart swelled with emotion, filled with immense gratitude for the man before her.

She secretly resolved that if she managed to pass the trial and establish herself firmly in the Wan Gu Sect, she would take it upon herself to protect him.

With this thought, her gaze fell upon Zhou Luo’s green robe, now riddled with countless tiny gashes.

Each tear had been inflicted by the sword intent.

Though Zhou Luo could gradually unravel the operational pattern of the isolated segments of the formation, perfection remained elusive. Moreover, the surrounding sword intent was not entirely motionless.

When he shifted position, the sword formation subtly altered in response.

This significantly heightened the difficulty.

Two hours later, nightfall completely engulfed the Wan Gu Sect. Thick, oppressive dark clouds seemed to hang over every heart.

Zhou Luo halted and glanced at the seemingly endless mountain path ahead. Without a word, he silently sat cross-legged on the ground.

"Rest first," he said placidly.

Yao Wu’s heart tightened, but she remained silent, keeping watch beside him.

Above the dark clouds, the Wan Gu Sect leader sat astride a crane. His aged face betrayed no emotion, though a light voice drifted out.

"Is it true that this Zhou Luo attained his current level despite possessing a Ninth Grade spiritual root solely because he was gifted an immortal’s providence?"

Information concerning Zhou Luo had long been delivered to the hands of the various Golden Core masters.

They were, naturally, fully aware. But why did the sect leader raise this now?

Several Golden Core masters also sat cross-legged upon the clouds. Faced with the sect leader’s words, Master Ling An spoke first, "Though the rumors are largely accurate, that mighty one surely wouldn’t concern themselves with such trifles."

"And if they do?" the sect leader countered.

Only an existence capable of defying fate itself—transforming a Qi Refinement cultivator with a Ninth Grade spiritual root into a Foundation Establishment cultivator, and even granting him mastery of Second Level alchemy skill and top-tier skills in formations—could achieve such a thing.

This was terrifying power, beyond even the abilities of the sect’s Nascent Soul cultivator.

What realm could that mighty one truly occupy?

God Transformation? Void Refining? The Integration Stage? Or Great Ascension?

Could it truly be an immortal?

No one knew for certain, yet they had witnessed traces of such divine favor manifested upon Zhou Luo.

Thus, as sect leader, he was compelled to proceed with extreme caution, unwilling to summon catastrophe upon the sect.

"Lieyang Mountain is perilous, yes, but it is ultimately inanimate. At worst, we intervene and extract him when necessary," another Golden Core master offered.

They had no intention of harming Yao Wu or Zhou Luo.

This trial, while partially demanded by both Master Lieyang and the sect’s traditions, also resulted from delicate political compromise.

The ideal outcome was success. Should he fail, they would simply escort him back to Qinyuan City as though this entire affair had been an illusionary dream.

The silence stretched unbroken.

Below, after resting for half an hour, Zhou Luo resumed his advance.

The mountain path of Lieyang Mountain was narrow and dilapidated. Stairs made of blue bricks showed signs of weathering, rising and falling unevenly; in some stretches, the stone bricks had vanished entirely.

Once Zhu Wushi departed, Master Lieyang himself rarely descended the mountain and accepted virtually no disciples. With no visitors, naturally, no repairs were undertaken.

The deeper into Lieyang Mountain Zhou Luo ventured, the more ruined the path became, and the more ferocious the sword intent grew.

Zhou Luo’s green robe gradually tore open, revealing large swathes of jade-like skin beneath.

Yet when the sword intent lashed against this exposed flesh, it merely produced a resonant metallic clang, failing utterly to leave even the faintest mark.

His physical body, tempered repeatedly, had now reached the formidable resilience of a mid-grade magical artifact. The sword intent left behind by a Golden Core master was indeed potent, but lacking deliberate activation from its creator, its innate sharpness alone proved insufficient.