Chapter Seventeen: Sword Locks Dragon Soul

  In the dark realm, Lu Yun hid in the sea of fire, and his entire person suddenly disappeared into the raging flames. The high temperature around him was enough to destroy all living things. Lu Yun was in the midst of it, and in an instant, he was so hot that his whole body was sweating, and the water vapor instantly turned into nothingness.

  After a brief moment of panic, Lu Yun calmed down and carefully probed the surroundings with his mental energy. At this time, the dragon soul was laughing triumphantly in the air, but Lu Yun didn't pay any attention to it. He was rapidly thinking about what to do next. Lu Yun remembered that when he was a child, his master had once said that places of extreme yin and cold, as well as places of extreme yang and heat, were both extremely dangerous and extremely rare treasures for cultivators. Practicing in such places would increase one's speed by far more than anywhere else. However, the risks were great, and without sufficient cultivation, those who sought quick success would easily fall into madness and be trapped in a place from which there was no return.

  At present, Lu Yun is in such a place, so he has been thinking. At present, Lu Yun understands that his cultivation has reached an extremely high stage, and it is impossible to have a big boost and leap in a short period of time. The only way to quickly improve one's cultivation is to find some unusual places and seize the opportunity. At this moment, Lu Yun decided to give it a try, so he didn't go out immediately.

  Lu Yun's body was surrounded by a slow, shimmering aura of seven colors as the "Tian Di Wu Ji" divine technique began to circulate. Layer upon layer of true yuan converged around him, and with the execution of "Wan Yuan Gui Yi", all the fierce fire true yuan in his surroundings rapidly gathered towards him. Lu Yun's entire body was filled with a surging aura, as he absorbed the surrounding fierce fire true yuan at an incredible speed, fully replenishing his own strength.

  Due to the intense flames, it was hard to open his eyes, so Longhun didn't notice any changes around Lu Yun. At this moment, in his mind, Lu Yun must have been engulfed by the fierce fire, and his soul had long been reduced to ashes, disappearing forever from this world. Longhun floated quietly in mid-air, laughing maniacally with a sense of triumph, feeling extremely pleased in his heart. Today, he finally killed a human, avenging the humiliation he suffered all these years.

  Lu Yun was frantically absorbing the fierce fire true essence while fully mobilizing the Confucian "Hao Ran Tian Gang" technique, guiding the absorbed fierce fire true essence into his body along the cultivation route of the technique, slowly refining and rapidly merging with his own true essence. Lu Yun did this in order to cultivate his "Hao Ran Tian Gang" technique to the Great Completion realm within a short period of time, reaching the highest level of "Hao Ran Tian Gang".

  Time passed quickly, and Longhun now fully believed that Lu Yun was doomed to die, so it decided to leave. Longhun's body slowly rose, preparing to return to its original place of residence, slowly falling into a deep sleep. But just as this happened, Longhun suddenly felt a powerful aura coming from below, which shocked its heart greatly. The giant eyes of Longhun flashed with disbelieving gaze, turning back to stare intently at the movement below.

  Lu Yun displayed the magical technique of "Wanyuan Guiyi", instantly gathering a large amount of Lihuo True Essence, causing his own "Hao Ran Tian Ge" to make rapid progress in an instant, breaking through the final barrier and entering the highest realm. This caused his overall cultivation to take another big step forward, with all other true essence techniques also showing improvement. At this moment, Lu Yun no longer felt any scorching heat, as if he had become a fire spirit, appearing carefree and at ease.

  Lü Yun's body slowly rose from the flames, his hands empty, the original long sword having been melted and disappeared by the fierce fire. Under Lü Yun's feet, a flame like a red lotus platform slowly lifted him up, very beautiful. At this time, Lü Yun did not look at the dragon soul on top of his head, his eyes fixedly staring at the ancient sword on the stone wall. Lü Yun's right hand beckoned, a powerful force instantly swept away the sword, and suddenly a sword hum echoed through the clouds, deeply attracting Lü Yun's heart.

  Lu Yun's right hand grasped the hilt of the sword, and a scorching hot feeling instantly spread through his palm. Lu Yun smiled calmly, only then remembering that this sword had been roasted at high temperatures for thousands of years in this place, so it was no wonder it felt so hot. He carefully examined the sword in his hand, which measured three feet three inches three tenths in length and shone with a transparent light. A red glow flowed unceasingly along its length, making it extremely beautiful. The hilt and blade were seamlessly integrated, and Lu Yun couldn't tell what material they were made of or what their original color had been. At the guard, a strange pattern seemed to deeply attract Lu Yun's gaze. The pattern looked like a totem, very unusual and rare, and he couldn't recognize what it was supposed to be. On the other side of the hilt, two small characters were engraved - "As You Wish". It seemed that this sword was called the As You Wish Sword.

  Lu Yun murmured the two words lightly, feeling that they sounded a bit awkward. He muttered to himself: "Ru Yi Sword, Ru Yi Sword, why does it feel like it's not smooth on the tongue? Should I change its name to Ru Yi Heart and Soul Sword instead?" As soon as he finished speaking, the treasure sword in his hand suddenly burst forth with radiant light, emitting a dazzling glow that vanished instantly.

  Lu Yun's heart was delighted, and he smiled: "I didn't expect you to have your own consciousness, it's truly worthy of being a divine sword. Alright, from now on, follow me, and together we'll look down upon the world." After Lu Yun finished speaking, he input a fierce fire true yuan into the sword, instantly a heaven-shaking sword hum resounded, followed by a burst of red light, and the surrounding light suddenly became much stronger.

  Longhun's body trembled slightly as he heard the sword's hum, and a thread of fear flashed in his heart. For three thousand years, he had been wary of this sword, not daring to get too close to it. Unexpectedly, today Lu Yun not only didn't die but also obtained this sword - truly an evil omen. Lu Yun suddenly appeared before Longhun's face, coldly smiling: "Longhun, I'm still alive, and you seem in a hurry to leave - how can that be? Our matters haven't ended yet; I said it before, once you play tricks on me, I won't easily let you off. Now prepare yourself, this time I won't spare you."

  Lu Yun swung his divine sword, and suddenly a fierce flame filled the air. A hundred feet of raging fire burst forth, directly enveloping Long Hun's illusory body. Lu Yun coldly smiled, and simultaneously released a mental wave attack, instantly striking Long Hun's physical form. Long Hun's body flashed red, and in an instant transformed into a three-foot-diameter red light sphere, with 108 dragon auras deployed around it, tightly protecting itself inside. The entire light sphere rotated at high speed, emitting a strange red glow on its surface, which immediately reflected Lu Yun's mental wave attack back multiple times.

  Lu Yun's eyes turned cold, and he instantly appeared beside Longhun. Looking at the three-foot-large light ball, Lu Yun sneered and said: "You're seeking your own destruction, I'll take your soul, let's see if you can survive or not." A black light flashed in Lu Yun's right hand, and the Ghost Sect's "Soul Transformation Great Method" was once again unleashed, firmly enveloping the light ball within a black glow. Suddenly, two different colors, two different natures of True Essence, clashed with all their might.

  "Human, you can't kill me, I've long since become indestructible. Don't bother dreaming, once your true essence is depleted, it's the end for you. Although that mysterious attack power of yours is incredibly strong and unpredictable, relying solely on that power won't be enough to destroy my indestructible primordial spirit. You'll only exhaust yourself in vain."

  Lu Yun sneered, "Then watch closely, and see if my Soul Refining Technique can refine your soul." As soon as Lu Yun finished speaking, his power increased by threefold, and the black light instantly engulfed the crimson light ball, rendering it invisible. At this moment, Lu Yun's body was rapidly leaving the area, heading towards the dark realm, where his Ghost Sect techniques could unleash their full potential.

  The "Soul Refining Grand Technique" of the Gui Sect is said to be able to refine all yin souls and evil spirits, as long as they have a soul or spirit. Therefore, in the cultivation world, the Gui Sect's "Soul Refining Grand Technique" is extremely formidable and sinister. This technique can take the soul of a living person and refine it, causing them to instantly become a person without a soul, neither alive nor dead, cruel to the extreme.

  Lu Yun had cultivated this technique for over a decade and had already reached an extremely high level, just one step away from the highest realm. At this moment, Lu Yun stood still in mid-air, with black light flashing between his hands, occasionally accompanied by the sound of the dragon soul's mournful cries and pleas for mercy, but Lu Yun remained unmoved. Gradually, the black light shrank until it became a three-inch red orb.

  Lu Yun stopped his hand, quietly gazing at the red flowing light sphere, and softly said: "Originally, I wanted to refine your primordial spirit, letting you scatter your soul. But thinking that you've been trapped here for three thousand years already, and it's not easy to cultivate, killing you would be a waste. So I'll give you an opportunity. Back then, those three experts wanted to seal you within this sword as its sword spirit. Now, I'll complete what they didn't finish, sealing you within this divine sword. I believe it won't humiliate you. Do you have any objections? Are you willing to listen to my choice or accept the result of being refined by me?"

  The dragon soul's voice was very weak, with a hint of despair: "I'm so angry, I didn't think I'd encounter someone like you, who possesses multiple ultimate techniques. It's really pitiful. Maybe this is just fate. Since it's something that can't be changed, I'll follow your arrangements." In the low and melancholic voice, there was a sense of unwillingness and loss. Lu Yun smiled calmly, his right hand slapping the hilt of his divine sword. Suddenly, a red light flashed, and the flowing light on the sword appeared to have a gap, which was instantly filled by a red light ball that dissolved into it. The light returned to its original state in an instant. Lu Yun's right index finger swept across the blade, and blood light flashed, causing the divine sword to burst out with dazzling light. A thunderous dragon cry shook the earth and echoed through the fields. The divine sword automatically flew into the air, and a red dragon shadow suddenly shot out from it, hovering in mid-air, roaring loudly, and dancing in the sky. After flying around for a while, the dragon soul returned to the divine sword on its own. The divine sword lost its luster and slowly fell back into Lu Yun's hand.

  Lu Yun smiled calmly and said in a soft voice, "Long Hun, you can rest assured that you will stay inside. I have sworn an oath with my blood, and it is unbreakable. I didn't want to destroy your consciousness, so I preserved your thoughts. Take care of yourself. Now, I'd like to ask you, how can I leave this place? You must know a thing or two about that, right?" Lu Yun's tone was laced with a hint of calmness and confidence.

  The voice of the dragon's soul came through, "Even if you seal me in here, you won't be able to get out either. For three thousand years, I've thought of countless methods, but still haven't succeeded, and neither will you, it's all in vain. Here, I can live forever, but your physical body is here, without eating anything, you won't last long. You might as well wait for death here." The tone was filled with a hint of hatred.

  Lu Yun smiled calmly and said, "Dragon Soul, I know you're not convinced, unwilling to be trapped in this sword. But let me tell you, with your current cultivation level, even if you were to come out, it wouldn't take long before you'd die at the hands of another cultivator. At that time, your death would still be inevitable, so why not stay within this divine sword instead? Earlier, I refined your nine-layered spiritual energy, causing great damage to your vitality. Now, with the help of this sword's power, you've recovered four layers - do you understand?"

  "The dragon soul said with a hint of dissatisfaction: 'I naturally know that this sword has absorbed the true yuan of the earth's core fierce fire for thousands of years, and its body possesses the spirit of extreme yang and extreme hardness. I have absorbed the spiritual energy from the sword, and I will naturally slowly recover my lost power.'"

  Lu Yun smiled and said, "Indeed it is so, but do you know that this sword has already developed its own consciousness. When you entered the sword, a part of your dragon energy was absorbed by the sword and transformed into a part of the sword. At this point, the sword can control your thoughts, and you cannot escape its restraints. When you absorbed the true yuan spirit energy of the fierce fire, your own dragon energy was slowly flowing away, being drawn in by it. Now, if you tell me where to exit this space, I will return the nine-layer power that you just lost. What do you think? That can save you a lot of time. Besides, even if you don't say anything, can't I just use the Soul Refining Great Technique again and refine everything about you?" Lu Yun looked at the sword in his hand, but was secretly laughing to himself. Anyway, returning that power to him would only increase the might of my divine sword, and I wouldn't lose a thing.

  Longhun was moved by his words and said, "If what you say is true, if you really return all my powers to me, I will tell you the exit here and cooperate with you wholeheartedly. When I truly feel completely convinced one day, I will sincerely surrender to you."

  Lu Yun smiled, his right hand flashed with a red light, and the Like-minded Heart Soul Sword suddenly burst into a brilliant red glow. A powerful force beyond compare instantly poured into it. Lu Yun said: "I'm usually very serious when I speak, and I won't easily deceive anyone. Now that your strength has recovered, you should tell me where the exit is."

  "Dragon Soul said, "You're still a man of your word, let's go, I'll take you there. That place is very strange, it's hard to describe, here there is no east or west, north or south, it's difficult to distinguish direction, even if I want to say something, I don't know how to say it, and you may not understand either." Lu Yun smiled and said, "Alright, take me there then." After finishing speaking, the Intention Heart Sword automatically flew out into the air, Lu Yun quietly stood on top of the sword, riding the sword as they departed.

  After flying for a long time, Lu Yun finally arrived at a strange place on his sword. Feeling the vastness of this space, Lu Yun couldn't help but sigh: "This space is so vast, I'm afraid those three people must have spent a lot of effort to create such a space back then. Unfortunately, they didn't succeed, and instead, I, an unintentional intruder, got a great bargain. It's really strange! Longhun, it seems like there's something invisible hidden here, like a seal that isolates us from the outside."

  The entire space, except for the fiery blaze at the center of the earth, was pitch black everywhere else. But here, there was also a very strange and mysterious glow, consisting of three colors: blue, red, and gold. It was like a mirror, about one zhang in size, standing quietly in the void, emitting a faint, soft light. The three-colored glow flowed gently and continuously, extremely beautiful.

  "Indeed, there is an invisible barrier here that separates us from the three-colored light. I've tried many times over the years, but not once have I succeeded, so I've lost confidence in this place. The two people who escaped alive back then were the ones who escaped from here."

  Lu Yun smiled proudly and said, "You can't do it, but that doesn't mean I can't. I'll try right now." In fact, while speaking, Lu Yun had already used his mental powers to carefully scan the restriction in this area. The result was that passing through the seal wasn't difficult at all. As long as Lu Yun adjusted the frequency of the protective True Yuan around his body to 4,948 times per breath, he could easily pass through. For Lu Yun, this was a trivial matter, effortless and easy.

  Lu Yun easily passed through the invisible boundary, smiling and saying: "Longhun, I've already penetrated it, haven't I? Now you know that there is a gap between us. You can't do things that I can do, right? Take this three-colored light in front of us for example, do you understand what it represents?"

  "Dragon Soul said in a low voice: "Don't be too pleased with yourself, this can only mean that you're lucky, or because you're human. As for here, these three lights contain the secrets of Taoism, Buddhism, and the Evil Sect within them. I'm afraid you won't be able to pass?"

  Lu Yun smiled and said, "You're almost entirely correct. There are indeed three types of techniques hidden within this place. However, there's one point you didn't quite get right - aside from the Buddhist and Taoist techniques, the remaining technique isn't some sort of evil cult technique, but rather a mysterious immortal technique from this world. When these three techniques combine to form the three-colored light barrier, it's actually relatively easy to break through. As long as the person attempting to pass has any one of these three techniques, they can get through this seal. It's just that none of these three techniques are ordinary - if you've been trapped here for so many years, do you think a simple technique could accomplish that?"

  "Even if you know all this, it doesn't mean you can leave. If you have the ability, just pass through here and reach the outside, then I'll say you have the ability. Otherwise, everything is just a waste of words."

  Lu Yun smiled confidently: "Is that so? Then take a closer look, and see how I get out of here." After Lu Yun finished speaking, his body was surrounded by a brilliant golden light. He performed the Buddhist "Heart Zen Destruction Technique", transforming his entire being into a beam of golden light, carrying the divine sword to pierce through the flowing, shimmering three-colored light. In an instant, he dissolved into it and vanished without a trace.

  A rapid whirlwind made Lu Yun feel as if he had entered a chaotic and disordered space-time, and his entire person was trapped in a strange world. This feeling was very unbearable, but it disappeared in just one turn of the eye. Lu Yun calmed down and looked around to find himself back in a dark cave, returning to the normal cultivation realm, back to the Absolute Yin Cave.

  Lu Yun smiled slightly and said softly, "Long Hun, I've already come out, you can't help but be unhappy. Now, just quietly stay inside, when I have time, I'll visit you. Anyway, what you say, others can't hear, except for me, no one will pay attention to you. Now I'm going to do something important, I don't have time to accompany you, so you'd better rest well." After Lu Yun finished speaking, the divine sword's light flashed, and he rode the sword, shooting out towards the outside.

  After passing through numerous mountain caves, Lu Yun arrived at a dark cave where countless demonic creatures were hiding, and the demonic energy was extremely heavy. The red light around Lu Yun's body flickered, isolating all the demonic energy within a radius of one zhang, making them dare not approach. At this moment, he was using his mental divine wave to explore all the information in the surrounding area. Soon, a spatial map of the cave appeared clearly in his mind, including ninety-six mountain caves and sixteen intersections.

  Lu Yun muttered to himself, "I don't even know how many days I've been here now. The auras of those three people can't be detected at all, maybe it's because they're too far away. This cave is like a maze, seemingly infinite in size, truly mysterious and unpredictable. The demonic energy here is extremely heavy, but there's one place that doesn't contain any demonic energy, instead it has a hint of spiritual energy. What's going on? I'll go take a look, maybe I can discover some secrets." As soon as Lu Yun finished speaking, his eyes flashed, and his body instantly transformed into a streak of cyan light. At the same time, the Wishful Heart Soul Sword burst forth with a red glow, its intense radiance forcing the countless demonic creatures in the cave to scatter and avoid it in terror.

  In the dark cave, a crimson light flashed, like a fierce dragon, roaring and thundering. Accompanied by an overwhelmingly powerful aura, it traversed countless caves in the blink of an eye, vanishing instantly. Wherever the red light passed, all demonic energy was extinguished, making everything seem eerily strange.

  Lu Yun stopped in front of a small cave entrance, where the surrounding demonic energy was extremely weak, almost without any trace of demonic energy. Compared to other places filled with demonic energy, this place seemed particularly strange. Lu Yun slowly walked in, carefully observing the surroundings. This was not a large cave, only a few dozen feet in size, and there was nothing inside, but strangely, the cave emitted a bright light, which was a very strange phenomenon.

  Lu Yun looked at it for a long time, but still couldn't understand why there was light here, it was really strange. Suddenly Lu Yun's body turned around and he asked, "Who is it, come out." At the same time, his body shone brightly, and a golden light instantly illuminated the entire cave. The divine sword, Ruyi, was spinning above his head, slowly rotating, layer upon layer of crimson light enveloping him tightly inside.

  Looking around carefully, there was no one. But a voice came from the void, and only one voice said: "The young man of Xiūzhēnjiè, I didn't expect you to come here, it's really rare, do you know what this place is?"

  Lu Yun's mental waves were emitted instantly, with frequencies changing from high to low, exploring all the information around him. Lu Yun said: "Who are you? Why don't you show up and see me? And what is this place? Why can't I come?"

  In the void, that voice laughed and said: "Young man, I don't have any malicious intentions, I'm just too lonely, I want to find someone to chat with, are you willing to accompany me for a chat? This is the most mysterious place in the Absolute Yin Valley. The Absolute Yin Valley is divided into two layers, inner and outer, ordinary people don't know the route, it's impossible to enter this inner layer. Because between the inner and outer layers, there is a very strong seal that isolates them, people who don't know can't discover that seal, they simply can't come in. So you can come in, I'm a bit surprised. If you're willing to chat with me, I'll show myself to you, if not, then leave. It's been so many years, I'm really lonely."

  At this time, Lu Yun's mental wave had already detected the person's location. However, the result of this exploration made Lu Yun extremely shocked. Because what he found was that the person was not in this space, but in another space, and his voice was transmitted over through a special method. This person's cultivation was truly rare, something Lu Yun had never encountered before.

  Lu Yun said lightly, "Since you're lonely, then please come out. I also have many things that I don't understand and would like to ask for your guidance. As long as you don't have malicious intentions, I'm not someone who will often take the initiative to attack others."

  "That voice laughed and said: 'Alright, it's been many years since someone from the human world came here, so I suppose this is a fateful encounter. I'll see you for now. Hopefully nothing unpleasant will happen between us. Be careful, I hope my appearance won't scare you.'"

  As soon as the words came out, Lu Yun was about to speak when he suddenly felt the fluctuation of the surrounding aura. A flash of light appeared in the cave, and a figure with silver light walked out of it, standing quietly a few feet away from Lu Yun, smiling at him.

  Lu Yun's heart skipped a beat, such an instantaneous transfer, appearing out of thin air in another space from nowhere, without extremely high cultivation, it was absolutely impossible. Who on earth is this person, and why does he have such profound cultivation? It's truly mysterious.