Chapter 400

Chapter 400: Chapter 399 Ye Tianchen had not expected that after he was abruptly pulled into the stone coffin by the Holy Path Power, he would not find himself in an enclosed space, but rather as if in the vast cosmos. To his astonishment, suns, moons, and stars whisked by his side, and the entire universe seemed to fall silent, as if he was the only one left.

Not knowing where he was, and unaware of the dangers that lay ahead, Ye Tianchen could only choose to slowly heal his injured body, as waiting idly for death was not an option. Surprisingly, despite his severe injuries, which would normally require nearly a year to heal, they were now healing rapidly. He could feel a gentle power within him growing stronger, zealously repairing his damaged meridians and internal organs.

In less than an hour, Ye Tianchen’s injuries had healed. Compared to before, his physical body felt even more robust. He stood up and looked at the miniaturized celestial bodies around him, his heart trembling—could it be that he was inside the Xuanyuan Sword? Was this the universe evolved by the Xuanyuan Sword, establishing its own rules?

All around was silent; there was nothing to hear, far to see, and no sound at all. Ye Tianchen did not know what was happening, thinking of how he was protected by the Taie Sword and the Fish Intestine Sword and pulled into the stone coffin by the Holy Path Power, only to find himself in such a mysterious environment. If this truly was inside the Xuanyuan Sword, how would he exit?

When he had first awoken, Ye Tianchen had already stimulated the origin power within his body to investigate and found that his environment was not an illusion—all was incredibly real. Yet, who would believe that within a small stone coffin, there would exist a world, a grand cosmic world, where the nearby celestial bodies appeared so minute, as though only he was the most powerful.

Everything, every being and object, coexisted within this great world, which had its own rules for creation, just as all things must go through the cycle of birth, aging, sickness, and death—such were the rules of this great world. Anyone living within it must abide, except perhaps for Ye Tianchen, who disrespected the Heavenly Dao and dared to challenge it with his fists—probably the first of his kind.

Crack!

A loud noise stunned Ye Tianchen; just ahead of him, a striking thunder suddenly descended. The thunder, as thick as a barrel, transformed into a Thunder Dragon the moment it struck, shaking the heavens as it exploded nearby, creating a thunder circle with a radius of a kilometer. Ye Tianchen inhaled sharply; that one strike contained unimaginable power—if he, even in his healed state, were to be hit by it, he would be reduced to nothingness. It was terrifying!

Whoosh!

A beam of light soared up like a giant stick, shooting into the sky with the Thunder Dragon circling and seemingly trying to suppress and devour it.

Boom!

The deafening explosion echoed as the Thunder Dragon exploded again, but the ascending beam of light remained suspended midair—Ye Tianchen was spellbound for it was a sword.

Ye Tianchen cautiously approached the sword floating in midair and, standing underneath it, felt a tremendous Holy Power, furrowing his brows—could this sword be the Xuanyuan Sword?

The Xuanyuan Sword itself represented the Holy Path, synonymous with Heavenly Dao, possessing the mysterious ability to create and evolve the universe. But why would it be attacked by a Thunder Dragon brought about by Heavenly Punishment? This puzzled Ye Tianchen greatly. The enormous Thunder Dragon that had just landed was clearly a form of Heavenly Punishment. Having become a Divine-level superpower expert during the apocalypse, Ye Tianchen was acutely aware of the devastating power of Heavenly Punishment—which swept everything away. The Thunder Dragon he had just witnessed was the most significant Heavenly Punishment he had ever seen; it was shockingly as if it were trying to prevent the birth of the Xuanyuan Sword.

"One side holds the sun, moon, and stars; the other encompasses mountains, rivers, and vegetation—it must be the Xuanyuan Sword, but why..."

Before Ye Tianchen could finish his sentence, the Xuanyuan Sword vibrated incessantly and with a whoosh, it flew towards the dark depths of the universe. Ye Tianchen frowned; having come here after a near-death experience just to obtain the Xuanyuan Sword, it was still uncertain whether he could ever leave, possibly remaining trapped here for life, an idea that made him very unwilling. He hastily pursued into the dark depths.

This was a profoundly mysterious realm, and Ye Tianchen felt as if he were the only person in this great cosmic space, walking among the celestial bodies, feeling as if he could crush a star with a mere gesture and hold it in his hand as a toy. It was truly incredible, a first-time experience for him, leaving him with no choice but to follow the Xuanyuan Sword.

As Ye Tianchen followed the sword light, continuously moving forward and channeling the power within his body to fly towards it, he noticed the scenery around him changing. In front of him, a dilapidated thatched cottage appeared, and at the forefront of the cottage was a small smithy where an old man with white hair and a beard, stooped in posture, was hammering away at something. As Ye Tianchen quietly approached, he discovered that what the old man held was the Xuanyuan Sword, leaving him speechless for a long time. The Xuanyuan Sword was a divine object, and as could be imagined, only a person with extraordinary strength and fortunate enough to wield such power could possess it. Merely relying on strength to suppress the Xuanyuan Sword would require a person powered by the Holy Path, no less than an Emperor-level Expert. But throughout history, since the formation of the Great Universe till now, how many Emperor-level Experts had there been? Hardly any at all!

Ding!

Clang!

Clang!

The elder held the hilt of the Xuanyuan Sword in his left hand while waving a small hammer in his right, repeatedly striking the blade of the Xuanyuan Sword. Ye Tianchen noticed that the Xuanyuan Sword seemed to have just taken shape, for there were no designs on either its front or back—no sun, moon, stars, and no mountains, rivers, or vegetation.

Ye Tianchen saw the elder methodically hammering, expressionless and seemingly indefatigable, which made him pause. He was eager to understand what was happening. Could this elder, holding and forging the Xuanyuan Sword, possibly be the creator of the Xuanyuan Sword? To casually control and strike a Holy Sword was extraordinary—could this elder be an Emperor-level Expert? How formidable!

"Elder, I have strayed into this place. Please enlighten me!" Ye Tianchen approached the elder and said.

Upon hearing Ye Tianchen’s words, the elder merely glanced at him indifferently, a flicker of surprise in his eyes, and smiled, "Young man, I am but a dead man, and you are the seventh person to reach this place. The six before you all died. Will you be the seventh?"

Upon hearing the elder’s words, Ye Tianchen instinctively stepped back two paces, his power peaking instantly within him. He dared not be careless; the elder, profound and inscrutable, wielded the Xuanyuan Sword with ease. Such was not an ordinary sword but a Holy Sword, easily held in his grasp, as if commanding the Heavenly Dao itself—too terrifying. Ye Tianchen realized his automatic caution, regardless of who this elder was, whether he wielded or forged the Xuanyuan Sword, his cultivation was unfathomable and deeply shocking.

"Rest assured, I have neither the intention nor the ability to kill you. I am merely a spiritual imprint left by the creator of the Xuanyuan Sword. The six who arrived here before you all died because they could not control the Xuanyuan Sword and were killed by the power of the Holy Path!" the elder said, shaking his head as he looked at Ye Tianchen.

"What place is this?" Ye Tianchen couldn’t help asking.

"Within the blade of the Xuanyuan Sword. You are the first person in a thousand years to enter inside. You have infinite potential within you, perhaps you might wish to try!" the elder assessed Ye Tianchen and said.

Ye Tianchen was stunned—a thousand years, and he was the first to reach within the blade of the Xuanyuan Sword since. The previous six had all died, none succeeded, all were shattered into pieces. Who exactly was this elder, merely a spiritual mark, yet possessing such unfathomable power?

"May I ask, senior, who are you?" Ye Tianchen asked, his tone respectful. Not to defy Heaven, nor deny Earth, did not mean one was haughty beyond measure, contemptuous, or lacked the virtue of respecting the elderly and cherishing the young.

"The Xuanyuan Sword was forged by me and it was also why I died. My name is Sword Elder," the elder said, looking at the Xuanyuan Sword in his hand and shaking his head.

Sure enough, the figure striking with the hammer, his hair and beard all white, bare-chested, holding the Xuanyuan Sword in his left hand and a small hammer in his right, was indeed the Sword Elder who had forged the Xuanyuan Sword.

"Then, senior, what would happen if I tried? And what if I didn’t?" Ye Tianchen asked.

"To try might mean succeeding in obtaining the Xuanyuan Sword. Not to try, however, would pose no danger, but you’d never leave the inside of this blade until death!" Sword Elder stated indifferently.

Ye Tianchen was stunned. It was clear from Sword Elder’s words that trying might allow him to obtain the Xuanyuan Sword, merely a possibility, but the greatest likelihood was that he would die as the six before him, shattered into pieces. Not trying meant spending his lifetime trapped inside the blade, only to die within the Xuanyuan Sword.

"What about the cultivation of those six before me?" Ye Tianchen continued.

"All were much stronger than you. The strongest amongst them had the power of a Late Stage Martial Saint, just a step away from reaching the Emperor Realm, yet still, he died..." Sword Elder said, filled with regret. (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, you are welcome to vote and subscribe at qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation.)