Even though Zhang Jiuxiao's fighting prowess was far beneath his, he could still be considered to be above average in the group. On top of that, he had all sorts of means up his sleeves, so it shouldn't have been a problem for him to last until the very end. Yet, he had been eliminated just ten minutes after entering the island.
Who did it?
How could it be so fast?
"Let's see where he was eliminated. We should be able to find something this way …"
With a tap of his finger, a droplet of blood appeared before his eyes.
It was the Blood Essence that Zhang Jiuxiao had given him to test his bloodline.
Zhang Xuan's hands danced about, and a series of hand seals landed on the blood. In the blink of an eye, the compass in his hand spun continuously, pointing out a direction.
The isolated island did not allow communication, but it did not forbid the use of blood to search for the owner.
Zhang Jiuxiao was eliminated as soon as he arrived on the island, which made him feel very strange.
He flew in the direction pointed out by the sword.
The Tiger Bone Beast, which thought that it was going to die, heaved a sigh of relief when it saw that the person who wanted to kill it had left. It hurriedly tucked its tail between its legs and hid, not daring to roam around arrogantly anymore.
After flying for several minutes and covering a distance of around a hundred li, Zhang Xuan finally came to a halt.
"Why do I feel like I'm walking in circles?"
His eyebrows furrowed.
After walking for so long, logically speaking, no matter how big the island was, he should be able to see the end or a different place!
But for some reason, the scene in front of him had a sense of déjà vu. It was as if he had been running in circles all this time.
"It's a formation …"
After taking a few more steps, he soon understood what was going on.
There was actually a massive formation on the island. Due to the sheer size of the formation, even he didn't notice it when he was trapped within it.
"To be able to trap me within such a short period of time without me noticing it... he must at least be a Quasi 8-star expert!"
His comprehension of formations had already reached grade-7 pinnacle. Coupled with the profundity of the Heaven's Path Formation Art, he was able to easily set up grade-8 primary formations.
With Zhang Xuan's strength, it should have been easy for him to notice as long as there was a formation in place. Yet, he had only noticed it after being trapped for so long … the grade of the formation was definitely not low.
"Eye of Insight …"
However, regardless of the tier of the formation, as long as Zhang Xuan knew that it was a formation, the rest was simple.
Soon, thin threads of spiritual energy appeared in front of him.
"It should be … a quasi eight-star [Riverside Maze Formation]! Moreover, it covers at least a radius of several thousand miles. Such a large formation … just where is this? "
The Riverfront Labyrinth Formation was not only a high-level formation, but it also covered a vast area. It was often used to conceal residences and regions, just like how the Poison Temple in Jingyuan City had concealed the entire island.
There was one here too, and it covered an area of several thousand li …
Where was this place?
It would take at least a few hundred years to set up a formation of this level. Even he would need at least a month to complete it …
He had thought that it was just an ordinary island. Who would have thought that it would be so powerful!
"Now that we know that it's a formation, things are much simpler …"
As he did not know much about the Qianchong Empire, even after pondering for a long time, he was still unable to come up with a solution. Thus, Zhang Xuan shook his head and decided not to dwell on the matter.
The formation was capable of trapping one in the same place, making it difficult for one to escape. Now that he knew the structure of the formation, he was no longer bewitched by it. He scanned his surroundings and determined his direction. After walking for a dozen kilometers, he moved seven to eight kilometers to the left, changing his direction more than a dozen times before finally taking a step forward.
Huala!
It was as if he had leaped out of some kind of shackles. Even though he was still surrounded by a forest and all kinds of plants, the spiritual energy in the air was much denser than before. It carried a faint pressure and killing intent.
"It's sword qi!"
Zhang Xuan's eyes turned grim.
He was extremely familiar with this aura — it came from sword qi.
Following the direction of the aura, he immediately saw a group of trees lying on the ground not too far away, seemingly having been severed by a sword. At the center of the group, there were a few droplets of fresh blood imprinted on a boulder.
"It's Zhang Jiuxiao's blood …"
Zhang Xuan frowned.
He had studied Zhang Jiuxiao's blood carefully, and he could tell with a single glance that it was the result of a battle. Could it be that he had been eliminated here?
Just that …
Wasn't the usage of weapons prohibited?
What was going on with the sword qi?
Even he would find it difficult to sever so many trees with a single slash.
When did such a powerful figure appear?
"Eye of Insight, track!"
Zhang Xuan swiftly scanned his surroundings.
Given that the other party had just eliminated Zhang Jiuxiao, it could only mean that he hadn't gone too far. If he were to trace the other party's tracks, he should be able to find something.
As expected, a faint surge of sword qi soon appeared not too far away, and it slowly crept into the distance.
Following which, he dashed forward.
Barely after taking two steps forward, the voice in his ears jolted once more. "Chi Yurui, his jade token has been shattered. He is the second to be eliminated. Remaining … thirty-one candidates!"
"He has been eliminated as well?"
Zhang Xuan had some impression of Chi Yurui. He was a Primordial Spirit realm pinnacle expert from Qianyun Empire, and he possessed incredible fighting prowess and intelligence. Who could have thought that Zhang Jiuxiao would be eliminated just ten minutes after he was eliminated? This was a little too fast!
Proceeding forward, Zhang Xuan soon arrived at another flattened area. The sword qi here was even more powerful than before, and with a light tap of his finger, he could even feel himself piercing through his skin.
Just as Zhang Xuan was about to continue forward, a thought suddenly came to his mind. In the blink of an eye, he was already a hundred meters away.
Huala!
Right after he left, a sharp aura suddenly burst forth from the ground and soared into the sky, threatening to tear the surrounding space apart.
Weng!
Zhang Xuan hurriedly turned his gaze over, only to see a sword floating in the air. Seeing that it had missed its target, it seemed to be displeased.
"A Primordial Spirit realm pinnacle Saint intermediate-tier artifact? Why would it be here? "
Zhang Xuan was taken aback.
He had thought that it was a master teacher hiding underground to launch a sneak attack on him, but who could have thought that it was just a Primordial Spirit realm pinnacle Saint intermediate-tier artifact?
Similar to Jin Yuan Ding, this fellow possessed intelligence. It was able to sense that someone was tailing it, so it chose to conceal itself and launch a sneak attack.
It was fortunate that he possessed the ability to foresee danger, so he had long noticed that something was amiss. Otherwise, even if he did not sustain any injuries, he would have been left in a sorry state.
"Humph!"
With a displeased look on his face, Zhang Xuan grabbed at the air, and a surge of energy surged toward the sword.
Hu!
Seeing that Zhang Xuan had made a move, the sword immediately twisted its hilt, intending to dig back into the ground.
"You want to escape after stabbing me? You won't be able to do it that easily!"
The surrounding space immediately froze. As if it had fallen into mercury, the sword found itself unable to move at all.
"Come here!"
Following which, a powerful suction force surged into the sword, causing it to tremble twice. Unable to hold on any longer, it began flying toward Zhang Xuan.
Zhang Xuan tapped on it a few times.
Weng! With a light buzz, the sword, which was still intending to flee, suddenly became docile.
It had already been tamed!
"Were you the one who assaulted Zhang Jiuxiao and Chi Yurui?" Zhang Xuan asked.
"It wasn't me. It was the Morning Rain Sword!" the sword replied with a crisp ringing.
"Morning Rain Sword? What's your name? "Zhang Xuan was taken aback.
Could it be that … there were other Saint intermediate-tier artifacts on the sword as well?
"I am the Dusk Cloud Sword!" the sword replied.
"Morning Rain, Dusk Cloud … What are the two of you doing here? What kind of place is this island?"
Hearing the name of the sword, Zhang Xuan could tell that it was a set of treasures. Frowning, he continued asking.
Not only was there a formation, there was even a sword attacking them. This was simply too bizarre.
"We have been here for many years. This is the Qianchong Empire Sword Lagoon!" the Dusk Cloud Sword replied.
"Sword Lagoon?"
Zhang Xuan was taken aback once more.
Back then, Hall Master Xing had told him that the geniuses of the Four Great Empires Combat Master Halls would have a chance to enter the Qianchong Empire Sword Lagoon to cultivate. He had thought that it would have nothing to do with him, but who could have thought that the venue for the semifinals would be here?
"Indeed. There are many swords here, and there are many Sword Intents left behind by experts. Since you have intruded this place, and you have something on you that has attracted our attention, it's only natural for us to assault you!"
The Dusk Cloud Sword replied.
"Something that has attracted your attention?" Zhang Xuan flicked his wrist and took out a jade token. "Are you referring to this?"
"This object harnesses a surge of Sword Intent. If we devour it, it will be beneficial to our spirit. That's why we decided to destroy it!"
The Dusk Cloud Sword explained.
"Sword Intent?"
Zhang Xuan extended his Spiritual Perception into the jade token, and he could sense a surge of Sword Intent on it. It was extremely faint, but it was the understanding of swordsmanship of a Grand Dominion realm expert, and it was extremely attractive to swords.
"I see …"
Zhang Xuan widened his eyes in realization.
On the surface, Zhao Xingmo's intention for the semifinals to be held here was to allow the master teachers to kill one another. However, in truth, he had secretly left behind a backup plan, which was to use the swords in the Sword Lagoon to launch a sneak attack on the candidates!
On top of that, there were formations and the like. The slightest carelessness could easily lead to one falling into a trap.
Most likely, Zhang Jiuxiao had been unlucky enough to be struck by the Morning Rain Sword, resulting in his jade token being destroyed.
"Where is the Sword Lagoon? How many swords of your caliber are there? "
Understanding what was going on, Zhang Xuan couldn't help but ask.
"The Sword Lagoon is around a hundred li away from here, and there are more than a hundred swords of my caliber!"
The Dusk Cloud Sword didn't hide anything from Zhang Xuan.
"More than a hundred … Primordial Spirit realm pinnacle swords?" Zhang Xuan widened his eyes in shock.
Primordial Spirit realm pinnacle swords were Saint intermediate-tier swords, and there weren't too many of them in the entire Qianchong Empire. Yet, there were more than a hundred of them in the Sword Lagoon. If he could tame all of them, his fighting prowess would surely soar once more.
"The Qianchong Empire Sword Lagoon was left behind by the Old Sword Maestro back then, and it contains his heritage, Sword Intent, and sword arts. Every year, it attracts countless swordsmen to the Qianchong Empire Sword Lagoon in hopes of obtaining a fortuitous encounter. However, no one has ever seen what his heritage looks like, and no one has ever obtained the complete fortuitous encounter.
"The Sword Intent and sword arts are all different from one another, and the longer one stays in the Sword Lagoon, the more conflicted one's understanding of swordsmanship will be. Furthermore, there are all kinds of people in the Sword Lagoon, and conflict is inevitable. There are many sword cultivators who have never left the Sword Lagoon ever since they arrived, wasting their lives away for nothing …"
At this point, the Dusk Cloud Sword's voice suddenly turned a little grim. "Just like that, the master of the Morning Rain Sword and I died here …"
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