Chapter 97: Underground Ruins

The abyss beneath the imperial palace was like the open maw of an ancient beast, constantly spewing out cold and sharp Sword Qi.

Chu Chang, dressed in black, drifted down like a feather along the sheer vertical rock wall.

Beside him, fourteen Heavenly Demon Puppets circled in a ring Formation. Thick Taiyin Evil Qi supported a faint gray light barrier in the darkness, blocking all the masterless Sword Qi—sharp as blades and capable of mincing a Golden Core Cultivator into meat—from the outside.

As he descended over a thousand zhang, the surrounding rock walls began to change from ordinary blue-gold stone to a type of Fire Essence Stone with a dark red luster.

The air became incredibly dry and scorching, and the gurgling sound of churning magma faintly drifted up from the depths of the earth.

"The Great Yuan Dynasty has guarded this for three thousand years, yet they can only scrape by using the scattered Spirit Qi leaking from the periphery of these ruins. Truly a waste of heavenly treasures."

Chu Chang stroked the duanchen ancient sword. As the distance closed, the ancient sword trembled more violently, the rust on its surface flaked off faster and faster, and it even faintly revealed a trace of the profound Laws of the ancient Immortal Dao.

"Boom!"

The moment Chu Chang dropped three thousand zhang into the depths, his vision suddenly opened up.

This was a vast, boundless underground world of molten lava. Scorching magma crisscrossed below, converging into rivers emitting fiery toxins.

In the center of the magma rivers, a massive bronze gate forged entirely of black-gold metal stood majestically on a solitary stone platform.

Above the bronze gate, four bold, iron-drawn, silver-hooked characters were carved in ancient divine script: "Separation of Immortal and Mortal."

In front of the bronze gate, three barriers, each emanating different Law fluctuations, were quietly waiting for an arrival.

"First barrier: Heavenly Thunder-Fire Realm."

Chu Chang landed on the edge of the stone platform.

As soon as the words fell, the magma river below suddenly roared crazily.

Countless streaks of crimson magma shot into the sky, intertwining in the Void Realm with the Earth Evil Yin Thunder that had accumulated for thousands of years, forming a crimson Thunder-Fire storm covering several miles.

In this storm, every spark and every arc of lightning condensed terrifying Laws of destruction.

Even a half-step Nascent Soul Stage Cultivator would be instantly pierced by the Earth Fire and have their soul shattered by the Yin Thunder upon entering.

"Thunder-Fire Laws, huh…"

Chu Chang's face was expressionless; he didn't even draw the duanchen ancient sword.

He circulated his Cultivation Technique, and the Tongyou Primordial Spirit in his Sea of Consciousness opened its eyes and pressed its palms together.

"Chaos Swallows Heaven, Laws Converge into One!"

Chu Chang took a step forward, stepping directly into the violent Thunder-Fire storm.

Boom!

The violent Thunder-Fire instantly engulfed him.

However, a bizarre scene occurred.

Those crimson Earth Fires and black Yin Thunders, capable of destroying heaven and earth, instantly calmed down the moment they touched the three-foot radius around Chu Chang's body, transforming into wisps of the purest Thunder-Fire Origin, which were then swallowed and refined by the Chaos True Essence seeping from his pores.

Using Chaos to contain all Laws.

Chu Chang was currently at the Peak of the Tongyou realm; his Foundation was so solid it was rare in all the worlds.

The power of the Laws in this first barrier, a deadly abyss for others, was nothing more than a potent Spirit Medicine for him.

He walked through the Thunder-Fire storm as if strolling in a garden; with every step, his aura became more refined.

In just a few dozen breaths, he had carved a path through this Heavenly Thunder-Fire Realm that had raged for thousands of years using only his Physical Body.

After crossing the Thunder-Fire storm, the temperature on the stone platform plummeted.

Before Chu Chang lay the second barrier.

In the Void Realm here, nine white jade longswords emitting a soft white light were suspended.

Although these nine swords were merely embryos of half-step Immortal Artifacts, when combined, they faintly resonated with the Big Dipper in the sky, and the Sword Intent they emitted had already formed a domain of its own.

Nine Swords Profound Heaven Formation.

"Challenger, halt."

An indifferent, lifeless, mechanical voice came from the Void Realm.

It was the Formation Spirit guarding this barrier.

As the voice fell, the nine white jade longswords lit up simultaneously.

Millions of sword shadows instantly manifested in the Void Realm, each condensed with the Law of "Geng Metal Slaying Immortals," and the bone-chilling sharpness sliced tiny black cracks into the surrounding space.

"Boom!"

The sword Formation activated, and the sky-filling white jade Sword Qi transformed into a massive river of sword light, crashing toward Chu Chang with a determination that could pierce heaven and earth.

This power already exceeded the limits of the Mortal World, faintly touching the threshold of the Nascent Soul Stage, or even the Soul Transformation Stage.

"Interesting."

A trace of appreciation finally appeared in Chu Chang's eyes.

The Great Yuan Dynasty couldn't even touch the surface of this barrier, so it was no wonder they could only watch from the periphery.

"But, in the face of absolute Sword Dao Laws, Formations are still inferior."

Chu Chang finally gripped the duanchen ancient sword.

He didn't use any flashy Moves, just a simple, straightforward thrust.

"One Sword Gives Birth to Ten Thousand Laws, Chaos Boundless!"

As this sword was thrust out, the black and white Taiji diagram appeared again, but this time, what flowed within the Taiji diagram was not destructive Thunder-Fire, but countless Chaos Sword Qi as fine as dust.

Sword Intent against Sword Intent.

Boom!

Two massive Sword Intents collided fiercely in the Void Realm.

The river of sword light formed by the Nine Swords Profound Heaven Formation melted rapidly upon touching Chu Chang's Chaos Sword Intent, as if ice meeting a scorching sun. The "All Things Return to Origin" Law contained within the Chaos Sword Intent crazily stripped away the spirituality and power of the white jade longswords.

"Crack…"

The nine white jade longswords trembled violently, and fine cracks began to appear on the blades.

In less than three breaths, the Foundation of the Formation supported by the nine Immortal sword embryos collapsed, dissipating into white light that filled the sky.

The second barrier, broken.

The final barrier was silent.

No thunder or fire, no Sword Qi, only a deathly silent mist.

The moment Chu Chang stepped into the mist, the scenery before him changed drastically.

The underground abyss, the magma rivers, the Heavenly Demon Puppets… everything vanished.

He found himself sitting in a magnificent palace, with countless Immortals bowing to him below. Peerless fairy maidens served him tea and water, and rare treasures of heaven and earth were his for the taking.

The scene shifted, and he was back at the Divine Sword Sect.

His father, mother, and the Sect elders who had fallen were standing alive before him, looking at him with smiles: "Chang'er, you're back. The great revenge has been avenged, come and rest…"

"Is this… the Heart Demon barrier left behind by an Immortal?"

Chu Chang stood in place, looking at these incredibly realistic illusions, not even a ripple of emotion appearing on his face.

After a century of cultivation, he had experienced countless battles and betrayals.

His Dao Heart had long been as indestructible as ten-thousand-year black ice.

"Chang'er, what's wrong? Don't you even recognize your mother?" The woman reached out, wanting to stroke Chu Chang's cheek.

Chu Chang looked at her, a trace of faint indifference flashing in his eyes.

"My Dao is above the Nine Heavens, at the pinnacle of the Laws."

"Mere illusions of the Mortal World dare to block my path?"

Chu Chang didn't even bother to draw the duanchen ancient sword; he just let out a cold snort.

Boom!

The Tongyou Primordial Spirit deep in his Sea of Consciousness let out a majestic roar, and his immensely vast Divine Sense transformed into a tangible storm, sweeping outward with him at the center.

The Heart Demon illusion left behind by the ancient Immortal, capable of making countless Nascent Soul Stage Old Ancestors sink into despair, shattered inch by inch like a mirror struck by a hammer under the impact of Chu Chang's god-like, resilient will.

"Begone!"

Chu Chang roared.

The illusion dissipated completely, and the magma world deep underground reappeared before him.

The third barrier, broken!

Having passed all three barriers, Chu Chang stood before the ten-thousand-jin black-gold bronze gate.

"Hum!"

As Chu Chang broke all three barriers, the black-gold bronze gate, sealed for thousands of years, let out a dull roar and slowly opened inward.

A wisp of pure Immortal light, indescribable in words, shot out from the gap in the door, illuminating the entire dark underground world.

Chu Chang stepped through the bronze gate.

Inside the gate was not a dark tomb, but a strange starry world.

Countless miniature stars rotated slowly in the Void Realm, casting down gentle starlight. In the very center of the starry sky, an altar built of white jade floated.

On the altar floated three things:

A skeleton emitting a faint golden light; even though countless years had passed, terrifying Immortal Dao Laws still flowed on the bones;

A Jade Slip as white as mutton-fat jade, upon which five ancient characters "Taiyi Dividing Light Sword Technique" faintly flickered;

And a cluster of strange, fist-sized liquid emitting nine-colored light.

That was the Immortal Origin Crystal left behind after an Immortal fell!

The moment Chu Chang stepped onto the altar, a faint light suddenly lit up in the Immortal skeleton.

Immediately after, a phantom of a man in white, with a scholarly and elegant face, slowly condensed above the skeleton. The phantom looked at Chu Chang, then at the duanchen ancient sword in his hand, a complex expression of shock and relief appearing in his eyes.

"Three thousand years… finally, someone has come here with duanchen."

The man in white sighed, his voice filled with endless vicissitudes.

"Who are you?" Chu Chang asked coldly, the duanchen ancient sword in his hand pointing slightly askew.

"My name is Taiyizi, and I was the only Immortal in this Qianyuan World."

The white-clad phantom gave a wry smile: "Back then, Heavenly Demons from outside the realm invaded. I and several fellow Daoists fought the Heavenly Demon experts beneath Qianjing. Although we killed the Heavenly Demon, we were also fatally wounded and fell here."

"And this duanchen in your hand…"

Taiyizi looked at the duanchen ancient sword with a solemn expression: "It is not a Magic Treasure of this world, but the personal Immortal sword of a Sword Immortal expert from the Upper Realm that drifted into the Mortal World. Back then, we exhausted the strength of the entire world, yet we could only leave a layer of Seal on its blade to prevent its aura from leaking and attracting powerful enemies from outside the realm. This is why it looks like a broken piece of mortal iron."

"Today, you passed the three barriers with duanchen, proving that you are the fated person for this Sword Immortal Legacy."

"I grant you this Taiyi Legacy, as well as this Immortal Origin Origin that has accumulated for three thousand years, to help you break through from mortal to Immortal!"

After speaking, the white-clad phantom pointed slightly at Chu Chang.

Boom!

The Jade Slip recording the "Taiyi Dividing Light Sword Technique" and the incomparably precious Immortal Origin Origin transformed into two streams of light, instantly sinking into Chu Chang's forehead and body.

"Boom!"

The moment the Immortal Origin Origin entered his body, Chu Chang's body shook violently.

An unimaginably terrifying energy erupted completely within him like a volcano.

His cultivation, which had already reached the Peak of Tongyou (Purple Mansion Peak), began to break through the Bottleneck at a crazy speed under the impetus of this Immortal Origin power.

Crack!

The Chaos Golden Core within his body shattered instantly under the baptism of the Immortal Origin, transforming into a small black figure identical to Chu Chang.

Nascent Soul!

Not only that, as the Immortal Origin continued to merge, the black Nascent Soul began to become increasingly refined. Its originally illusory body solidified rapidly, and the mana fluctuations it emitted instantly surpassed the ordinary Nascent Soul Stage, stepping directly into the Middle Stage of the Nascent Soul Stage, and even surging toward the Late Stage.

As for the duanchen ancient sword in his hand, after absorbing the residual Immortal light on the altar, the last piece of rust on the blade fell off completely.

A strand of brilliant, extreme Immortal Dao sword light, faintly resonating with the stars of the Nine Heavens, shot up from the sword, directly tearing through the three-thousand-zhang rock layer of the underground and piercing straight into the Nine Heavens!

"Rumble!"

Above Qianjing, the sky, which had been clear and sunny, was instantly covered by dark thunderclouds again.

And this time, the thunderclouds were not the purple-red of before, but nine-colored divine thunder that carried an aura of destruction and supremacy!

Nine Heavens Tribulation!

This was the strongest Heavenly Tribulation that only a Heaven-Defying child would attract when breaking through to the Nascent Soul Stage!

Deep underground, Chu Chang opened his eyes abruptly. Black and white Taiji patterns swirled in his eyes, and his entire body exuded an extremely sharp Immortal Dao Sword Intent.

"Ten Thousand Sword Mountain, is it…"

He seemed to sense something, looked up at the distant Void Realm, and a cold smile curled on his lips.

"Since you've come, then all of you shall remain under my Heavenly Tribulation."