Chapter 829: Get in Line

Hidden deep in a mountain valley outside Peach Blossom Village, the trial ground was clearly concealed to keep outsiders from entering freely. The group passed through a narrow crack in the wall and emerged into a corridor that resembled the one from the previous trial.

However, unlike the previous trial, there was no time limit marked by a burning incense stick. This time, they had to obtain a sword to pass. Countless white flying swords hung on the far wall, and as the group moved forward, the swords lit up, buzzing and trembling.

"Be careful," the Whale-Riding Immortal cautioned, still taking the lead to scout ahead.

The moment he lifted off the ground, the swordlights ahead trembled violently. Just a few breaths later, a brilliant streak of swordlight surged toward him.

Whoosh!

The swordlight flashed like lightning, far too fast for the naked eye to track. But for the Whale-Riding Immortal, dodging it would have been easy. Yet, he chose not to. His eyes gleamed like stars as he struck out just before the swordlight reached him.

Bang!

In a flash, his right palm brushed against the flying sword, and a loud explosion rang out. The sword veered off course and vanished into the corridor.

The Whale-Riding Immortal raised his hand, glanced at the reddened center of his palm, and let out a quiet chuckle. "That wasn't easy."

Despite his high cultivation level, a rushed attempt wasn't good enough to grab the flying sword.

Seeing what had happened, those behind him grew alert. When the swordlights came at them, no one risked trying to catch one. They did their best to dodge, though avoiding something that fast was hard enough on its own.

Elder Yin, in particular, was a step too slow as he sidestepped, and the swordlight nearly struck him. Fortunately, it only sliced through part of his sleeve.

But when the second swordlight flew toward him, the Whale-Riding Immortal was ready. Forming a hand seal with his left and striking with his right, he seized the trembling flying sword from midair with a loud bang.

It’s Flow of Time!

Chu Liang recognized the immortal art that the Whale-riding Immortal had used. It manipulated the flow of time within a small area around him, slowing the incoming flying sword just enough. That brief moment of slowed time was all the Whale-Riding Immortal needed to catch it effortlessly.

After catching the flying sword, the Whale-Riding Immortal didn't leave right away. Instead, he passed the sword to Elder Yin and said, "You go ahead and take this out first."

Without any hesitation or courtesy, Elder Yin took the sword at once.

This was the plan they had agreed on earlier. So long as one person could claim a sword, the others would have a chance to pass the trial as well.

Back then, when the Yin Family's ancestor reached this stage with the Demon-Expelling Sword, he had been at the peak of the seventh realm. Yet, he succeeded. So it should be easier for someone like the Whale-Riding Immortal, an elite even among eighth-realm Eminent Ones, to pass this trial.

That showed the importance of having information. Knowing the details of the checkpoint in advance made it much easier to come up with a solution. Without the map, Elder Yin might not have dared to enter at all—especially after nearly losing his life in the previous trial.

Shortly after, the Sword Emperor forcefully caught his first sword.

With greater strength than the Sword Emperor, Chu Liang found the task slightly easier. After a few careful attempts using the dragon claws, he managed to grab a sword as well.

At the same time, the Whale-Riding Immortal grabbed a sword for Jiang Yuebai.

Everyone had now obtained a flying sword; they were all qualified to pass the trial.

As they approached the end of the corridor, Chu Liang turned to the Whale-Riding Immortal, casting him a meaningful glance. "Esteemed Senior, these flying swords are of exceptional quality."

The swords hanging on the wall appeared to be mass-produced, yet the materials and craftsmanship of each one were superb, enough to place them among the top five hundred treasures in the Catalog of the Mortal World's Ten Thousand Treasures.

Such materials and forging techniques didn't seem to originate from the mortal world. This Heavenly Palace of the Sword Domain truly felt like a hidden realm that had once fallen from a higher realm.

The Whale-Riding Immortal caught Chu Liang's look and immediately understood. The two exchanged a knowing smile.

Chu Liang and the Whale-Riding Immortal handed their swords to those close by, then made their way back into the corridor to wait for the next round of swordlight.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Each time the swordlight appeared, the two of them would seize a sword and hand it to someone nearby. Again and again, they harvested the treasures of the hidden realm.

Jiang Yuebai rubbed her forehead softly as she watched from the side. Their behavior wasn't exactly bad... but it certainly looked a bit ridiculous.

She had to admit it to herself. In this regard, Chu Liang and her father were very similar.

Chu Liang and the Whale-Riding Immortal happily collected sixty or seventy swords, leaving a noticeable gap on the wall where swords had once hung. But despite waiting patiently, no new swords appeared.

As their patience started to wear thin, a wild and ancient aura erupted behind them.

When they turned, they saw the tip of an ancient sword emerging from the corridor. Its sharp aura was overwhelming. If it were to strike with full force, the power would be unimaginable.

"Go, go!" the Whale-Riding Immortal said, giving Chu Liang a quick shove.

Chu Liang had always been quick to act, so he didn't need the reminder. As he fled, he even muttered, "Why so mad?"

The Whale-Riding Immortal added, "So stingy."

"Is it really worth it over a couple of swords?"

"Exactly."

"......"

"..."

The two grumbled as they ran, slipping through the exit just before a deafening blast roared from behind.

Boom!

...

When the group landed and looked up, they were struck speechless by the sight.

They stood on a vast mountaintop platform. In the distance, a colossal white sword stood tall against the sky, its aura as majestic as that of a god. The blade stretched beyond the heavens, and just looking at it made them feel indescribably small.

In front of them, a man sat cross-legged in meditation, eyes closed in deep focus. The noise of their arrival alerted him, and he opened his eyes with a faint frown.

"What's with all the noise?" he asked.

He probably hadn't expected such a dramatic entrance from those who passed the previous trial.

The man wore a black robe and sat upright on the ground. His hair and beard were unkempt, and though he appeared to be in his fifties, his eyes held a depth that suggested otherwise. Who knew how many years he had been meditating there?

Elder Yin stood frozen, staring at the man. Then, after a brief pause, he abruptly rushed forward and shouted, "Father!"

"Huh?" The whole group was stunned.

The man in black was stunned as well.

He blinked and muttered, "Are people outside this polite these days?"

"Father, it's me, Shihang!"

Elder Yin dropped to his knees, eyes brimming with tears as he gazed at the man before him, who looked several decades younger than he did.

"Shihang?" The man in black was taken aback. He clutched Elder Yin's hand and spoke with a trembling voice. "How did you end up so old and... ugly? And your cultivation level's this low? Are you sure you're from the Yin Family?"

"Agh..." Elder Yin couldn't hold it in anymore and began to sob. "You've been gone for more than a hundred years! Naturally, I've aged... And my cultivation didn't improve because I have only been in the outside world for a few years!"

Elder Yin's father seemed convinced at last, and his voice cracked with emotion. "My child... I've been so useless. I have been spending all these years sitting here alone, and now I finally get to see you again!"

Watching the two sob in each other's arms, Chu Liang couldn't help but sigh.

These two really have had a hard time

, he thought.

Together, they've basically spent more than two hundred years locked up. Who wouldn't cry after all that?

After a long bout of crying, Elder Yin finally turned to his father and introduced Chu Liang and the others. "If it weren't for them, I would've died outside the entrance to the Heavenly Palace. Even with the map, I never would've made it here to see you."

"This favor and kindness you've shown my son is beyond measure," said Elder Yin's father.

After expressing his heartfelt gratitude, he turned to glance at the Whale-Riding Immortal. "Perhaps only those at the eighth realm have even the faintest chance of attempting the trial."

The Whale-Riding Immortal turned to the towering sword ahead and asked, "Is this the final trial?"

"That's right," Elder Yin's father replied while turning to face the sword as well. "The final trial of the Heavenly Palace of the Sword Domain is to draw the sword. There are only two outcomes. Succeed, and you become its master. Fail, and you die. Since it first appeared, through countless years, no one has ever drawn it."

"So... everyone who tried has died?" the Whale-Riding Immortal asked.

"Yes," Elder Yin's father replied with a nod. "Unless you're like my ancestor, who narrowly escaped after failing, almost no one makes it out. In short, touching that sword usually means death."

With his eyes filled with unwavering resolve, the Whale-Riding Immortal said, "Even so, someone must try."

"Many prodigies from immortal sects have made it to this place, but all of them died here," Elder Yin's father said. "That's exactly why I never dared to make a move."

This... was the fate of the prodigies.

As prodigies grew up, they achieved things others never could. So whenever they faced a life-or-death challenge, they believed they would make it through. Most prodigies who fell did so because of this belief. This was what brought them down in their fight against fate.

"An eighth-realm cultivator may have little hope of succeeding," Elder Yin's father said, "but they often have a good chance of surviving. If you fail to draw the sword, it will still open the gate to exit the Sword Domain. I once witnessed an eighth-realm cultivator do just that. He could have left... but he insisted on pushing forward and lost his life.

"I've been meditating here all this time, waiting for a chance to break through to the eighth realm. That way, even if I fail, I might still escape and survive."

The Whale-Riding Immortal shot him a glance. "You're cultivating the Cloud of Determination Great Dao?"

"Exactly," Yin's father said with a nod. "This legendary sword gave rise to the Great Dao of the Cloud of Determination. My comprehension has already reached its peak here. However, the current Master of that Dao still exists. Only after their passing will I have a chance to take their place."

"Hmm..." Everyone fell into a slightly awkward silence upon hearing that.

In the end, it was the Sword Emperor who muttered softly, "You'll have to get in line."