Yanran Mountain Range.

Outside a certain stream valley.

Two disheveled figures stumbled through a patch of jungle, leaving a trail of blood. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

These two, one male and one female, wore Daoist robes that, though tattered, were still recognizable as the garments of Cave Abyss Sect Inner Sect Disciples.

"Sister, I... I can’t run anymore."

The male Disciple’s face was pale, with a deep gash on his left shoulder, exposing bone.

Now, every few steps he took left dark red muddy footprints on the ground.

"Zilin, don’t stop."

Wu Shuangzhi grabbed his arm, her voice a little hoarse: "If we get into the stream valley ahead, we might be able to use the terrain to our advantage!"

Wu Zilin gritted his teeth, frantically squeezing every last bit of Spiritual Qi from his body, and followed his sister, fleeing towards the stream valley.

A dozen yards away, five Cultivators in green robes flew over.

The leader was a young man, with two bronze maces suspended on either side of his body.

"Senior Brother Xu, these two can really run..."

"The male Cultivator we killed earlier took us quite a bit of effort, and that female Cultivator also has some tricks."

"These few useless Cave Abyss Sect Disciples are only good at running away."

The Cultivator referred to as "Senior Brother Xu" did not speak to the surrounding Cultivators, but instead sprinted rapidly in the direction the two were fleeing.

"Enough talk, quickly kill these two and cut the weeds at the root."

At this moment, Wu Shuangzhi had already led Wu Zilin into the stream valley.

The entrance to the stream valley was narrow; the two stumbled in, and the moment they entered the valley, a Fire Talisman exploded, grazing their backs.

The blast knocked them both over.

Five figures had already filed in through the valley entrance, looking at them with mockery.

Wu Shuangzhi suddenly pushed her younger brother away, but she herself turned and swung her sword, a blue light slashing towards the five people.

This was almost her last bit of Spiritual Qi; today, she would likely perish here.

"An ant trying to shake a tree." The Cultivator surnamed Xu crossed his maces, and a poisonous light flared, easily shattering the blue light.

The aftermath did not diminish, sending Wu Shuangzhi flying several yards, heavily crashing into a shallow puddle in the stream valley.

"Sister!"

One of the Cultivators leisurely wiped his blood-stained long saber: "Why aren’t you running anymore?"

He deliberately used the tip of his saber to lift Wu Shuangzhi’s chin.

"You two siblings truly have deep affection for each other."

Wu Shuangzhi trembled all over, not from fear, but like a kind of dying madness.

"Zhongmiao Sect bastards..."

Since the Changping incident, the friction between Cave Abyss Sect and Profound Origin Sect had grown larger and increasingly difficult to reconcile.

Several Sects near Lingyuan Marsh and Yanran Mountain Range that were friendly with Profound Origin Sect also followed suit, leading to more and more friction.

Among them, Zhongmiao Sect was the most aggressive, often using deadly force when encountering Cave Abyss Sect Cultivators outside.

The Senior Brother who came with their siblings had used a secret technique to hold back the five people, allowing them to escape.

At this moment, he was probably already dead.

"Heh heh, offending Profound Origin Sect, I’d say your luck has run out."

The mist in the depths of the stream valley, like a flowing gauze curtain, slowly swallowed the blood Qi of Wu Shuangzhi, Wu Zilin, and the others.

As the mist surged inward, the scene in the depths of the stream valley became faintly discernible.

"Hmm?"

There was actually someone else here.

"Why is there still someone watching the show?"

The five people from Zhongmiao Sect looked up, only to see a black-robed figure sitting cross-legged on a low hill at the end of the stream valley.

The mist was torn open by a gust of wind from the mountains.

The figure of the black-robed young man finally appeared completely before everyone.

This person had downcast eyes, a black and white Flying Sword rested across his lap, and a dark blue long box was strapped to his back.

He was like a cold, hard reef, seemingly oblivious to the killing intent in the valley.

Wu Shuangzhi’s vision was blurred by sweat and blood, but that figure still made her feel incredibly familiar.

It seemed to have appeared countless times in her memories and imagination.

"Acting mysterious."

Among the five Zhongmiao Sect members, the tall and thin Cultivator suddenly flicked several Flying Needles from his sleeve, their tips imbued with a faint blue glow, and shot them towards Song Yan.

"Get down here, you bastard!"

Crack.

A very slight sound, like a fine crack appearing on a thick sheet of ice.

Three Flying Needles, shimmering with a faint blue light, suddenly froze, then broke apart without warning.

"Cough..."

His Spiritual Artifact destroyed, the tall and thin Cultivator grunted, his eyes filled with disbelief.

"What’s going on..."

The young man on the low hill finally raised his head at this moment.

His eyes were clear and bright, with a hint of sharpness, but his brows were furrowed with an impatient expression at being disturbed.

The Cultivator surnamed Xu seemed to sense something was wrong; he narrowed his eyes, and poisonous light surged from his maces.

"Fellow Daoist, I advise you not to meddle in others’ affairs."

Song Yan’s gaze swept over the bloody ground, then looked at the trembling Wu Zilin.

Wu Shuangzhi finally saw the young man’s appearance clearly, and a surge of hope for survival violently rose in her heart.

"Senior Brother Song..."

"Fellow Daoist!" Wu Zilin suddenly knelt, his forehead hitting the mud heavily: "I beg you to help us! Cave Abyss Sect will surely repay you generously!"

The Zhongmiao Sect Cultivators burst into laughter: "Heh heh, a Sect like beggars, how dare you speak of generous re—"

"Too noisy."

Song Yan suddenly spoke, interrupting the Zhongmiao Sect Cultivators’ mockery.

His voice was very soft, yet it inexplicably sent a chill down everyone’s spine.

On the low hill, he rose to his feet, his black robe fluttering without wind.

Buzz—

A black and white Sword Light shot out, embedding itself in front of Wu Shuangzhi, its sharp Sword Qi forcing the Cultivator surnamed Xu back.

Beneath the black robe, his sword-finger flicked.

Two Flying Swords, one purplish-blue and one black-red, flew out from the sword box, like two nimble fish in water.

They seemed chaotic and inexplicable, yet also appeared to follow some special pattern.

Countless cold Sword Qi swiftly gathered throughout the entire stream valley, settling into the valley.

On the hilt of the Unmoored Boat, a clear, cold moon appeared.

"Watch out!"

The Cultivator surnamed Xu seemed to recall something at this moment, his pupils constricting, and the poisonous light from his maces surged.

He immediately shouted: "He’s a Cave Abyss Sect Cultivator!"

The sword-shaped pattern on that black robe was clearly that of a Cave Abyss Sect Wipe Sword Peak Disciple!

Disciples of Demon Subduing Peak were truly too rare, so much so that many people had never encountered them.

However, at this moment, the Flying Sword moved.

"Crescent Moon."

Buzz—

The Flying Sword Lianli suddenly split into three crescent arcs of light, sweeping out as fast as thunder.

Before the five Zhongmiao Sect members could react, the protective Spiritual Qi of the tall and thin Cultivator standing at the forefront was already shattered, and a line of blood appeared on his neck.

He widened his eyes, a gurgling sound in his throat, and his head slowly slid off.

The remaining two crescent Sword Lights swirled and intersected, cutting another green-robed Cultivator in half at the waist.

As his intestines spilled out, the Sword Light’s momentum did not diminish, slashing into the rock walls surrounding the stream valley!

The other two Cultivators attacked, Talismans, poisonous sand, and Flying Needles raining down on Song Yan.

Lord Lin circled and flowed in the air, a wisp of moonlight drifting out from the moon wheel on the Unmoored Boat, condensing onto the Flying Sword.

"Gazing Moon."

A beam of moonlight slashed out, wiping away all attacks.

The condensed Sword Light was like a new moon, suddenly slashing through the two people; their protective Spiritual Qi, under this moonlight, was no match, instantly crushed on the spot.

Of the five Zhongmiao Sect members, in the blink of an eye, only the Cultivator surnamed Xu remained.

Among them, one or two, let alone defensive Spiritual Artifacts, didn’t even have time to deploy their protective Spiritual Qi before they died on the spot.

The Cultivator surnamed Xu was now utterly terrified, the poisonous light from his maces transforming into a giant python’s illusion, attacking Song Yan.

At the same time, he fled towards the outside of the stream valley.

"What kind of demon or monster is this person!?"

Song Yan’s expression was indifferent, his sword-finger pointed, and all the sword shadows suddenly converged into one, suspended above his head, forming a full moon.

"Moonfall."

The next moment, the sword array poured down like a collapsing sky.

The three Flying Swords shot out in unison, and cold moonlight poured out from that full moon.

Boom!!!

The entire stream valley was engulfed by the moon-white Sword Light.

The Cultivator surnamed Xu’s maces shattered inch by inch; he watched helplessly as his arms disintegrated first, followed by his chest, his waist... finally, only a head rolled onto the shallow beach, pinned to the ground by the Unmoored Boat’s sword.

The sword array retracted, and the moon wheel dispersed.

Song Yan stood with his hands down, his Flying Swords returning to their box.

The stream valley returned to silence, with only the lingering scent of blood.

Inside the stream valley, five mutilated corpses were either split in two or crushed into pulp, the scent of blood mixed with the mountain mist, lingering and refusing to dissipate.

Wu Shuangzhi slumped in the water, staring blankly at Song Yan’s receding figure as he put his sword back in its box.

Not a single drop of blood stained the young man’s black robe; only a wisp of moonlight-like cold glint quietly disappeared with the black and white Sword Light.

Wu Zilin stood frozen in place, his Adam’s apple subtly bobbing.

He hadn’t even clearly seen the black-robed young man’s Flying Sword; he only felt moonlight descend, and the five Cultivators fell like stalks of wheat.

He came to his senses in a daze, then immediately knelt down with a plop: "Fellow Daoist, your great kindness, may I ask Your Excellency..."

"Senior Brother Song."

Wu Shuangzhi endured her injuries, struggling to stand up.

"Hmm?"

Song Yan had already walked down from the low hill at this moment, and hearing someone call him, he looked back at the young woman in surprise.

He had originally thought it was just a Junior Sister from the Sect who recognized him, but he hadn’t expected this person to look somewhat familiar.

"Have we met?"

Wu Shuangzhi nodded.

Wu Zilin hurried over and helped his sister.

"We met once by Qingjiang Flatland at the Sword Wiping Assembly."

Song Yan suddenly understood.

In fact, Wu Shuangzhi had already seen Song Yan’s demeanor during the Changping incident, but at that time, she was just an Outer Sect Disciple.

The two were about to express their gratitude when they saw a green snake slithering from not far away, with a pile of qiankun bags hanging from its tail.

It was strange; Song Yan had never taught her this, but Snake Babe really enjoyed this task of looting corpses.

The two were startled at first, but quickly realized it was the other party’s spirit beast.

Song Yan casually picked two of the five qiankun bags and threw them to the siblings.

"Take these, there’s a share for everyone who sees it."

"Do you need me to send you back to the Sect?"

Since he met fellow Sect Disciples here, it was a kind of fate; he was just about to return to his Immortal Cave, so he might as well give them a ride.

"Uh, thank you, Senior Brother Song, but not yet."

Wu Shuangzhi refused, a hint of sadness flashing across her expression: "Senior Brother Ye from our Sect was previously harmed by these five people to protect us."

"My siblings and I will rest here for a while, and after we’ve taken care of his funeral, we’ll return to the Sect."

"Understood."

Song Yan nodded, expressing his condolences.

Cultivators fighting and dying outside was quite common, a perfectly normal occurrence.

But when the person who died was a relative, a friend, or an elder.

Few people could accept it easily.

Song Yan could understand, so he called Xiao He back and did not linger, leaving the stream valley alone... Approximately two months ago, he took a Qi Yang Pill and successfully Breakthrough to Level 8 Qi Refining.

And he had also completed the procedures for entering Demon Subduing Peak.

In reality, Demon Subduing Peak was merely a symbol of status and did not require moving.

For the next two months, Song Yan devoted himself entirely to Cultivating sword arrays.

It was not very convenient to practice in the Immortal Cave.

So he remembered this secluded and uninhabited stream valley in the Yanran Mountain Range.

Here, he could wholeheartedly Cultivate sword arrays, and also take on small tasks to accumulate Spirit Stones.

To be disturbed while Cultivating here, Song Yan truly couldn’t understand it; he could only say he was unlucky.

However, recalling the gains of these two months filled Song Yan with immense joy.

The power of the sword array far exceeded his imagination.

Adhering to the principle of quality over quantity, he temporarily chose to study two sword arrays from the lowest-grade Tier 1 sword arrays.

One of them was the sword array that instantly annihilated five people in the stream valley.

Ring Moon.

The Ring Moon Sword Array requires three Flying Swords to be deployed, and its power is affected by many factors.

For example, the Cultivation of the Sword Cultivator, the grade of the Flying Swords, the compatibility between the Flying Swords, and so on.

What surprised Song Yan the most was that the sword array could naturally condense Sword Qi, transforming it into sword shadows.

A Sword Cultivator’s Sword Qi is equivalent to other Cultivators’ Spiritual Qi.

When Sword Qi solidifies and forms sword shadows to defend against enemies, its power is stronger than that of pure Sword Qi.

Like Flying Swords, it is also one of the mainstream offensive methods of Sword Cultivators.

And when Sword Qi is condensed to its extreme, it becomes Sword Dao True Yuan.

Even with Song Yan’s current Sword Dao Realm, he can still only suppress one Sword Yuan in his residence, but the speed of its re-condensation is slightly faster than before.

What he found most incredible about offensive sword arrays was that once the formation was complete, the Flying Swords acting as the array core could rapidly amplify and condense Sword Qi.

This caused every wisp of Sword Qi surging within it to almost reach the condensed state of a sword shadow.

At the same time, the Sword Qi could also feed back into the Flying Swords, enhancing their power within the sword array.

The two complemented each other, making the power of the sword array extremely terrifying.

Taking the Tier 1 sword array Ring Moon as an example, the position of "New Moon," which is the moon wheel condensed on the Unmoored Boat, is entirely composed of extremely condensed Sword Qi.

Furthermore, a sword array does not necessarily require a Flying Sword as its core.

Once a Sword Cultivator’s Sword Dao Cultivation is sufficient and their sword array techniques are proficient enough, they can use sword shadows to deploy small sword arrays.

After all, in ancient times, most Sword Cultivators also only nurtured one Lifebound Flying Sword.

The sword arrays recorded in the Spirit Transformation Chapter are all below Tier 2.

However, this does not mean that these sword arrays are weak.

The grade of a sword array often only represents the difficulty of learning it; as long as one studies it deeply and combines it properly, a low-grade sword array can still unleash extremely powerful might.

As Sword Dao Cultivation progresses, low-grade sword arrays can also be advanced.

Since the inception of the Sword Array Dao, there have always been Senior Sword Cultivators who considered themselves to have mediocre talent, yet dedicated their lives to studying a single sword array.

They continuously perfected, optimized, and advanced it, achieving a more profound Sword Dao.

Countless such Sword Cultivator Seniors, throughout the long river of history, allowed the Sword Array Dao to flourish.

There were even Sword Dao Geniuses with extraordinary talent who combined several low-grade sword arrays to form a Sword Dao killing move called a "Sword Domain."

However, those were not things he could think about right now.

He now wanted to return to his Immortal Cave to try out the second sword array he had currently mastered.