Chapter 270 Sword Embryo Acquired

The moment Lao Ding uttered those words, the murderous intent in Wang Chong's eyes exploded.

He knew very well that if he let the hunter from the yellow zone go any further, the ancient scroll would really fall into the other side's hands.

"Then you'll die here!"

With a roar, Wang Chong ignored the stinging pain in his meridians, forcefully formed a sword with his fingers, and pressed it forward fiercely.

The two flying swords at his feet, which had been pressed down by the sword intent, trembled violently at the same time, as if they were being pushed up by an invisible mountain, and were forced to bounce half a foot off the ground. The spiritual light on the swords was dim, far less agile than before, but they still had a sharpness sharp enough to cut through flesh and blood. They moved close to the ground, one in front and one behind, aiming straight for Old Ding's legs.

At the same time, another surviving Wang family cultivator gritted his teeth and rushed forward, his true energy surging in his palm, transforming into a foot-long bluish-white sword beam that pierced straight at Old Ding's throat.

They all understood that they couldn't delay any longer.

The items inside the gate are ten or even a hundred times more valuable than the pills, broken swords, and opportunities in the side halls outside.

Whoever touches it first has the right to change their fate.

Whoever is a step behind can only watch others turn the tables.

Old Ding didn't dodge.

It wasn't that he didn't want to dodge, but rather that his current body was nearing its limit.

His left arm was almost useless, and his right hand was still supported by the knife. The pseudo-spiritual root in his body flickered uncertainly, like a candle in the wind. But he still took a step forward, his feet sinking heavily into the rubble, half-covered in blood, and rushed straight towards the futon in front of the skeleton.

"Stop them!"

The two remaining hunters from the yellow zone behind them almost simultaneously turned red-eyed.

One of them lunged forward, completely ignoring the two flying swords slashing down at the ground. He charged forward like a vicious dog pouncing on its prey, forcefully deflecting one of the flying swords with his own body.

puff!

The sword sliced ​​down his ribs, almost cutting him in two.

But this collision tore open a gap for Lao Ding.

The other hunter was even more ruthless. Seeing that the bluish-white sword light of the Wang family cultivator was about to approach Old Ding's throat, he actually tore off the strip of cloth bandaging his shoulder wound, wrapped it around the wrist of the Wang family cultivator holding the sword, and pounced on him like a madman.

Come on!

"I'll die here with you today!"

The Wang family cultivator's expression changed drastically. Just as he was about to use his strength to shake off his opponent, the hunter used the last bit of strength in his body to drag him away from the spot.

boom!

The two crashed into the broken wall to the side, sending debris flying and blood flowing everywhere.

Old Ding didn't turn around.

He just kept moving forward.

The threshold is already in sight.

The ancient scroll was right behind the rusty sword, beneath the skeletal fingers, so close it seemed one could reach out and touch it.

But it was at this moment—

Zheng.

A very low, deep sword cry slowly echoed from inside the quiet room.

The rusty sword stuck upside down in the ground suddenly trembled slightly.

In the next instant, the floor, walls, and ceiling of the entire quiet room simultaneously lit up with dense, ancient sword patterns. These patterns did not resemble the restrictions set up by an array master, but rather looked more like "sword marks" directly carved into the stone, each exuding an extremely pure killing intent.

boom--!

A sword aura, heavier and more condensed than the previous wisp of gray sword energy, crashed down.

This time, it's not a slash.

Instead, it's pressure.

It felt as if countless invisible ancient swords were simultaneously pressed against a person's shoulders, back, knees, and sea of ​​consciousness, ready to crush anyone unworthy to approach them!

"puff!"

Old Ding spat out another mouthful of blood and immediately knelt on the ground, his knees shattering the bluestone, cracks spreading outwards from him.

Wang Chong wasn't much better off.

He had just rushed to the door when he was forced to lower his body by the suddenly doubled sword power. He originally wanted to forcefully form a hand seal to control the sword, but his internal energy became chaotic and he almost knelt down.

Even the two cultivators and hunters who were together outside the quiet room simultaneously let out muffled groans, as if a mountain had hit their spines, and their movements slowed down a beat in unison.

This is no longer a simple killing formation.

This is screening.

The last barrier used to stop the door.

Whoever can move forward has the right to touch that roll.

Whoever is crushed is not worthy.

"Haha...hahaha..."

Wang Chongqiang struggled to lift his head, his mouth covered in blood, but a sudden, manic gleam of joy flashed in his eyes.

"See that...? That's the difference between acknowledging you and not acknowledging you!"

"You piece of trash, cobbled together from mixed blood, don't deserve to set foot here!"

Old Ding didn't say anything.

His teeth were grinding together, the veins in his neck were bulging, and the pseudo-spiritual root on his back was flickering as if something was choking his life force, about to go out completely at any moment.

But it was in this immense pressure that almost crushed him that Old Ding suddenly felt that the demon blood, pseudo-spiritual roots, flesh and bones that had been clashing and consuming each other within his body were being forced together by an external force.

Chaos continues.

It's still a jumbled mess.

Yet, in the deepest part of that chaos, there was a faint, extremely fine, and faint sharpness, as if it were about to grow out of the flesh and blood.

That's not complete sword intent.

It's more like a "root" that was forced out.

Old Ding's pupils contracted.

He didn't understand the orthodox tradition of Shu Mountain, nor did he understand the great principles of swordsmanship.

But he knew he couldn't lose that feeling.

If it's lost, all the effort we put in today will have been for nothing.

"Get up, you son of a bitch!"

A low growl was squeezed out from between his teeth.

Old Ding supported himself with his right hand on the knife, inch by inch, lifting his body back up.

The flesh on the back of his hand was torn open.

The area between my thumb and forefinger was worn raw by the knife handle.

His back straightened up little by little, but his leg bones cracked and popped under the immense pressure, as if they would break completely at any moment.

step.

His right knee dragged forward an inch.

The second step.

He crawled forward with great difficulty, almost touching the ground with his entire body.

The yellow zone hunter who was still alive behind him turned red with rage when he saw this.

He shook off the Wang family cultivator, and his own shoulder was also struck by a palm, causing half of it to collapse. But he didn't even groan. He rushed to the door and hugged Wang Chong tightly as he tried to squeeze forward.

"Brother Ding! Move forward!"

Wang Chong's face twisted instantly, and he raised his elbow and slammed it hard into the hunter's head.

boom!

A muffled thud.

The hunter's face was half-collapsed, and his teeth, mixed with blood and foam, were spraying all over the ground, but he hugged it tighter and tighter, even wrapping his legs around it, like a mad dog that refused to let go even in its dying moments.

"Get out of here! Get out of here!!"

Wang Chong was completely panicked.

He knew very well that every moment he was held back, Old Ding was one step closer to that ancient scroll.

"You piece of trash, how dare you stop me?!"

"Stop you?"

The hunter, his mouth full of blood, grinned and said, "In my life... what I love to do most is to beat up high-and-mighty creatures like you."

next moment.

He exerted all his strength, holding Wang Chong tightly, and slammed his head against the cracked, broken stele beside the door of the quiet room.

boom!

The two rolled away at the same time, splattering blood all over the ground.

Old Ding didn't waste his breath.

He took another step forward and finally stepped over the rusty sword's edge.

At this moment, he was only half an arm's length away from that half-scroll of ancient scroll.

The skeleton remained seated, its empty eye sockets gleaming with an even stronger blue sword light than before.

It was as if if he dared to reach out, he would deliver the final blow.

Old Ding, panting heavily, slowly raised his right hand.

My hands are shaking.

My whole body was shaking.

It's not fear.

It hurt so much, I was bleeding almost dry, and I was at my absolute limit.

But he still reached out his hand.

"Whether it's Mount Shu or the Sword Embryo..."

"I don't understand."

"All I know is that this thing—"

"My brothers covered for me!"

He suddenly spread his five fingers and grabbed the half-scroll of ancient scroll!

hum-

The blue light on the surface of the ancient scroll suddenly surged!

An extremely domineering, ancient, and pure sword intent, almost to the point of being ruthless, rushed into Old Ding's body through his palm.

His whole body tensed up instantly, and he let out an extremely suppressed scream.

The feeling was like someone had driven a red-hot sword inch by inch into his flesh and veins.

It was as if they wanted to scrape away all of Lao Ding's mixed demon blood, his unorthodox pseudo-spiritual root, and his murderous aura to see if there was anything inside that was worthy of being left as a "sword".

Blood seeped out little by little from his seven orifices.

Even the pseudo-spiritual root behind him, which was almost extinguished, began to twitch under the impact of this sword intent.

But in the midst of this excruciating pain that felt like it was tearing his whole body apart, Old Ding suddenly felt something inside him make a "crack" sound, as if a crack had finally been made.

The next instant, a sharp, extremely fine, tiny, and faint yet undeniably real sense of sharpness emerged from the depths of his flesh and blood.

It's not magic.

It's not flying on a sword.

Rather, it was a "sword seed" that had truly taken root within him.

It is also a "sword embryo".

This ancient scroll is not some kind of publicly known cultivation method.

It is more like a root left by the Shu Mountains for future generations.

Whoever can endure this pain, this pressure, this selection process will have the "sword" planted in their body.

hum.

The oppressive aura of the sword in the quiet room, which had been so strong that it made people unable to lift their heads, suddenly lessened slightly.

The eerie blue sword light in the eye sockets of that withered skeleton slowly dimmed.

The rusty sword stuck upside down in the ground emitted a low, short hum, as if some long-dormant will had finally met the person it was waiting for, yet was unwilling to give up.

It did not continue to apply pressure.

However, they did not completely submit.

When Wang Chong saw this scene, his eyes turned red.

"You dare to challenge me?!"

He shook off the hunter from the yellow zone and rushed in, covered in blood. The remaining spiritual energy in his palm condensed into a sword beam about a foot long, which pierced straight into Old Ding's back.

At this point, he completely forgot about manners and pretenses.

He just wanted to nail this peasant to the spot.

However, Lao Ding was faster than him.

It's not because the injury has healed.

Rather, it was because the sword embryo that had just been implanted into his body gave him an unprecedented sense of perception at this moment.

He didn't even turn around.

He simply swung his hand back.

laugh!

A faint, thin cyan sword aura was flicked out from his fingertip.

Not strong.

Not big.

Yet it is surprisingly pure.

Wang Chong's expression changed drastically. He hastily turned to the side, and the sword energy grazed his shoulder, cutting through his protective aura and leaving a trail of blood. It even tore off a corner of his Taoist robe.

Wang Chong staggered backward, clutching his shoulder, his face filled with disbelief.

"you……"

A hunter in the yellow zone.

A bastard child created by piecing together demon blood and pseudo-spiritual roots.

It actually unleashed sword energy?!

Old Ding himself was also panting heavily.

He knew that this wisp of sword energy wasn't something he had suddenly gained.

Instead, that half-scroll of ancient scroll planted a "seed" within his body.

A single grain, far from complete, was enough to make him completely different from before.

He looked down and glanced at the ancient scroll in his palm.

The ancient scroll had now completely faded, and its edges were even beginning to crack, as if it had completed its mission.

At the same time, he could clearly feel that the sword embryo that had just been planted in his body was resonating with the black stone sword monument in the central square in the distance. It was a very faint but incredibly real connection.

It's as if it's telling him—

This is not the end.

The truly greater thing in Mount Shu is deeper inside, at the Sword Stele.

But that doesn't mean what he's holding isn't heavy.

Quite the opposite.

The contest in the central square is for the overtly established lineage of the Shu Mountain sect. But what he has now obtained is the true root of the "sword" planted into his very flesh and blood.

This thing may not be the most conspicuous.

But it was the one that suited him best.

It was this unorthodox path that truly ignited the spark that allowed him to take another step forward.

At the doorway stood Wang Chong, his face filled with resentment, yet he dared not take another step forward.

Old Ding slowly tucked the half-rolled ancient scroll away from his body and gripped the chipped blade of his knife tightly once more.

He did not walk towards the central square.

Because he knew that going there now would only mean his death.

Reaching this point is already a feat achieved by stepping over the corpses of his brothers and risking his life.

If we went any further, we would truly lose our lives here.

"Isn't the Wang family the most fond of emphasizing lineage and legitimacy?"

Old Ding raised his blood-covered face, grinned at Wang Chong, and laughed fiercely.

"Then you better remember this."

"This legacy we have today."

"I got it by stepping over corpses."

After saying that, he didn't look at Wang Chong again. Dragging his almost useless left arm, he stepped over the broken bones and blood on the ground and walked out step by step.

Wang Chong stared intently at his retreating figure, his eyes filled with resentment and bitterness, his chest heaving violently, but in the end he didn't dare to chase after him.

Because he knew.

If we went up there now, it might not be Old Ding who died.

As Lao Ding walked out of the quiet room, he glanced back at the direction of the central square in the distance.

The Black Stone Sword Stele still stands.

That ancient sword intent that soared into the sky was still there.

The greater secret of Mount Shu remains buried there.

But he wasn't in a hurry.

Because within him, there was already a true sword seed.

On this trip to Emei Mountain, he has already obtained his own share of the ancient heritage.