***
Despite his internal complaints, Li Fengping still quickly sent the relevant information regarding the secret realm to the two of them.
It was an attached-type secret realm that existed by relying on the present world but did not manifest within it; even the entrance required a special method to open, and the only known entrance was located halfway up a mountain peak on the outskirts of Xuanjian City.
According to the description in the data, many Profound-Communicating Grasses with sword-dao attributes grew on the periphery of the secret realm, which was also the reason why that Elder had judged the secret realm to be a place for nurturing a sword.
"A sword capable of generating an entire secret realm... its owner must have been at least a great power of the sword-dao during their lifetime."
Jiang Jing offered her evaluation after she finished reading.
"This trip is very dangerous."
Li Fengping nodded his head and continued to explain.
"What the Senior Sister says is correct; with our abilities, it is indeed dangerous to retrieve the personal sword of that sword-dao of great power, so all we need to do is collect information."
"In addition to the basic contribution points of the mission, the sect will also issue additional contribution points based on the value of the information we provide."
The Ancestral Sword, serving as the core of the Sword Sect's mission board nowadays, was absolutely impartial.
This was quite reasonable; if the matter proved impossible to accomplish, they could still retreat in a timely manner.
"Why do you all believe that the sword cultivator is no longer in this world?"
Xu Xing suddenly spoke.
"Perhaps that sword cultivator is still alive."
The scene suddenly fell into silence.
"..."
After several seconds of silence, Li Fengping gave a bitter smile.
"Senior Brother Sandao, do not frighten me; the data also states that the time this sword-nurturing secret realm has existed already exceeds one thousand five hundred years. Even if it were a sword-dao of great power, or even a sword cultivator above that, they likely would not let their personal sword leave them for so long."
If the owner of this sword-nurturing secret realm were still alive...
Hiss—
"If the owner of the sword were still in the mortal world, then why did he not appear to stop the Elder when he entered the secret realm previously?"
Jiang Jing analyzed calmly.
The Elders of the Sword Sect were all at the Void Returning Stage; even if it were a sword cultivator at the Dao Integration stage or even above that, they should not have allowed a Void Returning sword cultivator to enter their own sword-nurturing secret realm, right?
"That is also true."
Xu Xing gave a light smile.
"Perhaps I have thought too much."
"How long do the Senior Brother and Senior Sister need to prepare?"
"I am ready at any time on my end."
Jiang Jing spoke indifferently.
"However, as for your injury, Junior Brother Li, how much time do you need for recuperation?"
"This is merely a superficial injury; it does not matter."
Li Fengping tugged at the gauze, and a wisp of sword qi severed it, causing the pieces to fall down in a scattered mess.
However, his entire head was seen to have grown larger by a full circle, swollen like a pig's head and covered in greenish-black bruises, with his right eye squeezed so tightly by the swelling that he could not even open it.
"This look of yours is quite interesting; it is even more comical than the one from just now."
Xu Xing offered his evaluation.
Jiang Jing almost let out a laugh when she saw his appearance, but she still managed to restrain herself.
"Was the person who attacked you a body cultivator, Junior Brother?"
"Yes."
If it had not been a body cultivator, he would have recovered from this small amount of injury long ago.
Every body cultivator practiced a type of specialized force technique, so the injuries they caused were extremely difficult to recover from, especially external wounds.
He wondered which body cultivator had created such a technique; it was truly insane!
"However, it is not a problem; that body cultivator who attacked me gave me a pill. Although these superficial injuries will still take some time to recover, they no longer affect my combat strength."
Li Fengping took out new gauze and began to wrap it around his head circle by circle.
This was actually worse than continuing to keep it wrapped.
"Does Senior Brother Sandao need time to prepare on his end?"
"No."
Several minutes later, the three of them left the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall building and arrived at an open space before charging into the sky.
The sword-flying routes for Nascent Soul practitioners were much higher than those for Foundation Establishment practitioners, and as far as the eye could see, one could only observe streaks of flowing light passing by.
Li Fengping led the way at the very front, Jiang Jing followed closely behind him, and Xu Xing hung at the very back at a leisurely pace; the speed of the three was not considered fast among the coming and going streaks of light.
This was not because Li Fengping's sword-escape technique was poorly practiced, for the Sword Sect's sword-controlling methods were unparalleled in the world and far surpassed ordinary object-controlling techniques; the reason for slowing down was mainly due to his two Senior Brothers being caught for speeding...
Emm...
He had to be a bit more prudent and steady.
Even so, the Nascent Soul stage was, after all, no longer considered a low cultivation base, so their speed was extremely fast.
Before long, the three of them arrived at the mountain peak on the outskirts of Xuanjian City where the secret realm was located.
They saw lush vegetation, birds chirping in competition, tigers, wolves, apes, and monkeys howling in unison, and could even see giant snakes as thick as buckets slithering about, yet they were all ordinary beasts with no demonic creatures or spirits hiding among them.
The three of them slowed their speed and descended into the mountain forest.
They continued to walk upward along the mountain path, finally arriving beside a massive boulder that protruded outward.
At this time, quite a few fierce beasts had already detected the commotion and were quietly following the three of them with greedy eyes; practitioners breathed in and out spiritual energy, and their flesh and blood possessed a massive attraction for fierce beasts and demonic creatures.
"Hmph!"
With a cold snort, the pressure of Nascent Soul stage magical power expanded outward, and many fierce beasts were instantly frightened by this terrifying aura, the fur all over their bodies standing on end as they turned and fled in all directions.
Only after the covetous beasts in the vicinity had all fled did Li Fengping retract the pressure of his magical power.
"Most of the fierce beasts on this mountain possess the aura and potential to become spirits and transform into demons, yet not a single beast has become a spirit."
Jiang Jing noticed that something was wrong.
This was very unreasonable; with the spiritual energy here being so abundant, it should not be this way.
Furthermore, she had never heard of anyone regularly clearing out demonic creatures on this mountain.
It was quite good that she noticed the abnormality so quickly.
"It is because their aura and potential have been severed."
Toward this type of decent junior disciple, Xu Xing did not hesitate to say a bit more.
Hmm?
Jiang Jing was startled.
"Senior Brother Sandao also understands the method of observing aura and potential?"
"I understand a bit of it."
Xu Xing gave a slight smile and continued to explain.
"And the cause behind all of this is exactly the goal of our trip."
"The secret realm?"
"Correct; that Elder who issued the mission opened the secret realm back then, causing a wisp of aura from within the secret realm to leak out. That sword perhaps dislikes demonic creatures and spirits, so it severed their potential to become demons."
Jiang Jing fell into thought, and in the next moment, she suddenly raised her head, divine light flowing within her eyes.
Thick green qi was steaming and rising, stretching for several li; this was the 'potential and aura' of the entire mountain and the living beings within it.
Logically speaking, with a potential and aura spanning several li, it would not be excessive for a great demon comparable to the Nascent Soul stage to be born.
However, above the dense and heavy green qi, a wisp of red radiance was extremely dazzling, sharp and biting, forcibly suppressing or rather severing the potential and aura of the entire mountain and even the living beings within it.
Under the suppression of that wisp of red radiance, let alone the fierce beasts within the mountain, even the mountain itself could not possibly give birth to the slightest trace of spirituality.
Very quickly, Jiang Jing felt a burst of piercing pain in her pupils and had no choice but to retract her divine ability.
Just as she closed her eyes to rest.
"Junior Brother Li, what are you doing just standing there? Hurry and open the secret realm."
Xu Xing urged.
Was I not just listening to you talk?
Furthermore, what was said just now could be considered a part of the mission.
Li Fengping grumbled a sentence in his heart and took out a talisman, throwing it forward after injecting it with magical power.
The talisman fluttered in the air and quickly ignited into flames; the space before them began to distort, caving inward and collapsing, the range becoming larger and larger until it finally formed an elliptical vortex that could allow three people to pass through.
Grey mist tumbled within the vortex, and red light was faintly revealed from within, making it appear extremely eerie.
"It is open; I will go in first, you two follow as quickly as possible."
As he spoke, Xu Xing walked directly into it, his figure vanishing within the tumbling grey mist.
Senior Brother Sandao truly possessed a big heart.
Jiang Jing also opened her eyes at this time, and seeing that grey vortex revealing red light, she could not help but furrow her brows.
Just a single wisp of sharpness that leaked out had severed the potential and aura of an entire mountain; this secret realm was absolutely not simple, and Senior Brother Sandao was actually able to discover the reason behind it at the first possible moment...
She drew her longsword and held it in her hand, her heart calming down quite a bit, before she finally stepped into the grey vortex.
With both of them having entered the interior, Li Fengping swept a glance over the surroundings and, after confirming that nothing was wrong, also followed them inside.
***