Chapter 210: Chapter 210: Three Yin God-Slaying Sword

Beneath dozens of yards of solid ice.

Peering through the ice, Li Ping stared at the vast, endless world of ice and snow outside, utterly dumbfounded.

He had lived in this world for over seventy years, but he had truly never seen a sight like this.

The Western Wilderness had four distinct seasons, but winter at most meant snow covering the land. It was nothing like this endless expanse of ice, with not a single trace of life to be seen.

Moreover, he remembered it was late summer or early autumn when he was teleported here.

’I’m most likely not in the Western Wilderness anymore,’ Li Ping quickly concluded.

Despite this guess, he had no clue where he actually was.

Instead of rushing to break through the ice, Li Ping surveyed his surroundings again.

He had previously thought the Inheritance Array was underground, but upon observation, he realized that wasn’t the case.

He was clearly near the summit of a high peak, which explained his expansive view. The Inheritance Array must be located deep within the mountain’s core; just a moment ago, he had flown out from there, following a flight of stairs.

Lost in thought, Li Ping turned and flew back toward the stone hall inside the mountain.

He chose to return for two main reasons.

First, although the stone hall had a slightly heavy, earthy smell, it was safe. He was in no hurry to leave.

For him, as long as he had the Jade of the Spiritual Eye, he could cultivate anywhere. The key was to avoid danger.

Now that he was almost certain he had left the Western Wilderness, he was in a completely unfamiliar land. It was unlikely anyone would come looking for him, so he could relax a bit.

Second, Xiao Yunzhi was still in the stone hall recovering her Magical Power. She was no delicate maiden, but a Late-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator. With the help of her Blazing Sun Bird, she could unleash enough power to overwhelm others at the same cultivation stage.

Even if he was going to explore this strange new region, he could wait until Xiao Yunzhi had recovered her full strength.

Not only would he have a capable ally, but if they encountered a danger they couldn’t handle alone, their chances of surviving it together would be much greater.

...

Soon, Li Ping followed the stairs back into the stone hall.

Seeing that Xiao Yunzhi was still restoring her Magical Power, Li Ping didn’t disturb her. Instead, he took out a cushion, sat down cross-legged, and began to take stock of his gains from the trip to the secret realm.

On this journey, he had killed two Late-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivators and four Mid-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivators.

He had obtained two Storage Bags. He had already given their contents a once-over inside the secret realm, but since he had been in a hurry, it had only been a brief inspection.

Now, upon a more careful inventory, the haul was quite decent.

The most valuable item was undoubtedly the Blood Spirit Ruler Talisman Treasure used by the Late-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator he fought. However, after being used, not much of its power remained. Li Ping estimated it would turn to ash after another one or two uses.

Besides the Talisman Treasure, the rest consisted of Dharma Artifacts, Spiritual Materials, miscellaneous items, and a considerable number of Spirit Stones.

The Dharma Artifacts were all ordinary, nothing Li Ping particularly valued. Some of the Spiritual Materials, however, were of high quality, and he planned to keep them for his own use.

As for the miscellaneous items, they were mainly things like insect and beast eggs.

Li Ping already had the Desolate Fire Sparrow as his Spirit Beast and couldn’t be bothered to raise ordinary spirit insects or beasts. So, he planned to give all this random stuff to his Desolate Fire Sparrow as snacks.

’Actually, the thing that concerned me most from this trip was that ’evil object’ I got from Xiao Yunzhi. But seeing how cautiously she treated it, I don’t dare open it rashly right now.’

’I’ll wait for her to wake up. Once I learn the specific origin of that evil object from her, I’ll decide how to handle it.’

After organizing his spoils, he sat down cross-legged, held two Spirit Stones in his hands, and began restoring his own depleted Magical Power.

For a time, the stone hall fell silent, the only sound the two long, steady breaths occasionally stirring the air.

...

Several hours passed. Li Ping opened his eyes, returned the two Spirit Stones in his hands to his Storage Bag, and his gaze fell upon Xiao Yunzhi not far away.

Just then, as if sensing his gaze, Xiao Yunzhi also opened her eyes. Their eyes met, and she smiled. "Physician Yan, it took me quite some time to recover my Magical Power. Thank you for standing guard for me."

Li Ping stood up and shook his head slightly. "Fairy Xiao, you’re too kind. This place is quite safe. There was no danger, so there’s no need to talk about standing guard."

Xiao Yunzhi didn’t argue. She also stood up, smiling. "Brother Yan, you saved my life. No amount of thanks can express my gratitude. By the way, I hope you don’t mind me calling you Brother Yan."

"Fairy Xiao..."

Before Li Ping could finish, Xiao Yunzhi interrupted him boldly. "’Fairy Xiao’ sounds so distant. Why don’t you just call me ’Yunzhi,’ Brother Yan? That’s what everyone close to me calls me."

After speaking, she simply gazed at Li Ping with a soft intensity.

This was, by her count, the second time Li Ping had saved her.

If Li Ping hadn’t treated her back then, she might have died from poisoning over forty years ago.

And this time, if he hadn’t suddenly appeared, she likely would not have escaped death, at best taking two or three enemies down with her.

Li Ping glanced at her, then gave a slight nod. "Alright, then I shall take the liberty. Yunzhi... let’s go outside first. And while we’re at it, please tell me the origin of that so-called ’evil object’."

’He didn’t correct her form of address. A name was just a label. Since they were in an unfamiliar land, it didn’t matter whether she called him ’Brother Li’ or ’Brother Yan’.’

"Of course, Brother Yan!" A flicker of joy flashed in Xiao Yunzhi’s eyes when she heard Li Ping call her by her name. She immediately began to explain the origin of the evil object in the Jade Box.

Li Ping listened to her description as they flew.

"I read about this evil object in an ancient text. It’s called the Three Yin God-Slaying Sword. During the Great War of antiquity, an Alien Race forged this Magical Treasure using a special Technique and hundreds of millions of human Life Souls. To other Alien Races, this Magical Treasure was, at most, a powerful weapon."

"But if its target was a Human Cultivator, it could directly affect their Divine Soul, causing incredible damage."

"Later, that Alien Race was exterminated by the ancestors of the Human Race, and this evil object fell into human hands. As for why it appeared in this secret realm, I don’t know."

Li Ping was a little surprised to hear this. He hadn’t expected the Treasure in his possession to be a special Magical Treasure that was particularly effective against the Human Race.

’To think such a peculiar Magical Treasure exists in the world... No, wait.’ Li Ping quickly caught himself.

’The internal strife within the Human Race is also absurdly great. The number of Cultivators who die killing each other is probably higher than the number killed by Alien Races. Why would such a sharp Magical Treasure be cast aside and not used?’

Thinking this, he voiced his doubt.

Xiao Yunzhi shook her head. "According to the ancient text, Human Cultivators are fundamentally unable to use this evil object. Even if one were to force it just once, all their life force would be drained, their Divine Soul would be sucked into the sword’s body, and they would even lose their chance at reincarnation. As for Spirit Beasts, puppets, and the like, they also cannot use it because the Restrictions placed upon them imbue their Divine Souls with a human aura."

Li Ping couldn’t help but feel a jolt of fear at her words.

To think that for a Human Cultivator to wield this Magical Treasure, the ’Three Yin God-Slaying Sword,’ they had to pay the price of being barred from reincarnation. No wonder the ancient cultivators sealed it away.

What Human Cultivator would dare use such a supremely malevolent Magical Treasure?

Since they couldn’t destroy it, sealing it was the most prudent course of action.

’What a pity. After I reach Core Formation, I’ll see if there’s a way to re-refine it,’ Li Ping mused, shelving the matter of this Magical Treasure for now.

’But he thought the chances were slim.’

’If it could be re-refined to eliminate its drawback, the ancient cultivators would have done so long ago. There would have been no need for the trouble of sealing it.’

...

Flying up along the passage, Li Ping and Xiao Yunzhi soon reached the mouth of the cave.

Gazing at the solid ice, over a hundred feet thick, and the vast, snowy land beyond, a look of shock and uncertainty appeared in Xiao Yunzhi’s eyes. "Brother Yan, where are we?"

Li Ping shook his head. "I don’t know either, but we’ve most likely left the Western Wilderness. Let’s get outside first."

As he spoke, he slapped his Storage Bag, and a Purple Gold Flying Fork flew out. Shrouded in a hazy golden light, it shot straight toward the ice in front of them.

In the extreme cold, the ice was incredibly hard, probably comparable to steel.

But no matter how hard it was, it was ultimately just an ordinary substance. How could it withstand the power of a Foundation Establishment Cultivator’s Dharma Artifact?

In short order, Li Ping had carved an opening several yards in diameter through the ice, and he and Xiao Yunzhi flew out.

The Inheritance Array inside the mountain had become useless after a single use.

After a moment’s thought, Li Ping directed the Purple Gold Fork to hack away wildly, completely destroying the stairway and burying the Inheritance Array for good.

Once that was done, the two of them flew high into the sky. After getting their bearings, Li Ping took out a Flying Ship, and the two of them flew south.

They flew at high speed day and night for several days, but the scenery before them didn’t change in the slightest. The vast expanse of ice and snow seemed endless.

Gradually, Li Ping began to feel a little restless.

He was unwilling to reveal his Jade of the Spiritual Eye while Xiao Yunzhi was around; otherwise, he would have already found a random iceberg, dug a hole, and settled in for a long period of arduous cultivation.

’A few more days,’ Li Ping decided. ’If we still haven’t found anything, we’ll try flying east.’

In truth, they both had plenty of Spirit Stones in their Storage Bags. They could fly for another year or two without worrying about exhausting their Magical Power. It was just that the monotonous, dreary scenery was becoming terribly dull.

"Logically, since the Inheritance Array was built here, there should be Cultivators nearby," Xiao Yunzhi couldn’t help but mutter, clearly growing restless herself.

Just as the two were feeling frustrated, Li Ping spotted a line of black dots moving slowly across the ground below.

He looked closer and realized it was an enormous sled-like object. Pulling this massive sled forward were dozens of large, strange-looking canines.

Li Ping’s expression brightened. "Let’s go take a look!"

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