Refuse to trample on the pride of heaven

The final divine sword will be wielded by Liu Jiqian, who currently possesses the highest combat power.

Liu Jiqian paused slightly before touching the hilt of the sword, as if sensing the weight contained in its ancient silence, before firmly grasping it.

Upon receiving the sword, there was none of the buzzing, trembling, or bursting of brilliance that one would expect when a divine weapon recognizes its master. It remained silent, like a deep pool or ancient well, undisturbed.

Liu Jiqian tried to channel a wisp of spiritual energy into the sword, but the energy was like a mud ox entering the sea, failing to create even the slightest ripple.

A faint hint of doubt flashed across his brow, but he quickly regained his composure and simply slung the sword behind his back.

Lu Wensheng watched quietly from the side. Although a sense of absurdity lingered in his heart due to the overly "easy" sword-drawing process earlier, a glimmer of hope still involuntarily began to grow at this moment—despite the sword's unremarkable appearance, its seemingly "unruly" choice of master, and its almost lazy casualness...

But it is, after all, "Huangji," a divine object that has guarded the Demon Abyss for countless years. The power it contains must be real, right?

Even if it seems to be "indiscriminate in its hunger", under certain conditions, it should still be... picky about the host, right?

Now that the mission to obtain the divine sword is complete, look around and you are still surrounded by that thick darkness that devours light and eternal silence. How are we going to leave this place?

Lu Wensheng gently poked the system light sphere in his sea of ​​consciousness.

Hehe... I don't know.

The system remained silent for a moment, then its electronic voice revealed a rare hint of human embarrassment, even simulating a Fujiya emoticon scratching its head, which flashed briefly in Lu Wensheng's mind—attempting to get away with being cute.

Did he obtain the legendary divine sword but get trapped and die because he didn't know the way? It can be said that no one before or since has ever done this. Thinking of the vastness of heaven and earth, I am overwhelmed with sorrow and tears.

If this gets out, it might not be a legend, but rather a laughing stock.

Just thinking about it makes me feel so miserable.

The system seemed to feel ashamed as well. The ball of light within Lu Wensheng's sea of ​​consciousness suddenly expanded and contracted, then transformed into an invisible spike, stabbing fiercely at the divine sword that Liu Jiqian was carrying behind him, still feigning death and seemingly devoid of any spiritual energy: [You bastard, say something! Say something! Don't play dead! I know you're home!]

After a long silence, so long that one might almost think the previous exchange was just an illusion, a voice, tinged with obvious impatience and weariness, slowly and sparingly addressed "Wujin": "How would I know?" The tone was like that of a hermit whose peaceful slumber had been disturbed, carrying a strong sense of morning grumpiness.

【This is your home, don't you know?!】 The system orb flickered angrily.

"If you were to sleep in such a dark place for ages, you wouldn't even know where you are. Do you even know how much time has passed in the blink of an eye?!" The divine sword's thoughts spoke with conviction and righteous indignation.

[I don't care about this or that! Divine Sword, you don't want to watch your hard-won chance to escape crumble, do you?] The system instantly switched modes, its thoughts taking on the distinctive tone of a culture product that seemed to be living a comfortable life, and threatened in a sinister manner.

"..." The divine sword's will remained silent for a moment, seemingly choked by this shameless threat. After a long while, it reluctantly clicked its tongue, "...You can get out of here, you don't need me."

[How do I get out?] The system pressed on relentlessly. Sure enough, unless you push it a little and put some pressure on this slacking divine sword, it won't reveal a single useful piece of information.

"Just keep moving forward." The divine sword's will remained calm. "There will be guidance from 'will'."

[What will? Where is the front? Which direction should we go?] The system was so enraged by this riddle that its code was running wild.

"Keep moving forward." The Divine Sword repeated these three words like a broken record, with an air of detached, irritating calmness.

The system finally gave up, reluctantly relaying the original words to Lu Wensheng, and couldn't help but complain at the end: "That annoying riddle sword!"

After listening, Lu Wensheng remained silent for a moment.

Although it seems absurd, there seems to be no other way now that things have come to this.

Since there is no way forward and no other options, then let's move forward.

We'll take it one step at a time, and if things really don't work out, we'll die halfway there.

The thought, once it came to mind, strangely took away some of the anxiety, leaving only a calm that was almost resigned to fate.

So the group rallied, left the tiny area shrouded by the faint gray-blue light, and once again plunged into the boundless darkness.

However, this time, the situation was quite different from before.

The moment they stepped into the darkness, without warning, one, two, three, four... tiny, soft, and faint lights appeared in the surrounding void.

They were tiny, soft points of light, like fireflies on a summer night, appearing from nowhere, shimmering and sparkling. The light was not dazzling, yet strangely clear in the absolute darkness, like a lighthouse on a dark sea, faint but steadfast.

It was neither the gaze of a demon nor the light of a magic array, but rather like fireflies fluttering in the forest on a summer night, their light faint yet pure, carrying a comforting warmth.

Upon closer inspection, they quietly emerged from the remains of those monks who had long since lost their lives, buried in the darkness, as if they were the last remaining spark of their spirit, an unfulfilled obsession, and a blessing for those who came after them.

They converged into a hazy, intermittent band of light, winding forward through the thick darkness, silently guiding the way, filled with compassion and protection, leading this group of later young people to the only place where there might be an exit, where there might be light.

Guided by the faint light, they trudged forward through the darkness, one step at a time.

After an unknown amount of time—perhaps a moment, perhaps eternity—an unusual aura suddenly emanated from ahead.

It wasn't the chilling aura of demonic energy, but rather a kind of... fluidity belonging to the outside world, to life itself.

A faint ray of light pierced the darkness, gradually expanding as they approached, eventually becoming a clear outline of a cave entrance.

The group quickened their pace and struggled forward, when suddenly their eyes were opened and everything became clear!

The intense light surged in like a tangible torrent of water, causing those who had been in darkness for so long to instinctively squint, their eyes even stinging slightly from the sudden brightness.

They instinctively raised their hands to shield their eyes, and it took them a while to gradually get used to it.

Looking closely, they saw that outside the exit was not the expected abyss cliff, but a lush and vibrant mountain forest! Ancient trees reached for the sky, vines entwined, birdsong could be faintly heard, and the air was filled with the fresh scent of earth and grass.

They emerged from a crevice in an unfamiliar mountain.

Standing at the boundary between light and darkness, Lu Wensheng couldn't help but look back at the deep, mysterious cave he had just emerged from.

Ahead lies a dazzling, hopeful world of light, while behind lies an eternal darkness that devours everything and seems capable of burying all secrets.

Light and darkness form an incredibly stark contrast here.

This step seemed to transcend yin and yang, and cross the line between life and death.

Just as his mind was in turmoil, a faint, ethereal sound, seemingly traversing countless ages and mingled with the sounds of wind and raindrops, or perhaps a broken admonition, drifted into his ears, as if countless people were whispering together, carrying endless joy and entrustment:

"Children...go...forward...and never forget...the way you came..."

The sound was as faint as a candle flickering in the wind, as if it would vanish completely at any moment.

"Did you hear anything?"

Seeing everyone's surprised and uncertain expressions, it was clear that they had all heard it, so they held their breath and tried their best to catch the possible sound.

However, all that could be heard was the slightly noisy wind whistling through the cave entrance and the faint, indistinct sound of dripping water coming from deep within the cave, drip...drip...drip..., rhythmic and ethereal, which only highlighted the illusory nature of the departed sound, and there were no other unusual sounds.

Was it an auditory hallucination? Perhaps.

Prolonged exposure to extreme environments can deplete one's mental energy, making it understandable to experience some hallucinations.

Seeing that there was no further news, Lu Wensheng put aside her thoughts and prepared to turn around and follow her companions who had already gone forward.

Upon reaching the cave entrance, the bright yet not glaring sunlight completely enveloped the area.

However, just before Lu Wensheng was about to step completely into the light, for some reason, a thought struck him, and he inexplicably cast one last glance at the dark cave behind him.

As far as the eye could see, the cave entrance appeared even more deep and dark due to the strong contrast of light.

But within that thick, impenetrable darkness, he seemed to see some... hazy figures.

They are indistinct and numerous.

They stood silently in the darkness, their figures blurred and their features indistinct, but their silent, gazing posture was clearly conveyed.

And it felt very familiar, as if they knew each other.

They didn't speak or move, but they all seemed to be... smiling.

The smile held a familiar sense of satisfaction as she quietly and deeply watched them go.

The light and shadow twisted and swayed at the cave entrance, the scene like a reflection in water, fleeting and ephemeral.

When Lu Wensheng tried to focus his attention again, all he saw was empty darkness. It was as if what he had just seen was just a phantom created by his extreme exhaustion, an illusion left on his retina.

He stood there for a moment, then turned around and stepped into the lush, bright light without looking back.

The cave behind them, like a giant, slowly closing black eye, silently swallowed and sealed away all the secrets, all the sacrifices, and all the gazes.

The sun is both sunset and sunrise at every moment.

As it fades and descends the mountain, gathering the desolate afterglow, it is precisely at the same time that it burns on the other side, climbing to the summit and spreading its brilliant morning light.