I tricked you into thinking you had the makings of an emperor, but you actually did it?

When the two swords clashed, it was undoubtedly a futile effort for Duanxue to strike a rock; the blood corroded the sword's brilliance, making it dim and lifeless.

The man was sent flying, crashing into and killing three weakened sword servants who were undergoing a blood sacrifice.

Fortunately, the stone walls of the underground palace were sturdy, leaving only spiderweb-like cracks; otherwise, they could have been pried off.

Nevertheless, Duanxue was like a lump of mud, slumped on the ground.

"He cried?"

Wang Chao looked closely and saw tears sliding down the corner of Duan's bloodied eye.

Immediately afterwards, the remaining six Blood Demon Sword Servants were no match for the Dragon Abyss Sword Sect disciples and were wiped out.

Wang Chao approached Duan Xue, and after consulting with Shen Ming, his gaze turned murderous.

Duanxue did not beg for mercy, but let out a maniacal laugh, which was full of self-mockery compared to his initial laughter.

After all the scheming and calculation, I ran into an unreasonable guy. Where can I even seek justice?

Wang Chao severed his throat with a single sword strike, avenging his fellow disciples.

Over there, Yang Mengxiao rescued the Longyuan Sword Sect disciple who was chained up.

Duan Xue seemed to feel that victory was in his grasp, and did not harm these prisoners.

After they removed their blindfolds, they saw Wang Chao, Yang Mengxiao, and the others, and burst into tears of joy.

"I knew the sect wouldn't abandon us!"

"What are you crying for? Sword cultivators shed blood, not tears!"

Wang Chao let out a cold shout, but he couldn't bear to look at the eight spinal cord swords in the sword-washing pool.

"Senior Brother Shen, I have a favor to ask. Please allow us to prepare the body of the murdered disciple for burial," Wang Chao said.

"That's only natural, why make a request?" Shen Ming asked, puzzled.

Wang Chao explained the reason: they wanted to pull out the spinal cord sword from the sword-washing pool and find the other remains in the pool.

Completing this process will inevitably damage the spirituality of the Sword Washing Pool.

Shen Ming, as a major contributor, will affect his advancement.

“Or, Senior Brother Shen could cleanse his sword intent first, and we can wait by the side,” Yang Mengxiao said, stepping forward.

As a result, Wang Chao and Yang Mengxiao saw Shen Ming showing a rare sign of anger.

"I entered the Spirit Treasury only to save people! The Sword Washing Pool is also the burial place of the disciples of the Dragon Abyss Sword Sect. Whether out of respect for the dead or out of respect for their fight against the demonic path, I have no intention of washing away my sword intent here," Shen Ming said solemnly.

Wang Chao shuddered, his pupils trembling violently.

Having witnessed the power of Shen Ming's Limitless Sword Dao, I now understand why Shen Ming came to Sword Abyss.

Saving people while simultaneously honing one's sword intent is perfectly reasonable and justifiable.

But now, Shen Ming's words made him feel ashamed, realizing that he had been judging a gentleman by his own petty standards.

He suddenly understood what it meant to be awe-inspiring and revered!

With Shen Ming's level of skill, it's no wonder he was able to master such swordsmanship.

“Senior Brother Shen, from now on, no matter what happens, we will not shirk our responsibilities!” Wang Chao said.

Next, he personally led his men to collect eight complete skeletons from the Sword Washing Pool and put them into storage bags.

Just as he had guessed, after all that commotion, the spirituality of the Sword Washing Pool disappeared, and the sword energy that permeated the area dissipated.

The once calm water surface was now being stirred up as if by an invisible giant hand, creating ripples.

The water in the pool converged towards the center at an astonishing speed, creating a rapid whirlpool on the surface.

The center of the vortex kept sinking, as if the stopper of a bucket had been pulled out, and the pool water surged out.

Without the support of sword energy, Shen Ming discovered that his kidney essence had reached its peak.

"Let's go..."

"Look!"

Just as everyone was about to leave, a dazzling sword light flashed out.

It turned out that the bottom of the Sword Washing Pool was gradually being revealed.

In the center of the dried-up pool, a block of ice lay quietly.

"Sword Soul! The essence of the Sword Cleansing Pool!"

This sword spirit is as clear and transparent as ice crystals, as if it were carved from the purest ice and snow.

The sword's shape is irregular, yet it possesses a natural and harmonious beauty.

Every angle of it seems to have been carefully polished, exuding a sharp aura.

"Young man, your swordsmanship is exceptional, but what's truly remarkable is your extraordinary intellect. This Sword Master admires you!"

Within the sword's soul, the voice of a mysterious being echoed in the air.

Although no names were mentioned, all the disciples present knew who was being referred to.

The sword spirit rose out of thin air and flew towards Shen Ming.

The moment they left the Sword Washing Pool, the entire underground palace began to shake violently, and the lava began to churn.

"Oh no! This place is going to collapse!"

Wang Chao, ignoring his envy, ran wildly outside.

Shen Ming couldn't move his feet because the sword soul was releasing ice-crystal-like energy that enveloped him.

The open eyes seemed to be looking into nothingness, reflecting a strange light.

"Senior brother, what should we do?" Yang Mengxiao asked anxiously.

Wang Chao slashed at Shen Ming with his sword, but the ice crystal shield deflected the blade.

"This is his chance. He's much safer than us. Let's go!"

After confirming the strength of the ice crystal shield, Wang Chao led his men away.

Not long after they left, the stone pillars broke and the dome collapsed.

Huge rocks rained down, engulfing Shen Ming's figure.

Yang Mengxiao looked back and confirmed that the ice crystal shield had withstood the impact of the boulder before she felt relieved.

However, she was also worried about how Shen Ming would get out of the underground.

The moment the sword spirit flew over, Shen Ming's consciousness arrived in a strange, white space.

"Don't worry, your physical body is absolutely safe now. Once you absorb the sword soul, you will soar into the sky and return directly to the ground."

A mysterious figure stood silently among them, exuding an indescribable aura.

His figure was hazy like mist, as if he had merged into this strange space.

Its faint outline makes it difficult to grasp its true form.

The mysterious figure's face was blurred, shrouded in a mysterious light.

"I don't know what to call you, Senior?"

"You can call me Tianyuan Sword Master, the founder of Tianyuan Sword Sect."

The mysterious man said, "The Sword Washing Pool is the foundation of my Tianyuan Sword Sect. It nourishes the sword spirit, which can recognize people's hearts and awaken their divine consciousness."

"Tianyuan Sword Sect?" Shen Ming had never heard of it.

"That was many years ago. Back then, the Sword Sect suppressed the ancient ferocious beast, the Fire Dragon, and both sides were severely injured, leading to its decline."

The mysterious man said, "Alright, my divine sense cannot exist for long. You can ask me three questions."

Shen Ming's eyes lit up, and he asked why half a golden peach had been spat out.

The mysterious man was taken aback. Was he being suspected because he asked such a simple question?

Do you know about the Ancient Sacred Body?

"Nature knows."

"Even the top-ranked physique takes nearly a hundred years to become an emperor. Do you still expect to break through in one go?"

Moreover, because the Ancient Sacred Body was so powerful, the Heavenly Dao imposed ten shackles upon it!

All resources in this world are constant, yet the Ancient Sacred Body so easily becomes an Emperor, breaking the balance of the Heavenly Dao.

If you want to break through to a higher realm in one go, you must also achieve the Way of Balance, which means defeating or killing an enemy of the same realm.

"To break through to the next realm by killing? Wouldn't that be too brutal? However, it does conform to the law of conservation of energy." Shen Ming muttered to himself, pondering seriously.

He didn't notice that the mysterious man who called himself the Heavenly Abyss Sword Master had an evil glint in his eyes.

"Hahaha! He believed it! He believed it!"

The mysterious man shouted excitedly in his heart.

He wasn't the Heavenly Abyss Sword Master at all, but rather that ancient ferocious beast, the Fire Dragon.

There was no mutual destruction; the Heavenly Abyss Sword Master easily suppressed and killed him, sealing his soul.

Over the long course of time, the Sword Sect declined, and the Sword Master's whereabouts became unknown.

But his wisp of soul survived!

He devised a perfect plan for revenge!

He distorted the Great Dao of the Heavenly Abyss Sword Master, cultivating a demonic killing embryo, making the name of the Heavenly Abyss infamous for ten thousand years!