Intense pain made my vision swim in wave after wave of blackness. I struggled to open my heavy eyelids, and in my blurred sight, a bizarre red glow shrouded everything around me. I tried hard to get up, only to find myself completely unable to move, as if pinned down by a massive boulder, every bone in my body screaming with pain.
"A-Chen... A-Chen..." I called out weakly, my voice as faint as a mosquito's buzz.
"I'm right here..." A-Chen's voice rang out right beside my ear, yet it carried a trace of exhaustion. I forced myself to turn my head and saw him not far from me, likewise pinned to the ground and unable to move.
"What is going on..." I endured the pain, wanting to figure out the situation, only to find my voice trembling violently.
"This place is... the Seal Land..." A-Chen managed to force out a few words, his complexion frighteningly pale, yet he still struggled to stand up. "We were tricked by Elder Qu. He wanted to..."
Before he could finish, the entire space suddenly shook violently, and that bizarre red light grew even more dazzling, almost blinding. I instinctively closed my eyes, and a series of spine-chilling roars echoed in my ears, sounding like wicked ghosts from hell and making my blood run cold.
"Oh no! A Demonic Cultivator!" A-Chen cried out in alarm, his voice filled with terror. I had never seen such an expression on his face before.
I forced my eyes open, only to see a tall figure slowly emerge from the red light. His shape was distorted and his face indistinct, leaving only a pair of blood-red eyes brimming with tyranny and madness.
"Hahaha... Finally out! This damned seal trapped me for hundreds of years!" The Demonic Cultivator laughed wildly toward the heavens, his voice deafening like a thunderclap.
My heart sank, and an unprecedented wave of terror gripped my heart. Even when facing Elder Qu's fatal strike, I had never been this scared. The mighty power emanating from this Demonic Cultivator felt as though it could easily crush us into dust.
"Run! Run!" A-Chen suddenly let out a loud roar, using all his strength to shove me away. I saw despair in his eyes, yet he rushed toward the Demonic Cultivator without a second thought.
"A-Chen! No!" I screamed heartrendingly, wanting to stop him, but I found myself powerless.
A-Chen's figure appeared so minuscule before that mighty Demonic Qi, like a flickering candle in the wind that could be extinguished at any moment.
"Overestimating your own capabilities!" The Demonic Cultivator sneered, casually waving his hand. A-Chen was sent flying like a snapped kite, crashing heavily onto the ground with his life or death unknown.
I closed my eyes in despair as tears silently slipped down.
"Ah! Two more little bugs!" The Demonic Cultivator's voice rang in my ears like a death knell.
I snapped my eyes open and saw Linger and Xuanfeng appear not far away, I knew not when. Their faces were pale and their bodies trembled, yet they still stood before me, using all their might to resist that terrifying oppressive force.
"Run! Just run! We can't hold him off for long!" Linger cried out, her voice hoarse.
I looked at them, watching them risk life and limb against the powerful Demonic Cultivator for the sake of A-Chen and me, and my heart was filled with grief, anger, and deep emotion.
"Run! We cannot let them die in vain!" I endured the grief in my heart, grabbed Linger's hand, and turned to run...
I pulled Linger by the hand, running forward in a stumbling panic while Xuanfeng stayed behind to cover our retreat, occasionally releasing sword qi to block the Demonic Cultivator's pursuit. With a loud "boom," Xuanfeng was struck flying by the Demonic Cultivator, crashing down heavily not far from Linger and me as a mouthful of blood spewed from him.
"Xuanfeng!" I cried out in alarm, my heart feeling as though it were being torn apart.
"Don't worry about me! Just run!" Xuanfeng struggled to get up, only to collapse powerlessly.
Linger cried out and tried to go back to save Xuanfeng, but I grabbed her tightly. "We can't go back! Going back now is just throwing our lives away for nothing!" With reddened eyes and enduring the grief within my heart, I pulled Linger and kept running forward.
We ran wildly all the way, not knowing how long we had run, until we were utterly exhausted and could run no further, collapsing onto the ground and gasping for breath.
"Where... where can we possibly escape to..." Linger wept in despair. "A-Chen... his life or death is unknown... and Xuanfeng..."
I bit my lip hard to keep myself from crying out loud. How could I not know how dangerous our current situation was? The Demonic Cultivator had broken free from the seal, and with his strength, the entire Cultivation World would face catastrophic doom! Yet we were now like homeless dogs, terrified and panicked day and night.
"There must... there must still be a way..." I muttered to myself, a flash of something Master had once said crossing my mind: "Youran, I leave this sword to you. It is not merely a Divine Artifact, it is also..."
Master's words had been cut off by a sudden upheaval, and after that, I never saw Master again. As for that sword, I had kept it close to my body at all times, never parting with it.
With trembling hands, I drew the archaic longsword from my bosom. The sword body was pitch black without a trace of sheen, yet it emitted a heart-palpitating chill. As I grasped the hilt, an icy sensation instantly spread through my entire body, and at the same time, strange fragments of memory suddenly surfaced in my mind...
"This is... the secret of the Divine Artifact..." I stared in shock at the longsword in my hand, a tiny flame of hope igniting in my heart. As it turned out, this sword was not just a weapon; it also held the key to fighting the Demonic Cultivator!
"What is it, Youran? Did you discover something?" Linger asked hurriedly, seeing the strange expression on my face.
I took a deep breath, suppressed the churning emotions in my heart, and slowly said, "I perhaps... know how to deal with that Demonic Cultivator..."
"You know how to deal with the Demonic Cultivator?" Linger grabbed my hand, a gleam of hope shining in her eyes. "Really? Youran, do you really have a way?"
I looked into her expectant eyes, feeling a complex mix of emotions. Gripping the black longsword tightly in my hand, I said in a deep voice, "This sword may well be the key."
"A sword?" Linger looked doubtfully at the sword in my hand. "Is this sword anything special?"
I took a deep breath and told Linger everything Master had left me with, as well as the memory fragments that had surfaced in my mind. When she heard that this sword might hold the key to fighting the Demonic Cultivator, her previously dimming eyes once again ignited with the light of hope.
"That's wonderful! Youran, we're saved!" Linger hugged me in excitement.
Just then, a figure came hurtling from afar—it was Qu Chen! He looked rather disheveled with torn clothes and injuries on his body, but his gaze was exceptionally resolute.
"A-Chen!" Linger rushed over, supporting the crumbling Qu Chen and looking with heartache at the wounds on his body. "How are you? Are you hurt?"
"I'm fine." Qu Chen gently pushed Linger away and looked intently at me. "Youran, are you alright? Were you injured?"
I shook my head to indicate I was fine.
"The situation is urgent now; let's make a long story short." Qu Chen's expression was grave. "The Demonic Cultivator has escaped the seal, and the entire Cultivation World is facing a catastrophe. We must find the other sects as quickly as possible and join forces to fight the Demonic Cultivator!"
"But where are we going to find other sects?" Linger asked anxiously. "Right now, the Demonic Cultivator's lackeys are everywhere, and we..."
"I already have a target." Qu Chen interrupted Linger. "I heard that the sect leader of Tianyanzong is well-versed in ancient Formations. Perhaps he knows how to seal the Demonic Cultivator once again."
"Tianyanzong..." I muttered to myself as information regarding Tianyanzong surfaced in my mind. Tianyanzong was the largest sect in the Cultivation World, boasting formidable strength, and it was not too far from our current location.
"Alright, let's go to Tianyanzong!" I gripped the sword in my hand, my gaze resolute.
"No, it's too dangerous!" Linger cried out in alarm. "Tianyanzong is at least three days' journey from here, and there are bound to be Demonic Cultivator's ambushes along the way. We..."
"Linger, there is no time to hesitate." Qu Chen cut Linger off. "We must rush to Tianyanzong as fast as possible; otherwise, the entire Cultivation World will fall into irreversible doom! Youran, you stay behind to study the secret of the Divine Artifact and strive to find a way to deal with the Demonic Cultivator as soon as possible. Linger and I will go to Tianyanzong to fetch reinforcements. We'll split up!"
"But..." Linger wanted to say something more, but was stopped by a resolute look from Qu Chen.
"It's settled!" Qu Chen said unquestioningly. "Linger, let's go!"
"Wait!" I called out to them, pulling a Jade Pendant from my bosom and handing it to Qu Chen. "This Jade Pendant can conceal your auras and prevent you from being discovered by the Demonic Cultivator."
"Youran, take care of yourself." Qu Chen took the Jade Pendant, gave me a deep look, and then led Linger away, turning and disappearing into the depths of the dense forest.
After they left, I found a concealed cave and prepared to begin studying the secret of the Divine Artifact. I sat cross-legged with the black longsword laid horizontally across my knees, closed my eyes, and tried to re-enter those memory fragments in my mind.
"Where do you think you're running off to?" A sharp voice suddenly rang out behind me.
I snapped my eyes open to see Senior Sister Liu holding a long whip and standing behind me with a venomous expression.
"It's you!" A shock ran through my heart, and I immediately grasped the black longsword in my hand.
"Hmph, you really do have a cat's nine lives, actually escaping from the Demonic Cultivator," Senior Sister Liu sneered. "However, your good luck ends here! Hand over the Divine Artifact, and I can give you a quick death!"
"Divine Artifact?" I feigned puzzlement. "What Divine Artifact? I don't know what you're talking about!"
"Stop playing dumb!" Senior Sister Liu's expression darkened. "The sword in your hand is the Divine Artifact to fight the Demonic Cultivator! Hand it over obediently, and I can spare your life!"
"If you want the Divine Artifact, let's see if you have the ability to take it!" I gave a cold snort, wielding the black longsword as I met Senior Sister Liu's attack...
During the fierce battle, I felt waves of mighty power surge from the black longsword. This power seemed to merge with my body, allowing me to wield this Divine Artifact with even greater ease. In the end, Senior Sister Liu was no match for my attacks and was knocked down a cliff. Looking at the black longsword in my hand, my heart was filled with doubt: what kind of secret was hidden within this sword?
I took a deep breath, calmed my mind, and slowly channeled my Spiritual Power into the sword body. Suddenly, the sword body erupted with a dazzling light, and the sword in my hand seemed to transform into a key, unlocking something extraordinary... Senior Sister Liu's fall off the cliff did not bring me any ease; instead, it made me even more uneasy. I vaguely felt that the secret of this black longsword was far more complex than I had imagined. I needed to figure all this out as soon as possible.
I found an even more concealed cave, set up a Barrier, sat cross-legged, and laid the black longsword horizontally across my knees. Closing my eyes, I slowly channeled my Spiritual Power into the sword body, attempting to probe that vague memory once again.
This time, the sword body did not burst with dazzling light; instead, it trembled slightly as if responding to my call. A powerful force poured from the sword body into my body, and I felt as though I had been placed in a state of primordial chaos, surrounded by countless flickering stars.
Suddenly, the stars began to spin, forming a huge vortex. I was sucked into it, and scene after scene appeared before my eyes...
In the vision, a man in white robes wielding a black longsword engaged in a fierce battle with a huge black figure, causing heaven and earth to change color and the sun and moon to lose their light. In the end, the white-robed man sealed the black figure inside a massive Formation, while he himself collapsed onto the ground from exhausting his Spiritual Power.
The vision vanished, and I snapped my eyes open, gasping heavily for breath while my heart hammered violently.
"Was that... the memory of this sword?" I muttered to myself, recalling the Formation the white-robed man had used to seal the black figure. It was an extremely ancient and powerful Formation; I had never seen it, nor had I ever even heard of it.
I closed my eyes once again, trying to recall every single detail of the Formation. As I reminisced, the black longsword in my hand trembled once more, and an invisible force emanated from the sword body, shooting straight up into the clouds.
At the same time, the entire Cultivation World felt an unprecedented tremor. The previously calm sky suddenly filled with dark clouds, lightning and thunder flashed, fierce winds howled, and sand and stones flew through the air.
"What is going on? Could the Demonic Cultivator be launching another attack?"
"No, this power... is completely different from the Demonic Cultivator's power!"
"This power... seems to come from... the Seal Land!"
...
I opened my eyes and looked at the black longsword in my hand that was still trembling incessantly, my heart filled with shock and doubt. Could it be that I had inadvertently triggered the Formation that sealed the Demonic Cultivator?
A terrifying thought suddenly flashed through my mind: if the seal really was broken, the consequences would be unimaginable!
"No, I must stop all of this!"
Gripping the black longsword tightly, I stood up and prepared to rush to the Seal Land. At that very moment, an aged voice suddenly rang out in my ear:
"You have finally come..."