Zongwu: Aspiring to be the mastermind behind the scenes

Chapter 265 The Profound Mysteries of Xuan Yang, Breakthrough to Grandmaster

The effective time of a perfect aura is one hour.

However, Zhou Ming was so immersed in the effects of the perfect energy that he kept comprehending the mysteries of the Xuan Yang Three Swords that he became so engrossed in it that it took him three or four hours to slowly come to his senses.

"The Three Swords of Xuan Yang and the Twelve Swords of Xuan Yin are indeed completely different..."

The Twelve Swords of Profound Yin are incredibly proactive and relatively easy to learn. Even if you only learn a little bit, the resulting increase in power is quite significant.

However, the Twelve Swords of Xuan Yin are extremely evil swords, and those who learn this power must be careful not to be corrupted by it at all times.

The power increase is enormous, but it is actually a lure set by the Twelve Swords of Xuan Yin. If one studies frantically for this power, the final result will inevitably be being controlled by the Twelve Swords of Xuan Yin.

In contrast, the Xuan Yang Three Swords can only be learned by those who have been recognized, and the learning difficulty is relatively high. With the same effort, the increase in power gained may only be one-fifth of that of the Xuan Yin Twelve Swords.

But this power was something he cultivated himself, and it belonged entirely to him.

If the Twelve Swords of Xuan Yin are a demonic path that harbors treacherous intentions, seemingly teaching but actually preparing to possess others at any moment.

The Three Swords of Xuanyang are strict and upright, so they are somewhat inhumane, but they are dedicated to their duties and strictly teach the righteous path.

Moreover, the power boost brought by the Three Swords of Xuan Yang is only less compared to the Twelve Swords of Xuan Yin.

Ultimately, it is a sword technique born in the world of swords, and it is far superior to other sword techniques circulating in the world.

Swordsmanship is primarily based on the spiritual path, cultivating it to nourish the body and enhance true energy; it is a wondrous martial art that cultivates the three elements simultaneously.

The Guardian Sword is the most exquisite. Although it lacks offensive power, it has extremely strong defensive capabilities. When it circulates within the body, all evils cannot invade it, and when it protects the whole body, it is indestructible.

When one reaches a high level of skill, one can even exorcise evil spirits and heal injuries and illnesses for others.

The Sword of All Living Beings is the most mysterious, capable of fusing with any technique to enhance its power. This fusion can be applied not only to oneself but also to others.

If multiple people possess the power of the Sword of All Living Beings work together against the same opponent, their power can be greatly increased through mutual support.

The sword of justice is the most powerful, upholding the righteous path and overcoming evil. Its power is amplified when dealing with those heretical sects.

Moreover, the damage it causes is extremely difficult to remove. If ordinary sword energy residue requires the enemy to expend one time the amount of true energy to remove it, then the sword energy residue of the Sword of Justice often requires three, five, or even more times the amount of true energy to remove.

At a high level of cultivation, one can even leave behind an eternal sword aura.

Once you reach that level, a single sword strike could cripple someone for life, leaving them with no chance of recovery.

This characteristic even made Zhou Ming somewhat uneasy.

"Of all the poisonous and evil arts in the world, at most they can only cause continuous damage, but the characteristics of this Sword of Justice surpass all poisonous and evil arts... Could this be the so-called righteousness turning evil?"

pity.

The Sword of Justice has been touched too little, and the mysteries it reveals are far less than those of the Sword of Protection.

With the projection on Duan Shuai, given enough time, Zhou Ming should be able to fully comprehend the concepts of the common people and the Sword of Protection.

But the sword of justice is not so easy to wield.

Logically speaking, the actions of Duan Shuai and Nie Renwang were absolutely righteous, surpassing those of countless heroes and righteous men throughout the world.

But it remains the same.

Perhaps, it really does confirm Zhou Ming's idea... Only in times of crisis will justice manifest itself in a particular person.

However, it is generally not noticeable under normal circumstances.

Thinking about it this way, it's possible that both the common people and the sword of protection could recognize a master.

But the sword of justice alone will not recognize a master.

We will only offer our strength when the people of the world are facing difficulties and their hearts are filled with righteousness.

When the crisis is over, the sword of justice will depart without hesitation.

It does not recognize any one person as its master, but regards all people of the world as its master.

This aligns with the concept of justice.

Of course, the premise is that one can leave the Sword Realm.

If we can't live without it, then everything else is just empty talk.

Inside Lingyun Cave.

A strange beast, entirely crimson, was lying on the ground, sleeping.

With each breath, bursts of flame emerged from his mouth and nose.

This is the Fire Qilin, the mythical beast responsible for guarding the Yellow Emperor's tomb and the dragon vein.

The Qilin was originally an auspicious beast.

For some unknown reason, this creature was tainted with demonic energy, lost its mind, and went mad, becoming a ferocious beast.

Even while sleeping, he still exudes a faint, menacing aura.

You can tell at first glance that he is not someone to be trifled with.

Fortunately, the Fire Qilin has always adhered to its duty, and has been obediently guarding the dragon vein in Lingyun Cave for thousands of years. Only when the three rivers in front of the mountain converge and the water enters Lingyun Cave will it be enraged and rush out to wreak havoc.

Otherwise, given its innate divine beast nature and ability to control the power of heaven and earth, especially the power of fire, even a grandmaster would find it difficult to subdue it.

However, since the Fire Qilin lacks reason, if you don't confront it head-on and instead use your wisdom to deal with it, you can easily damage it.

Zhou Ming used the same method to leave a mark on the fire qilin.

This strange beast's perception was not as good as Nie Renwang's and Duan Shuai's, and it did not notice anything from beginning to end.

"With such dulled senses, how can you protect the dragon vein? Let me help you."

The Yellow Emperor's tomb was not particularly luxurious; it was simply a stone platform.

On the stone platform, there is a strange skeleton.

What makes it strange is that the skeleton looks like a human skeleton, but it has dragon horns, and a dragon tail is particularly noticeable below the spine.

Zhou Ming opened his Heavenly Eye and could see countless mysterious energies gathering around the skeleton, especially its spine, which emitted a faint dark yellow light. This was the result of the condensation of fortune, which had transformed the spine into a dragon vein.

The skeleton sat on the stone platform, holding a golden longsword in its hand.

"As expected, it's just a fake."

As Zhou Ming reached out and took the golden longsword, he also released a projection in its place.

He could sense the immense power of the sword, but it was clear that it was not the real Xuanyuan Sword.

However, holding this sword, Zhou Ming could feel its power, which was perfectly suited to the Sword of All Living Beings.

This sword, though a replica, was a burial item of the Yellow Emperor and was crafted by ancient immortals.

However, since its birth, it has remained unknown, having been buried here alongside the Yellow Emperor.

This place is where the fortunes of the nine provinces converge, and even the Yellow Emperor's spine transformed into a dragon vein because of it.

This sword, buried alongside the deceased, has already absorbed some of the aura of good fortune, making it extraordinary.

It possesses boundless power yet remains unknown, much like the masses of people who, despite being the majority of this world, have no place in the annals of history.

Only certain individuals can nominally represent all living beings and thus demonstrate power.

To the common people, this individual is the emperor.

As it happened, this nameless sword, being buried with the Yellow Emperor, naturally acquired an aura of imperial power.

When the two are combined, it becomes the most suitable weapon to bear the sword of the common people.

Using this sword to wield the sword of all living beings will surely amplify its power.

Although the Sword of Guardians is not as well-suited as the Sword of All Living Beings, its power can still be significantly amplified when used.

After all, an emperor enjoys the support of the people, and it is only right that he should protect them.

"Excellent! I've just gained the approval of the Sword of Immortality and the Sword of Guardianship, and now I've obtained such a suitable weapon! This Lingyun Cave is truly my treasure land!"

Zhou Ming was delighted.

The power of swordsmanship often requires a weapon to unleash. For example, when the Celestial Immortal used the Thunderclap Sword, its power increased dramatically.

However, if it is wielded with the Azure Light Sword, it can unleash its full power, which is already quite good.

Conversely, Ximen Chuixue's ultimate sword strike is known for its speed and simplicity, so using the Thunderclap Sword, which is always wrapped in lightning and is incredibly dazzling, would be somewhat inappropriate.

"Such a replica of the Xuanyuan Sword, I doubt anyone would name it, so I'll name it myself..."

Zhou Ming stroked the blade and murmured softly.

“Should we name it directly after all living beings? Or perhaps, call it ‘the world’? No, neither is quite appropriate… In the eyes of many, the masses of people in this world seem to be just a group, an excuse… Let’s just call it ‘Nameless’ instead.”

There may be many people in the world who are called 'nameless', but compared to them, this sword, which represents all living beings, is the most suitable to be called 'nameless'.

After all, all living beings in this world have countless names, but no single name can represent them all.

Historical records only ever document kings, generals, and heroes.

Among the masses, not a single word is seen.

Without a single character, how can a name be chosen?

It's better to be 'nameless'.

Zhou Ming sheathed his longsword and then set his sights on the last treasure in the Lingyun Cave.

Dragon Vein!

For martial artists across the land, this item is of little use.

But for those powerful rulers, this was the treasure they had always dreamed of.

Zhou Ming reached out, preparing to take the dragon vein and then replace it with a projection, just like before.

But in that instant, a feeling of unease made him immediately withdraw his hand.

"Just now... I felt like I was going to die..."

Zhou Ming's face turned somewhat pale.

He instantly found the source of this feeling.

However, his cultivation path had reached the 'Observation of the World and Sensing' realm, and during this period of cultivation, he was constantly advancing towards the next realm, 'Witchcraft and Sacrifice'.

In this realm, he can sense the heavens and earth, and sometimes he can also have other sensations.

However, the latter has never occurred.

And just now, that feeling appeared.

That palpitation, that feeling of death, was a frantic reminder to him that he absolutely could not continue.

"Are dragon veins really that dangerous? I remember in the original story, quite a few people obtained dragon veins..."

Zhou Ming pondered for a moment, then tried a couple more times, but the same feeling persisted. He then made other attempts before finally figuring it out.

This feeling only arises when one wants to store the dragon vein into their personal space.

If you simply want to pick it up or even take it away, this feeling won't arise.

It's understandable, considering that his personal space is essentially another world.

Doing this is tantamount to sending this dragon vein, which embodies the fortune of the Nine Provinces, directly outside the world, far away from the Nine Provinces.

The consequences are extremely serious.

However, it's unclear where this feeling of unease comes from.

Was it a contingency plan left behind by the Yellow Emperor?

Or did fate rebel on its own?
Zhou Ming was somewhat curious, but naturally he wouldn't try to find out for himself.

Since he couldn't put it into his spatial storage, his interest waned, and he simply gave up on it.

"Even without obtaining the dragon vein, the gains from this Lingyun Cave are already immense."

The Fire Kirin Sword, Snow Drinking Saber, Nameless Sword, Six Secrets of Arrogance, Xuanwu True Skill, and the Three Swords of Xuanyang unlocked through the Broken Commander.

And... Blood Bodhi.

The Blood Bodhi is a sacred object for healing wounds, and it also has the effect of increasing one's power. It is said to heal wounds when they are present and increase one's power when there are no wounds.

However, the power increase that Blood Bodhi can provide is limited. In the original story, Nie Feng increased his power by consuming Blood Bodhi.

But overall, it seems that there hasn't been much growth, and they can't even beat Xiong Ba.

It is clear that the effects of blood bodhi seeds are indeed limited.

However, Xiong Ba was a Three Flowers Grandmaster, and Nie Feng must also be a Grandmaster-level expert.

The divine medicine that can increase the power of a grandmaster is now in the hands of Zhou Ming, a master of innate cultivation, so its effects must be enormous.

"Lu Xiaofeng is already a Grandmaster, and Hua Manlou will probably be soon too. I can't stay at the Innate level. I need to level up quickly."

In fact, Zhou Ming's strength was growing at a fairly fast pace.

Not to mention his cultivation of magic, he is also extremely fast in martial arts.

In the end, he hasn't even been at the Innate Realm for two years.

When Lu Xiaofeng and the others broke through to the Innate Realm, they were about the same age as Zhou Ming.

Now, having broken through to the Grandmaster level, he is already close to thirty.

It can be said that it takes ten years to break through a major level.

Zhou Ming, on the other hand, reached the Innate Qi level in two years.

Without using martial arts techniques like the Northern Darkness Divine Art, this speed is already quite fast.

Zhou Ming disdained using those martial arts techniques, thinking that indulging in momentary pleasure would only block his future path.

Now that we have such a miraculous medicine as Blood Bodhi, we can speed things up even more.

a few days later.

Inside a secret room in the Pei residence.

The surging true energy gradually subsided.

Zhou Ming opened his eyes and clenched his fist: "This is the perfect innate realm? My power feels different indeed."

For Zhou Ming, who could borrow the power of others and had experienced the power of the Three Flowers or even the Grandmaster level, the power of a mere Innate Perfection was naturally not enough to make him happy.

However, there is still a difference between one's own strength and the strength of others.

"Next..."

Zhou Ming closed his eyes again.

A myriad of mysteries flowed slowly through my mind.

An ethereal power condensed within him, then suddenly floated out from above his head, transforming into a wisp of light.

It is the 'flower of spirit' that is the most difficult to gather among the three flowers of essence, energy, and spirit.

What many second-level masters of the Divine Flower had pondered for decades without ever grasping its essence was incredibly simple for Zhou Ming.

Therefore, less than a quarter of an hour after breaking through to the Innate Perfection realm, Zhou Ming broke through again and reached the One Flower Grandmaster realm!

As this divine flower condensed, Zhou Ming could also feel his spiritual growth.

With powerful spiritual strength, he calmly broke through the next barrier and reached the third minor realm of the Observation of Heaven and Earth.

Witchcraft ritual!

As this breakthrough occurred, a wondrous feeling welled up within me.

Zhou Ming knew that a new ability had awakened.

(End of this chapter)