Chapter 25: The Legacy of the Sword Saint

The matter of the inner core could not be concealed from a powerhouse of the Heaven-Three Realm, even though Xueyue was merely her bodyguard. It was quickly discovered, and Mengyao had no choice but to confess everything.

Xueyue naturally found it difficult to say much, but if they were to return to their clan, and others discovered that Mengyao had given the inner core to an outsider—a human with an unremarkable background—Mo Xuan would inevitably face retribution from the clan. This was something Mengyao did not want to see.

"Please, Sister Xue, you must keep this a secret for me. I’ll just stay here a little longer until the inner core has fully coalesced before we head back," Mengyao pleaded. Xueyue had no choice but to agree to keep the secret.

At that moment, Mo Xuan slowly opened his eyes. He felt flustered by his sudden surge in power. "How could this be? Sigh, this is too fast."

Hearing him say this the moment he woke up gave the other two an impulse to teach him a harsh lesson. He had jumped three levels in one go, yet he was still unsatisfied and complaining about the speed—truly, he was blessed but failed to recognize his own fortune. His sudden awakening, however, interrupted their conversation.

"I must say, you are quite the hypocrite!" Mengyao retorted first.

"I am speaking the truth."

"Pah, as if anyone believes that!"

"Hehe, never mind. By the way, what is the name of that sword technique? It looked quite impressive!" Mo Xuan asked, sensing that Mengyao’s aura had become much stronger and had clearly improved significantly.

"I'm not telling you!" Mengyao replied, directly helping Xueyue up, intending to leave.

"Don't forget, there is still a Level Six Spirit Array here. Don't you want to take a look?" Mo Xuan reminded her.

"Oh, I forgot about that. But neither of us knows anything about arrays. Even if you do, what level are you to think you can crack such a profound formation?" Mengyao reminded him, feeling that even if they knew about it, it wouldn't change anything.

"Don't you have someone right beside you? She is of the Heaven-Three Realm; surely she can open this broken array," Mo Xuan said, completely unfazed.

"Doesn't your conscience prick you? Sister Xue is severely injured and needs rest. Besides, we are not your mercenaries; why should we listen to you?"

From her tone, Mo Xuan knew that Mengyao was deliberately trying to leave. Given the dire situation, she was afraid that if an accident were to occur, it would be impossible to handle, and she was truly frightened.

"We can rest for a few days before we go in!"

"You, you, you! Don't think that just because you saved me, I have to be grateful. Let's go..."

Just as Mengyao was about to help Xueyue leave, Xueyue stopped in her tracks. "Let's stay for a while. Perhaps there really is something valuable inside."

"Why do you trust him so much? Fine, fine, we'll stay, but if there really is something, we get first pick."

"Fine, do as you please." Mo Xuan was satisfied; at least they weren't leaving. He didn't know exactly what was inside, but he felt there must be something he needed. Now that he wanted to grow stronger, he could not rely solely on external forces; he needed true, solid strength.

***

Several days later, the three had remained here for nearly five days. The exterior of the mine had been surrounded by an army—the troops of the Kesser Kingdom. The massive disturbances had far exceeded expectations, forcing the kingdom to intervene. The mine was now under the kingdom's control, and outsiders were no longer permitted to enter.

For the Mo family, it was of little consequence, but the Chen family was deeply frustrated. They had originally set their sights on the mine for its lucrative development potential and had gone to great lengths to acquire it. They never expected that because of Mo Xuan, work could never proceed, and they had lost so many elite disciples in vain. Ending up with nothing, they were naturally furious.

Inside the mine, the three had basically recovered. Before them stood a barrier formed by a Level Six Spirit Array. As for what lay inside, it was unknown, but one thing was clear: the other side was not an exit, as the light filtering through the gaps had not changed from the start.

Xueyue signaled the two to step back, then channeled her spiritual energy to forcefully shatter the barrier with a technique. With a series of pops, the spirit array disintegrated, and the surrounding rocks crumbled, kicking up clouds of dust.

Mo Xuan watched Xueyue's power closely, deeply sensing the might of the Heaven-Three Realm. He couldn't help but exclaim, "Truly impressive. By the way, Mengyao calls you Sister Xue; may I address you the same way?"

Xueyue glanced at Mo Xuan. "Suit yourself. I am merely a bodyguard."

*A bodyguard?* Mo Xuan thought. If a mere bodyguard was this powerful, the faction behind them must be formidable indeed. "That is truly exaggerated."

"You are so ignorant," Mengyao muttered, then with a *whoosh*, she headed inside first.

"Hehe." Mo Xuan had no choice; he had only lived in a small place like Luochuan City, where the Earth-Soul Realm was considered powerful, and the Heaven-Three Realm was beyond imagination. "If I may ask, what are the three stages of the Heaven-Three Realm?"

Xueyue explained simply, "The Heaven-Three Realm consists of the Heaven-Heart Realm, the Heaven-Abode Realm, and the Heaven-Extreme Realm. Each realm has eleven levels, though the Heaven-Extreme Realm has an additional 'Supreme-Bright' level, that is all."

"And which level are you, Sister Xue?"

"I am only in the Heaven-Heart Realm. That Lava Turtle was in the Heaven-Abode Realm, which is why I could not defeat it."

Mo Xuan didn't ask further; Xueyue had answered directly, perhaps anticipating that he would. Mo Xuan felt a bit embarrassed and stopped asking.

The three continued to communicate as they delved deeper. Upon entering, a beam of light shone from the distance.

"How miraculous! This light can actually bend," Mo Xuan observed clearly as the light curved around a winding corridor. This truly shattered his existing perception of the world.

"Be careful. This place is eerie and contains powerful spatial energy, and..."

As she spoke, the path ahead began to shift. The three were drawn deeper, and most importantly, they found themselves unable to move—Xueyue included. They couldn't even speak; their entire bodies were paralyzed.

After passing through the corridor, they followed the light to a strange place. They reached what appeared to be a tomb, and only then were they able to move again.

"Sister Xue, what is happening here?" Mengyao asked, a hint of worry in her voice.

"I don't know. I've never seen anything like this." There were no markings, so Xueyue could not answer. She proceeded with extreme caution, scouting the path ahead.

Turning a corner, they arrived at a dwelling. Beside it stood a stone tablet inscribed with two characters: "Sword Saint." The surroundings were pristine, as if someone cleaned them every day. No, it was more like a strange formation was perpetually maintaining the space.

***

"Sigh, what a wasted trip," Mo Xuan said, looking particularly disappointed. Given the situation, it seemed related to swords, and he had hoped to find something truly valuable.

"Sword Saint. There are many on the continent who claim the title, but there is only one who truly deserves it." Seeing the two characters, Xueyue’s emotions seemed to fluctuate wildly.

"Him? Who is he..." Mengyao had always deeply studied swordsmanship, but she couldn't understand Xueyue’s words. It was the first time she had seen Xueyue like this; she was always cold as ice, but now, a faint smile graced her face.

"Chu Qiye. A powerhouse of the Soul-Sea level from a hundred years ago. Do not be fooled by the lack of records; his mastery of the sword was absolutely the greatest in history. I never expected his remains would appear here." Xueyue’s face was filled with sentiment, as if reminiscing about a past lover.

Mengyao was curious, not just about this unheard-of Sword Saint, but about Xueyue’s behavior. "Is he still alive?"

"A hundred years ago, he passed away."

"Why?" Mengyao asked.

"It seems he offended someone. At the time, he lied to me, saying he had to go on a long journey. But later, after waiting for a long time, all I received was news of his death. Perhaps he didn't want to implicate me. In any case, his understanding of the sword was profound; it would be very suitable for you."

As she recounted these memories, a sense of sorrow washed over Xueyue. Mengyao had not expected to encounter such a thing here, nor that this Sword Saint was Sister Xue’s lover.

Mo Xuan, however, was curious. They were of the same clan, and Mengyao’s background was so powerful that Xueyue’s must be as well. Why fear being implicated? He quietly asked Mengyao about the situation.

"Ahem. Although Sister Xue belongs to the Snow-Night Spirit Fox clan, she was actually evolved from an ordinary white fox. She was picked up from the ruins of a battlefield twenty years ago by a Snow Fox elder."

Mo Xuan had thought his own life was miserable, but he hadn't expected Xueyue to have such an extraordinary history. Though he hadn't witnessed it personally, he could sense the hardships she had endured.

"You two go in. There won't be any danger here."

Xueyue seemed to know the place well. This sparked a great question in Mo Xuan’s mind, so he did not follow Mengyao inside, wanting instead to learn more.

"Why don't you go?" Xueyue asked, puzzled. A place like this, with relics left by a Sword Saint—even if he could only obtain a little, it would be a great help to Mo Xuan. Yet, he stayed behind.

"Ahem, I want to know a few things. Can you tell me?" Mo Xuan asked.

"What do you want to know?"

"Sister Xue, you seem to have a deep connection with this Sword Saint."

"He was my husband," Xueyue revealed without the slightest hesitation.

"That's not what I wanted to ask. I want to know why the Sword Saint had to leave you. It seems it was a matter of great consequence." Mo Xuan sensed something suspicious, something that might even solve the mystery of his father’s disappearance. Most importantly, why was the Sword Saint’s legacy here? This should have been Mo family territory, even a hundred years ago.

"I only once heard him mention a mysterious faction. They are incredibly powerful. It is said that many clans possessing rare treasures were wiped out because of them. I know nothing more than that!"

"Sigh." Although he didn't get a concrete answer, he understood that his current strength was far from enough. He had wanted to ask more, but it seemed there were no further clues. Still, there was a gain: at least he knew that this mysterious faction did not dare to provoke everyone. At the very least, first-tier forces like the Three Ancient Clans and the Seven Great Sects were still beyond their reach.