Chapter 91: 91
91 – Phecda (I)
There is only one path leading to the Sword Mound from the North Peak .
If you take this path, the chance of being spotted by someone is high .
Therefore, Shui Yuner didn’t choose this path .
She chose to cross the mountain forest next to the road .
Although the non-existent path in the mountain forest can’t be regarded as rugged, but it’s definitely not as smooth as the road made by people .
The night has already descended .
The moon is almost completely concealed by the dense forest . Thanks to the bit of moonlight coming through the foliage, the girl isn’t deprived of her sight .
Even so, this path still isn’t easy to traverse .
Although she’s being careful, but she still encountered several incidents .
She tripped over the roots of trees, had her clothes ripped by branches, and even nearly fell into a dark hole dug by some animal .
When Shui Yuner reached the place where tombstones were lined up, she was cutting a sorry figure .
Even so, she had no intention to stop here .
Because the narrow road leading into the Sword Mound is already in sight .
For the next part of the trip, she cannot continue to use the mountain forest any longer .
The cemetery is extending without end .
If she bypa.s.ses the cemetery and moves under the cover of the mountain forest, who knows how long it will take her .
Long delays can cause complications . In order to avoid this, Shui Yuner decided to go directly through a secluded part of the cemetery .
… Maybe it’s just a coincidence .
As she walked through the cemetery, her eyes inadvertently fell on the highest place .
A black tombstone towers there alone .
The sound of leaves rustling rose, and a light wind lifted water-colored hair .
Suddenly, the stars in the sky seemed to revolve and turn into a deep vortex .
… Please don’t make her sad .
In an instant, Shui Yuner appeared to hear a voice, a green [1] voice .
Startled, the girl looked around cautiously, searching for the source .
“… Was it a misconception?”
She didn’t hear the voice again .
After crossing the cemetery, then came the most difficult part . The road connecting the cemetery and the Sword Mound is flat and open, making it difficult to hide .
More importantly, Shui Yuner saw a wooden house .
In other words, someone lives in front of the Sword Mound . It is probably the rumored Mound Guardian Elder .
Can I pa.s.s through? Will I be discovered? Shui Yuner suddenly became nervous .
She restrained her breathing and movement and covered her aura, and then embarked on the final part of the journey .
Shui Yuner’s steps are very light, but the pace is unexpectedly fast . This is a skill she learnt previously .
The person who taught her – her Teacher from long ago, once said that this bated breath technique is likely to save her life in a moment of danger .
This technique is to let me seize a chance at life when in a sticky situation, but I’m using it for things like sneaking around… Shui Yuner felt a bit sorry for her former Teacher .
She easily reached the narrow entrance of the Sword Mound . There were no signs of her being discovered midway .
Although it is strange that things are going this smoothly, and Shui Yuner became more wary, but she didn’t stop .
If there is really the thing I want in there, then what is there to hesitate? Shui Yuner made up her mind and crossed the “boundary” .
The moment she stepped into the Sword Mound, the world changed .
Swords… the two walls that make up the slender, narrow path are embedded with swords exuding some kind of formidable oppressive power .
It’s like they are warning her not to move forward .
After a pause, Shui Yuner ignored it and continued ahead .
… Suddenly, there was a sound, a buzzing sound .
The swords deeply embedded in the rock walls emitted sad cries .
In the next moment, as if they gained life, countless swords left the rock walls and floated in midair .
Before Shui Yuner could react, the swords turned in the air and shot at her .
“…!”
Too fast .
Before she could even take a breath, the swords were already in front of her .
Am I going to die… Shui Yuner closed her eyes subconsciously .
“…?”
After a long time, the pain still hasn’t stricken her . The girl slowly opened her eyes .
Cold light stung her eyes .
There are countless swords hovering around Shui Yuner, and the cold aura exuding from their tips is piercing her skin
Shui Yuner couldn’t help shivering .
She knows she’s at the brink of death .
If these swords go any further, they will puncture her skin and pierce her flesh, and she will suffer an agonizing death .
Not daring to act rashly, she can only hold her breath .
What do I do? Shui Yuner didn’t expect this to happen .
It wasn’t easy to get here! She bit her lower lip unwillingly, anxious .
However, to her surprise…
The swords suddenly retreated and returned to their original positions .
Everything before seemed like an illusion .
“What… what’s going on?”
All bark but no bite .
Why did the swords move suddenly? And why did they retreat suddenly? Shui Yuner doesn’t understand what happened .
However, this isn’t the time to ponder this problem .
Perhaps the abnormal changes just now have attracted the attention of the temples Heaven Realm masters . She has to hurry up .
Shortly after, her field of view expanded suddenly .
There are still swords in her field of view .
The towering rock wall surrounding the wide open s.p.a.ce is full of swords erected upright .
The swords are of different types and sizes .
The first thing Shui Yuner noticed was an old wooden hut . The wooden hut looks very simple, and is in a state of disrepair .
It is said that the Great Ancestor Qi Guiyuan has gone into seclusion in the Sword Mound for many years . The wooden hut is probably where he stayed at that time .
“Ah?”
Shui Yuner found something in front of the wooden hut .
It was strange pants and shoes, a style of clothes she has never seen before .
Although the girl is a little curious, but that is not what she came here for, so she quickly looked away .
Her gaze finally fell on…
In the middle of the Sword Mound, there is a small hillock .
No, perhaps the term sword hillock suits that place better .
Swords, a dense forest of swords, countless swords .
It gives of a stifling feeling .
It is uncomfortable, and the girl wanted to turn her gaze away .
However, before that, she saw a sword at the top of the sword hillock .
This sword looks like an ordinary practice sword of the Merak Temple .
But the girl knows that the two are fundamentally different .
They are worlds apart .
No one will pay attention to a practice sword .
In comparison, although the one on the top of the sword hillock isn’t conspicuous, but once noticed, it is difficult to ignore it .
The Merak Temple’s practice swords are imitations that use a famous sword as the template .
The name of the sword is Phecda, it is the sword of the founder of the Merak Temple .
At the same time, it is also Shui Yuner’s target .
She suppressed the excitement in her heart, and the walked towards Phecda step by step .
“It’s really here…”
As if responding to the girl’s call, Phecda shook a little .
Shui Yuner extended a trembling hand and slowly approached Phecda’s hilt .
The girl pulled out Phecda gently .
“This is…”
Phecda? The second half of the sentence stuck in her throat .
All of a sudden, the sword blade emitted dazzling white light, which covered Shui Yuner’s sight . Even if you cover your eyes with a sleeve, it’s still impossible to resist that nearly violent light .
Then…
Something, something invaded Shui Yuner’s body and spread along her qi pa.s.sageways like silk threads .
“… Can you hear me?”
A tender voice appearing to come both from afar and from nearby sounded in her head .
[1] – This is a reference to Luo Qing, the girl who effectively committed suicide in the previous volume . She used to wear green