The Transmigrator's Cultivation

Arc 15: Heavenly Secret Realm | Chapter 296: Ninth Branch

Suddenly, there was a deafening roar, and countless golden swords merged into one, forming a gigantic golden sword.

It was as tall as the drifting clouds, as powerful as the vast ocean, as imposing as thunder, and as heavy as a solitary peak!

Its sharpness seemed capable of cleaving the heavens and splitting the earth; with a single strike, hundreds of swords would be shattered!

The thunderflood dragon and the tornadic hurricane were instantly engulfed by the dazzling golden light, disappearing without a trace, as if utterly powerless to resist.

In their panic, the two Sword Sovereigns revealed countless flaws. With their disturbed mental states, how could their sword intent align with the way of the sword?

Naturally, there was only one outcome—defeat.

Amid the Wind God Sword Sovereign and Thunder Dragon Sword Sovereign’s furious expressions, their sword intent collapsed like a crumbling mountain, signaling the end for them.

At that same moment, Xu Ziqing plucked the final sword fruit.

The nine once-flourishing branches were now bare—almost as if mocking them.

What the two Sword Sovereigns saw, Yun Lie naturally saw as well. With a flicker of his body, he swiftly appeared by Xu Ziqing’s side, pulled him close, and nimbly began climbing to a higher place.

That was the ninth branch!

Xu Ziqing’s thoughts stirred, and the vast forest of vines vanished instantly. Dozens of slender vines rapidly retracted back into their master’s body, making the eighth branch appear even more desolate.

The two Sword Sovereigns took a deep breath, their faces turning cold as they immediately gave chase.

Yun Lie’s body was enveloped in sword intent. Feeling something, he suddenly spoke, “Take out the sword fruits.”

Xu Ziqing responded at once, and in his palm appeared an iron-gray fruit, exuding sharp energy—a true treasure of the sword path.

Yun Lie said no more, and the two quickly ascended higher. This time, they encountered no resistance.

—No, perhaps there was resistance after all.

The Wind God Sword Sovereign and Thunder Dragon Sword Sovereign pursued at great speed, driven by the anger in their hearts. This managed to temporarily mend their broken mental states.

Though this “mending” was far from stable, it served them well in chasing Yun Lie and Xu Ziqing.

Thus, almost the moment Yun Lie stepped onto the ninth branch, the two Sword Sovereigns reached the edge of that branch.

But—an invisible force repelled them.

What was even more astonishing was that this force was so vast and overwhelming that it felt like the pressure of heaven and earth, making even the slightest movement of their fingers difficult!

What kind of extraordinary object was this sword-shaped tree to possess such power!

The two Sword Sovereigns were even more unwilling to accept this, but they could only watch as the figures of the two brothers vanished among the branches.

With their extensive experience, they immediately understood that the reason the two had been able to enter the ninth branch was because they had obtained the sword fruits. Yet, they held not a single fruit themselves… and could only be denied entry to the ninth branch.

Still, if the Sword Dao Fruits, such rare treasures, appeared on the eighth branch, then what kind of priceless treasures must exist on the ninth branch? Unfortunately, they were destined never to witness them.

Yun Lie and Xu Ziqing finally reached the top of the sword-shaped tree, and as soon as they stepped onto it, they immediately sensed the difference in this place.

A dense canopy of leaves covered this layer of branches, partially concealing the area, making it feel much more enclosed than the open spaces below. However, the most remarkable thing wasn’t just the canopy.

It was… Xu Ziqing, in a daze, reached out his hand. In his palm, a substance like mercury was flowing. It seemed like liquid, changing shape at the slightest touch, yet it remained stable. When it rolled, it formed perfectly round droplets resembling silver pearls.

Astonished, Xu Ziqing turned to look at his Shixiong.

Yun Lie’s robe sleeve fluttered slightly as he sat cross-legged—right above him, a steady drizzle of liquid was falling from the leaves, all of it dripping onto Yun Lie’s body.

“…Shixiong?” Xu Ziqing asked, dumbfounded. He saw clearly that after the liquid fell, it directly entered his Shixiong’s body through his head. Some of it landed on his arms, neck, and all over his body, but it all seeped in without leaving a trace.

Xu Ziqing looked down at his palm again. The silver droplets were still there, not entering his body. Could it be that this liquid only worked for those who had comprehended sword intent? After thinking it over several times, he concluded his guess was likely correct. Without hesitation, Xu Ziqing walked over and offered the sword fruit still in his other hand, saying, “Shixiong, since this ‘nectar’ is so useful, why not use one of the fruits first?”

Yun Lie accepted the sword fruit and gave a slight nod.

Seeing this, Xu Ziqing moved aside, quietly sitting down to guard him. He thought, ‘Once Shixiong completes his cultivation here, he will surely make another breakthrough…’ As for the lingering, difficult-to-release emotions he held, he felt they were not something to share with others and chose to suppress them deep within his heart at this moment.

He dared not think too much.

The “nectar” continued to fall steadily from the canopy above, and Yun Lie, soaked in it, quickly entered a meditative state.

Noticing his Shixiong’s solemn expression, fully immersed in his sword cultivation, Xu Ziqing became even more cautious, making sure not to disturb him in the slightest.

The “nectar” wasn’t only falling in Yun Lie’s area, though it was most concentrated there.

Xu Ziqing felt many drops land on him as well, and a thought stirred in his mind.

It would be a shame to let this nectar fall without collecting it. It would be better to gather it… If his Shixiong needed it later, it would be available; if not, someone else might benefit from it. There would be no waste. With this thought, Xu Ziqing opened his palm, and a jade bottle appeared in his hand.

The bottle, made from spiritual jade, was a high-quality storage tool, specifically designed to contain spiritual liquids, elixirs, and other mystical substances—it wouldn’t hold ordinary materials.

Without chanting the collection incantation, Xu Ziqing simply uncorked the bottle and held it up.

Sure enough, the “nectar” began to fall into the bottle, quickly forming a shallow silver layer at the bottom, shimmering with a flowing light. At this point, it appeared more like liquid, unlike the pearl-like droplets that had rested in his palm.

The bottle had ample space, and despite the steady trickle of “nectar,” it wasn’t close to being filled.

Xu Ziqing simply sat cross-legged as well, holding the bottle in his hand and patiently collecting the drops.

A chilling, icy killing intent slowly spread out from Yun Lie’s body, radiating from him in all directions. His eyes were tightly shut, but the crack in his brow gradually widened into a fine slit. The slit resembled a sword’s incision, sharp and menacing, exuding an aura of immense danger. Before long, an invisible domain seemed to materialize out of thin air!

In that domain, everything appeared to be void, except for countless invisible swords shooting skyward, roaring as if they could pierce the heavens!

This was Yun Lie’s Small Universe in its embryonic form!

The moment the Small Universe appeared, Xu Ziqing continued to hold his palm open, but his attention shifted toward his Shixiong. He could see the countless sharp swords, but he understood that they were merely illusory. Each of those swords should have represented a sword intent, but in their current form, they were still empty and void within.

No, that wasn’t right.

Suddenly, Xu Ziqing realized something, and his gaze on his Shixiong grew more focused.

In ordinary circumstances, one wouldn’t easily gain access to so many sword intents, but on this sword-shaped tree, it could only be considered a stroke of luck!

He vividly remembered how he and his Shixiong had climbed the tree, collecting countless sword-shaped leaves at various levels. Each of those leaves contained a unique sword intent! If his Shixiong could harness them, wouldn’t it be a heaven-sent opportunity?

What Xu Ziqing thought of, Yun Lie, as the master of the Small Universe, had already grasped instinctively. He knew exactly what needed to be done at this moment.

With a sweep of his sleeves, thousands of sword-shaped leaves flew out, circling in the air.

Then, with a flash of invisible sword intent, all those leaves were sliced in half, unleashing thousands of sword intents!

If such an overwhelming force of sword intents surrounded anyone, it would be a scene of utter devastation.

But for Yun Lie, who possessed the perfect sword intent, it was different. His eyes shot open, revealing pitch-black pupils, a sign of concentrated demonic thoughts.

Simultaneously, a change occurred in the embryonic Small Universe—it seemed to open a gate!

In an instant, all the sword intents surged in!

Visibly, the countless sharp swords within the Small Universe began to glow with an unusual brilliance.

These were the swords within the embryonic Small Universe, absorbing the killing aura of the sword intents, transforming them into tangible swords of various styles. The sword intents didn’t originate from Yun Lie but from countless sword cultivators across the world. However, Yun Lie’s sword intent was one of pure ruthless killing. When these external sword intents entered his Small Universe, they became subject to his control, ultimately forming the foundation of a Sword Realm within his Small Universe!

Yun Lie continued to act, and with every sweep of his sleeves, thousands or even tens of thousands of sword-shaped leaves floated up. He sliced them open with his sword intent, absorbing the sword intents within. Time after time, these phantom swords solidified, making the countless sharp swords within the Small Universe appear more and more real, more distinct.

Xu Ziqing watched, his heart surging with emotion.

Shixiong’s embryonic Small Universe was truly formidable!

At this moment, something clicked in Xu Ziqing’s mind.

Shixiong cultivated the Way of the Sword and comprehended sword intent. His Small Universe was thus founded on the Way of the Sword, with pure killing intent subjugating all directions, creating a domain where thousands of swords would gather and submit.

But what about him?

Shixiong’s heart was upright, using killing to end killing.

What about him?

Undoubtedly, Xu Ziqing cultivated the Ten Thousand Woods Great Heart Planting Technique, with Rongjin as the foundation and myriad trees as his subordinates, thereby cultivating the Way of Wood. However, the Way of Wood was vast and broad, just as Shixiong’s Way of the Sword was one of merciless slaughter. He too needed to grasp a Way of Wood uniquely his own.

This “Way” was related to his cultivation technique, his personality, his intentions, and his true heart. He was already at the peak of the later stage of the Core Formation realm. If he could not find a clear direction and condense his Dao Seed, it would be challenging for him to form a Golden Core. Even if he succeeded in forming one, without a Dao Seed, it would be hollow, and he would fall far behind others of the same level. Therefore, he needed to carefully reflect and find his path.

With this realization, Xu Ziqing refocused his attention on his Shixiong.

At this time, Yun Lie had already summoned a Sword Dao fruit, which floated directly in front of him.

Yun Lie’s expression remained icy as he formed a sword with his fingers and slashed downward—

In an instant, the Sword Dao fruit was split in two!

Translator: Lynn

Translations are not 100% correct. Please let me know if there are typos/mistakes in the chapter.

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