As Xu Ziqing and his companions stood within the five circles of light, an immense suction suddenly lifted them off the ground. Countless spaces seemed to flash past on every side, and time itself appeared to flow around them. Vast landscapes unfolded, mighty rivers coursed onward, and entire ages seemed to pass in a single instant.
It was as though a youth had aged to white-haired old age in the blink of an eye, traveling through all of time and space before the movement finally stopped.
Throughout the journey, they had been given no chance to react at all.
When his feet touched the ground, Xu Ziqing’s face was pale, though he managed to remain steady.
What had just happened seemed to have shaken even his Minor Cosmos. On inspecting its myriad woods, he found that they appeared to have passed through several cycles of flourishing and decay.
Even now, traces of temporal and spatial energies remained within it.
He quickly steadied himself and drew those energies into the Taiji to nourish them. He was beginning to understand that the Nine Void Realm truly might not exist within any ordinary, tangible world, but somewhere between the cracks of countless spaces and times.
The experience left him unable to suppress a slight shudder.
He was not the only one affected. The others fared little better.
All four of his companions were sword cultivators with exceptionally clear sword hearts. Yet even they could not help being astonished by the experience.
As they reconsidered what they had experienced during that brief journey, each gained some insight.
After regulating his breathing briefly, Xu Ziqing looked to his left. “Senior Brother, are you all right?”
Yun Lie nodded. “I’m fine.” He examined his junior brother as well before turning his attention ahead.
He was surveying the place in which they had arrived.
The others recovered their senses and began looking around.
They were standing on a high platform made of some unknown substance. It was a deep ink-blue, nearly black as a night sky, speckled with glimmers resembling stardust. At first glance it looked unremarkable, but closer examination revealed an extraordinary mystery.
In the distance were countless more platforms exactly like this one, stretching away as far as they could see.
Several hundred zhang away, figures appeared on another platform, men and women alike. Their leader was a woman. She raised one slender hand and pressed a token against a pillar at the platform’s center. Bright light engulfed the group, and an instant later they vanished.
Now everyone understood.
The token must have been another Sword God Token, and the platforms were teleportation arrays.
Activating the token transported travelers from the outside world to a corresponding platform. To depart, one likewise had to use the Sword God Token to activate the teleportation formation. The token was indeed a key, capable of bringing its holder here at any time and from any place.
Seen in this light, the Sword God Token was exceptionally precious.
Xu Ziqing glanced at the three sword cultivators who had accompanied them. He could detect traces of envy, but no intention of stealing the token.
He relaxed. It was only natural. If these three could not withstand such a test, why would his senior brothers have allowed them to accompany the pair despite being stronger than Xu Ziqing and Yun Lie? They must be friends forged through life-and-death trials, the sort to whom one could safely entrust one’s back.
With that thought, Xu Ziqing lowered his guard toward them a little.
Yun Lie put the Sword God Token away and said, “Let’s go.”
After spending half a day together, the others already understood his temperament. They said nothing and jumped off the platform with him.
They had just swept their spiritual senses over the surroundings and found a settlement with many people several thousand li to the northwest. From a rough look, it seemed little different from settlements outside.
If they wanted answers, it would be best to go there first.
They activated their escape lights and traveled in a loose group, reaching the settlement before long.
It appeared to be a county town.
But to their surprise, the inhabitants included not only highly cultivated sword cultivators, but many low-ranked cultivators at Qi Refinement or Foundation Establishment. Stranger still, the greatest number were ordinary mortals. Their auras clearly showed that they had never cultivated and did not even possess spiritual roots.
Outside, mortals were inevitably respectful and awed when they encountered cultivators. The people here, however, treated them as nothing unusual.
Xu Ziqing and the others descended in flashes of light, revealing five strikingly handsome young men with distinguished bearing, each impressive in his own way.
Beside the town entrance stood a wine shop. A good-looking boy with a towel draped over his shoulder hurried out and called, “You immortal lords must have come here using a Sword God Token, yes? If you don’t mind, come into my shop for a couple of drinks, and let me explain a few things!”
He displayed no spiritual radiance at all, clearly an ordinary mortal.
The five looked toward him.
Each of them had at least Nascent Soul cultivation. Even if a mortal was accustomed to seeing cultivators, he ought to be somewhat affected by the powerful aura they unconsciously emitted. Yet this young shop assistant spoke smoothly, inviting them inside as though they were ordinary customers.
The five sensed something amiss and inspected the handsome boy.
Soon they noticed an emblem pinned to his clothing, bearing the image of a firebird and giving off a faint, peculiar power.
It seemed… as though a mighty being stood behind him, protecting him from interference.
The boy noticed their inspection but took no offense. He merely repeated his invitation.
Xu Ziqing and his companions considered briefly, then followed him inside. Even the demonic cultivator went along.
They sat around a square table and were served fragrant tea. Although it contained little spiritual energy, the scent and the first sip left them feeling refreshed.
The sword cultivators had very different personalities, being variously taciturn, eccentric, gloomy, or stern. None was the sort to put a stranger at ease. Xu Ziqing sighed inwardly and took the initiative with a smile. “Young friend, what can you tell us about this place? We’d be grateful for your guidance.”
In this strange realm, where even mortals behaved so unexpectedly, it would be foolish to underestimate anyone.
The boy smiled, revealing two dimples. “What polite guests! You’re quite unlike the others who’ve come before.” Having offered his praise, he began explaining in detail. “You came from the lower worlds with a Sword God Token. We’ve lived in the Nine Void Realm for generations, so we know all about such arrivals. I’ve been around for more than a hundred years and seen many visitors. I can recognize people like you just from the aura you carry.”
Xu Ziqing nodded gently to show that he was listening.
The boy continued, explaining each point that had puzzled them.
Although the Nine Void Realm existed in the spaces between time and space, it was still a world in its own right, with countless kinds of living beings born within it, as diverse as those in any other world. Its ordinary inhabitants were native to the realm. Perhaps one person in ten thousand could comprehend the Heavenly Dao and attain a different cultivation system, known as the Divine Path.
This Divine Path was not the path to becoming a god, but the path of the Yang Spirit. When a practitioner united with heaven and earth, he could obtain longevity and become a powerful being whose lifespan equaled that of the world itself.
It was completely different from the immortal cultivation practiced by ordinary cultivators.
The Nine Void Realm contained several special territories. The Sword Spirit Tower stood in the central territory and served as a place for sword cultivators from the lower worlds to train. It had little to do with the realm’s native inhabitants, and those who cultivated the Yang Spirit Path could not train inside it.
Outside those special territories, the land was divided into cities, towns, and counties of various sizes. Nearly every settlement was overseen by one, or sometimes several like-minded mighty beings who protected its safety.
Visitors from the lower worlds had to obey local rules while staying here. Otherwise, these mighty beings could expel them, and those guilty of serious offenses would be punished.
Consider Huan County, where the five now stood. It was the nearest settlement to the Sword God Token’s teleportation platforms, and visitors from the lower worlds frequently passed through.
A mighty being called Chiyu protected Huan County. His cultivated Yang Spirit took the shape of a vermilion bird with dazzling fire powers, guarding the county’s people. He did not interfere if visiting cultivators fought and killed each other, but anyone who harmed a local resident while within the county would be punished.
Thus, when lower-world cultivators first came here, the local mortals had been terrified. But one arrogant visitor, in the very instant he killed a mortal, was struck by a bolt of heavenly fire and thunder and reduced to ashes.
That cultivator had been at Soul Transformation!
From then on, the people of Huan County still respected cultivators but no longer feared them. Visitors likewise had to restrain themselves and refrain from attacking mortals.
Living beings in the Nine Void Realm enjoyed longer lifespans than those of the lower worlds. Even mortals could live for five hundred years, although reproduction was more difficult, perhaps due to the constraints of the Heavenly Dao. Those who cultivated the Yang Spirit Path were undying and indestructible. Unless they fought one another, they could live eternally and were extremely difficult to kill.
They treated the inhabitants as their own people and cared for them diligently.
The sword cultivators listened in silence.
Even Tu Jin, though a demonic cultivator, recognized how dangerous it would be to act arrogantly here.
Xu Ziqing, meanwhile, was thinking.
These mighty beings who cultivated the Yang Spirit Path… Why did they resemble the gods from the myths of his previous life?
A powerful being protected the people of a territory, received their reverence, and defended their land. An undying Yang Spirit meant an unending lifespan. Wasn’t that rather like the local earth gods and other deities of legend? The punishments they imposed also resembled the legendary spells of immortals, carrying out heavenly retribution.
Xu Ziqing merely entertained the thought, then smiled and put it aside.
The mortals of the Nine Void Realm appeared to enjoy peaceful, carefree lives, almost in a paradise. Mighty beings maintained order, and visitors from the lower worlds were unable to act recklessly, allowing them to concentrate on cultivation instead. That was reassuring.
After so much talking, the boy’s mouth was dry. He drank some water and continued, “In the Nine Void Realm, transactions are conducted with divine stones. Since you’ve come from the lower worlds, you naturally won’t have any. But upper-grade spirit stones are similar in value and can be used in their place. Nothing else will do.”
“The Sword Spirit Tower is a sacred place of cultivation. We locals cannot enter, but the immortal lords from the lower worlds must pay a fee every time they wish to train there. Without payment, they won’t be allowed in.” He paused. “Please don’t take offense. The fees aren’t meant to make things difficult. They help keep the Sword Spirit Tower operating for as long as possible.”
At last, he had explained everything the group had been eager to know.
None of the travelers minded the expense. At their levels of cultivation, they possessed plenty of spiritual veins and had no fear of spending resources. Xu Ziqing asked, “Young friend, may I ask how we should reach the Sword Spirit Tower?”