Sword Mark

Boom! The water curtain flared with radiant blue light as a wall of colossal waves surged forth. Spray flew everywhere as the waves, surging with violent water elemental power and an unstoppable momentum, crashed ruthlessly toward the intruders. Today was the third day since entering the space within the illusion array. The restrictions upon the heavy darksteel doors in the Heavenly Corpse Sect branch had certainly been stronger than this water curtain, but due to the immense passage of time, their power had eroded, making them relatively easy to break. This water curtain restriction was far from that simple. As early as the first day, the Divine Fire Cover had nearly been destroyed by the restriction's counterattack, forcing Qin Sang to put it away. Before the colossal waves, the three appeared utterly insignificant, seemingly moments away from being smashed into paste. Sitting cross-legged on the ground, Qin Sang suddenly made a beckoning motion, drawing the Five Elements Dharma-Breaking Sword into his palm. He then activated the Heavenly Star Tear, expanding its light barrier as wide as possible to shield the Yue sisters behind him. At the same time, light flashed between Qin Sang's brows. The ebony sword unleashed a burst of sword qi dozens of zhang long, slashing boldly into the great wave. Crash! Although the wave was not cleaved entirely apart by the sword qi, the force where it was struck was greatly reduced, and the Heavenly Star Tear was more than enough to withstand it. Huddled behind Qin Sang, the Yue sisters clung tightly to each other. Even though this was not the first time they had witnessed such a sight, looks of shock and dread still crept onto their faces. Watching Qin Sang unravel the restriction, they realized that the defenses around Real Master Cangli's cave dwelling were far more formidable than they had imagined. Even if they were to break through to Foundation Establishment, they would not be confident in breaching them. This made them all the more grateful that they had enlisted Qin Sang's help. From what they observed, although Qin Sang had failed countless times, each attempt brought new adjustments, and he now looked completely confident. In truth, their guess was spot-on. Through three continuous days of probing, Qin Sang had gained a deep understanding of this restriction. If he wished to break it, he already had a fair chance of success. However, he wanted to seize this rare opportunity to use the restriction to comprehend Senior Sister Qingting's notes, which was why he had held back from going all out. Another day passed. The Yue sisters grew increasingly anxious, yet Qin Sang remained calm and composed. After neutralizing another counterattack from the restriction, a sharp glint flashed in Qin Sang's eyes. This restriction could no longer offer him any insights; it was time to break it. Qin Sang brought out the Divine Fire Cover again and tossed it to the Yue sisters, warning them, "I will be putting all my strength into breaking the restriction now and may not be able to look after you. The two of you work together to activate the Divine Fire Cover for protection." With that, Qin Sang pointed a finger, and the Five Elements Dharma-Breaking Sword abruptly split into five, each pointing from afar at a specific spot on the water curtain restriction. These points were the weakest vulnerabilities of the water curtain, which Qin Sang had long since probed and mapped out. The area lay directly above a spirit vein, so spiritual power was naturally abundant. The Five Elements Dharma-Breaking Sword channeled this spiritual power and transformed into five azure dragons, its might swelling significantly. The Yue sisters joined forces to activate the Divine Fire Cover, their expressions a mix of anticipation and worry. Once the power of the Five Elements Dharma-Breaking Sword was pushed to its peak, it vanished from the spot, reappearing directly before the water curtain restriction, its tips plunging deep into the water! Whoosh... The spiritual power in the space suddenly turned turbulent. With the azure dragons acting as conduits, five-element spiritual power rushed frantically toward the Five Elements Dharma-Breaking Sword. The spirit swords trembled faintly, emitting a long sword chime. Their physical forms vanished from view, turning into five dazzling points of light. "Break for me!" With Qin Sang's deep shout, the entire space seemed to dim for an instant. The five points of light detonated violently, all the explosive force absorbed by the water curtain restriction. Vast cracks spiderwebbed across the water curtain, yet like a cornered beast, it lashed out in a dying struggle—dreadful blades and swords of ice, towering waves, and roaring surges all burst forth together. Pale-faced, the Yue sisters helplessly channeled the Divine Fire Cover, able only to hope that Qin Sang could shatter the restriction swiftly. Prepared in advance, Qin Sang did not wait for the counterattack to reach them. Spotting where the cracks intersected, he quietly directed the ebony sword. A streak of sword light flashed, and the ebony sword pierced through the water curtain with ease. A large hole opened where the sword pierced it, and spreading outward from that hole, the water curtain began to disintegrate rapidly along the cracks, with the Five Elements Dharma-Breaking Sword pressing the advantage close behind. With a crisp crack, the water curtain shattered completely like glazed glass. Qin Sang immediately swept up the Yue sisters and shuttled rapidly through the deluge of ice shards, ultimately landing unscathed before the stone door. He then retrieved both magic tools. Rumble... The aftershocks of the restriction's counterattack still raged at the edges of the space. With lingering fear, the Yue sisters returned the Divine Fire Cover to Qin Sang, their manner growing even more reverent. "Thank you, Senior, for being willing to spend so much time helping us sisters." Paying no further heed to the lingering aftershocks, Qin Sang turned to look at the tightly closed stone door. "There might be restrictions and traps inside the cave dwelling as well. It would be best for you to remain cautious." Having placed complete faith in Qin Sang, they said in unison, "We defer to Senior in everything." Qin Sang nodded. Remaining where he stood, he condensed his spiritual power into a hand to push open the stone door. Unexpectedly, he met little resistance; the stone door slowly swung open, revealing a rough corridor behind it that seemed devoid of danger. The three entered warily, only to discover that aside from the water curtain outside, there were no other restrictions. At the end of the corridor lay a stone chamber roughly the size of two rooms. Its furnishings were exceptionally sparse, comparable even to Qin Sang's own cave dwelling. This was Real Master Cangli's cave dwelling. Though it lacked a spirit eye, the spiritual power was extremely rich. Even a Foundation Establishment cultivator would be satisfied with such an abode. "That's wonderful! We finally have our own cave dwelling!" Yue Rou wrapped her arms around her sister Yue Xing, weeping tears of pure joy. Faced with this scene, Qin Sang felt no sentimental stirrings. He stood motionless, his eyes fixed intently on a stone bed at the back of the cave dwelling, a trace of surprise and astonishment in his gaze. Calmer than her sister, Yue Xing comforted the emotional Yue Rou, noticed Qin Sang's unusual behavior, and followed his gaze. Finding nothing amiss with the stone bed, she could not help asking, "Senior Qin, what are you looking at?" Before the words had completely left her mouth, Yue Rou suddenly screamed in agony and collapsed violently toward the ground. Yue Xing's face shifted drastically, and she hurriedly caught Yue Rou. She saw that Yue Rou's face was twisted in pain, her breathing completely erratic. Her eyes stared blankly without focus, filled with sheer terror, and her body was shivering violently, as if she had witnessed something horrifying beyond measure. Startled by Yue Rou's scream, Qin Sang snapped out of his daze. Seeing what had happened, he flashed over at once and tapped hard on Yue Rou's Baihui acupoint, sending her straight into unconscious sleep. Then he took out an elixir and fed it to her. Frantic with worry, Yue Xing repeatedly pressed, "Senior Qin, what on earth happened? What is in this cave dwelling? Why did my sister suddenly turn out like this?" "Do not touch the sword mark on the stone bed with your spiritual sense!" Qin Sang said in a deep voice. "A sword mark?" Yue Xing was stunned for a moment. Turning her head, she looked toward the fissure running down the middle of the stone bed. What she had assumed to be a natural crack in the stone was actually a sword mark?