NOVPUBWu Geng’s Sword Intent burst forth from all around him, and before those three had even landed, they were disintegrated by the Sword Intent.
"Those who fight without reason, die!" n𝚘𝚟pub.𝚌o𝚖
The swordsman in white, his garments fluttering, surveyed everyone around him with a commanding Sword Qi and declared.
Then, his gaze turned to Xu Zimei, "You were protecting your companion, forced to act, that doesn’t count."
After speaking, the white-clothed swordsman’s form faded into the void.
Xu Zimei speculated that the other party must be hiding in the void, observing everyone who entered.
Should anyone break the rules, he would immediately move to annihilate them.
However, this was not entirely safe because if he had not stopped that palm just now, Hong Tianfu might have already been gravely injured.
Even at the risk of losing his life.
But it seemed that Hong Tianfu also knew someone was out to kill him, so he had allied with Xu Zimei beforehand.
...
After a long while passed, Xu Zimei could sense some changes in Hong Tianfu’s aura.
He saw the Sword Fruit in front of him gradually shatter, and a black sword grew from within.
The blade was sharp and restrained, dark and shining; it was a slender sword.
Then Hong Tianfu slowly opened his eyes and took a deep breath.
Still, he couldn’t hold back, and a mouthful of fresh blood spilled out.
"Are you alright?" Xu Zimei asked.
"I overestimated myself. These Sword Spirits are truly formidable," Hong Tianfu said with a shake of his head and a smile.
"But gaining this Heize Sword was indeed worth it."
He held the black sword in his hand, and the sword seemed to sing softly as if it was sentient.
"By the way, did anyone try to kill me just now?" asked Hong Tianfu.
"Three people," Xu Zimei replied.
"Thanks, I owe you a favor," Hong Tianfu fell silent for a while, his mood somewhat somber.
Something seemed to come to his mind, and finally his gaze deepened and the hand gripping the longsword tightened even more firmly on the hilt.
"Who wants you dead?" Xu Zimei inquired.
"I am a bastard of the Hong Family, and although not favored, I still have the potential to become the Family Head by the rules," Hong Tianfu said with a smile.
"Whose benefit would it be greatest if I were dead?"
"Struggles for status, truly tiresome," Xu Zimei shook his head slightly and lost interest.
"I used to harbor some hopes, but now since they’ve already sent people to kill me so publicly.
There’s nothing wrong with tearing off the facade."
Hong Tianfu shook his head with a smile as he spoke.
"Let’s not talk about my affairs anymore. Brother Xu, where would you like to go? I’ll accompany you."
"Are you very familiar with the inside of the Sword Tower?" Xu Zimei asked.
"I’ve conducted thorough investigations. Basically, what others know, I know too," replied Hong Tianfu.
"Then, within this Sword Tower, is there any particularly strange sword? Or fragments of a sword?"
Xu Zimei inquired.
"Fragments of a sword? Brother Xu must be talking about the sword on the ninth level," Hong Tianfu said with a smile.
"Tell me more," Xu Zimei spoke.
"This Sword Tower has nine levels, and the most special is this ninth level, as I’ve heard from others."
Hong Tianfu replied.
"It is said that on this ninth level, there is only one broken sword, sentient and full of spirit.
And it has a very violent temperament. Previously, anyone who entered the ninth level was slashed to death by this sword’s wild strikes.
No one has been able to truly subdue it."
"Interesting, let’s go have a look," Xu Zimei responded.
"Brother Xu, you don’t really intend to retrieve that broken sword, do you?" Hong Tianfu advised.
"This is a vicious sword, and the danger is too high. It’s not worth the risk,"
Xu Zimei didn’t say much and went straight towards the direction of the ninth floor.
Hong Tianfu hesitated for a moment but eventually, looking at the dark sword in his hand, gritted his teeth and followed closely behind.
After passing the eighth floor, when Xu Zimei and Hong Tianfu arrived at the ninth floor,
they saw that the scene before them was a spurting volcano.
The volcano was awakening, and the sky was periodically pelted with meteor-like lava fireballs that rained down, pocking the entire space with pits and scars.
The ground was covered in gray-white volcanic ash, and the temperature around was extremely scorching, almost enough to incinerate the air.
The area here was very vast, and besides the central volcano, everything else was empty.
However, at this moment, there were not only Xu Zimei and his companion on the ninth floor; not far away, there was another group of people.
Xu Zimei saw the others, and they also noticed him and his companion.
There were five people in this group, three young men, a young lady, and an elder.
"People these days really aren’t afraid of death," mumbled Hong Tianfu.
"As long as the profits are tempting, there’s no shortage of those willing to court death," Xu Zimei said with a smile.
Xu Zimei ignored the others and continued walking towards the volcano with Hong Tianfu.
The meteor fireballs in the sky were too densely packed, so neither of them flew through the air.
The further they walked, the hotter Xu Zimei could feel the temperature getting.
He had all sorts of pills with him and took out two Ice Muscle Pills, consuming one with Hong Tianfu.
Only then did their body temperature begin to drop.
"This Ice Muscle Pill must be a Star Tier pill, Brother Xu is pretty generous," chuckled Hong Tianfu.
"I’d rather watch you die of heat," retorted Xu Zimei.
When the two approached the base of the volcano, they saw the rocks all around were scorching hot, their surfaces seemingly wrapped in a layer of flames.
Xu Zimei didn’t mind, but the main issue was that Hong Tianfu’s strength was too weak, and he couldn’t walk on the rocks for long.
So, Xu Zimei had to carry him as they flew towards the top of the volcano.
As meteor fireballs in the sky attacked them in greater numbers, Xu Zimei held the Tyrant Shadow in his hand.
Wu Geng’s Blade Intent surrounded them, preventing nearly any meteor from coming within three meters.
When Xu Zimei set foot on the top of Flame Mountain, he discovered that the five people from earlier had already made it there.
Their speed was astonishing, clearly having made preparations in advance.
Several Fire Cao Trees grew atop the mountain.
This type of tree thrived on flames, practically using fire as its nourishment, and could usually only be seen on volcanoes.
The Fire Cao Trees added a bit of scenery to the otherwise barren mountaintop.
The volcano below was clearly awakened, like a crazed monster.
Inside the volcano was thick magma, gurgling like boiling water in an unruly roar.
And to the naked eye, in the center of this magma, there was a broken sword.
It was a blade.
Xu Zimei was now only missing the blade and crossguard parts to assemble the true Divine Sword.
He did not make a move yet, only to see one of the young men from the group of five walking towards him.
"How should I address these friends?" the young man asked with a smile.
"Is there a matter?" Xu Zimei asked indifferently.
"We hope that you won’t compete with us for this broken sword," the young man said bluntly.
"Alright," Xu Zimei nodded and readily agreed.
The young man was slightly taken aback, gave Xu Zimei a doubtful glance, thanked him, and then left.
"Brother Xu, you’re giving up just like that?" Hong Tianfu asked, somewhat surprised.
"Let them take it first. If they can’t get it, it’s not too late for us to try," Xu Zimei replied.
"And if they do get it?"
"Kill and rob!"
