Dao Companion Crippled, Coveters Move

Chapter 132 - 131: Turmoil in the Tree Sea

Between the stone cliffs of the Abyssal Pit, thick, dense roots of giant trees crisscrossed, as if this great chasm were a cross-section of the giant that was Tree Sea Dragon Island, and these roots its nerves and blood vessels.

Pei Yuhang fell rapidly downward.

He had already fallen to a depth where no light could penetrate. Although this didn't affect Pei Yuhang, whose Spiritual Perception was as powerful as a radar scanner, it still struck him as odd.

'Was the scar left by that Divinity Transformation Stage Cultivator back then really this deep?'

'At this depth, any deeper and it would almost pierce straight through Tree Sea Dragon Island.'

Pei Yuhang didn't believe that his enemy's sword back then could have achieved such a feat.

If they had truly been that powerful, the sheer force of their Sword Qi would have been enough to destabilize the void, and the Great Transposition Talisman wouldn't have activated so smoothly, allowing Liyuan to escape safely with him.

Moreover, Pei Yuhang observed the degree of oxidation on the earth and stone of the cliff walls.

It seemed the deeper he went, the less oxidized they were—which meant the damage was more recent.

An inexplicable, ominous premonition washed over Pei Yuhang.

'Could it be that someone has been modifying this Abyssal Pit?'

Pei Yuhang's eyes narrowed, but he did not panic.

'Since I'm already here, I might as well see it through. My high-profile actions after arriving on Tree Sea Dragon Island have already exposed my presence anyway.'

'In that case, I might as well be direct.'

Pei Yuhang stopped his descent, clasped his hands in a salute toward the darkness below, and said in a calm voice, "Fellow Cultivator, I am here seeking a Sword Embryo for my disciple. I've intruded on this place unintentionally. Might you come out and meet me?"

His voice spread deep into the Abyssal Pit, but after the time it takes for three incense sticks to burn, the pit remained as silent as death. Not even the chirp of an insect could be heard.

"Since you will not see me, Fellow Cultivator, I will assume my search for a sword does not conflict with your cultivation. In that case, I will continue deeper into this place."

With that, Pei Yuhang resumed his dive downward.

CREAAAK—

A coarse, grinding sound shattered the silence of the Abyssal Pit.

The silent roots came alive, writhing like a nest of snakes. They churned through the cliff walls, burst from the earth, and wove themselves into a tight, massive net, blocking Pei Yuhang's path.

"Fellow Cultivator, you block my path, yet you dare not show your face?"

"What is your purpose in secretly refining the giant trees of Tree Sea Dragon Island for your own use?"

Seeing the giant tree roots above him intertwining to cut off his escape route, Pei Yuhang no longer hesitated. He drew Luminous and slashed out with his sword.

A surging torrent of Moonlight Sword Qi blasted forward. The barrier of roots sweeping toward him was like tofu, easily shattered.

The person hiding in the darkness seemed not to have expected that Pei Yuhang, whose Spiritual Qi fluctuations seemed unremarkable, would be so shockingly powerful the moment he revealed his edge.

He no longer held back. He activated the Grand Array, controlling an endless tide of root tentacles to converge and surge toward the White-clothed Sword Cultivator, determined to grind him to dust.

The White-clothed Sword Cultivator's expression was calm. Although the power of this tidal tree array shook the mountain chasm, it was far from enough to force him into a "strategic retreat" instead of advancing bravely.

He slashed out with his sword. In the instant the Moonlight Sword Qi erupted, it was like a full moon rising in the darkness.

The overwhelming tide of roots was instantly annihilated, more than half of it gone.

...

...

"This sword is no good. Even though it has survived war and decades of erosion, remaining unchanged and able to cut through metal like mud, I feel like even if it were reforged, it wouldn't be as amazing as Senior Sister's Luminous Shadow Sword. I don't want it."

"This one is thick, black, and huge. It doesn't suit me at all."

"This sword is beautiful, but it's too badly damaged. The chances of nurturing an Innate Sword Spirit from it are probably zero, right?"

"..."

The Silent Sword flew leisurely ahead, leading Yu Xiaoyan and Qing Yueqiu to pick through the abandoned swords that had not responded to Pei Yuhang's call—swords that were likely extraordinary.

But Yu Xiaoyan picked and chose, and was never satisfied.

Either its appearance was wrong, or she felt its potential was too limited to be compared to her Senior Sister's Luminous.

Just as Yu Xiaoyan failed in her seventh attempt and was about to follow the Silent Sword to find the next one,

RUMBLE—

The entire island began to shake violently, as if an earth dragon were turning over, some behemoth moving in the rock strata beneath the island.

The Silent Sword sensed something and shot straight into the sky, transforming into a streak of light as it rushed to its master's side.

Qing Yueqiu and Yu Xiaoyan looked at each other, both seeing the worry in the other's eyes.

They knew something had happened to their Master.

"I have to go to Master!"

Qing Yueqiu spoke first, her crimson eyes filled with resolve.

Yu Xiaoyan nodded, indicating she wanted to go too. But the Silent Sword had flown off so quickly—where were they supposed to find their Master?

Just as she finished asking her question, a deafening roar like a landmine exploding erupted ahead of them. Dust billowed into the sky like a volcanic eruption as countless dark green vines and deep-colored roots burst from the ground, thrusting toward the heavens like massive pillars.

This Wooden Dragon, woven from vines and roots, was chasing none other than a White-clothed Sword Cultivator.

"Master is over there!"

...

...

"What a grand display. But these are just external things driven by an Array. As long as your true self remains hidden, you can't possibly stop me."

"Let's see what unspeakable scheme you're plotting, appearing here on Tree Sea Dragon Island and refining the Soul Blood of the thousands of Cultivators who died here during the great war between the righteous and demonic paths!"

Pei Yuhang grasped the Silent Sword as it flew to him. He raised his hand and brought the sword down. The vast Sword Qi was like the Milky Way descending from the heavens, shredding more than half of the Wooden Dragon below into splinters and wood chips.

With his other hand, which held the Luminous Shadow Sword, he swung out, the Sword Qi transforming into a thousand crescent beams of light that spun like flying discs, circling and shredding the Wooden Dragon.

Wielding two peerless swords, Pei Yuhang smashed through all obstacles in his path with unstoppable momentum and charged back into the Abyssal Pit.

"You Sword Cultivator, you're courting death!" A voice, shaking with extreme fury, echoed from the depths of the Abyssal Pit.

A mysterious Cultivator in black robes shot out from within. With a wave of his hand, he made the entire giant forest tremble.

The next moment, a tree giant as tall as a mountain overturned the soil, about to rise from the earth.

It was unclear how long this tree giant had been incubating, but the Spiritual Qi and Suppression it was brewing had already approached Nascent Soul Peak. Once it fully awakened, it would surely become a huge problem, especially with the advantageous terrain of the giant forest.

But...

"You're too slow!"

Pei Yuhang no longer concealed his speed. In an instant, he appeared before the black-robed man and slashed out with his sword.

'Shit, I can't dodge this strike!'

The black-robed man hadn't expected Pei Yuhang to have been holding back during their exchange, deliberately luring him out. Not only had it interrupted his spellcasting, but it had also thrown him into a life-or-death crisis!

Gritting his teeth, he summoned a precious, life-saving wooden sculpture. The sculpture bloomed with divine light, blocking the vast Sword Qi of the Silent Sword.

Just as the divine light neutralized the Sword Qi and the wooden sculpture disintegrated into dust, the black-robed man prepared to flee back into the Abyssal Pit.

"Trying to run?"

Pei Yuhang sneered. He unleashed his hidden second sword, the Luminous Shadow Sword, and slashed out an exaggerated, almost hundred-meter-long, bright white Crescent Sword Qi. Amidst the black-robed man's screams, the Crescent Sword Qi crushed him as it plunged into the Abyssal Pit.

It was like a waning moon falling into the mountains.

At this point, victory and defeat were decided.

"So... so strong."

Qing Yueqiu, watching from the side, took a deep breath. After witnessing Pei Yuhang in action, she finally realized how laughable her idea of coming to help her Master had been.

'How could such an peerless Master possibly need her help?'

HUMMM—

The Luminous Shadow Sword sliced through the air like a swimming fish and came to a stop before Qing Yueqiu. It hummed joyfully; clearly, the three-thousand-year-old Ancient Sword had enjoyed the recent battle immensely.

"Yueqiu, take Xiaoxiao and get away from here for now. I'm going down to see what that demon has set up on this island."

After Qing Yueqiu grasped the Luminous Shadow Sword, her Master's voice drifted down from above.