Chapter 274

Chapter 274

Yang Chen used his own sword intent as a guide, instantly drawing the ancient sword intent from the valley surging toward him, as if to reduce him to nothingness.

The fierce sword intent swirled around him, like an ocean of swords, enveloping him entirely. Relying on his Sword Eight minor completion realm and his powerful physique, Yang Chen barely managed to withstand it.

Even so, his body was marked with streaks of blood.

However, his physical recovery speed was astonishingly fast—each blood mark that appeared healed back to normal in an instant. If he were to comprehend this ancient sword intent through ordinary means, it would take at least a decade or more to succeed. But Yang Chen used his VPs, making his comprehension speed extraordinarily fast.

The ancient sword intent in the valley was fierce yet carried a solemn killing aura, as if it could slay all the gods and Buddhas in the heavens and recreate a new world.

The swordsmanship Yang Chen had previously comprehended was Venerable Pure Yang’s Pure Yang Swordsmanship—blazing like the sun, incinerating everything. But though its momentum was grand, it lacked a certain killing intent and sharpness.

The ancient sword intent in the valley perfectly compensated for this deficiency.

Two days passed.

Yang Chen’s position had steadily advanced forward, now reaching the heart of the valley. The sword intent here was not only fierce and solemn but also carried a hint of the aura of death.

That deathly aura slowed Yang Chen’s physical recovery considerably. On his shoulders and back, several blood marks, eroded by the power of death, couldn’t heal in time and had cut deep to the bone.

Empress Yan stood at the valley’s edge, her enchanting face now filled with worry. Though Yang Chen’s displayed talent in swordsmanship deeply shocked her, venturing deeper into the valley—deeper into the Sword Domain—meant the danger would escalate rapidly.

A single misstep could lead to his death, his body and soul extinguished, reduced to ashes by the boundless sword intent.

“Brother Chen!” Empress Yan murmured softly, praying for him in her heart. Her jade hand unconsciously caressed her abdomen.

At that moment, several streaks of light flashed across the horizon. They emanated powerful auras.

As they landed, the light dissipated.

The leader was a tall woman. Clad in a dark golden phoenix robe, her hair tied up in a bun, she exuded the authority of one long accustomed to power.

Though the dark golden phoenix robe was loose, it couldn’t conceal her graceful figure. Empress Yan noticed the group, and her expression immediately tensed. Because the woman in the phoenix robe, the leader, radiated an aura at the seventh stage of the Void Refining Realm.

“This opportunity already has an owner. Please seek elsewhere, everyone!”

Seeing them approach the valley, Empress Yan, worried they’d disturb Yang Chen’s comprehension of the sword intent, spoke up to stop them.

“The opportunities in the Fallen Immortal Secret Realm are legacies from the ancient era—who dares claim ownership?”

“A mere early-stage Void Refining cultivator—step aside quickly, or your life won’t be spared!”

Behind the woman in the phoenix robe, two beautiful women in palace attire, both at the mid-stage Void Refining Realm, coldly shouted at Empress Yan.

“You—!” A flash of killing intent crossed Empress Yan’s beautiful eyes.

Though her current cultivation was only at the third stage of Void Refining, she had once reached the peak of the Dao Integration Realm. If she went all out, killing these two Void Refining cultivators wouldn’t be an issue.

But this woman in the phoenix robe, with her seventh-stage Void Refining cultivation, was beyond her current means, even with all her tricks.

“Shut up!” At that moment, the woman in the phoenix robe suddenly snapped coldly at the two behind her. Her gaze turned to Empress Yan, her red lips slowly curving into a smile.

“Empress Yan, it seems you really didn’t die a thousand years ago! However, after reshaping your body and cultivating anew, you should’ve tried harder to conceal your original appearance! After all, that old fool Yan Mie isn’t dead yet! If the Yan Clan discovers you, with your mere third-stage Void Refining cultivation, you’re in for more danger than you can handle!”

The phoenix-robed woman’s words caused Empress Yan’s expression to falter slightly.

Since arriving in the Central Continent, she had never revealed her true face. It was only when she met Yang Chen earlier that she had shown her true appearance. In a moment of sweetness, she had forgotten about this.

But who was this phoenix-robed woman before her? How could she recognize her at a glance?

“Hmph, meeting an old acquaintance, and you can’t even recognize this Empress?”

The woman’s self-reference made Empress Yan’s heart skip a beat.

Suddenly, her pupils widened.

“It’s you—the Empress Destiny!? Hmph, it seems you’ve only reshaped your body and haven’t lost your memory!” The phoenix-robed woman let out a light snort.

“This—you’ve also recultivated?” Empress Yan looked at her in disbelief, her enchanting face now full of confusion.

The phoenix-robed woman slowly walked toward her.

“This body isn’t this Empress’s original form. A strand of my primordial spirit has taken control of this body, and using the Destiny Stone to mask the heavens’ will, I entered the Fallen Immortal Secret Realm! You don’t need to concern yourself with how I did it, Honglian. But you—you’ve truly surprised me! Not only did you reshape your body, but you’re pregnant too! Heh, the child in your womb—it must be that guy’s, right? With your personality, you wouldn’t think of romance before avenging your great grudge. Could it be … he forced you?”

…

The words of the woman in the phoenix robe caused Empress Yan’s expression to freeze for a moment. In her mind, she couldn’t help but recall that scene in the cave. She had indeed been forced at the time. However, as time passed and circumstances changed, everything was bound to shift.

The Yang Chen she once utterly despised had become the “Brother Chen” she now cherished in her heart. But having her past friend guess this, Empress Yan naturally wouldn’t admit it.

“Hmph, who could possibly force me? Can’t I enjoy a bit of romantic affection between a man and a woman?”

“Hah!” Hearing this, the woman in the phoenix robe immediately laughed.

“To make you, Empress Yan, willingly indulge in the pleasures of love, this little guy must have something extraordinary about him! But this is also a good thing. You were once so obsessed with revenge that your state of mind was flawed. Even if you took that final step, the three tribulations of becoming an immortal would have been nearly impossible to overcome! Now, living anew in this lifetime, it’s like a fresh start! As your old friend, this Empress blesses you!”

As she spoke, the woman in the phoenix robe shifted her gaze toward Yang Chen in the valley.

“To comprehend the Sword Domain at just the first stage of Void Refinement! And he even succeeded in mastering it! This boy’s talent in the way of the sword is simply terrifying!”

Hearing her old friend’s praise, Empress Yan’s red lips curved slightly upward, a hint of pride in her expression.

Her—Empress Yan’s—man, was naturally no ordinary person. And Brother Chen’s talent wasn’t limited to just the way of the sword.

What was truly fearsome was that he possessed a divine body. But of course, she wouldn’t brag about this to a friend she hadn’t seen in over a thousand years.

“You, the grand Empress Destiny, the foremost of the four great sovereigns, a figure who commands awe across the Central Continent—why would you insist on entering the Fallen Immortal Secret Realm to compete with a bunch of juniors for opportunities?”