Building the target for the Translocation spell was a simple but unknowable matter. Zhu Xuelian had built formations before, under Yaoyue’s guidance, though few if any would ever think of these things as Formations. They were merely lines, and pathways, cut into the dirt with her sword intent. What powered the formations? She had no idea. What controlled the formations? She had even less than no idea.
Why did they work? Because “Yaoyue”? That was the best guess she had.
They just worked.
She was a simple, and mortal, sword cultivator. What did she know about divine treasures, or formations for that matter?
Though Yaoyue did ask for her help once to adjust a formation inscribed on its soul vessel, and even though Zhu Xuelian back then did not know what she was doing, and still didn’t, she managed to accomplish that task. Maybe those formations, and the one she was drawing now, were connected in some way? Maybe one day she would ask Yaoyue or Xiang Liling will find the answer, but it was all the more reason to make that day come sooner, rather than later.
She slashed away at the dirt, carving the image of the formation in her mind with her qi. She did not know anything about formations, but for some reason, ever since she became one with Yaoyue, they came to her with a thought — like it was knowledge hidden in her mind, bubbling up from the spring of Yaoyue’s still-living soul. This was not the only thing that came to her mind, but formations and operation guides for things like Chaos Traverse, Dematerialize, and World Expansion she could not even understand.
A Chaos Sea? Node Anchors? What even were those things?
Translocate, she could understand because it was what saved all their lives and transported them to the central continent. If she had never experienced that spell, she would never have thought it could be used for that purpose. Every bit of information about these things was so esoteric and strange — it reminded her of Epsilon’s manner of speech.
She started in the morning, but it was already dusk when she finished clearing the area and drawing the immense translocation target formation. The shapes were drawn with her sword, but the lines were inked in pure sword intent.
Zhu Xuelian wasn’t merely a Sword Merging cultivator. In the Secret Sword Realm Nexus, it wasn’t only a gold core and the first layer of Fractured Sword that she obtained.
Dao
Sword
Mind
Body
These four words were always inscribed on Yaoyue’s blade, and Zhu Xuelian did not understand what they meant until she asked her own Attainment Devil for advice, and was cut down by pure sword intent. Zhu Xuelian always thought that the natural Law was the limit of swordsmanship. This event completely shattered Zhu Xuelian's understanding of the world.
When the body and mind were aligned with the Sword Dao, vibrations in the natural Law — sword force — accompanied every moment of a sword cultivator's life. This was Sword Control, the first breakthrough of sword cultivators. This was impossible to hide or conceal.
Once sword intent approached the limit of natural Laws and physical phenomena, a sword cultivator could seamlessly merge the natural Laws with the Sword Law and create the Sword Domain — Sword Merging. Natural qi and sword energy became one, and there was no longer any resistance from the natural Law.
What was there beyond natural Law — natural phenomena itself? Sword Law!
Zhu Xuelian thought that the Sword Law was related to the natural Law — sword energy was natural qi shaped by sword qi. Without this natural qi, how can there be sword energy?
But Zhu Xuelian learned from her Attainment Devil that the Sword Law was its own supreme existence that came from the Dao, and the Yin and Yang, and had nothing to do with the natural Laws! The sword that cut her down had no energy and no qi — none that Zhu Xuelian could perceive, at least — for it was not of natural phenomena!
Sword Integration was the third step on the path of sword cultivation, and it was the complete separation of sword intent from natural qi!
If one could align the body and the mind with the Sword Law, then one should also be able to integrate the Dao and the Sword Law. What difference was there, then, between holding a sword, or merely a blade of grass? If one could wield the sword with their heart and mind, then one didn't need to hold a sword at all.
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That is what those four words meant. Integrating the mind, body, sword, and the Dao. It was a profound concept related to likening oneself to the Supreme Sword and returning to the origin. It went completely against the way of heaven; abandoning natural Law; wielding profound secrets of the Dao. Only a devil like Yaoyue would proudly declare rebellion like this.
With this achievement, even sword intent became a deadly tool that surpassed the might of entire systems of martial arts.
Though Zhu Xuelian only had a mere glimpse into this secret, and not a complete understanding, it was enough to, and with much effort, produce true sword qi. She also had to cheat, by using top-grade spiritual stones to fuel and stabilize each wisp of true sword intent, otherwise, they would have faded and disappeared before she was finished creating the formation.
Zhu Xuelian smiled as she checked her work, and the eight hundred or so top-grade spirit stones embedded into the nodes of the formation. Yaoyue had been doing things like this since they met, with true sword qi. She never even knew that Yaoyue was already a Sword Integration achievement entity, and now she was even more proud of her master. Back then, Yaoyue was merely in the Qi Refinement stage and had already achieved Sword Integration.
It was outrageous. Were all divine grade treasures like this?
If she could fully master Sword Integration before entering Nascent Soul — which she wouldn’t think was possible had she not seen her own Foundation realm replica use it — her achievement would only be slightly less outrageous, and likely enough for her to become the most famous genius in the entire world. Not that she cared about fame, but one step closer to Yaoyue was more than enough to motivate her.
Merging her will with the sword in her soul, she caused the orb in the Sect Hall to pulse with light, which was the signal for Wu Yulan to use the Translocation spell.
A few seconds later, ten people appeared in the center of the formation.
Lei Yangming looked around and at the sky behind Zhu Xuelian. His spear was in his hand, ready to be used, but when he realized that no one was chasing Zhu Xuelian, he relaxed.
Tian Li also checked his body, counting his fingers and limbs, before smiling nervously.
The others also had similar misconceptions about what they would find, or how this would go, but each found themselves relieved when the situation turned out to be completely ordinary, except for the extraordinary way they just crossed an untold number of miles in one blink.
Of course, they didn’t immediately recognize Zhu Xuelian in her new outfit, with the veils covering her face and features, but they knew that only one person could achieve this kind of goal, so they put two and two together.
Mu Jingyu hid behind Yuan Qiuyue, hiding her face in her sect-sibling’s hair.
Lei Yangming nodded. “All right, I guess this is it,” he said. “We all know that this might be the last day we are alive, so do we go straight to the Seven Killing Swords and exterminate them, or do we want to make a detour first, and make peace with what might or might not happen?”
Zhu Xuelian shook her head. “Brother Lei, I would not have brought you with me if I thought even one of us might not make it out alive,” she said, though no one was entirely certain where Zhu Xuelian got the confidence to make such claims, but they all still believed them.
“There is also a small change in our plans,” Zhu Xuelian continued.
Xiang Liling studied the “formation”, and her expression became complicated to read.
“Did something happen, Sister Zhu?” Tian Li asked.
Zhu Xuelian nodded. “I have learned that the True Sun Kingdom might be behind the Seven Killing Swords sect and that this is the reason our sects all lost the war against them.”
“The True Sun Kingdom?”
“Those villains…”
“From the Sun Continent?”
Everyone was shocked to hear Zhu Xuelian’s words.
“It is not that I don’t believe you, Sister Zhu, but do you have any proof to support this claim?” Lei Yangming asked.
Zhu Xuelian nodded again. “When I went there to rob them, they thought I was a princess and even kowtowed to me,” she said.
This caused Wu Yulan to chuckle, and she commented casually: “About time they showed some face.”
Zhu Xuelian smiled mischievously at Wu Yulan’s comment and continued. “But when I was returning from the mountain, I met the actual princess they were expecting, and she was without a doubt from a martial family, and used the words True Sun.”
Though this convinced them, it also made them grumble deep in their hearts. The Seven Killing Swords really did betray the Sky Continent and made a pact with an outside force.
Lei Yangming nodded and leaned on his spear. “So, now what?”
Zhu Xuelian shrugged. “I am not so sure anymore. We cannot yet tangle with the True Sun Temple.”
Tian Li chuckled. “Even Zhu Xuelian has things she does not dare do!”
“She said yet, Li,” Sun Yongzheng pointed out.
“This is true,” Tian Li murmured, and shot a glance toward Zhu Xuelian, like he was truly looking at an unreasonable person.
“There are still other reasons for why we came here, so first we will head to the Star City, and the Galaxy Sword sect, and then the Frozen Peak Palace,” Zhu Xuelian said.
Everyone nodded in agreement.
“Why the Frozen Peak Palace, though?” Ren Weisheng asked.
At this, Zhu Xuelian looked at the sky briefly and then shrugged. “They were the only ones who did not come to my execution, so maybe they are the only allies we still have left on this continent.”
This made sense to them, so they immediately helped with erasing the formation and then took off on their flying swords and spears toward their first destination: Star City.
