At the entrance of the Nether Battlefield, a total of forty-five Hexapath Sword Sect disciples were about to enter. They seemed relaxed, gathering in groups of twos and threes, laughing and playing, not at all serious. Two young disciples, a man and a woman, were talking to each other.
"Senior Brother, don't forget what you promised me. You must help me acquire a tribulation artifact with four tribulation patterns. My weapon is broken.”
"You don’t have to worry, but shouldn’t you show a little appreciation?”
"What do you want?”
"For example, you could come with me and see the world after the Number One Summit.”
"Naughty! You’re up to your tricks again.”
“Get your mind out of the gutter. I don’t mean anything else.”
"If that’s the case, I want a few more treasures!”
"Don't worry. We have to be courteous to those from other sects, so we can’t take away what’s theirs. But if we run into the Monorigin Divine Sect disciples, we’ll definitely kill them all!”
“Everyone’s looking for them, so whoever finds them first is lucky.”
"Indeed! The elders have said the more we torture them, the better. The matter is over if they’re so terrified they send out their so-called goddess. It’ll be even better if they stubbornly continue on. We’ll fight and destroy their stupid sect.”
"Yes, you’re right! They should pay for taking away the Sixpath Sword Meditation Stone.”
They were nearing the Nether Battlefield, yet still laughing and jeering, mocking the disciples of the Archaion Sect in the distance.
Right in the front of the crowd was a young man in black. He was tall, thin, and plainly dressed—all in all a man of ordinary looks. However, the disciples of the Hexapath Sword Sect were very respectful toward him and treated him as their guide. His eyes were covered with a black cloth, so they remained concealed. He almost seemed like a sword in its scabbard, as if his sharpness had been put away.
In fact, almost every disciple participating in the Number One Summit knew him. He was Jiang Wuxin, the number one disciple of the Hexapath Sword Sect, the godson and disciple adopted by the Hexapath Swordfiend, Feng Qingyu. Of humble birth, he nevertheless possessed enormous talent. When his entire family was massacred during his most destitute period, he stumbled upon an opportunity that allowed him to rise and enter the Hexapath Sword Sect. In the face of countless challenges and opportunities, he emerged like a legend, relying on his willpower of steel. It was rare for someone outside the Tai'e House of Jian to possess his current status. Jiang Wuxin was known as the Little Swordfiend.
The tenacity beneath those ordinary looks, as well as his obsession with swords that made him very much like Feng Qingyu, were the reasons he was given such a title. Of course, it had more to do with another matter—he had deliberately blinded himself to cultivate the sword.
Apparently, he cultivated the heart sword, so he didn’t want his eyes to interfere. Without his eyes, he could experience the world with his heart and temper his sword. Thus, he was closer to his sword. Facts had proved that god wouldn’t forsake geniuses who were cruel to themselves.
Today, not only had Jiang Wuxin taken revenge, he had also been adopted as Feng Qingyu’s only godson and cultivated as the heir of the Hexapath Sword Sect. This was an incredible feat for a foreign disciple without roots in the sect.
However, how could the Tai'e House of Jian not consider that? Although the Little Swordfiend looked rather ordinary, and was even blind, he had two beautiful, charming wives, both of whom were top beauties of the Hexapath Sword Sect.
Without a doubt, the two were direct descendants of the Tai'e House of Jian. Their parents were top figures in the Hexapath Sword Sect, second only to the Hexapath Swordfiend, and the two were actually twin sisters. That way, although Jiang Wuxin hadn’t been born into the Tai'e House of Jian, he was husband to two of the Tai'e House of Jian’s princesses and a member of his wives’ family.
He was a most powerful son-in-law.
Right now, there were two women similar in height standing next to Jiang Wuxin, one on his left and the other on his right. The two women, one in green and the other in blue, were gorgeous, with fair skin, graceful figures, and had a dazzling brilliance to them. Compared to Jiang Wuxin, the fact that they were descendants of a powerful family could be seen from their appearance and demeanor. Although their looks were very similar, one was pure and lively while the other was dignified and elegant; their temperaments were completely different.
The two girls standing together made for such a beautiful picture that the disciples of the Hexapath Sword Sect couldn’t help but look at Jiang Wuxin with envy from time to time. However, they weren’t jealous because of how ruthless Jiang Wuxin was. He was almost a replica of the Hexapath Swordfiend. This was the kind of man who placed the sword above all else, even his life. He had risen from the very bottom of the Sixpath Divine Realm, even experiencing a period of time as a beggar. Who would remain unconvinced?
Jiang Wuxin looked cold, but in front of his sweet wives he spoke slowly and behaved gently. The older sister was Feng Shuoyu, who was dignified and composed, gentle and pleasant. The younger sister was Feng Linyin. Sweet and pretty, she held Jiang Wuxin's arm, her body leaning on his shoulder. Her silvery laugh sounded from time to time.
"Xiaoyin, put away your laughter. We’re about to enter,” said Feng Shuoyu.
"Alright, Big Sister.” Feng Linyin nodded.
"Yu, do you have something on your mind?” Although Jiang Wuxin couldn’t see, he was sensitive at heart, due to his blindness, and considerate to any changes in their moods.
"I suddenly thought of Yi. As fellow disciples and siblings, we were very close. He was the youngest and should’ve had a boundless future, but now he’s left this world.” With her head lowered, Feng Shuoyu sighed.
"Didn’t I promise to kill all the Monorigin Divine Sect disciples and avenge my junior brother?” said Jiang Wuxin.
"Yes, especially that Li Tianming! As long as we bump into him, he’ll come to a miserable end right before the eyes of the entire Monorigin Divine Sect! Wuxin said he’ll take his skull and place it as a sacrificial pot in front of Yi's grave!” Feng Linyin's eyes were filled with resentment.
"I know. We’ll definitely get our revenge. Sending those Monorigin Divine Sect disciples to battle is equivalent to driving them to their deaths. I just can’t bear the loss of Yi. He was our youngest junior brother and Aunt Qian’s child. No matter how many of these bastards die, we won’t get him back,” said Feng Shuoyu.
"Yu.” Jiang Wuxin grabbed her hand. "Such a tragedy happened because I couldn’t do anything on the Skyorigin Battlefield, but the Nether Battlefield is different. Now that Yi is gone, we can only avenge him by killing more of them. This time, I’ll pierce my sword into their foundation, so they’ll be terror-stricken at the sight of the Hexapath Sword Sect.”
"Alright, I believe in you. There’s nothing you can’t do. It’s a miracle that you’ve appeared by our side.” Feng Shuoyu smiled.
"Big Sister, you’re so good at talking it makes me look stupid!” Feng Linyin seemed dissatisfied.
"Don't be jealous. I envy how close you are to Wuxin. Ease up on the mischief, or you’ll influence his cultivation,” said Feng Shuoyu.
"Big Sister, don't you understand? Wuxin says it’s also a form of sword cultivation. The only difference is, this sword releases at the end of a long session.”
A poor boy rising to the top of the sect, becoming the number one disciple, winning the two daughters of a major clan, and becoming an elder’s godson was simply the blueprint for every poor boy’s dreams. And Jiang Wuxin had realized it all.
...
When entering the Nether Battlefield, disciples would also be checked for heavenly pattern tomes that violated the rules. However, they were allowed to keep certain nonlethal ones that could be used as signals.
After an entire night of getting acquainted, Tianming, Xuanyuan Yucheng, Beigong Qianyu, and the others had become very familiar with each other. They were the leaders of the Draconis House of Jian and Archaic House of Xuanyuan disciples. Getting acquainted with them meant Tianming was on pretty good terms with the disciples of these two great clans.
There were also many disciples who weren’t part of the clans. Because Tianming was considered the only deputy commander among the non-clan members, they gathered around him, looking to him for guidance. Even if Tianming’s strength were discounted, they admired him for the fact that he had killed the Hexapath Swordfiend’s disciple.
The only ones who were difficult to get along with were the Sterling House of Fang disciples. Although Xuanyuan Yuheng and Fang Xingque were both dead, their attitudes toward Tianming were completely different in the face of a crisis involving the sect. Fang Xingque was the son of the Heaven Branch sect master, so his status was higher than Xuanyuan Yuheng’s. However, Tianming didn't care about that. Xuanyuan Yucheng was their leader, and Tianming would listen to his arrangements.
After the inspection, the last batch of the Archaion Sect disciples stepped into the Ninefold Nether Battlefield. Tianming already understood the rules. Last night, Xuanyuan Yucheng had come by to explain them.
"Every layer of the Ninefold Nether Battlefield has its own risks, trials, and disasters. The layers are the bloodpool, volcano, frost, metalstar, thunder, windblade, darknight, incandescence, and swamp. Once the disciples of the nine sects enter the Nether Battlefield, they’ll be randomly sent to one of the layers, which will become their battleground. No one knows which Nether Battlefield lies adjacent to theirs. It requires investigation and exploration. As soon as the battle begins, a hell tree protected by heavenly patterns will be born in the Ninefold Nether Battlefield. For example, if we’re sent to the volcano layer, we must immediately find the hell tree, because the hell barrier formation that protects the Archaion Sect disciples will start shining if the tree is destroyed by the enemy. As long as others enter the volcano layer, they’ll be able to locate all our disciples and we won’t be able to escape. Therefore, the hell tree is the focus of our protection as well as the core of contention. Destroy the enemy's hell tree and you can immediately obtain thirty points, which is equivalent to defeating thirty opponents! The Nether Battle only has four hundred participants in total, and the hell trees are worth a total of two hundred and seventy points. Thus, anyone who destroys a hell tree is very likely to get a ticket to the final battle!”