Wu Yu was worried that he would be ambushed on his way back, and so he took a circuitous route back to the Heavenly Sword Sect. Two days later, he was once again returning to the Heavenly Sword Sect through the Valley of Immortal Fate. As he neared, he saw that the 10,000 Swords Formation was indeed intact.
Being able to hold the 10,000 Swords Formation until now and protect everyone was a testament to Feng Xueya and the others' capabilities.
When Wu Yu returned, the entire Heavenly Sword Sect rang with cheers upon seeing the youthful figure in the air!
"Wu Yu! Wu Yu!"
Wu Yu returned to the Stone Gate of a Thousand Swords. He was swamped with people the moment he landed. More than a thousand disciples surrounded him. They were crying and praying, thoroughly moved.
"Everyone, this...."
Night Wishes for Snow gave Wu Yu a long hug, and declared loudly, "Junior Brother, you have done great work. If not for you luring Jiang Xie away, Master would not have been able to kill Dark Entropic Lord. You are our ace. You’ve saved everyone!"
"Yes, Wu Yu, you are a hero!"
Instantly, he had become the center of attention. Everyone was cheering for him, admiring him. They looked at him like he was family.
Su Yanli, Qing Mang.... They were looking at him with reverence as well.
Wu Yu roughly understood now. So it had been Feng Xueya who had taken the opportunity to murder the Dark Entropic Lord!
Amidst the cheers and embraces, he reached Feng Xueya's position. Jiang Xie had just returned two days ago, and would occasionally still unleash attacks. But even though a majority of the 10,000 Swords Formation's networks had been sundered, it still held on. Also, they were already beginning to repair it when they had time. They could hold out.
Each day that the 10,000 Swords Formation stood meant the safety of the Heavenly Sword Sect. And perhaps their opponents would retreat before the difficulty.
"Master!"
A teacher for a day was a father for life.
Feng Xueya had become slightly wasted, but he could not resist a smile upon seeing Wu Yu. "Wu Yu, our fates were entwined from the start. Today, I feel proud to have a disciple like you! If we eventually tide past this, you are definitely our savior."
Wu Yu had not thought that far. He simply wanted to repay the debt, and not see his new home torn asunder. He did not want his new friends to die before his very eyes.
"It's not over yet. We will hold on, until they despair and retreat. And you, rest a while. Get stronger if you can! You are the future of the Heavenly Sword Sect."
Feng Xueya especially loved this disciple of his. Especially since Wu Yu had returned safely from the Zhongyuan Immortal Mountain.
"Right!"
With Feng Xueya holding out for them, Wu Yu had a completely secure environment to continue growing and pave his mad way of dao!
But first, he had something to do!
He suddenly turned back, and put the stolen Sumeru Pouches - close to 200 - on the floor!
"Brothers and sisters! Before, I borrowed Spirit Concentration Pills from all of you. Today, I, Wu Yu, am rich! It's said that borrowing money comes with interest. For each Spirit Concentration Pill, today I return two! And the immortal treasures from the Zhongyuan Dao Sect, and other things in the Sumeru Pouches, all of them I give freely!"
He had already kept the things that would be of use to himself, such as the Reaper Gourd that was Elder Chu's immortal treasure, Elder Muxue's immortal treasure, as well as more than 300 Spirit Concentration Pills. After he paid his debt, the remaining pills would be more than enough for him to reach the 10th tier of the Qi Condensation Realm.
As for the rest, five things had come from the two elders, including an immortal essence covered in spiritual marks. They could be converted into medicine in the future, and so Wu Yu had taken them first.
The rest were all given away!
These were the property of the Zhongyuan Dao Sect, and so everyone enjoyed them happily. Seeing the excited disciples, even Lan Huayi could not help but smile. She discovered that when danger loomed, she liked this Wu Yu more and more.
"Shuiyue, do you fancy him?" Lan Huayi lowered her head to regard Lan Shuiyue.
Lan Shuiyue started, saying, "Auntie, I wouldn't dare. I'm a little intimidated by him."
"And why is that?" Lan Huayi was stunned. She had thought that she and Wu Yu had bickered their way into affection already.
Lan Shuiyue looked at Wu Yu. "His growth far outstrips mine. It is fearsome. I feel like an ant before him. And perhaps one day I will be. So I don't dare to approach him."
That was why she had backed away when the crowd had surged to him, standing as a solitary figure apart.
"Alright...." Lan Huayi could not deny, after seeing Wu Yu's work today, that he was someone destined for great things. As long as he did not die, he would definitely go far!
"Or perhaps this Wu Yu will one day enter the true battle of the Dong Sheng Divine Continent, and fight with all the other ultimate powers...."
After some celebrations, night soon arrived. Wu Yu had not let the cheers befuddle his brain. Under the moonlight, he returned to Yanli Mountain, to the place where Sun Wudao's grave had been. He continued to work at his Inner Vajra Buddha. Now, with more than 300 Spirit Concentration Pills, he need only continue to cultivate the Invincible Vajra Body.
Su Yanli was by his side. She too was cultivating quietly. Her white clothes were a stark contrast to the night's dark colors. Under the moonlight, her sylph-like features made her look like a goddess, pure beyond comparison.
She opened her eyes, but there was a shadow within them. She looked out at the 10,000 Swords Formation and lightly sighed. "Although Dark Entropic Lord is dead, the very foundations of the 10,000 Swords Formation have been shaken. Who knows how much longer it will last. Wu Yu, do you regret returning to this place and all the danger...."
"Do you?" Wu Yu countered.
Su Yanli looked back towards the Stone Gate of a Thousand Swords. "Master led me to the path of cultivation. He gave me everything, and brought me out of the mortal realm. Now that I've seen this colorful world, even if I die here, I will be content. The Heavenly Sword Sect is the place that raised me, and Master is the one who brought me up. I'm willing to die for this land, rather than leave here alive."
She was straightforward and resolute. Her heart belonged to Feng Xueya, and even Wu Yu did not hold such firm reverence for Feng Xueya.
"Your turn now." Su Yanli inclined her head with a warm smile towards him.
Wu Yu took a deep breath. "I don't know. My desire to kill is stronger than yours. And all that I want now is to improve myself. After the 10,000 Swords Formation falls, I will kill as many humans and demons as I can."
He had not been at the Heavenly Sword Sect for long.
"You have no need to shoulder this. You can fly away, and take revenge for us next time. Because truthfully, the one who helped you the most was Sun Wudao, and not us. You do not need to stand guard here with us," Su Yanli said.
Wu Yu shook his head.
"Although I can leave alive, I would rather fight till the end."
No one and nothing would stop him.
That night, Su Yanli reached out a fair, white palm to clasp his own. Her warm hand in his, bathed in moonlight. They sat until the sunrise, neither speaking a word.
......
The roiling spiritual qi actually gave them a pleasant surprise!
Perhaps because of the tremendous pressure, the disciples of the Heavenly Sword Sect had all gone fanatic!
They condensed qi like never before. They exchanged sword dao techniques and helped each other condense qi. They even lent each other Spirit Concentration Pills.
Some really needed them, while others did not.
Wu Yu had lent more than 100 out, and he had not even hesitated. After all, all of it was plunder.
What comforted him the most was to see someone succeed in condensing qi almost every day, reaching a new level.
Such a level of cultivation was a combination of circumstance and effort!
Of them, the most outstanding was Wu Yu. Because he was building his Inner Vajra Buddha, his body was constantly glowing with golden words. He continued to cut himself, to break himself down, to destroy himself. And then be reborn. It made the other disciples' scalps itch.
This was what they admired most about Wu Yu.
Because he could do it. No matter how torturous it was, he would soldier on without rest.
Wu Yu wanted to stop as well. After all, cultivating the Invincible Vajra Body was torture. It needed thousands and thousands of episodes of torture to refine the body, honing it like a weapon, until even his internal organs were as strong as steel.
But whenever he opened his eyes and saw others beside him, he knew he could not stop.
This was the final resting place of Sun Wudao. He did not wish for the Zhongyuan Dao Sect to build Jiang Xie's new palace here. It was the place where the spiritual qi was thickest.
For now, they were safe. Time passed, and they could only watch as Feng Xueya continued to do battle with the 10,000 Swords Formation. Every day, the swords flew, and the formation shuddered. The 10,000 Swords Formation weakened day by day. It was clear that it could not hold out for long now before it eventually collapsed.
But no one blamed Feng Xueya and the others. They had already done all they could. The nine experts on the 10,000 Swords Formation had fought from the start until now without even proper rest.
And the enemy could see a light at the end of their tunnel. They attacked with renewed vigor. With the Dark Entropic Lord gone, their attacks were even more frenzied than before. They actually conducted sneak attacks that almost brought the 10,000 Swords Formation down.
The more this was so, the more the disciples gritted their teeth, or yelled!
Their immortal treasures were beside them, ready to rush forward to do battle at any time. To kill! In truth, the Heavenly Sword Sect disciples were much more powerful than the disciples of the Zhongyuan Dao Sect. But the enemy also had ferocious demons, and much higher numbers!
"Inner Vajra Buddha, Inner Vajra Buddha!" Wu Yu was constantly honing himself. As time passed, the Inner Vajra Buddha within him grew taller and taller. But even at this rate, it seemed like it would not reach four zhang before the 10,000 Swords Formation crumbled and the final battle began!
That was why Wu Yu was getting anxious.
He fervently wished that he could have another breakthrough, and at least be able to kill those of the elder level!
A pity that life was not such a bed of roses.
The 10,000 Swords Formation's dwindling had reached the point where collapse was imminent. On this day, one of the Scarlet Sea's Seven Ghosts had finally found a weak spot. They rushed through the 10,000 Swords Formation and entered the Bipo Mountain Range!
The dreaded danger had arrived....
