Long Jiuyuan was, naturally, the elder brother of Long Yueyou.
Gifted with exceptional talent, he was the most outstanding individual among the younger generation of the Long Clan.
It took him just over a century to advance from Qi Condensation to the peak of the Soul Transformation stage. Unfortunately, due to the scarcity of the ‘Spirit of Heaven and Earth’, such a genius remained stuck at the Soul Transformation level.
After more than another century, today he finally saw the dawn of hope.
“Fellow Daoist Long, may I ask where Brother Jiuyuan found the Spirit of Heaven and Earth required for his Dao Integration?”
After a lively celebration, one of the cultivators present couldn’t help but ask out of curiosity.
Long Yueyou hesitated slightly, but then remembered that everyone here was close. With his brother now successful in Dao Integration, the existence of that Essence of Heaven and Earth was no longer a secret.
Seeing the eager, expectant eyes of the crowd, Long Yueyou couldn’t hold back his pride and began to explain slowly, “It was truly destined for my brother!”
“He guarded Tianling Prefecture for over thirty years. During a certain mission, he stumbled upon a strange sight deep within a mountain range.”
“The swamp emitted an ominous aura, and any creature that wandered into it, even magical artifacts or attacks, would be absorbed, assimilated, and disappear without a trace.”
“Generally, such a dangerous area would instinctively make any creature with a sense of spiritual awareness feel uneasy and avoid it.”
“But my brother discovered something peculiar.”
Long Yueyou paused here, as if trying to heighten the suspense. Seeing the eager expressions of the surrounding cultivators, he continued with a satisfied look, “Around the black swamp, all creatures behaved like moths to a flame, rushing in and sacrificing themselves without hesitation.”
“Even cultivators were no exception. My brother’s Dao heart is incredibly firm, but after staying near the swamp for some time, even he almost couldn’t resist the urge to enter.”
Some of the cultivators immediately grasped what was happening and gasped, “A fatal allure…”
“Could it be that this black swamp is the Spirit of Heaven and Earth?”
Long Yueyou nodded slightly. “Exactly! My brother guessed as much. Trapped at the Soul Transformation stage for years, he was naturally ecstatic.”
“However, he knew that the Spirit of Heaven and Earth is a manifestation of the laws themselves, making it challenging to handle. He forced himself to resist the temptation and retreated.”
“After sealing off the entrance with a secret technique, he quietly returned to Tianling City.”
“He kept it to himself and began to prepare in secret.”
“It took him half a month to prepare before he found another excuse to return to the mountains.”
“After setting up a formation to seal off the mountain and prevent outsiders from noticing, he began to attack the black swamp.”
“But just as before, every attack vanished without a trace, like a stone sinking into the sea.”
Long Yueyou narrowed his eyes, recalling his brother Long Jiuyuan’s description: “For three days, my brother tried every possible method, but nothing could damage the black swamp.”
“At that moment, he remembered all the scenes of being trapped at the Soul Transformation stage over the years. Finally, he made up his mind.”
“With a determination to either succeed or die, he leapt into the black swamp!”
The cultivators present gasped in shock.
They asked themselves if they would have the courage to do the same.
Who knew what lurked within that swamp? Jumping in was like embracing death.
Even if Dao Integration failed, a Soul Transformation cultivator could still command respect and power.
But once life was at risk, there was nothing left to discuss.
But Long Jiuyuan did it anyway!
While the crowd marveled, they couldn’t help but feel a deep admiration for him.
“I’ve heard that Long Jiuyuan is courageous beyond compare. It seems the rumors were not only accurate but even underestimated him!”
“No wonder Brother Jiuyuan, with just his Soul Transformation cultivation, can be on friendly terms with many Dao Integration Immortal Sages!”
“Haha, it’s a great honor for us to call him Brother Jiuyuan!”
Listening to everyone praise Long Jiuyuan, Long Yueyou was filled with pride and satisfaction.
After all, he and Long Jiuyuan were brothers, deeply bonded.
Praising Long Jiuyuan was like praising himself!
After a moment, Long Yueyou cleared his throat and continued, “After entering the black swamp, my brother’s protective artifact began to be consumed at a frightening rate.”
“Mind you, this artifact was specially crafted by a Dao Integration friend skilled in refining.”
“If it had been an ordinary protective artifact bought in the Tianxuan Pavilion, it would have long since been eroded.”
“With only a limited amount of safe time left, my brother stayed calm. Instead of wandering aimlessly, he closed his eyes, focusing on the changes within the swamp.”
“The black swamp was like a deep, dark ocean, with no signs of life besides my brother.”
“But my brother could vaguely sense waves of vibration occasionally rippling through the swamp.”
“It felt like something was stirring deep within.”
“So, my brother followed the source of this vibration, heading deeper into the swamp.”
“Just as he was running out of protective artifacts, he finally discovered the source of the disturbance!”
At this crucial moment, Long Yueyou suddenly paused.
His eyes flashed with a strange light before he lowered his voice and said to everyone, “In the center of this swamp, a shadowy, humanoid figure could be faintly seen.”
“Not a cultivator, but a distorted figure made from the murky, dark swamp.”
“The Spirit of Heaven and Earth!”
“But that wasn’t the most shocking part. Besides the swamp, there was something else.”
Long Yueyou took a deep breath and revealed the answer.
“It seemed to be a broken sword, exuding a fierce, murderous aura that even my brother, who has killed countless Five Elders Association cultivators, found terrifying.”
“The broken sword was struggling violently, and the swamp was containing it like a cage!”
—
The black swamp, transformed into a sea, held the sword within its depths!
This eerie, surreal scene left everyone in awe, speculating about the origin of this broken sword.
Meanwhile, far away, Li Fan, who was flying towards a certain destination, suddenly halted.
“The Heavenly Fiend Sword?!”