Chapter 494 - 490: Clearing Evil Sword Valley
Xia Feng didn’t go into too much detail because he wasn’t particularly familiar with the Celestial Demon Body himself; he could only sense the energy within it.
Li Qingxue just knew that Xia Feng had become even more powerful and didn’t ask for many specifics.
Xia Feng followed Li Qingxue’s Dream Body to their location, then used Dream Travel to appear directly beside them.
Xia Tianming immediately noticed the stronger aura emanating from Xia Feng, his eyes brightened as if asking something.
Xia Feng flashed a smile: "Yes, I’ve broken through, but I didn’t dare to go too far ahead, it’s just the First Grade Celestial God Realm."
Xia Tianming also grinned: "As long as you’ve broken through the bottleneck, that’s what matters. There’s always another way to increase Cultivation."
The three chatted briefly, and then Xia Feng took out the previous scroll and carefully reviewed the route.
After breaking through the Celestial Demon Body, the surrounding dark aura posed no threat or influence to Xia Feng.
His sight could easily see a kilometer away, allowing him to navigate the second stage effortlessly with the map.
The three of them tidied up a bit and then left the cave.
Xia Feng glanced around with some curiosity but didn’t see Li Qingyu’s figure.
Li Qingxue seemed to know what he was looking for and hesitated briefly before speaking: "Perhaps there isn’t just one route."
"Without us, they wouldn’t be able to deal with those Sword Demons; don’t worry about them."
Xia Feng nodded, and the three quickly moved toward the exit of Evil Sword Valley.
Along the way, Evil Sword Spirits and Sword Demons would occasionally emerge, but with Xia Feng’s current Cultivation, these beings were no match for the three of them.
When Xia Feng shifted into the Celestial Demon Body form, these instinct-driven Evil Sword Spirits and Sword Demons even sought to avoid him out of fear.
However, Xiao Xue and the Heaven-Burying Sword still needed to consume more Evil Sword Spirits to evolve, and Xia Feng was intrigued by the secrets behind the Evil Sword Spirits, so he found a way to lure a few into the Dream Realm Pearl.
When Xia Feng lured the Evil Sword Spirits into his knowledge sea, Li Qingxue was almost frightened into a scream.
After Xia Feng captured three or four Divine Realm Evil Sword Spirits, Li Qingxue no longer allowed Xia Feng to act recklessly.
"Just capture a few; these things are hard to tame, and if too many sneak into your knowledge sea, what if one of them has some hidden tricks?"
Xia Feng wanted to explain that he was merely capturing the Evil Sword Spirits into the Dream Realm Pearl via his knowledge sea, but seeing the worried expression on Li Qingxue’s face, he didn’t insist.
Later, the Demon Hearts left by the slain Celestial God Realm Sword Demons could only be absorbed by Xia Feng himself.
Xia Tianming and Li Qingxue didn’t have Magic Seeds, and rashly absorbing the Demon Heart could risk them turning into Sword Demons.
Xia Feng preferred that they find other ways to enhance their Cultivation and Realm rather than take that risk.
The closer they got to the end of Evil Sword Valley, the more frequently Sword Demons appeared, their Cultivation levels ever higher.
This was not a concern for the three of them, however, as Xia Feng continued to consume many Demon Hearts, causing his aura to grow even denser.
Even when trying to conceal their presence, the Sword Demons and Evil Sword Spirits dared not approach where the trio walked.
When they could barely see the exit, Xia Feng said to Li Qingxue, "I can see the exit now; there shouldn’t be any issue with this second stage."
"Let’s move quickly and leave in one go. Even though these things have no effect on us three, they still make us a bit uncomfortable."
Li Qingxue thought for a moment before speaking: "If it took us this much effort, I wonder if anyone else can pass this second stage trial."
Xia Feng squinted slightly, remembering the words of the Evil Sword Spirit housed in the first Demon Heart he ever encountered.
It seemed the Holy Sword had communicated with these Evil Sword Spirits, and perhaps from the start, they never intended for anyone to pass the second stage trial.
But as things stood, these were merely suspicions without substantial evidence, leaving Xia Feng to be more cautious internally.
To be safe, he had not shared this suspicion with Xia Tianming or Li Qingxue.
Hearing Li Qingxue’s doubts just then, he casually changed the subject: "Maybe someone will get lucky and find a special route."
"Besides, since Li Qingyu could get a map for the second stage of the Secret Realm, maybe other geniuses have their own ways too."
Li Qingyu nodded: "You’re probably right."
While the three continued talking, the shadowy aura ahead thinned, and they could vaguely see a faint white light ahead.
Xia Feng’s vision was unaffected, but Xia Tianming and Li Qingxue showed noticeable excitement.
Even with the Blood Dragon Sword Heart in each of them, the shadowy aura made them uncomfortable, feeling an ever-present threat of being enticed and consumed by Evil Sword Spirits.
The exit area had several resting pavilions; for now, it seemed only Xia Feng’s trio had made it out.
They exchanged glances, walked a few steps forward, found a comfortable spot, and just sat down to rest when the voice of the Holy Sword echoed throughout the Evil Sword Valley.
"Someone has successfully cleared the second stage. The timer mode will commence now."
"From now on, any Inheritors who don’t exit within the next twenty-four Hours will be deemed to have failed the second stage trial."
The voice started unexpectedly and ended just as abruptly, and none of the three caught a glimpse of the Holy Sword.
The strange feeling in Xia Feng’s heart became further pronounced, and his expression grew more contemplative.
Li Qingxue sighed aloud next to him: "It’s hard to say how many will last until the trial ends."
Xia Feng remained silent; the Holy Sword mentioned nothing about sending those who fail back out of the Secret Realm.
This led Xia Feng to speculate that those who fail this round might be bound to stay in Evil Sword Valley forever.
The trio fell silent, casting glances at each other, vigilant, making sure not to dive into the Dream Realm Pearl to Cultivate without leaving someone to watch the surroundings.
After about a day had passed, Xia Tianming, who was keeping watch, patted the Dream Realm Pearl summoning Xia Feng and Li Qingxue. Once they returned to awareness, he softly spoke, "We’ve got newcomers emerging from Evil Sword Valley."
Xia Feng blinked in surprise, taking a moment to recover from being awakened in the Dream Realm Pearl before turning to the exit of Evil Sword Valley, curious about who might emerge next.
As light shimmered briefly, a dozen somewhat disheveled figures scrambled out of Evil Sword Valley’s exit in haste.