CHAPTER 233: THE MYSTERIOUS SWORD THAT ENDED IT ALL

The air across the world had been tainted with blood, and even the raindrops falling from the sky had turned into a crimson mist.

In the end, Red Fox's illusory scene was completely consumed by a sea of red. Lu Chen had to force his Divine Eye open just to peer through the gaps in the blood-colored light and continue observing what had unfolded.

One giant fell after another. Seemingly determined to perish alongside everything around them, they grasped weapons as massive as mountains and no longer cared for their surroundings. They altered their spells into world-shattering techniques capable of obliterating everything in their path. Each strike pierced directly through the continent and sent millions of cultivators flying.

Through a crack in the blood-colored light, a tiny green dot suddenly flashed in Lu Chen's eyes. By the time he focused, the fissure was already sealing itself. He could only catch a vague glimpse of a young cultivator clad in a green robe, gripping a massive sword.

All the cultivators around him had been slain by the giants, yet the young man radiated an unyielding resolve. With a single swing, he cleaved the air behind him, instantly clearing the blood mist that had engulfed the heavens and earth.

The scene cleared. A colossal ancient parasol tree emerged like a living beast, its canopy bristling with countless green vines, surging forward with the young cultivator toward the distant giants.

That... seems like the Green Sovereign Divine Tree. Could it have existed in that era as well?

His thoughts racing, Lu Chen was about to move closer to see the young cultivator's fate when Red Fox's vision was once again shrouded in blood-colored light. The fleeting clarity from before seemed nothing more than his imagination.

"Was that just an illusion? Wind Dragon, did you see it?" Lu Chen asked.

Wind Dragon shook his head. Lu Chen pressed a hand against Wind Dragon while tapping his own forehead with the other, forcing himself to stay as alert as possible.

At that moment, a white fissure split the red light, briefly clearing the battlefield. This time, even Wind Dragon fixed his gaze intently on the scene, eager to see what lay beyond.

Lu Chen leaned over the vision, searching desperately for the young cultivator, but the figure was gone. The towering tree had vanished as well.

Failing to spot him, a surge of violent rage ignited within Lu Chen, driving him into a frenzy. He frantically activated both his Divine Eye and the Eye of the Ancestral Dragon, scouring the battlefield. He felt a strong familiarity emanating from the young cultivator and desperately needed to know his fate.

Wind Dragon stared at the scene and murmured, "Red Fox, what was that sword light? I don't think any cultivator on the continent could have unleashed that."

"Sword light... yes, sword light. Maybe it came from him..." Lu Chen muttered, following the trail of the sword light with his gaze. He believed the young cultivator might still be present somewhere along its path.

But all he saw was the sword light. Every cultivator on the continent, giants and mortals alike, paused, fear etched on their faces as they stared at the blade suspended in the sky.

That massive sword light did not fade despite their attention or fear. It descended slowly, spanning the heavens and earth. Eventually, the sword light dominated the entire scene.

Lu Chen struck at the illusory scene desperately, trying to pierce through and catch even a glimpse of the young cultivator. "Why isn't he here...?"

Lu Chen turned to Wind Dragon. "Did you see him?"

Wind Dragon shook his head. He had seen neither the young cultivator nor anyone in green robes.

Lu Chen turned to Red Fox. "Red Fox—"

Red Fox struggled to maintain the formation. Before Lu Chen could ask any questions, she coughed up a mouthful of dark blood, and the runes etched on the ground shattered, abruptly ending the vision.

Nantian Wan'er hurried forward, supporting Red Fox and feeding her two Heaven Restoration Pills. "Lady Red Fox, what's wrong?"

She released her Phoenix Ancestor bloodline, letting it flow into Red Fox to soothe her.

Jun Laoye sensed the massive disturbance behind them. He placed Nantian Yijian against a rock and quickly turned, only to see Red Fox in her battered state. He drew in a sharp breath but dared not speak, fearing he might disturb the others.

"What happened? Why did the scene vanish?" Lu Chen's voice trembled with urgency and anger. "I haven't seen the last moment yet. What happened to the young cultivator in the end?"

"Pfft!" Red Fox coughed up more blood. She explained weakly, "The formation has shattered. That sword light... that was the final image. After that, the bloodline memory skips to another era, one without the ancient giants."

"Lu-gege, you should rest for a while, and let Lady Red Fox rest too." Nantian Wan'er noticed Lu Chen's unsettled emotions and moved in front of him, urging him to sit cross-legged. She fed him two Heaven Restoration Pills, then handed two more to Red Fox. "Lu-gege, that vision must have stirred up your inner demons again."

With a gentle smile, Nantian Wan'er held Red Fox in her arms, sat cross-legged beside Lu Chen, and released her soothing aura. She spoke softly, "The inner demon constructed a young cultivator in your mind and inserted himself into it. Don't let those images control you."

"Perhaps... otherwise, why did that young cultivator feel so familiar?" Lu Chen felt the calm emanating from Nantian Wan'er and tapped his head, forcing down the rage boiling in his heart. He settled cross-legged and looked at Red Fox. "Red Fox, are you alright? Pulling out bloodline memories on your own must have been incredibly taxing."

"I'm fine. Four Heaven Restoration Pills are enough," Red Fox replied, shaking her head. She exhaled sharply in Nantian Wan'er's embrace and turned to Wind Dragon with a dazed expression. "Wind Dragon, I think we've uncovered a major secret, one about the decline of the ancient giants and the rise of a new race."

Wind Dragon responded calmly, "Judging from the vision and the scale of that battle, it does seem to have ended the giants' rule in the Primordial Era."

Noticing the lingering violent aura around Red Fox, he asked with a concerned tone, "Are you sure you're alright? Those were just scenes from the distant past. At your cultivation level, they shouldn't be enough to disturb you."

"I'm fine. These memories come from my own bloodline. Extracting them alone is exhausting, so some negative effects are normal. They'll fade with time," Red Fox said weakly. "Still... that scene was incredibly intense. We should—"

Just then, a deafening crash echoed from the bottom of the ravine.

The boulder that had slipped earlier finally struck the ground, shaking the mountain of skeletons violently. Countless bones tumbled downward with eerie creaking and cracking sounds.

Red Fox trembled at the noise. "Not good..."

She quickly summoned multiple formations, enclosing Lu Chen and the others completely. Layer upon layer of formations twisted around them, wrapping tighter like a silken cocoon. The phantom of a nine-tailed fox flickered along the outer edge, circling the cocoon slowly.

Lu Chen opened his eyes to observe the rising formations. "Red Fox, that was just the rock falling. Your reaction seems a bit... excessive."

Glancing at the mountain of skeletons but seeing nothing unusual, Red Fox sighed as she dispelled the formations. "So it really was just the rock... I overreacted."

"We were peeking into ancient secrets just now, and I thought we might have triggered some monster." Not wanting Wind Dragon to laugh at her, Red Fox forced a smile and appeared composed. "These memories run deep in my bloodline. The shock they bring affects me far more than it does you."

Nantian Yijian, startled awake by the crash, groaned. "Ugh... It's so noisy."

Rubbing his head in confusion, he looked around. "What just happened? I was just watching Lady Red Fox release her illusion, and then... I fell asleep?"

Red Fox chuckled at his dazed expression. "You little brat! How dare you ask that after peeking into my memory with your low cultivation?"

With Nantian Wan'er's soothing presence, Red Fox's negative emotions gradually dissipated, and her usual cold, proud demeanor returned.

Observing the fading violent aura, Jun Laoye remarked, "It didn't seem like the mountain of skeletons was affected by the vision. Lady Red Fox, what did you see that startled you so much?"

"That... is complicated. I can't explain clearly for now. Let's first check carefully to make sure nothing happened to the mountain of skeletons," Red Fox replied.

Lu Chen's mind had also calmed. No longer fixated on the young cultivator from the vision, he stood and walked to the cliff's edge, quietly observing the bones below.

Seeing Lu Chen stop questioning the contents of the illusory scene and head toward the edge, Jun Laoye, still puzzled, followed him.

Looking at the piles of bones, Lu Chen said, "Judging from what we just saw, these corpses likely originated from that apocalyptic battle. Only a fight of that magnitude could leave this many remains at once."

"That battle... Do you mean the scenes from Lady Red Fox's bloodline memory?" Jun Laoye squatted by the cliff's edge, peering down the mountain of skeletons. "But this ravine is truly deep. When we first jumped from the Scripture Hall to this area, it didn't take us this long, did it?"