"What?"
Bai Zihe's eyes widened, scarcely believing his ears.
Sword Immortal Long Bai was asking him to pierce his heart with the Xuanyuan Sword, and claimed this was the way to save him?
Was this a joke?
The Xuanyuan Sword...
It was one of the Ten Great Divine Weapons, capable of unleashing peerless sword energy with a mere flick. Even if his own strength was inferior to these celestials, its power was still immense!
Piercing the heart...
Even if he were a celestial, could he survive that?
"I am not joking."
Sword Immortal Long Bai saw the doubt in Bai Zihe's eyes and explained, "The reason I am bound here is not actually because of these chains, but because..."
"Of a seal that Sha Qiu Huang left within me!"
"Therefore..."
"Even if there were divine weapons capable of easily severing these seals, they still wouldn't be able to free me!"
"Only by breaking that seal can I regain my freedom."
"And Sha Qiu Huang's seal..."
"He was a celestial from ancient times, with unfathomable techniques. It would be impossible for any ordinary cultivator at the Tribulation Crossing stage to break it."
"That is why I said, only you can save me."
"The seal is within my heart. When you pierce my heart, the Xuanyuan Sword will be stained with my heart's blood, naturally breaking the seal."
"And my true form possesses an immortal and indestructible body. I cannot die in a short period. My immortal soul can attach itself to the Xuanyuan Sword."
"As long as..."
"I bring you into Sha Qiu Huang's treasury and retrieve the treasure that can reshape an immortal body – the Sixth-Grade Regenerative Lotus – I can restore my physical form."
Bai Zihe suddenly understood.
At the same time, he felt a deeper layer of apprehension towards celestials.
So...
After breaking through to the celestial realm, one could become immortal and indestructible. Even if the physical body was destroyed and the heart pierced by the Xuanyuan Sword, they could start anew.
Terrifying.
"Fine!"
Bai Zihe gritted his teeth, gripped the Xuanyuan Sword, and thrust it towards Sword Immortal Long Bai's body.
Concurrently.
In the grand hall outside.
"Huh..."
"Bai Zihe has been inside for so long, why hasn't he been expelled?"
"Could it be that he has already died in there?"
"He must be dead!"
"Bai Zihe... is only slightly superior to us with the Xuanyuan Sword. Other than that, he's nothing. He definitely won't survive!"
Many cultivators were guessing, and hoping!
After all...
Bai Zihe had taken so many treasures and made them lose face.
"Fellow Daoist..."
Du Gu Jian looked at one of the cultivators. This person had entered earlier and narrowly escaped. After this period of rest, he had calmed down considerably.
"What kind of terror lies within?"
As Du Gu Jian's voice fell, all the cultivators present turned their attention to him.
They were all curious.
"There's a strange person inside."
"He's bound by chains, but his power is extraordinarily great."
The cultivator said in a deep voice, his eyes still flickering with apprehension. "This person is unreasonable, he won't listen to anything, only muttering 'kill, kill, kill'..."
"And he truly kills anyone he sees!"
Everyone's face changed.
Then.
The cultivator continued, "Not only that, but his mastery of the sword dao is so profound, it is rarely seen in the world. No one can surpass him!"
"Even the old Heavenly Sword Master back then wouldn't be worthy of carrying his shoes in terms of sword dao!"
"With just a thought, countless sword energies fly out."
"Senior Brother Lin was the first to bear the brunt of it, so he couldn't escape at all. His head was severed, his spirit annihilated, dying beyond death!"
"We..."
The cultivator said with self-mockery, "If we hadn't been further back, if we hadn't run fast, not a single one of us would have survived."
Everyone fell silent.
They were all at the Tribulation Crossing stage. Their strength might have differed, but not by much.
Since that strange person could easily kill the esteemed Daoist Lin, killing them wouldn't be much different.
"Then what do you think..."
Du Gu Jian asked again, "Can Bai Zihe survive at his hands?"
"Heh..."
A flicker of disdain crossed the cultivator's face. "Even with the Xuanyuan Sword, Bai Zihe is absolutely no match for that person."
"I even suspect..."
"That person is a rogue immortal, or perhaps, a true celestial!"
Everyone's faces turned pale!
What was the purpose of cultivation, of refining the Dao?
Wasn't it to ascend in broad daylight one day, join the ranks of the immortals, and live a life of freedom thereafter?
It was a pity...
Over the past few hundred years, many had attempted Tribulation Crossing, but not a single one was known to have ascended successfully, leading everyone to believe that cultivation was merely a legend.
And various ancient ruins, immortal dwellings...
Many experts had seen and explored them, but at most, they had encountered some residual consciousness left by celestials.
True celestials had never appeared.
And now...
They actually heard of a being suspected to be a celestial!
How could this not shock them?
How could this not make them ecstatic?
How could this not make them yearn for it?
However.
This celestial seemed to have gone mad and was not a benevolent being.
A mad celestial, holding immense hostility, naturally meant they dared not provoke him, for fear of becoming a soul under his sword with a single misstep!
"Alas, what a shame..."
"Why does this celestial hold such hostility towards us?"
"Do you think, perhaps, there's a possibility that this celestial also has a mechanism? If we held some token, would he cease to be hostile?"
Many cultivators sighed regretfully, discussing amongst themselves.
The words of one person immediately sparked an idea in everyone.
Right.
In that place earlier, if any of them had knelt before Sha Qiu Huang once, the curse would have been instantly dispelled!
Could this time also work?
For a moment, many cultivators looked at each other, all tempted!
"Swish!"
The next moment, quite a few cultivators darted towards Sha Qiu Huang's statue.
Then, with great fervor, they knelt down.
"Sha Qiu Huang above, I am your subject. I implore you to lift the curse and remove the seal. I will kowtow to you!"
"Sha Qiu Huang above, I am your descendant. Today I come to seek treasures, solely to restore Your Majesty's former glory. I implore you to remove the seal!"
"Sha Qiu Huang above..."
The cultivator world was exceptionally cruel.
To obtain treasures, brothers slaughtering each other, disciples betraying their sect, and lovers turning against each other were not uncommon occurrences.
Therefore.
Upon hearing of an opportunity to interact with a celestial and obtain immense fortune, the cultivators were all tempted and began to act, kneeling towards Sha Qiu Huang.
Some even directly kowtowed!
"Buzz..."
At this moment, a peculiar sound suddenly came from within.
Everyone looked intently.
The initially dim interior suddenly lit up.
This time, smiles bloomed on the faces of all the cultivators.
It was possible.
It was truly possible!
As long as they sincerely knelt, they would receive Sha Qiu Huang's protection, roam freely in this ancient city of Sha Qiu, and be free from the curse!
Thus...
Each cultivator devoutly knelt and kowtowed.
Even Du Gu Jian was no exception.
"What are you all doing?"
Just then, a familiar voice came from within.