Chapter 43

Under the candlelight, Zhan Yanyan held a scroll in her hand, reclining on a chaise longue, her eyes fixed on the four ancient characters “Xuanyin Jiuzhuan” on the cover, lost in thought. After a while, she let out a faint sigh.

Putting down the scroll, Zhan Yanyan suddenly stood up and walked to the window, pushing it open to gaze at the enchanting night view of Battle Valley.

The full moon hung high in the sky, its cold light streaming through the window and falling on her stunningly beautiful face, making her skin as white as snow and her complexion as smooth as jade, as if she were bathed in a sacred glow, like the beautiful fairy scene of Chang'e flying to the moon.

How many years had passed? This profound technique had always troubled her, causing her cultivation to stagnate. Even though she far surpassed ordinary Void Warriors, what was the point if she couldn't break through to a higher realm? She possessed the bloodlines of both the Demon and Battle clans, with talents that could be considered the best in the Battle clan, yet she was trapped by the drawbacks of this profound technique, leaving her helpless.

"The Xuanyin Jiuzhuan" was second only to the legendary "Tianmo Gong," one of the two great secret manuals of the Battle clan. "Tianmo Gong" had long been lost, leaving only fragments, so she had no choice but to cultivate "Xuanyin Jiuzhuan." At first, everything went smoothly, but when she reached the peak of the fifth transformation, she realized that this profound technique was not suitable for her, or more precisely, not suitable for women to cultivate.

Unfortunately, the Xuanyin power had already taken root deeply, and by the time she realized it, it was too late for her to turn back.

However, her ambition was as high as the sky, and she could not be confined by this drawback. After much contemplation, the talented Zhan Yanyan created her own profound technique to overcome this drawback. The cultivation conditions for this technique were unique, requiring a deeply loving virgin boy to cooperate, and she needed to develop maternal love for him. During dual cultivation, the maternal and romantic love would intertwine, allowing her to break through the constraints of "Xuanyin Jiuzhuan."

A woman would not develop maternal love for her own man, so she had to choose a young boy and raise him from a young age to gradually cultivate both romantic and maternal love between them. The boy she chose was Xiao Zhan. The first time they met, the young boy managed to stir her blood, which excited her. After some investigation, she found that he met all her criteria for a partner, and naturally, he became the chosen one.

Thinking about what happened during the day, due to her momentary negligence, she almost let those two demon women take Xiao Zhan's virginity. The thought of the consequences made her furious on the spot. If it weren't for Xiao Zhan's plea as he left, she might have killed those two demon women in her rage.

However, this incident also reminded her that there were countless single women in the Battle clan, and many of them had designs on Xiao Zhan. While she could still handle someone like Tianyue Xi, she might encounter more difficult opponents in the future.

Now, they had both maternal and romantic love, and to avoid any delays, it was time to prepare for dual cultivation. However, before that, she needed to solve one thing first. If he didn't agree, the dual cultivation would not proceed.

Deep into the night, at Xiao Zhan's residence.

The courtyard was quiet, and Xiao Zhan was in his bedroom, activating a card. This time, he chose a Sword Dao card. On the back of the card was a swordsman with silver hair and silver eyes, dressed in white, named Sword Saint Cang Hai.

"Card activation, countdown in progress..."

At some point, a sweet voice sounded.

"Activation complete, now extracting knowledge and skills..."

Then came a long wait, and it was unclear how much time had passed.

...

"Extraction complete."

In his sleep, Xiao Zhan felt his soul being pulled into a starry sky, drifting aimlessly, unsure of what to do.

Suddenly, a massive space gate opened in the vast universe, and a murderous army in black armor crossed over. The killing intent swept through the entire universe.

What was happening?

Feeling a bone-chilling cold, Xiao Zhan was overwhelmed by the sudden appearance of the black-armored army.

Suddenly, a solitary figure appeared before the black-armored army. He had silver hair, was dressed in white, and his silver eyes looked at the army with a cold, indifferent gaze, as if he were a supreme deity looking down on the world.

Dressed in white, with silver hair and silver eyes, wasn't this the person on the card! Xiao Zhan almost cried out in surprise.

From the endless army, a voice drifted out.

"Powerful human, do you wish to stop us?"

Sword Saint Cang Hai's gaze pierced through the countless army, focusing on the black space gate. Suddenly, a cold smile appeared on his lips, and he said coldly and mercilessly, "Leave or die."

As soon as he spoke, the countless army erupted in anger, their killing intent overwhelming, and in an instant, stars were destroyed and turned to dust.

Facing the wrath of the countless army, Sword Saint Cang Hai smiled. A silver longsword appeared in his hand, and with a casual slash, a brilliant sword beam shot out, terrifyingly powerful, slicing through the countless army.

"Boom!"

The killing intent and sword beam collided, exploding with a deafening sound.

The sword beam was so fierce that it instantly overpowered the killing intent of the countless army! In a flash, it cut down, leaving everything in its path obliterated. The formation of the countless army was split by a massive gash. The sword beam continued to shine, piercing into the pitch-black space hole.

Inside a massive palace, on a golden throne, a ruler wearing a golden crown and a golden dragon robe suddenly looked up at the ceiling. His eyes, like stars, pierced through the layers of obstacles, focusing on the open space gate.

From within the space gate, the domineering sword beam shot out, appearing above the palace in an instant. Time and space seemed to freeze, and the ruler extended his hand, grabbing the incoming sword beam. In an instant, his hand held up the sky, blocking the sun, and the palm and sword collided.

"Boom!"

A deafening explosion, and the entire palace disappeared. The ruler floated in the void, his golden dragon robe torn, his body rapidly aging, becoming emaciated and withered like a mummy, his strength and life force rapidly draining.

Staring at the space gate, he was filled with shock.

When everything disappeared, the perspective returned to Xiao Zhan in the starry sky. Now, he was alone. Recalling what he had just seen, Xiao Zhan was deeply moved. One person, one sword, treating countless armies as nothing—how domineering! How arrogant!

"Master, how was the sword technique just now?"

"Too strong! Is there really such a sword technique in the world?"

"This is the Overlord Sword Dao!"

Xiao Zhan was suddenly startled, thinking of the secret manual that almost killed him, which was called Overlord Sword Dao. So powerful, so domineering, it was a good thing he didn't read it back then, or the consequences would have been unimaginable.

Sighing slightly, Xiao Zhan asked, "Xiao Mi, what skills are available this time?"

"There is only one set of sword techniques, the Overlord Sword Dao. Does Master think it's too few?"

Xiao Zhan shook his head and sighed, "Just this set of sword techniques is enough. How can I learn this set of sword techniques?"

"The cultivation method is simple. As long as Master opens the Overlord Sword Dao, you will know."

Xiao Zhan understood and then asked, "What innate skills are available this time?"

"There are three innate skills: Silver Eye of Truth, World's Speed, and enhanced sword technique comprehension. The Silver Eye of Truth is similar to the Eye of Truth, allowing you to see through the essence, so Master can skip it. Speed can be improved later, so it's not necessary. Only the enhanced sword technique comprehension is most suitable for Master."

After some consideration, Xiao Zhan nodded and said, "You're right. In the future, I will become a supreme swordsman, and this comprehension is essential."

"Since the innate skills have been chosen, let's start the activation. This will take some time, so Master can just treat it as a good night's sleep. When you wake up, remember to check the ring, as there will be unexpected surprises. Alright, the inheritance of innate skills is about to begin, now entering countdown..."

The next morning, Zhan Yanyan walked out of the thick white mist and appeared inside the Qin residence. She encountered no obstacles on her way and, guided by a servant, headed towards the medicinal garden. The garden was filled with various spiritual herbs and rare treasures, many of which Zhan Yanyan couldn't name.

At that moment, Qin Bo was tending to the garden alone. He ignored Zhan Yanyan's arrival, focusing on his work. Zhan Yanyan didn't mind and offered to help.

After a while, Qin Bo said, "Girl, tell me, what brings you to see this old man so early?"

Zhan Yanyan bit her lip and suddenly took out a manuscript, respectfully handing it to Qin Bo and cautiously said, "Qin Bo, Yan Yan wants to get your permission?"

"Hmm?"

Qin Bo held the manuscript and read it for a long time. Just as Zhan Yanyan was feeling anxious, he returned it to her but with a strange expression said, "Girl, you don't need to ask my opinion; you should ask the young master. As long as the young master agrees, this old man has no objections."

Hearing this, Zhan Yanyan's heart, which had been in suspense, finally relaxed. The old man was the guardian of the War God lineage. When Xiao Zhan first came to Battle Valley, the old man had declared that no one was to interfere with his cultivation. If the old man disagreed, she wouldn't dare to act rashly.

After Zhan Yanyan left, Qin Bo's face turned strange as he muttered to himself, "The Demon clan, whether male or female, their way of thinking is truly incomprehensible. The Demon was like this, and his... uh, sister was even more so. Now this girl is no less capable. Could this be genetic?"

Shaking his head, Qin Bo said with a sense of helplessness, "The Demon's sister back then really should have written this situation clearly in the manual. It's no wonder the younger generation is so confused, blindly practicing, which is purely harmful. But this girl is truly remarkable. Perhaps she can become the first woman to master the 'Xuanyin Jiuzhuan.'"

He chuckled and resumed tending to his garden of rare treasures.