Chapter 251: Crisis

After obtaining the Shadow-Slaying Frost Sword, Yang Yan grew eager to test its might.

He immediately headed to an open clearing behind the Altar of Weapon Masters, drew the Shadow-Slaying Frost Sword, and began to practice his swordsmanship.

With Yang Yan's current strength, even without using magical treasures, his casually released spiritual energy and vital qi could tear the surroundings to shreds. Of course, this was not his intention; he merely needed to sense and unleash a fraction of the sword's power.

As the longsword danced wildly in his grasp, intertwined silver and pale blue glows radiated continuously from the blade, creating a dreamlike and illusory spectacle.

Yang Yan's heart stirred, and he channeled a trace of spiritual energy from his dantian through his arm and into the Shadow-Slaying Frost Sword.

As he swung his arm, a sharp, fierce sword qi suddenly surged from the blade, slicing cleanly through a massive tree dozens of yards away.

"What formidable might!"

An exclamation escaped Yang Yan's lips. He lowered his gaze to inspect the weapon in his hand, unable to conceal his bubbling joy.

He could now distinctly feel that wielding the Shadow-Slaying Frost Sword granted him an approximate thirty percent boost to his overall strength—a monumental improvement at this stage.

Moreover, unlike the Black Dragon Seal he previously possessed, the Shadow-Slaying Frost Sword was fully capable of sustained combat.

Furthermore, the potential of the sword was immense. A mere half of the broken blade already possessed such terrifying power; it was unimaginable how monstrous it would be if he ever managed to reforge it completely.

Of course, this could not be rushed. Yang Yan had only obtained this half of the sword by sheer coincidence. Therefore, while he harbored an intense desire to make the Shadow-Slaying Frost Sword whole again, he did not hold excessive expectations.

The Tianyuan Continent was boundless. Even a powerhouse at the Spirit Sea Realm could not travel from one end of the continent to the other in a single lifetime, let alone search for the whereabouts of the other half of a broken blade in such a vast world. It was undoubtedly harder than finding a needle in a haystack.

Powerless against this reality, Yang Yan could only leave it to fate.

With the upgrade in the sword's grade, Yang Yan could distinctly feel that the weapon spirit within had also awakened further. The tacit understanding and synchronization between the two had multiplied manifold compared to before.

However, his comprehension of the Dao of the Sword still lingered at the initial stage of mastering the sword through intent. Although he could communicate perfectly with the weapon spirit within the Shadow-Slaying Frost Sword and understand each other's thoughts, he was still far from achieving true integration.

Having used the sword as his weapon for so long, Yang Yan understood that reaching that ultimate realm would be extremely difficult. The more impatient and restless one became, the harder it was to achieve a breakthrough.

His previous few insights into swordsmanship had all occurred in a state of utter detachment. He had not deliberately tried to comprehend sword intent, yet that accidental approach had yielded unexpected results.

As for comprehending such ethereal and abstruse concepts, sitting in deep thought and agonizing over them would never yield results. True enlightenment often arrived unintentionally when one was completely relaxed.

Thus, on the path of cultivation, certain things could not be achieved solely through unique talent; extraordinary opportunities and destiny were equally indispensable.

Stowing the Shadow-Slaying Frost Sword away into his universe pouch, Yang Yan beamed with delight. With this, his combat prowess had risen once again.

Over the next few days, neither Yang Yan nor Qing'er hurried to leave the Weapon Masters Convention. Qing'er and Xueqing practically clung to each other every day, acting like inseparable sisters. Besides, Yang Yan would have felt too embarrassed to just up and leave.

Frank had only just helped him repair the Shadow-Slaying Frost Sword; to depart immediately after would be ungrateful, to say the least.

In any case, neither the Qingxuan Sect nor the Zhang family posed any threat at the moment. Cultivation could be done anywhere, so Yang Yan decided to stay at the Weapon Masters Guild for a while longer.

Aside from his daily spiritual cultivation, Yang Yan carved out time to personally teach the younger generation of the guild the art of weapon forging. Through several days of interaction, he had gradually grown familiar with everyone there.

Naturally, Yang Yan thoroughly enjoyed the atmosphere here. Sometimes, he even envied them; these people learned weapon forging purely out of passion. Even though most of them were older than him, they carried none of the crushing burdens he bore.

That carefree, relaxed life—living purely for oneself—was the life Yang Yan had always yearned for.

Yet, fate was capricious, and he was forced to bear his heavy destiny.

However, this peaceful interlude was shattered one day.

While cultivating in his room, Yang Yan was abruptly notified by a guild disciple that someone had rushed over in a panic, claiming to be from Bingzhou.

"Bingzhou?! Could something have happened to the Brahma Sound Valley? Where is he? Take me to him at once!"

Hearing this, Yang Yan's mind roared, and he spoke with great urgency.

Not daring to hesitate, the guild disciple hurriedly led Yang Yan to the main hall.

The moment his foot crossed the threshold, a figure lunged forward and collapsed to his knees.

"Young Master Yang, please, save our Brahma Sound Valley!"

Kneeling before him was a middle-aged man in his thirties, looking utterly disheveled. His body was caked in grime and dried blood, his garments were in tatters, and his face was smeared with blood and dust, obscuring his features.

"What happened? Is Yue'er alright?!"

Seeing that the middle-aged man had clearly fought his way through countless perils to reach this place, Yang Yan hurriedly questioned him.

His suspicion was correct. The man had originally traveled to Jinhuan City to find Yang Yan, only to learn he had come to Dalin City ahead of time. Without a moment's rest, the man had chased him all the way here.

"The Young Miss is temporarily safe, but as of ten days ago, our Brahma Sound Valley was surrounded by the forces of the Heavenly Sword Sect and the Yunshan Sect. We won't be able to hold out much longer. This humble servant risked his life to break through the encirclement, running three flying demonic beasts to death along the journey to arrive here today. I only beg Young Master Yang to show mercy and save us!"

The middle-aged man kowtowed, trembling with agitation.

"Heavenly Sword Sect! Yunshan Sect! I, Yang Yan, swear to leave not a single dog or chicken alive among you!"

The hands hidden within Yang Yan's sleeves clenched so tightly that his sharp nails pierced his palms, drawing a droplet of crimson blood. Yet, he remained utterly oblivious to the pain.

Compared to the icy, murderous intent rising from the depths of his heart, this trivial pain meant nothing.

Hissing the words through clenched teeth, Yang Yan no longer hesitated. He spun around, bolted out of the main hall, and with a fierce stomp of his toes against the ground, rocketed toward Bingzhou.

With the Brahma Sound Valley in critical danger, Yang Yan could not afford the slightest delay. Given his current strength, he was capable of flying through the air. Although he had not yet reached the Spirit Sea Realm, relying on his vast spiritual energy, the support of his soul power, and the profound mysteries of the Void-Crossing Pace, Yang Yan estimated it would take him less than five days to reach Bingzhou from here. Back then, his journey from Bingzhou to Dalin City had taken nearly half a month, and even the middle-aged man riding a flying demonic beast had taken around ten days.

"Faster, faster!"

Yet, Yang Yan was still dissatisfied with this speed. Ji Wuyue and the others had been trapped ten days ago. While the Brahma Sound Valley was easy to defend and difficult to attack with a respectable overall strength, the Heavenly Sword Sect and the Yunshan Sect were no pushovers either. Ten days was more than enough time for countless catastrophes to unfold.

At the thought of this, anxiety consumed Yang Yan's heart. The charming and captivating face of the young maiden flashed before his eyes. Roaring aloud, he unleashed the entirety of his spiritual energy and the soul power between his brows, rocketing forward with the speed of teleportation.

Along the way, Yang Yan dared not stop for a single breath. Whenever his internal spiritual energy and mental strength approached exhaustion, he would draw upon the pure spiritual energy within spirit crystals and the soul power stored in his ring to replenish himself.

After three days and nights of unremitting travel, on the morning of the fourth day, Yang Yan finally crossed into the borders of Bingzhou.

At this pace, he would arrive at the Brahma Sound Valley in less than half an hour.

Instead of easing his mind, this realization only made him more tense and anxious.

"Bastards! If anything happens to Yue'er, I will slaughter the Heavenly Sword Sect and the Yunshan Sect down to the last dog and chicken!"

A grim resolve settled in Yang Yan's heart. He stomped fiercely against the empty air, and in the next instant, his figure flashed hundreds of meters ahead.

"Ji Yuanyuan, I advise you to stop making futile resistance. The fate of your Brahma Sound Valley is sealed today. If you surrender, perhaps I can grant you a quick and painless death!"

Within the Brahma Sound Valley, the once tranquil and serene landscape had vanished. Blood and corpses littered the ground. A one-armed elder in green robes stood high above, looking down with a cold sneer as he shouted toward the sunken basin below.

"Indeed, Valley Master Ji, you might as well give up. Once you're dead, I'll take good care of your beloved daughter. Haha!"

Standing beside the green-robed elder was a middle-aged man holding a folding fan. He looked dashing and refined—an undeniable handsome man.

"Lu Qingbai, Bai Yunfei, continue your arrogance! I have already dispatched my men to Jinhuan City. Even if I die here today, my son-in-law will send you down to keep me company one by one, and your deaths will be a thousand times more miserable than mine!"

In the valley basin, nearly a hundred people were gathered together. However, every single one of them was drenched in blood, nursing severe injuries with pale complexions. Though their auras were weak, their eyes blazed with undying hatred as they glared at the figures surrounding them, showing no intention of yielding.

The speaker was none of other than Ji Yuanyuan, the Valley Master of the Brahma Sound Valley—and Yang Yan's future father-in-law. Behind him stood a black-clad young woman in tight martial attire. The close-fitting garments accentuated her exquisitely slender and curvaceous figure. Raising one's gaze, a flawless visage of peerless beauty met the air. Her eyes, in particular, seemed to contain the sun, moon, and stars, exuding tenderness, allure, and indifference all at once. Possessing myriad charms, they were enough to intoxicate anyone, dragging the soul into an inescapable abyss at a single glance.

Who else could this peerless beauty be, if not Ji Wuyue, the woman Yang Yan thought of day and night?

Flanking Ji Wuyue were two middle-aged men with strikingly similar features, shielding her protectively. They were her two elder brothers.

"Heh, Ji Yuanyuan, did you really think your men escaped our encirclement because of your own skill? We intentionally let them through! If that brat doesn't show up, fine; but if he dares to come, I will tear him limb from limb to avenge this severed arm!"

Lu Qingbai, standing atop a distant peak, wore a grim expression as he stared down and spat viciously.

Hearing this, Ji Yuanyuan's expression shifted, and a look of deep worry surfaced in Ji Wuyue's eyes.

They had not expected the Heavenly Sword Sect and Yunshan Sect to be so cunning, deliberately allowing them to send messengers for help simply to lure Yang Yan into a trap and wipe them all out at once.

"Don't worry, Sister. Half a year ago, Brother-in-law was already capable of severing Lu Qingbai's arm. His strength must have grown even more formidable by now. Once he arrives, this old thief will be running for his life!"

"That's right, Sister. Eldest Brother is right, we have nothing to fear. As long as we hold out for a few more days, Brother-in-law will surely be here!"

Her two elder brothers chimed in to comfort her.

Ji Wuyue nodded, though the anxiety lingering on her face refused to fade.

"It seems you all hold immense confidence in that brat Yang Yan. Very well, I shall capture the lot of you first. When that fellow arrives, I will torture you to death one by one right before his eyes. His expression ought to be quite a spectacle."

Lu Qingbai sneered coldly upon seeing this.

With that, he waved his hand to Bai Yunfei beside him. Exchanging a nod, the two figures plunged downward toward Ji Yuanyuan and the others!

"Sons of the Brahma Sound Valley! Better to die standing than yield an inch! Kill them!"

Ji Yuanyuan's expression twisted with ferocious rage as he roared a command to the remaining members behind him.