Chapter 144: The Purple Sun Sacred Land, The Heaven-Reaching Purple Sun Sword!

Li Yao felt just as distressed; otherwise, she would not have wept and feared Cao Xuan’s departure earlier. Yet, when the moment finally arrived, she found herself surprisingly calm.

Cao Xuan had also turned to ask Fairy Qingyin, "May I bring some people with me to the Holy Land?"

Fairy Qingyin considered this carefully before replying, "The Holy Land has its regulations, as I have already explained to you."

"Think for yourself. You are at the Golden Core stage. Within the sect, no matter how great your talent or how high your future prospects, you currently lack the power to protect yourself."

"The Holy Land is a world unto itself with complex, intertwined factions. Our lineage is not without its enemies."

"If those enemies were to use underhanded tactics, you would regret it too late!"

Fairy Qingyin was well aware that a Golden Core cultivator could potentially pull strings to bring others into the Holy Land; for instance, geniuses from noble families or imperial dynasties often brought maids or attendants. However, her concern for Cao Xuan clouded her judgment. Had Cao Xuan remained the genius disciple who had grasped the Intent of the Sword, she might have proactively suggested, "Would you like to bring a few people back to the Holy Land with you?"

"Although they wouldn't enjoy the benefits of the Holy Land, it would allow you to settle your worldly attachments and focus on your cultivation."

"Of course, you would have to earn the cultivation resources for them yourself."

Naturally, such matters were trivial; within the Holy Land, acquiring sufficient resources to sustain them would be effortless. The real issue was that Fairy Qingyin could not bring herself to allow it. Cao Xuan’s talent was even greater than she had imagined. She truly feared that such trivialities might hinder his progress. Thus, rather than living in fear, it was better to nip the problem at the source. A life free of entanglements would surely be better for his cultivation.

Seeing that Cao Xuan’s sect members were sensible and made no further demands, Fairy Qingyin nodded inwardly. After final discussions, Cao Xuan’s quota for the Qingyun Cloud Cave was granted to Peak Master Yuan Dan. There was no other choice; Cao Xuan would have preferred to give it to his Senior Sister Li Yao, but she was only at the late Foundation Establishment stage, not yet at the peak. As for Master Yu Wan, she already held a quota from Junior Martial Uncle Xian Xiangqiu, leaving only the three Peak Masters.

Cao Xuan had actually leaned toward giving it to Peak Master Li Zhiyun, as she was a fellow woman, but in terms of strength, Li Zhiyun was merely a newcomer to the peak of Foundation Establishment, whereas Peak Master Yuan Dan was a veteran powerhouse at that stage. Since even his own master recommended Yuan Dan, and considering the help he had received from him back at the Alchemy Peak, Cao Xuan did not refuse.

***

A flash of sword light vanished across the sky above the Qingyun Sect.

To avoid any complications, Fairy Qingyin took Cao Xuan and traveled by sword directly toward the Holy Land. At the Golden Core stage, one could soar through the air without the aid of external objects, and the speed was not slow. However, this did not render artifacts useless. On the contrary, by using her own natal flying sword, the Qingyin Sword, the Fairy could fly much faster and utilize the Void-Breaking Sword Technique.

According to what Cao Xuan had learned, a journey from the Qingyun Sect to the Ziyang Sword Sect via flying boat would take roughly two months. These vessels, while appearing leisurely, actually traveled at speeds comparable to the aircraft of his previous life, and at full throttle, they could even exceed the speed of sound. Given that such a journey took two months, the vastness of the Central Province was evident.

In truth, as Cao Xuan’s strength grew, the world, which had initially seemed overwhelmingly large, now felt perfectly logical. If the world were the size of the Earth from his past life, his current Golden Core cultivation would allow him to circle the globe several times in a day, and a single battle between cultivators would have thrown the entire world into chaos. Here, however, not to mention a battle between Golden Cores, even a battle between Void-Refining experts could devastate an entire region without those further away even noticing.

Breaking the void, constantly breaking the void! Fairy Qingyin was exerting every ounce of her strength. Fortunately, the journey was smooth and without incident. Throughout the trip, Fairy Qingyin did not stop to rest, and during this time, Cao Xuan even began to experiment with "system AFK" cultivation. He had to admit that his efficiency had truly increased. By following the "template" and closing his eyes to cultivate, even the speed at which he refined spiritual energy and true essence had improved.

Although she was focused on the journey, Fairy Qingyin kept a watchful eye on Cao Xuan. High-speed flight created a very poor environment for cultivation, and most people would be unable to enter a state of meditation. Yet, when she saw Cao Xuan enter deep meditation with ease, his cultivation efficiency remained startlingly high. As she watched, Cao Xuan’s early-stage Golden Core realm began to stabilize rapidly.

"With such talent for cultivation, could it be that he has reached the Second Grade?"

First-grade talent was too extravagant—even rarer than a Flawless Spirit Root—and since Cao Xuan was only at the Golden Core stage, Fairy Qingyin dared not speak too soon.

*Boom!*

A sensation of weightlessness washed over him, and Cao Xuan stumbled forward a few steps, realizing they had arrived without him even noticing. He looked up, and his eyes widened in shock!

A colossal sword thrust straight into the heavens! Conceptually, where Cao Xuan stood appeared to be merely the base of this massive blade. White clouds swirled around the midsection of the sword due to its immense height, and the hilt was so far above that its location in the heavens was lost from view. The sword’s design was peculiar; beyond the main blade, a long, slender gap ran through the center, splitting the edge into two. Cao Xuan had the fleeting impression that if one were to hold this sword and pull it apart, they might end up with two separate blades. *Wait, no,* he thought, *given the different angles, they would likely be two flying daggers.*

Naturally, Cao Xuan only entertained the thought; he made no move to act upon it.

Fairy Qingyin smiled and said, "This is the entrance to our Ziyang Sword Sect!"

"The Ziyang Sword you see before you is said to be an immortal weapon that descended from the Immortal Realm in the ancient era. It is one of the foundations of our Ziyang Holy Land."

Cao Xuan asked instinctively, "If this is an immortal weapon, why has no one taken it? Or rather, why don't other Holy Lands come to seize it?"

Fairy Qingyin laughed. "If an immortal weapon were so easily taken, it would not be called an immortal weapon!" She shook her head. "Not to mention other Holy Lands, even within our own history, only three ancestors have ever managed to lift this sword."

"That was the most glorious era of the Ziyang Sword Sect!" A look of nostalgia and reverence crossed her face.

"Come, let us enter the mountain gate and go to the Ancestral Hall to register your information."

She led Cao Xuan toward the gap in the center of the blade. As they drew closer, Cao Xuan realized that the fissure was like a Southern Heaven Gate, towering into the clouds and blocked by a faint veil of light. Fairy Qingyin produced a small sword-shaped token and waved it before him. He caught the hint immediately and brought out the token she had given him earlier.

She signaled for Cao Xuan to proceed first. As he stepped through the light, Fairy Qingyin instantly looked up at the Ziyang Sword in the sky.