"Grandpa, don't worry. I can handle my own matters. I really don't take the Phoenix Perch Empire seriously."
Hearing Xu Zimo say that, Wenren Jingshi still seemed a bit uneasy.
After thinking for a moment, he handed Xu Zimo a talisman.
He instructed, "If you encounter danger, activate this."
Xu Zimo smiled and nodded.
The next day at dawn, he bid farewell to everyone and left.
His goal this time was to fulfill his promise to the Sword Immortal Jiang Yun and to get information about the Void Spirit Monkey.
Jiang Yun’s family was in the Sword Domain.
Speaking of the Sword Domain, it was located at the northernmost edge of the Northern Continent.
It was an independent power and territory.
Though the Thirty-Six Empires were the strongest force in the Northern Continent, there were still many hidden powers quietly growing.
Back then, the Sword Immortal Jiang Yun roamed freely across the Northern Continent. Even the monarchs of the Thirty-Six Empires treated him with great respect and awe. He was the first in history to challenge a Grand Emperor with the strength of the Immortal Path. His actual strength was comparable to a Grand Emperor’s.
But in terms of martial influence, he opened a new path for all immortal cultivators on the continent.
His achievements surpassed those of emperors.
Long ago, people believed those on the Path of Immortality were weaker than those on the Path of Dao.
It was Jiang Yun who proved otherwise and changed this perception.
To battle against the heavens was a joy in itself.
Any path, if pursued to the extreme, had its own meaning.
In Jiang Yun’s era, he, walking the Immortal Path, started an entire era.
This was unprecedented, no one had done it before. As for whether anyone would follow, Immortal God Yue Qingli might count.
...
During that time, the entire Primordial Heartlands experienced a sword-cultivation craze.
The Northern Continent was especially fervent.
Later generations studied how Jiang Yun could stand against a Grand Emperor, and many believed it was because of his strong swordsmanship.
So countless people began learning the sword, hoping to become the next Sword Immortal.
After all, there's only one Heaven’s Will to contend for. If the Immortal Path could match the Dao Path in power, why struggle in the brutal fight for Heaven’s Will?
As more people gathered around Jiang Yun’s family in the Northern Continent, Jiang Yun and his family willingly taught them swordsmanship.
Eventually, centered on the Jiang Clan, a thousand-mile region formed, comparable to the size of a vast empire. It became known as the Sword Domain.
A paradise for swordsmen.
And the Jiang Clan ruled it.
During his time at his grandfather’s home, Xu Zimo had learned some things about the Sword Domain.
After Jiang Yun ascended to the upper world of the Outer Heavens, the Jiang Clan remained at the top for several generations but eventually began to decline.
Several powerful forces rose within the Sword Domain, capable of rivaling the Jiang Clan.
This state lasted for a while until a few hundred years ago, when the Jiang Clan suddenly disappeared overnight.
They vanished into thin air, no members remained.
Even the Jiang Clan’s estate became a wasteland.
It was as if everyone woke up and the once-powerful Jiang Clan had never existed.
The matter was bizarre, and there were many theories about the disappearance, but no clear answer ever emerged.
Now, the Sword Domain was in chaos, with multiple forces fighting over the land.
...
Xu Zimo’s first destination was "Myriad Swords City."
It was the outermost city of the Sword Domain and the only one with a teleportation array.
Things seemed a bit messier than expected, but Xu Zimo didn’t care about the Jiang Clan’s internal affairs.
As long as there were any descendants left, he would hand over Jiang Yun’s legacy to them.
The teleportation array to Myriad Swords City was in Phoenix Heaven City.
It wasn’t far from Phoenix Wing City. Xu Zimo summoned the Darksky Tiger, lay on its back, and slowly made his way along the ancient road toward Phoenix Heaven City.
In the peak of summer, the sun hung in the sky like a blazing fireball.
It scorched the earth, and the trees on both sides of the road drooped listlessly.
The sound of cicadas in the distance added to the irritating heat.
The Darksky Tiger walked slowly along the path, until a certain stretch of road was reached.
There, a sharp, killing flute melody drew Xu Zimo’s attention.
He looked up and saw a man standing calmly atop a giant tree on the left, balancing on a leaf while playing a flute.
The melody was filled with thick killing intent, almost tangible, spreading across the entire road.
Even the cicadas fell silent.
Xu Zimo looked at the man, he wore a black robe and a pure black mask.
There were no designs on the mask, just pure blackness.
As the Darksky Tiger approached the tree, it too seemed to sense the killing intent and stopped moving.
Xu Zimo stepped off its back. The moment his feet touched the ground, the man above slowly lowered the flute.
The chilling melody ended abruptly.
"Did Ji Yunzou send you?" Xu Zimo asked with a smile.
"Join the empire, or I’ll kill you. Pick one," the man in black said calmly.
"You want me to join the empire?" Xu Zimo laughed. "Ji Yunzou really is generous, huh?"
"So you’ve chosen not to," the black-robed man said, and his aura began to rise.
In an instant, an overwhelming force descended upon Xu Zimo.
"God Meridian Realm cultivator," Xu Zimo instantly sensed the strength.
He shook his head with a smile and said, "Where did you get the confidence to think you could kill me? Just because you’re in the God Meridian Realm? Not enough to reach the apex."
The man in black frowned slightly as he looked at Xu Zimo. When his divine aura pressed down, it felt like a mysterious force blocked it.
It was like spring snow meeting summer sun, it vanished instantly without a trace.
"I don’t believe you’re also in the God Meridian Realm," the man said flatly.
He didn’t believe someone Xu Zimo’s age could be on the same level.
After all, the further along the cultivation path, the harder it was to advance.
"Haven’t you heard? True geniuses can fight above their realm," Xu Zimo smiled.
As he finished speaking, he waved his right hand, and a spiritual energy arrow shot out.
With a "crack," a mirror hidden in the sky shattered.
"I don’t like having rats watching when I fight," Xu Zimo said with a faint smile.
...
At the same time, in the royal palace of Phoenix Wing City, an identical mirror shattered in front of Ji Yunzou.
He slapped his dragon throne in anger, his brows tightly furrowed.