"Swoosh—"
Before Ye Bufan could react, he found his Purple Nether Cold Flame appearing with the Broken Sword simultaneously.
The Purple Nether Cold Flame attached itself to the long sword, making the entire sword glow with it. From a distance, it looked like a sword of fire.
With a hum from the Broken Sword, Ye Bufan's hand instantly loosened. The long sword flew up from the back of the Xuanwu stone statue, circled around the Broken Sword, and finally stopped in front of Ye Bufan.
At this moment, the Purple Nether Cold Flame dispersed, and the Broken Sword returned to Ye Bufan's spatial ring on its own.
Ye Bufan slowly extended his hand, and the long sword fell into his palm.
"Holy cow!" Ye Qingyi, Ye Qingcheng, and the others widened their eyes. Having witnessed so many unbelievable things already, this was just another to add to the list.
As the sword entered his grasp, the Xuanwu stone statue instantly returned to the Lotus Pond. The pond's reversed flow resumed its normal course. Then, between the two stone walls, a scabbard appeared.
Ye Bufan sheathed the long sword, and immediately, the entire Fenglun Peak began to shake.
"Hmm?" Inside the pavilion, Zuoqiu Wuji, who was dealing with the people from Sakura Island, sensed the source of the commotion and his eyes welled up with tears.
"Senior Brother Sect Leader, someone has drawn out Master's Xuanwu Sword!" Zuoqiu Wuji's eyes reddened. "The Lotus Pond is where I, Zuoqiu Wuji, and the last Sect Master of the Taiyi Divine Sect, our master, attained nirvana. Since their deaths, the Xuanwu Sword has never recognized a new master."
After the battle at Taiyi Divine Sect, those who were left with only a breath of life placed their hope in future generations inheriting their master's Xuanwu Sword, which was why they put the scroll in the Lotus Pond.
This way, someone would be drawn to the Lotus Pond, and at the moment the ancient ruins' prohibition broke, among the countless people passing through, someone would eventually be able to draw out the Xuanwu Sword. This was the selfish wish of the two brothers.
Zuoqiu Wuji never expected that his well-intentioned act would lead Ye Bufan and his group to the Lotus Pond, and that they would successfully draw out the Xuanwu Sword, which meant that Ye Bufan had gained its recognition.
After the Xuanwu Sword was sheathed, Ye Qingyi exclaimed, "The barrier is gone."
Ye Bufan nodded and withdrew to the cave entrance. To his surprise, the long sword and its scabbard followed him, appearing by his side.
"This sword probably recognizes you as its master," Ye Qingyi remarked.
Ye Bufan nodded, understanding that the sword likely recognized him due to the Broken Sword and the Purple Nether Cold Flame.
"In!" Ye Bufan stored the long sword into his spatial jade pendant and followed Ye Qingyi and the others into the cave.
The cave was dust-free, with ever-burning lamps on both sides. At the innermost part, a corpse in a long robe sat, clearly an old man.
In front of the old man was a desk, upon which lay a scroll.
"Is that the scroll for the teleportation array?" Ye Qingcheng exclaimed excitedly. Just as she was about to grab it, Ye Qingyi stopped her.
"Don't go, let Ye Bufan go," Ye Qingyi said.
Ye Bufan slowly walked forward. Since it was he who had drawn the sword, it was likely safer for him to handle the items within, minimizing any major issues.
Under the watchful eyes of Ye Qingcheng and Ye Qingyi, Ye Bufan slowly reached out to take the scroll, becoming extremely vigilant for any unexpected developments.
"Ah—"
At that moment, Ye Qingcheng cried out. Everyone turned to look at her. Ye Qingcheng was pointing at the corpse of the old man, exclaiming, "His eyes are open."
Ye Bufan quickly turned back and saw that the corpse of the old man, whose eyes had been closed, had indeed opened them and was looking at him.
Two beams of light shot out from the old man's eyes and entered Ye Bufan's body.
"How many years has it been? Finally, someone capable of drawing my Xuanwu Sword has arrived." The old man's voice echoed throughout the cave. "As the inheritor of the Xuanwu Sword, I bestow upon you a great gift."
As the words fell, the old man's corpse began to dissipate. In its place, a jade pendant appeared.
Ye Bufan picked up the jade pendant. It felt cool to the touch.
"The material of this jade pendant is rather special." Ye Bufan examined it. Despite his extensive knowledge from countless texts, he couldn't identify its true material.
He handed it to Ye Qingyi, who also shook her head in confusion.
However, after Ye Bufan obtained the jade pendant, the old man's voice ceased to be heard.
"We've got the scroll!" Ye Qingcheng walked to the desk and picked up the scroll. "Let's go, we need to find our way to the main peak quickly before they get there first."
Ye Bufan and Ye Qingyi nodded. The five of them walked outside the cave. Ye Qingyi took out the scroll and injected her true qi into it. Instantly, the scroll emitted a dazzling golden light.
Following this, a massive teleportation array rune appeared in the sky. Ye Bufan, Ye Qingyi, Ye Qingcheng, Xun'er, and Ling'er vanished from their original positions.
"This teleportation array must have been modified. The destination of each teleportation is random."
Ye Bufan stood in a strange, desolate courtyard and, after some observation, came to this conclusion.
"It's possible we'll be teleported back and forth between these nine locations, but the probability of reaching the main peak is very low. We might teleport from one to two, then teleport again from two, or even return to one."
"Then what do we do? Surely someone with good luck will reach the main peak, right?" Ye Qingcheng asked.
"Each teleportation using the scroll consumes a certain amount of true qi. The simplest and most brutal method would be to teleport continuously," Ye Bufan said. "But the most cunning aspect of the Taiyi Divine Sect is that no one knows the location of the main peak. So, even if someone reaches it, they might teleport away again simply because they don't recognize it."
"Clever," Ye Qingcheng remarked. "Therefore, each location needs to be explored thoroughly. We have to visit each one to know what it is."
Just then, the energy of the Dragon Emperor Token within Ye Bufan's body began to surge restlessly.
"Ye Bufan, you truly made me search far and wide." The voice of the Living Yama echoed, and a dark shadow appeared above the desolate courtyard, looking down at Ye Bufan and the others.
"You're a persistent nuisance, aren't you?" Ye Bufan retorted.
"What can I do? You have something I want. Hand it over, and I can give you a more comfortable death," Living Yama sneered.
"Is that so?" Ye Bufan exchanged a glance with Ye Qingyi. The next second, the teleportation array rune appeared above them, and in the blink of an eye, Ye Bufan and his companions vanished.
"Ye Bufan!" Living Yama, watching this scene, gnashed his teeth in fury.