"Evan 'Nine Mysteries' Lin, carrying your war post, has arrived."
"Southriver Sword Sect Master, come receive me!"
Inside the main hall atop Heavenly Sword Peak.
Two voices suddenly exploded through the air.
Dominic Ding, seated above, snapped his eyes open; below, the four Elders' expressions changed at once.
"Lin Nine Mysteries?"
"He actually dares to show up!"
"That brat is way too arrogant! He actually wants the Sect Master to come out and greet him!"
"Perfect. We've been practicing the Red Lotus Sword Formation for so long and haven't had a chance to use it. Today we can use Lin Nine Mysteries as our whetstone!"
The four Elders below looked furious at these words.
"It's that guy!"
Drake Yu shot to his feet. Next to him, Zack Zhao's face twisted, his eyes full of killing intent.
"Does he really think he's invincible now? He actually dares to come make trouble at our Southriver Sword Sect!"
Zack Zhao clenched his fists tightly.
Just hearing Lin Nine Mysteries' voice made these two Southriver Sword Sect prodigies feel utterly humiliated.
Last time, they had their Misty Rain Swords snapped in public; now the guy was storming straight to their door, clearly not putting Southriver Sword Sect in his eyes at all!
"Sect Master, allow us to fight! You just wait here—we four will definitely bring you Lin Nine Mysteries' head!"
The four Elders rose together and bowed deeply.
Dominic Ding nodded.
Only then did the four Elders, full of resolve, head out the door.
Drake Yu and Zack Zhao hurriedly followed after.
In their eyes, with the four Elders taking action, that so-called Lin Nine Mysteries would have no choice but to bow his head and surrender.
Once the four Elders had left the main hall together, Dominic Ding finally rose slowly from his seat above.
He stood at 1.75 meters tall—an ordinary, refined middle-aged man outside, but within the Sword Sect, he was the Southriver Sword Sect Master holding the Sudden-Clarity Sword.
"It has happened, Ancestor! I never thought anyone in this world could really break the Prison-Sword Formation left inside the Thousand-Sword Burial Ground."
"You've waited so long—this time, you should finally get your wish."
Dominic Ding gazed distantly at the now-empty Sword Sect main hall. After standing there for a moment, he turned, reached for a hidden knob behind his seat, and twisted it sharply.
As the knob turned, grinding gears and clanking chains echoed from the floor of the hall.
The sound was a bit rough and somewhat unsettling. As it rang out, a pitch-black stone stairway gradually appeared, leading down beneath the floor.
The stone stairs descended into darkness. Holding the Sudden-Clarity Sword, Dominic Ding took a deep breath and started down.
Below the stairs, along the walls, knelt rows of shriveled corpses. Atop each skull rested an eternal lamp, casting a faint glow.
These eternal lamps, fueled by corpse oil, just barely illuminated the chamber beneath the stairs.
The stairs led into a stone chamber, filled with countless iron chains crisscrossing in the air. Amid the chains was a shriveled corpse, worn down by the ages.
The shriveled corpse knelt on the ground, with a damaged longsword placed before it.
Iron chains pierced through the corpse's collarbones. Its body was covered in countless wounds—truly a terrifying sight.
At that moment, the shriveled corpse lifted its head, staring dead ahead. Even in its hollow eye sockets, there seemed to be a trace of longing and reluctance.
In front of it stood a stone statue.
The statue was of a woman.
Her robes billowed, unlike any mortal's. Her features were coldly beautiful, exuding icy pride. She held a sword, as if ready to step into the heavens and ascend to immortality at any moment.
Though just a statue, she seemed vivid and lifelike, almost as if a fairy had descended from the upper realms.
Standing not far from the shriveled corpse, Dominic Ding glanced at the woman's statue under the flickering eternal lamp. That one look nearly entranced him, as if he were about to fall under its spell.
But quickly, he took a deep breath, steadied his slightly unsettled mind, and respectfully bowed to the shriveled corpse.
"Our Southriver Sword Sect was founded centuries ago, prospering thanks to the Ancestor who once carved this mountain alone and blessed our sect with generations of glory. Today, someone has entered the Thousand-Sword Burial Ground and broken the Prison-Sword Formation. According to the ancestral injunction, I, Dominic Ding, as the 78th Sect Master of Southriver Sword Sect, have come to pay respects and report!"
Dominic Ding cupped his fists and bowed low, his voice echoing through the ancient chamber.
After finishing, his whole body tensed, his face taut with anxiety.
Within Southriver Sword Sect, there is an ancient injunction known only to the Sect Master—concerning this place and this corpse.
That corpse is the founding ancestor of Southriver Sword Sect, once a craftsman who carved the statue.
Dominic Ding only knew that when the Prison-Sword Formation was broken, it meant mortal danger for the sect—even his own strength as Sect Master might not match the one who broke it.
But the injunction only said to report the event here; it never explained what good it would do.
At this moment, Dominic Ding was deeply uneasy, full of apprehension.
All around, it was still eerily quiet.
The eternal lamp's flame wavered, casting a strange light.
Down here underground, it was as if time had completely frozen, and the air carried a strange, indescribable scent.
"It seems that after leaving the injunction, the ancestor secluded himself here, thinking someone would break the Prison-Sword Formation within a few years. He wanted the Sect Master to come and awaken him when that happened."
"But so many years have passed..."
Thinking of this, Dominic Ding sighed. He bowed three more times to the corpse whose collarbones were pierced, then turned to leave, gripping the Sudden-Clarity Sword, his face resolute.
Since someone dared to challenge Southriver Sword Sect—
As Sect Master, he would fight to the death if he had to.
"Lin Nine Mysteries, I want to see what you're made of, daring to step into my Southriver Sword Sect!"
Dominic Ding's aura surged, sharp and domineering, as he strode out with unstoppable force.
As he passed, a rush of wind followed, making the eternal lamps flicker wildly.
After Dominic Ding left—
The stone chamber returned to its original silence.
Eternal lamp flames flickered, illuminating the statue's profile.
Time seemed to stand still.
"Lin... Nine... Mysteries..."
A hoarse voice echoed in the empty stone chamber.
The shriveled corpse, silent for years, opened its mouth. In its pitch-black eye sockets, a flame-like light flickered.
He stared blankly at the woman's statue, mumbling to himself.
"So many years... You said you'd come back. I've been waiting here all this time."
"But why? Why did you lie to me?"
"If you're waiting for that Lin Nine Mysteries, then today, I'll personally drain his blood..."