Heaven's Devourer

Shen Xingyu was rather fond of him and consoled, "Even if he does not take you in as his disciple, I'll still be your sister in the future.  If there's anything you require help with, you can look for me anytime. I’ll leave three message talismans with you." 

Wu Yu accepted her message talismans. These talismans could transmit messages to her residence in the Clear Sky of Shushan.  

With the words of Shen Xingyu, he felt more at ease. 

This woman was indeed kind to him. Wu Yu really respected her. 

At this moment, some felt pity for Wu Yu, while others were secretly glad about the outcome. However, there were even more who were celebrating his misery. As the Battle of Swords and Immortals came to an end, the Common Sword Domain would unlikely be as lively as before for a period of time. 

The one monitoring the next season of the Battle of Swords and Immortals would definitely not be the Galaxy Sword Sage. Therefore, it was unlikely that it would be as lively as the current season. 

At this moment, Wu Yu was still at the second tier of the Jindan Dao Realm. It was likely that he would continue to dominate the Leaderboard of Swords and Immortals for a long period of time. 

Subsequently, to everyone's astonishment, several Heaven sword rank disciples appeared around Wu Yu.

There were three old disciples and two middle-aged men. Among the three old disciples, two were male, while the other was female. All of them were horrifying existences at the Violet Kingdom of the Inner Sea Realm. In fact, they didn't have to rely on the Art of Sword Flight to remain suspended in mid-air. From them, one would get the feeling that they had perfected their sword dao to the extreme.   

"Unfathomable!" This was the impression Wu Yu got from the five Heaven sword rank disciples. 

These disciples would easily be considered to be at the grandmaster level when taking the entire heavenly continent into consideration. Their appearance instantly silenced the entire crowd. No one dared to make a sound. 

"I'm Yan Chihai. Many address me as the Swordsman of the Scarlet Seas. I have been at the Heaven sword rank for 80 years. Although I'm not as great as Shen Xingyao, I’m currently rank 73 on the Heaven Sword Leaderboard. Wu Yu, I would like to take you as my disciple. Are you willing?" a domineering old man with a rosy complexion and a long beard asked. 

Beside him, a kind-looking old lady smiled faintly and interrupted, "If we are talking about the Heaven Sword Leaderboard, I, Tang Dongling, am currently rank 68, much higher than Yan Chihai. Wu Yu, if you become my disciple, I can guarantee I'll nurture you to become a Heaven sword rank disciple. In fact, you will have the opportunity to become one of the Shushan Sword Sages in the future. Are you willing?" 

Other than them, the other three men also attempted to lure Wu Yu to choose them, as though they were afraid that others would snatch Wu Yu away if they were a step slower. 

Among them, the highest rank was ranked 57 on the Heaven Sword Leaderboard. Subsequently, several other Heaven Sword Leaderboard disciples also came. The highest ranked of them all was 39!  Seeing the appearances of such a number of Heaven sword rank disciples, those Earth sword rank disciples who were tempted previously didn't dare to make a move rashly. 

Looking from this perspective, it was clear that Wu Yu had still managed to convince the majority of the people of his talent. 

This was someone who had just been abandoned by the Galaxy Sword Sage. If it was a few days from now, there might even be Shushan Sword Sages wanting to take him as their disciple. One has to know that Zhao Xuanxian and He Taiyao were wanted by some Shushan Sword Sages previously. 

However, Wu Yu didn't hesitate for long. He lowered his posture and apologized. "Thank you, various seniors, for having such high regards for me. I've failed the assessment of Galaxy Sword Sage today and I know that there are many areas where I'm still lacking. Therefore, I'd like to continue working hard and hope to convince Galaxy Sword Sage to take me as his disciple one day.  I, Wu Yu, will forever remember your kindness and recognition of me." 

The truth was that he had thought about it before saying this. 

This was the best excuse. 

He had to put Galaxy Sword Sage ahead as a shield. Otherwise, there would be others who would constantly appear in front of him, hoping to take him in as their disciple. 

The truth was that he wanted freedom more than anything else at this moment. He had thought this through and wanted to fight and work hard on his own in the future. To him, this was an option that wasn't inferior to becoming the disciple of the Galaxy Sword Sage. Once he had made up his mind, he didn't want to become the disciple of anyone, no matter who he might be. 

"Alright then. Since you have greater goals, we will respect that." 

These seniors were all very understanding. After all, Wu Yu's reply was very polite, and they knew they weren't as great as Shen Xingyao. 

"What a dreamer! The Galaxy Sword Sage has already rejected him and yet he still hopes to catch the attention of the Galaxy Sword Sage! Shameless!" 

"Indeed! He is too optimistic about this. The Galaxy Sword Sage is a man of his word. Once he makes his decision, there's no reason for him to go against it." 

Naturally, there were people who were jealous of Wu Yu that thought like this. 

At this moment, Shen Xingyu represented Shen Xingyao and announced the closure of the current season of the Battle of Swords and Immortals. The ranking of the Battle of Swords and Immortals had been determined and everyone was free to leave from this moment onwards. 

After all, everyone had their own tasks to handle and couldn't afford to spend all their time here. 

After making the announcement, Shen Xingyu looked at Wu Yu again and said, "I'll look for an opportunity to convince my brother. However, Punishment Hall will still have to mete out some punishment to ensure impartiality. The punishment was a small matter and not a big issue. It is just that from now onwards, you have to remain within the Core Sword Cell for half a year. Within this half a year, you are not allowed to leave the Core Sword Cell no matter what. Do you understand?" 

Wu Yu understood a little about the Core Sword Cell from the Orientation Log. This was the lightest punishment given to a Shushan disciple and was basically equivalent to isolation. This half a year of imprisonment wouldn't affect Wu Yu's cultivation. Within the Core Sword Cell, one could do almost anything. 

"Let me send you there." 

Punishment Hall typically wouldn't be deployed for punishment to the Core Sword Cell. Shushan disciples could head there on their own. 

Wu Yu and Shen Xingyu rode their swords towards the Core Sword Cell. When they left, the crowd within the Mountain of Swords and Immortals also started dispersing. 

This incident had finally come to an end. 

The next time they hear about Wu Yu will definitely be half a year from now. 

Cruising within Shushan and between the clouds, Wu Yu's mental state had undergone many changes. 

"I didn't expect you to be able to let it go easily. A blow like this and yet you aren't even frowning." Shen Xingyu's purple robe was flattering under the strong wind, and her great and well-endowed figure was clearly visible. 

"That's just a small matter." Wu Yu was in a great mood. After all, the hardest battle had passed and he was finally able to relax. 

Shen Xingyu saw his confident look and broke into a chuckle. "What a dishonest guy. In this world, a genius is the slowest to understand his feelings. If you aren't careful, you might just die. Don't be so haughty." 

Naturally, she was only joking with him.  

The two chatted joyously, and their relationship seemed to have gone a further step forward. 

Although he did not become a disciple of the Galaxy Sword Sage, this didn't affect their sister-brother relationship and friendship. Shen Xingyu had already promised him that he could look for her for any troubles he encountered in the future. 

Naturally, Wu Yu wouldn't disturb her unless absolutely necessary. 

Only by relying on himself could he force himself to his limits. 

Soon, Wu Yu could see the Core Sword Cell from afar. 

Two huge mountains reached into the skies in front of his eyes, and the scene was majestic. The area between the peaks of these two mountains was known as the First Line Valley. 

The Core Sword Cell lay within the First Line Valley. 

This was one of the forbidden grounds of Shushan. Disciples who weren't punished couldn't enter carelessly. Therefore, Shen Xingyu wasn't qualified to enter and could only send Wu Yu to the entrance. 

Wu Yu looked from afar and seemed to be able to see a large and tall tree within the First Line Valley. That huge tree was black in color as though it was soaked in black ink and didn't have any other colors. The majority of this huge tree was hidden within the clouds, making it vaguely visible. The branches that had fallen off of it looked more like claws of the devil. 

This tree was none other than the famous Core Sword Tree.

The Core Sword Cell was built based on the Core Sword Tree. From the Orientation Log, the Core Sword Tree was an immortal essence with five spiritual marks. Immortal essences of this level could be considered as extremely high, but it had no medicinal value. Its value was in other aspects. 

Immortal essences with five spiritual marks and with medicinal value would definitely incite numerous battles if brought out into the open. 

Looking from afar, he noticed that the Core Sword Tree had no leaves. However, the branches were densely packed with fruits. Looking from afar, there were over a thousand fruits, and each fruit was only the size of a finger. However, when Wu Yu got closer, he could see that the Core Sword Tree was several hundred zhang tall. Those fruits on it had a diameter of five feet each and people could easily squeeze inside one. 

Wu Yu understood that the fruits of the Core Sword Tree were, in fact, isolation cells. 

These were initially fruits. However, after modification by Shushan experts, they retained their unique characteristics and became imprisonment cells. 

Once you entered the First Line Valley, it would be the territory of the Core Sword Cell. Therefore, Shen Xingyu couldn't bring Wu Yu in further and bade goodbye here. 

"Alright, we have chatted for some time and I shall not nag on. Let's bid our goodbyes here. When you are out and have the time, you have to send me a... Forget it, I'll come looking for you when the time arrives." 

It would be easy for her to look for Wu Yu, but it would be more troublesome for Wu Yu to look for her. 

"Goodbye." 

Soon, Shen Xingyu rode her sword and left. Looking at her disappearing back, Wu Yu couldn't help but go into a daze. 

One could say that Shen Xingyao and Shen Xingyu had changed his fate over this period of time... 

The Core Sword Cell wasn't a bad thing for him. Rather, it was beneficial. This was because this was consolidation. It allowed him to have an extremely quiet environment for cultivation. 

Turning his head over and looking at the Core Sword Tree, Wu Yu's eyes lit up with passion. 

"Let's make this the starting place of my second journey! The second journey towards the Clear Sky of Shushan!" 

He was filled with ambition and got ready to move in. 

Suddenly, someone halted him from behind. 

That voice was soft, familiar, and addressed him as "Big Brother." 

Wu Yu was shocked and turned around instantly. 

It wasn't his hallucination. 

Seven months had passed. 

Behind him, a young and beautiful lady stood there. She had grown up substantially and looked even more alluring and similar to the Ninth Spirit. In fact, she roused his heart even more than the Ninth Spirit had. 

That's right! She was none other than Nangong Wei. 

She had surprisingly appeared once again. 

Now that their eyes had met, crystal-clear tears welled up in her eyes. She had not expected to have to wait till today since the separation on that day. 

"Wei Er." It was a pleasant surprise for Wu Yu to see her. He was thrilled. He ran forward and held her in his embrace. "Why did you only look for me now? You left without saying a word and I couldn't find you anywhere. I thought you had returned to the Clear Sky of Shushan. Why have you been hiding for such a long time without paying me a visit?" 

While at Warring Immortals Hall, Wu Yu had indeed attempted to look for her several times. 

However, Nangong Wei couldn't stop her tears from flowing down. "Big Brother, something happened along the way. Wei Er is here today to tell you that I was indeed not in the Common Sword Domain for the last seven months. I have returned to Clear Sky of Shushan during this period. And today, I'm actually here to bid goodbye...."