Heaven's Devourer

Nangong Wei continued to introduce the Unrivaled Sea of Swords to Wu Yu.

The Unrivaled Sea of Swords was located in the Common Sword Domain. However, one would not be able to find the passageway leading to its entrance without the Unrivaled Token.

Within the Shushan Immortal Sect, the Unrivaled Sea of Swords was indeed a mysterious place. It was truly an ocean of swords. The clouds in the air and the waves at one's feet were all shaped like swords. Even the water droplets that splashed around were sword-shaped as well. In the Unrivaled Sea of Swords, disciples were able to significantly advance their enlightenment of sword dao.

The Unrivaled Sea of Swords was actually not that large a place. It could only fit around 10 people at one time. This was also the reason why only true talents had the right to access it.

The most important feature of this place was a spirit design known as the Sword Puppets. Of course, Wu Yu already knew about the existence of this spirit design from his experiences in the Heavenly Sword Sect. With his current level of mastery of spirit designs, he had not yet had the chance to experiment with creating Mechanism Spirit Designs or Puppets Spirit Designs. He was sure that he would be able to make these if he had prior experience. 

Of course, he was still a novice, so he only had a conceptual understanding of the Unrivaled Sea of Swords' Sword Puppets.

The Unrivaled Sea of Swords' Sword Puppets varied in strength. The stronger disciples of the Earth sword rank and even some Heaven sword rank disciples would find it hard to deal with the stronger Sword Puppets, whereas Wu Yu would probably be able to barely defeat the weaker ones.

Fighting these Sword Puppets in the Unrivaled Sea of Swords was akin to challenging the seniors of Shushan. A wealth of battle experience and rapid improvements in cultivation could be gained through this. Training with these Sword Puppets was even more beneficial than fighting demons.

The reason behind this was that these Sword Puppets were created by a single individual. This was none other than the one known as the eighth strongest cultivator on Shushan, the first ranked Shushan Sword Sage, the Grand Architect Sword Sage.

The Grand Architect Sword Sage was obsessed with spirit designs. In all of civilization, he was said to be one of the best at designing spirit designs on the divine continent. Even though he had not reached the Primordial Spirit Transformation Realm yet, he was already able to draft true spirit designs. When he was equipped with these spirit designs, he was said to match even the Seven Immortals of Shushan in terms of combat ability. He was truly a legend of Shushan. 

The Grand Architect Sword Sage spent much of his time idling around the Unrivaled Sea of Swords. If he was not cultivating, he would be designing spirit designs. He was apparently able to quickly create an entire Sword Puppet just from random scribbles. He would then place these completed Sword Puppets in the Unrivaled Sea of Swords, maintaining around 100 puppets in the Unrivaled Sea of Swords at all times. 

As soon as a Sword Puppet was destroyed, he would effortlessly create another one to replace it.

"It is said that as he drafts his spirit designs and creates the Sword Puppets, he also incorporates his personal knowledge of sword-craft and dao. Fighting against a Shadow Puppet would be like fighting the Grand Architect Sword Sage himself. This is perhaps the greatest benefit to us in the Unrivaled Sea of Swords. While I return to the Immortal Domain, you should go to the Unrivaled Sea of Swords."

Nangong Wei had already made the necessary arrangements for him.

It seemed like she wanted Wu Yu to quickly get to her cultivation level. There would be no conclusion to their relationship otherwise.

"How do I earn merits in the Unrivaled Sea of Swords?" Wu Yu certainly wanted to go. Nangong Wei's impatience only motivated him to want to prove himself.

"You only need to defeat Shadow Puppets and bring their remains back to the entrance of the Unrivaled Sea of Swords. You can exchange these remains for merits and sword cores. Each Sword Puppet is worth quite a decent amount. For instance, defeating one with strength similar to a 10th tier Jindan Dao cultivator will reward 500 merits. The stronger the Sword Puppet, the higher the reward. Of course, these Sword Puppets are limited in number. There are other restrictions as well, so a sudden windfall is an unrealistic expectation."

"Even the Heaven sword rank disciples can't deal with the Sword Puppets. How would I be able to do so?" Wu Yu asked.

"You don't have to worry about that. The Grand Architect Sword Sage is in charge of all these Sword Puppets. He will select a Sword Puppet that is suited for your level. It is usually not possible to find a Sword Puppet on your own in the Unrivaled Sea of Swords. You can only count on the Grand Architect Sword Sage to find one for you."

Wu Yu understood all the basic details for now, so he prepared to make his way there.

Firstly, he could train his usage of his new supreme immortal treasures. Secondly, he would be able to improve both his sword-craft and dao. At the same time, he could also conveniently refine his Jindan and improve its level. Thirdly, he would even be able to obtain merits. He could finally depend on his own winnings to obtain more resources for cultivation.

The Unrivaled Sea of Swords was the most important place for Wu Yu to visit for now. Nangong Wei understood his current situation all too well.

"Big Brother, await my return." After bidding farewell to each other, Nangong Wei was still slightly reluctant to leave.

"Wait." Wu Yu grabbed her and pulled her back. Without a care in the world, he kissed her red lips once more. Even though the black flames appeared once again and burned Wu Yu to the point of cursing, he had still managed to kiss her.

Nangong Wei's face blushed a brilliant red and she gave Wu Yu an admonishing glare. She quickly twisted her waist and rode her sword out. In a flash, she disappeared through the Xuan sword domain's sky. She was going to a place that Wu Yu could not. 

"I will struggle for her sake!"

For the time being, he at least had an urgent goal to strive towards. The more the Mizar Sword Immortal got in the way, the more stubborn Wu Yu felt. He even had the Unrivaled Token now. Without a second word, ignoring the admiring and envious gazes around him, he headed straight to the Common Sword Domain. 

"They are too far apart, and will definitely break up one day. In the realm of cultivators, so many couples are unable to withstand the challenges posed by a large disparity in status. How many fairy tale couples even exist in this world?"

The world of dao was a practical and cruel one. Even if they were truly in love, as long as one party was much weaker than the other, it would be difficult for them to be with each other in life and death.

…

It had been quite some time since Wu Yu had last returned to the Common Sword Domain. As he rode through the air, the spiritual qi gradually thinned. Wu Yu was a little unaccustomed to this, so it made a huge difference to him. The Earth sword domain and above was certainly a heaven-like location.

He raised his head to look at the other domains. The furthest he had been was the Earth sword domain. He was still forbidden from entering the Heaven sword domain and the Shushan Immortal Domain. Wu Yu still wanted to stand on the peak of Shushan and see the heavenly palace with his own two eyes.

"Unrivaled Token."

On the spirit design of the Unrivaled Token was a compass that spun as Wu Yu traveled alone in this cold and icy world. The directions on the compass caused him to change his path a few times. Finally, he entered a desolate and icy valley. 

Along the way, a few ordinary dan disciples had passed him. They almost fell off their swords in surprise when they met him.

"Isn't that Wu Yu?"

"He's returned to the Common Sword Domain? Wasn't he together with the daughter of the Mizar Sword Immortal?"

"Why did he return alone? Could the two of them have broken up?"

"I have no clue. He's too much of a show-off, I don't really like it. Some say that he'll become the next Galaxy Sword Sage, but I don't think that's going to happen. The Galaxy Sword Sage keeps a much lower profile than him. His personality will probably lead him to an early death."

Wu Yu was a Xuan sword rank disciple now, so it was technically forbidden to gossip about him like that. However, the life of a cultivator was too boring sometimes. Juicy rumors such as this indeed made them unable to control themselves.

This desolate and icy valley was the entrance to the Unrivaled Sea of Swords.

"I wonder how many other secret places are hidden in the Shushan Immortal Sect." As Wu Yu entered the depths of the valley, the Unrivaled Token started to glow with a white light in his hand. He noticed that a spirit design on the mountain wall to his left had also lit up with the same glow. As the light flickered, the wall's craggy exterior seemed to soften and flowed like an ocean wave. Wu Yu advanced forward and pushed his arm through the mountain wall. 

"This is the entrance." He did not hesitate much and hurriedly shoved into the mountain wall. Like jumping into an ocean, he crashed through the wall and vanished to the other side with a splash. The spirit design on the mountain wall had disappeared, and the wall of the mountain reverted back to its original, rock-solid state.

Wu Yu had been submerged in a vast ocean with water all around him. He swam towards the surface and emerged from the water with a loud splash. 

This was a brilliant and pure world.

The water below him was neither peaceful nor transparent. It was made of small, sword-like water droplets instead. Upon closer inspection, the entire sea of water was actually made up of a densely packed assemblage of these water droplets.

The sky above was in a similar state. The clouds formed the silhouettes of swords as they drifted around. The surroundings were in a tranquil state, but a trace of sword dao would occasionally reveal itself. It was as though the entire world could turn into a battlefield in a single instant. 

On the surface of this tranquil sea, a wood cottage floated close by. The cottage had a simple window on it, and Wu Yu could sense that someone was inside. There seemed to be only one person inside as well. After some thought, he realized that this was the place to redeem his merits.

The Unrivaled Token had particular rules surrounding its use. In a single year, it could be used twice to enter this place. Entry was not tied to a time limit, so one could stay for as long as they liked. However, leaving the place for even just a single second would count as a completed visit. As such, the visitors to the Unrivaled Sea of Swords often stayed for a considerably long time.

The person in the cottage did not utter a single word. Wu Yu prepared to leave the area to head further into the Unrivaled Sea of Swords. The surroundings were too peaceful. The quiet was somewhat eerie, and the sea's surface had no trace of even a single ripple. The undisturbed calmness made it seem like a mirror.

After just a few steps, a group of people started to walk toward him from afar. The wide open surroundings meant that once Wu Yu noticed them in his field of vision, they noticed him as well. In just a short moment, they had arrived within 10 zhang of Wu Yu. 

"Wu Yu, it's you!" The one leading the group was a girl wearing a dress adorned with a hundred flowers. She was desirably charming, but had a haughty expression on her face. Despite this, she could not rival Nangong Wei. After spending some time with Nangong Wei, Wu Yu no longer felt that this Mu Lingche before him was beautiful at all.

This was indeed that group of six. Chen Fuyou, Mu Lingche, and the rest all seemed to have Unrivaled Tokens. Everyone in the Shushan Immortal Sect acknowledged them as geniuses after all.

"You've obtained an Unrivaled Token as well? Who gave it to you?" Chen Fuyou's expression darkened. He was clearly upset about Wu Yu's appearance. 

Wu Yu did not want to bother wasting time on them. He did not reply, and was prepared to go around them. At this moment, Mu Lingche asked, "Didn't you just hit it off well with Nangong Wei? Why did you come here to suffer? I personally know that you've gotten on the good side of that Sword Immortal's daughter. What's the point of training so hard anymore? Why don't you just live off your woman? With Nangong Wei's backing, who would dare to offend you?"

The other girl beside her added, "That's right. You've even gotten two supreme immortal treasures for free. Everyone sure is jealous. I never expected that even some like you, Wu Yu, could become someone's sugar baby. I don't really understand what someone as respected as Nangong Wei sees in you. I've heard that you've known each other since young. I think she was probably clueless during her younger years, so you were probably able to swindle her then. However, Wu Yu, let me be honest with you: I've heard that the Mizar Sword Immortal is very displeased with you. You're only hanging on because of Nangong Wei's persistence. You'll be back to being a nobody once she changes her mind about you."

The others sneered at him.