Chapter 0773: The Bottomless Pit

Chapter 0773: The Abyss

Qin Yun and Jian Linglong appeared calm on the surface, but they were thrilled inwardly.

Jian Shitian was taken aback, as first place wasn’t taken by someone from the Jian family. Moreover, Jian Linglong had actually claimed second place!

This showed that even without relying on the Dao Lord Rune Soul, Jian Linglong’s skills were still exceptional—outclassing most Mystic Rune Masters. Jian Shitian now somewhat regretted letting her leave.

The third place was also taken by a Mystic Rune Master from the Jian family, who had a sour look, clearly displeased.

Before the competition, he had been the top favorite Mystic Rune Master. Now, not only had he failed to take first place, but he had also been shown up by a junior from his own family.

Qin Yun obtained a Sun Pattern, but he secretly was underwhelmed, having expected more than just one.

Jian Linglong received a Dao Rune and a Moon Pattern, though they were also just one each, etched onto a beast-hide parchment.

"Little devil, I’m staying at the Sword Immortal Pavilion. Come to my place tonight—I want to show my gratitude properly! Besides, you’ll be much safer with me!" Jian Linglong happily grabbed Qin Yun’s arm and led him away from the competition grounds.

Xiao Yuemei, seeing this, slipped after them.

Despite her volcanic personality, Jian Linglong was incredibly beautiful. As an Emperor Wu, her figure was dazzling enough to make her many’s dream woman.

Yet now, she was getting cozy with a little devil!

After leaving the massive cubic building, Jian Linglong boarded a skyshuttle with Qin Yun. Just as they were about to take off, Qin Yun suddenly called out, "Wait!"

Xiao Yuemei, wearing a mask, hurried over.

Without asking who it was, Jian Linglong quickly opened the door to let the hooded stranger in.

Once inside the shuttle, Xiao Yuemei removed her mask, revealing a charming, smiling face.

"Sister Linglong, it’s me!" Xiao Yuemei giggled.

Having often wandered around the Celestial Weapon Palace before, Xiao Yuemei knew Bingxing well and had built good relationships with Jian Linglong, Jian Ruyan, and Liu Jingmeng. She had even once pretended to be a celestial maiden there.

"Yuemei, you brat! You knew your brother was back but didn’t tell me sooner!" Jian Linglong snorted playfully before pinching Xiao Yuemei’s cheeks with a smile.

Jian Linglong steered the skyshuttle toward the nearby Sword Immortal Pavilion.

"Because we had important matters to attend to!" Xiao Yuemei said. "Sister Linglong, how many crystal cores do you have left?"

"I don’t have many. But if it’s not enough, I can buy more!" Jian Linglong replied.

"It’s not easy to purchase them now—not only are they expensive, but the quality is garbage!" Xiao Yuemei was worried Qin Yun wouldn’t be able to break through.

Qin Yun said, "Let’s talk about it when the time comes."

Later, Jian Linglong and Qin Yun traded the runes they had obtained.

"A top-tier Sun Pattern isn’t bad, though I’m not sure which one this is," Jian Linglong frowned. "But don’t worry—the Sword Immortal Pavilion has several Sun Patterns in its collection, and each one is quite remarkable!"

Those Dao Runes and Moon Runes are pretty impressive too.

Especially that Dao Rune, named the Ascendant Mystic Dao Rune. Formations created with this Dao Rune can help warriors in the Profound Martial Realm improve their cultivation.

As for the Moon Rune, it is the Essence Moon Rune, which gathers the essence of moonlight.

Jian Linglong took Qin Yun and Xiao Yuemei up to her suite in the Sword Immortal Tower.

The Sword Immortal Tower had over two hundred floors, and Jian Linglong lived on the 180th floor. The place was ridiculously lavish and roomy, like some kind of floating palace with numerous rooms and training chambers.

"Sister Linglong, how much does it cost in purple crystal coins to stay here daily?" Xiao Yuemei ran around, admiring the opulent interior of the aerial palace, totally jealous.

"No purple crystal coins needed! Although I left the Sword Immortal Pavilion, I did contribute to it. After this Sword Immortal Tower was built, I scored myself half a floor!" Jian Linglong laughed.

Xiao Yuemei said, "I’ll go get Auntie and the others!"

Jian Linglong knew Xiao Xuanqin, as Xiao Xuanqin often visited the Celestial Armory Palace to see Bingxing.

After Xiao Yuemei left, Qin Yun told Jian Linglong about his dual cultivation with Xiao Xuanqin and the others.

"The Sun and Moon Heart Sutra? Sister Bingxing taught me that too. I’ve been dying to try it with a guy for a long time!" Jian Linglong grinned at Qin Yun.

"Sister Linglong, dual cultivation takes complete trust!" Qin Yun said with some concern.

"I trust you completely!" Jian Linglong pinched Qin Yun’s cheek. "You brat, how dare you not trust me?"

"Of course I do!" Qin Yun chuckled, then freed himself from her grasp.

Soon enough, Xiao Yuemei returned with Zi Qingcheng and the others.

Hu Jingxian couldn’t come due to other matters.

But now, Jian Linglong had joined them.

Qin Yun’s cultivation situation was special. His Mingyang Dao Core needed to transform into a Dao Mystic Pill, needing way more resources than normal.

Inside a spacious chamber, Qin Yun practiced dual cultivation with Xiao Yuemei and the other women, surrounded by piles of crystal cores.

Qin Yun absorbed the energy from the crystal cores at an astonishing speed, fogging up the whole room with thick astral mist.

With Emperor Wu Jian Linglong joining in, the energy Qin Yun released multiplied as it passed through the women’s bodies.

When it flowed back into Qin Yun, the energy came back wild as hell.

If Qin Yun hadn’t cultivated the Immortal-Demon Physique, he could never have handled such terrifying energy surging into his body.

Jian Linglong was the last to receive the amplified energy before channeling it back into Qin Yun.

She knew the energy refined through dual cultivation was incredibly potent—even she, an Emperor Wu, found it pretty intense.

She worried Qin Yun might not endure it, but after some time, he was totally fine!

That put Jian Linglong at ease.

Though Xiao Yuemei and the others were pushing hard to help Qin Yun level up, they were getting major benefits too from the dual cultivation.

After all, Qin Yun had cultivated the Immortal-Demon Physique. The energy he released, flowing into the women’s bodies, also powered up their bodies.

This dual cultivation was a win-win for everybody!

Qin Yun now understood why his past self was always fond of courting the women of Guanghan Palace—once he gained the trust of the female disciples from there and engaged in joint cultivation with them, the speed of progress was simply astonishingly rapid.

Three days had passed!

The energy cores in the secret chamber had been completely exhausted!

Qin Yun felt somewhat reluctant to face the women, as he still hadn’t made a breakthrough.

"Brother, you’re like a bottomless void! The energy cores you’ve consumed would be enough for five people to break through!" Xiao Yuemei knew Qin Yun had the Mingyang martial soul, yet she still found it unbelievable.

Xiao Xuanqin said, "This is a good thing! The harder it is to break through, the stronger you’ll be afterward. Qin Yun already has three martial souls, and all of them are exceptionally potent. It’s only natural that his consumption is so immense!"

"I’ll go procure more energy cores now!" Jian Linglong laughed. "Qin Yun, you must become a Martial Emperor soon! You’re the only man who can joint cultivate the Sun and Moon Heart Sutra with me. If I want to become a Demigod, I can only rely on you!"

With Jian Linglong present, Shui Tianzi had restrained her seductive airs, but she couldn’t resist stroking Qin Yun’s handsome face, giggling, "Brother Yun, I’ll also depend on joint cultivation with you to break through in the future!"

Qin Yun glanced at Xiao Xuanqin and Zi Qingcheng, who both nodded in agreement. He couldn’t help but smile wryly, "Seems like I’m truly shouldering a great responsibility!"

"Sister Linglong, buy as many energy cores as you can. If you run short on Purple Spirit Stones, I have more here!" Qin Yun said.

He suspected that the reason for his difficulty in breaking through might be due to his Skeletal Spirit and Mingyang Dao Core being insatiable—or perhaps that eerie Dark Moon also required energy.

With Jian Linglong handling the matter, Qin Yun and the others didn’t need to worry about it.

"Youngster, we’re heading back to Grandmother Yunyao. She hasn’t allowed us to wander around lately," Zi Qingcheng said, patting Qin Yun’s head.

"Mm, once enough energy cores are acquired, I’ll find a way to notify you all!" Qin Yun chuckled.

"We’re off now. Don’t go running around either!" Shui Tianzi tittered, pinching Qin Yun’s nose.

After Xiao Xuanqin, Zi Qingcheng, and Shui Tianzi left, Jian Linglong also hurried off to procure energy cores.

Xiao Yuemei remained behind, nibbling on fragrant spirit fruits.

"Yuemei, I feel like I just can’t break through," Qin Yun sighed. "Could it be because there’s a Dark Moon inside my Mingyang Dao Core?"

"I haven’t discussed the specifics with Sister Yang yet. She might know something about it," Xiao Yuemei said.

Qin Yun took out the Immortal Burial Scroll and said, "Sister Qi Rou hasn’t been reachable lately. I wonder what’s happened."

He dripped blood onto the diagram, but it still showed no reaction.

"Sister Qi Rou’s spiritual state is far more severe than ours. Her soul is incredibly powerful, but her fleshly form can’t keep up with its growth. So, every now and then, she needs to put her soul into deep soul hibernation to stabilize the situation," Xiao Yuemei explained.

"Perhaps that’s the case," Qin Yun sighed.

"Brother, for the Sword Arts Tournament, will you participate anonymously or under your real name?" Xiao Yuemei asked. "I’ve heard that the Martial Lords competing this time are all extremely strong."

After some thought, Qin Yun said, "I’ll use my real name."

Xiao Yuemei looked concerned. "Is that really okay?"

Qin Yun replied, "Ever since I entered the Nethermoon Wastelands, Sister Yang has become the primary target. If I show myself, I can share some of the pressure with her."

"Mm, alright then!" Xiao Yuemei said. "Let’s go register!"

Qin Yun was reverted to his true form by Xiao Yuemei—now dressed in simple gray-blue robes, his darkly handsome face exuding maturity and steadiness, his piercing gaze radiating unique presence.

Laughing cheerfully, Xiao Yuemei dragged Qin Yun by the hand as they headed toward the grand entrance of the Sword Immortal Manor.

After the Pattern Weaving Contest concludes, the Combat Tournament begins!

This time, there will be battles for both Martial Lords and Martial Kings!

Thus, many people are eagerly anticipating it.

It is said that most of the Martial Kings participating are young ones, as the older ones wouldn’t dare show their face in the arena.

At the center of Sword Island, the Sword Immortal Villa is surrounded by seven massive immortal swords, imposing and grand, radiating an aura of solemnity and safety.

Outside the imposing gates of the Sword Immortal Villa lies a vast plaza.

The plaza is abuzz with noise, with lively chatter carrying from afar.

Upon arriving, Xiao Yuemei groused, "That monkey Jian Nanhu is here!"