Volume One: The Emperor’s Sword Chapter 114: The Three Treasures of the Sword Burial

“Map?”

Yun Que glanced and immediately recognized it. Wu Dachuan had taken out a map, exquisitely drawn with mountains and rivers depicted vividly.

“It’s a map!” Wu Dachuan glanced cautiously outside the window to ensure no one was around, then whispered, “A map of the Land of the Sword’s Burial!”

“What kind of place is the Land of the Sword’s Burial?” asked Luo Xiaoyu beside him, surprised.

“It’s the site of the Sword Contest!” Wu Dachuan said proudly.

“But isn’t the Sword Contest held at the Ten-Thousand-Ren Tower? How could it be in the Land of the Sword’s Burial?” Luo Xiaoyu was confused.

Yun Que studied the map and already had a rough idea.

Clearing his throat, Wu Dachuan explained to the two disciples who had never been to the Ten-Thousand-Ren Tower:

“The Ten-Thousand-Ren Tower actually serves merely as an entrance portal. The first floor is used to condense the Sword Qi Cloak, while the second floor leads directly to the Land of the Sword’s Burial. Although the Sword Palace holds the Sword Contest once a year in the Tower, the real battleground is in the Land of the Sword’s Burial.”

“The Land of the Sword’s Burial is a transformed realm space, a secret domain carved out by the Sect’s elders specifically for disciples to undergo trials. It’s rich with rare heaven-and-earth treasures. If one is fortunate, they could become wealthy overnight!”

“Of course, opportunity comes with danger. The Land of the Sword’s Burial is perilous at every turn, especially in the core area. Ordinary sword disciples dare not step in, and even Foundation Establishment experts who venture too deep risk their lives!”

“The terrain of the transformed realm is not fixed; it changes every year. This map is from last year, so it’s not entirely accurate, but for new disciples who have never been, it’s still helpful to gain some understanding.”

“I spent one spirit stone to buy this from someone else. Just take a look, but don’t spread it around. If the Elders find out, there will be punishment! The Sword Palace strictly forbids making maps of the Land of the Sword’s Burial.”

Wu Dachuan spoke solemnly.

Because this concerned the sect’s secrets, he dared only show it to fellow Sword Palace disciples Yun Que and Luo Xiaoyu. He would never dare reveal it to outsiders.

Showing it to fellow disciples was one thing—at worst, they would be punished by the Elders. But if an outsider got hold of the map, it would easily bring accusations of sect betrayal.

A traitor to the Spirit Sword Sect would meet a dreadful end.

Luo Xiaoyu clicked her tongue in amazement, focusing on the mountains and waters. To her, the map looked like a vast mountain range with forests, strange rocks, streams, and waterfalls—a perfect place for a spring outing.

“Senior Brother Wu, what is a Sword Qi Cloak? Why must it be condensed before entering the transformed realm?” Luo Xiaoyu asked curiously.

“The transformed realm is filled with invisible Sword Qi that penetrates everywhere and is extremely dangerous. You must rely on the Ten-Thousand-Ren Tower to condense a Sword Qi Cloak of the same origin to resist it. Otherwise, you have to use your own spiritual energy, which will quickly be depleted, leaving you to die helplessly,” Wu Dachuan explained in detail.

Yun Que’s heart stirred upon hearing this.

An all-pervasive Sword Qi… what a treasure!

While others needed the Sword Qi Cloak to resist Sword Qi corrosion, Yun Que wished he could get more Sword Qi to nourish himself!

At that moment, he even had the illusion that the Land of the Sword’s Burial had been specially prepared for him.

What others saw as a deadly place, Yun Que saw as a treasure trove!

***

The Sword Contest was scheduled for the next day. Concerned that Yun Que and Luo Xiaoyu had never been to the transformed realm, Wu Dachuan explained in detail:

“The Land of the Sword’s Burial has three treasures: Thunder Stone, Sword Leaf, and Blue Silk Silkworm.”

“These three materials are precious spiritual materials. The sword tassels we carry are woven from the silk of the Blue Silk Silkworm.”

“The Sword Contest is a battle for these spiritual materials. After it ends, the Sword Palace will tally the harvest and exchange them for sword tassels according to their rarity. The number of tassels gained on a single transformed realm trip is the ultimate measure of a sword disciple’s prowess.”

“I remember last year Mu Qingyao exchanged for over ninety tassels and rightfully became the top sword disciple of the Southern Courtyard!”

“Beyond gathering spiritual materials, you can also seize materials from others. There are no rules in the Land of the Sword’s Burial, and no need to heed sect loyalty. The strongest fighter claims the most spiritual materials!”

“In one word: competition!”

This was the true meaning of the Sword Contest.

Wu Dachuan spoke passionately. At this moment, Yun Que pointed to the four corners of the map and asked,

“What do these mean?”

Each corner of the map bore a circular special mark.

Wu Dachuan looked and explained,

“Those are starting points—our approximate positions after arriving in the transformed realm through the Ten-Thousand-Ren Tower.”

“Why are there four?” Luo Xiaoyu asked puzzled.

“The Sword Contest is a grand event of the Sword Palace. Not only our Yan Kingdom Sword Palace participates, but also the Sword Palaces under the Spirit Sword Sect from other regions. We might even encounter barbarians in the realm,” Wu Dachuan explained.

“Ah? That sounds even more dangerous!” Luo Xiaoyu became nervous.

After the battle against the miners and barbarian Gu Masters, she still carried psychological scars. The overwhelming swarms of parasitic insects and undead barbarian warriors haunted her nightmares.

Especially the Gu Masters mutated into half-human, half-insect forms—just recalling them made her shudder.

Wu Dachuan shared her concern.

“It is indeed dangerous. If you meet disciples from your own country’s Sword Palace, they might hold back. But strangers from other Sword Palaces will fight to kill. Fortunately, the transformed realm is vast. As long as you don’t venture too deep, it’s unlikely to encounter others.”

Wu Dachuan added with self-mockery,

“Especially for us sword servants, it’s enough to just wander near the starting points. I certainly don’t dare go deeper.”

“For us sword servants, other Sword Palace disciples aren’t the real danger since we rarely meet them. The true peril lies with three kinds of beasts living in the transformed realm!”

Wu Dachuan’s expression grew wary.

“They correspond to the three treasures of the Sword Burial: the Ironwood Ant, the White Bone Lizard, and the Zhu Lou Beast!”

***

Wu Dachuan described the three beasts in detail.

The Ironwood Ant is a venomous ant usually residing within extremely tough trees, fiercely territorial. Once it detects an intruder, it fights to the death. Individually, these ants are not strong enough to be considered beasts, but their queen can assemble an army into an Ironwood Beast.

The Ironwood Beast is usually a first-level beast, with rare occurrences of second-level.

The White Bone Lizard is a second-level beast with flipped white bones forming a bony armor. It preys on Ironwood Ants, is agile, and has extremely thick skin.

The Zhu Lou Beast is a third-level beast resembling an iron-skinned wild boar. It often hunts White Bone Lizards but is clumsy and bad at turning, easily getting stuck somewhere to starve to death. Its corpse attracts swarms of Ironwood Ants, which may establish nests and reproduce there.

Hearing the so-called Three Sword Burial Beasts, Yun Que clicked his tongue in amazement.

These three beasts had formed a complete food chain within the Land of the Sword’s Burial.

Wu Dachuan, now fully engaged, continued excitedly:

“Besides the famous Three Sword Burial Beasts, there are some interesting beasts in the transformed realm, like the Sword Mice twisted by Sword Qi, with tails over ten feet long! And the Sword Scarab Beetles that find broken swords and knives, curl them into spheres, and then push them back to their nests with their backsides.”

“None of these are truly dangerous beasts. The Land of the Sword’s Burial holds one truly perilous entity, called the Sword Shadows!”

“Sword Shadows, as the name implies, are humanoid shadows of varying sizes that haunt the Land of the Sword’s Burial like ghosts.”

“They are spiritual entities condensed from Sword Qi, without thought or fixed paths. They indiscriminately attack any living creature—they are extremely deadly!”

“There was once a sword apprentice of considerable cultivation who challenged a Sword Shadow, only to be torn apart by Sword Qi and perish miserably on the spot! If you see a Sword Shadow, immediately flee! Luckily, Sword Shadows mostly roam the core of the transformed realm and are rarely seen on the outskirts.”

After Wu Dachuan and Luo Xiaoyu left, Yun Que pondered quietly.

“The Land of the Sword’s Burial…”

“Could it be related to the Thunder Tribulation Sword?”

“If the Thunder Tribulation Sword fell into the Spirit Sword Sect’s hands, why would they hide it in the Land of the Sword’s Burial?”

The Spirit Sword Sect’s secrets seemed numerous.

At dawn, Yun Que donned the defensive inner armor gifted by Hu Tieshan and pushed open the door.

A rosy glow painted the horizon.

The Sword Contest had officially begun.