287 Chapter 287: The Mysterious Bronze Sword

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On the edge of a cliff, Zeng Yi stood with his hands by his side, staring at the endless sea of clouds, feeling a boundless sense of emotion in his heart.

It had been over a month since he arrived at the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. Since settling in the peak of his master's Divine Sword Peak, Zeng Yi had been practicing and cultivating in this mountain, never once leaving.

During this period of intensive practice, Zeng Yi seemed to have calmed down the restlessness that had once plagued him. His every movement exuded an ethereal aura, calm and composed, like a celestial being. He had achieved a spiritual state beyond the mundane world.

Indeed, in this period of practice, Zeng Yi did not focus on cultivating his spirit power. Instead, he dedicated more time to introspection and refining his previous practice insights, cultivating his spiritual realm and understanding nature.

Zeng Yi gazed at the sea of clouds, lost in thought. In a daze, he remembered something, and his right hand flipped over, revealing an ancient and simple pendant in his palm. It was the mysterious bronze sword pendant he obtained in the Heavenly Dou Auction House.

From the moment he laid eyes on this bronze sword pendant, Zeng Yi had an inexplicable intuition that it held great importance to him. However, he couldn't figure out its purpose; it seemed to be just an ordinary accessory. During these days of intensive practice, Zeng Yi had forgotten about this mysterious bronze sword pendant, fully focusing on his cultivation. It was only now that he suddenly recalled it.

"What significance do you hold?" Zeng Yi muttered, examining the mysterious runes inscribed on the pendant with his fingers, deep in thought.

As he observed the enigmatic pendant, Zeng Yi could sense the sword intent within himself being faintly drawn towards it.

But why couldn't the old man sense it as well, considering we are both sword cultivators? Could it be my imagination?

This thought briefly crossed Zeng Yi's mind.

Impossible, I'm not delusional. Zeng Yi shook his head and chuckled to himself.

Then, unable to resist, Zeng Yi drew upon his spirit power and sent it towards the mysterious bronze sword pendant.

"This?"

Zeng Yi couldn't help but exclaim as the bronze pendant in his hand underwent a change. It absorbed his spirit power, flickering and pulsating like a breath.

Finally, it responded. It turns out that it needs to absorb spirit power to trigger its transformation. Great, let me see what exactly you are!

With excited eyes, Zeng Yi fixed his gaze on the bronze sword pendant in his hand, continuously supplying it with his spirit power.

However, how could it be so simple that merely infusing spirit power would activate its transformation? Wouldn't the people in the auction house have tried it? Besides, I remember the old man also tried using his spirit power to probe it, but nothing happened. So why is it different for me?

Zeng Yi mulled over these thoughts, his eyes filled with doubt. However, in just an instant, his doubt transformed into shock and then fear.

Zeng Yi felt his spirit power spiraling out of control, continuously pouring into the bronze sword pendant. However, this mysterious object seemed like an endless abyss, incapable of being filled no matter how much spirit power Zeng Yi fed into it.

"What is happening?" Zeng Yi's face filled with terror as his spirit power rapidly drained away. Within seconds, his spirit power was almost completely absorbed by the pendant.

Zeng Yi considered throwing away the bronze pendant, but it stubbornly clung to his hand like sticky toffee and couldn't be shaken off.

Helplessly, Zeng Yi had to utilize the skills of his Spirit Bone, releasing the stored spirit power. However, the mysterious bronze sword pendant continued to absorb his spirit power like a whale sucking in seawater, not stopping even when Zeng Yi's spirit power was depleted.

In this state, Zeng Yi could only watch helplessly as his spirit power disappeared, sweaty cold droplets forming on his pale cheeks. His eyes were filled with anxiety and helplessness.

Am I going to be sucked dry by this mysterious object? Such a torturous death!

With this thought in mind, as his spirit power was completely drained, Zeng Yi's body weakened and he collapsed at the edge of the cliff. Finally, his consciousness faded, gradually disappearing into darkness.

In the pitch-black night sky hung a blood-red moon, and a faint bloody mist pervaded the air. Occasionally, the mournful cry of crows could be heard as black feathers fell from the sky.

Boom!

Suddenly, a flash of dark blue lightning streaked across the sky, as if tearing apart the dim space.

At the moment the lightning flashed, Zeng Yi's eyes widened in astonishment.

There stood a tower-like structure, reaching into the heavens like a pillar.

As the lightning subsided, a thunderous roar like a furious beast echoed through the space, engulfing everything.

"What is this place?"

Standing at this unfamiliar space, Zeng Yi focused his spirit to the utmost, his sharp gaze alert to the surroundings. His right hand quietly gripped the hilt of the Ronin Sword, ready for any possible battle.

In this space, shrouded in gloom and darkness, it felt like being in hell, devoid of any warmth.

Zeng Yi stood before the towering structure, observing the cold iron gate without making any movement.

Time seemed to pass slowly, as if a long time had gone by, yet it might have been only a few seconds. Zeng Yi felt that time was no longer flowing.

Here, time appeared imprisoned, moving slowly under heavy shackles.

After an indeterminate amount of time, Zeng Yi took a step forward, heading towards the gate of the tower.

As his hand touched the icy cold metal gate, Zeng Yi was about to push it open when his eyes contracted. A voice as ghostly as a whisper entered his ears.

"Welcome to Despair..."

Before the sentence could finish, Zeng Yi's consciousness once again plunged into darkness.

"Master! Master! Master!"

Vaguely, Zeng Yi seemed to hear someone calling him.

Where am I?

Zeng Yi felt his body becoming heavy, overwhelmed with indescribable oppression.

Right! I remember I was on the edge of the cliff, and my spirit power was drained by that mysterious bronze sword, causing me to faint.

Then I appeared in a mysterious place, filled with darkness, desolation, and despair.

In an instant, Zeng Yi recalled the sentence that sounded like a death knell.

"Ah~"

In the room, a frightened cry suddenly rang out from the bed, startling Chen Xin, Gu Rong, Ning Fengzhi, and Yan Que.

Turning around, they saw Zeng Yi quickly sit up like a spring, one hand pressed against his forehead. His pale face was covered in cold sweat, his chest heaving heavily, gasping for breath as if he had seen something horrifying. His eyes were filled with shock.

"Zeng Yi! You finally woke up!"

Seeing Zeng Yi wake up, Chen Xin and the others couldn't help but show excitement on their faces, quickly gathering by his bedside.

At this moment, Zeng Yi realized that he was in a room. He raised his head and saw his master, Sword Douluo Chen Xin, Bone Douluo Gu Rong, Sect Master Ning Fengzhi, and his disciple Yan Que surrounding his bed, looking at him with concerned expressions.

"Master, what happened to you?" Yan Que asked anxiously.

Zeng Yi was momentarily taken aback, then shook his head and said "It was just a nightmare, nothing serious."

"No big deal? Do you know you've been unconscious for three whole days!" Chen Xin snapped in irritation upon hearing Zeng Yi's words. But her tone was filled with concern.

"Three days?" Zeng Yi was momentarily stunned. He had slept for three whole days without realizing it. It seemed like he had a close relationship with being unconscious. Every time he fainted, he would sleep for several days.

"You were lying on the edge of the cliff where you usually practice, luckily Yan Que found you in time and brought you back. Otherwise, you could have been carried away by spirit beasts or fallen off the cliff. You would've been done for, do you understand?" Chen Xin scolded again.

In the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, there were indeed spirit beasts, but their cultivation was only around ten years. Although there were some hundred-year-old spirit beasts, they were rare. Chen Xin didn't mind facing them, but she worried that such a spirit beast might harm the sect's disciples.

"How did you suddenly faint? What happened?" Ning Fengzhi asked with concern. Upon learning that Zeng Yi had fainted, he rushed over immediately. Although the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect was renowned for its auxiliary abilities, he knew nothing about healing spirit skills. However, the sect had auxiliary spirit masters who were proficient in healing, but even they couldn't bring Zeng Yi back to consciousness.

During these three days, Zeng Yi's condition wasn't good despite being in a state of unconsciousness. His complexion was extremely pale, constantly drenched in cold sweat. However, there was no apparent cause for this, which worried them immensely.

If something happened to Zeng Yi, it would be a loss that the sect couldn't afford.

Fortunately, Zeng Yi had awakened.

"It was probably due to a problem that arose during my cultivation."

"A problem during cultivation?" Ning Fengzhi was taken aback.

Chen Xin pondered for a moment and recalled Zeng Yi's recent cultivation practices. He linked everything together and said "Maybe you were too eager in your practice, made a mistake, and fell into an evil state."

"An evil state? Brother Chen, you're not joking, are you?" Ning Fengzhi was startled.

Yan Que, however, asked in confusion "Uncle Ning, what's an evil state?"

Ning Fengzhi explained "It's when you deviate from the right path during cultivation, causing damage to your body. Light consequences could result in a drop in spirit power level, while severe ones could leave serious hidden dangers in your body, affecting future cultivation, and even endangering your life."

"So serious?" Yan Que was alarmed by these words and looked at his master with concern, saying "Master, you'll be fine."

Saying that, Yan Que's eyes welled up with tears.

Zeng Yi couldn't help but smile, reaching out to pat his disciple's head and reassuring him "Don't worry, Master is fine."

Looking at Zeng Yi, Chen Xin said "You should stop practicing for now, focus on taking care of your body, and don't ruin yourself. Otherwise, when Rongrong comes back, my beard won't be spared."