"There's still some time before the Great Sun Heavenly Pond will close,"
Jiang Ding sat cross-legged.
The sky-borne Great Sun Sword Intent that consumes and destroys the divine soul descended upon him. The Sword Intent of Destruction rose to confront it, honing itself in the process.
Indistinctly, the phantom of the Blue Gold Big Sun and the dazzling phantom of the Great Sun collided and annihilated each other, over and over again.
"There's one more thing."
Something occurred to Jiang Ding, and with a thought, the Taiqing Flying Sword flew into the sky, rose high, and fell into the core of the formation within the Great Sun Heavenly Pond.
The light of the Azure Gold Sun burst forth, becoming the new sun within the Great Sun Heavenly Pond, shining into every corner of it.
"Dari Swordsman, it's him again!"
"He seems to have grown even stronger than at the beginning."
Many sword cultivators within the pond trembled in their hearts, cursed silently, and looked towards the Azure Gold Sun in the sky, doing their best to conceal their auras, not to let a hint of enmity show.
Jiang Ding's gaze swept over every place, every person, and every creature in the pond.
The Zhuanlun Swordsman from the Five Elements Heavenly Sect, the Swordsman from the Heavenly Mechanism Immortal Palace, the Swordsman from the Dan Ding Immortal Sect... Many sword cultivators, all of whom had comprehended Sword Intent, were elites, over a hundred in number.
And then, there was a simple, fat man.
Jiang Ding's gaze lingered on him for a moment.
A bloom of the Great Sun Soul Flame.
He was in the middle of the River of Sun Flame, holding a quaint fishing rod, continuing to temper a small Five Elements tower.
"What excuse have you come up with this time..."
"I haven't done anything during this time!"
An Tuzi's body stiffened, wanting to swear loudly, but he forcibly held it back just before the words left his lips.
"Just greeting you, An student,"
Jiang Ding felt somewhat embarrassed to act, so he simply smiled sheepishly and moved his gaze away.
Using the Taiqing Flying Sword and the formation of the Heavenly Pond as a fulcrum, his gaze swept over the River of Sun Flame and then fell to the Moon Creek River, scrutinizing everything from beginning to end.
"There's no one here, where is he?"
Jiang Ding's face showed surprise.
Indeed, he was looking for another sword cultivator from the Shadow Demon Abyss, one paired with Shadow Twonine Swordsman, a sword cultivator from the Shadow Demon Abyss.
This person was extremely cautious, and despite witnessing battles with the Taiyin Swordsman, An Tuzi, and others, he never took the chance to launch a surprise attack, at most just glancing from a distance and then instantly fleeing, with strong survival skills.
Assassins from the Shadow Demon Abyss always followed the principle of escaping thousands of miles if the first strike missed.
If this were not the Great Sun Heavenly Pond, he would have already taken flight, and Jiang Ding would not have been certain of catching him.
"Escaped from the Great Sun Heavenly Pond?"
A thought emerged in Jiang Ding's mind, then he shook his head, "An Tuzi couldn't, and neither does he have the strength to do so; therefore, he must still be within the Great Sun Heavenly Pond."
"Two possibilities: either he's turned into some inanimate object and entered a state of feigned death to conceal himself, or he's transformed into a non-human creature."
There were also a few creatures within the Great Sun Heavenly Pond, all of them Heavenly Material and Earthly Treasure of the sword Dao type.
Jiang Ding was very patient and communicated with the Taiqing Flying Sword once again.
The light of the Bluegold sun in the sky intensified, gathering into a searchlight beam over thirty kilometers in size, with a faint Sword Intent of Destruction suffusing it, soul-destroying and spirit-exterminating, naturally possessing a formidable effect against concealment magic.
The searchlight beam that was over thirty kilometers in size started from the River of Sun Flame, scanning inch by inch, using exhaustive search rather than any deduction, and intending to comb through every inch of the Great Sun Heavenly Pond.
Even the living sword Dao spirit beasts like the fire swordfish and moon swordfish in the magma rivers were marked, allowing for instant recognition even if they swam elsewhere.
The River of Sun Flame, Moon Creek River, and the vast gravelly ground of the Heavenly Pond were all scrutinized thoroughly, one area at a time.
As the searchlight beam passed over each spot, the sword cultivators within trembled in fear, trying hard to hide any potential enmity and keeping their Lake of Heart still and undisturbed like an ancient well.
Jiang Ding smiled, "Then there's only one possibility, darkness under the lamp."
"To think that the Shadow Demon Abyss can hide within the daylight of the Great Sun Sword Intent, such a skill is admirable."
Over thirty kilometers wide, the Sword Intent of Destruction's illumination suddenly descended, landing beside him and shooting off rapidly in all directions.
Forty kilometers away, a shadow emerged, instantly transforming into a black sword-light that tore through the air and arrived in the blink of an eye.
The Sword Intent was filled with a cold and corrosive aura, with almost no gap between its gathering and explosive burst, suddenly launching a sneak attack that, even if it found a Post-golden Alchemist off guard, would leave them seriously injured.
Jiang Ding waved his hand.
The Taiqing Flying Sword slashed through.
The black sword-light stiffened.
Then, it slowly split in two at the hilt, where the transparent void became hazy, revealing a stunned, pale-faced young man in a shadowy robe, motionless.
A faint line of blood appeared on his forehead and nose.
In the blink of an eye, it rapidly widened, and his body cleaved evenly to both sides as blood and entrails gushed out.
As they approached mid-air, Azure Gold Sword Qi burst forth, turning flesh and blood into ashes.
Jiang Ding flicked his finger, sending a streak of Sword Qi slashing behind him.
An almost transparent sharp needle was blocked, effortlessly piercing a hole straight through the Sword Qi and then collapsing into fragments itself.
"Shadow Demon Abyss, not bad."
Jiang Ding's expression became a bit more serious.
Don't assume this person's every move seemed like a desperate struggle; it was only because his strength was too weak. If he possessed strength nearly equal to his own, the danger would increase drastically.
The Shadow Demon Abyss is rational yet mad, never confronting the enemy head-on.
Once someone has offended the Shadow Demon Abyss, from that moment on, whether they are eating, sleeping, traveling, or fighting while active in the Outer Realm, they must maintain maximum vigilance. Otherwise, one misstep could mean capsizing in the gutter.
"However, I've always been , no difference."
Jiang Ding said indifferently.
"I would like to take the Great Sun Heavenly Pond with me, can I do that?"
The Great Sun Heavenly Pond was a supremely sacred cultivation site for any Sword Cultivator. If one could constantly cultivate there, both their cultivation base and swordsmanship would advance by leaps and bounds.
The woman's voice lightened a bit.
"The Great Sun Heavenly Pond is the personal property of the Dari Swordsman. You can dispose of it as you wish, but your current cultivation base is too low to actively control the pond."
"In addition, outside of the Great Sun Heavenly Pond, the Eastern Devil School and the Eight Great Immortal Sects have set up encircling and sealing formations that even Nascent Soul Cultivators find difficult to break, opened only once every thousand years."
"Once you resolve these two issues, you can move the Great Sun Heavenly Pond wherever you wish."
Jiang Ding said, disappointed.
The seal of the Xianmen Sect and the seals of the Eight Great Immortal Sects could be dealt with, since they were within the territory of Xianmen Sect, and Xianmen Sect had participated in their creation. However, controlling the Great Sun Heavenly Pond and then moving it was beyond reach.
The Taiqing Flying Sword did not come back down, hanging high in the sky above the Heavenly Pond, refining the Flying Sword with the power of the entire pond.
Jiang Ding himself closed his eyes, his Sword Intent of Destruction spreading outwards, fervently resisting the increasingly intense light of the Great Sun Sword Intent around him, sharpening his Divine Soul and will.
Misty fluctuations transmitted through the void, and one after another, the Cultivators within the Great Sun Heavenly Pond disappeared from sight.