Sea of Suffering Sword Village, Heart Demon Sword Prison is divided into three stages: Entering the door, Ascending the hall, and Entering the room.
These "door," "hall," and "room" naturally represent different levels of danger.
And the "secret of immortality" that Ling Handeng once spoke of should be behind the room, at the junction of the Heart Demon Sword Prison and Sword Dao River.
There lies the "Obsession Layer" and "Rotting Thought Layer" beneath the Third Layer of the Sea of Suffering.
...
Song Yan used the "Sword Moth in the Hall" as his form and arrived at the end of the hall.
The door at the back of the long-unused hall was casually pushed open by him, revealing a narrow path reminiscent of a sheep’s intestine before his eyes.
The path was paved with ancient bricks, flanked by dark shadows, with only the center revealing the "light emanating from a half-covered, half-closed door," illuminating the path.
Song Yan stepped onto the path, walking forward casually while paying attention to the sides.
Though the sides were dark, upon closer inspection, one could see numerous broken statues.
Those statues had long been destroyed, each one cracked and turned into dried pebbles scattered all around.
If not for the pedestal bases of those gigantic statues, Song Yan would hardly know what they were.
He observed for a while, finding no clues, unsure of the statues’ purpose here, only vaguely feeling something unusual, possibly hinting at something unsettling.
As he walked further, he paused slightly because beside him was a statue that, despite being shattered, could still barely be identified.
It was a statue of a Xuan Turtle.
Its limbs were stout as heavenly pillars, its claws sharp, stepping on a stone pedestal, while the turtle shell bore the terrain’s mountains and seas, giving a grand and majestic impression, suggesting even a casual glance could yield much insight, especially for the Sword Cultivators practicing grand sword techniques, presenting an invaluable opportunity.
Beside the Xuan Turtle statue was a snake-shaped statue that had completely lost its head, and its surface patterns were blurred, revealing only a vague outline of vitality, with its half-body sunk into misty waves...
Song Yan’s gaze lowered slightly, seeing a shattered snake head lying on the ground.
Suddenly, he understood the function of these statues.
These statues before the room, akin to the "Six Desires Sword Stone" before the hall.
In the courtyard, Sword Cultivators who faced countless trials and nearly lost themselves could grind their sword heart against the Six Desires Sword Stone to regain their true self and thus advance to the next level.
Similarly, Sword Cultivators who broke through illusions of sword moths in the hall and passed the test could advance further before the Sword Enlightenment statues, preparing for greater challenges.
’This is a truly suitable place for Sword Cultivators to train, yet now this place is destroyed.’
Song Yan could easily imagine how many heroic figures and stunning prodigies emerged here back when the True Spirit Light hadn’t extinguished, before this Sword Village was destroyed.
The power of those Ancient Cultivators was beyond what current cultivators could imagine.
That was the flourishing age of Cultivating Profound.
Song Yan reflected in his heart.
....
Song Yan had prepared himself psychologically for the dangers inside the room.
Anything at the end of Heart Demon Sword Prison could not possibly be simple.
He approached with utmost caution.
Yet, as he truly stepped into the half-covered door and saw the interior, he couldn’t help but be stunned.
Because...
The room was empty.
No transparent monsters, no invisible presence; the room was utterly vacant, devoid of anything.
Song Yan recalled Ling Handeng’s description slightly.
Ling Handeng hadn’t mentioned the situation inside the room; her limit seemed to be the latter half of the "hall," near the exit, and she hadn’t reached the statue path, let alone this empty chamber.
Though exceedingly talented, the era she lived in was not the flourishing age of Cultivating Profound, and the lack of resources and opportunities limited the heights she could achieve.
But immediately, a question emerged in Song Yan’s mind.
If Ling Handeng could return through residual thoughts, then... what about those ancient strong ones?
Didn’t any of them escape to later generations?
...
With questions in his heart, Song Yan walked to the end of the room.
There was another door at the end.
This should be the exit of the entire Heart Demon Sword Prison.
Also known as the "secret of immortality" Ling Handeng mentioned, the passage to the next world in the Sea of Suffering’s Third Layer.
Clack!
The door gently opened.
Upon opening, Song Yan suddenly began to hear numerous whispers; it was the voice imparting the Sword-Devouring Transformation Technique to the Rusted Sword Slave, coming from a cluster of darkness in the distance.
Song Yan faintly sensed an extremely fierce aura hidden within the alluring sound from the darkness.
But what surprised Song Yan was not the aura, the darkness, or the enticing sound, but rather the fact there stood a person outside of all this.
A woman.
A beautiful woman.
White clothes, white dress, white stockings, with a pure appearance, delicate and pitiful, like a blooming peony at the world’s end, adding a touch of unexpected beauty to the eerie dark edge.
It’s just... those eyes revealed indescribable majesty and age.
As if sensing the disturbance, the woman turned her head, looking at the gray-clad youth walking from behind.
Their eyes met.
Song Yan never thought he would see Hua Linglong here, or perhaps Lady Ling.
Hua Linglong was clearly extremely surprised too.
Yet, their expressions remained extremely calm, undisturbed.