The chill in the cave was biting, icy and damp.
Jiang Dali, in the state of the Bone Shrinking Skill, found his black cloak falling to the ground as his stature became smaller. He slowly picked his way down the steps.
The deeper he went, the wider the cave passage became, until he unexpectedly came upon a door.
Jiang Dali shook his body, and with a cracking sound, his frame returned to its usual nine-foot height. He proudly and deliberately pushed the door open and entered.
He found himself in a circular stone chamber, where light filtered in from the left side, though it was a hazy glow that hardly resembled daylight.
Upon closer inspection, the glow turned out to be coming from a large crystal embedded in the stone wall, which was blocking the water from Sword Lake above.
"So this must be the true Langhuan Blessed Land, the Sword Lake Palace. The one above the cliff was nothing more than a construction by the Wuliang Sword Sect.
Back in the day, Wuya Zi and Li Qiushui used to frolic in the water beneath the lake, leading an enviable and unashamed existence that even immortals would envy."
Jiang Dali thought to himself as he turned to look behind him.
There stood a stone table in the room, with a stool in front of it.
On the table rested a copper mirror, with combs and hairpins placed beside it, no doubt the personal items of Li Qiushui’s boudoir.
The copper mirror was covered with verdigris, and dust lay thick upon the table and the floor, untouched for many years.
At this sight, Jiang Dali’s mind was greatly eased.
If the chamber had been neglected , then some of his terrifying speculations could be dismissed.
It would have been truly spine-chilling if, after all these years, the chamber showed no sign of dust, as if someone had been regularly cleaning it.
Just as Jiang Dali was starting to relax, he suddenly caught a flicker of light in the corner of his eye.
On the cold rock wall to his side, a snow-white figure unexpectedly appeared, fluttering as if peeking at him, striking a stark contrast to the dark and eerie surroundings.
Jiang Dali shouted sharply and suddenly pointed out with his finger.
One Yang Finger Force, much stronger than Duan Zhengchun’s, shot out more than a yard and landed on the snow-white figure on the rock wall.
The shadow vanished before his eyes, and the rock wall bore the mark of his powerful Finger Strength.
Jiang Dali frowned and was about to avert his gaze when suddenly a pale face with empty black eyes burst forth before him!
This sudden turn of events was utterly inconceivable, and the speed of the transformation was so fast that even a man as brave as Jiang Dali was startled.
But in that instant, his Divine Skill within his body automatically provided protection, erupting with an immense and fiery Qi Force that slammed into the approaching white shadow.
The chamber erupted with dust and ash scattering wildly.
The white shadow vanished under the impact of the protective Qi Force surrounding Jiang Dali.
When it reappeared, it was at the entrance of another stone chamber across the room and disappeared in a flash.
"Hmph! Playing ghost tricks!"
Jiang Dali shouted angrily as he flexed his arms, his Iron Nail Bracelets rising, and his golden Qi Force surged, bursting forth with the sound of clashing metal. The Sun and Moon Golden Bell Shield whirled into action.
He charged forward like a Barbarian Dragon.
With a crash, he burst through the gate, rushed inside, and descended the steps.
At that moment, the panel also indicated the identity of what had just attacked him, giving Jiang Dali a sudden surge of courage, no longer apprehensive.
"You have been attacked by ’Li Canghai’s Heart Shadow - Gang Qi Realm Avatar!’"
Knowing it was yet another Heart Shadow and not some bizarre, unimaginable spirit or specter, Jiang Dali was fearless.
Even if faced with the Sweeping Monk’s Heart Shadow, he would dare to fight and run if overpowered.
Jiang Dali charged out of the passageway.
Almost the instant he stepped out of the passage, he saw a woman in palace attire, sword in hand, with the tip aimed directly at his chest.
A burst of sword light tore through the air.
The sword light danced elegantly like feathers scattering in the sky, yet also like needle tips firing off, as the Sword Qi transformed into countless light dots, showering down in an instant and striking against the protective Sun and Moon Golden Bell Shield outside Jiang Dali.
A dense clang resonated as if in one striking note!
Jiang Dali felt as though he had been hit by a heavy hammer.
The intense collision forced him to take a step back involuntarily, and his protective body’s Golden Bell was pierced like a sieve.
The relentless and sharp Sword Qi immediately pierced toward him.
Jiang Dali bellowed, his arms flexing, and his muscles bulged out, his skin turning the color of Green Gold as if forged from steel.
Instantly, the Sword Qi’s remaining force hit him, tearing through his clothes and even slashing into his skin as tough as wood.
Blood spurted from Jiang Dali’s wounds, and a series of damage notifications popped up above his head.
The damage numbers were small, but their impact on Jiang Dali was terrifying. With his mastery of Cross Training Martial Arts, he was still injured by the remnants of Sword Qi. A normal person would be faced with only one outcome in such an encounter—death!!
Jiang Dali thrust his arms out, an icy aura exploding from his body, his fingertips flicked out like the wings of a bird.
Many Finger Strengths burst forth, like the Thousand-Handed Buddha unleashing powerful Finger Forces, instantly deflecting and extinguishing all the rain-like Sword Qi.
Then, his whole body moved, charging forward like a diving falcon, lightly pressing and grabbing.
Claw Shadows heavily shrouded the figure of the sword-wielding woman opposite him.
A white shadow suddenly burst from within the figure, thrusting out with the sword, the Sword Intent exploding with astonishing fierceness.
In an instant, it was as if lightning streaked across the sky, thunder roaring, its might even more formidable than the previous Heavenly Feather Strange Sword by a third.
Jiang Dali’s hand claws moved, his tendons and bones emitting a deep, dragon-like humming, his hand claws now like Dragon Claws, entwined with the lightning-fast Sword Light as they clashed.