The scene was beautiful; a female sword immortal stood gracefully in midair, her robes fluttering, exuding an otherworldly charm that set her apart from the mundane world.

"Old Chen, come out and see the celestial being! I promised to show you the myriad deities and great demons, and now a fallen immortal is right before you. Why aren't you awakening?" Wang Xuan called out, feeling uneasy as he beckoned Old Chen, hoping he would join him.

However, silence reigned behind him; Old Chen offered no response.

"Old Chen, you're not pretending to be unconscious, are you? Don't hesitate; come with me!"

Meanwhile, Qingmu continued his ritual dance, oblivious to the tension, only noticing Wang Xuan had gone silent, sitting quietly without a sound.

Wang Xuan realized that while operating the pre-Qin practitioner's root technique, he had unknowingly stepped into the inner realm, separated from the current world.

He was sure he hadn't actively crossed over—how had he ended up here?

The surroundings were silent, the inner realm dim. It felt as if a thick fog was expanding around him; was he drawn in by this mist?

He braced himself, sensing this situation was genuinely different—an air of anomaly filled the space, making his heart race with unease.

In the dim expanse, beams of light rained down from above, the only source of brilliance in this realm.

Wang Xuan looked up at the female sword immortal. Although far away, everything here relied on spiritual perception, allowing him to see her face clearly.

The female sword immortal appeared to be under twenty years old. He couldn't discern her true age, but she looked impossibly youthful—radiant and ethereal.

Wang Xuan steadied himself, studying her closely.

Indeed, she was extraordinarily beautiful, but what stood out most was her transcendent aura, seemingly unearthly and stunning, capturing one's gaze instantly.

He remained still, lost in thought.

This fascination was also tied to modern reverence for ancient myths; people have long admired sword immortals, subconsciously suggesting such ideals. Thus, the first sight was breathtaking.

Suddenly, a blinding sword light struck down, interrupting his reverie. The beam, shooting down from the heavens, obliterated his admiration for the sword immortal.

The female sword immortal had attacked him, her murderous intent radiating a chilling danger.

Wang Xuan quickly retreated, surprisingly managing to evade the strike, which took him aback.

How had he dodged such a powerful beam of light?

"Ah, it's the residual spiritual energy from the past, activated by my presence, entering the inner realm. After all, it's not her true self. What I perceive isn't reality; it's merely a shadow of her former powers, incapable of truly harming me!"

Whenever he entered the inner realm, his spiritual perception would quickly turn cold and tranquil, allowing him to maintain a state of clarity.

He realized that the female sword immortal was ultimately not her former self; her power was diminished!

If she could intervene in the present world, she wouldn't have waited for future generations to activate her mysterious essence, emerging from her remains. Her residual spiritual energy was not a threat.

Then, Wang Xuan paid the price for his newfound confidence. A barrage of sword light descended, covering the area with dozens of strikes, most landing on him.

Pain shot through him, feeling as though he had been struck into the skies, each beam relentlessly striking down.

Fortunately, it was just residual spiritual energy, and strangely enough, it couldn't truly shatter him—it merely caused immense suffering.

He felt uneasy. Had the sword immortal started to genuinely interfere with the present? It was terrifying.

"My golden body is indestructible; all external appearances are illusory; they can't harm me!" he bellowed. If the residual energy managed to cleave him apart, it would be a serious problem.

He firmly believed that the deceased, having dissipated for hundreds of years, couldn't genuinely affect him.

He activated the golden body technique, emitting a faint golden light. Then, his body plummeted like a javelin, his feet striking the ground.

Within the inner realm, a powerful spirit could alter everything, effectively countering the attacks from residual spiritual energy.

Indeed, as Wang Xuan grew increasingly resolute and continuously practiced the golden body technique for protection, he sensed subtle changes in the entire realm.

The sword light from above became less fierce, turning into a dim glow as it descended. He either evaded or countered with his golden body, still in pain, but it was no longer unbearable.

Finally, the onslaught ceased. Wang Xuan stood firm, channeling the pre-Qin practitioner's root technique to draw in the mysterious essence. He hadn't forgotten why he had come—to heal Old Chen.

A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

A transcendent female sword immortal leaned on her sword, illuminating the dark sky with her moon-white dress fluttering. Her stunning face and cold, ethereal aura conveyed an otherworldly beauty.

Yet, she relentlessly attacked Wang Xuan, leaving him no room for admiration.

His heart remained tranquil; here, he was in an absolute state of calm, clearing away complicated emotions to fully draw in the mysterious substances.

In the outer realm, Wang Xuan held Old Chen's wrist, mysterious energy enveloping him and entering Old Chen's body, targeting his injured organs.

However, it wasn't Old Chen's own essence that was being drawn in; it was filtered through another, meaning the superactive essence was significantly reduced.

Nonetheless, it was undoubtedly effective. The fissured organs received nourishment, halting the deterioration and even beginning to mend slowly.

"Those who leave behind true bones in this world seem somewhat different; the residual spiritual energy in the bones is more abundant. But why did she attack me as soon as we met?" Wang Xuan mused in the inner realm, finding the situation perplexing.

Whether it was the female practitioner or the old monk, none had aimed to harm him upon their initial encounter; the worst they did was disturb his dreams, but that was because they entrusted him with a task.

He began to suspect that Qingmu might be right; perhaps because he had touched the female sword immortal's hand bone, he had stirred something unpleasant.

Yet, he thought that seemed unlikely; after hundreds of years, that charred bone wouldn't incite such notions. Besides, it was precisely because he had acquired the bone that he had released her residual spiritual energy.

After drawing in enough mysterious essence, Wang Xuan began practicing the golden body technique—this was a rare opportunity not to be wasted.

During the battle in Congling, many had focused their attention on him, which meant his fame surged, and danger was drawing closer. He needed to enhance his strength far beyond others' expectations to ensure his safety until he truly rose!

The female sword immortal appeared to bear a grudge against him, launching yet another assault, causing Wang Xuan intense pain and severely disrupting his practice of the golden body technique.

"Since I released you from your transcendent bones, I don't expect your gratitude, but you shouldn't attack me like this!" Wang Xuan couldn't help but voice his thoughts, feeling it was utterly unreasonable to be so despised while suffering repeated sword strikes.

Whether she couldn't understand his words or harbored an inexplicable grudge, the female sword immortal continued her relentless assault. Though it didn't threaten his life, it inflicted considerable torment.

"Master, where are you? There's a demon sword immortal here; hurry and exorcise her!" Wang Xuan called out to the ghost monk, seeking his help.

However, there was no response. The old monk either couldn't hear his call, hiding behind Old Chen, or simply didn't want to intervene.

For Old Chen's sake, Wang Xuan endured for four long years, battered by sword light. He felt on the verge of madness; practicing the golden body technique became sporadic, hard to maintain, and the results were lacking.

Again and again, the opponent wielded her celestial sword, unleashing a barrage of sword light from above. At one moment, he even considered abandoning the inner realm altogether.

In the fifth year, Wang Xuan's physical body trembled from the mental strain, and his palm accidentally brushed against the black sword.

Instantly, he felt a connection in the inner realm. The next moment, a black sword light appeared in his hand. What was happening?

He was astonished, quickly checking the outside situation; the black sword remained on Old Chen's bed, but now, because he held its hilt, he had brought the black sword light into the inner realm.

He realized the black sword must have a significant origin!

In the inner realm, Wang Xuan seized the sword made of condensed dark light and, without hesitation, swung it at the female sword immortal. Even if he couldn't defeat her, he had to make his stance clear!

Suddenly, he sensed something was wrong. The entire inner realm seemed to boil over, countless sword lights erupting from the ground, accompanied by booming echoes.

He then saw many towering mountains piercing the clouds, with young men and women practicing swordplay on each steep peak, every mountain inhabited by people.

Was this a sword practice sect? Many youths danced with their swords, frequently launching sword lights into the air.

Yet, despite their strong swordsmanship, they were still far from the so-called sword immortals.

The scene shifted. One day, amidst torrential rain, a man in black approached, wielding an exceptionally long black sword, entering the mountains to confront this sword practice sect alone.

Boom!

Lightning flashed as sword lights surged. The man in black, with a sword measuring one and a half meters long, slaughtered through the sword sect, unstoppable in his rampage.

It was a bloody night, filled with thunder, rain, and sword lights. He single-handedly killed everyone in the sect, then turned and left, dragging the bloodied black sword behind him.

The next day, when the rain ceased, a thirteen or fourteen-year-old girl returned. Upon entering the sect, she found corpses everywhere and fell to the ground, weeping. Though the scene was blurry, he could feel her heart-wrenching pain.

Wang Xuan instantly understood; he had become the scapegoat. The former master of the black sword had once committed mass murder, annihilating a sword sect, and now the consequences had fallen upon him, a modern man?

He felt incredibly wronged; what did this have to do with him? Shouldn't he be looking for that man in black or for Old Chen instead?

Then the scene kept shifting. The girl quickly grew, becoming obsessed with sword practice, transcending through training, eventually achieving divinity, growing increasingly powerful. Yet, she roamed the world, unable to find that man in black, and couldn't take her revenge.

Years later, as she approached becoming an immortal through sword mastery, she stood on a peak of a secluded mountain temple, needing to ascend.

Boom!

Terrifying lightning struck on a moonlit night. Endless flashes of lightning fell, obscuring the silver moon in the sky, making it invisible.

In the final scene, as the female sword immortal ascended into the sky, she shattered, obliterated by the thunder, her flesh and bones transforming into sacred light rain, vaporizing into the radiance of ascension!

This ending left an overwhelming sense of sorrow; such a powerful female sword immortal had met her demise during her ascension.

In the end, only her right hand, which had held the sword for years, exploded in the lightning, leaving behind a fragment of bone that fell—her only trace left in the world, dropping near the small mountain temple.

Although she had struck him repeatedly for nearly ten years, at that moment, Wang Xuan felt sympathy instead of resentment. She likely believed he was a descendant of the man in black.

"Such a powerful female sword immortal ultimately didn't achieve true immortality; she merely ascended, dissipating into the world." Wang Xuan felt an indescribable melancholy; it was truly a pity.

Then he recalled the female practitioner, the ghost monk, and the Bodhisattva from the ancient temple outside Ancheng, all of whom had ultimately failed to ascend.

"Or is it that such an outcome is, in fact, a form of immortality?!" He had pondered this question at length before, but he didn't want to delve deeper now.

Because what he was doing at that moment seemed to be stepping into the trap laid by the ancients, sending a shiver down his spine.

Boom!

Countless sword lights surged up, mountains piercing the clouds all around. The female sword immortal, bathed in the pure moonlight, stood atop the highest peak, preparing to strike at Wang Xuan again, her aura overwhelmingly powerful.

Even in the inner realm, it sent chills through him!

"Wait!" he shouted loudly. "This really has nothing to do with me. If you want to investigate what happened back then, I can bring someone to you; just wait while I guide him into the inner realm!"