Yin Long pulled his hand back after he muttered somewhat incredulously, this was the first time he had seen a sword attack infused with so much emotion that it actually made that very same emotion seep into him just from touching the remnants. Xiao Yin Yu also walked up and touched the thin gorge, her hand flashing back as that horrible thirst started to seep into her as well.

"Have you ever seen anything like it?"

Xiao Yin Yu came from the Mountain Hermit's Abode, a sect that stood leagues above the current Lang clan, just the fact that their top disciple was stronger than the previous Lang clan's patriarch was proof of that. As such, when it came to living examples that were similar to this sword scar, asking her was the correct course of action. And to his surprise, Yin Yu nodded her head, but there wasn't much she could tell him.

"The Mountain Guardian of our sect is capable of something similar, his every sword stroke feels like it's filled with endless amounts of pride and arrogance, just looking at it is enough to make your heart falter. But he's never told me how he's capable of it, he said that I wasn't cut out for being a swordsman so I wouldn't understand."

It was a reason so vague that it was almost impossible to understand, perhaps you had to reach a level similar to the Mountain Guardian to properly understand it. Yin Yu and Yin Long hadn't reached that level so it was inevitable that they couldn't understand something so vague, Yin Long directing his gaze towards Jin Wang.

"What do you think? You found this place, so can you track down the person who made this gorge?"

He didn't have Jin Wang's nose or senses so he didn't know exactly how his companion had tracked down this gorge, but he had clearly done so for Yin Long's sake. And if he could track down this scar, then perhaps luck would be on Yin Long's side and allow Jin Wang to go one step further with his tracking. Jin Wang tilted his head slightly, somewhat uncertain, but Yin Yu spoke up before Jin Wang could give a proper answer.

"You're planning on going after them? Without even knowing what sort of person left it? That sounds a bi... No, nevermind. Sorry, old habits die hard."

She cut herself off with a shake of her head before she could properly finish her statement. This was exactly what Yin Long had commented on before, they were gambling with their lives just by entering the championship, so trying to comment on someone taking a risk was just foolish. Yin Long wasn't bothered by it, merely shrugging his shoulders as he walked over to Jin Wang's side.

"Don't think too much about it. But yes, I'm going to go after whoever left this scar. There is something I ca... No, something I will learn in this attack."

He felt it clearly, he couldn't tell whether it was from the bottom of his heart or from the bottom of his soul, but there was something in this sword strike that was vital. He was missing something but he didn't know what, he hadn't even known that he was missing it until he saw this scar. And that something, once he acquired it, would allow him to step into a completely different realm, a whole new world.

Jin Wang made his way over to the gorge and started to sniff it curiously, slowly making his way around it so that he could inspect every inch of it. He went around the entire gorge three times, no beasts seemed to draw near this scar so Yin Long's group didn't end up having to protect Jin Wang as he searched for traces.

It was uncertain if it took him three trips to find any tracks or if he only went around it three times to be as certain as possible, but Jin Wang's steps halted when he finished his third trip around the scar. His proud and regal expression gained an additional shade of confidence as he let out a low growl, tossing his head towards the distance to gesture that they should follow him.

Neither Yin Yu nor Yin Long hesitated in the slightest before they started following Jin Wang. His path this time wasn't perpendicular to the outer walls but rather went deeper into Underearth Forest so all three of them heightened their vigilance. They didn't have to get too far away from the sword scar before they encountered their first beast, the earth beneath them opening itself to reveal that it was just the open maw of a stingray-like beast.

But the moment the earth beneath them opened itself was also the last moments of this stingray-like beast, a crimson blade stabbing downwards before it even got to lash out with its tongue. The blade sliced open the inside of the beast's mouth, all the blood in its body acting up as Yin Long's law of blood and the power inside the sword acted upon the beast. Its flat body ruptured as several wounds opened on its body, its blood tearing a path out of its body so that it could free itself and fly into Yin Long's sword.

The dry husk of a corpse was handed to Jin Wang, who swallowed it whole by unhinging his jaw for a short moment. Another beast attacked them at this same moment, but it was dispatched by a simple wave of Yin Yu's hand before it could even properly show itself. This was still just the very edge of Underearth Forest, Yin Yu may as well be a god here.

Their path slowly took them deeper into the forest, another sword scar appearing before them after they had walked for a little over an hour. This scar wasn't in a straight line like the last one, it actually looked like a twister, circles upon circles carved deep into the earth. And just like previously, each cut brought with it the feeling of being dehydrated, it was as if they had become a field that hadn't seen any water for several months, a dying land.

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"The energy contained within these scars is a bit stronger than the previous one, a few traces of blood also remain around some of them. The blood's a bit dried, but it shouldn't be more than a handful of days old."

Yin Yu crouched down next to one of the outermost circles that formed the twister, her finger tracing across some specks of dry brown blood. She couldn't sense the underlying beauty of these sword strokes like Yin Long could, but the traces of the laws, the energy inherent to the attack, were things she was perfectly capable of sensing.

"We certainly seem to be getting closer. But why would the one who left these scars bother using their weapon like this? If they're at least as powerful as you then there should be no need for them to draw out their weapon in a place like this. Of course, we can't rule out that some stronger beasts have wandered out here. After all, birds of a feather flock together, there will always be other strong things in places where strong people gather."

Yin Long's finger traced the edges of the twister, the horrible thirst ravaging his body and mind as he muttered softly. Strong beings were like Qi, once one of them stayed in one place it was inevitable that more would arrive, their presence drawing others in an endless cycle. But even so, there were no traces of any great battle or the like around these sword scars, the only sign of a struggle was the scars themselves.

If something as strong as the one who made the scars appeared then it shouldn't have ended with just a single attack, there would be traces left by the attacking beasts as well. But there was nothing, so it stood to reason that these attacks had likely instantly eradicated whatever they were aimed at, which in itself was strange. After all, not even Yin Long gave it his all if he could kill something with a single attack.

"Well, guess we'll learn the truth once we find our target."

He pulled his fingers back from the scar and turned his gaze towards Jin Wang, who nodded his head without Yin Long needing to say a single word. He continued moving, heading deeper into Underearth Forest, his path leading towards one of the mountains that dotted the underground land.

The strength of the monsters that attacked them steadily rose as they moved, the light from the crystal above them dimming to show that night arrived. The trio dug out an underground cavern they could stay in as they waited out the night, this was the time where most Demonic beasts would grow more active so wandering around would be far more dangerous.

Once the sun rose again on the outside, the crystal started to release light once more and the trio got to continue its journey. For four days they kept walking, passing a total of 11 sword scars and burying an innumerable amount of Demonic beasts. Of course, towards the end, it was mostly Yin Yu that had to fight as the Demonic beasts that started to attack them reached the Earthen Door realm.

But as was to be expected, the stronger the beasts became the fewer of them there were so they could avoid being besieged by hordes of monsters. The energy within each sword scar grew more pronounced as they kept moving, and on the dawn of the fifth day, as they got close to the mountain they had been heading towards, waves of energy washed over them from the distance.

"Sword and water, it's the same laws as the ones within the sword scars, it seems like the one who made them is currently fighting. Good work, goldie."

Yin Long pat Jin Wang on the head as he spoke, the corners of his head curved up slightly. He himself hadn't even noticed it yet, but his way of calling Jin Wang had quietly changed after they escaped from Tao Tiankong. In the past, he wouldn't really refer to him by name or anything, but now the name goldie had quietly snuck itself into his vocabulary.

The group of three didn't shy away from the waves of energy and instead headed directly for them, the other beasts around them scurrying away so that they weren't caught in whatever was causing this outburst of energy. They didn't have to go far before they could see the epicentre of these waves, a lone woman surrounded by a small horde of ant-like beasts that burrowed out from the earth seemingly without end.

The woman looked like she was reaching the end of her thirties, her black hair flowing freely as she swung her sword around, green drops of blood splattering about with each swing of her sword. Her eyes were a dark shade of blue, nicely complementing her tanned skin. But looking at her eyes and the way she swung her sword, a chill crept into the hearts of Yin Long and Yin Yu.

Yin Yu felt a chill because she realized that she had misjudged the strength of the woman. What sort of nonsense was this 'at least at the same level as me'? This woman had already reached the same stage as Tao Tiankong, she may have already taken a step or two beyond him, she was on a completely different level from them.

As for Yin Long, he felt a chill because he could feel the emotions swirling within her blade and her eyes. Her expression was as neutral as they came, but just looking at her and her sword spoke of the cold fury and hatred she bore, the anger she sent out with each swing of her blade.

He could also sense her aura, which rivalled Tao Tiankong, so he knew that she was powerful, extremely strong even. As for the ant-like beasts that swarmed her, they all fell apart the moment her blade passed by them, their heads drying up in a strange manner. And before long, that small horde was reduced to nothing more than scattered parts and splatterings of green blood.

The woman waved her hand once, her energy gushing out and slicing the corpses into tiny parts that scattered with the wind. The area in front of the cone-shaped mountain regained its calm, the lone cave standing a few metres behind the woman remaining undisturbed. But she didn't enter the cave, her head turning to the side so that her gaze could land squarely on Yin Long and Yin Yu.

With how strong she was there was no way that she wouldn't have discovered them after they got this close, but the expressionless look in her eyes was still enough to sent light shivers down their spine. But even so, even though the difference in strength was so great, Yin Long didn't step down, stepping forward with a determined gait.

"I want to learn from you. I want to acquire what I'm missing, and I feel like I can get it if I study your blade."

He didn't bother lying or tossing out any fancy words to please her, he simply did as he always did, straightforwardly stated his desire to learn and improve. But perhaps as was to be expected from such a straightforward request towards someone that had no ties to him, the reply he got was less than favourable, a disdainful snort.

"Fuck off, I have no interest in letting two chicks loitering around, and I have even less of a desire to teach anything to people with no aptitude."