"Perhaps we will know the answer to that question very soon."
Ye Yunfei looked at the central earth mound with expectation in his voice.
"Let's go, we should take another look."
After a moment of thought, Ye Yunfei began walking toward the same earth mound again.
Hun Lao followed closely by Ye Yunfei's side.
Boom!...
Hun Lao summoned the Heavenly Dao Tower, while Ye Yunfei released several Emperor-Grade artifacts, activating them simultaneously.
Driven by the Heavenly Emperor Remnant Soul, the emperor-level artifacts Ye Yunfei had released erupted with formidable power.
Clang! Clang!...
As Ye Yunfei and Hun Lao approached, sword lights shot out from within the earth mound, slashing toward them.
Soon, the pair were once again close to the mound. This time, having made preparations in advance, they avoided the earlier awkwardness.
Ye Yunfei's gaze fell upon the tombstone in front of the mound. Two lines of small characters were carved upon it:
"Zuo Zichan. Cultivated the sword from youth, yet possessed a mediocre aptitude, lived an ordinary life. Final attainment merely the Heavenly Emperor Realm, and only a Primary Heavenly Emperor at that.
Still, my life held one great point of pride: serving at Lord Jian Shenzi's side!"
The calligraphy of these characters was sharp and forceful; every stroke seemed like a slash from a master swordsman, their sword intent palpable and oppressive.
"Indeed, this is an expert at the Heavenly Emperor level!"
Both Ye Yunfei and Hun Lao uttered these words in astonishment after reading the text.
What shocked and perplexed Ye Yunfei the most was Zuo Zichan's meaning: because his aptitude was mediocre, his ultimate achievement was only the Heavenly Heavenly Emperor Realm. In his eyes, being a Heavenly Emperor seemed to hold no pride at all; instead, he viewed himself as very ordinary, even inadequate.
"It seems this Zuo Zichan certainly isn't a being from the Three Thousand Major and Minor Worlds," Ye Yunfei said after some thought.
As a Heavenly Emperor, he likely wouldn't tell lies on his own tombstone, so the words Zuo Zichan carved should represent his genuine thoughts. And absolutely no being within the Three Thousand Major and Minor Worlds would harbor such a view.
"Yes, he should be a being from the Main World," Hun Lao nodded. "It seems the Main World's strength is far greater than we imagined. An expert at the Heavenly Emperor level actually considers his own aptitude mediocre. Then, how strong must the Main World's true experts be?"
"These words on the tombstone... they're profound and mysterious, deeply embodying the principles of the sword dao. It seems they contain a set of high-level sword techniques!"
Suddenly, Ye Yunfei's eyes narrowed, focusing intently on the characters carved on the tombstone as if he had gained some insight.
"These words contain a sword technique?" Hun Lao sounded a little surprised.
"Exactly! I need to contemplate this properly!"
Ye Yunfei released his Soul Power energy and began concentrating on comprehending the small characters on the tombstone.
"Indeed! These characters truly contain a set of sword techniques!"
A moment later, Ye Yunfei became even more certain of his judgment.
Clang! Clang!...
Soon, something strange began to happen. As Ye Yunfei continued his contemplation, more and more sword lights erupted from the earth mound. Each beam of sword light contained a terrifying sword dao energy, slicing through the space above the grave with a hissing sound.
"Be careful!" Hun Lao warned in a low voice, channeling all his energy into the Heavenly Dao Tower, prepared for any sudden change.
To Hun Lao's relief, however, the sword lights pouring from the mound did not attack him or Ye Yunfei.
A moment later, the sword lights erupting from the grave began to twist and weave together, then gradually formed a silhouette that shifted from blurry to clear.
Finally, a man condensed entirely from sword lights materialized above the grave. He wore blue robes, his posture as straight as a sword, his gaze piercing.
Zuo Zichan!
Ye Yunfei and Hun Lao immediately guessed this man's identity—it had to be the master of this grave.
Clang!
Suddenly, Zuo Zichan drew his sword and began to wield it. One brilliant, overbearing sword ray after another continuously slashed out, stirring the heavens and earth.
"This is an exceptional sword technique!"
After watching a few moves, Ye Yunfei couldn't help but feel elated.
"I understand! This might be the greatest reward from entering the Sword Grave! If one can comprehend the sword techniques contained within the characters on these tombstones, it's possible to obtain them!" Hun Lao exclaimed with sudden realization.
"Yes," Ye Yunfei nodded.
Subsequently, Ye Yunfei focused intently on watching Zuo Zichan's sword dance. To accurately capture and comprehend every move and posture Zuo Zichan displayed, Ye Yunfei utilized the two Soul Bodies within his Soul Sea.
Both Soul Bodies simultaneously focused on each of Zuo Zichan's actions, analyzing and contemplating the profound principles of sword dao they contained. This was equivalent to having Zuo Zichan personally instruct Ye Yunfei in swordsmanship right before his eyes!
Gradually, Ye Yunfei's understanding of the sword technique Zuo Zichan wielded grew deeper and deeper.
"I have finally mastered this sword technique!"
In the end, Ye Yunfei exclaimed with pleasant surprise. With a wave of his hand, he sent a tyrannical sword light slashing forth, tearing through space as it shot upward toward the heavens.
"Hahaha… Excellent! Young man, you actually mastered the most formidable sword technique of my life in such a short time. Your aptitude for the sword dao is truly high. Now, I shall impart all the insights and understandings I have of this sword technique directly into your Soul Sea. Reflect and comprehend them carefully in the future; there is still room for further improvement."
Zuo Zichan looked at Ye Yunfei with an appreciative gaze and laughed as he spoke.
As soon as his words fell, Zuo Zichan's form abruptly exploded, dissolving directly into numerous beams of sword light that shot toward Ye Yunfei's head.
Ye Yunfei did not dodge, because he sensed that these sword lights held no malice toward him.
Soon, all the sword lights from the earth mound surged into Ye Yunfei's Soul Sea, transforming into a multitude of insights and understandings related to the sword dao.
Moreover, these sword lights also carried a massive amount of sword dao energy!
And now, all this sword dao energy had transformed into sword dao energy belonging to Ye Yunfei!
In other words, Ye Yunfei had not only inherited Zuo Zichan's insights regarding the sword dao, but also a portion of his sword dao energy.
Clang!
A long sword shot out from Zuo Zichan's grave.
"This sword is the one I most frequently used in life. Its name is Azure Rainbow. I do not wish for it to be buried with me eternally, so I gift it to you now."
A voice emerged from within the grave.
Then, no further sound came from the tomb.
"I thank Senior for the profound kindness of imparting your technique and gifting this sword!"
Ye Yunfei faced the grave and performed a deep bow of gratitude.
Next, Ye Yunfei made his way toward another nearby grave.
"Liu Qi, Intermediate Heavenly Emperor. Though cultivation not exceptionally high, I traversed the world wielding a sword all my life, swiftly enacting vengeance and repaying kindness!
In the latter half of my life, I followed Lord Jian Shenzi, with no regrets!"
This grave's tombstone also bore two lines of small characters, every single character bursting with sharp, piercing sword qi.
Within these two lines of text, another set of exquisite sword techniques was also contained!
Thus, Ye Yunfei began to utilize his two Soul Bodies to contemplate the characters on this tombstone.
Not long after, an unending stream of sword lights erupted from the grave, continuously intertwining and combining until they finally formed a white-robed man holding a long sword. He stood tall and imposing, and his gaze was like a sword.
This white-robed man then began brandishing his sword, displaying a set of sword techniques.
Ye Yunfei focused his entire mind on contemplating them.