"Sword Elder, back in the old days, your Tianjian Sect openly and covertly suppressed our Divine Sword Sect. Our sect, valuing peace above all, endured it time and again.
But after all these years, I never imagined your Tianjian Sect would remain as domineering and aggressive as ever.
Without any proof, you think you can just slap the label of 'traitor' on our Divine Sword Sect with a few empty words from your mouth? It's not that easy!
From this moment on, our Divine Sword Sect will no longer show your Tianjian Sect any tolerance.
Although our sect suffered grievous losses in the great battle of old, if your Tianjian Sect wants to start a war, then let's fight!"
Mo Chenzi's voice turned icy, thick with killing intent.
His golden robe billowed violently, and endless streams of dark-gold Sword Dao energy surged around him like a golden volcano.
Then, from the ruins of the Divine Sword Sect, a dense multitude of golden sword phantoms shot out. Countless golden sword images converged within the headquarters, forming a thick, heavy golden light-shield that enveloped the entire ruins of the Divine Sword Sect headquarters, creating an airtight layer of defense.
"I truly never imagined the Divine Sect still possessed such a terrifying foundation!"
Countless remnant souls surrounding the headquarters ruins gazed in surprise at the dense sea of golden sword phantoms.
Those golden sword images were, in fact, countless real golden longswords. Their number was immense, easily exceeding ten million, and they were arranged into a colossal sword formation.
"Back in the ancient days of the Sword Realm Continent, the Divine Sword Sect's Gengjin Sword Formation had no equal. I never thought I'd have the fortune to see it again after so many years," someone couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.
"The defensive and offensive power of this grand sword array are both terrifying. Given my current strength, I fear I couldn't handle it."
Even Ye Yunfei was somewhat taken aback looking at the immense sword formation composed of innumerable golden longswords within the Divine Sword Sect ruins.
"This sword array is called the Gengjin Sword Formation. It was one of the three great guardian formations of the ancient Divine Sword Sect, ranking among the most famous arrays even across the entire Sword Realm Continent of old," Sword Elder explained to Ye Yunfei.
"Of course, our Tianjian Sect has its own arrays too, and their power is certainly no weaker than this Gengjin Sword Formation," he added.
"No wonder so few outsiders dared to set foot in the Sword Realm Continent over the years, even after it became a wasteland. This single Gengjin Sword Formation alone could likely handle a Ninth Level Sovereign God with ease," Hun Lao sighed.
"But think about it," the Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm suddenly spoke up. "An entire Sword Realm continent, once so powerful, was ultimately destroyed by the Blade Realm. It makes you wonder just how formidable the Blade Realm's strength must have been."
"The Blade Realm was indeed powerful," Ye Yunfei spoke up. "But the reason they managed to destroy the Sword Realm Continent wasn't solely due to superior strength. There were other factors. For instance, there were traitors within the continent itself, colluding with the enemy. Furthermore, the Blade Realm allied with several other powerful forces back then, launching a surprise invasion that caught the Sword Realm completely off guard."
Ye Yunfei had devoured the soul bodies of several Sword Realm traitors and had gleaned quite a bit about the ancient events from their memories.
"Sword Elder, could there perhaps be some misunderstanding?
When our Sword Realm Continent was destroyed, the Divine Sword Sect could not escape that fate either. Its headquarters were reduced to ruins, and its members likely suffered heavy casualties.
It's fair to say that the Divine Sword Sect was a victim of that great battle, just like the rest of the forces on our continent.
If they truly were the traitors of that time, the Divine Sword Sect would likely not have ended up in such a state. Rather, they would have been preserved intact and might even have ended up dominating the entire Sword Realm Continent after the battle."
An elderly man stepped forward from a distance at this point, landing just outside the Divine Sword Sect ruins before addressing Sword Elder.
"So Elder Qing Jianzi has arrived.
Elder Qing Jianzi's words make sense. It seems the Divine Sword Sect were victims of that battle as well, unlikely to have been traitors."
Hearing the elder's words, many of the surrounding remnant souls began nodding in agreement.
"Also, Sword Elder, you keep stating there were traitors within our continent during that ancient battle. How can you be so certain?
During that conflict, the Blade Realm, having colluded with several powerful factions, invaded our Sword Realm so suddenly that we were caught unprepared. Given such circumstances, even without traitors, our Sword Realm would likely have struggled to hold on.
Is it possible there were no traitors at all during that battle?
After all, us Sword Realm cultivators focus on tempering our Sword Hearts, seeking clarity of mind and spirit, pursuing Sword Heart Illumination. Betrayal is a rare occurrence."
Another remnant soul questioned.
"Sword Elder, since you accuse our Divine Sword Sect of being traitors, I demand you produce evidence.
Otherwise, our Divine Sword Sect will not let this matter rest. We will hold your Tianjian Sect accountable for an explanation. At worst, we shall fight to mutual destruction!"
Mo Chenzi, hearing the murmurs of support from the surrounding souls, immediately raised his voice, his tone laced with grief and indignation.
As he spoke, the innumerable golden longswords within the Divine Sword Sect headquarters trembled in rhythm with his words. Vast, rolling waves of Sword Dao energy surged skyward, creating earth-shaking echoes that resonated throughout the heavens. The entire Sword Realm seemed to quake under the intimidating presence of the Gengjin Sword Formation.
"You old fossil! Not long ago, I personally watched seven blade cultivators emerge from your Divine Sword Sect headquarters. Do you dare deny this?
Your Divine Sword Sect colluded with the Blade Realm. This fact is clear and the evidence conclusive. No matter how you prevaricate, it is useless.
Your sect, by colluding with external enemies, brought such a great calamity upon the Sword Realm Continent—a crime deserving ten thousand deaths!
Just wait. I will personally wipe out the Divine Sword Sect!"
Ye Yunfei, hearing Mo Chenzi's words, took a fierce step forward, pointing a finger at him as he shouted loudly.
BOOM!
As soon as Ye Yunfei finished speaking, Mo Chenzi's face darkened. The countless golden longswords surrounding him shook violently, then tens of thousands of golden swords shot up into the sky. In an instant, they merged together to form a gargantuan golden longsword that slashed directly at Ye Yunfei.
A *hum* resonated through the air. Ye Yunfei instantly felt an utterly terrifying sword intent locking onto him. Then, he saw a colossal golden longsword break through the barriers of space and time, arriving right before him in a flash.
At that moment, it felt as if Ye Yunfei had fallen into an icy abyss. His body seemed completely sealed by the terrifying Sword Dao energy, unable to move a single inch.
Even his soul body seemed to be in a state of frozen stasis. Although his mind desperately wanted to employ various techniques or footwork to dodge the golden sword, he could do nothing. He could only stand there, watching helplessly as the colossal golden blade cleaved through the void toward him.
"This is terrifying!" Ye Yunfei's scalp crawled with cold dread.
"Sword Elder, seeing how audacious and disrespectful this junior from your Tianjian Sect is, how he fails to show proper respect for his elders, allow me to teach him a lesson on your Tianjian Sect's behalf!"
Mo Chenzi's voice was chillingly cold.
"The juniors of our sect are not yours to discipline."
Sword Elder stood beside Ye Yunfei, his hands clasped behind his back. His expression was icy as he spoke.
Then, with a resonant *hum*, a somewhat worn-looking longsword shot out from the distant headquarters of the Tianjian Sect. It pierced through the void in an instant, appearing beside Sword Elder and slashing forward. With a resonant *clang*, it blocked the enormous golden longsword.
"That's the guardian spirit sword of the ancient Tianjian Sect. Though damaged in that great battle long ago, it retains most of its power."
The onlookers' gazes tightened at the sight of the sword flying from the Tianjian Sect headquarters, their expressions turning wary.
For this sword had a reputation that once shook the entire Sword Realm Continent, forcing countless sword cultivators to lower their heads in its presence.
"Sword Elder, since you insist there were indeed traitors within our Sword Realm Continent during that ancient battle, I suggest we first concentrate our efforts on thoroughly investigating the events of that time.
Currently, without any proof, you forcefully claim the Divine Sword Sect were the traitors. Doesn't that seem a bit presumptuous?"
The elder called Qing Jianzi looked at Sword Elder and spoke in a measured, conciliatory tone.
"Indeed.
Sword Elder, perhaps it is best to first investigate the matter clearly.
If the Divine Sword Sect truly were the traitors of that battle, I have no doubt not only you, but all the aggrieved souls across our entire Sword Realm Continent would not let this matter rest easily.
But what if the Divine Sword Sect were wrongly accused?
Would that not destroy the unity within our Sword Realm?
Given the plight our continent has fallen into, what we need most is to gather all the remaining forces of this land, continue to oppose the Blade Realm, and accumulate strength, hoping that one day we might be able to rebuild this continent."
Another elder standing nearby also addressed Sword Elder.
"Honored friends," Sword Elder spoke up. "Has my word, Sword Elder's, become so untrustworthy in your eyes? It is fact that there were traitors in that ancient battle. Please observe."
As he said this, Sword Elder pointed a finger. From within the Tianjian Sect headquarters shot out a palm-sized, tortoise-shaped token.
The token appeared ancient and unadorned, covered with intricate mystical runes. The runes looked like small swords of varying shapes, constantly writhing and emanating a pressure that made one's heart palpitate.
"Honored friends, I believe everyone should be able to recognize the origin of this token?"
After shooting out from the Tianjian Sect headquarters, the tortoise-shaped token floated directly above Sword Elder's head.
"That's the Heavenly Turtle Token! Left behind by the Heavenly Tortoise Elder to record all major events transpiring across our Sword Realm Continent over its long history!"
Upon seeing the token, one of the spectators immediately showed a shocked expression and cried out.
"Indeed, I recognize it too! That truly is the legendary Heavenly Turtle Token.
While I've never seen it myself, my former sect possessed a faint trace of its aura. It's exactly the same, no mistake about it!"
Another voice chimed in.
"It's said the Heavenly Tortoise Elder embedded four Heavenly Turtle Tokens in four different locations across our Sword Realm Continent. Each token would ceaselessly record all events occurring in its designated region.
Many powerful figures in our continent back then opposed this practice by the Heavenly Tortoise Elder.
After all, this meant everything that happened across the various regions of the continent would be recorded clearly and meticulously, infringing upon the privacy of many sects and powerful individuals.
But the Heavenly Tortoise Elder used such profound methods to conceal these four tokens so well that no one could ever find them.
Moreover, the Heavenly Tortoise Elder himself was elusive, appearing and vanishing without a trace, and was adept at disguise, changing his appearance and walking the world in various guises. Thus, no one could locate him, let alone find the four tokens.
Yet everyone across the continent at that time knew four Heavenly Turtle Tokens were hidden in its four corners, silently chronicling everything that transpired.
In those days, anyone who wanted to know what happened in a certain area of the continent only needed to seek out the Heavenly Tortoise Elder."
Someone explained.
"The Heavenly Tortoise Elder... Heavenly Turtle Tokens..."
Ye Yunfei gazed curiously at the tortoise-shaped token, never expecting such an origin.
"Indeed. Since everyone recognizes this as the Heavenly Turtle Token, I need not explain further. Now, let us watch a recorded scene from that great ancient battle preserved within this token.
You may doubt my words, but I doubt any here would question the authenticity of a scene recorded by the Heavenly Turtle Token."
Seeing that everyone recognized the token's origins, Sword Elder smiled slightly and nodded before speaking.