"Disciple, when the Dhole's Den opens, be very careful of the elders. They have suppressed their realm, broken through limits, opened many spiritual apertures, and some have even opened nine spiritual apertures just to inherit the legacy of the Dhole Antiquity Emperor!" Yun Qingyao reminded.
Lu Ren nodded, his gaze moving forward, where he saw a one-zhang high red stone door embedded on the mountain wall ahead.
Between the cracks of the stone door, there flickered dazzling rays of light, as if containing a very powerful energy.
Above the stone door, a huge plaque was embedded, carved with four large characters "The Dhole's Den!"
Without a doubt, the huge cavern in front of him was indeed the Dhole's Den!
"Hehe, Yun Qingyao, I heard you took in a trash disciple. Is it true or false?"
Just as Lu Ren was about to move forward to observe, a hearty laugh came from a distance.
In the distance, a slender young man with a black ancient sword on his back and dressed in black clothes, handsome and cold, exuding an unparalleled sharpness all over, walked towards them.
Behind him, there was also a black-clothed youth, carrying an ancient black sword on his back.
"It's Gu Yifan!"
Someone exclaimed.
Gu Yifan, one of the three outstanding talents of Jiangyun Country, with seventh-grade bloodline, strong cultivation, and a favorite disciple of the Ghost Sword King. He was also the most distinguished core disciple of the Emperor Dao Immortal Sect. His status was noble.
The youth behind him, there was no need to guess, was the genius Tang Hao, with third-grade bloodline, cultivated by the Ghost Sword King. He was the one sent by the Ghost Sword King to the Dhole's Den to seek the inheritance of the Dhole Antiquity Emperor.
"What are you, again?" Lu Ren sneered.
"What did you say?" Gu Yifan was furious, completely taken aback that a waste who wasn't even at the Lingxi Realm dared to talk back to him.
Boom!
An immensely powerful aura erupted from him, with vigorous true Qi surging and fiercely rushing towards Lu Ren.
Lu Ren's face changed drastically, almost out of breath in the face of this force.
However, just as he was about to dodge, he saw Yun Qingyao step in front of him, waving her hand to shatter the surging true Qi.
"Gu Yifan, dare you hurt my disciple?"
Yun Qingyao's voice was bone-chillingly cold, an even stronger aura erupted from her body, impacting and directly forcing Gu Yifan back a few steps.
At this moment, Yun Qingyao appeared like a descending goddess!
"Sister, I didn't expect you to have already reached the Sevenfold Divine Sea Realm!"
Gu Yifan's expression turned serious.
Both he and Yun Qingyao were disciples of the Ghost Sword School with seventh-grade bloodlines. Later, Yun Qingyao left the Ghost Sword School and became an elder of the Qingyun Sect.
Gu Yifan had thought that Yun Qingyao leaving the Ghost Sword School would give him a lead in strength, but he did not expect that Yun Qingyao's strength had actually become so strong.
"Don't call me sister, I am no longer a disciple of the Ghost Sword School!"
Yun Qingyao said coldly.
"Hmph, leaving the Ghost Sword School was the stupidest choice you've ever made in your life. Now, I have already cultivated the Ghost Sword Art's Tenth Sword, Howling Ghost Sword. Let's see how you can stop me!"
Gu Yifan sneered contemptuously.
"Then let me learn about the Howling Ghost Sword!"
Yun Qingyao's body floated in mid-air with a swish, surrounded by swirling aura, her white clothes fluttering. Within a yard of her body, there were floating sword auras.
An aura that overlooked heaven and earth, not allowing any desecration, emanated from her body.
At that moment, Lu Ren felt that his master was like a sharp sword, standing upright as if piercing through the sky itself.
"Such strong sword intent, you have actually cultivated sword intent?" Gu Yifan's expression turned ugly as he felt an immensely powerful sword momentum emanating from Yun Qingyao.
This kind of sword momentum made him feel palpitations!
"Howling Ghost Sword!"
Gu Yifan roared, and the ghost sword behind him floated out directly. After flying a few circles in the air, it pierced straight towards Yun Qingyao.
On its flight, the ghost sword actually swept up a shadow of a fierce ghost, opening its mouth as if to devour Yun Qingyao.
However, when the ghost sword was a yard away from Yun Qingyao, it could no longer move forward. It seemed to be blocked by an invisible aura.
"Purple Thunder Dragon Sword!"
Yun Qingyao waved her hands, and a purple thunderous light flickered, condensing into a dragon-shaped long sword. Sweeping across the sky, emitting a dragon's roar, powerful thunder shocks vibrated fiercely, stabbing towards Gu Yifan.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Gu Yifan did not expect Yun Qingyao's attack to be so fierce. With a big sweep of his hand, he pulled back the ghost sword and fiercely defended against it.
Just as he managed to block the seventh strike, the ghost sword in his hand was knocked away, and he himself was forced to retreat, a hint of blood at the corner of his mouth indicating the injury he had sustained.
Meanwhile, the dragon-shaped thunder sword floated above Ge Yifan's head, but then turned back and slowly dissipated back to Yun Qingyao's side.
"Ge Yifan, do you really think you can harm my disciple? If not for the slight camaraderie between us, I would have killed you long ago!" Yun Qingyao said in a calm tone.
"You!" Ge Yifan's face was extremely ugly. As one of the three outstanding talents of Jiangyun Country, being publicly humiliated by Yun Qingyao was simply unbearable.
Even Tang Hao couldn't hide his displeasure. They had never expected the Saintess of Jiangyun Country to be so powerful.
They had hoped that with Ge Yifan by their side, they could at least suppress Yun Qingyao, but the result was that Ge Yifan was easily defeated by her.
"The Saintess is truly extraordinary. When she does not act, she seems ordinary, but once she does, she is awe-inspiring!"
"To think that the Saintess is in her early twenties, yet her swordsmanship is so strong, she is truly monstrous!"
The onlookers were all amazed by Yun Qingyao's strength.
"Indeed, this is the true power of a master. Every move exudes a sense of dominance, the strength of a practitioner in the Divine Sea Realm is truly terrifying. No, the master is too terrifying!"
Witnessing everything before him, Lu Ren was deeply impressed by the aura Yun Qingyao displayed during the battle. He realized that surpassing his master in a short period of time might not be as easy as he had initially thought.
"Sister, I am no match for you in skill, but your useless disciple won't be able to come out alive from the Tushita Grotto today," Ge Yifan said coldly, clutching his chest.
Tang Hao stepped out from behind Ge Yifan, his eyes coldly fixed on Lu Ren, saying, "Lu Ren, if you have the guts, don't enter the Tushita Grotto. Here, you have your master protecting you, but inside, I doubt anyone will be able to protect you. If you dare to enter, I will kill you!"
Upon hearing this, Yun Qingyao furrowed her brow slightly.
She had naturally heard of Tang Hao. He was also a disciple of the Ghost Sword, and despite his young age, he had already broken through the limits and unlocked nine spiritual apertures.
"Very well, I'll be waiting," Lu Ren nodded, his face showing no sign of fear.
As time passed, more and more middle-aged and elderly people arrived.
Even many elders from the four major sects came one after another. The Grand Elder of the Imperial Dao Sect, Xie Kuang, and the Grand Elder of the Green Cloud Sect, Meng Qian, also arrived.
The Tushita Grotto only opened once every three years, and naturally, they all wanted to see if anyone could pass the test and inherit the legacy of the Ancient Emperor Tuoshe.
Although in previous years, no one had been able to obtain the legacy of the Ancient Emperor Tuoshe when the cave was opened.
But this year, not only was there a disciple of the Ghost Sword who had unlocked nine spiritual apertures, but also a disciple with a supposedly weak bloodline.
They were all eagerly anticipating who would pass the assessment.