5923 times!

  Zuo Mo's mouth was agape, his rough breathing visible, his eyes bulging out like a dying fish, staring fixedly at the Ice Crystal sword floating in front of him. His entire body was like a bamboo pole swaying in the wind, trembling slightly all over. His clothes were completely soaked through and stuck to his body, revealing his lean physique.

  Bang! He fell backwards, and the ice crystal sword in mid-air lost control, clattering to the ground with a clang.

  Weakly gazing at the sky, Zu Mo's mind was buzzing, and his last bit of spiritual energy was squeezed dry.

  Five thousand nine hundred twenty-three times!

  Just over 4,000 more chops and I'll reach 10,000 times...

  Five thousand nine hundred and twenty-three times without a hitch, any move of "Li Shui Jian Jue", now he can completely make it out without thinking, one breath, there will be no stagnation. But this is just the sword moves.

  The sword move is the surface, the sword intent is the bone.

  A sword move without sword intent is like a paper tiger, it looks intimidating but that's all.

  Each sword mantra has a different sword intent. Even the same sword mantra, the sword intent cultivated by different practitioners will be vastly different. What Zuo Mo had grasped was Xin Ruo's Chao Tai sword intent, not his Li Shui sword intent!

  Only with a matching sword intent can one merge with the sword move as one.

  When he had practiced over 4,000 times, Zuo Mo suddenly understood the principle. The sword intent of the tidal sword that he had secretly learned from Xin Ruo Shishu could only be fully utilized when matched with a suitable sword move. Although he had managed to use the sword edge of the Golden Sword Seal once, Zuo Mo speculated that it was either because the Golden Sword Seal's sword edge was too low-level or because he himself had performed exceptionally well.

  He tried countless times, but still couldn't merge the will of the Tidal Sword into the sword moves of the Departing Water Sword Manual. The two were like completely different things that couldn't be reconciled at all.

  If he hadn't experienced the sword intent, Zuo Mo wouldn't have been so particular about this issue. However, having personally experienced being cut off by the sword intent numerous times, the power and terror of the sword intent had long since penetrated deep into his heart, with a force that could easily sever one's soul. In comparison, the dazzlingly beautiful sword moves were more flash than substance.

  Sword meaning, this is undoubtedly his most concern.

  Time was running out, he had no choice but to find Pu Yao instead of figuring it out on his own.

  "Heh heh, want to know? Hmm?" A charming smile spread across Pu Yao's face.

  Zuo Mo subconsciously threw the crystal stone he obtained from refining the Golden Crow Pill last time to Pu Yao.

  "It seems we're getting more and more in sync." Pu Yao chuckled lightly, then said carelessly: "The sword intent of each sword manual is naturally different, do you need to think about this kind of stupid question? Then go comprehend the Liushui Sword Intent. Just find a random river and take a look, what is water? Hmm, as for fire, isn't it all the same?"

  Zuo Mo looked around and the deep red flames seemed to have heard his command, shooting up suddenly.

  "Open your eyes and take a good look, next time it will still cost you." Pu Yao's voice came faintly from amidst the raging flames.

  The sea of flames was a deep crimson, with wild dancing flames filling the sky. Countless deep red flames slowly rose up, like innumerable red flowers blooming in mid-air. Each flame pulsed to a unique rhythm, its outer blaze resembling a snake's tongue, darting back and forth unpredictably.

  Flames filled the sky, suddenly gathering in the middle, the whole process was silent and soundless, as if a drop of water had entered the sea without stirring up any ripples.

  A gigantic, boundless fireball hung in the depths of Luo Mo's mind, shining brightly alongside the stars in the void. It burned quietly, and no longer visible were those wildly dancing flames; only a faintly blackened red sun could be seen. Pure red, like molten iron, with some areas so red they seemed to turn black, the surface of the sphere was densely covered with flickering tongues of flame that darted back and forth.

  "It's so hot." Zuo Mo felt as if he was in a furnace, with waves of heat rushing towards him, his entire body feeling like it was being roasted by hot coals, and an intense burning pain emerged.

  He was shocked.

  Everything in the sea of consciousness is not a real entity. Even he himself was just a wisp of spiritual consciousness, like these flames. Before, even if the sea of consciousness had become a sea of fire, Mo hadn't felt any heat. But this time, this huge red-black fireball made him feel fear.

  The fireball hung quietly in mid-air, burning silently, but even in this quietness, the hidden turbulence and danger made Zuo Mo feel a sense of fear. The current calm was like a thin layer of eggshell, which could shatter at any moment.

  At this moment, a fireball in mid-air suddenly and without warning exploded with a loud crash!

  What an incredibly magnificent scene!

  Innumerable scarlet and black flames will surge forth like volcanic eruptions, rushing towards all directions. Flames rain down, filling the entire field of vision with a deep crimson hue!

  The black void is dyed crimson by countless flames!

  Either large or small flames, after experiencing the initial high-speed impact, they slowed down.

  Flames danced across the sky, drifting slowly like red dandelion seeds blown by the wind. The scorching heat distorted the scenery, adding a touch of fantasy and unreality.

  Zuo Mo stood there in a daze, suddenly he couldn't help but think of that black sea, the scene of countless black dandelion seeds flying and dancing.

  Deep red flames dancing in the air finally fell to the ground, and as soon as they landed, they spread rapidly like roots, and in the blink of an eye, the surroundings were a sea of fire. But this sea of fire didn't have any scorching heat. He stretched out his hand, numbly, as if passing through nothing, from within the flames.

  Is this fire?...

  The scene he had just witnessed gave him an unprecedented shock!

  For several days, Zuo Mo was in a daze, the scene in his mind replaying continuously before his eyes. He was like a wooden puppet, lost and dispirited, muddle-headed.

  Those eerie and powerful images, every detail, as if deeply etched in his mind.

  Like fire...

  Xiao Guo wiped away her sweat and looked at the scratch on the wooden board in front of her, a joyful expression appearing on her simple and lovely apple-like face.

  She can also emit sword aura now!

  Moreover, this was still her own sword aura without using the golden sword ring given by Zuo Mo Shixiong, but rather relying on her own cultivation to emit it. She had been persisting in practicing with the jade slip that Zuo Mo gave her last time, and she didn't even know how the time passed. The things inside the jade slip weren't complicated, but for a girl who had been locked up in the breeding room since childhood, the difficulty was no less than ascending to heaven.

  Sweat, tiredness, pain, practicing wrong, don't understand, at a loss...

  In secret, she didn't know how many times she cried, her eyes became swollen like peaches, but every time after crying, she would start practicing again, in pain and tiredness, then cry again, and start practicing again...

  Those delicate and tender hands now have a hint of firmness and strength.

  Sister has become an inner disciple, brother has also become an inner disciple...

  She clenched her small fist tightly, and her watery eyes were filled with determination - Xiaoguo must also become an inner disciple!

  In the past, she was taken care of by her senior sister, and later by her senior brother. Although her senior brother was a bit ugly and had a bad temper, somehow, Xiaoguo felt that this senior brother whom she was a little afraid of became her role model in her heart. Especially when her senior brother gave her the jade slip, reminding her to practice hard and protect everyone, Xiaoguo secretly made up her mind to work harder!

  She thought innocently with her head tilted.

  "Xiao Guo, Xiao Guo." Someone called out to her.

  "Ah." She hastily replied.

  Several senior sisters ran over and said in unison: "Let's go to Dongfu for a trip, it's been a long time since we last went."

  "Come with us."

  No one knew she was practicing swordplay, and every day's practice, she would sneak away alone.

  She didn't really want to go, and today's practice wasn't finished yet. Just as she was about to refuse, she suddenly remembered what her senior had told her - to take care of everyone. The words were on the tip of her tongue, but changed into: "Mm, okay!"

  Dong Fudian, Yu Bai reported to Tian Songzi: "The invitations have all been sent out, and the Wu Kong Sword Sect and the Dong Xi Sword Sect were both personally delivered by the disciples."

  "Ah, good work." Tenshoko nodded in approval, then suddenly remembered something and instructed, "Recently, keep a close eye on the people inside the city and make sure nothing goes wrong."

  "What's going on?" Yu Bai was taken aback and asked hastily.

  "Do you still remember the last time Sirius appeared during the daytime?"

  "Do you remember, what was discovered?" Yu Bai's heart skipped a beat, that strange and eerie scene, he feared he would never forget in his lifetime. Wei Sheng's foundation-laying ceremony had an extraordinary phenomenon, with sword energy soaring into the clouds, leaving him deeply shocked. But compared to that, those stars that quietly appeared without any fanfare in the blue sky, made him feel a chill to the bone.

  Tian Songzi shook his head: "No. The boundary master had used his divine sense to scan the entire boundary, and hadn't found anything unusual. However, later the boundary master had sought help from his sect, and that was when they discovered that Baitian Xing was related to the demon."

  "Yao mo?" Yu Bai's voice trailed off.

  "Not bad, but even in ancient books, the records about it are very vague, only knowing that it is related to demons and monsters." Tian Songzi's face was solemn, and he said in a low voice: "The key is, this is an omen of great disaster!"

  "A great calamity is approaching!" Yu Bai's face turned slightly pale.

  Heavenly anomalies, although not common, do occur from time to time. The discovery of treasures, breakthroughs in personal cultivation, and the refinement of equipment or elixirs can all trigger heavenly anomalies. However, as far as Yu Bai knows, there are only two or three types of heavenly anomalies that can be considered ominous signs of great calamity. Each of these two or three types of ominous signs signifies a catastrophic change in heaven and earth, with blood flowing like rivers. For example, when a realm is on the verge of shattering, the sky collapses, and the rivers overflow into the heavens, this is an ominous sign of great calamity. In such circumstances, even the highest level of cultivation cannot escape death, and one will perish along with the realm, becoming nothingness.

  "Tian Songzi sighed, "The world is really going to be in chaos! The demons are rising!" He glanced at Yu Bai and continued, "You don't have to worry too much. Demons are the common enemy of all cultivators, on this point, no matter which sect or school, there will be no retreat. This time, the Tian Tian realm has sent many powerful experts, who will arrive in Tian Yue realm soon to investigate this incident. The incoming cultivators are extremely powerful, to avoid unnecessary conflicts, you must restrain the people below and prevent any chaos from happening. Also, remember to notify the local sects and schools."

  "Yes!" Yu Bai hastily replied.

  "I hope they can clear it up." Tiansongzi muttered to himself.

  Yu Bai was speechless, but didn't know how to comfort his master.