Chapter 323

: Infiltrating the Sword Mound
Translator: 
Myriea_ActiasLuna 
 Editor: 
Nou
Under the guidance of the Flag of Ten Thousand Spirits, all the cultivators followed the black cloud as it headed towards the Sword Mound. In their eyes, this black cloud had been released by the flag of that little demon, so as long as the black mist was present, the flag had to be as well. No one had ever heard of an Ancient weapon that was able to control itself, after all, and these people had no idea that since the Peng King had entered the flag and now acted as its main spirit, the Peng King was able to control it himself. As everyone dashed towards the Sword Mound in such an impressive display, Fang Xing had already left.
Fang Xing’s plan was simple. An attack on the Sword Mound with so many people would undoubtedly be met with powerful resistance from the three Bewitched Followers tribes guarding the Sword Mound, and although the guardians were mighty, the attacking force had many masters with high battle prowess hidden within; it was only a matter a time before the resistance was broken through and the Sword Mound was entered.
Once the group entered the Sword Mound, the cultivators would once again find another battle, but this time with each other. Based on the information gathered by Li Ying and the others, the Sword Mound contained only a mere hundred or so Sword Embryos, and most of them were of poor quality. Sword Embryos with higher quality would likely be no more than a handful—how could there be enough to distribute between so many cultivators? The cultivators would assuredly battle it out, and Fang Xing—even with his great battle prowess—wouldn’t be able to suppress everyone else, so he planned to use this group of cultivators to draw the attention of the three guarding tribes outside the Sword Mound while he snuck into the Sword Mound himself.
Thanks to his alliance, Fang Xing already had enough detailed information to know the basic layout of the Sword Mound. A dilapidated grand hall had fallen from the sky and landed in a deserted graveyard hundreds of miles away from the Chaotic Stone Mountain. The Sword Embryos with the highest quality were being nurtured inside the grand hall, whereas a collection of damaged and lower quality Sword Embryos were scattered about outside. As for the graveyard itself, it was surrounded by three mountain ranges, which meant three different methods of entering. After taking over the Sword Mound, the Huangfu clan had placed a large formation along the mountain ranges to seal the graveyard and take control over the three entrances before assigning the Fiery Cloud, Shaken Cloud, and Black Swamp tribes to an entrance apiece. The Nine Songs Tribe was placed at the center as backup, but they’d later been sent to capture and kill the
little demon
, leaving only the three other tribes behind as protection.
The three tribes would normally be enough on their own—since they represented the Huangfu clan, who would have the guts to come and cause trouble in front of them? Even disregarding the Huangfu clan, whether it was in terms of battle prowess or influence, the three young leaders of these tribes were among the top of the top young elites within Jambu as well. There weren’t many who were willing to test their luck against them, as doing such a thing was the same as seeking their own death.
Thanks to the allure of the Sword Embryos, however, the three tribes were heavily outnumbered, and there were quite a few powerful cultivators with excellent battle prowess among the group. This combined might was definitely not something the three tribes could resist against, and it would definitely require all of their force to try to fend off these cultivators who’d banded together. The other two entrances would be weakened and it would be easier for Fang Xing to infiltrate his way inside, especially now that he’d reunited with the golden crow and ordinary formations no longer mattered. Of course, the two hadn’t come across a single formation yet that wasn’t considered
ordinary
in their minds.

Oh, so wicked. So, so wicked…
the golden crow responded with surprise upon hearing Fang Xing’s plan, but it didn’t take long before he winked back.
I like it….

Fang Xing rolled his eyes.
Stay the hell away from me. I don’t like men,especially 
you as you are right now.

The golden crow showed a sly smile.
That’s not a problem. I have a little cousin who’s incredibly pretty, although she’s a bit of a babbler….

Initially speechless, Fang Xing replied,
Do you know this is the sixth time you’ve tried to betroth your cousin to me?


We keep the good stuff in the family. Don’t be so shy now!


…

Even as the pair argued, they continued flying at an incredibly fast speed towards the Sword Mound. They even made a few aerial detours to keep themselves from being seen, but with the present-day Golden Crow’s speed, they were still much faster than an ordinary Foundation Stage cultivator. The Mysterious Domain prohibited all spells that allowed people to form flying clouds as a means of transportation, which meant cultivators relied on either skills that temporarily allowed them to leap into the sky, or Flying Swords, and both would waste a substantial amount of Qi while being much slower by comparison.
Before long, the two of them arrived in the area surrounding the Sword Mound. Looking from afar, the flags of battle had already been raised inside the Sword Mound and cultivators had started to fly up into the sky.
Fang Xing chose the northwestern entrance, where there were dangerous sharp cliffs and a narrow road that was difficult to navigate through. Furthermore, a greyish-white mist covered the path and reduced line of sight, making it the easiest entrance to sneak inside. When Fang Xing and the others had originally formed the alliance, they’d planned to have Fang Xing use his Flag of Ten Thousand Spirits as a cover to sneak attack this location before entering the Sword Mound and plundering the Sword Embryos inside.
Fang Xing had turned the original sneaky scheme into a highway robbery, and the original plan was naturally abandoned as well. The Peng King used Fang Xing’s name while attacking the southeastern entrance, the location that was the most spacious and would allow for the greatest number of people to battle. Fang Xing, still intended to sneak inside from the northwest, however, so that he could enter the Sword Mound a step ahead of everyone else.
Inside the formation’s entrance, three black-robed cultivators sat in lotus positions atop the stone walls. Their appearance was hazy, although Fang Xing was able to somewhat make out their cultivation levels thanks to his powerful spirit sense and keen senses. All of them were at the peak of Spirit Stage—rather low in terms of cultivation level—but this was all within Fang Xing’s expectations; this place would have had a Foundation Stage cultivator guarding as well, but they’d been moved away.
The Peng King had arrived at the southeastern entrance by now and started the assault, and the three guarding tribes had sent people over as backup. Only three Spirit Stage disciples remained behind, and their job was only to guard the formation at the entrance. The screams and shouts of battle were somewhat audible even from this distance, and the spiritual shine amidst the black smog could be seen as well. This place was incredibly quiet by contrast, and the three cultivators were all absentmindedly looking towards the southeast.

Goldy, let’s go!
Fang Xing quietly ordered.
Make sure your speed is fast. Don’t trigger the formation, and don’t give them time to send any messages….

One man, one crow. After a quick moment of communication, both of them rushed towards the formation.

Who dares enter the Sword Mound without permission?


No! Activate the formation!


Message the leader, someone is attempting to break the formation!

Although the three people inside didn’t have a high cultivation level, there was a reason why they’d remained behind while everyone else went as backup. The three of them were all very cautious and attentive, and they were supposed to be alerted the moment they noticed anyone trying to enter the formation. From there, someone would activate the formation to suppress the intruder while another would take out jade message talismans to send a message to their young leader at the southeast entrance.
Their reactions were not slow at all. Normally speaking, with the three of them standing guard as well as the formation at the entranceway, even a late-Foundation Stage cultivator would require some time to break inside, ensuring the guards’ messages would be successfully sent. Unfortunately, the three of them hadn’t met the combination of Fang Xing and the golden crow, who were so fast as to be like sparks of lightning.

Go die!
the golden crow roared after entering the formation. The crow dashed towards the cultivator nearest to him while Fang Xing flung out two Flying Swords, causing the other two cultivators—the first about six feet away, the second about twelve—to both be killed in the blink of an eye. The golden crow meanwhile thrust himself directly against the remaining cultivator and slammed him up against the stone wall with a rumbling noise.

Oh my god, I’m so dizzy…
the golden crow cried out—his beak had imbedded itself into the wall from his attack.

Sht, just how sturdy are you, Goldy?
Even Fang Xing was surprised at the sight as he grabbed the golden crow’s tail and tugged him back out. It was then that he discovered that despite smashing the cultivator into a complete mess and breaking a large hole in the stone wall, this golden crow didn’t have a trace of injury—he’d simply used too much force and was feeling a little dizzy. Such a physique was extremely extraordinary, and Fang Xing even felt the golden crow had battle prowess no less than the peak of early Foundation Stage. In spite of all this, the golden crow was still somehow at a Spirit Stage cultivation level—how bizarre!

Don’t touch me. I’m… I’m dizzy….
the golden crow unsteadily replied while shaking his head.
Fang Xing looked at him with disdain.
Why did you give such a strong attack knowing it’d make you dizzy?


Seeing these traitors just makes me so angry….

That explained things. Due to the Beast Exhausting Battle three thousand years ago, there was a deep enmity between the Eight Bewitched Followers and the beast tribes. Because of this, all the beast tribes—such as the Jiao-snake beasts like this cultivator was—within the Eight Bewitched Followers had been completely abandoned by the beasts and viewed as traitors to their own kind, forming an enmity that had lasted thousands of years ever since.

You just stay dizzy then; I’m going to check out those babies inside….
Fang Xing’s eyes gleamed and he rubbed his hands together before he rushed inside the Sword Mound, leaving the golden crow behind.

Ey, wait for me!
The golden crow screamed before chasing after him. In front of such a grand fortune, he didn’t have time to be dizzy anymore.
One man, one crow, both dashed inside. It didn’t take long before they passed the mountain’s edge and came across a deserted graveyard with broken tombstones and desolate hills all scattered about. It was impossible to tell how many thousands of years ago it had existed, and the cover of fog made it seem as though it continued without end.
Some of the deserted tombs and hills had been pierced through with damaged weapons, and although some of the weapons were sticking straight up and others were at an angle, all of them contained malice even still. Fang Xing saw a Refined Iron longsword not far away, and a mesmerized look appeared on his face as he began to slowly walk closer.
This is a Sword Embryo?