Truly, this place held little difference from the maze-like caverns outside. Long, winding passageways, countless branching paths. The sole distinction lay in the fact that along the stone walls, approximately every hundred paces, rested an ever-burning lamp. These lamps were fueled by siphoned spiritual energy from heaven and earth, ensuring they would never extinguish for ten thousand years. Looking back, the passage had already solidified into an unbroken stone wall. Even touching it yielded no sense of anomaly.

Zong Shou navigated by matching the map to his own comprehension of the maze. It took him barely fifteen minutes to locate the exact spot marked on the diagram. However, at this location, nothing remained save for a few of those lamps.

Frowning slightly, Zong Shou scrutinized the map in his hand. A sudden spark of understanding ignited within him—the map was indeed a forgery. He could not fathom who had spread this treasure map around, but if his suspicions were correct, the individual responsible must have found themselves incapable of entering this very domain. Thus, they dispersed the map, operating under the assumption that if they could not find the treasure, others could do the searching for them, allowing the originator to reap the rewards effortlessly.

With a cold sneer, a world-shaking true essence burst forth from Zong Shou’s palm. He clapped his hands together, and the spiraling vortex of ice and fire energy instantly ground the silk cloth completely into dust! Yet, as anticipated, there was a small object nestled within.

It resisted the impact of the world-shaking true essence for a full breath. Then, a faint peng sound echoed between Zong Shou’s palms. Something seemed to shatter, and a layer of dense, silvery light abruptly flashed forth. Wisps of fragmented soul power drifted outward in all directions.

Zong Shou separated his hands, revealing his palm covered entirely in silvery powder. A faint, delicate fragrance wafted into his nose.

“Yinxiang Chan Zhen? Is this from Jue Long City?” Zong Shou recognized the technique, a method commonly employed by Jue Long City of the Canglang Sea. Following a scent to trace a location, even across ten thousand miles.

These people had certainly set a shrewd trap. They likely intended to secure the hiding place of the Nine Dragon True Blood after slaying Venerable Xuan Lang. Yet, believing they could not breach this territory, sealed off by the restrictions of Elder Long Ying, they devised this scheme. It was probable that the people of Jue Long City had already discovered the method by which he had entered this place.

But so what if they knew? To enter required mastery over the nine distinct True Dragon Sword Intents. The nine steps taken to enter, not a single one could be mistaken. He truly doubted Jue Long City could achieve it!

Zong Shou’s only real astonishment now was how Venerable Xuan Lang had managed to enter in the first place. If that person had also mastered the nine Sword Intents, then even if he failed to inherit Elder Long Ying’s legacy, his strength should have advanced significantly.

By Zong Shou’s estimation, upon viewing all nine stone chambers and entering the inner sect region on the upper level, his strength could potentially increase by one or two tiers. Venerable Xuan Lang, having escaped the pursuit of Jue Long City, already possessed exceptional power, likely at the peak of the sixth tier. If he could master the complete True Dragon Sword Intent and enter the inner domain, his power might immediately vault to the seventh tier. At that level, few in the world could stand against him.

Among them, the Wind and Cloud Dragon Sword concealed an ultimate movement technique of this world—traveling a thousand miles in an instant, unpredictable and changing. When unleashed, even an eighth-tier expert would struggle to track him. Yet, this man had been killed by the forces of Jue Long City not long after.

However, whether this man entered through the proper path or by some unorthodox means, it must have been exceptionally difficult.

Walking leisurely, Zong Shou this time headed straight for the location of the stone chamber. This cavern room was also remarkably narrow, spanning only about five zhang in length and width, north to south. But the walls held neither fragments of sword formulas nor abstract murals. Instead, there were twenty-eight figures—all depicting middle-aged men standing poised with swords.

The swords in their hands showed several faint lines, indicating the shifting trajectories of the sword path. On their bodies were dozens of red dots, marking vital points of the human anatomy. Interspersed among these were scores of green arrows, presumably annotating the vital energy flow principles required for wielding the sword.

Zong Shou merely glanced once and burst into laughter. Of the twenty-eight diagrams, only eighteen were genuine, representing the most crucial elements of these nine True Dragon Sword Intents. They largely matched his own deductions, though the methods for circulating energy differed slightly.

Zong Shou possessed a dual-meridian body and cultivated the World-Shaking True Force; consequently, the vast majority of the world’s cultivation techniques were ineffective for him. Fortunately, his profound martial arts accumulation from his previous life allowed him to modify and adapt such techniques to suit his peculiar constitution.

He then looked upward. Above, there were also humanoid patterns. A man danced with his sword, the flow of true qi through his meridians meticulously charted in the diagram.

Zong Shou had initially sought only the most vital components of the Ninety-Nine Dragon Shadow Sword to reconstruct the complete technique. But after one look, he could not tear his eyes away. Instead, he sucked in a sharp breath, fixing his gaze upon the depiction, utterly transfixed.

The diagrams above detailed more than just the true essence of the Ninety-Nine Dragon Shadow Sword. They contained Elder Long Ying’s very contemplation on the pinnacle of swordsmanship. The entire process of deducing how to merge the nine completely disparate True Dragon Sword Intents into one was laid bare upon them!

The diagrams of the middle-aged man occupied nine massive panels just within this room alone. The remaining portions, too numerous to be etched into this small chamber, extended inward, reaching out into the external passages.

Zong Shou drew a deep breath and followed the progression of these images inward.

To others, these murals would likely be overlooked, dismissed as mere etchings. But not for Zong Shou; his heart surged with turbulent emotion that refused to settle. To merge nine kinds of True Dragon Sword Intents and forge the Ninety-Nine Dragon Shadow Sword Art—Elder Long Ying’s achievement in the Way of the Sword was truly unparalleled!

The concept and reasoning behind unifying these nine Sword Intents stirred a tempest within his own spirit. For one dedicated to fusing the swordsmanship of a hundred schools into a single crucible, every diagram etched upon the cavern ceiling was invaluable. They promised to save him countless detours, offering abundant insights for reference. In just this brief span, countless inspirations surged within his mind; ideas he had never conceived before were pouring forth ceaselessly. In fact, the core components of the Ninety-Nine Dragon Shadow Sword Art could almost be used directly as the foundational skeleton for his own technique, the Primordial One Sword.

The forty-nine murals depicting the middle-aged man wielding his sword culminated in the final panel, which contained the true essence and core maxim of the Ninety-Nine Dragon Shadow Sword. Naturally, a sword art reaching the tenth-grade Saint Spirit level could not be so simple. All the patterns and sword marks in this lower, outer section were merely the most rudimentary aspects of this technique, peaking only at the sixth-tier peak. Even though Zong Shou could elevate the nine True Dragon Swords to the level of Sword Intent, that was the limit here. To truly receive Elder Long Ying’s inheritance—the complete Sword Intent and the full Ninety-Nine Dragon Shadow Sword—he would have to enter the upper level to comprehend it.

When Zong Shou had firmly imprinted that final diagram onto his consciousness, he let out a light cough. Then, it would not stop—a continuous, heart-wrenching fit of coughing. Finally, a thread of blood managed to escape his lips.

Zong Shou’s face was now utterly pale. He realized this was because his focus had been too absolute moments before; he had completely forgotten to harmonize his breath and regulate the circulation of true qi within his body. The extreme fluctuation of his spirit, coupled with the drain on his mental energy, had fully triggered the internal injuries sustained in the previous fierce battle. Already possessing a dual-meridian body, even slightly vigorous exertion could cause conflicts in his internal breath circulation, let alone a battle of that intensity? He had been forcibly suppressing the issues, planning to regulate them slowly, but now it seemed that was impossible.

From his Qiankun Bag, Zong Shou quickly took out several spirit pills and swallowed them. It took a full quarter of an hour before the coughing subsided. The turbulent, churning flow of true qi within his meridians gradually calmed. Unexpectedly, the Thunder Winged Yang Snake hidden on his arm felt intensely hot, restless, and agitated, seemingly troubled by something, though it was not gravely harmed.

Zong Shou let out a breath of relief, then clenched his fist suddenly. This Ninety-Nine Dragon Shadow Sword, he was determined to obtain it!

He looked up again and paused slightly. Before him, the view had broadened dramatically, no longer the narrow passage of before. It was an immensely vast courtyard, complete with mountains, water features, pavilions, towers, flowers, and grasses. Overhead, a massive Mingguang Jade emitted a gentle radiance, sustaining the growth of the vegetation here. This place maintained the perpetual spring of a summer day, feeling as if one were under the open sky within the depths of the cavern. Before him lay a colossal lake. Directly opposite stood a cavern door.

The door was sealed shut, yet through it, a massive, intricately patterned dragon totem could faintly be discerned. Zong Shou glanced at it, then his attention was immediately drawn to over a dozen scattered pebbles before the stone gate.

Zong Shou raised an eyebrow; those small stones seemed utterly out of place. Then he suddenly laughed—he now knew exactly where the nine drops of True Dragon Blood were hidden!

Turning around, Zong Shou walked back the way he came. He passed through the stone chamber and stepped back into the maze. After traversing several passages, Zong Shou stopped before an ever-burning lamp. He leaned in for a close look and indeed found something concealed within. Taking everything out, he discovered a jade vial containing something unknown. Following that was an exquisite glazed flower chalice. Inside it, nine drops of crimson liquid were separately stored within nine fluid-like structures resembling petals.

“True Dragon Blood!”

Zong Shou recognized it instantly as the blood of the Primeval Divine Dragon. Although a spiritual array within the glazed flower chalice concealed all its aura and spiritual energy fluctuations, the faintly discernible, ancient, wild ruggedness could not be faked.

“Blood of the Thunder Dragon—and three drops at that. What incredible luck…”

Seeing that his innate protective spirit beast, the Thunder Winged Yang Snake, had already moved out from his arm autonomously, Zong Shou smiled slightly and unhesitatingly took out those three drops of slightly purple-tinged dragon blood. He then dripped them one by one into the body of the Thunder Winged Yang Snake. With the first drop absorbed, countless bolts of lightning erupted wildly. The form of the Thunder Winged Yang Snake began to transform.