# Chapter 1141: Washing Away the Mortal Dust
The opening of the City of Fate had no fixed time regulation; everything was under the sole control of the Prophet. By now, no one knew how many talented individuals had gathered in the four ancient cities surrounding the City of Fate, all patiently waiting, waiting for its opening.
It was said that every time the City of Fate opened, great opportunities and clashes of geniuses were a given. The Prophet was one of the most mysterious figures; he would only appear once when the City of Fate opened. No one knew the Prophet's true identity, and no one even knew what level of expert the Prophet was.
Someone had once asked a Martial Emperor about it, but the Martial Emperor remained silent. Yet the City of Fate could gather the world's talents, and its power of appeal was self-evident.
There was a saying: Once you enter the City of Fate, from then on, life and death are determined by fate. Inside, all connection with the outside world is severed. No matter how heaven-defying your methods, no matter if you are the descendant of a peerless Martial Emperor, it was useless. Inside, everyone was the same. If you died, those outside would not even know how you died. So even if your ancestors were supreme experts, if your own cultivation was insufficient, you had better keep a low profile, or you would be hunted.
One of the four ancient cities, Sword City, had gradually calmed down after the storm caused by Lin Feng. For now, no one dared to kill Lin Feng. The Sword Pavilion people called him their Young Master, and the Heavenly Terrace people also wanted to protect him. If anyone dared to make a move in Sword City, once Lin Feng crushed the Sword Seal, they would not be able to fly out of Sword City even if they had wings. Locked firmly by the Sword Pavilion's Sword Seal, they would surely die.
At this moment, in a palace outside Sword City, two figures sat directly by the window — a man and a woman. The man was handsome and refined, the woman breathtakingly beautiful. This fairy-like beauty rested her head lightly on the young man's shoulder, a sweet, contented smile on her lips. Neither spoke, silently keeping each other company. At this moment, silence spoke louder than words, like a beautiful painting.
"If life could be frozen at this moment forever, how wonderful would that be?" Leaning on Lin Feng's shoulder, Meng Qing looked up at the starry sky. In this quiet world, there was only Lin Feng and her, along with the starry sky and the gentle moonlight.
"Silly girl, life holds too many wonders. I still have to take you through them one by one. Besides, our lives are limited. If Heaven only allowed you to stay by my side for a mere few hundred years, how could that be enough? I want you by my side for a thousand years, ten thousand years, until the end of time." Lin Feng also looked up at the starry sky. If this were his previous life, perhaps he would have been willing to spend a hundred years of worldly splendor. But in this life, since people could extend their lifespan through cultivation, why not pursue it? He did not want to experience the pain of separation by life and death. He did not want to see his loved ones fade away in the river of time. Therefore, he hoped to use his own strength to fight for a hundred lifetimes of glory.
Standing at the peak of the martial path, with his head holding up the sky and his feet planted on the ground, supporting a vast firmament — this was also his pursuit. Moreover, in the cruel martial world, without formidable strength, one had no right to be carefree in the world. Without strength, he was despised and bullied by the strong. Without strength, Meng Qing, because of her beauty, was coveted by others.
"Then I will stay by your side until the end of time." Meng Qing smiled sweetly, her eyes full of tender affection.
"You've accompanied me for so long. Shouldn't you go cultivate?" Meng Qing shifted slightly, wanting to leave time for Lin Feng to cultivate, but a hand firmly held her shoulder.
"You can stay by my side, and I can still cultivate," Lin Feng said with a smile.
Then, with a thought, a dazzling sword shot out from his body, streaking across the void, soaring into the sky, and reaching the heavens.
Looking up, Lin Feng's eyes were filled with sharpness, like a peerless divine sword. Between his gaze and the sword in the sky, there seemed to be countless ethereal threads connecting them.
The sword trembled incessantly in the void, emitting soft hums, gradually pointing straight at the moon in the sky.
"Borrowing the essence of heaven and earth, the light of the sun and moon, to wash away the mortal dust!" Lin Feng uttered a sound.
Then, around the sword in the sky, countless essences of heaven and earth gathered around the sword body, washing the sword. The sword's body became dazzling and brilliant, a layer of halo enveloping it.
In the sky, moonlight sprinkled down from the void. The illusory moonlight seemed to materialize, also falling on the sword, refracting light that became even more dazzling.
Borrowing the essence of heaven and earth, the light of the sun and moon, washing the sword, washing away the mortal dust — this was a method recorded in the sword scripture that the Old Man had taught him. To nurture a sword, one must first control the sword and wash the sword.
This sword scripture could not be cultivated by anyone without great perseverance, but it was definitely an extremely terrifying sword cultivation method, created by some unparalleled genius of the sword path. Moreover, to this day, Lin Feng still did not understand why the Old Man would help him so much. However, Lin Feng always refrained from overthinking things he could not understand. In any case, he knew the Old Man had no intention of harming him. After all, with the Old Man's methods, killing or controlling him would be effortless. He did not believe the other party was merely a sick old man sweeping the floor.
"Washing the sword." Meng Qing looked at the sword in the sky, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes. Then she smiled and continued to lean on Lin Feng's shoulder. She did not ask anything. There was no need for her to know about Lin Feng's cultivation matters. As long as Lin Feng was well, that was enough.
At this moment, some people seemed to notice something. They looked up at the sky. In the distant heavens, there seemed to be a powerful sword undergoing the refinement of heaven and earth's essence.
"Sacred Artifact!" The crowd's hearts trembled. What a formidable method — using the essence of heaven and earth to temper and wash the sword, making the Sacred Artifact sword sharper and stronger. This kind of method was extremely rare and should be the work of a very powerful sword cultivator controlling the sword in secret. It was best not to disturb them.
Many people lowered their heads again, busy with their own affairs, ignoring the Sacred Artifact sword hanging high in the sky. There was no need to provoke an unknown existence. Someone who could control a sword like this to undergo the baptism of heaven and earth's essence could not be weak.
However, there were always those who lost their senses due to greed. At this moment, after hesitating for a moment, a person rushed into the sky, directly landing not far from the Sacred Artifact sword, a look of fervor in his eyes.
This was a young man. He was about to enter the City of Fate but did not have a powerful weapon. Now that a Sacred Artifact appeared in the void, he naturally wanted to try his luck.
The young man stretched out his hand and trembled, sending a force onto the sword. The sword emitted a buzzing sound.
"Scram!" A voice rang out in the sky, startling the young man. His body trembled slightly as he stared at the sword, his eyes flickering.
"Who?" the young man asked coldly.
"I told you to scram!" The tip of the Sacred Artifact sword turned, directly pointing at the young man. Dazzling cold light flickered, and a terrifying killing intent emanated from the sword, making the young man feel extremely cold.
Turning around, the young man directly flashed away, disappearing in the blink of an eye. His heart could not calm down for a long time. How could this be? Someone was using the sword to emit sound and even releasing killing intent. How terrifying.
After the young man left, the sword in the sky continued to soar upward, heading higher, continuing to undergo the refinement of heaven and earth.
However, that scene was seen by observant people, and no one continued to covet the Sacred Artifact sword. It should be a terrifying sword expert washing his sword.
In the following days, the many palaces outside the City of Fate remained peaceful. The arrival of talented youths gradually came to an end, while those who arrived early were quietly cultivating, hoping to make their cultivation stronger before entering the City of Fate.
During these days, every night, people would see a Sacred Artifact sword hanging high in the sky, undergoing refinement by the essence of heaven and earth, attracting the attention of many. Some had also tried to take the sword before, but upon hearing a voice coming from the sword, they immediately retreated, not daring to act. If it was a terrifying sword cultivator refining his sword, and they dared to forcefully seize it, they would not even know how they died. With the City of Fate about to open, it was better to keep a low profile.
In the blink of an eye, more than half a month passed. Many people noticed that the sword in the void seemed even more dazzling, as if it was gradually transforming. Its light became more and more brilliant, and the essence of the sun and moon it absorbed became more and more intense, as if it was a bottomless pit, encompassing everything, wanting to wash away the mortal dust. Many people were quite shocked in their hearts. Such endless washing of the sword could even raise the sword's grade!
And on this full moon night, in the direction of the City of Fate, curling mists rose from the earth. In the void, a vast city slowly came into view, like a mirage!