# Chapter 623: Sword Qi in the Cave
In the Fallen Heaven Mountain Range, the crowd gradually dispersed, all heading toward another location—the Mysterious City, Flood Dragon Grotto.
However, some people did not leave the Fallen Heaven Mountain Range. They stayed within the mountain range to cultivate and consolidate their cultivation bases.
Lin Feng, for instance, had a brief reunion with Han Man before entrusting Xiao Ya to Han Man's care. Having learned from his previous experience, Lin Feng did not want anyone to see him getting too close to Xiao Ya and the others. In this Snow Domain Grand Competition, there would inevitably be casualties and offenses made. Not to mention Yu Liushui, if he killed people from other factions, they would come looking for trouble as well.
If they couldn't deal with him, they might target those around him.
Night fell, and a sense of tranquility permeated the Fallen Heaven Mountain Range. Inside a cave within the mountain range, Lin Feng sat cross-legged with his eyes tightly shut. A faint luster emanated from his entire body. This wisp of light faintly took the shape of a sword, exuding a sharp and piercing aura.
At this moment, Lin Feng's consciousness was immersed in that desolate space—a space with only emptiness, yellow earth, and that sword.
A simple sword, a pure sword. Aside from heaven and earth, there was only this sword.
Lin Feng's consciousness had never left this sword. He let himself sink into it, completely and utterly immersed.
There were no grand battles from the Buddha-Demon Era, nor the endless divine abilities of that era. This sword in the desolate space belonged to a completely different memory from the Buddha-Demon Era.
The Buddha-Demon Era was about observing the battles and evolutions of Buddhas and demons, constantly comprehending the divine abilities of Buddha and demon techniques.
But this sword—a motionless sword—could never yield sword technique insights from it. Lin Feng understood that this sword was meant to make him cast aside everything. Between heaven and earth, there was only this sword. What it embodied was the origin of the sword, returning to the beginning.
Sitting cross-legged within the stone cave, a wisp of sword intent surged from Lin Feng's body. Moreover, as Lin Feng observed the sword, this sword intent slowly grew stronger—not soaring to the heavens with sharp, dominating energy, but strengthening bit by bit.
It seemed like a long time had passed. The sword intent on Lin Feng's body began to emit solid light, extending outward from his body. Around Lin Feng, it was as if countless swords existed—radiant swords.
"Swish, swish..."
The surging sword intent let out piercing whistling sounds. The strengthening sword intent and sword light extended to the cave walls and ceiling, cutting into the stone. Gradually, countless holes appeared in the cave walls, pierced through by sword qi. And these holes grew more and more numerous.
Even more terrifying was that the stones struck by the sword qi directly disintegrated, turning to dust and dissipating into nothingness.
Before long, it seemed as if a layer of smoky dust floated within the cave.
At this moment, outside the cave, on the eight main peaks of the Fallen Heaven Demon Domain, a figure stepped forward, walking onto the land where the Fallen Heaven Demon Domain had vanished.
A trace of blood-red light flickered in this figure's eyes, appearing extremely eerie in the night.
Standing on the ground, the figure revealed a sinister smile at the corner of his mouth. Opening his mouth, he fiercely inhaled toward the space. Instantly, the corpse qi contained in the dead bodies within the Fallen Heaven Demon Domain turned into light smoke, continuously flowing into his mouth as he devoured it.
A look of intoxication appeared on the figure's pale face. As expected, the corpse qi emitted by the geniuses who died in the Snow Domain was indeed of excellent quality.
As this corpse qi entered his body, it instantly merged into a terrifying vortex, swirling wildly before transforming into pure, evil true essence power, gradually strengthening his aura.
On the vanished land of the Fallen Heaven Demon Domain, countless wisps of dark corpse qi continuously flowed into his mouth, enhancing his cultivation power.
Throughout all this, another person on the eight main peaks watched everything unfold, witnessing it all. However, he remained expressionless, very calm, showing no surprise at all.
"The Corpse Devouring Art of the Heavenly Fiend Sect—corpse qi and true essence can transform into each other. Truly evil enough. But such evil arts are not refined and will never amount to anything."
That person looked down from above at the figure below, speaking in a domineering and indifferent tone, causing a cold smile to flicker in the eyes of the person below.
Opening his mouth and inhaling fiercely, all the clumps of corpse qi were swallowed into his body. Only then did the ground return to calm.
"Amount to nothing?" Raising his head, Blood Fiend's gaze fell on Imperial Mausoleum in the void, a hint of evil intent flickering in his eyes.
"Imperial Mausoleum, when the final battle of the Snow Domain Grand Competition comes, I'll devour you too. Then you might not say such things anymore." Blood Fiend spoke arrogantly, looking down on everything.
Imperial Mausoleum snorted coldly, turned around, and stepped away, leaving that main peak.
"I'll be waiting for you."
A distant voice came as Imperial Mausoleum's figure completely vanished into the darkness. Meanwhile, Blood Fiend's body shot up into the sky, returning to another main peak.
At the same time, in the darkness of the Fallen Heaven Mountain Range, black coffins continuously flew and moved about. At a certain place in the mountain range, someone sat cross-legged cultivating, having entered a meditative state. A pitch-black coffin silently appeared beside him. The coffin lid slowly opened, and a skeletal hand extended from within, directly grabbing the cultivator and pulling him into the coffin.
A miserable scream rang out in the night, drifting far away before slowly dissipating, returning to silence.
Moreover, this was not the only place. In many locations throughout the Fallen Heaven Mountain Range, the same scene was playing out.
Standing on the main peak, Blood Fiend calmly watched all of this. The smile at the corner of his mouth remained just as sinister, his face pale like a demon.
Since the Heavenly Fiend Sect had come all the way to the Mysterious City, how could they leave without taking something? These people cultivating in the Fallen Heaven Mountain Range were all their nourishment.
At this moment, a coffin drifted to the outside of a cave, paused briefly, then silently moved into the cave. Inside the cave, sure enough, someone was cultivating.
The coffin silently opened, and another skeletal hand extended from within, slowly reaching forward.
"Ah..."
Fresh blood suddenly blossomed in the space. A miserable scream shattered the silence of the cave. The hand that had been reaching out tried to grab the person through the sword intent, but that sword intent was like a solid sword, directly tearing his hand apart.
How was this possible? How could sword qi have such terrifying power?
The coffin flew backward, trying to retreat from the cave. But at this moment, an invisible sword light enveloped the entire cave. The dormant sword intent let out violent whistling sounds, accompanied by continuous tearing noises. The coffin was shredded by the sword qi. Miserable cries rang out, and the person inside the coffin was also torn to pieces by the sword qi.
The young figure sitting cross-legged slightly opened his eyes, showing no expression. Then he closed them again, calm without the slightest ripple.
The cave returned to its previous silence.
Outside the cave, coffins flying through the night seemed to hear the sounds from here. They paused briefly, and then these three coffins simultaneously turned around, heading toward the direction from which the miserable cry had come.
Before long, they arrived once again outside that cave.
These three coffins did not immediately drift into the cave. Instead, they landed outside and stopped.
The coffin lids slowly opened, and three figures crawled out. Their forms were withered and extremely thin, but their entire bodies exuded an evil aura.
These three exchanged glances, then stepped into the cave together.
Soon, they also saw a young figure sitting cross-legged inside the cave, seemingly cultivating.
Beside the cultivating youth, wisps of sword intent drifted through the void, silent yet forming a curtain of swords, as if enveloping the youth's body within the sword curtain, making it impossible for anyone to approach easily.
One of them stepped forward, slightly raising his palm. A strong yin-fiend aura swirled around his palm. Then, with a tremor of his palm, the terrifying yin-fiend aura pounced toward the cultivating youth.
"Chi, chi..."
The yin-fiend aura entered the sword curtain and was instantly torn into wisps of invisible smoke, directly dissipating without a trace. The eyes of all three contracted. The sword intent contained within this sword curtain was terrifying.
The three exchanged glances, then silently retreated, preparing to withdraw from the cave. Although this youth was only at the Fifth Layer of the Mysterious Martial Realm, his combat power was definitely beyond that. They did not want to provoke him.
"Since you've come, there's no need to leave."
A voice emerged from Lin Feng's mouth. Then his eyes opened again. Sharp sword light fiercely shot out, as if solid swords were blooming from his eyes, stinging the eyes of the three.