# Chapter 2557: The Tomb of Ten Thousand Swords
After spending another day, Zhang Ruochen and the others traversed numerous obstacles and finally approached the Sword Mountain.
At the foot of the Sword Mountain lay a vast seabed plain, densely covered with tombstones. In front of each tombstone was inserted a scabbard. Words were inscribed on the tombstones, but they had long been eroded and blurred by the seawater.
It was an exceedingly desolate scene!
It seemed to tell future generations that a glorious sword civilization had once been annihilated here.
The Nether King walked out from the tomb forest, heading toward Zhang Ruochen, and said, "These were the monuments that the Sword Ancestor erected for them back then. There are no bones in the graves, only a single sword. When the sword's master died, not even their remains were left."
"The Sword Ancestor once came to the Origin Divine Temple? Why were their swords all buried here in the Origin Divine Temple? Why did the Sword Ancestor erect monuments for them?" Countless questions arose in Zhang Ruochen's heart.
The Nether King pointed toward the distant Sword Mountain and said, "If you can pass their trials and reach the foot of the Sword Mountain, you will naturally understand everything and obtain benefits beyond your imagination. The opportunity here is supreme for sword cultivators. Even if you gain just a little, your journey to the Origin Divine Temple will be considered complete!"
For someone of the Nether King's vision to give such an appraisal, the opportunity here must be extraordinary.
Zhang Ruochen said, "With Uncle's cultivation level, you still couldn't take away the opportunity here?"
"It's not that I couldn't take it away, but that I couldn't take it all. The opportunity here is too heavy; I could only bear a portion of it. Alright, go ahead and try. If you gain something, you will surely go far on the path of the sword."
Having said this, the Nether King's body dispersed and vanished without a trace.
It turned out to be merely a divine projection; his true body had long since departed.
Zhang Ruochen looked toward A Le and said, "Want to give it a try together?"
"Mm!"
A Le leaped down from the Blood Wolf's back, whispered a few instructions to it, and then walked into the tomb forest together with Zhang Ruochen.
The moment they stepped into the tomb forest—
"Whoosh!"
From a nearby grave, a bright and sharp beam of light flew out—it was a sword. It rose into the air, paused briefly, and then slashed straight down at Zhang Ruochen.
Zhang Ruochen's sword intent stirred, and the Abyssal Ancient Sword flew out, slashing diagonally upward.
"Bang!" The two swords collided.
That purple-cyan sword, as if held by an invisible hand, immediately changed its technique, pointing its tip downward and thrusting toward Zhang Ruochen's crown.
Zhang Ruochen's gaze fell upon the tombstone in front of the grave from which the sword had flown. From a distance, he grabbed the scabbard in front of the tombstone.
Just as the purple-cyan sword thrust downward, it happened to slide back into the scabbard.
Zhang Ruochen gripped the sword hilt, suppressing it firmly. After a long moment, the purple-cyan sword ceased struggling and returned to stillness.
"Go back!"
Zhang Ruochen re-buried it into the grave.
On the other side, A Le was also attacked by a sword that flew out from a grave. After receiving ten consecutive strikes, that sword let out a high-pitched sword cry, transformed into a rainbow light, and flew toward the distant Sword Mountain.
The two continued forward.
"Shua, shua."
Swords continuously flew out from the graves, launching attacks at them.
Some came in frontal assaults, others struck from behind, and still others slashed at their souls from a distance.
The commonality was that each sword only attacked for ten moves. After ten moves, it would automatically fly toward the Sword Mountain, joining the rain of swords swirling around it.
The swords attacking Zhang Ruochen each carried power comparable to his own. However, the sword techniques they executed were not only different in form—some were exquisitely profound, while others were somewhat shallow.
Having only traversed one-tenth of the path through the tomb forest, both Zhang Ruochen and A Le were already wounded.
Zhang Ruochen tried to activate the Flame God Armor for protection, but within this tomb forest, it seemed that no vessels other than swords were permitted. Whether he used Sacred Qi to drive it or stimulated it with Profound Meaning, the Flame God Armor showed no response at all.
Zhang Ruochen's physical recovery ability was astonishing. Though there were bloodstains on his body, his wounds had already healed.
A Le cultivated the "Nine Revolutions Life-Death Art," with life force and death force circulating within his body in an endless cycle. Such minor injuries were naturally nothing to him.
After passing one-tenth of the path, Zhang Ruochen was astonished to discover that from the graves whose swords had attacked him, a strange power surged forth and gathered into his body.
It was Profound Meaning!
Sword Dao Profound Meaning!
Though it was only one ten-thousandth, it could cause the most exquisite transformation in a sword cultivator's sword path.
One must understand that for a divine being who cultivates the sword path, no matter how high their sword attainment, if they have not grasped Sword Dao Profound Meaning, they are not qualified to be called a Sword God.
Only by mastering Sword Dao Profound Meaning could one glimpse the ultimate sword path.
If it were Lan Ying or Que, who cultivated the sword path, and someone offered to sell them one ten-thousandth of Sword Dao Profound Meaning, they would surely be willing to give up everything they owned to buy it.
A Le also obtained one ten-thousandth of Sword Dao Profound Meaning.
Zhang Ruochen finally understood the Nether King's words and muttered to himself, "So that's it. No matter how many treasures the Origin Divine Temple holds, how could they compare to one ten-thousandth of Sword Dao Profound Meaning?"
The two exchanged glances, both showing a resolute determination to never turn back, and continued forward.
The path ahead became even more difficult.
The swords attacking them no longer only contained sword techniques but also carried powerful sword intent. Occasionally, two swords would even attack one person simultaneously.
After traversing the second tenth of the path, Zhang Ruochen and A Le each gained another ten-thousandth of Sword Dao Profound Meaning.
There was more blood on their bodies, but after resting for a moment, their injuries would heal.
They continued forward.
On the third tenth of the path, the swords attacking them not only had exquisite sword techniques and sharp sword intent but also featured sword souls controlling the swords. Of course, these sword souls were all at the Earth Sword Soul level, comparable to Zhang Ruochen's sword soul strength.
The path ahead grew increasingly difficult. Fortunately, after every tenth of the journey, there was a brief rest period for healing.
Moreover, each sword only attacked for ten moves.
Otherwise, even with Zhang Ruochen and A Le's willpower, they would have long since been unable to hold on.
That day, Zhang Ruochen and A Le, drenched in blood, passed the seventh tenth of the path. Exhausted, they sat down to tend to their injuries.
Relatively speaking, Zhang Ruochen had far fewer wounds on his body.
A Le had no intact flesh left anywhere on his body, resembling a humanoid creature made of bloody mud. Some sword wounds had pierced straight through his body, his internal organs had long since shattered, and even his Sacred Soul had suffered damage.
Ultimately, this was mainly because the sword path he cultivated focused on offense and killing, with no understanding of defense.
Attack was defense.
In this regard, he was somewhat similar to Lan Ying, but even more extreme than Lan Ying.
Such a sword path was certainly immensely powerful, often allowing one to kill enemies stronger than oneself.
However, it could only be considered a deviation from the norm, not the orthodox path of the sword.
Zhang Ruochen's sword path, on the other hand, encompassed all things, able to merge with various Dao methods in the world. With a single thought, a sword technique was already formed—capable of both offense and defense, leaving no weakness.
Moreover, throughout this journey, Zhang Ruochen discovered that the fruits of his many years of secluded cultivation under the Sundial were integrating and becoming coherent. Various techniques came to him effortlessly, and his understanding of the sword path had reached a higher level.
Coupled with the Sword Dao Profound Meaning he had obtained, Zhang Ruochen was fully confident that he could cultivate a Heavenly Sword Soul at the Hundred Shackles Realm.
"You've already obtained seven ten-thousandths of Sword Dao Profound Meaning. Your future achievements will surely be extraordinary. Don't go any further!" Zhang Ruochen said with some concern.
A Le was simply too severely injured. If he continued to force himself, Zhang Ruochen worried he might be in danger of falling.
The path ahead would surely be even more perilous. Zhang Ruochen himself wasn't very confident, and if A Le encountered danger, he feared he wouldn't be able to rescue him in time.
A Le's injuries had fully healed. Gazing at the Sword Mountain, now close at hand, he said, "I've already walked paths far more dangerous than this. This road, I must walk to the end. How far I can go depends on fate! Now, we need to make an oath."
"What oath?" Zhang Ruochen asked.
A Le said, "On the path ahead, no matter which of us encounters mortal danger, the other must not be distracted to save them. If one breaks this oath, may all the swords here slay them together and cut their body into a hundred thousand pieces."
A Le was the first to swear the oath, and immediately, from the graves all around, dense sword cries rang out, as if responding to his vow.
A Le said, "Your turn."
Zhang Ruochen naturally understood the reason A Le proposed this oath.
He knew that A Le was now acting willfully, and such behavior could very well harm Zhang Ruochen. Because once A Le encountered danger, Zhang Ruochen would certainly try to save him.
At that point, the outcome would surely be the death of both.
Zhang Ruochen pointed one hand to the sky and swore the oath.
"Shua, shua."
The path ahead became incredibly difficult. With every step forward, new wounds appeared on both of them.
It was no longer just one or two swords attacking them, but several, even a dozen or more, all attacking simultaneously. No matter how formidable Zhang Ruochen's defense was, it was still breached, and blood splattered everywhere.
The sword intent, sword souls, and some sword path powers Zhang Ruochen had never seen before, all struck their bodies.
Zhang Ruochen had refined countless pills and divine star souls that strengthened his Sacred Soul. Even if struck by a sword soul, he could endure it. However, A Le did not have such a powerful sword soul.
After passing the ninth tenth of the path and entering the tenth tenth, A Le finally encountered unprecedented mortal danger. Dozens of swords simultaneously pierced through his body.
Furthermore, dozens of sword souls slashed toward his Sacred Soul.
If they struck, there was no need to think—his soul would surely scatter.
A Le looked at the dozens of sword souls slashing toward him, his gaze calm and fearless. This was the choice he had made, and he naturally had to accept the outcome it brought. He mustered the last of his remaining strength and raised his sword with difficulty.
"A Le!"
Zhang Ruochen's figure flickered, appearing before him, and thrust his sword out: "Burial of Flowers!"
This ultimate strike failed to completely shatter those sword souls.
Still, several sword souls slashed into their bodies. The pain was as if their souls were being torn apart—unbearably agonizing. Both of them couldn't help but let out long cries.
A Le knelt on one knee, his gaze cold and stern as he glared at Zhang Ruochen.
Zhang Ruochen wiped his face, his features smeared with blood, and said, "What's a mere oath to bind me? Even if I suffer ten thousand swords cutting me apart, what's the big deal?"
Before his words had even faded, the entire graveyard erupted with dense and piercing sword sounds.
"Shua!"
"Shua!"
...
Countless swords flew out from the graves, hovering in midair, each sword intent locking onto Zhang Ruochen.
Having sworn an oath by ten thousand swords, one must suffer the punishment of ten thousand swords.