Land Sword Immortal: Eighty Years as the Guardian of the Sword Pavilion

Chapter 63 – The Six Realms, Witnessing the Demon Realm

"Master, when it comes to swordsmanship, I believe I have the strength to contend with Jiang Poyue. But as to who would win or lose, that can only be determined after the battle," Meng Fan said to Elder Lin.

Meng Fan was confident in his sword skills, but he didn't underestimate the talents of the world.

Jiang Poyue was at the Condensation Pill Realm, and Meng Fan felt it was only right to show him due respect.

To claim he would definitely defeat Jiang Poyue in swordsmanship would be overly arrogant.

Though, in all likelihood, that was the truth!

Had Meng Fan never seen Jiang Poyue, nor witnessed his swordsmanship, he might not be his match.

But Meng Fan had watched several of Jiang Poyue's matches on the Heaven-Connecting Platform.

He knew Jiang Poyue's sword techniques like the back of his hand.

Even though Jiang Poyue's swordplay was nearly flawless, Meng Fan, with his targeted approach, always found a way to break through.

After all, the talent of Sword Dao Transcendence was no joke.

"From the sound of it, you don't seem to take Jiang Poyue very seriously," Elder Lin chuckled.

He didn't think his disciple was being too arrogant or inflated; rather, he found it good that his disciple was confident.

A true man should have the courage to never settle for being second best.

"It's not that I don't take Jiang Poyue seriously, but rather that I have confidence in my own Sword Dao," Meng Fan stated earnestly.

Ordinary people would only speak of 'sword techniques', but Meng Fan spoke of 'Sword Dao '!

"Alright, whether or not you engage in a literary competition with Jiang Poyue, you'll have a spot on the mission to the Demon Realm. As for participating in the literary competition, do whatever makes you happy. If you want to join, join; if not, then don't."

Elder Lin didn't make the decision for Meng Fan regarding the literary competition; he left it up to Meng Fan to choose.

After all, the literary competition, despite its grandeur, didn't offer much in terms of rewards.

Just a Heavenly Heart Pill, which Elder Lin could easily obtain for Meng Fan if he wanted.

***

Meng Fan returned to his room on the first floor of the Sword Pavilion and began his cultivation.

He had already completely used up the Essence of the Sword he had obtained from the Demon Locking Sword.

Now, he began to polish his swords again to acquire more Essence of the Sword.

Meng Fan now took the initiative to wipe the Spiritual Sword, unlike before when he would deliberately avoid it.

Meng Fan, now at the fifth level of True Martial Realm and practicing Fu Xi's visualization techniques, no longer felt any pressure when facing Spiritual Swords.

Not to mention, his combat strength was now likely greater than Senior Disciple Luo's.

Elder Lin had set a goal for Meng Fan to defeat Senior Disciple Luo within a year, rewarding him with ten days and nights of contemplation at the Sword God Stele upon success.

But only half a year had passed, and Meng Fan felt he could already complete the task.

However, considering Senior Disciple Luo's pride, Meng Fan decided to wait until the next year before challenging him.

Mainly because Meng Fan already had a reward in hand for one day and one night of contemplation at the Sword God Stele, so he wasn't in a rush.

In the middle of the night, after depleting the Essence of the Sword within him, Meng Fan ceased his cultivation.

His cultivation boosts relied on the Essence of the Sword.

Without it, his cultivation speed was glacial, just that of a Mixed Spiritual Root.

So, once the Essence of the Sword was depleted, Meng Fan would not continue cultivating, as it would be a waste of time.

"Master, have you used up all the Essence of the Sword inside you?" Hong Qi's voice echoed in Meng Fan's mind.

"Indeed, haha, you truly understand me now."

Hong Qi was constantly by Meng Fan's side, always keeping an eye on him.

Her understanding of Meng Fan was unparalleled; she knew him so well that she could tell what he was going to do just by the way he moved.

Stopping cultivation in the middle of the night was usually due to the depletion of the Essence of the Sword.

"Are you planning to rest for a while, or are you going to absorb some Essence of the Sword?" Hong Qi asked.

"Cultivation itself is a form of rest; there's no need for more. I'll pick a couple of swords and absorb some Essence of the Sword," Meng Fan replied casually.

Hong Qi initiated the conversation not because she was seeking attention.

Now, Meng Fan needed her help when selecting Sword Weapons.

Previously, Meng Fan deliberately avoided Spiritual Swords, but now he sought them out.

Even so, he still couldn't easily distinguish between Spiritual Swords and Ordinary Swords.

That's when Hong Qi's assistance was needed.

Hong Qi's phantom appeared and pointed to a sword, "Master, this is a Spiritual Sword you haven't touched before."

Meng Fan nodded and walked over to pick up the Spiritual Sword.

[Sword Name: Bei Ming]

The moment he touched the sword, a Sword Wraith surged towards Meng Fan.

Meng Fan's expression remained unchanged; he had grown accustomed to such occurrences, even feeling a strange kinship with the Sword Wraiths.

These were all "knowledge"!

What others dreaded as Sword Wraiths were like supplements to Meng Fan.

Sword Dao Transcendence began to operate within him, refining the Sword Wraith in his body.

At the same time, a memory emerged in Meng Fan's mind.

This was all too familiar; with each absorption of a Sword Wraith, Meng Fan would see its memories, as commonplace as eating daily.

But the scenes from this memory caused Meng Fan's expression to change!

***

A little girl was silently practicing swordsmanship in a forest.

The seven or eight-year-old girl had sweet features, but her face was cold and out of place.

Such features were more suited to smiles.

Yet, not only did the girl not smile, but she also exuded a cold and somber aura.

It was hard to imagine why such a young girl would have this temperament.

Soon, Meng Fan understood why she had such an aura.

She was in a base for an assassin organization, captured and trained as an assassin from a young age.

With such a life and experiences, of course, the girl wouldn't smile.

The reason Meng Fan's expression changed drastically wasn't due to the girl's plight.

He had seen too many memories of Sword Wraiths, had seen all sorts of pitiful people, and was somewhat immune.

His shock was because of the environment in the memory.

This was not the Tianyuan Grand World!

The sky here didn't have the scorching red sun.

Instead, the sun was purple-black.

Hence, the place was somewhat dim, not as bright as the Tianyuan Grand World.

"A purple-black sun? What place is this?" Meng Fan muttered, frowning.

As the memory "played," Meng Fan finally learned where this was.

This world with a purple-black sun was the Demon Realm!

Meng Fan was shocked to learn this information.

The legendary Demon Realm, one of the six ancient realms.

God Realm, Immortal Realm, Human Realm, Underworld, Demon Realm, and Monster Realm.

The Tianyuan Grand World was part of the Human Realm.

Within the Human Realm, there were three thousand grand worlds, the most expansive of the six realms.

Although vast, the Human Realm was not powerful because it was populated by many Mortals with little combat ability.

"Who would have thought I'd see the Demon Realm in this way!" Meng Fan marveled.

In that memory, the little girl grew up to be a powerful assassin, codenamed "Bei Ming."

People in the Demon Realm were naturally more brutal and bloodthirsty, often engaging in violence and killing.

An assassin like Bei Ming was naturally even colder and more merciless, with countless killings to her name.

Until one day, she met a young man in white.

Meng Fan was surprised because he recognized at first glance that this man was not of the demon race, but of the human race.

This human, named Zhang Baiyuan.

"Zhang Baiyuan?" Meng Fan frowned; the name felt strangely familiar.

But after a careful recollection, he drew a blank.

Perhaps it was just a false impression?

Then, as expected, the clichéd plot unfolded, and Bei Ming fell in love with Zhang Baiyuan.

Zhang Baiyuan, a human, struggled to survive in the Demon Realm.

He was like a rat in the sewers, hiding and skulking, afraid to reveal his identity.

He knew that if he did, he would be dead without a doubt.

Due to an accident, he had strayed into the Demon Realm and had been searching for a passage back to the Human Realm.

Finally, after several years, he found the passage.

He convinced Bei Ming to follow him back to the Human Realm.

As long as a demon did not commit evil and lived a low-profile life in the Human Realm, there was a chance for survival.

But for humans in the Demon Realm, it was a matter of life and death!

Unfortunately, near the passage to the Human Realm, demon soldiers heavily guarded it, making it nearly impossible for Zhang Baiyuan to enter.

In the end, Bei Ming lured the demon soldiers away, giving Zhang Baiyuan the chance to return to the Human Realm.

Bei Ming's fate was unknown!

The Bei Ming Sword followed Zhang Baiyuan to the Human Realm and eventually, by chance, ended up in the Sword Pavilion of the Shu Mountain Sword Sect.

To be honest, Zhang Baiyuan was somewhat less than manly.

Bei Ming took the initiative to draw away the demon soldiers, but Zhang Baiyuan didn't turn back to help her; instead, he took the opportunity to enter the passage to the Human Realm and returned.

If he had gone after Bei Ming, he would have wasted the opportunity she had created with her life.

If it were a battlefield, and a comrade created a chance for you to survive, you should strive to live on and not let their sacrifice be in vain.

But Zhang Baiyuan and Bei Ming were not comrades; they were lovers!

Under such circumstances, it seems that dying together would be the true mark of a man.

But Meng Fan didn't despise Zhang Baiyuan; in such a situation, any choice made couldn't be said to be wrong.

After all, even ants will fight for their lives, let alone humans?

Moreover, if Zhang Baiyuan had turned back, he might have made Bei Ming's sacrifice in vain.

That wouldn't be what Bei Ming wanted to see!