Tomb of the Ancient Sword, Chapter Forty-Three: The Surnames of the Demon Clan

Several hours had passed, and during this time, Luo Chen gained a deeper understanding of the Mortal Domain. According to Qing Xingyue’s explanation, beneath the Mortal Domain lay a startling secret left behind by the last group of ancient gods thousands of years ago. This secret seemed to be related to the Spirit Domain.

Yet what exactly was this secret? No one knew. Over the millennia, the many top powers of the Mortal Domain had managed to glean only the slightest fragments of information, and the source of these fragments was the Final Twenty-Four Character Prophecy.

The reason for their fervent desire to unravel the secret behind the prophecy was simply to find a way to reach the Spirit Domain or even the Upper Domain. Mortals are ultimately mortals, and as such, cannot escape the most fundamental truth—lifespan. The ordinary people of the Mortal Domain live no more than two hundred years.

But those who embark on the path of cultivation extend their lives; reaching the Heaven Spirit Realm grants three hundred years. Breaking through to the Void Shattering Realm, one can live for five hundred years. In the Spirit Void Realm, nearly a thousand years. And in the Cave Void Realm, one can attain a lifespan of fifteen hundred years.

This, however, marks the limit of the Mortal Domain. Even at the ninth level of the Cave Void Realm, one's life is capped at fifteen hundred years. If, during this time, one fails to glimpse the power of the ancient gods, the entrance to the Spirit Domain remains undiscovered. To enter the Spirit Domain, one must break through the void. Deep within the endless void, only a single bridge leads to the Spirit Domain, known throughout the world as the Starbridge.

The Starbridge is the path from the Lower Domain to the Upper Domain. Without knowledge of its location, entering the realm of the void recklessly means confronting destructive void storms capable of obliterating the heavens and earth, as well as countless void creatures lurking within, all poised to annihilate intruders one by one. Even the strongest in the Mortal Domain would fall, with no hope of survival.

Since the last great figure entered the void six thousand years ago, no one has been able to discern the door to the Spirit Domain within. Thus, for over six thousand years, generation after generation of powerhouses in the Mortal Domain have risen and fallen.

Countless great figures have searched for answers over thousands of years, slowly deciphering fragments of the Final Twenty-Four Character Prophecy and arriving at a rough conjecture: the Mortal Domain may have been sealed, and those who sealed it are from the Upper Domain.

To support this conjecture, one must consider a location in the central sea of the Four Continents. Qing Xingyue recounted that, in the center of this sea, a floating holy temple was built to guard a certain object, called the Dragon Tomb.

Within the Dragon Tomb stands a broken stone stele, which connects to a small world built upon dragon corpses, older even than the Ancient Sword Grave. At the heart of this small world, millions of dragon remnants guard an ancient seal.

Within that seal lies the only power in the Mortal Domain that surpasses all others. As Qing Xingyue said, if Luo Chen wishes to learn the truth of his origins, his sole hope is to enter this game. At the grand festival of the Mortal Domain one year from now, Luo Chen need only secure a place among the top three to enter the small world of the Dragon Tomb and seek the consciousness of the surviving dragon soul.

At first, Luo Chen did not understand why Qing Xingyue insisted he must find the dragon soul to uncover his origins. When questioned, Qing Xingyue replied.

Legend holds that the dragon clan was born at the dawn of heaven and earth, and together with the qilin and phoenix, were known as the three sacred beast clans. The qilin’s eyes perceive destiny and the fortune of the world. The phoenix’s eyes discern all things, knowing their true nature and moral quality. The dragon’s eyes see through the past, understanding cause and effect.

Late at night, after Luo Chen parted ways with Qing Xingyue and Qing Xuan Yu, he returned alone to his room. Sitting by the window, gazing at the horizon bathed in moonlight, he pondered all the incredible things Qing Xingyue had revealed that evening, yet found himself still plagued with questions.

He raised his hand to examine the faint golden light shimmering on the back of his hand. With a thought, the golden light emerged and transformed into Shi Ling.

"Shi Ling, are you hiding something from me?"

Shi Ling furrowed her brow slightly and replied, "Master, why do you suddenly ask me such a question?"

Luo Chen looked at Shi Ling’s youthful face and clear, sparkling eyes. He could never believe Shi Ling would deceive him, yet so many things remained inexplicable, chief among them Shi Ling’s identity—and why she would form a soul contract with someone as abandoned as himself.

"Shi Ling, I need you to be honest with me. Tell me your identity and everything you know about me."

Upon hearing Luo Chen’s solemn words, a trace of panic appeared on Shi Ling’s face. For a few moments, they stared at each other. Perhaps realizing Luo Chen’s resolve, Shi Ling resigned herself, flew to his shoulder, bowed her head, and spoke softly, "Master, Shi Ling never meant to deceive you. I promised someone I would protect you well. Besides, Master’s strength is still too low; some things you’re just not meant to know yet."

From Shi Ling’s slightly aggrieved tone, Luo Chen sensed something he’d been seeking—a mysterious figure behind it all. Was it the power behind Qing Xingyue or the person Shi Ling spoke of?

Seeing Shi Ling’s dejection, Luo Chen gently lifted her from his shoulder and placed her in his palm, offering comfort. "It’s alright. Perhaps I just desperately want to know the reasons behind it all."

He stroked Shi Ling’s head. In truth, Luo Chen did not blame her. After all, she claimed to be sent by another to protect him, so she could not harbor hostility toward him. Luo Chen firmly believed Shi Ling was not lying.

"Master, you needn’t worry so much. Once your strength reaches the Void Shattering Realm, you can unlock the second space of my true body, where the information left for you by my original master is kept."

What? This was the best news Luo Chen had received all night. So, if he reaches the Void Shattering Realm, he can learn the truth of his origins. Luo Chen’s previously low spirits ignited with newfound enthusiasm. "Really?"

Shi Ling nodded, and Luo Chen placed her back on his shoulder, looking at his hands once again. Void Shattering Realm—it seemed he must improve his strength quickly. He was now at the Earth Spirit Realm, only a single step away from the Heaven Spirit Realm and then the Void Shattering Realm.

But for Luo Chen, the pressure was considerable. The transition from Heaven Spirit Realm to Void Shattering Realm is a threshold. Before Heaven Spirit Realm, one is merely at the entry stage of cultivation; the true journey begins only upon reaching Void Shattering Realm.

The Void Shattering Realm is not merely a level, but an intent—a state of mind. One must manifest the elemental intent or heart’s state, transforming the intangible into the tangible, forging a domain unique to oneself. Only by condensing a domain does one truly enter the Void Shattering Realm.

It seems simple, but in reality, many cultivators never advance beyond Heaven Spirit Realm. Why is it called Void Shattering? What is being shattered, and what is void? All living beings have desires, and these desires wield invisible yet immense power over one’s path.

To abandon one’s vulgar and decaying desires is to break. To guard one’s heart and remain tranquil is to empty. Void Shattering—breaking is to shatter all that is within oneself, and empty is to clear the heart for cultivation.

"Master, do you truly wish to know my identity?"

Shi Ling’s words interrupted Luo Chen’s thoughts. He nodded at her, and she flew before him. With a flick, a silver cross appeared on her forehead.

At this moment, Luo Chen could sense an aura from Shi Ling that looked down upon all beings, as if the multitudes were but grains of sand in her eyes. Her presence surpassed even that of Qing Xingyue and everyone else Luo Chen had met.

Seeing this, Luo Chen choked up, his face paling.

"Shi Ling, you...?"

"Master, I once ruled above the Twelve Divine Law Thrones. I am the Sovereign of the Silver Ice Throne of Ten Directions. My true name: Xuanyuan Shi Ling!"

Divine Thrones? Sovereign Thrones? Although Luo Chen was astonished by Shi Ling’s aura, he could not comprehend the terms she used. He had always assumed Shi Ling was her true name, and now she claimed Xuanyuan Shi Ling?

"Shi Ling, what is a Divine Throne? What is a Sovereign Throne?"

Luo Chen inquired again. Shi Ling waved her small hand, retracted her aura, and the cross faded from her brow. She reverted to her petite and adorable form, smiled, and flew back to his shoulder.

"Master, you will understand all these things when you enter the Upper Domain."

Luo Chen nodded, walked to the bed, and lay down. Looking at Shi Ling sitting on his chest, he felt all that had happened was incredible. Though Shi Ling had not explained what a Divine Throne was, Luo Chen had a faint understanding of its status. Twelve Laws, Twelve Divine Thrones—each law is matched by a throne, and Shi Ling claimed to have been above them all. So, perhaps that meant she transcended even the Twelve Laws.

Yet even such a being had a master; perhaps that master was truly terrifying. Luo Chen could only hope that person harbored no hostility toward him.

"Oh, Shi Ling, is Xuanyuan your clan name or bestowed by your master?"

After Luo Chen spoke, Shi Ling gazed at him, her eyes slightly raised, pondering for a moment before replying, "It can be considered my clan name, but Master, you must never mention the Xuanyuan clan to others."

Luo Chen frowned in confusion. Why not? Was there some taboo involved?

"Shi Ling, why can’t it be mentioned?"

Shi Ling’s expression was filled with helplessness and sorrow as she bowed her head. "Because it is a surname belonging to the Demon Clan!"