This Senior Evil Cultivator often roamed the southeast of the Central Region and the nine border kingdoms.

If one were not to judge him by the evil deeds he committed,

Then one would have to say, this was a Great Cultivator who had seen much of the world and had experienced countless battles.

During his Foundation Establishment, he once killed a Qi Refining Realm junior to seize a spiritual item.

He also successfully ambushed a Cultivator of the same Golden Core Realm.

He fought against various types of Cultivators, accumulating a wealth of combat experience.

Among his observations, he had a rather detailed description of Sword Cultivators.

"Sword Cultivators are mostly stubborn and obstinate individuals; once they engage, there is no other outcome than a fight to the death."

The opening was a commentary on Sword Cultivators.

Song Yan was already accustomed to it.

It seemed that in everyone’s eyes, Sword Cultivators were no different from stubborn donkeys; they were all obstinate.

"No, not really..."

He only slightly felt that he was being wronged.

It was also possible that he was not yet worthy of being called a Sword Cultivator.

"Sword Cultivators can generally be divided into three types."

"The first type is the most traditional Sword Cultivator. Their origin is no longer traceable; perhaps they existed since the birth of the Cultivation World."

"This type is relatively common and can be seen frequently in the Cultivation World."

"They mainly use containers like sword scabbards and sword gourds to Cultivate and nourish a Natal Flying Sword, and they also focus on things like Sword Intent and Dao Heart."

"Their Flying Sword’s power is strong, but besides that, they are no different from ordinary Cultivators."

"When fighting, one only needs to pay close attention to their Natal Flying Sword; generally, they are not too difficult to deal with."

This Senior’s understanding of Sword Cultivators was also quite superficial.

His wording often included terms like "seems" and "appears to be."

"The second lineage originated from the State of Chu."

Song Yan was startled.

"The State of Chu?"

Could a small border country like ours actually be the birthplace of a branch of Sword Cultivators?

He continued reading.

"This type, I, this Venerable, have never seen in all my years of roaming the Cultivation World."

"I only heard that such Cultivators are extremely ruthless and decisive."

"Besides Cultivating Sword Intent, comprehending the Dao Heart, and nourishing their Natal Flying Sword, they also need to sever their Spiritual Root and open up an ’Immortal Abode’..."

"..."

Reading this, he couldn’t help but feel speechless and choked up inside.

What virtue and ability allowed a Golden Core Old Demon to "praise" them as ruthless and decisive... On second thought, it was indeed... to disperse one’s cultivation and even sever one’s Spiritual Root.

If even one mistake occurred, one would be forever cut off from the path to Immortality in this life.

Recalling it now, it truly was a risky move back then.

If he hadn’t been forced into a corner and had no other choice at the time, he really didn’t know if he could have made such a drastic decision.

"This branch seems to be the Major Achievement of the three Sword Cultivator lineages."

"However, such people are extremely rare; I, this Venerable, have only heard of them and never seen them."

"The last branch originated from the Central Region."

"This type, this Old Ancestor has seen a few, but never fought against them."

"It is rumored that this branch is even more radical than the second type."

"They also sever their Spiritual Root and open an ’Immortal Abode,’ but these people abandon sword scabbards, sword gourds, and even the sword body itself."

"They pursue the ultimate unity of man and sword."

Since this Senior had not fought against the latter two types, he didn’t mention much about how to deal with them.

He only added a final remark.

"No matter which type, Sword Cultivators are often deranged individuals who fight without regard for their lives."

"If there isn’t some irreconcilable reason, it’s safer not to engage them in battle at the same Realm."

"..."

The saying goes, the foolish fear the fierce, and the fierce fear those who don’t value their lives.

This Senior Evil Cultivator only resorted to those crooked thoughts and despicable methods for some Cultivation resources.

His goal was to make it easier to succeed.

Everyone was striving for Immortality; rushing in to fight to the death was unnecessary.

"Hoo—"

Song Yan let out a long breath.

He hadn’t expected to find so much information about ancient Sword Cultivators in this Evil Cultivator’s battle "guide."

This was truly an unexpected surprise.

He summoned the liangyi pearl and examined it carefully.

"I don’t think this ’Senior’ had any reason to lie to future generations in such a record."

"Then, this liangyi pearl might belong to the second lineage he spoke of."

"Not definitively, but this possibility is the greatest."

Song Yan flipped through the book from beginning to end again, but found no further information.

Not even the era in which it was written.

Otherwise, he could have used the date to determine when ancient Sword Cultivators began to disappear.

"Sword scabbards, sword gourds..."

"I’ve never seen them..."

For a new generation Cultivator like him, these were old artifacts, so it was normal not to have seen them.

He temporarily put the book away and his gaze fell on the Xuan E Bai Ling Covering Mask.

From the basic function of this mask, it was actually quite uninteresting.

"Searching for spiritual items."

This Senior Evil Cultivator had also said that when he first acquired it, he didn’t quite know how to use it.

The mask would often ring incessantly, searching for a long time only to find extremely ordinary herbs and spiritual fruits.

It was utterly useless.

It wasn’t until a flash of inspiration later that it began to have a significant use, even to the point of being used in creative ways.

Song Yan was unwilling to use this item to harm others; that went against his Dao Heart.

However, the Senior’s methods did give him much inspiration.

He held the liangyi pearl in one hand and the Xuan E Bai Ling Covering Mask in the other.

"Based on the previous experience of the Flying Sword ’Unmoored Boat’,"

"The liangyi pearl..."

"It seems it can integrate the Sword Intent left by Seniors in ancient swords into the Dao Seed phantom through some profound means.

"For my use."

"But finding ancient swords containing spiritual intent is truly like searching for a needle in a haystack."

Immediately, he looked at the Xuan E Bai Ling Covering Mask in his hand.

"What if I could separate a wisp of immaterial Sword Intent and incorporate it into the Xuan E Bai Ling Covering Mask..."

"Then, if an ancient sword appeared nearby, would the mask react?"

Both the function of the liangyi pearl and the method of using the mask were merely his wishful personal conjectures.

Whether it was true or not, he would have to try many times before he could draw a conclusion.

Currently, Song Yan didn’t even have the capital to try.

Because separating immaterial Sword Intent would at least require his Natal Flying Sword to be fully formed.

"Sword Intent..."

"Sword Intent..."

"How can I comprehend Sword Intent..."

This thing was ethereal and elusive; previously, it was only by chance that he obtained the Eight Directions Returning Origin Sword Post, which allowed him to have a prototype of a Dao Heart.

In the future, where would he find such good Luck?

"Hoo—"

Taking a deep breath, Song Yan adjusted his mood.

Sighing was useless, and complaining only added to his troubles.

Taking each step carefully in the present was the Righteous Path.

He began to erase Dan Zifeng’s spiritual power imprint from the Xuan E Bai Ling Covering Mask.

With the owner dead, this was an easy task.

A moment later, the refining was complete.

Donning the mask, Song Yan’s mind stirred, and the mask actually disappeared on his face... "So that’s how it is..."

No wonder the mask appeared on his face after Dan Zifeng died.

He counted the Spirit Stones in his qiankun bag.

There were about four to five hundred of them.

He was very aware that many of these resources were probably obtained by Dan Zifeng through extorting outer sect Cultivators.

However, he certainly couldn’t act like a great philanthropist, tracing the origins and returning them one by one.

Although it was for himself, he had indeed taken great risks to avenge those people.

He had eliminated the nightmare for those Cultivators who lived daily under Dan Zifeng’s shadow.

He had done his utmost.