Chapter 1710: The Profound Sword Earth Palace
"The Dongling Region?"
"What? The Dongling Region?"
The instant those words left Ling Feng's mouth, the caution and wariness the foreign-region geniuses had shown toward him vanished completely.
In their place came naked contempt.
One after another, they looked at him as though he were an insignificant ant.
"Since when did trash from the Dongling Region gain the right to set foot in the Endless Wasteland of the tenth level?"
"Hahaha! This is interesting. I've always heard that the martial practitioners of the Dongling Region are weak, but I've never seen one for myself. Now that I have, they really are extraordinary in their own way. Pathetically weak!"
"An Extreme Human Emperor actually made it here? He must be one of those lucky fools who stumbled into fortune."
"Hahaha!"
Whether they came from the Xijian Region or the Beihan Region, none of them bothered to hide their disdain.
The Xuanling Continent was divided into five great regions.
The Zhongyuan Region stood at the very top.
Next came the mysterious Nanwu Region.
The Xijian Region and the Beihan Region were roughly equal in overall strength.
The weakest of the five was the Dongling Region.
The regions were not completely isolated from one another, but because the Dongling Region was comparatively weak, foreign geniuses rarely traveled there for training.
As a result, the martial practitioners of the Dongling Region knew the least about the outside world.
"What bad luck."
Wang Bodang openly revealed a look of contempt.
Without another word, he turned away and left Ling Feng standing there by himself.
In his eyes, speaking with someone so weak was beneath his status.
Ling Feng merely shrugged.
His emotions remained completely undisturbed.
As far as he was concerned, these so-called foreign-region geniuses were nothing special.
Of course, there was a good chance these people were not the true monsters of their respective regions.
Given the overall strength of the foreign regions, there might even be levels above the tenth floor that had already been opened to them.
Since none of them had taken the initiative to attack him, there was no reason for him to provoke them either.
Shifting his attention back to the source of the earthfire eruption, Ling Feng saw that the area ahead had become a scorched wasteland stretching for hundreds of miles.
At the center of the eruption stood a pitch-black opening.
It resembled a dark abyss or a black hole, radiating a mysterious aura that sent chills through the heart.
The entrance alone stood over a hundred meters tall.
From a distance, it looked like a black hill rising from the Endless Wasteland.
This dark opening was the sole entrance to the Profound Sword Earth Palace.
Anyone wishing to enter had no choice but to pass through it.
Before long, the earthfire gradually subsided.
The black entrance was fully revealed.
At first glance, it no longer seemed dangerous.
Even so, the aura emanating from within remained unsettling.
None of the foreign geniuses nearby rushed in immediately.
"The Profound Sword Earth Palace consists of three levels. Each level is more dangerous than the one before it, but the rewards increase accordingly. I've heard that the third level even contains Sword Dao inheritances left behind by ancient Sword Saints."
Conversations drifted over from nearby groups.
Nobody bothered lowering their voices.
For cultivators of the Dongling Region, the Profound Sword Earth Palace was completely unknown.
In the other regions, however, it was hardly a secret.
"Ancient Sword Saints?"
Ling Feng rubbed the bridge of his nose.
It seemed he had truly come to the right place.
His luck was indeed quite good.
"Junior Brother Ling!"
At that moment, a figure came flying toward him from the distance.
Ling Feng focused his gaze and immediately smiled.
At last, he had encountered another martial practitioner from the Dongling Region within the Sunset Ancient City.
The newcomer was none other than Gu Changfeng, the second-ranked Young Emperor of the Dongling Immortal Pool.
As far as Ling Feng knew, Gu Changfeng was also an exceptionally skilled Sword Dao expert.
He had not expected to meet him here.
"Senior Brother Gu."
Ling Feng nodded in greeting.
He had always had a fairly favorable impression of this fellow disciple.
After a few flashes through the air, Gu Changfeng landed beside him.
The sword-translocation technique he displayed immediately drew the attention of several geniuses from the Xijian Region.
"Oh? One of those country bumpkins from the Dongling Region actually knows Sword Translocation?"
"Picking the tallest dwarf from a crowd of dwarfs. This guy is probably the strongest person in the Dongling Region, right? Second Level Divine Destiny Realm. Tsk, that's pretty weak."
More mocking voices rang out.
Gu Changfeng frowned, but despite his anger, he held his tongue.
After taking a deep breath, he turned to Ling Feng.
"Junior Brother Ling, our luck is fairly good this time. We happened to arrive during the thousand-year opening of the Profound Sword Earth Palace. If fortune favors us, our Sword Dao realms could advance dramatically."
"Oh?"
Ling Feng glanced at him curiously.
This Senior Brother Gu seemed surprisingly familiar with the Profound Sword Earth Palace.
Back when the Hall Master of the Blazing Sun Hall had mentioned geniuses from other regions, Ling Feng had noticed that Gu Changfeng's expression had been somewhat unusual.
Could it be that he had interacted with foreign-region geniuses before?
"To be honest."
Gu Changfeng sighed softly before transmitting his voice directly to Ling Feng.
"Our Gu Clan originally came from a small family in the Xijian Region. Back there, we were considered insignificant. Later, due to certain circumstances, we relocated to the Dongling Region and managed to establish ourselves."
Ling Feng instinctively touched his nose.
Well then.
A family that could not even make a name for itself in the Xijian Region had moved to the Dongling Region and risen to prominence.
It was not exactly pleasant to hear.
Still, he had to admit it.
The Xijian Region truly was powerful.
Yet Ling Feng felt no discouragement.
On the contrary.
The more geniuses and powerhouses this world contained, the more motivated he became.
Only by facing stronger opponents could he continue advancing.
"Junior Brother Ling, the Profound Sword Earth Palace has three levels. Given your attainments in Sword Dao, the first two levels shouldn't be a problem. The third level, however..."
Gu Changfeng shook his head.
"I imagine it will be very difficult."
"Why?"
Ling Feng asked casually.
"Because of Sword Force."
Gu Changfeng's expression grew serious.
"Without comprehending Sword Force, it is impossible to enter the third level."
"Oh?"
A faint smile appeared on Ling Feng's lips.
Indeed, from an ordinary person's perspective, his Sword Intent had only reached the Advanced stage.
No one would believe someone at that level possessed Sword Force.
The problem was that Ling Feng had never been ordinary.
He really did possess Sword Force.
It might be weak.
It might be crude.
But it undeniably existed.
"Still, there's no need to be discouraged."
Gu Changfeng smiled faintly.
"If your Sword Intent improves enough within the first two levels, you might seize this opportunity to comprehend Sword Force in one stroke."
He paused briefly before continuing.
"My goal this time is precisely that. If I manage to comprehend Sword Force, I'd like to exchange a few moves with you, Junior Brother Ling. I want to see whether Sword Force is stronger, or whether your Spiritual Consciousness Domain is more formidable."
"That's easy enough."
Ling Feng nodded.
A place capable of drastically increasing one's Sword Intent?
Now that he knew that, his interest in the Profound Sword Earth Palace only grew stronger.
"Hm? A member of the Gu Family?"
Suddenly, an extremely arrogant voice sounded from nearby.
Ling Feng turned toward the speaker.
A young man dressed in purple robes was striding over with two companions at his side.
Both followers possessed cultivation levels at the peak of the Third Level Divine Destiny Realm.
The purple-robed youth wore a faintly mocking smile.
His gaze swept over Gu Changfeng.
A trace of surprise appeared in his eyes, though it was quickly buried beneath ridicule and disdain.