Chapter 1610: Figurehead

The four swords churned through the air and disintegrated Lu Yun.

“Just like that?” The young man who’d walked out of Ingress Sword Island started. He hadn’t thought that he’d take care of the problem so easily.

“Lu Yun of the Central Hongmeng is here at senior brother Jian Juexian’s invitation. I have come to return a treasure.” Another Lu Yun walked out of the void and raised cupped fists to the young man.

The latter’s pupils constricted violently.

“Hah, smoke and mirrors. Die!” The yet-to-dissipate sword formation snapped back into place and churned this new Lu Yun to death as well.

A third one walked out of the void, then a fourth, a fifth… An endless stream of Lu Yuns walked out and repeated the same greeting. The young man overseeing the sword formation killed an endless number of him, but never reached an end to their visitor.

Slowly, he began to panic.

“Since you’re here to return a treasure, come on in.” He finally waved a hand and retracted the sword formation, extending a welcoming gesture to Lu Yun.

The young man had given up his plan to kill Lu Yun outside Ingress Sword Island. He could tell that the Lu Yuns that’d appeared weren’t replicas, but an uncommonly sophisticated puppetry art that could pass off falsehood for reality.

Unless one severed the connection with one’s replica, flaws and mistakes would abound in a replica. It was impossible to hoodwink someone with a higher cultivation. Only puppetry at an incredibly high level could turn falsehood into an independent entity.

Extremely skilled puppet masters could replace themselves with their puppets, using puppets like they would a replica. Could it be that this Lu Yun was a supplemental grandmaster adept in puppetry?

Hair rose on the back of the young man’s neck.

“Many thanks to this senior brother.” Lu Yun raised cupped fists like nothing had happened and entered the island with a leap.

Ingress Sword Island was an enormous Hongmeng world, but it differed from the Central Hongmeng. The latter’s rules and orders diverged from the fourth realm as it’d inherited them from the original Hongmeng.

Ingress Sword Island, however, had been assimilated by the Boundless Planes. Though it was called a Hongmeng world, it was, in truth, a world of the fourth realm. Its strength, rules, and order were no different from the Boundless Planes, which was why it was labeled as having developed to the point of the fourth realm.

The true form of the Hadal Hell was nine Hongmeng worlds that’d reached the fourth realm. They’d likely been just as mighty as Ingress Sword Island, and the real identity of the previous prisoners was highly likely to be Nihil World Sovereigns. Their power had been completely eroded by their prison and their connections to the past utterly severed.

Upon entering Ingress Sword Island, Lu Yun felt powerful rays of sword intent ensconce the void. Four enormous swords rose from the cardinal directions, like four pillars holding up the firmament.

Immortal’s Condemnation, Immortal’s Entrapment, Immortal’s Slaughter, and Immortal’s End.

Rather than physical swords, they were sword shaped mountains with boundless sword intent radiating at all times, becoming the great dao of this Hongmeng world.

Sword dao!

Everything on the island cultivated sword dao.

His arrival didn’t raise any attention. Apart from the young man who’d attacked him, no one cared about him.

“Fellow daoist Lu Yun, isn’t it a bit lacking in sincerity to not come in person, since you’re here to return a treasure?” The young man appeared behind his visitor with a cold sneer.

Lu Yun finally had a chance to see his attacker clearly. Approximately twenty-seven, he had long and thin eyes. He wore long pale green robes and bore a green sword on his back. Derision danced in his eyes.

“Are you a fucking idiot?” Lu Yun couldn’t help but ask.

“What did you say??” The young man paused, not expecting this response. It hardly seemed worthy of Lu Yun’s status.

“Have Jian Zhuxian speak to me, you don’t have the right to talk to me,” Lu Yun responded impatiently.

There were four great sword daos on Ingress Sword Island—the paths of paths of immortal condemnation, immortal entrapment, immortal slaughter, and immortal end. The strongest of their beholders was Jian Zhuxian. Lu Yun had seen him ranked number one on the Argent Snow Hero Ranking! He was likely the current leader of the faction.

“How dare you be so brazen in Ingress Sword Island! Our methods can easily kill your primary body through your puppets—” The young man had just started talking tough when silver light flashed before him. He knew nothing after that.

Lu Yun had knocked him out with a blow from Argent Snow.

“Other than deploying soul force attacks, Argent Snow seems quite useful as a stick,” Lu Yun muttered to himself as he toyed with his soul weapon.

Though the Ingress Sword Island disciple was also a strong Nihil World Sovereign, his true strength was less than Lu Yun’s. He was strong only because of the Formation of Immortal Condemnation.

“Do not waste your time with minor characters, fellow daoist. This way, please,” came a gentle voice. The sword intent over the island shook and formed a sword-shaped bridge that extended to Lu Yun’s feet.

He nodded, then glanced at the unconscious young man on the ground. He hadn’t had a chance to ask for the other’s name. He took a step forward onto the bridge.

The bridge led to a green sword-shaped mountain to the east—the mountain that Immortal’s Condemnation had formed. A young man in green robes sat at its peak.

He was clean cut and lacked all hints of violence or sword intent. A short silver stick hovered next to him—Argent Snow. He was the greatest of Ingress Sword Island, Jian Zhuxian.

In contrast to Jian Juexian, he cultivated supplemental dao in addition to sword dao. His mastery of Argent Snow was unparalleled in the fourth realm.

Lu Yun carefully sized him up, raised a cupped fist salute, and plopped down in front of the faction’s leader. This was the peak of Mount Immortal Condemnation; all cultivators training in the path of immortal condemnation would be gathered here. But since they were at the peak, there was no one else present apart from the beholder of the path.

“The old master is still alive, isn’t he?” Jian Zhuxian asked merrily.

“Yep,” Lu Yun nodded. “You imprisoned Jian Juexian when he came back with Immortal’s End?”

Jian Zhuxian shook his head. “Can you not tell what my circumstances are? I am the beholder of immortal condemnation and once ruled the island. But I am now a figurehead. My words bear no authority on Ingress Sword Island.”

<blockquote><b>Translator's Thoughts</b></blockquote>