A profound and mysterious connection formed between Ning Beichen and the bronze ancient sword. This connection made him feel as if the sword was an extension of himself, sharing the same heart and mind.
He could even perceive the sword's emotions, and in turn, it sensed his moods and thoughts. This was an unprecedented feeling. If the bronze ancient sword had been a cold, lifeless object before, it now felt as if it possessed a spirit.
To put it in a more grandiose way, the bronze ancient sword now shared a destiny with him.
"Rise!"
With a mere thought from Ning Beichen, the bronze ancient sword instantly ascended into the air. Ning Beichen willed it to perform several complex maneuvers, movements that had been impossible before.
This outcome filled Ning Beichen with elation, and Liu Yilin and Haitang shared in his joy.
"Ning Beichen, try quickly if you can channel your power remotely," Haitang urged him.
Ning Beichen nodded. With a surge of internal energy from his dantian, it flowed out like an invisible thread, connecting with the sword's formation and then being transmitted into the bronze ancient sword.
"It worked!"
Ning Beichen roared, startling Haitang and Liu Yilin. They then watched as Ning Beichen, like a madman, rushed towards them, embracing them both with laughter.
Haitang, being more experienced, was unfazed, but Liu Yilin blushed furiously and pushed him away shyly.
"I succeeded! Haitang, Yilin, thank you," Ning Beichen said emotionally, releasing them. Without Liu Yilin's idea and Haitang's reminder, he wouldn't have achieved this.
"Quick, see if you can fly with the sword," Liu Yilin said, her face still red. Ning Beichen's success made her happier than her own. She finally wasn't a burden and could help him, which was what she desired most. She didn't want to be a mere vase beside Ning Beichen but to walk alongside him, for their relationship to last.
"Alright, I'll try."
Ning Beichen walked to an open space. With a thought, the bronze ancient sword appeared before him. He stepped onto it, and with another thought, he shot into the sky, reaching hundreds of meters high.
In his excitement, Ning Beichen nearly fell off the sword. Fortunately, he quickly regained his balance and willed the sword to fly through the air.
With a swoosh, a streak of white light shot forward, and Ning Beichen instantly appeared hundreds of meters away. The light then curved and returned to its original spot.
Ning Beichen stood on the bronze ancient sword, hovering hundreds of meters in the sky, the wind whipping his clothes. As a powerful cultivator, he was safe, or else such speed would have torn him apart.
Though sword flight wasn't perfect, it was a success. And with Ning Beichen and the bronze ancient sword sharing a destiny, he didn't need to worry about falling or collisions. No matter what he did on the sword, even if he jumped off, the sword would instantly appear beneath his feet. As long as Ning Beichen didn't wish to fall, he wouldn't, unless his energy was depleted.
"Oh ho ho..."
Ning Beichen soared and dived through the air on the bronze ancient sword, letting out excited cries. After playing for a while, he finally descended.
As his feet touched the ground, the bronze ancient sword sheathed itself automatically. Ning Beichen's hair flowed in the wind, a truly dashing figure that left Liu Yilin and Haitang awestruck.
"Riding the wind on a sword, I slay demons throughout the world."
Ning Beichen, dressed in a white scholar's robe, now exuded the aura of a white-robed sword immortal. However, Ning Beichen himself didn't feel quite so dashing. While sword flight was manageable, aerial maneuvers consumed internal energy like a flowing river. At his current level, he estimated he could only fly for about half an hour before it became strenuous. Yet, for someone who couldn't even fly before, this was more than worth it.
Next, Ning Beichen familiarized himself further with sword flight and even took Liu Yilin and Haitang along, allowing them to experience the thrill of flying.
"Right, Yilin, you're now at the Transcendent level. Flying with a sword won't be difficult for you. Choose a good weapon later, and I'll help you carve the formations onto it," Ning Beichen said happily to Liu Yilin.
Liu Yilin nodded enthusiastically. Seeing Ning Beichen fly had already captivated her.
Haitang looked at them with envy. As she wasn't a cultivator, she couldn't fly with a sword like them. However, she wasn't disheartened, as the inheritance she received in the ancient tomb contained witchcraft that could allow her to fly, though her current strength was insufficient.
Subsequently, Ning Beichen consumed several pills to recover his cultivation. The priority now was to enter Xu Feng Mountain to rescue the person. Sword flight could be explored further later.
Several hours later, Ning Beichen had recovered about half of his cultivation. He couldn't wait any longer; the longer the delay, the greater the danger to Yang Qianrou.
Standing at the foot of Xu Feng Mountain, Ning Beichen, through his special eyes, could already see the mountain's restrictive formation. It was fortunate he had arrived, as anyone else would need to be a formation master or use a large force to break through the restrictions of Xu Feng Mountain. But Ning Beichen didn't need to. His eyes had already seen the method to break the formation, and he immediately began working on it.
Meanwhile, inside Xu Feng Mountain, the merciless old demon Tie was recuperating in a secret chamber. With the mountain's restrictions in place, no one could enter unless he opened them, so Tie didn't worry about Ning Beichen outside. He couldn't fathom where this young man had come from, his strength was immense. If the bird demon hadn't rescued him in time, he would have been defeated.
"However, that kid seemed to be here to rescue that girl."
With this thought, Tie stood up and went to a basement. This was where he kept prisoners. He walked to the last room, opened the door, and saw Yang Qianrou bound with ropes on her hands and feet.