The moment the Great Dao seal crumbled, a fist imprint descended from above the Ninth Heaven. It was so fast that it collided with Ye Xiuran's sword energy in the blink of an eye.
Bang!
Ye Xiuran's sword energy was instantly halted.
At this moment, a young man appeared in the sky. He was well-groomed, with an imposing aura. The young man looked at Ye Xiuran and bowed slightly, "I am Chen Suiye; I'm here to fight on behalf of my master."
On behalf of his master? Ye Guan was immediately surprised. Could this young man's master be the Existing Dao?
Ye Xiuran smiled. "I won't hold back."
Chen Suiye replied, "Senior's strength is unparalleled, but the backlash of the Dao has left you with only a fraction of your strength. My master cherishes talent. If you wish to leave, you may do so at any time. There is no need to seek death."
Ye Xiuran shook his head slightly. "There is nothing left for me out there. I just want to finish this final battle."
Upon hearing that, Chen Suiye was silent for a moment before nodding. "Then please make your move, Senior."
"Let's begin," Ye Xiuran said, smiling. With that, he suddenly transformed into a streak of sword light that soared into the sky.
Chen Suiye stepped forward. Every inch of spacetime between the heavens and the earth abruptly blurred, and even time seemed to come to a halt!
And that was when the sword in Ye Xiuran's hand trembled violently...
Crack!
The blurred spacetime shattered instantly, and a sword appeared in front of Chen Suiye. However, Chen Suiye's expression remained unchanged. He stepped forward and threw a punch.
Boom!
The Seventh Heaven shattered and was obliterated by the punch.
A manifestation of the Time River appeared, and it trapped Ye Xiuran.
Schwing!
A distinct noise reverberated from the Time River.
Boom!
The river shattered, and a sword light streaked across the sky, flying toward Chen Suiye.
Chen Suiye's expression remained unchanged. He raised his right hand and swung it downward.
Boom!
A terrifying explosion erupted in the heavens, and a powerful wave of energy made a beeline for Ye Xiuran.
Bang!
Ye Xiuran's sword light was suppressed on the spot.
The next moment, a resonant sword hum reverberated.
Hum!
A distinct noise echoed as everything in the path of the sword was torn apart. Chen Suiye was forced to retreat thousands of meters away. As soon as he stopped, a sword appeared between his glabella.
Chen Suiye loosened his clenched right hand and bowed deeply to Ye Xiuran. "Thank you for showing mercy, Senior."
In the sky, Ye Xiuran stood with his sword. He stared at Chen Suiye and laughed loudly. "Indeed, every generation has its talents..."
As he spoke, he looked at Ye Guan and smiled. "Young man, I'm looking forward to the battle between you two over the Great Dao. Unfortunately, I won't be able to witness that fight."
After saying that, Ye Xiuran ignored Chen Suiye and turned into a streak of sword light, soaring into the sky. On his sword, he sought both death and the Dao!
He wanted to confront the Existing Dao—the Dao that someone had created in the distant past. More accurately, he wanted to use the Existing Dao to reach its creator.
When the sword reached the Ninth Heaven, a mysterious power suddenly appeared, and the sword began burning beneath it!
The will of the Dao!
Ye Xiuran laughed wildly, and a terrifying sword intent surged out like a tide from him. The sword intent converged on the sword, boosting its momentum. Once again, Ye Xiuran shot into the sky.
However, an illusory finger suddenly extended from within the stone gate, and it pointed at him.
Boom!
The sword was suppressed, unable to move any further.
Just then, an aged voice echoed from within the stone gate. "Sever the ties in your heart, and you will become a Path Annihilation Realm expert. Perhaps your sword can come within ten meters of me by then."
Ye Xiuran closed his eyes, and a lady's face appeared in his mind.
His ties with the lady had become his inner demon. If he were to sever them, his swordsmanship would reach unprecedented heights. By then, even the backlash of the Dao would no longer be able to affect him.
"Hahaha!" Ye Xiuran suddenly laughed, "Young man, tell her I'm sorry—tell her that I was wrong and that I failed her."
With that, he transformed into a ray of sword light that soared into the sky once more. The sword moved at breakneck speeds.
Ye Xiuran was fast approaching the stone gate. Just as he was about a hundred meters away from it, his fleshly body suddenly ignited, turning to ashes bit by bit until it eventually vanished with the wind.
He had been completely erased!
Ye Xiuran had chosen to die rather than sever the ties in his heart.
The world fell silent.
Ye Guan looked up at the Ninth Heaven. A sword slowly descended and landed steadily in his hand. The sword trembled slightly, emitting mournful cries.
Ye Guan looked at the sword in his hand.
The young lady had a beautiful face and a graceful figure; there was an ancient-looking book in her hands as she stared at Ye Guan with some surprise. "Who are you?"
Ye Guan cupped his fist and said, "Young miss, I'm here to find a senior named Li Xiuying."
The young lady stared at Ye Guan in astonishment. "You're looking for my mother?"
Her mother. Ye Guan sized up the young lady and nodded slightly. "Yes."
Just as the young lady was about to speak, a voice echoed behind her. "Let him in."
The young lady in green then said, "Please come in."
"Thank you." Ye Guan nodded and walked in.
Following the young lady in green, they passed through a small courtyard, and Ye Guan soon found himself inside a small hall.
A beautiful lady was seated inside the hall.
The passage of time had left some wrinkles on her face, but it had also given her a mature charm.
The beautiful lady stared at Ye Guan without saying anything.
Ye Guan took out a jade pendant.
Upon seeing it, the beautiful lady immediately said, "Qinghan, go outside."
The young lady in green was greatly puzzled. "Mother?"
"Go," repeated the beautiful lady.
The young lady in green was confused, but she dared not disobey upon seeing her mother's angry face. She glanced at Ye Guan before turning around and leaving the hall.
Ye Guan and the beautiful lady were left alone in the hall.
The beautiful lady looked at Ye Guan and asked, "Who are you to him?"
Ye Guan replied, "I'm his junior, and he gave me pointers for my swordsmanship."
"Did he send you here?"
"Yes."
"Why did he send you?"
"Senior asked me to deliver a message to you. He said that it was his fault and that he is sorry..."
The beautiful lady remained expressionless. "Is that all?"
Ye Guan placed a storage ring, a sword, and the jade pendant on the table.
"These are things that Senior asked me to give you," Ye Guan remarked.
The beautiful lady's expression remained unchanging. "Why did he not come here himself?"
Ye Guan hesitated. "H-he has passed away."
The beautiful lady was stunned. After a while, she nodded. "I see."
Ye Guan glanced at the beautiful lady before turning around to leave.
"Wait!" The beautiful lady suddenly said, "What's your name, mister?"
Ye Guan stopped in his tracks and faced the beautiful lady, "Ye Guan."
The beautiful lady stared deeply at Ye Guan and said, "I have an unreasonable request, and I hope you'll agree. If you do, everything he has left behind for me will be yours."
Ye Guan thought for a moment before replying, "Senior, please don't overthink it. If I wanted his inheritance, I wouldn't have brought these items here."
The beautiful lady in front of him seemed to be testing him.
"That was dumb of me," the beautiful lady remarked. She stood up and was about to bow, but a gentle sword aura stopped her.
Ye Guan said, "Madam, there is no need for this. Senior Ye has given me a ton of helpful pointers. If you have any requests, feel free to tell me. If it's within my power, I won't refuse."
The beautiful lady nodded slightly, "Qinghan has little experience in the world, but she wants to go out and train. I'm really worried about her. I hope you can look after her in the future."
Ye Guan nodded. "No problem."
"Thank you." The beautiful lady bowed slightly. She then handed the storage ring and Ye Xiuran's sword to Ye Guan. "Please give these to Qinghan."
Ye Guan fell into contemplation before saying, "Senior Ye asked me to give these to you, not to anyone else."
Ye Xiuran definitely still had feelings for the lady in front of him, but I was sure he had no feelings for the young lady in green. After all, she was not his own flesh and blood.
The beautiful lady lowered her head and remained silent.
"Very well," Ye Guan said after much pondering. He picked up Ye Xiuran's sword as well as the storage ring before turning around to leave.
"Thank you!" the beautiful lady exclaimed.
Ye Guan took the sword and the storage ring outside.
As soon as he saw the young lady in green, Ye Xiuran's sword trembled. Then, it flew toward the young lady in green and orbited her, showing great affection toward the latter.
Ye Guan was stunned. The next moment, he seemed to have realized something, and his pupils narrowed to needle points. He turned back and rushed into the small hall.
The beautiful lady was still sitting on her chair, but she was no longer breathing.
There were two jade pendants in her hand. One of the jade pendants read, "Hand in Hand," while the other read, "Grow old together."