Yu Qing held the utmost admiration for Saint Monk Xumi. Naturally, this extended to those connected to him. He did not grow angry at Zhang Ruochen’s sarcasm. Stroking his beard, he smiled. “Well said: a heart free of responsibility, a body unburdened. In your eyes, this poor Taoist has become a man without any sense of duty.”
Zhang Ruochen clasped his fists in salute. “How would this junior dare offend a great sage of the Immeasurable Realm? It is only that these years I have carried heavy burdens forward, often feeling as though I fight alone, isolated and without aid. Facing powerful enemies and traitors within, I can only tread on thin ice, cautious at every step, terrified of a single misstep leading to eternal damnation. Even so, I have narrowly escaped death dozens of times.”
He sighed again. “I am tired, truly tired! If the senior is willing to take me in, the Sword Realm should be a fine place to escape all these troubles. The man-eating evil spirits of the Infernal Court, the sinister and treacherous villains of the Heavenly Court, the world-destroying conspirators of the Quantity Organisation: they are all too powerful. I cannot fight them, cannot fight them at all!”
The Dragon Lord spoke gravely. “This child has indeed had it hard! After the divine power of the Saint Monk dissipated, the armies of the Infernal Court advanced into Kunlun Realm. In a single night, the homeland became a battlefield. The lives of an entire realm were harvested like grass. Truly, ten thousand li of mountains and rivers wept blood.”
“The armies from the various realms of the Heavenly Court, under the banner of merit, acted as bandits. They seized secret texts, plundered spiritual medicines, enslaved the people. If not for him standing forth, holding everything together single-handedly and suppressing the evils from all sides, the losses to Kunlun Realm would have been beyond measure. For this, his daughter was even captured by Infernal Court cultivators and nearly suffered possession.”
Yu Qing had not left the Dark Triangle Star Domain for tens of thousands of years. Hearing the Dragon Lord’s account, his face grew terrifyingly grim. He said coldly, “Has Kunlun Realm already fallen? Ji Wang, when Kunlun Realm suffered calamity, where were you?”
The Dragon Lord’s face revealed deep sorrow.
Zhang Ruochen said, “Uncle Dragon’s injuries from a hundred thousand years ago have yet to heal. If his survival were exposed, even if the Infernal Court did not act, the hidden hand from a hundred thousand years ago would strike to kill him. Though Uncle Dragon’s cultivation is profound, a single tree cannot prop up a crumbling world. Moreover, to the various realms of the Heavenly Court and the clans of the Infernal Court, this world is merely a fat piece of meat to be carved up.”
Yu Qing calmed down. He realised that if Kunlun Realm had already been destroyed, how could Ji Wang appear so relaxed and carefree?
“You concealed your survival in order to rescue the Island Lord?” Yu Qing asked.
The Dragon Lord nodded lightly. “You must have heard something of the catastrophe a hundred thousand years ago. So many experts of Kunlun Realm died or vanished. The hidden hand behind it must include at least one genius of that era. Only by rescuing the Island Lord can the situation be stabilised and a deterrent formed within the Heavenly Court.”
Yu Qing could imagine the hardships endured by the Dragon Lord and Zhang Ruochen. As he felt moved and hesitated,
Zhang Ruochen cried out loudly, “I only regret that Heaven did not bring me into the world eight hundred thousand years earlier. Even if I could not fight alongside the Twenty-Four Heavens, spilling blood in unknown lands, I should at least have stood with the Saint Monk to defend Kunlun Realm unto death.”
“Had I been born eight hundred thousand years earlier, perhaps today I could sweep clean the universe and flatten all evils.”
His voice rang out, each word sharp as a blade, loud as thunder.
Yu Qing saw that the young man was mocking him again and asked, “What is your name?”
“Zhang Ruochen!”
“He actually bears the surname Zhang.”
Yu Qing glanced at the Dragon Lord, who nodded faintly.
Yu Qing understood. He observed Zhang Ruochen once more. “Your swordsmanship attainment is indeed impressive. You carry a trace of Sword Ancestor’s unique aura. Your opportunities have not been small.”
Zhang Ruochen knew the other tolerated his insolence as a junior only because of the Saint Monk.
His own attitude had made his stance clear. Continuing such rudeness now would only breed resentment.
Zhang Ruochen said, “The Ancestor is indeed a sword dao divine spirit of the Immeasurable Realm. This junior has indeed received Sword Ancestor’s sword soul inheritance.”
He offered sufficient respect, yet remained neither servile nor overbearing.
The Dragon Lord said, “Ruochen, your talent in sword dao can be called the greatest in all history. Why not demonstrate a little before the Ancestor?”
Hearing the words “greatest in all history”, Yu Qing inwardly scoffed.
He cared little to comment on other paths. But in sword dao, who dared claim such a title? It was pure boastfulness.
“Yes!”
Zhang Ruochen answered. He summoned the Qingping Sword. Without deliberately displaying any flashy moves, he simply closed his eyes to sense heaven and earth, then swung the sword freely as his heart guided.
Before a figure like Yu Qing, who had reached Immeasurable through sword dao, any sword technique would be like showing off trivial skills before an expert, full of flaws.
But the Dragon Lord had asked him to demonstrate swordsmanship. The purpose was hardly simple.
It was to prove to Yu Qing that Zhang Ruochen possessed boundless future potential, capable of fulfilling the Saint Monk’s final wish: wielding the sword to sever the Quantity Tribulation.
Yu Qing’s initially dismissive gaze softened as memories surfaced upon seeing the Qingping Sword in Zhang Ruochen’s hand. As the sword moves unfolded, his expression grew solemn. “Stop! What sword dao is this?”
Zhang Ruochen sheathed the sword. “One-Character Sword Dao!”
The Dragon Lord knew Yu Qing must be profoundly shocked inside. He deliberately added, “The sword dao cultivated from the legendary Third Grade Sword Dao Sacred Intent. It has not disappointed you, has it?”
With the Dragon Lord’s personal confirmation, Yu Qing’s suspicions settled. He sighed. “With this sword dao, and proper guidance from a master, your future achievements may rival Sword Ancestor’s. Even if not the greatest in history, you could claim second place!”
Clearly, in Yu Qing’s heart, Sword Ancestor remained the insurmountable peak for sword cultivators.
Only after a long while did Yu Qing emerge from his inner astonishment. Looking at Zhang Ruochen again, his eyes now held deep affection and admiration. He asked warmly, “Who taught you this sword dao?”
Zhang Ruochen had intended to say “self-enlightened”, but the Dragon Lord spoke first. “This child is a disciple of our Liangyi Sect. How else would he address you as Ancestor?”
“Excellent!”
Yu Qing’s spirits soared. He laughed heartily. “The successor chosen by the Saint Monk is guided by our Liangyi Sect. Such sword dao attainment could not be taught elsewhere. When I saw him draw the Qingping Sword, this poor Taoist already suspected as much.”
Zhang Ruochen thought inwardly that if this Ancestor learned he had recently lost the Universe Cauldron belonging to Liangyi Sect, he wondered whether the man would still be laughing.
“Come, to the Sword Realm. Let your Grandmaster Taiqing meet you as well. He has never believed Third Grade Sword Dao Sacred Intent truly exists in the world. This time, let him broaden his horizons and see that Liangyi Sect has produced another heaven-defying genius. The waves behind truly surpass those before.”
Yu Qing took Zhang Ruochen’s hand and vanished into the void, in exceedingly high spirits. He even left his old friend Ji Wang behind.
…
Yu Yao broke through the divine patterns Huang Tian had set in the past. Bringing the blue-robed Bai Qing’er, she arrived outside Yuchen Divine Temple.
The petals of the hibiscus tree seemed never to wither, forever vibrant and magnificent.
The grave beneath the tree was covered in petals.
Huang Tian’s towering figure stood erect, hands clasped behind his back, head slightly raised as he gazed at the divine hibiscus flowers on the tree. Yet his body had long turned to stone. His handsome, resolute features were as if chiselled by an axe, his hair hanging to his waist.
No trace of life remained, like a mere stone statue.
No one knew how long he had stood before the grave that year before turning to stone. The bitterness and self-reproach in his heart could be described by no words.
Bai Qing’er approached the grave, knelt in reverence, and scattered paper money.
Yu Yao’s eyes reddened. She bowed deeply. “Sister, we will surely tear Xuan Yi into a thousand pieces and avenge you.”
“Not only Xuan Yi. Yi Tianjun and Shang Tian both deserve death. Until the Shang Clan is destroyed, how can Mother’s spirit rest in peace?” Bai Qing’er had already risen. In her beautiful starry eyes burned cold killing intent.
A chill wind rose accordingly.
Only then did Bai Qing’er look at Huang Tian. Before coming, she had agreed with Yu Yao on what to say. Yet seeing her mother’s grave and Huang Tian turned to stone, inexplicable resentment filled her heart.
She almost wanted to strike him with her palm and shatter him into pieces.
“Let us go. I truly have nothing to say to this man.”
Bai Qing’er turned and left.
Yu Yao said, “Qing’er, back then he was deceived by Stone Ancestor! Stone Ancestor promised to protect your mother, so he left with peace of mind. He had to cultivate diligently. Only by becoming strong enough would he hold value to Stone Ancestor. Otherwise, why would Stone Ancestor help him?”
Bai Qing’er laughed coldly. “When the Heavenly Court armies invaded Xinghuan Heaven to exterminate our Nishen Clan, was that not a certain-death situation? Yet did Zhang Ruochen flee? If his feelings for my mother were not even comparable to Zhang Ruochen’s feelings for me, how am I to understand him?”
“A man of Huang Tian’s extraordinary talent: is he an idiot? To actually believe Stone Ancestor?”
Yu Yao said, “At that time he had nothing and could rely on no one. Even knowing he was merely a tool used by Stone Ancestor, he had to grit his teeth and go. Can you understand that helplessness?”
“Fine. Then this grudge must include a share for Stone Ancestor as well.”
Ignoring Yu Yao’s calls, Bai Qing’er pressed her palm against the divine patterns Huang Tian had placed around Yuchen Divine Temple. Origin divine light erupted in her palm, gradually breaking the barrier.
The grey death qi slowly dissipated.
Bai Qing’er’s cultivation had clearly advanced greatly again. She was not far from Taizhen. Even divine patterns set by Huang Tian could no longer stop her.
“Boom!”
Suddenly, from within the grey death qi, a powerful rebound force struck Bai Qing’er, sending her flying backwards.
Bai Qing’er refined away the death qi on her body with origin divine light. Her eyes fixed on the hibiscus tree rapidly sprouting branches and leaves. There, vital life qi surged. Even grass grew on the grave, and jellyfish-shaped white plants appeared in the air.
Huang Tian’s stone body gradually regained flesh. His hair turned jet black. Bright divine light burst from his eyes.
In an instant, overwhelmingly powerful divine might erupted, striking Bai Qing’er like a tidal wave. She retreated dozens of steps into the ruined temple before steadying herself.
Clearly, Huang Tian had never truly been trapped “between life and death”. He had chosen to enter death to comprehend the mysteries “between life and death”.
Now he had thoroughly consolidated this realm.
“Overestimating yourself. With your cultivation, you dare seek vengeance against Shang Tian and Stone Tian? Do you realise that the moment you spoke those words, they already sensed it!”
Huang Tian stared coldly at Bai Qing’er, his gaze sharp as ten thousand arrows piercing the heart.
Bai Qing’er met his stare unflinchingly, head held high. “Do you think that if I remain silent, they would be unaware of my desire to kill them? You fear them. I do not. If I dare not even avenge my hatred, what difference is there between living in this world and being lower than pigs and dogs?”
“Qing’er, he is Father.”
Yu Yao had not expected Bai Qing’er to curse so harshly.
