Friend of the Heavenly Dao!
At this moment, Ye Xuan hadn’t expected that he’d gain the recognition of this world’s Heavenly Dao so effortlessly!
He knew well that the Heavenly Dao, as a sentient entity, was typically wary of humans and other beings. Yet, it had chosen to bestow its mark upon him.
Of course, this was a good thing!
A monumental stroke of fortune!
With this, he could wield its momentum without even needing the Great Dao Scripture. More than that, he could tap into the power of the myriad realms!
There was a vast difference between borrowing momentum and borrowing strength!
In the distance, the Defier cast a deep glance at Ye Xuan, “We’ll fight again another day!”
With that, he turned and departed.
Ye Xuan watched the retreating Defier in silence.
At that moment, Xu Chong and the others appeared beside him. Xu Chong sized him up, “You alright?”
Ye Xuan shook his head, “I need to enter seclusion for a while!”
Xu Chong nodded, “Good!”
He turned to Mu Ge, “Arrange for him…”
Ye Xuan suddenly chuckled, “Vein Master, no need for arrangements. Just give me a quiet hall!”
Xu Chong hesitated, then nodded, “Alright!”
Ye Xuan vanished from the spot.
In the field, Xu Chong murmured, “I never imagined it’d end like this!”
Everyone present nodded.
None of them had expected it to end in a draw!
Then, Mu Shen softly said, “It’s already the best outcome!”
Elder Shen nodded, “Indeed, this was the best possible result!”
He turned to Mu Shen, “How did you find this kid?”
At that, everyone’s eyes shifted to Mu Shen, clearly curious!
After a moment of silence, Mu Shen replied, “Picked him up!”
Everyone: “…”
—
Inside the small pagoda, Ye Xuan sat cross-legged, eyes gently closed.
The pagoda’s voice rang out excitedly, “Little Master, congratulations!”
Ye Xuan frowned, puzzled, “Congratulate me for what?”
The pagoda said, “I thought you’d have to use the Qingxuan Sword and your bloodline power, but you didn’t!”
Ye Xuan fell silent.
Truth be told, this time he genuinely hadn’t wanted to rely on the Qingxuan Sword or his bloodline. Against older-generation powerhouses, he had no choice, but that Defier wasn’t some ancient veteran!
He, Ye Xuan, had his own pride!
The pagoda’s tone grew serious, “Little Master, I’ve realized you’re not actually that bad!”
Ye Xuan’s face darkened, “Damn it, was I really that lousy in your eyes before?”
The pagoda hesitated, then said, “I refuse to answer that question!”
Ye Xuan: “…”
Done bantering with the cheeky thing, he closed his eyes again.
His battle with the Defier had been undeniably perilous. Especially that Defier’s power of defiance—if he hadn’t trained his sword body, his first strike would’ve been his last!
More importantly, he could sense the Defier hadn’t gone all out. The fact that he’d shattered Ye Xuan’s sixth sword at the end meant he’d held back—not just one trick, but several!
At that thought, Ye Xuan opened his palm, and the Qingxuan Sword appeared. It trembled slightly, as if responding to him!
A faint smile curved Ye Xuan’s lips, “Next time, I’ll definitely bring you into the fight!”
The Qingxuan Sword quivered, emitting a clear sword hum!
Over the next stretch of time, Ye Xuan focused on healing. Though his undying bloodline helped, unleashing six consecutive swords had taken a toll, and a brief respite wasn’t enough for full recovery.
Two hours later, his injuries were mostly mended!
Once healed, he immediately sought out Elder Shen and the other two!
Looking at Elder Shen, Ye Xuan declared, “Senior, I want to keep fighting!”
Elder Shen glanced at him, “You can!”
One against three!
No suspense—without the Qingxuan Sword or bloodline power, he was thoroughly trounced by Elder Shen and the trio!
Only now did Ye Xuan realize he’d underestimated them. Their combat awareness and coordination were terrifying. Especially their teamwork—if he let his guard down even slightly, he’d get pummeled without a chance to fight back!
But this only fueled his excitement!
Being beaten meant he wasn’t strong enough yet—there was room to grow!
In sparring with the three, he insisted on forgoing the Qingxuan Sword and bloodline power. The sword came from Qing’er, the bloodline from his father—neither was something he’d cultivated himself. Strictly speaking, they were external aids!
He wanted to see if he was truly useless without them!
—
Demon Vein.
Gu Qin stood atop a mountain peak, a middle-aged man behind him—the returning investigator, Mu You.
Gu Qin murmured, “Did Gu Di die by Ye Xuan’s hand?”
Mu You shook his head, “No! It was someone behind him.”
Gu Qin’s eyes narrowed, “Someone behind him?”
Mu You nodded, “A man in a green robe. But he’s shrouded in mystery—we couldn’t trace his origins!”
Gu Qin fell silent.
Mu You suddenly asked, “From what I’ve heard, Ye Xuan came here and joined the Holy Vein, right?”
Gu Qin nodded, “Just earlier, he fought the Defier!”
Mu You frowned, “How’s that possible… From what I know, his strength wasn’t great. He couldn’t even beat Gu Di—only after calling someone did he kill him. How could he match the Defier?”
Gu Qin replied calmly, “I didn’t believe it either, but it’s the truth!”
Mu You said gravely, “So he’s improved in that time! But how long has it been? How could he grow so much…”
Gu Qin closed his eyes slowly, “Nothing’s impossible! Don’t judge geniuses and freaks by common standards!”
Mu You fell silent.
Gu Qin added, “You really couldn’t find anything on that green-robed man?”
Mu You shook his head, “Nothing!”
Gu Qin sank into thought.
Mu You spoke again, “Do we need revenge?”
Gu Qin looked at him, “Use your head. What kind of force could nurture a freak like that?”
Mu You hesitated, then said, “Didn’t we nurture the Defier?”
Gu Qin shook his head slightly, a self-mocking smile tugging at his lips.
Was the Defier raised by the Demon Vein?
Not at all!
In truth, aside from him, no one in the Demon Vein knew the Defier’s true identity. He was only temporarily staying here!
The Demon Vein lacked the ability to cultivate a monster like the Defier. Defying the heavens, consistently walking against the natural order—such a person needed powerful guardians. Otherwise, they’d be snuffed out by unseen forces before they could mature!
And Ye Xuan matching the Defier meant he, too, had a terrifying force behind him!
Beside him, Mu You said grimly, “Are we just letting it go? Gu Di was your grandson, Vein Master…”
Gu Qin frowned, “Gu Di? Never heard of him! What’s he got to do with our Demon Vein?”
Mu You gaped in shock.
Gu Qin stared at him, “Remember this: Gu Di has nothing to do with our Demon Vein!”
With that, he turned and left.
Risking a feud with a potentially terrifying force over a Gu Di? How brain-dead would that be?
Left behind, Mu You gave a bitter smile before turning to leave.
—
On another mountain peak, the Defier stood quietly, eyes closed, lost in thought.
Gu Qin appeared beside him.
The Defier said softly, “I’m leaving!”
Gu Qin frowned, “So soon?”
The Defier nodded, “They’ve come for me!”
He glanced into the distance, “I’ll go see him!”
With that, he vanished.
Gu Qin hesitated, then hurriedly led a group of Demon Vein experts after him.
—
Holy Vein.
Ye Xuan, mid-battle, suddenly stopped. The next moment, he and Elder Shen’s group exited the illusory realm.
Above the Holy Vein, space tore open, and the Defier appeared.
Ye Xuan glanced at him, brow furrowing. This guy wasn’t here for another fight, was he?
Xu Chong and the others frowned too, evidently sharing the same thought!
The Defier looked at Ye Xuan, “I’m leaving!”
“Leaving?”
Ye Xuan blinked, then asked, “Where to?”
The Defier thought for a moment, “Home!”
Ye Xuan’s voice grew serious, “You’re not from the Demon Vein?”
The Defier nodded, “I was only training there temporarily. My time’s up, so I’m going!”
Ye Xuan studied him, “Where are you from?”
The Defier replied, “Eternal Night.”
Ye Xuan frowned, “Eternal Night?”
The Defier’s brow creased too, “You haven’t heard of it?”
Ye Xuan blinked, “Have you heard of the Milky Way?”
The Defier shook his head, “Never!”
Ye Xuan said solemnly, “A place as badass as the Milky Way, and you’ve never heard of it?”
The Defier looked at him, “Is this Milky Way impressive?”
Ye Xuan nodded earnestly, “Very!”
The Defier pondered, then asked, “Why haven’t I heard of it?”
Ye Xuan grinned, “It’s normal not to have heard of it. Most people don’t know about the Milky Way!”
The Defier said, “Now I’m curious. Brother Ye, can you tell me what’s so great about it?”
Ye Xuan paused, then said, “There’s a terrifying powerhouse there called the Strongest Destiny. With her guarding it, the Milky Way’s the strongest realm in the universe!”
“Strongest Destiny!”
The Defier frowned again, “I’ve never heard of her either!”
Ye Xuan was about to speak when the distant sky split open. A group of thirty-two armored figures in black emerged above the Holy Vein.
Among them, thirty were at the Mind Mastery Realm—not the scariest part. The real terror was the two leaders, both at the Dao Clarity Realm!
Seeing this, Ye Xuan’s face darkened. He couldn’t help but curse inwardly, “Mind Mastery everywhere… Damn it, this map’s expanding too fast! Who can handle this? Shit! Shit! Shit!”
