It must be said, at this moment, Mu Xu was genuinely rattled!
If White Robe and his group actually took this job, White Day City would be in grave danger!
Once they accepted, Eternal Night City would surely launch a full-scale assault on White Day City, how could White Day City fend off these foes then?
But at that moment, White Robe shook his head, “We decline!”
Ye Xuan frowned, “Why?”
White Robe looked at him, “We don’t take jobs against former clients!”
With that, he turned and left!
Not taking jobs against past clients!
Dropping a contract wasn’t shameful, nor did it break their principles! But accepting a job against a former client right after backing out? That would ruin Shenyong’s reputation!
Who’d hire them after that?
Seeing White Robe and his group depart, Mu Xu breathed a sigh of relief, but then, as if struck by a thought, he glanced at Ye Xuan, then called to White Robe, “I agree to your terms! White Day City will pay twenty star veins to kill these two!”
At that, White Robe paused.
Ye Xuan’s eyelid twitched, Damn it, has Mu Xu lost his mind?
White Robe turned to Mu Xu, who said gravely, “White Robe, White Day City is willing to offer twenty star veins!”
But White Robe shook his head, “Too late! Shenyong’s done with this job!”
Mu Xu froze, then said, “Why?”
White Robe glanced at him, not answering, and led the Shenyong Mercenaries into the starry horizon.
Mu Xu’s face turned ashen at the sight.
The Defier suddenly said, “Where’d those guys come from?”
Ye Xuan grinned, “We’ll ask Lord Hanjiang when we get back!”
He shot a look at Mu Xu, “Fighting’s one thing, but hiring help? Despicable!”
Mu Xu glared at Ye Xuan, silent.
Ye Xuan turned to Tianchen, his left thumb resting on his sword hilt. After a moment’s pause, he chose not to strike.
Ye Xuan and the Defier turned to leave!
In the distance, Tianchen, after a brief silence, also departed.
…
Ye Xuan and the Defier returned to Eternal Night City. In the great hall, Hanjiang’s face was grim, “I never imagined White Day City would hire people from *that* place!”
Ye Xuan, curious, asked, “Where exactly is the Shenyong Mercenary Group from?”
Hanjiang said gravely, “The Six Realms!”
Ye Xuan frowned, “Six Realms?”
Hanjiang nodded, his expression heavy, “A terrifying place, far from here. Only Transformation Realm experts can reach it, crossing countless spacetime storms! Even they face danger, those storms are horrific, I’ve been through them, one misstep means total annihilation!”
Ye Xuan asked, “What kind of presence are White Robe and his group there? Not small fry, surely?”
Hanjiang shook his head, “Impossible! They’re top-tier prodigies and powerhouses there. The Six Realms have more Transformation Realm experts than us, but not so many they’re commonplace, their quality, though, far surpasses ours!”
Ye Xuan thought for a moment, then said, “I suggest we go to war with White Day City directly!”
War!
Hanjiang and the Defier froze at Ye Xuan’s words.
Hanjiang said, “Straight to war?”
Ye Xuan nodded, “White Day City’s gone all-in, they won’t stop, which means they’ve got more planned! Why not strike first, disrupt their rhythm?”
Hanjiang fell silent.
Full-scale war!
It carried huge risks, though they had the edge, victory wasn’t certain, no one knew the other’s true trump cards!
Ye Xuan continued, “They’ve already acted, they won’t quit, especially now that I’ve joined Eternal Night City, they’ll be even more desperate! The longer this drags, the better for us!”
He looked at Hanjiang, “If you were White Day City’s lord, what would you do?”
Hanjiang, after a pause, said, “While the gap isn’t too wide, I’d go all-out!”
Ye Xuan nodded, “When we left, that fool Mu Xu was willing to pay twenty star veins to kill me and the Defier, what does that mean? It means he thinks like you, ready for mutual destruction! If we don’t act, they will!”
Hanjiang, after a moment’s silence, turned, “Summon all the elders to the hall now!”
In the distance, a shadow slipped away.
Soon, Eternal Night City’s top powerhouses gathered in the hall.
Ye Xuan left, how to fight was for Hanjiang and the others to decide.
The Defier approached Ye Xuan, looking at him, “Thanks!”
Ye Xuan grinned, “For what?”
The Defier said softly, “If not for you, I wouldn’t have made it back!”
Ye Xuan blinked, “Got any more star veins?”
The Defier’s expression froze: “…”
Ye Xuan laughed, “Kidding!”
He pulled out a storage ring, the one with the star vein the Defier had given him, and placed it before him!
The Defier looked puzzled, “This…”
Ye Xuan smiled, “I don’t scam friends!”
With that, he turned and left.
The Defier stood there, staring at the ring, silent for a long time.
Ye Xuan returned to a hall, entered Little Tower, and sat cross-legged, eyes closing slowly.
His battle with Hei Yan and White Robe had taught him much, especially that state of tranquil heart!
In it, he found his sword transformed entirely!
It was something he’d never experienced before!
Ye Xuan opened his palm, the Qingxuan Sword appearing. He studied it briefly, then closed his eyes again.
Tranquil heart!
He slipped back into that wondrous state!
With his heart calm, he found everything in the world became clear!
A tranquil heart, all things revealed!
Ye Xuan quietly sensed his surroundings, discovering that viewing the world through his heart made everything different.
In that moment, the world felt more real!
He could clearly feel everything around him, water, mountains, air, every detail…
All things!
People live their lives chasing food and clothing, how many ever pause to feel the universe?
The sights along life’s path are beautiful, yet few stop to admire them.
Of course, compared to scenery, survival matters more.
When you’re starving, everything else is nonsense!
Then, the Qingxuan Sword in his hand trembled slightly, resonating with him!
Ye Xuan stood, looking into the distance, his thumb resting on the sword’s hilt. Little Tower suddenly said, “Little Master, don’t do anything rash!”
Ye Xuan smiled, “Alright!”
He left Little Tower, arriving in an unknown starry sky.
Looking around, he flicked his thumb.
*Swish!*
The Qingxuan Sword shot forth, and the starry sky in his gaze dissolved instantly!
Ye Xuan smiled faintly, opening his palm, the sword returning.
He’d longed to test his full strength with one swing.
Neither in the fight with White Robe nor now had he gone all-out, never using the momentum or power of the Myriad Realms!
With those, his sword would be his strongest!
He held back now, the commotion would be too great, the power too vast, the impact too wide, and he was still too close to Eternal Night City.
Then, Tianyan appeared beside him. Ye Xuan smiled, “It’s you!”
Tianyan nodded, “A great war’s coming!”
Ye Xuan nodded, “Eternal Night City’s about to settle things with White Day City!”
Tianyan looked at him, “You’re with Eternal Night City?”
Ye Xuan nodded.
Tianyan nodded, “Understood!”
Ye Xuan smiled, “This is a crisis, but also an opportunity.”
Tianyan glanced at him, “I get it.”
Ye Xuan was about to speak when the Defier appeared, saying, “We’ve got to go!”
Ye Xuan grinned, “Ready for the big fight?”
The Defier nodded.
Ye Xuan asked, “Any movement from White Day City?”
The Defier shook his head, “Nothing!”
Ye Xuan frowned, “Something’s off!”
The Defier paused, then asked, “What’s wrong?”
Ye Xuan said gravely, “Let’s go!”
He vanished with the Defier and Tianyan.
Back at Eternal Night City, Hanjiang had gathered all the top powerhouses, clearly preparing for a decisive battle with White Day City.
Seeing Ye Xuan, Hanjiang smiled, “We’re ready to roll!”
Ye Xuan said, “The Defier said White Day City’s shown no movement, right?”
Hanjiang nodded, “I feel it’s off too. They should know we’re coming for them, yet they’re completely quiet, it’s unnaturally calm!”
Ye Xuan, after a pause, said, “They must have a backup plan!”
Hanjiang nodded, “Likely, but we don’t know what it is!”
Ye Xuan looked at him, “Do we have a backup plan?”
Hanjiang grinned, “Of course! A faction with our history has some trump cards, and with you on our side, our odds are good! Still, we can’t be careless, White Day City’s been around just as long, they’ve got cards we don’t know about… Anyway, we’ll fight first and see!”
Ye Xuan nodded, about to speak, when an elder appeared, saying gravely, “Lord, all of White Day City’s powerhouses are charging toward Eternal Night City!”
They struck first?
Everyone’s brows furrowed at the news!
