Ye Xuan glanced at the man and grinned. “So confident, huh?”
The man laughed. “I was a bit wary at first, but Brother Ye, you’ve given me confidence!”
He glanced around, chuckling lightly. “I’m actually looking forward to that sword you unleashed!”
Ye Xuan gave the man a deep look. “You’re a tough one!”
With that, he turned, transforming into a streak of sword light and vanishing at the horizon.
Seeing this, the man’s brows furrowed slightly. Just left like that?
Had he overestimated his opponent?
The man looked into the distance. After a moment, his frown deepened.
Because he realised Ye Xuan had truly gone.
As if struck by a thought, the man’s eyes narrowed. “Could he have been bluffing me from the start?”
At that moment, a sword appeared without warning before his brow.
The man’s face changed drastically. A powerful force surged from within him, gathering at his forehead.
*Boom!*
A burst of sword light erupted, and the man was slashed back nearly ten thousand zhang. As he stopped, his brow suddenly split open. The crack spread rapidly, and in the blink of an eye, his entire body shattered like a struck porcelain vase, leaving only his soul.
But then, another sword appeared!
This one wasn’t the Qingxuan Sword!
Because Ye Xuan had unleashed *two* swords from the start.
The Qingxuan Sword was only the first!
The second was for finishing the job!
Seeing this sword, the man’s eyes narrowed. He lightly pointed forward with his right hand, and the space where his finger touched rippled. A surge of powerful soul energy poured from his fingertips.
*Boom!*
Ye Xuan’s sword was blocked, but the next moment, the man’s pupils contracted to pinpoints.
This sword carried a special force targeting the soul!
*One Sword to Lock the Soul*!
*Boom!*
The man’s soul was hurled back ten thousand zhang. When he stopped, his soul was so faint it was nearly transparent.
Without hesitation, he turned and fled to the horizon.
Escape!
He knew he had to flee immediately!
A moment’s delay, and he’d be dead!
The moment he vanished, Ye Xuan appeared in his original spot, looking to the sky with deeply furrowed brows.
He hadn’t expected that even two *Swords to Sever the Future* couldn’t kill the man!
A third-tier Cosmic Heart Realm powerhouse!
Was the opponent weak?
No, not at all.
If the man had chosen to attack first, Ye Xuan wasn’t sure he could have defended. The Qingxuan Sword had been used for *One Sword to Sever the Future*, and even using it to defend, he couldn’t guarantee he’d block the man’s attack.
Unfortunately for the man, he hadn’t attacked directly!
Ye Xuan looked at the Qingxuan Sword in his hand, shaking his head slightly.
As Zhou Xing had said before, when facing true powerhouses, he had to strike first—and he might only get one chance!
If he couldn’t kill or cripple the opponent, their counterattack could spell disaster for him.
After a moment, Ye Xuan turned and left.
He still had room to grow!
Failing to kill the man this time wasn’t entirely bad.
If he *had* killed him, the Demon Sect might have sent a fifth- or even sixth-tier Cosmic Heart Realm powerhouse next!
From his encounter with the man, Ye Xuan knew he was no match for a fifth-tier powerhouse right now!
The man’s survival meant a buffer period, which Ye Xuan could use to boost his strength!
…
Elsewhere, the man fled across dozens of star domains before stopping.
He scanned his surroundings, his eyes still filled with wariness.
After a moment, confirming Ye Xuan hadn’t pursued, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.
His brows furrowed slightly. “Such a strange sword…”
Recalling Ye Xuan’s two swords, he still felt lingering fear.
Those swords were truly bizarre.
After a moment’s silence, as if struck by a thought, his pupils contracted. “Sword to Sever the Future!”
At this realisation, disbelief flashed in his eyes. “How did he do it?”
*Sword to Sever the Future*!
Reversing time?
No!
The man knew well that ordinary time reversal couldn’t threaten him.
After a moment’s silence, he murmured, “Interesting…”
With that, he closed his eyes and began repairing his body.
He didn’t return to the Demon Sect immediately, as he sensed things weren’t so simple. By all accounts, a place like this shouldn’t produce someone of Ye Xuan’s calibre.
Moreover, he noticed Ye Xuan’s realm was extraordinarily low!
His top priority now was to investigate Ye Xuan thoroughly.
…
Inside the Little Pagoda, Ye Xuan approached Shen Zhao. After absorbing his essence blood, her aura was growing stronger. It wouldn’t be long before she reached the third tier of the Cosmic Heart Realm!
Shen Zhao opened her eyes and looked at Ye Xuan. “Was that man fourth-tier?”
Ye Xuan nodded.
Shen Zhao fell silent.
Ye Xuan smiled. “In the Demon Sect, are fourth-tier powerhouses common?”
Shen Zhao shook her head. “Not many, but not too few either. The higher the tier, the harder it is to advance—especially for demonic beasts. Their advancement faces countless restrictions. But once a demonic beast succeeds, its strength far surpasses human cultivators of the same tier.”
Ye Xuan was silent for a moment, then said, “So, even in the Demon Sect, fifth- and sixth-tier powerhouses are extremely rare?”
Shen Zhao nodded.
Ye Xuan nodded slightly. “I understand!”
Shen Zhao glanced at him. “Don’t underestimate them. Even a fourth-tier powerhouse is terrifying. Those who reach that level are no ordinary demonic beasts!”
Ye Xuan laughed. “True!”
The man’s observational skills had shocked him, serving as a wake-up call!
The Demon Sect was indeed formidable!
Shen Zhao suddenly asked, “What’s your plan?”
Plan?
Ye Xuan smiled. “What else? Boost our strength first! Shame there aren’t any Cosmic Heart Realm powerhouses…”
He shook his head.
If he could get a few Cosmic Hearts, his strength would soar!
Shen Zhao frowned. “Cosmic Heart Realm powerhouses? You’re looking for them?”
Ye Xuan nodded, smiling. “Yes!”
Shen Zhao said gravely, “I don’t know why you need them, but I can point you to a place with plenty of Cosmic Heart Realm powerhouses!”
Ye Xuan asked, “Where?”
Shen Zhao flicked her finger, and a white light sank into Ye Xuan’s brow.
After a moment’s silence, Ye Xuan opened his palm, and the Qingxuan Sword appeared. The next moment, he vanished.
Sky Demon Realm!
Inside the Little Pagoda, when Shen Zhao learned Ye Xuan had reached the Sky Demon Realm in an instant, her expression grew grave!
His sword had such a terrifying ability!
The moment Ye Xuan arrived in the Sky Demon Realm, a divine sense locked onto him. The next moment, a middle-aged man appeared before him.
And the Qingxuan Sword in Ye Xuan’s scabbard had already vanished.
The man looked at Ye Xuan. “Who are you?”
Ye Xuan smiled. “Don’t you know who I am?”
The man was silent for a moment, then said, “Ye Xuan!”
Ye Xuan laughed heartily. “That’s me!”
The man stared at Ye Xuan. “Ye Xuan, what are you doing in my Sky Demon Realm?”
Ye Xuan glanced behind the man, then said, “If I’m not mistaken, you’re calling for backup, right?”
At those words, a trace of killing intent flashed in the man’s eyes. The next moment, he lunged forward, throwing a punch at Ye Xuan. The punch shattered the sky, its immense force roaring toward Ye Xuan like a tidal wave, instantly boiling the surrounding starry void.
He’d chosen to strike first!
Because he knew that when Ye Xuan appeared here, it was either Ye Xuan’s death or his own!
But before his fist could reach Ye Xuan, a sword pierced through his brow!
*Rip!*
A stream of blood shot from the back of the man’s head. The sword locked him in place without fully destroying him. And the immense force of his punch dissipated in an instant, as if it had never existed.
The man looked at Ye Xuan in disbelief. “Your sword…”
Ye Xuan suddenly said, “Save your words for your next life!”
With that, he opened his palm. The man’s body exploded, but a heart floated slowly toward Ye Xuan.
A Cosmic Heart!
Ye Xuan’s lips curled slightly. At that moment, he looked to the distant horizon, where two powerful auras were tearing through the sky, fleeing frantically!
The Sky Demon Realm’s other two Cosmic Heart Realm powerhouses!
Ye Xuan stored the Cosmic Heart, then vanished. The next moment, a massive rift tore open in the distant sky, followed by a shrill, agonised scream echoing from the depths of the shattered space!
Moments later, Ye Xuan emerged, another Cosmic Heart in his hand!
Cosmic Heart!
He glanced back—one Cosmic Heart Realm powerhouse had escaped!
A bit of a pity!
But he had no choice. Cosmic Heart Realm powerhouses weren’t weak. In that situation, he could only chase one. Killing two with one sword was far too difficult!
Without overthinking, Ye Xuan entered the Little Pagoda. He looked at the two Cosmic Hearts, his lips curling slightly. Without hesitation, he began absorbing one of them.
*Boom!*
As the Cosmic Heart entered his body, Ye Xuan’s body trembled violently. Waves of powerful energy rippled from within him.
In an instant, the surrounding space boiled.
In the days that followed, Ye Xuan frantically absorbed the Cosmic Heart, and his aura surged wildly…
…
