Soul fading!
Ye Xuan slowly closed his eyes.
In that moment, he felt himself on the verge of vanishing completely from this world.
Yet even now, he didn’t call for help.
*King of Backers!*
That was the nickname Tianyan had given him.
But no one knew how much he disliked it.
Without Qing’er, without his father, was he incapable of standing on his own in this world?
The truth proved it was so.
Reality was that cruel.
*Temper?*
Having a temper was fine, but a temper without strength to back it up was just incompetence.
Yet a person couldn’t live without a temper, without spirit—otherwise, what was the point of living?
*Face life and death with indifference; if you don’t accept it, fight!*
It sounded impressive, but it came at a cost.
Countless people in this world weren’t lacking in temper or spirit, but their strength didn’t allow them to act recklessly.
The world was full of injustices, and not everyone could stand up to them.
Take this moment: the black-robed woman had ambushed him, then insulted him. Could he tolerate it?
He couldn’t—and the consequence was to fight!
But without Qing’er or his father stepping in, what was the result? He was thoroughly beaten, and his life was ending.
That was reality.
Yet Ye Xuan had no regrets. To live was to fight for a breath of dignity, wasn’t it?
*When a man dies, his balls face the sky; if he doesn’t die, he lives for eons!*
Ye Xuan burst into wild laughter, drawing his sword for one final slash.
This was his last strike!
No miraculous breakthrough before death, no sudden surge in power to crush his foe.
This sword was weak.
So weak the bamboo basket woman didn’t even bother to acknowledge it.
After the strike, Ye Xuan’s soul grew increasingly illusory, his consciousness fading.
At that moment, the bamboo basket woman charged forward, her fist aimed at the already fading Ye Xuan.
But just then, Yang Nianxue appeared before him. Her palm flipped, and a talisman shot from her hand, expanding rapidly into a golden light that surged toward the bamboo basket woman!
The bamboo basket woman frowned, sweeping her sleeve.
*Boom!*
The golden light shattered, and she was forced back a thousand feet. When she stopped, Ye Xuan and Yang Nianxue were gone!
Seeing this, her eyes narrowed. “Escaping?”
Her voice fell, and she stomped her foot, vanishing from the spot.
*Rip!*
In the distance, space-time tore open with a massive gash!
…
At the edge of the starry sky, Yang Nianxue fled frantically, carrying Ye Xuan on her back.
Green light flickered beneath her feet, granting her incredible speed.
Her expression was grave. “Brother, how are you holding up?”
Ye Xuan didn’t respond. Though the Qingxuan Sword stabilized his soul, it was too weak. His consciousness was slipping.
Seeing no reply, Yang Nianxue’s face darkened. She glanced back—a powerful aura was closing in fast!
She continued her desperate flight, her voice trembling. “Father, you can hear me, right?”
In the distant, boundless starry sky, a man in a green robe stood silently, his left hand gripping a sword.
Beside him, a woman held his hand tightly—Su Qingshi.
Su Qingshi looked at the green-robed man softly. “Is it hard?”
He nodded slightly. “Do you think I’m cruel?”
Su Qingshi was silent.
The green-robed man said quietly, “Qingshi, I’ve thought more than once about letting him live as an ordinary person, carefree for his whole life… But this kid, despite his flamboyant ways, has a spirit so much like mine. He can’t stand being wronged. With a personality like that, without immense strength to back it up, his life will be miserable. And…”
He shook his head, trailing off.
Su Qingshi remained silent.
Why does an eagle repeatedly push its fledglings off a cliff?
Because it wants them to learn to fly and survive in this world.
At that moment, a voice spoke beside the green-robed man. “Without great suffering, how can one achieve the Dao?”
Su Qingshi turned. Two women approached slowly.
Seeing them, the green-robed man gave a wry smile. “Sister Xiu! Little Tian!”
It was Tian Xiu.
Tian Xiu glanced at him. “Your son’s all flash and no substance. Without enduring great hardship, he’ll just be a spoiled second-generation in the future. Feeling sorry for him now is only harming him!”
Beside her, Qi Bitian shook her head. “Tianming’s spoiled him too much.”
*Tianming!*
At her name, everyone fell silent.
Their greatest enemy, once.
Reasoning with that woman was impossible.
Su Qingshi frowned suddenly. “Why hasn’t Tianming acted, even now?”
The green-robed man’s eyes narrowed. He turned, his gaze piercing through countless star rivers toward the Milky Way. But as his sight approached, a mysterious force blocked it.
His brow twitched. His thumb flicked, and a wisp of sword light tore through the starry domains, piercing the Milky Way!
*Rip!*
The galaxy split open!
He saw the plain-skirted woman.
She sat in a bustling plaza, before a chessboard.
The plaza was lively, with people coming and going.
The plain-skirted woman placed a white piece on the board. As it landed, a black piece followed.
But there was no one across from her.
Seeing the black piece, her eyes narrowed slightly.
A voice spoke before her. “Want to save him?”
She was silent.
The voice laughed. “Lady Tianming, can you truly protect him for his entire life?”
She looked ahead. “Kill you, and I can.”
The voice roared with laughter. “Lady Tianming, I admit your strength is immense—unnaturally so. But you, more than anyone, know that even if you kill me, it won’t end. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have lingered in this realm so long without acting.”
Tianming was silent.
The voice continued, “I was once lost, wondering what the meaning of life was. But coming to the Milky Way, I realized life’s meaning lies in the unknown. The unknown gives it purpose.”
Tianming shook her head. “Life has meaning because it has an end. The journey matters because it’s finite. Without an end, life is meaningless.”
The voice fell silent.
Tianming stood, dropping a white piece. She turned to leave. “This round’s a draw.”
After a few steps, her voice echoed back. “Remember, my life has meaning because my brother lives. If he dies, my life loses its purpose. And if my life has no purpose, what reason does this universe have to exist?”
The voice asked, “Are you threatening me?”
Tianming didn’t turn. “Is my threat not obvious enough?”
The voice: “…”
…
In the starry sky, Yang Nianxue fled with Ye Xuan on her back.
Her voice trembled. “Father, are you really going to let him die?”
No response.
She tried again. “Tianming! Your brother’s about to be beaten to death!”
Still no response.
Yang Nianxue’s face paled. “Brother, you’ve been abandoned!”
At that moment, the space-time behind her tore apart, and a fist imprint shot toward her.
Startled, she turned, throwing out a talisman.
*Boom!*
The talisman unleashed a terrifying force, colliding with the fist imprint.
*Boom!*
The fist imprint trembled and shattered. The shockwave blasted Yang Nianxue and Ye Xuan tens of thousands of feet away. The moment she stopped, she hoisted Ye Xuan and fled again.
Moments after she vanished, the bamboo basket woman appeared, frowning as she looked at Yang Nianxue’s disappearing figure. She vanished, tearing through countless space-time barriers in pursuit.
At the edge of the starry sky, Yang Nianxue glanced back, her face darkening. This woman had no intention of stopping!
She said grimly, “Brother, I can’t hold her off. I… I’m thinking of dropping you and running. If you’ve got objections, say something!”
Ye Xuan: “…”
Seeing no response, Yang Nianxue hurried, “So, no objections? If you’re fine with it, I’m putting you down!”
She moved to release him, but Ye Xuan’s weak voice croaked, “Sis… I think… I can still be saved…”
*Sis!*
Her heart softened instantly. She crushed another talisman, and a mysterious force flowed into Ye Xuan’s soul. The Qingxuan Sword continued to heal his soul tirelessly.
*Time!*
Yang Nianxue glanced back. She knew she had to buy Ye Xuan time.
At that moment, her pupils shrank. She stopped abruptly. The space-time before her split, and the bamboo basket woman stepped out!
Yang Nianxue’s palm opened, and a talisman shot out like an arrow, reaching the bamboo basket woman instantly. The woman’s eyes narrowed, and she threw a punch!
*Boom!*
The talisman shattered, but the force pushed her back nearly a hundred feet. When she stopped, she glanced at her fist—bloody and mangled!
Frowning, she looked up and shot forward like a bullet.
At the starry sky’s edge, Yang Nianxue stopped again, only to find the bamboo basket woman before her once more.
Her face was grim. She couldn’t outrun her!
The bamboo basket woman stared at her. “I doubt you have many of those divine talismans, do you?”
Yang Nianxue replied coolly, “Not many. Just a few thousand.”
Her right hand opened, revealing thousands of divine talismans.
The bamboo basket woman’s expression froze.
The small pagoda’s voice trembled. “Now that’s a true second-generation!”
