Crush the heart!
The Master of the Dao’s face twisted in fury, his voice a hysterical roar. “Ye Xuan! I curse you…”
Slash!
Ye Xuan swung his sword, then turned and walked away.
In place, the Master of the Dao’s body and soul began to dissolve at a visible rate. His frenzied roars echoed, filled with boundless unwillingness.
What is the cruelest thing in the world?
To see hope, only to be plunged into despair!
Ye Xuan had given him hope, then immediately delivered despair.
This was the cruelest!
Gradually, the Master of the Dao’s voice weakened until it vanished.
The Master of Law and the Master of the Dao were no more!
Of the four masters of the Southern Domain, only the Master of the World remained.
…
In the distant starry sky, Ye Xuan rode his sword onward.
The Small Tower suddenly asked, “Little Master, what’s your next plan?”
After a moment’s silence, Ye Xuan replied, “Inner Contemplation!”
Having reached Outer Contemplation, his new goal was naturally Inner Contemplation. As if struck by a thought, he opened his palm, and the Qingxuan Sword appeared.
The Qingxuan Sword!
Gripping it, Ye Xuan carefully sensed its power—the legendary Power of the Years!
Qin Guan had created the Years Realm with the Qingxuan Sword. If she could, why couldn’t he?
He was, after all, a Chosen One!
Though he still wasn’t entirely sure what being a Chosen One meant.
Moments later, Ye Xuan frowned.
The Small Tower asked, “What’s wrong?”
After a pause, Ye Xuan said, “I sensed the Power of the Years!”
The Small Tower pressed, “And then?”
Ye Xuan thought, then shook his head, putting the Qingxuan Sword away.
He stopped exploring the Power of the Years. He realized that power was beyond his current control. Unless he used the Qingxuan Sword as a medium, he could wield its Power of the Years.
But he refused. He knew that controlling it this way was merely for show, meaningless since it wasn’t earned through his own cultivation.
Moreover, he discovered something he’d never noticed before. By choosing to forgo reliance on the Qingxuan Sword and focusing on his own growth, the sword had become even more formidable.
Now, with the Qingxuan Sword, he was confident he could slay even Inner Contemplation experts!
In short, the stronger he became, the stronger the Qingxuan Sword grew!
Suddenly, Ye Xuan asked, “Small Tower, you’ve been with Father from the very beginning, right?”
The Small Tower replied, “Yes, from the start! Actually, Little Master, there’s something I’m not sure I should say…”
Ye Xuan laughed. “What is it?”
The Small Tower sighed softly. “The Master and I have faced life and death together countless times. With our bond, calling me Tower Dad—er, I mean, Tower Uncle—wouldn’t be too much!”
Ye Xuan’s face darkened instantly.
Before the Small Tower could continue, Ye Xuan shot forward on his sword, vanishing into the starry horizon.
On the way, the Small Tower asked, “Little Master, where are you headed?”
Ye Xuan answered, “The Three-Dimensional Universe!”
The Small Tower was puzzled. “Little Master, what are you going there for?”
Ye Xuan said softly, “To understand Father’s past life. Didn’t you all say he had a hard life? I want to learn about it.”
The Small Tower understood. Ye Xuan was aiming to break through to Inner Contemplation!
Soon, Ye Xuan arrived at the Three-Dimensional Universe. Protected by his father, ordinary people couldn’t enter, but he was an exception.
Sword Sect, Floating Mountain, Menial Peak.
Today’s Sword Sect was the largest sword cultivation sect in the Southern Domain. All sword cultivators considered joining it an honor!
Speaking of the Sword Sect, two figures stood out. The first was its founder, Xiaoyao Zi, undefeated in his lifetime, forever seeking a worthy opponent. Unable to bear the loneliness of invincibility, he left the Southern Domain for stronger worlds.
The second was the Sword Demon, Yang Ye, a super genius who emerged after the founder.
Having once been a menial disciple, Yang Ye’s legacy elevated the status of menial disciples. Many inner disciples even spent time at Menial Peak as “training.”
When Ye Xuan arrived at Menial Peak, he found the sword cultivators there weren’t particularly weak. Though not as strong as those in his universe, they were still impressive.
He stopped before a grand hall, staring in disbelief. The hall was opulent, with golden pillars, walls of black iron, and floors of pure mithril.
Above the hall, three large characters: *Yang Ye Hall*.
Ye Xuan stared at the name, expressionless. “Small Tower, you said Father had a hard life as a menial disciple. Living in a place like this must’ve been *so* tough, huh?”
He bit down hard on the word “tough.”
The Small Tower was baffled. “It wasn’t like this before! Back then, it was just a simple thatched hut! How’d it become this? Damn, it must be the Sword Sect’s doing later. Little Master, you know how it is—once someone’s famous, even the bed they slept in becomes priceless…”
Ye Xuan shook his head and pushed open the hall’s doors. Inside, bookshelves lined the walls, and at the center stood a pure gold statue of a man in green robes—his father.
Ye Xuan was speechless. A pure gold statue—extravagance at its peak.
He glanced at a bookshelf, noticing a small plaque: *Yang Ye’s Classic Quotes*.
Father’s classic quotes?
Curious, Ye Xuan picked up a scroll and opened it:
*“Fight, and fight until you’re unrivaled at the peak; kill, and kill until rivers run red!”*
Ye Xuan’s face darkened. Father’s bloodlust was intense—not exactly a saintly vibe!
He read on, finding an annotation: *“‘Fight, and fight until you’re unrivaled at the peak; kill, and kill until rivers run red.’ This phrase seems rough and simple but contains profound truth, warning the world: in chaotic times, we must have a strong heart. Without it, we’re like withered grass in water, drifting aimlessly, living平凡ly, and fading into dust. We must be like Sect Leader Yang Ye, with a strong heart, facing the dark chaos and boldly declaring: ‘Fight, and fight until you’re unrivaled at the peak; kill, and kill until rivers run red,’ with the resolve and momentum to restore a clear and just world.”*
Ye Xuan closed the scroll and asked, “Small Tower, did Father say this?”
The Small Tower replied, “He did!”
Ye Xuan asked, “Did he mean it the way this annotation explains?”
The Small Tower paused, then said, “Probably not!”
Ye Xuan pressed, “Then what did he mean?”
The Small Tower thought, then said, “He was just killing like crazy and shouting wildly!”
Ye Xuan’s face darkened further. “Damn it, then what’s with this annotation?”
The Small Tower said, “Honestly, I don’t get it either!”
Ye Xuan: “…”
Moments later, he picked up another scroll and read:
*“Only through hellish torment can you gain the strength to conquer heaven; only bloodstained fingers can play the world’s greatest melody!”*
Before checking the annotation, Ye Xuan asked, “Small Tower, did Father say this?”
The Small Tower paused, then said, “I don’t think so!”
Ye Xuan’s expression froze. “You sure?”
The Small Tower said, “I’ve been with the Master forever. I remember most of what he said, and this doesn’t sound like him! Plus, like you, he wasn’t big on books, so he wouldn’t say something this refined. His words were usually about fighting or killing, or some random doggerel!”
Ye Xuan said gravely, “If he didn’t say it, why attribute it to him?”
The Small Tower replied, “I don’t get it either!”
Ye Xuan was speechless.
What nonsense!
Just then, footsteps approached. Ye Xuan turned to see a sword cultivator enter. Seeing Ye Xuan, the man froze, then frowned. “Who are you?”
Ye Xuan set down the scroll and smiled. “Ye Xuan!”
The cultivator eyed him warily. “You’re not from our Sword Sect!”
Ye Xuan raised his sword. “I’m a sword cultivator too!”
The cultivator stared. “But not from our Sword Sect!”
Ye Xuan nodded. “True.”
The cultivator’s left hand rested on his sword hilt, his gaze cold. “Who are you?”
Before Ye Xuan could answer, footsteps echoed outside—their voices had drawn attention. Soon, a group of Sword Sect cultivators entered the hall.
“Greetings, Sect Leader!” the cultivators saluted toward the entrance.
All eyes turned to the door, where an old man in a wide black robe approached, a sheathed sword at his waist, exuding faint pressure.
Ye Xuan glanced at him and asked, “Small Tower, do you know him?”
The Small Tower paused, then said, “No!”
Ye Xuan frowned. “You don’t? He’s the Sword Sect Leader!”
The Small Tower said helplessly, “Little Master, after your father left the Southern Domain, he rarely returned. Though Mistress Su quietly supported the Sword Sect, the Master had no attachment to it.”
Ye Xuan asked, “Why?”
The Small Tower explained, “Back then, your grandmother… your father’s mother, was killed by the Hundred Flowers Palace. Not only did the Sword Sect not intervene, they expelled your father. Though he later spared the sect for Mistress Su’s sake, he felt no affection for it.”
Ye Xuan nodded, about to speak, when the Sword Sect Leader’s hoarse voice demanded, “Who are you?”
Ye Xuan instinctively pointed at the green-robed statue. “I’m his son!”
The words slipped out, and Ye Xuan froze.
Everyone: “…”
The Small Tower said gravely, “Little Master, you sure?”
…
