The moment the Sword of the Dao appeared, the woman in purple looked up sharply. The sword’s target was her.
A glint of ferocity flashed in her eyes. She opened her palm and pointed two fingers skyward.
Boom!
At that point, a terrifying force surged from her fingertips toward the heavens.
Then, the sword descended.
When it met that terrifying force, the energy dissipated instantly into nothingness.
The woman’s pupils contracted. In the next moment, the Sword of the Dao pierced her forehead.
Boom!
Her body trembled violently, pinned in place.
Around them, the Place of Return began to restore itself bit by bit.
Seeing this, Dao Ling, standing nearby, let out a sigh of relief.
The woman’s expression froze, her earlier composure gone.
She was defeated in an instant.
Taken down by a single sword.
And she didn’t even know who wielded it.
Her mind went blank.
Ye Xuan glanced at the sky, a hint of disappointment in his eyes. This time, Qing’er hadn’t appeared.
The woman suddenly laughed. “Worthy of the Backer King.”
Ye Xuan looked at her as her body began to fade, becoming illusory.
Soon, his brows furrowed.
A clone.
This woman wasn’t her true self, just a clone.
And yet, a clone had such terrifying strength.
Ye Xuan was somewhat shocked.
Dao Ling stepped beside him, looking at the woman. Realising she was only a clone, her expression grew grave.
At that moment, a man in a Daoist robe appeared. He glanced at the woman, then at Ye Xuan and Dao Ling. “The Past Sect has retreated.”
Retreated.
Ye Xuan looked at the woman. “You must be the leader of the Past Sect.”
She smiled lightly. “Young Master Ye, we’ll meet again.”
Ye Xuan nodded slightly. “Alright.”
She smiled, then vanished completely.
Ye Xuan opened his palm, and the Sword of the Dao hovered before him. He gently touched it, smiling. “Want to stay with me for a while?”
The sword trembled slightly, as if responding.
Ye Xuan shook his head with a smile. “Fine.”
He released the sword, and it turned into a streak of light, vanishing into the starry sky.
He watched it disappear, silent for a long time.
At that moment, all the Dao Sect powerhouses arrived at the Place of Return, including Dao God and Mu Sheng.
Everyone looked at Ye Xuan, who was undoubtedly the backbone of the Dao Sect now.
After a long pause, Ye Xuan collected his thoughts and glanced at the crowd. “I’d like some time alone.”
Dao Ling looked at him, nodded, and led the others away.
Ye Xuan sat cross-legged, shaking his head with a bitter smile.
This time, his cultivation had plummeted to the Dao Realm, a drop of ten levels.
Ten levels.
Back to square one.
Worse, his swordsmanship suffered a devastating blow from his shattered mindset.
His cultivation was gone.
His swordsmanship was ruined.
He was utterly finished.
Sitting there, his face was full of bitterness.
He hadn’t expected that calling for help would break his Dao heart.
It was because he denied his own choices.
Looking into the distance, he murmured, “Am I destined to just lie flat from now on?”
The Great Dao Pen suddenly spoke. “What do you think?”
Ye Xuan smiled. “I don’t want to lie flat.”
He stood, his eyes filled with determination.
No giving up.
Ye Xuan would never give up.
And he didn’t regret his choice. If he hadn’t stopped the woman, the Place of Return would have been destroyed, and countless lives lost.
One word saved all beings.
It was worth it.
As if struck by a thought, he smiled. “Little Tower, compared to my father, am I a good person?”
After a pause, Little Tower said, “Yes.”
Ye Xuan laughed heartily.
At that moment, the gloom of his fallen cultivation lifted.
From another angle, saving the universe with one word—wasn’t that incredible?
With that thought, he burst into laughter.
Suddenly, the space before him trembled, and a shadowy figure appeared.
Seeing it, Ye Xuan froze.
It was the Great Dao Pen Master.
His smile faded. The guy only showed up after everything was over. What was his deal?
The Great Dao Pen Master smiled. “Want to chat?”
Ye Xuan said flatly, “About what?”
“Walk with me,” the Great Dao Pen Master said, turning to head deeper into the Place of Return.
Ye Xuan hesitated, then followed.
Damn it.
After such a loss today, he needed to get something out of this.
The Great Dao Pen Master glanced at Ye Xuan, smiling. “Your cultivation and swordsmanship have fallen?”
Ye Xuan nodded. “Yes.”
“Any resentment?” the Great Dao Pen Master asked.
Ye Xuan thought for a moment. “A little at first, but not anymore.”
The Great Dao Pen Master nodded slightly, smiling. “What are your thoughts after this?”
Ye Xuan looked at him. “What are you really asking?”
The Great Dao Pen Master smiled. “Just want to know what you’re thinking now.”
Ye Xuan shook his head. “Nothing to say.”
The Great Dao Pen Master smiled, then said, “Now you see protecting the universe isn’t so simple, right?”
Ye Xuan stayed silent.
The Great Dao Pen Master continued, “You’re a good seed, better than your father. He has compassion and love, but only for those he cares about. And he’s extreme. His Mad Demon Bloodline was forged through killing. Back then, he’d wipe out entire clans or slaughter cities at the slightest provocation, tied to his past experiences. But you…”
He glanced at Ye Xuan, smiling. “You share some traits with him, but only some. Compared to your father, you’re better suited to be the king of the universe.”
King of the universe.
Ye Xuan said gravely, “You initially wanted to groom me?”
The Great Dao Pen Master smiled. “If I said no, would you believe me?”
Ye Xuan looked at him. “I only trust my sister and father.”
The Great Dao Pen Master laughed. “You trust your father?”
Ye Xuan smiled. “My father’s carefree and lets me roam, but I’m certain he’d never harm me. At most, he’d trick me a bit. But you, you’re a bad one.”
The Great Dao Pen Master fell silent. This guy wasn’t easy to fool.
Ye Xuan added, “I think we could be more honest and less scheming. That way, we could discuss a lot more. Don’t you agree?”
The Great Dao Pen Master nodded slightly, smiling. “Fine.”
Ye Xuan stared at him. “This time, you gave me the Dao Order to guard the Place of Return, saying it was to test me, to let me experience the difficulty of protecting the universe. But in truth…”
He smiled lightly, continuing, “Your real goal wasn’t that. Let me guess. Optimistically, you wanted to train me to be the next leader of the Dao Sect. Pessimistically… you wanted to break my Dao heart, to ruin me completely. From today, there’d be no Sword Master of the World, only the Backer King. I’d never reach the level of the Three Swords.”
He paused, turned to the Great Dao Pen Master, and said, “Or, even worse, you don’t want anyone to reach the Three Swords’ height again. Right?”
The Great Dao Pen Master smiled, not answering, and continued walking.
Ye Xuan glanced at him and followed.
The Great Dao Pen Master suddenly laughed. “You’re sharp, thinking things through thoroughly. I’ll share my true thoughts. Initially, my attitude was your first guess. I did want you to inherit the Dao Sect’s legacy for two reasons. First, your unique background could perfectly resolve the Three Swords issue. In this vast universe, if the Three Swords don’t follow the order, it’s never complete. If you grew, even if the Three Swords didn’t obey the Dao Sect’s order, they wouldn’t destroy it.”
He glanced at Ye Xuan. “That was my original goal.”
Ye Xuan said gravely, “Then your intentions changed?”
The Great Dao Pen Master nodded slightly. “They did, for a key reason—your sister, Tianming. She couldn’t hold back and intervened in your life prematurely. The result? You became the Backer King. Think back. Is the Ye Xuan of Qingcheng the same as the Ye Xuan now?”
Ye Xuan fell silent.
The Great Dao Pen Master continued, “No one could stop what she wanted to do—not me, not your father. So, your path veered off course. In the end, you fully became the Backer King. During this time, you didn’t even notice how much you lost, like the heart of a true powerhouse, like your father’s…”
He smiled slightly. “I know you’ll say your enemies were always far stronger, outmatching you by several realms, and without backing, you wouldn’t have survived. But do you know? The main reason your enemies were so powerful, absurdly so, was your personality and choices.”
Ye Xuan frowned. “My personality?”
The Great Dao Pen Master smiled. “Early on, when you faced enemies, what did you do? You confronted them head-on, took them out directly. Sure, it felt good. But what happened? You created bigger consequences. They came for revenge, and you kept fighting, killing until the end… The consequences grew, piling up until you couldn’t handle them.”
Ye Xuan said gravely, “Was that wrong?”
The Great Dao Pen Master stopped and turned to him. “There’s a saying: Do what your strength allows. In the secular world, if you don’t have the ability, don’t act tough. Society doesn’t coddle you.”
Ye Xuan stayed silent.
The Great Dao Pen Master shook his head slightly. “Later, you grew bolder. No matter how strong your enemy, you never backed down. Why? Because you had confidence—your sister was invincible. Gradually, I realised this account was ruined. So, I thought of starting anew, but…”
He sighed softly. “Your sister wouldn’t play fair. She wouldn’t let me start a new account. I was screwed.”
Ye Xuan: “…”
