Whoosh!
Golden sword energy burst from Ye Qiu’s fingertip, like a torrent of shooting stars, and it instantly enveloped An Ruoxi.
After An Ruoxi used the Heaven Mending Technique, the scene had frozen, and time was flowing backwards, quickly returning to normal.
However, when Ye Qiu unleashed this sword strike, the terrifying sword intent directly shattered the time freeze.
Not only that, but time began to accelerate, breaking through the frozen scene and crushing the Heaven Mending Technique’s time reversal.
In an instant, everyone saw An Ruoxi with white hair and a face full of wrinkles, aged by over a hundred years, looking utterly decrepit and weary.
“What happened?”
Everyone was shocked, their faces filled with horror.
“Ye Changsheng’s sword seems to have accelerated the flow of time, causing An Ruoxi to age.”
“An Ruoxi was never a match for Ye Changsheng to begin with. He held on this long only thanks to the Heaven Mending Technique and the Divine Spirit Regeneration Art. But Ye Changsheng’s strike appears to have broken the Heaven Mending Technique.”
“Once the Heaven Mending Technique is broken, An Ruoxi has lost his strongest trump card. Even using the Divine Spirit Regeneration Art cannot change anything now.”
“He is too strong! Ye Changsheng is too strong!”
An Ruoxi was greatly alarmed. He clearly felt his vital energy and spirit draining away rapidly, and his blood vitality weakening too, as if in a single moment he had gone from youth to old age.
“Space-Time Sword Dao!”
“Has Ye Changsheng mastered the Space-Time Sword Dao?”
An Ruoxi turned pale with fright. Without hesitation, he used the Heaven Mending Technique again.
However, just as time froze, it suddenly shattered into pieces, like a fine piece of porcelain struck by a fatal blow, exploding on the spot.
“Puff…”
An Ruoxi spat out blood endlessly.
“How can this be?” An Ruoxi stood there in a daze.
He had thought that even if he could not kill Ye Qiu, Ye Qiu could not easily kill him either.
The Heaven Mending Technique allowed time to reverse, and the Divine Spirit Regeneration Art could quickly heal his wounds. Mastering these two wondrous arts should have placed him in an undying position.
But now…
An Ruoxi realised that to save his life, he had only one option: to flee!
Yet what use was preserving his life?
An Ruoxi did not flee. He stood in place because the power of the first form of the Heavenly Emperor’s Nine Swords was too overwhelming. It not only aged him by a hundred years but also hunched his back. With his head full of white hair and wrinkles covering his face, he looked like a true old man.
“An Ruoxi, out of kindness, I remind you that if I were you, I would choose to run for my life now.”
“Of course, you cannot escape.”
“If you do not believe me, you can try!”
Ye Qiu strode towards An Ruoxi, speaking as he walked.
An Ruoxi stood motionless in place. The sharp edge on him had long vanished, replaced by a frail, elderly appearance.
He was in despair!
“My speed is no match for his, my combat power is no match for his, my wondrous arts are no match for his… When have I ever lost so badly?”
An Ruoxi’s heart turned ice cold.
There is no sorrow greater than a dead heart.
At this moment, he was utterly hopeless. Even if Ye Qiu spared him today, if he survived, he feared the rest of his days would be plagued by immense inner demons.
Without eliminating those inner demons, his cultivation could never advance further.
Moreover, with Ye Qiu’s methods, he would not be allowed to live.
An Ruoxi looked up at the heavens and murmured in despair, “Heavens above, since you birthed me, An Ruoxi, why then did you also bring forth a Ye Changsheng? Why!”
“Aaah!”
An Ruoxi roared towards the sky, like a dying lion bellowing, his voice filled with unwillingness and despair…
At that moment.
“Awoo…”
A shrill cry of agony came from the air.
An Ruoxi turned his head and saw that Chi Li Chi was covered in blood, severely injured, and firmly suppressed by the three divine beasts. It could only roar in fury with no power to fight back. It seemed its fall was only a matter of time.
“Little Red, come back!”
An Ruoxi shouted loudly.
“Roar…” Chi Li Chi let out a roar, its massive body twisting as it tried to return to An Ruoxi’s side. But it was besieged by the three divine beasts and could not break free from the encirclement.
“Stop!” Ye Qiu said calmly.
At once, the three divine beasts scattered and returned to their respective masters.
Chi Li Chi seized the chance and returned to An Ruoxi’s front.
An Ruoxi stroked Chi Li Chi’s head, looking at the bloodstains and wounds on its body. With regret, he said, “I am sorry, Little Red. It is I who have dragged you into this.”
Chi Li Chi shook its head, as if saying it was not your fault. At the same time, it licked An Ruoxi’s aged cheek with its forked tongue, letting out a low, angry growl.
“Do not be angry. This is all my fate.”
As An Ruoxi stroked Chi Li Chi’s head, he said, “Little Red, are you willing to stay with me forever?”
Chi Li Chi nodded.
“Good. I knew that no matter when, you would never abandon me.” A look of guilt appeared in An Ruoxi’s eyes, followed by a flash of ruthlessness.
“Smack!”
An Ruoxi used all his remaining strength to slam his palm fiercely onto Chi Li Chi’s crown.
Chi Li Chi’s body shuddered. It looked at An Ruoxi, its eyes holding no trace of resentment.
Tears flowed from the corners of An Ruoxi’s eyes as he explained to Chi Li Chi, “You saw the situation. Today, we will both die.”
“You are already gravely wounded. If we keep fighting, those three divine beasts will likely tear you apart. I cannot let them kill you.”
“You are my brother. If you must die, it can only be by my hand. I want to preserve your body intact.”
“Little Red, I am sorry.”
“If there truly is a next life, then I hope in that life we can still be good brothers, and we can still conquer the world together. As for this life… let it end here!”
After An Ruoxi finished speaking, two streams of tears rolled down from the corners of his eyes.
Although Chi Li Chi was a demonic beast, in An Ruoxi’s heart, it was his best brother.
If it were not absolutely necessary, how could he end his own brother with his own hands?
He did this for one reason only: to preserve an intact corpse for Chi Li Chi.
Chi Li Chi struggled to lift its head and licked away the tears from the corners of An Ruoxi’s eyes with its forked tongue. Its gaze was gentle. Then its head slumped before An Ruoxi’s feet, and it slowly closed its eyes.
An Ruoxi’s earlier palm strike had shattered its primal spirit.
After Chi Li Chi died, An Ruoxi stared at it for a long while before finally looking up at Ye Qiu.
“Make your move. I give you this final chance to fight.” Ye Qiu said clearly.
An Ruoxi did not strike. Calmly, he said, “Since my debut, I have never known defeat. Only today, meeting you, have I understood what it means to have mountains beyond mountains. Only now do I truly feel what despair is.”
“Ye Changsheng, I admit that you are stronger than me.”
“In fact, in the current world, few at the same realm can match you.”
“In this battle, I am convinced in heart and word.”
An Ruoxi paused here before continuing, “Ye Changsheng, I have one request.”
“Speak!” Ye Qiu said.
An Ruoxi clasped his fists, bowed to Ye Qiu, and said solemnly, “Ye Changsheng, please send me on my way. I beg you!”
