Immortal of the Ages

Impudent demon! Daring to approach at this juncture? Yun Xiao erupted with ferocious resolve, wielding his Sovereign Sword, Azure Sky Will, transforming into a beam of cerulean light that shattered the night sky, the sword's whistle reverberating through the abyss of darkness.

"Follow him!"

"Drag Ye Tiance along too!"

The Sword Cultivators of the Azure Spirit Sword Sect ascended on their Sovereign Swords, chains dragging along three Sword Venerables and members of the Ye Family, rising through the air!

Followers of Yun Xiao, nearly two thousand and still multiplying, surged forth.

Beneath the moonlight of the Sword Pavilion, Yun Xiao slew the millennium-old snake demon, and furthermore incapacitated three great Sword Venerables. This battle accomplishment, earth-shattering and soul-stirring, naturally began to sweep through Azure Spirit, becoming the hot topic amongst all.

"Three years! The treacherous demon, finally tasting retribution, is indeed satisfying!"

A truth known to all! Three years, no one dared to speak. And now, with Ye Tiance trodden underfoot, thousands of Sword Cultivators within Azure Spirit could finally hold their heads high. No longer stifling their existence!

"Ye Guying has made a name throughout the Sea of Swords, ascending into the Forbidden Tower!"

The Azure Spirit Sword Sect, in exterminating evil, was more akin to excising a malignant tumor. Even if weakness was imminent in the short term, without destruction, there could be no establishment!

"This is the Azure Spirit of yesteryears!"

It was back! Everything has returned.

"Protect the Sect Master!" Thousands of Sword Cultivators bellowed in infuriated roars, following Yun Xiao to slaughter back into the Sword Pavilion. Though the people had not yet arrived, their momentum was immense. Thousands voiced their righteous indignation, boldly and uprightly, causing the evil spirits to naturally retreat!

That demon had not anticipated Ye Tiance to be defeated so quickly! Even less did it expect to be sniffed out by Blue Star. As it quietly pounced towards the vast hall, an old blind man and two elders drew their swords to counter, with a streak of azure light tearing through the sky from afar!

Just a blink, and that overwhelming killing intent had locked onto the demon!

"Flee!" The demon, having failed to strike down the Grand Hall, had panic throbbing in its heart. This chunk of grey-white, malodorous veil revealed its original form, darting into the mountain forest.

"You've come twice, yet think you can escape alive?"

A surge of a chilling voice enveloped it!

BOOM BOOM BOOM! The sound of a sonic boom echoed ten times! This was a sound that could frighten even a dying Ye Tiance into becoming a jumping corpse.

Ten-Step Scale!

Flying Swords assaulted! The swords flashed ten times, like a fish breaking the water's surface, with each twist, the scale’s light shimmered! In the night sky, ten blossoms of water splashed open.

"Ah, Ah, Ah!" The veil demon shrieked, its voice a grating cacophony. It had wrapped itself around countless corpses, and its voice—a meld of male and female timbres, was a piercing testament of vengeful anger.

RIP! In its frenzied escape, a Flying Sword, ablaze with black smoke, streaked through the sky, tearing through its grey-white fabric, splitting the veil demon in two.

"Scoundrel!" Surprisingly, each half of the veil demon fled separately. It seemed that tainted demons, vengeful spirits, were even more bizarre and mysterious in their ways than beast demons! However, a fundamental truth held firm!

Yun Xiao's sword pinned one piece of white cloth, rushing forward, he stomped on another with his legs!

THUD THUD THUD! The distant piece of cloth was shredded into pieces by the Heaven Burial Sword Soul! The piece under his foot, however, was controlled by Yun Xiao!

"Think you can escape?" Yun Xiao's Sword Ring of dark fog surged towards the demon, as its form rapidly decayed into a putrid black liquid.

"Your name is Yun Xiao, isn't it?" A pale, ghastly face emerged from the specter, glaring malevolently at him.

"What of it?" Yun Xiao replied, icy cold.

"The ninth son of the Sword Pavilion? I killed your senior brother, Cai Qingyun, I wrapped him up, ate his flesh. The lad, he didn't utter a sound, haha..." The veil demon laughed hideously.

"..." Yun Xiao fixed a deathly stare at it.

"Boy, what can you do by killing me? Aren’t the souls of your seven senior brothers and sisters still hanging on my Dark Abyss Mountain in the Northern Wastelands? If you’re brave, go and save them! Azure Spirit is your territory, what's the use of being arrogant here? If you’re capable, go to the Bluedrop Flag, and listen to the Seven Prodigies of your Sword Pavilion wailing day and night, huh?" The veil demon laughed unrestrainedly.

"You're trying to lure me to the Northern Wastelands?" Yun Xiao's voice was a frosty whisper.

"Do you dare?" The veil demon sneered.

"You have a spirit too, don't you?" Yun Xiao asked.

"What are you getting at?" The veil demon's voice was a chilly hiss.

Yun Xiao, lifting his head to address Shangguan Yu and others who had pursued him, asked, "Who can imprison it?"

"I can!" Li Chenlong stepped forward, producing a gourd, presumably an item of immortal path.

Without another word, Yun Xiao shattered the veil demon, and allowed Li Chenlong to step forward, capturing its spirit!

"Yun Xiao, what will you do?" The veil demon screeched.

"As you wish, to your Northern Wastelands!" Yun Xiao smirked.

"Hahahaha!" The veil demon didn’t add more words, but laughed wildly and contemptuously. Even Zhao Jianxing and the Sword Pavilion Seven had met their demise on Dark Abyss Mountain! Yet, a mere child like you dared to go to the Northern Wasteland, hoping to bring back your Azure Spirit heroes?

All of these words, it kept to itself, never uttering them aloud. For fear that if spoken, Yun Xiao might lose his nerve!

Azure Spirit prevented the demons from heading south! However, the Northern Wasteland was also a forbidden land for Sword Cultivators.

Why did the Northern Wastelands Demon Emperor imprison the souls of the Seven Prodigies of the Sword Pavilion? It was a sheer act of humiliation, set up as a trap to lure out heroes, only to slay them!

This scheme, time-tested, was foolproof. The veil demon chuckled, ensnared within Li Chenlong's gourd.

“Also take the remaining souls of the Serpent Emperor and the three Wolf Kings,” Yun Xiao directed.

“Understood!” Although Li Chenlong held the title of Sword Venerable, from this moment on, his eyes resolved, obediently following Yun Xiao’s orchestrations.

Meanwhile, another Sword Venerable, Chen Dong, was dragging Ye Tiance and others, forcing these defeated figures to kneel before the magnificent Sword Pavilion’s Grand Hall.

“Master!!” A heart-wrenching scream pierced the silent tension.

Ye Tiance, eyes trembling, looked toward the source, only to see Jiang Yue collapsed on the ground, a picture of despair, disbelief written in her eyes. She was already pitiful enough! But Ye Tiance, he was a hundred times more miserable! In her heart, he was the strongest in the Azure Spirit, a being she respected immensely.

Upon the Sword Inheritance Platform, she had received a Divine Sea Pill, was even accepted as a disciple by the First Sword Venerable—wasn’t that a splendid moment? Who could remember that was merely six days ago?

In just six days, the god in her heart was toppled from his pedestal! And he was more miserable than her.

Who did this? Jiang Yue, teeth chattering, sought the youth who was being respectfully surrounded by the sect's Sword Cultivators! She had already noticed that everyone admired him immensely, treating him with utmost reverence. The culprit who crippled Ye Tiance was glaringly obvious...

“That evening, during the Sword Debate, Master told me whoever laughs last, laughs best... Now, is there a last anymore?” Despair enveloped Jiang Yue's heart! Her master, after all, wouldn’t see the last!

“Jiang Yue.” Suddenly, a calm voice emerged from behind.

Jiang Yue shuddered violently, spinning around. She didn’t even realize when the youth had come to stand behind her, gazing at her with such indifferent eyes.

“Yun Xiao...” Jiang Yue’s delicate body quivered, her voice breaking, her knees buckling to kneel.

“I initially intended to let you linger for a few more days, but now, you sicken me,” Yun Xiao declared.

“Wh-what do you mean?” Jiang Yue trembled.

“You’re so utterly useless, your pathetic state nauseates me; tormenting you brings me no joy,” Yun Xiao uttered dispassionately.

“No, no!” Just as Jiang Yue tried to cling to his legs, pleading, Yun Xiao extended a finger.

POOF! Jiang Yue's Dantian shattered.

"Ah!!" Her scream ripped through the air, collapsing to the ground, limbs twitching madly, eyes vacant and disoriented.

"I... have no future..." She was, through and through, finished.

"From the very start, you and Ye Tiance were birds of a feather," Yun Xiao declared, "You must atone for those you've wronged, your fate must be the same as his!"

Having spoken, Yun Xiao gestured to Chen Dong, instructing, "Uncle Master Chen, bind her as well! Tie her next to Ye Tiance!"

"Understood!" Chen Dong nodded, showing no mercy.

"Yun Xiao..." Jiang Yue felt as though her heart might shatter.

"I must atone for those I've wronged? Who have I harmed, what on earth are you talking about?" She wailed at Yun Xiao.

But Yun Xiao turned away, never to look at her again. Just as he'd said, she was no longer worthy of his attention.

Before the Grand Hall, Yun Xiao, eyes ablaze, looked towards the tranquil, azure figure lying within. "Master, wait for me!" Having spoken, he resolutely turned, approaching Shangguan Yu and the others.

"The treasure vault of the Azure Spirit Sword Sect, it requires more than five keys from the Sword Pavilion and the seven Sword Peaks to open, right?" Yun Xiao inquired.

The treasure vault! This was where the Azure Spirit Sword Sect stored its public resources. Prizes such as the thousand-year-old demon bone, Dragon Spring Pills from the Eight Swords Conclave were all taken from here. It also stored the sect's wealth accumulated over the years!

In Yun Xiao’s possession was a massive quantity of personal wealth belonging to individuals like Ye Tiance, Yao Manxue, and Zhang Jian!

It was certainly a lot, but Yun Xiao still wanted more!

"Yes." Shangguan Yu, Chen Dong, and Li Chenlong all nodded.

"The keys of Ye Tiance, Yao Manxue, and Zhang Jian are all in my hands, you all..." Yun Xiao looked towards the three Sword Venerables.

"Open it!" The three declared in unison.

"Everyone, I don’t intend to monopolize the wealth of Azure Spirit but rather..." Just as Yun Xiao began, a black silhouette behind him suddenly spoke, "Junior Brother Yun, there's no need to explain. Everyone believes in you!"

"Alright!" Yun Xiao nodded, turning towards Zhao Xuanran, vowing, "Then I vow I will never owe Azure Spirit anything in this lifetime!"

"Don’t speak like that." Zhao Xuanran, her eyes gentle, responded. "You are a part of Azure Spirit, we build each other up, where does the question of owing come from? Just remember one thing, with a man like you, even death would be worthwhile!"

"Well said!" Li Chenlong exclaimed.

"Yes..." Shangguan Yu gazed into the grandeur of the Grand Hall, her heart awash with a tumultuous sea of emotions.

"It's worth it!" she declared.

Yun Xiao, standing before a throng of Azure Spirit Sword Cultivators, each pair of eyes aflame with fervent anticipation, felt a fire roaring within his chest. Without hesitation, he announced, "Grant me three days!"

He needed three days to open the treasure vault!

"And after three days, what will happen?" Zhao Xuanran asked.

Yun Xiao drew a deep breath. "We will welcome the Sword Pavilion Seven back home!"

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Three days passed in the blink of an eye. On this day, nearly all of the Azure Spirit Sword Cultivators, those beyond the Dragon Spring Realm at least, gathered at the Sword Pavilion.

There were three thousand people in total! Their eyes surged with sword light, and within their chests, a blazing fire rolled. Cai Maomao and Qin Tong were amongst them.

The Northern Wastelands! They would go! They had to go!

"If I can't bring my brother home, what meaning is there in my continued existence?" Cai Maomao, standing amidst the crowd, gazed feverishly at the white-robed youth approaching. He held a jug of wine in his hand! Every Azure Spirit Sword Cultivator held a cup of wine in theirs!

"To the Sword Pavilion Seven!" Yun Xiao lifted his jug.

"To them!" Three thousand Azure Spirit Sword Cultivators raised their cups!

SPLASH! The strong liquor seeped into the earth, their passionate blood sizzling in their hearts.

"My seven senior brothers and sisters, I've never had the chance to drink with you in this life..." Yun Xiao murmured, casting his gaze over the Grand Hall, then at the seven graves far off in the distance. "If there's a next life, I wish to be your elder brother, protecting your peace throughout your lives!"

Having said this, Yun Xiao set down his jug, turning and weaving through the crowd. Before him lay Jiang Yue, Ye Tiance, Yao Manxue, and others, faces pallid, desperately clinging to life, along with the entire Ye Family.

Yun Xiao’s chilling, murderous gaze sent the hundred-odd people scooting back, a cacophony of sobs and wails erupting. Even Ye Tiance, his eagle eyes and beard, trembled violently. What was this youth intending to do?

"Blue Star, you said that Moon Fairy is likely a Seed of Creation, right?" Yun Xiao whispered low.

"A mere Demon Core Realm demon, how could she project herself thousands of miles away? Definitely a Seed of Creation! According to their classification system, this Dao Seed Talent can be considered Moon grade." Blue Star spoke with a curl of its lip.

A Moon grade Seed of Creation!

Ye Guao's Golden Dantian, at best, might be considered a Meteor grade Seed of Creation. For the now-fragile Yun Xiao, the Moon grade Seed of Creation was indeed of paramount importance!

And so, he violently yanked the chains binding Ye Tiance, Jiang Yue, and the others, dragging this string of panicked people upright!

BUZZ! Swiftly turning on his heel, he pointed his sword toward the Northern Wastelands, ascending into the heavens on his Sovereign Sword!

"Those unafraid of death, follow me into battle!!!"