Immortal of the Ages

Sarcastically, Xiao Yu rolled her eyes, articulating each word with a mix of exasperation and teasing, “To secure the allegiance of the little lab rat, you bestowed upon him Sun Moon Divine Light, a sword technique exclusive to the Sword Lords. If the Star grade Sword Soul isn’t yours, then whose could it be?”

Frankly, Lin Qingfeng’s displayed magnanimity over these few days almost convinced her. Almost. Only she, his wife, discerned the anomalies, the illogical patterns of his behavior.

In his youthful days, Lin Qingfeng was candid, audacious, daring to challenge the heavens themselves. Battling the Forbidden Tower during those times would have made sense.

But now... A Sword Lord who sought refuge in a humble thatched cottage due to a poisoned sword bone, who dared not show his face under the veil of night... How could it be possible? Even his own son was kept in the dark, to say nothing of others.

“Heh heh!” The Sword Lord suddenly chuckled.

“What’s so funny?” Xiao Yu asked, her own smile an amused inquiry.

“The Sun Moon Divine Light technique I granted him is but a fragment, unable to unleash its true power. It's a sword technique in shape but not in substance, a mere show!” the Sword Lord declared.

Xiao Yu sighed. “Be a decent person, will you…? You’re no longer young, yet you still indulge in these petty schemes. You’re on the verge of usurping someone’s Sword Bone and yet you still don’t allow them a glimpse of a top-tier sword technique? Are you afraid he'll master it in three days?”

“I am not afraid! But when I do things, I leave no room for errors!” the Sword Lord retorted calmly.

“Let’s not kid ourselves, your acting was quite impressive! Now, throughout the Sea of Swords, you’ve cultivated an image of a magnanimous lover of talent,” Xiao Yu said, her eyes rolling once more in wry amusement.

“Love my foot! I only love myself and my family. There’s only so much energy in one's life, why should I waste it on a stranger? If he helps me topple the Forbidden Tower, would Sword Heaven still bear the name Lin? Perhaps it will be renamed Yun!” the Sword Lord asserted.

“Outsiders will always remain outsiders! Only those bound by blood are family, our own people!” Xiao Yu said, “This youngster could never dream that on the day of the Sword Soul test, there would be one final twist, could he?”

Was the Sword Lord vehemently protecting the prodigy? No way! Sword Heaven and the Forbidden Tower were as thick as thieves! Xiao Yu, Lin Chen, Lin Lin, Xiao Xing'er, and Holy Son Chu... they were all family.

“You’re right!” Suddenly, a deep voice pierced through from outside.

“Brother Tian?” The Sword Lord squinted into the darkness.

Out there, in the black of night, stood a silhouette, blending seamlessly with the nocturnal curtain, his entire being wrapped in enigma. His pitch-black eyes, akin to dark ethereal flames in the enduring night, fiercely ablaze, with his majestic power swirling around him like a black, furious dragon, seemingly able to shroud the night itself.

“Brother, you’re here?” Xiao Yu’s eyes sparkled with delight.

“I came to have a drink with Lil Feng.” The man in black stated simply.

“I’ll get the wine; you two chat!” Xiao Yu smiled radiantly.

In the courtyard, two men sat opposite each other, one with black hair, the other white.

“It's been ten years. Congratulations, you’re about to break free.” The man raised his cup.

“Brother Tian.” The Sword Lord lifted his own, “A thousand drinks are too few when sworn sword brothers meet. Brother, this is for you!”

“To brotherhood!”

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In the Wind Listening Pavilion, Yun Xiao sat within the ancient bronze coffin.

“Late Origin Core Realm!” Yun Xiao exclaimed. He'd really hit the jackpot after robbing three of the Sea of Swords Great Noble Families dry and acquiring 5,000,000 Spirit Stones.

After bitterly cultivating for two hours, he finally managed to meld another five Divine Seas into his Origin Core, enabling it to achieve the third cycle. Its size was now triple its original!

However, Yun Xiao realized that as his realm elevated, the Spirit Stones and Heavenly Dao Sariras he needed multiplied!

“5,000,000 Spirit Stones may seem like a lot, but I really am a black hole when it comes to resources…”

What seemed like sudden wealth, would still end in poverty within a few days!

“Is the path of immortal cultivation, which is just killing, plundering treasures, and breaking through... really that simple?” Yun Xiao mused with a faint smile.

“Trash, what are you trying to comprehend this time?” Blue Star asked with disdain.

“I feel a bit uneasy!” Yun Xiao admitted awkwardly.

“In the early stages of cultivation, it’s essentially the accumulation of magic power. The Dragon Spring, Divine Sea, Origin Core, and even the later Sovereign Dragon Realm, it’s all the same! Only when you progress further, gradually involving yourself with the Immortal Dao, Enlightenment, and Heavenly Laws will it become somewhat difficult. For now, you just keep soaring.” Blue Star snickered maliciously.

"What happens if I advance too quickly and something goes wrong?" Yun Xiao asked. Truth be told, it was all happening a bit too rapidly for his liking, and he fancied tapping the brakes!

"What happens? Well, nothing we can do, I guess… Red Moon and I will finish our banquet, split the baggage, and gallivant away, carefree as the wind!" Blue Star responded, hands perched confidently on its hips.

"..." Yun Xiao's mouth fell open at the crassness of the joke.

This was his second day at the Sea of Swords! Just tonight alone, he had broken through two stages in succession, even squeezing in a murderous spree and purchasing a magic treasure armor in between.

"Life's been quite the thrill, hasn't it? Every day's a spectacle. Is this the path of reincarnation set by the Creator Immortal?" Yun Xiao mused. He could only concede—it was incredibly fast-paced!

"Ah well, damn it all! I've died once before; death and I are old acquaintances now. Who cares about the rest? If gods stand in my way, I shall slay them. If demons block my path, they too shall perish!" With those thoughts, Yun Xiao's spirit soared, unshackled.

"Wasn't it touching when that old man fed you those little Gu bugs?" Blue Star chuckled, a cheeky grin adorning its features.

"Deeply touching!" Yun Xiao responded with a chilly laugh, picking up the black sword manual before him. "Damn him to hell, after playing my part so well in this drama, after all this, at least give me a complete manual, no?"

A mere glance was all it took to tell him that the manual was far from genuine, a mere prop. Practicing from it could well send him to an early grave!

"How ruthless!" Ye Tiance, Lin Qingfeng—each had their own flavor of vicious.

Yun Xiao was gaining quite the education!

"Still ogling that sham?" Blue Star scoffed.

Yun Xiao burst into a sly smile, "I can fill in what's missing, make it real! Perhaps even make it stronger!"

"What, really…? You might actually be a genius!" Blue Star said, a little surprised.

What was a genius? This was a true, unbeatable prodigy!

Yun Xiao could flip a page in a single breath, his eyes flickering over the sword manual. In no time at all, he closed the manual.

"Not filling in the blanks?" Blue Star asked.

"I've learned it."

With a nonchalant toss from Yun Xiao, the sword manual disintegrated into fragments, cascading downward with a rustle.

"You've learned a Star grade sword technique manual, after a single look?" Blue Star questioned, eyes bulging in disbelief.

“Indeed! Like you said, this is the rebirth of the Creator Immortal!” Yun Xiao spoke faintly, a boundless divine light erupting from his eyes.

Blue Star and Red Moon exchanged stunned glances. "Our brother… is even more frightening than we imagined…”

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK! Suddenly, it appeared there was someone at the door.

Yun Xiao stowed away the coffin and swung open the door.

Under the moonlight, a young girl, dressed in a goose-yellow skirt, stood at the threshold. Her legs were well-rounded, skin as white as snow, eyes slightly reddened, a pitiful sight to behold.

“Out with it, if you have something to say.” Yun Xiao said, unimpressed.

“Over at Jade Sun Tower, everyone’s talking about you!” Lin Lin lifted her head, her eyes trembling as they met his, lightly biting her red lip.

“What are they saying?” Yun Xiao inquired.

“They’ve warmed up to you a bit, but they're still unwilling to fight life and death against the Forbidden Tower for your sake. The Ning Ancestor proposed that our Sword Heaven negotiate with the Forbidden Tower, to see if there’s a chance to protect you peacefully!” Lin Lin uttered through gritted teeth.

“Oh?” Yun Xiao was somewhat surprised. He hadn’t expected that within Sword Heaven, while those at the top showed their fangs, those below were somewhat swayed by him, sheathing their swords. The Ning Family? Interesting!

“So? Why are you telling me this?” Yun Xiao asked her with a smile.

“I… I want to apologize to you!” Lin Lin confessed nervously.

“Why?”

“I was deceived by Brother Chu, and spoke many sarcastic words, but that wasn’t my true intention. The more I think about it now, the more I feel that my father also has his difficulties…” Lin Lin admitted, her jaw tight.

“Your dad really is in a tight spot,” Yun Xiao chuckled.

“Hmm!” Lin Lin, tense, asked him, “So, do you accept my apology?”

“Sure.” Yun Xiao responded.

“Just like that? Why?” Lin Lin asked, dumbfounded.

“Because to me, you’re something that can either exist or not, why should I care about what you think?” Yun Xiao explained.

Lin Lin froze. “You don’t like me? If you didn't like me, why did you peep at me…” she stated resentfully, fingers pinched together.

“I like you?”

BAM! Yun Xiao swiftly kicked her into the lotus pond, then shut the door. Peace at last!

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The following day dawned, faint with the light of promise yet unfilled.

"Lil Bei! Lil Qian! Lil Long!" At the entrance of the Ancestral Sword Hall, Lin Chen, the youthful swordsman with a sword strapped to his back, stood with eyes blood-red, gazing upon three severed heads on the ground.

"Who did this?!" His voice was a gale, turning to those beside him.

"Chen... Brother Chen..." Ning Jing’s finger, trembling as a leaf in a breeze, pointed to two blood-red characters staining the earth.

"Yun Xiao!" Lin Chen's expression twisted, a manifestation of dark wrath, as he swiftly unbuckled the sheath from his back, plunged through the crowd, and sped towards Wind Listening Pavilion with murderous intent.

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In the Jade Sun Tower, the top brass of Sword Heaven gathered, faces flushed in heated disagreement.

"End him outright to quell the fury of the Sea of Swords! The demise of the Azure Kite Sea is enough to brand Sword Heaven with a century’s worth of infamy on our account!" the Lin Ancestor of Sword Heaven asserted. He was the second uncle of the Sword Lord and known to others as Second Uncle Lin.

"Imbued with the power of a hundred layers of Sword Aura, and with battle prowess at Establishment Origin Core Realm, he's but a step away from ascending to the Sovereign Dragon Realm just like Lin Chen, becoming a prodigy admired even in the Heavenly Realm! As long as he’s protected, Sword Heaven could stand shoulder to shoulder with the Forbidden Tower! We cannot kill him!" the Ning Ancestor said from the other side, his gold teeth back in place, providing at least a veneer of confidence.

"You old fogey! You sure as hell didn't think like that yesterday!" Second Uncle Lin’s eyes flared, a tempest of anger surging within.

"Second Uncle…" the Ning Ancestor began, casting a glance towards his son, Ning Que, "After the incident at Spirit Treasure Walk, I've turned it over in my mind, feeling that we should give this unparalleled genius a chance! While it's true that Yun Xiao harbors enmity with the Forbidden Tower… we, the dignified Sword Heaven, surely cannot forsake him just because a disciple has personal grievances, right?"

The Ning Ancestor added with a tactical pause, "What I propose is that we observe for a few days! Isn’t Ye Guying harboring grudges against Yun Xiao? He will exit his seclusion the day after tomorrow; let them settle their scores, and we won't have to take action ourselves. Preserving our wise leadership is paramount!"

"Patience, esteemed colleagues, mere days are nothing to Sword Heaven. Let us watch and see how far Yun Xiao can truly go," Ning Que declared, having learned a lesson from the deception of Holy Son Chu, and choosing a path neither of support nor of trampling.

"Who knows what devilry that Lin Qingfeng can conjure in these few days!" Second Uncle Lin heaved a sigh.

"What else is left for him to do, engage in a life-and-death duel with the Forbidden Tower Lord, Xiao Changtian? In the end, the quarrels of the young should be settled by the young!" the Ning Ancestor stated, nonchalantly.

"Please, do not misunderstand, esteemed ones. Our Ning Family is not siding with Yun Xiao. Rather, we propose that since the Forbidden Tower has yet to press us, we need not hastily offer our talented disciple up on a platter. It would be quite the disgrace," Ning Que spoke earnestly.

"Yet, you continually mention him as a talented disciple. Have you not already recognized him in your heart?" the Murong Ancestor, Murong Li, questioned coldly.

"What else? Aside from Lin Chen, Ye Guying, and Chen Xi, who among these three prodigies could slay Xiao He and Fan Tu? I am no match for him either!" Having witnessed events in the Spirit Treasure Walk firsthand, Ning Que’s sentiments ran especially deep.

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it," Murong Li lifted his teacup, sipping at it leisurely.

At that moment, a woman in green robes crashed into the Jade Sun Tower atop her Sovereign Sword, sending tables and chairs flying.

"Ning Jing, what's gotten into you, acting so reckless?" The Ning Ancestor gazed sternly at his granddaughter.

"Ning Bei, along with Murong Qian and Lin Xiaolong, they've been killed at the Ancestor Sword Hall!" Ning Jing cried out in a mournful tone.