Chapter 120 - What is an Immortal?
Inside the Forbidden Tower!
"Mid Sovereign Dragon Realm." In a thick haze of black mist, a young man dressed in black robes saw his energy swirling around him like a black dragon, moving throughout his body, letting out intermittent roars reminiscent of a dragon's call.
Within his Dantian, nine dragons soared among the clouds and mists, absorbing and emitting magic power, officially transitioning to a new realm.
BUZZ! The sound of surging energy was loud, but it couldn't drown out the incessant noise from outside.
"Who's making such a racket outside the Forbidden Tower?" Ye Guying chuckled lightly as he spoke. "It seems the Tower Lord has gone to some lengths to welcome my emergence. Truly worthy of being the king of the Sea of Swords. What an eye for talent and grand vision!"
He took a deep breath, thinking of the grand scene outside. Despite his usual calm demeanor, he couldn't help but feel a sense of anticipation.
"Just over ten days ago, when I came to the Sea of Swords, I was just an overlooked mountainous Sword Cultivator from Azure Spirit. But today, I rise above all, topping the power ranks of the Sea of Swords and soon to soar across the Heavenly Realm, restoring the honor of Sword Cultivators!"
From obscurity to prominence, how could he not be exhilarated?
Having experienced the luxury and respect of the Sea of Swords, he had so many bottled-up feelings that needed an outlet.
"After ten days of relentless cultivation, absorbing the Tower Heart legacy, the day has finally come for me to dominate the Sea of Swords..." Ye Guying slowly closed his eyes, listening to the deafening cheers outside, his smile growing broader. "Foster Father! Elder Brother! Are you outside to witness this moment for the Ye Family?"
Ye Guying's eyes snapped open, and he abruptly stood, staring at the dark heavenly gate. "And you, Zhao Xuanran! Ever since I entered Azure Spirit, I've held you in high regard, only to be met with your indifference and arrogance. You always looked down upon my humble origins, didn't you? Now that I reign supreme in the Sea of Swords, towering over all in the Sword Realm, does your proud heart quiver in fear? I truly hope you're out there, witnessing my rise today..."
Inside the Forbidden Tower, he had known that the woman wouldn't show. She wasn't the sort to fawn over someone just because of their strength.
"She may not come, but that's alright. I'll descend upon Azure Spirit with countless Sword Cultivators from the Sea of Swords, bringing the Sword Pavilion to its knees!" He couldn't help but chuckle, recalling a rumor from ten days prior.
"Yun Xiao? Who's that supposed to be?" Ye Guying chuckled. Ghosts and demons be damned, he'd vanquish them with a single swipe of his sword. Two decades of enduring ridicule and relentless cultivation, and today was his day.
BOOM! With a determined stride, Ye Guying caused the obsidian gates to shudder open. As they did, gasps of astonishment echoed, indicating the audience awaiting him outside.
The world's spiritual energy rushed in, causing his long hair to flutter dramatically. He strode out, every step filled with the confidence of a sovereign of swords, lord of all he surveyed.
Before him lay his domain, the Sea of Swords. The first sight to greet him were thousands of Sword Cultivators, bowing low before the arena of the Forbidden Tower. None dared to meet his gaze.
He couldn't help but let out a soft chuckle. "When I ventured to the Azure Kite Sea, these very same arrogant folks sneered and mocked me. Now, they tremble in my presence. Oh, how the tables have turned!"
His heart raced, the sensation akin to soaring above the clouds. Years of suppression and silent endurance exploded forth like a volcanic eruption.
"Amongst the vast Sea of Swords, many are formidable. Yet, under my solitary sword that pierces the heavens, thousands bow. Who dares contend?"
He marched forward, challenging, "Where is the Tower Lord, the Sword Lord, the Ten Great Elders, the Ancestors of Sword Heaven, and the Ten Great Families?" In a breathtaking display of authority, Ye Guying's hawkish eyes scanned the vast arena, taking everything in.
"I..." Just as he was about to deliver his rehearsed speech, the gruesome sight of bodies piled up in the arena hit him like a sledgehammer. It was as if a blood-soaked sword pierced right through his vision and drilled into his head.
He paused, slightly taken aback, shook his head instinctively, and looked again.
The ground was drenched in blood, rivers formed by the flowing crimson. A grotesque sight met Ye Guying's eyes—thousands of headless bodies kneeling. The most striking was the sight of Sword Lord Lin Qingfeng and Tower Lord Xiao Changtian, two overlords of the Sea of Swords, whom Ye Guying once revered as gods among men. They were now mere headless corpses.
Their attire, coupled with the fading aura of the Sovereign Dragon Realm, unmistakably identified them.
"What the fuck, did I meditate so long that I've gone mad?" Ye Guying chuckled, shaking his head in disbelief. He closed his eyes, rubbed his temples, and took another look. The same scene of blood and death.
The Forbidden Tower held over a thousand elite Sword Cultivators, yet the number of bodies below seemed to match that count. His eyes bulged, bloodshot and filled with horror.
"This can't be!" His heart raced. Staring in shock at the bodies of the Sword Lord and the Tower Lord, Ye Guying couldn't fathom how these titans had become corpses. It had been only ten days!
"No!" He descended from the sky, crashing down beside the corpses. Only then did he notice two figures, one dressed in black and the other in white, standing starkly amidst the carnage.
The woman in black? Zhao Xuanran, the sect leader's daughter whom he'd admired in his youth. He'd never imagined seeing her in such circumstances on what was supposed to be his triumphant day.
And the young man in white? Merely a glance filled Ye Guying with an inexplicable envy.
"Such a flawless man exists in this world?" His gaze locked onto the young man, his heart thumping inexplicably.
Months ago, he had stood amidst a similar scene with Yun Xiao. Back then, the woman was Jiang Yue, standing by Ye Guying's side. But today, it was Zhao Xuanran.
As Ye Guying landed, Zhao instinctively clung to Yun Xiao's arm, leaning against him. The two of them, a striking pair, seemed brimming with affection. A familiar tableau. A shocking reversal.
"Who are you?" Ye Guying steadied himself, giving the young man in white a cold, appraising look.
Yun Xiao stared him down, but there wasn't a hint of that frenzied, bloodthirsty enmity one might expect. Sure, there was anger, but it was subtle. What dominated those eyes was a supreme indifference and a hint of disdain.
Did Yun Xiao despise him? Absolutely. But it took him just over ten days, journeying from the Azure Spirit Sword Sect, to transform that fiery revenge into an intent to subdue and dominate.
"Who am I?" Yun Xiao's voice dropped, dark and serious. "Ye Guying, have you forgotten?"
"What did I forget?" Ye Guying's mind scrambled.
"What does it mean to be an Immortal?" With a raised eyebrow and eyes cold as the ancient glaciers, Yun Xiao spoke. Each word boomed like distant thunder. "To slay you with a single sword strike, that's what it means to be an Immortal!"
Ye Guying paused, processing what he'd just heard. The next moment, it hit him like a thunderbolt. His eyes widened in shock, and he stumbled back three steps, nearly tripping over a corpse behind him! He remembered. More than three months ago, in the realm of mortals, he had taken away a prodigious young swordswoman and wrongfully killed a mortal emperor.
"With one strike, I'll end you. That's what it means to be an Immortal." That very line was what Ye Guying had boasted before taking a life. He had engaged in what now seemed like a laughable debate with that mortal emperor over the true meaning of being an Immortal. Back then, it didn't matter to him. Even ten days ago, it barely registered. Just a hint of confusion.
"That lowly mortal?" Ye Guying's spine chilled at the sudden realization.
"That's right! A mere mortal whom you killed with a single strike, tarnishing his name for eternity. Having wiped out your entire Ye Family in the Azure Spirit Sword Sect, then coming to the Sea of Swords and killing everyone who sheltered you, I've come to settle the score, Ye Guying..." Yun Xiao lifted his head, his eyes blazing with rage and fire.
"Y-you're saying what now...?" Ye Guying stuttered. The idea of a mere mortal, resurrecting from the dead, was already beyond imagination! He had been in seclusion for just ten days! In that time, this mortal had annihilated his family, his power, his very foundation?!
Ye Guying looked on in horror! Indeed! The venerable power, Sword Heaven, lost half its members. The Forbidden Tower, the dominating force of the Sea of Swords, was completely wiped out. Both the Sword Lord and the Tower Lord, dead on their knees!
Who was capable of such a feat? Zhao Xuanran surely didn't have the power. In this Forbidden Arena, only Yun Xiao remained.
"You killed my entire Ye Family? My foster father, my elder brother?" Ye Guying's eyes turned blood-red in an instant.
"Yes, and I've captured the souls of over a hundred of your kin, trapping them in the Bluedrop Flag. Right now, they're being continuously burned in the Azure Spirit Cauldron, day and night. Quite the devoted son, aren't you?" Yun Xiao remarked.
THUD! Blood surged to Ye Guying's head in rage.
Memories of Ye Xuanying, Ye Tiance, and the entirety of the Ye Family flashed before him. All the warmth and love they shared, now gone forever! With his entire family gone, who was left to witness his meteoric rise?
The deaths of the Sword Lord and Tower Lord had unfolded right before Ye Guying's eyes. It was an agonizing reality he couldn't deny.
“Lord of the Sword Realm! Execute Ye Guying and restore the honor of the Sea of Swords!”
“Yes! This man colluded with the traitors of Azure Spirit Sword Sect, betrayed the sect master, and deserves death!”
After a brief exchange regarding the affairs of the Azure Spirit, figures like Ancestor Ning and Ning Que spread the word. The news ignited tens of thousands of Sword Cultivators, their collective shouts shaking the heavens.
BOOM BOOM BOOM! These proclamations hit Ye Guying like a trio of sucker punches, straight to the heart. In astonishment, he looked up at the vast crowd of Sword Cultivators. The realization hit him like a ton of bricks. "They're not kneeling to me... but to him?"
Lord of the Sword Realm? This title even overrode that of the mighty Grand Wastelands Demon Lord. Just how much did they revere Yun Xiao?
Recalling his entrance through the heavenly gate, when he'd mistakenly thought they were all kneeling to him, Ye Guying was overwhelmed with embarrassment, feeling his heart constrict.
He'd left his seclusion with dreams of beautiful women, power, prestige, glory, and the chance to bring honor to his family's name.
Now, the woman he desired was in Yun Xiao's embrace. Power and prestige had evaporated, and the glory had transformed into shame. Tens of thousands of Sword Cultivators now followed Yun Xiao. As for bringing honor to his ancestors... well, what honor was there when all of them were dead?
His dreams were shattered by someone he once thoughtlessly murdered. Ye Guying felt as if he had plunged straight into hell, his heart torn apart. The shocking blow left him feeling as if a thousand swords had pierced his heart.
At this moment, the only thing that could restore his dignity and flip his fate was the sword in his hands. To a Sword Cultivator, all the power and prestige in the world were but illusions. The Sword Soul and magic power, those were the essence of their existence. With a sword in hand, there was no true defeat. Ye Guying's eyes, now filled with murderous intent, remained locked onto Yun Xiao.
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