"Why is there a spatial rift here?"
Ye Fan frowned at the sight, feeling curious.
However, after Lin San slaughtered the Abyssal creatures that had emerged, the spatial rift gradually began to close, visible to the naked eye.
"Abyssal creatures... they don't seem too difficult to handle," Ye Fan thought, without dwelling on it much.
After all, creatures of that level could be wiped out with just one sword strike.
At that moment, Lin San remained suspended in midair, his expression dazed and distant. He had worked so hard to bring her back, only to lose her again.
"AHHH!!!"
Lin San let out an anguished roar, shaking the heavens and the earth.
Soon after, his figure vanished into the distance once more.
...
Martial God Year 10,874.
"It's already been three hundred years since the Demon Realm was destroyed,"
The Heavenly God King stood at the entrance of the grand hall of the Divine Court, gazing into the distance as he stroked his beard, sighing with emotion.
Three hundred years had passed.
There were no more demons in the Demon Realm.
However, creatures from another world—the Abyssal monsters—had begun to appear in their place.
"I wonder where the Emperor has gone,"
The other three Divine Kings approached, all sighing heavily.
After Lin San annihilated the Demon Realm, he had vanished completely, leaving no trace.
No one knew where he had gone.
"Still, I have a feeling the Emperor will return soon,"
The Heavenly God King murmured, his gaze fixed on the far-off sky.
...
"Three hundred years, and you still haven't given up?"
In another world, in a small town, a black sword spoke, its voice echoing in the air.
It was Ye Fan.
"I have a feeling... I'm getting close to finding her,"
Lin San, sitting by a stone bridge with a piece of foxtail grass between his lips, smiled as he gazed at the bustling crowd in front of him.
"I hope so, but at least these few hundred years haven't been boring,"
Ye Fan responded casually.
Since the destruction of the Demon Realm, Lin San had been traveling through countless worlds, searching for her reincarnation.
That search had already lasted three hundred years.
"Thank you for accompanying me these three hundred years,"
Lin San said apologetically to Ye Fan.
"Forget it, I'll just consider it a journey through the worlds,"
Ye Fan replied with a hint of resignation.
Despite having become an epic-grade demon sword, he still hadn't achieved full human transformation.
He could only temporarily take human form by consuming energy points, and that process consumed a lot of energy.
Lin San chuckled softly and gazed into the distance, his thoughts drifting once more.
Three hundred years...
Could he really find her?
"Watch out!"
At that moment, a startled cry pulled Lin San back to reality.
He turned to see a young woman slip on the moss-covered stone bridge and fall toward the river below.
The bridge had no railings on either side, making it dangerous.
Seeing this, Lin San waved his hand, and a strand of energy shot out, catching the woman and pulling her back to safety.
The surrounding onlookers gasped in astonishment.
"Is he a master?"
"Is he a martial artist?"
People began whispering amongst themselves.
"Thank you..."
The young woman breathed a sigh of relief.
"No problem,"
Lin San smiled, but as he looked at her, he froze for a moment.
She looked to be around eighteen, with fair skin and a white dress, appearing delicate and lovely.
A faint sheen of sweat glistened on her forehead, likely from the fright she had just experienced.
But it was her face...
"Is something wrong?"
The woman blushed slightly under Lin San's gaze, clearly feeling shy.
"Miss, are you alright?"
At that moment, a maid rushed over, clearly worried.
"Xiao Lian, I'm fine,"
The young woman shook her head.
"That's good. We should head back quickly,"
The maid, Xiao Lian, sighed in relief.
"Alright,"
The young woman nodded gently, then looked back at Lin San. "Thank you again for saving me."
"It was nothing,"
Lin San smiled lightly.
Her face flushed again as she and her maid left the scene.
As they crossed the bridge, the young woman couldn't help but glance back at Lin San.
For some reason, she felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity.
"Miss, what's wrong?"
Xiao Lian asked curiously, noticing her lady's thoughtful expression.
"It's nothing. Let's go back,"
The young woman shook her head.
That feeling... it was as though she had known him for a very long time.
Sitting on the bridge, Lin San stood up, his eyes gazing into the distance.
"It seems you've finally found the one you were searching for,"
Ye Fan spoke softly.
"Yes,"
Lin San smiled.
This time, it was a genuine smile.
Three hundred years of searching, and it seemed it had been worth it.
"Sword Spirit, thank you for your company. I no longer wish for bloodshed,"
Lin San said as he looked at Ye Fan's sword.
The blade gleamed with mysterious energy, ancient runes covering its surface.
He knew all too well just how powerful the sword was.
"Then, let's say our goodbyes here."
With a single thought, in an instant invisible to anyone nearby, the sword transformed into a human figure.
It was Ye Fan!
In human form!
Lin San gazed at Ye Fan, a flicker of surprise crossing his eyes.
"Sword Spirit... no, Ye Fan,"
Lin San chuckled.
After all these years, they had become true friends.
"Goodbye,"
Ye Fan extended his hand.
Lin San smiled, reached out, and clasped Ye Fan's hand firmly. They bumped shoulders in farewell.
In the next moment, Ye Fan's body dissolved into pure energy, dispersing into the sky.
The energy condensed again into a jet-black sword before vanishing into the air.
"May you also find what you're looking for,"
Lin San whispered, gazing at the sky as though speaking to himself.
He had already found what he had been searching for.
...
"Whew, that feels great!"
In the days that followed, Ye Fan used the vast amounts of energy he had accumulated to maintain his human form.
Living as a human was truly refreshing.
Feasting, drinking, enjoying life—though as a sword, energy sufficed, nothing compared to the pleasure of eating.
For a short while, Ye Fan became a true human.
But energy is finite, and the joyful days quickly came to an end.
"Sigh, back to being a sword again," he lamented.