From the palace steps, Yun Xiao watched, his figure still as stone. He looked to Senior Sister Zhao, who understood his intent with a nod. It was time to bring justice to Blue Soul.
In that moment, Yun Xiao stepped into the jungle, dragging the snake monster's lifeless form behind him. Today, he would give Blue Soul the answer it sought.
The crowd turned their eyes to the source, a figure stepping out of the shadows. It was Yun Xiao, alive and unyielding.
"It's Yun Xiao! He's not dead!" Shangguan Yu, Chen Dong, and Li Chenlong's faces lit up with hope.
Yun Xiao emerged from the darkness, holding his sword, eyes gleaming with resolve. At his feet lay a monstrous black snake, a formidable creature slain in his battle.
"This creature was the North Wild's Black-Horned Snake!" Chen Dong gasped, recognizing the beast. Li Chenlong's face turned pale. "This snake had become a sovereign monster! But Yun Xiao... he defeated it!"
The sword cultivators knelt before Yun Xiao, their grief and respect for the fallen Zhao Jianxing mingling with newfound hope. Even Ye Tiance's eyes betrayed a hint of fear.
"Zhao Jianxing, you were truly unmatched!" he muttered, feeling a chill as he looked toward Sword Pavilion.
Yao Manxue was startled by Yun Xiao's power but scoffed, "So what if he has skill? He's still outnumbered. We can still crush him."
But as she spoke, Yun Xiao's blade slashed through the air like a storm, hitting Zhang Jian's shoulder with a deadly strike.
"My hand!" Zhang Jian screamed, his arm severed. He glared at Yun Xiao, seething with fury.
"Your Sword Pavilion may have lost Zhao Jianxing, but you're still nothing before Lord Ye!" Zhang Jian shouted, defiant yet shaken by Yun Xiao's prowess.
Yun Xiao stepped forward, his face hardened with determination. "Ye Tiance, don't worry—your turn is coming."
Yun Xiao watched Ye Tiance's approach, unfazed by the golden gleam of his sword. The battlefield was tense, every gaze fixed on the clash about to unfold. Yun Xiao's stance was calm, his sword steady, the black mist of the Heaven-Burying Sword Ring swirling around him like an ominous storm. The blood of Zhang Jian still stained his blade, a reminder of his brutal determination.
Ye Tiance sneered, his sword blazing with power as he stepped forward, his arrogance unshaken. "You think you can stand against me, boy? I am Source Pill Realm, and you… are nothing but a shadow of your master, Zhao Jianxing."
Yun Xiao's scarlet eyes narrowed, his voice cutting through the din. "You and your minions have desecrated Blue Soul long enough. Today, I end it."
In a single, swift movement, Yun Xiao dashed forward, his Heaven-Burying Sword lashing out in a flurry of strikes. Ye Tiance blocked each blow, sparks flying as their swords clashed. The force of Yun Xiao's attacks pushed Ye Tiance back, his confidence visibly shaken by the young warrior's relentless assault.
At that moment, Yao Manxue, still standing behind with the three hundred sword cultivators, laughed mockingly. "Is this all you've got, Yun Xiao? Sword Pavilion is nothing without Zhao Jianxing!"
But as her laughter echoed, a chilling aura spread across the battlefield. A deep, resonant hum filled the air as Yun Xiao activated the ancient power of the Sword Pavilion—his Sword Ring blazed to life with an intensity that made the onlookers step back. The azure light from the Heaven-Burying Sword cut through the darkness, and Yun Xiao's voice rang out, sharp and unyielding.
"Zhao Jianxing may be gone, but his spirit endures through me. All who betrayed Blue Soul will fall today."
Suddenly, the three hundred sword cultivators hesitated. The fear in their eyes was unmistakable; they felt the sheer force of Yun Xiao's power, as though they were standing in the presence of Zhao Jianxing himself. For the first time, they sensed the might of the Heaven-Burying Sword and the legacy it carried—a force that no ordinary cultivator could stand against.
Yun Xiao's sword cut through the air, and with a single, deadly strike, he severed the connection between Ye Tiance and his golden plume Sword Soul. The severed bond caused Ye Tiance to stumble, his aura flickering, his bravado slipping. The realization hit him: he was vulnerable.
Desperately, Ye Tiance roared and lunged again, summoning the last of his strength. But Yun Xiao was prepared. He sidestepped, his sword poised, and with one final, decisive swing, he struck Ye Tiance down.
With one last gasp, Ye Tiance fell to his knees, the golden light in his eyes extinguished. He collapsed onto the ground.
The remaining cultivators, seeing their leader defeated, threw down their swords in surrender. They had been utterly crushed, their spirit broken.
Yun Xiao, breathing heavily, raised his blood-streaked sword high, the azure glow surrounding him a testament to his victory. Around him, those who had fought for Blue Soul erupted in cheers, honoring the warrior who had freed them from tyranny.
"Your tyranny ends here," he declared, his voice echoing across the battlefield.
Yao Manxue, watching from afar, stared at Yun Xiao with terror in her eyes. Her last hope was gone, and she realized there would be no escape for her either. As Yun Xiao turned to her, the same cold determination in his eyes, she felt the weight of her own impending fate.
"Yao Manxue," Yun Xiao said, his voice echoing with authority. "Justice awaits."
Seeing their leader broken and powerless, the three hundred sword cultivators around them began to quake, their expressions stricken with horror. They had once sworn allegiance to Ye Tiance, trusting in his strength. But now, they were forced to confront the grim truth of his treachery and the consequences of their complicity.
One by one, they fell to their knees, bowing before Yun Xiao. "We swear loyalty to you, Yun Xiao!" they pleaded, heads lowered in submission, desperate for mercy.
But Yun Xiao's eyes flashed with contempt. "You think your words now mean anything? You threw aside honor once and would do it again. No allegiance can wash away the sins of those who sided with evil. This is your sentence!" He raised his sword, signaling his intent to end their lives, and the crowd murmured in fear, some whispering desperate oaths to reform.
With unwavering determination, Yun Xiao struck down the first dissenter who dared question him, his azure blade flashing in the night. And as one, the loyalists of Blue Soul, led by Shangguan Yu, Chen Dong, and Li Chenlong, drew their swords. They surged forward with righteous fury, standing by Yun Xiao to finally rid their land of those who had betrayed it.
Yun Xiao, wielding his Heaven-Burying Sword Soul, cut through the treacherous cultivators with relentless force, leading his allies to a decisive victory. Three hundred fell, their last cries swallowed by the night.
In the distance, Zhao Jianxing's figure watched with silent reverence, knowing that this young warrior, Yun Xiao, had not only avenged their fallen comrades but also restored honor to the Blue Soul sect. The night grew quiet as the last of the traitors fell, leaving Yun Xiao and the Blue Soul cultivators to stand in the aftermath, victorious and resolute, guardians once more of their sacred grounds.
Yun Xiao's voice thundered with righteous anger, reverberating through the Sword Pavilion. "When you reach the Yellow Springs, ask your ancestors if your actions today bring them honor or eternal shame! Ask them why they sacrificed their lives, while you, their descendants, betray all they stood for!"
His rage was boundless. He had seen cities reduced to blood-soaked husks, their inhabitants drained and left as dry corpses by monstrous beings preying on the mortal world. Yun Xiao's heart was scarred by these memories, and his hatred for those who turned a blind eye or abused their power only grew with time. "You call yourselves 'immortal'—yet what have you protected? What justice have you upheld? You've abandoned your duty for the sake of your own ambition!"
For Yun Xiao, reborn by defying fate itself, every swing of his sword was a vow. He wielded it with no mercy, no restraint. He had come back to cleanse this world of the evils that had once taken his life and to deliver justice. His path was unyielding, and each stroke of his azure blade carved rivers of blood.
Ye Tiance, Yao Manxue, and Zhang Jian—these traitors lay in a heap, horror filling their vacant eyes as they watched Yun Xiao's sword cut down their kin and allies one by one. All those who had stood by Ye Tiance and betrayed the Blue Soul Sect faced the same fate. The sounds of sobbing and desperate cries filled the air as the last remnants of Ye Tiance's clan fell to the ground, realizing they would not escape the retribution Yun Xiao had brought.
The three hundred sword cultivators who had sworn loyalty to Ye Tiance now lay as corpses upon the field. Yet, those who were true to the Blue Soul Sect remained, exhausted but resolute, standing beside Yun Xiao. They felt an overwhelming sense of relief and pride—through Yun Xiao's strength, the honor of the Blue Soul had been restored.
Shangguan Yu's eyes welled with sorrow as she gazed toward the Sword Pavilion. "If only Senior Brother Zhao could see this victory," she murmured, grief thick in her voice.
Then Zhao Xuanran stepped forward, a faint smile on his face. "Do not mourn just yet. My father lives."
A stunned silence fell over them all. Shangguan Yu's eyes widened in shock. "But the millennium monster sovereign—he couldn't have—"
"Junior Brother Yun Xiao defeated it," Zhao Xuanran answered, his gaze filled with admiration. The black-clad woman at his side, her face softened with both pride and sorrow, looked toward Yun Xiao.
In that moment, a quiet awe spread through the crowd. Yun Xiao, a figure clad in white, bathed in the crimson of battle, had not only avenged the Blue Soul Sect but had accomplished the impossible, breaking the hold of a monster sovereign and restoring hope to those who had all but lost it. His journey was far from over, but for now, he stood victorious—a beacon of justice and the sword of the people.
A sudden wave of realization rippled through the crowd as the full weight of Yun Xiao's triumph settled in. For many Blue Soul sword cultivators, it was a soul-stirring moment: the Palm Teach, Zhao Jianxing, still lived! Even with Ye Tiance's power and his merciless tactics, he had fallen—an impossible feat, now clearly within Yun Xiao's reach.
Shangguan Yu, tears streaming down her face, couldn't contain her joy. "Blessed fate! Sword Pavilion's Seven, so noble even in death, may finally rest!" she whispered, her voice cracking. The gathered Blue Soul sword cultivators shared her sentiment, their hearts lifting in unison. But Ye Tiance, blood trickling down his face, was a broken man. He had misjudged Yun Xiao, his ten scales, and the youth's undying resolve. Now, he could only await whatever fate Yun Xiao had planned for him.
Yun Xiao's gaze shifted coldly to Ye Tiance, the traitors, and the remnants of the Ye clan. "Bind them in chains and prepare them for the journey!" he commanded, his voice as unyielding as iron. "With their lives, we will honor my fallen Senior Brothers and Sisters. Today, we return home!"
Cheers erupted from the Blue Soul Sect disciples. For the first time in too long, the azure mountains and the waving blue flags felt like symbols of victory, not sorrow. The days of watching their clan defiled, enduring the heartbreak of their Sword Pavilion Seven's sacrifice, had led to this moment—a fierce resolve now burned in their hearts.
But just as the traitors were being restrained, Lanxing suddenly cried out, his voice sharp with urgency. "Yun Xiao, a shroud-tent monster is moving in secret toward the Overwhelming Palace!"
Yun Xiao's heart clenched. The Overwhelming Palace—Zhao Jianxing, their beloved Palm Teach, was still there. "We need to move, now!" he commanded, fear for his master overtaking all else. The Blue Soul Sect cultivators moved with renewed urgency, rallying to protect their legacy, their Palm Teach, and their home from yet another lurking threat.