Evil Venerable of the Sword Dao
Chapter 456 - 105: Soul Path Wannian Long

Chapter 456: Chapter 105: Soul Path Wannian Long

Thunder Flame Breaking Path Mountain.

Thunderflame Soul Sea.

Cloud Sea dancers, a massive surge of Soul Power stirred, the entire Soul Sea like a tsunami had occurred, waves reaching the heavens.

A pair of giant eyes manifested above the Soul Sea, these giant eyes gazed into the distance, seeming to see through Heaven and Earth.

"Has it finally changed? The Yuan Ci Secret Realm, since it is meant for you, then no one else can take it away."

The owner of those giant eyes seemed to be muttering to himself.

Moments later, the giant eyes disappeared; in the sky, an ancient city manifested, a true manifestation of the ancient city within the world of the Lei Yan Continent.

Above the ancient city, a War God Hall suddenly emitted a strong, dazzling light.

At that moment, the Cultivators of the ancient city suddenly all froze in place, then all the Cultivators trembled and knelt on the ground.

"War God above!"

All Cultivators immediately knelt and worshiped at the War God, and a giant statue of the War God in the ancient city suddenly burst into dazzling brilliance.

"Imperial Decree—in three days, release the Void Altar, open the Secret Realm Channel."

A majestic voice resounded through Heaven and Earth.

Then, this voice boomed through the heavens and also echoed in the hearts of all the kneeling Cultivators.

All the Cultivators of the Lei Yan Continent knelt down, no one dared to disobey.

The image of the ancient city gradually disappeared above the Thunderflame Soul Sea, and in the space above the Soul Sea, Heavenly Tribulations gathered, dense and unyielding.

Terrifying Heavenly Tribulations roared amid the wind and thunder, the Soul Sea above, erupting into a shocking tsunami.

Yet, Heaven and Earth seemed even more deathly still.

The giant eyes gradually shrank, then transformed into a middle-aged man in a black robe, his body flickering with a Thunder Flame Aura, emanating waves of terrifying ancientness.

He peered at the Soul Sea, suddenly stretched out a hand, and pointed; above the Soul Sea, a time channel suddenly appeared.

In that time channel, a White Fox was meditating with closed eyes, but was suddenly startled awake and pulled across the time tunnel to appear before the middle-aged man.

"Nine Origin... Thunder Origin Sword God?"

The White Fox spoke human language, her voice clear and pleasing.

"I am not me, you are not you, no need for formalities."

The man in the black robe spoke indifferently.

His voice was raspy and aged.

"Senior summoned me, might I ask why?"

The White Fox’s figure moved, transforming into a coldly elegant woman in white, her voice respectfully inquired.

"Your newly recognized master is in trouble, he needs your intervention... Actually, Zhou Yan, the Thunderflame Sword Body, is also considered half my disciple, his Constitution inherits from me, the Thunder Origin Sword God, so he cannot just die like this. But the Frost Tears possesses endless malicious killing intent, you need to carry my will and act."

"What? Master is in trouble?"

White Fox Bai Ying was startled and exclaimed.

"Yes, I left the Yuan Ci Secret Realm, but it ended up being schemed against. Wan Jian Tian did well but has lost its potency, and those rising Sword saints, once they discover the situation with Frost Tears and learn about Zhou Yan, will never let him live.

The rule of Sword Saint not emerging was set by me, but there are always some Sword Saints who think they know better and won’t follow. You go out, I will bestow the ’Soul Path’ of the ’Soul Sea’ upon you to carry with you.

Do you understand what to do now?"

"Bai Ying... Bai Ying understands."

White Fox Bai Ying’s delicate body trembled, then, the man in the black robe stretched out his hand towards the White Fox’s brow, and the tumultuous Soul Sea immediately boiled up, then transformed into a cascade like a beam of light, flying into the brow of the White Fox.

The next moment, a Thunder Mark appeared on the brow of the White Fox Bai Ying, this mark very ancient, yet emitting a breathtaking aura.

"Soul Path... Soul Path everlasting..."

The man in the black robe murmured, his body suddenly shattered, transforming into streams of intangible Heavenly Tribulation energy, dispersing and disappearing.

That pair of giant eyes, like two piercing suns, rose in the sky, transformed into the proud sun of this place.

"Go out."

The giant eyes conveyed a tired message, seeming incredibly weary even to pass a slight message.

Bai Ying’s delicate body trembled, but no longer hesitated, her mind moved, the tumultuous Soul Sea surged out, pierced through the Void, as if opening a space-time door.

Then, Bai Ying stepped out and had already left the Thunder Flame Breaking Path Mountain.

"Master has been gone for nearly two months now, he said he was going to participate in the Holy Daughter’s suitor event... The Thunder Origin Sword God said he had encountered a deadly danger, has he gone to the ’Ten Thousand Ghosts Sword Tomb’?"

"Ten Thousand Ghosts Sword Tomb... Do I have to face those familiar faces again? It’s just a pity that my strength has regressed to this point, and... I am now in the body of a White Fox, in that past life, I ultimately died, was eliminated."

Bai Ying murmured to herself, seeming a bit lost.

However, shortly after, her gaze regained its calm: "Living this life, just live this one well, Master is in trouble, I must hurry to him."

The White Fox no longer hesitated, immediately made up her mind.

...

Zhou Yan had experienced the agony of severing his own soul, and he deeply understood the pain of the process. Now, facing the same torment again, Zhou Yan’s heart was tranquil.

In fact, he had long seen through life and death. Having grasped the profound meaning of life and death at such an ultimate level, how could he possibly fear death?

Moreover, Zhou Yan understood that by suffering on behalf of others, he wouldn’t die; it would merely mean enduring endless agony.

Pain is considered pain because it is not transcended. Once the mind transcends, the pain of the body and even the soul can be entirely ignored.

This was an ascension.

Zhou Yan had not only his own memories but also those of his master, Lee Ran. Although it now seemed that Lee Ran might not just be a mere master.

Many doubts remained unresolved, yet more uncertainties lingered in his mind.

But all these, in the face of reality, could be completely erased.

Zhou Yan calmly looked at the Netherworld Queen and Xiao Xue, then summoned the Broken Worry Sword and swung it down at himself without hesitation.

Zhou Yan knew that the Netherworld Queen was not joking, nor would she jest about such matters. Thus, if there truly was a way to save the Holy Daughter and the others, then taking their place to endure all this was the only way.

"Sss—"

Terrible pain, like tearing the soul apart, annihilating everything.

Endless agony scorched his soul, the unspeakable pain fiercely striking at Zhou Yan’s heart.

Zhou Yan’s heart remained calm, so calm that he could even sense his own agonized expression.

It was a very peculiar sensation, real and direct, as if enduring extreme torture in hell yet being incredibly lucid.

Zhou Yan saw the Netherworld Queen’s expression still cold and numb, her gaze icy as she looked at him, devoid of any emotion.

Zhou Yan saw Xiao Xue covering her mouth, choking back tears that filled her eyes, as if she would cry, yet she forcibly held it back.

Zhou Yan’s vision began to split.

It divided into two, then three, then four... until there were six parts.

Five of these parts flew toward the distant screens where five tormented individuals were suffering, while the last part flew toward the endless heavenly vault.

In the depths of the vault, a woman stood next to a man, silently staring at the man, seemingly telling him something.

The man spoke firmly, apparently rejecting the woman.

Zhou Yan’s view moved toward the woman and realized that she was Jiayue, and the middle-aged man before her was Uncle Gu Yan.

Zhou Yan seemed to see an expression of shock and excitement on Gu Yan’s face as if he was saying something to him, but he could hear nothing, remember nothing.

The vision was blurry, as if obscured by a layer of mist, unclear and unintelligible.

...

The vision tilted, and the world gradually darkened.

A sense of unwillingness, unable to let go, seemed to dissolve any obsession.

Only darkness remained in his heart, and in the blurry vision, the indifferent face of a woman in a purple robe occasionally appeared.

"Have you truly changed? Is it me who is wrong or is it the world?"

Amid the haziness, a melancholic sigh echoed.

Zhou Yan couldn’t hear clearly, but he felt like he had become six individuals, experiencing six excruciating torments.

Each was like a hellish torture, making his existence worse than death.

He felt his spiritual soul being torn apart, on the verge of collapse, on the brink of madness.

The power of destruction within his soul seemed to settle deeper, his soul like an abyss, gradually falling deeper and deeper.

His soul kept descending, his perception of pain gradually lessened, yet vague words still lingered in his ears.

...

A long time.

Yet it seemed like just a moment had passed.

"Soul Path... Wannian long, do you still remember what you said? Originally, I thought I would be happy punishing you, but seeing your suffering makes me even more pained than you.

You could immerse yourself in the Heartless Sword Dao, but I couldn’t become heartless.

You once said abandoning sanctity for wisdom, abandoning affection for love... Have you really done it again? Why have you changed now..."

Whispers like cries and pleas resounded by his ear, and on his face, it seemed as though warm tears flowed.

Zhou Yan gradually awakened from the distant unknown world, his body no longer in pain, only feeling sore and weak.

He lay on an ancient-looking ivory bed covered with spiritual silk bedding, the room bathed in a faint purple light and a virginal fragrance of a woman lingering hazily around.

"You’re awake."

The Netherworld Queen wiped the tears from the corner of her eyes, her gaze focusing on Zhou Yan as she spoke softly.

"Where... Where am I?"

Zhou Yan was very confused. His memory still lingered on the moment he replaced the Holy Daughter and the other six in enduring their ordeals.

At that moment, the perils on the Netherworld Heavenly Road were frequent, and he seemed to have also seen Gu Xi’s father, Uncle Gu Yan, but what followed felt like an illusionary dream, very unreal, very vague.