Evil Venerable of the Sword Dao
Chapter 458 - 107: Open Heart

Chapter 458: Chapter 107: Open Heart

"But now, I truly understand that no matter what kind of Dao, they are all merely a path. It is one’s own heart that elevates the Dao to greater heights.

My heart is eternal and undying, and I can derive Ten Thousand Dao.

All Things are Law, Primordial Transformation, this is indeed the essence of Supreme Dao.

The Affectionate Sword Dao, the Heartless Sword Dao, they are all Sword Dao. Sword Dao is the way of the sword, beginning with emotion and ending with emotion.

Therefore, whether with affection or heartless, they are all but lesser paths.

The true Dao is about being a Sovereign, about creating, about transforming oneself into the Dao.

A single word can become the Dao, and as the word is spoken, the law follows. My will, my awe-inspiring authority, that is the Way of All Living Beings.

This is probably the true meaning of Original Dao."

"At the beginning, I thought of giving up emotions for the sake of the Dao, to be detached from love and wisdom, but now it seems, these are all but lesser paths, Xiao Shuang, don’t you think so?"

...

"I realized I was wrong, and it was Yanyan who told me. Yanyan is truly a pitiable daughter. I don’t know what changes have occurred in Heaven and Earth, nor do I know where the lapse occurred. Many people in the world seem to know some of the experiences of Lee Sha, yet he himself is an idiot, knowing nothing.

In this life, I’ve lived with much suffering and exhaustion. But I’ve never spoken a word of it to anyone.

I once liked drinking, that Fiery Flame Sword Heart Wine, but no one understands my sorrow.

I wish I could drown my sorrows in drink, but I cannot afford to be drunk. Once I’m drunk, countless enemies would come to kill me.

If I’m not brave, who else could stand firm in my stead?

I can’t indulge in despair either, for compared to my pain, my daughter Yanyan, the pitiable and near-perishable Xi’er, they suffer even more.

And Feng Lingqing, the woman of this lifetime, who has scarcely known a day of fortune with me, is now drifting in the chaotic currents of space-time, living a fate worse than death.

There’s also my unborn daughter, who chose suicide, showing an unwillingness to be my daughter. How deep must her resentment be?

Was I really so inhumane in my past life that I now reap this retribution?

But I, Zhou Yan, can claim innocence before heaven and hold my head high among men! Even if I have been monstrous at times, those who kill must be killed; if others harbor murderous intent towards me, and I don’t eradicate the threat, there would be no way out for myself, my family, or my friends. Do I really have a choice?

When it comes to suffering, the torment, I’ve become numb to it all.

Now entering Frost Tears, I know that attaining the Yuan Ci Secret Realm will be difficult. But by obtaining it, I can establish a power base, securing a stable rear for my loved ones. That way, even if I have to fight to the death with my enemies, I will have no shackles or burdens weighing me down, no regrets even if I were to die unexpectedly."

"Many times, I truly feel lost, especially when I’m powerful, but a stronger enemy appears, pressing me until I can hardly breathe.

I am truly afraid of betrayal by a family member or friend again. Once that happens, it would shatter the last of my perseverance—indeed, it’s a miracle I’ve held on this far.

In this lifetime, I’ve only lived for twenty-three years, but my heart feels pierced with a thousand wounds, truly aged.

In the past, when I saw a beautiful woman, I either wanted to touch her chest or throw her to the ground and have my way with her fiercely.

But now, even that primal desire is suppressed. Even in the presence of stunning beauty, there is hardly any desire, and instead, should there be anything I find alarming about her or if I sense she harbors murderous intent, I would not hesitate to kill her.

And when I see a pretty young girl, I no longer harbor those desires. Instead, I look upon her as an elder would, simply admiring and perhaps even liking her, without any wicked thoughts.

This must be growth...

Maturity arrives, the heart ages, and one becomes profound.

The more Dao one comprehends, the more weary the heart becomes.

Now, apart from love, what remains is responsibility.

I don’t know how much further I can go, but the Holy Daughter has sacrificed a lot for me. This time I must marry her, fulfilling the promise I once made.

Besides, Xi’er is still in the Crystal Coffin, nearing extinction. I need to find a way to save her.

I’ve already decided to search for Ping’er, the Holy Daughter’s Life Soul, in the Netherworld Life and Death Illusion Realm.

It’s a place of great peril, and venturing there might mean not returning, but I must go.

After marrying the Holy Daughter, I will settle them in the Yuan Ci Secret Realm. With its protection, their safety is assured, and I can leave with peace of mind."

...

"But no matter what, I will strive to live on, not dying easily.

I have a Master named ’Lee Ran.’ There are very strange factors involved, so I cannot die; I must reach the Realm of Nine Changes of Sword Void and then proceed to Tianji Mountain.

Tianji Mountain will answer my questions. In fact, I have too many questions, but only one chance left.

It’s a pity. When the time comes, even if I go, I won’t be able to know the past, but will only be able to inquire about future events.

This is my last obsession. Before it is fulfilled, before I complete my Master’s last wish, even if I were to become a dog, I must live humbly on."

"Everyone has their own convictions, and when I saw your eyes, I knew there had to be a reason for the pain in my heart. Indeed, there really was a reason.

But seeing you in pain really hurts me. I don’t want you to suffer, yet I can do nothing about it."

"Now, seeing you able to sleep so peacefully, even slipping into a natural slumber, these calm and tranquil days are comforting to me like the Innate Mother Qi embraces. It gives me some peace of mind.

These thoughts of mine, no one knows. I have never spoken of them to anyone, since in the eyes of others, I am a cold-blooded, ruthless, wickedly evil and vicious genius.

A genius is also human, with their own heart... But you will never know this.

Since you can sleep so peacefully, I won’t talk about these messy thoughts anymore.

Xiao Shuang, sleep well and when you awake, all your troubles won’t be troubles anymore. I will take them up for you."

Zhou Yan gazed at the peacefully sleeping Netherworld Queen, his face displaying an extremely tender smile.

As he spoke, he couldn’t help but let out many of the words bottled up in his heart.

Even though Zhou Yan knew the Netherworld Queen couldn’t hear him, speaking his mind still brought him a lot of relief.

Feeling a bit better, Zhou Yan also sensed that the soreness and weakness in his body seemed to be slowly improving.

His body still couldn’t exercise its powers, the repressive force of the Frost Tears was still present, but Zhou Yan felt he was gradually getting accustomed to the pressure here.

Silently, Zhou Yan watched the Netherworld Queen, Xiao Shuang, sleep. At that moment, her expression was serene, as if she had entered a natural state of Unity of Heaven and Man.

After watching for a while, Zhou Yan sighed, turned around, and left the room.

At that moment, he did not notice that as he turned to leave, the Netherworld Queen’s peaceful face finally showed a trace of change. The eyes that had been closed now shimmered as tears moistened her long eyelashes.

...

Outside the room, the sky was still somewhat gloomy, the world was still pitch black.

Or perhaps, there were no bright days in this place.

When some energy can be used, darkness or light actually don’t affect Zhou Yan, but without energies, darkness is darkness, even vision can be impacted.

"My lord, have you awakened?"

When Zhou Yan walked out, not far away, a young girl in purple brocade robe approached and spoke to him respectfully.

"Ah, yes, the Netherworld Queen has fallen asleep. Don’t go disturbing her."

Zhou Yan calmly said.

The girl in purple looked slightly startled, then bowed and replied, "Yes, my lord."

"Are you the Netherworld Queen’s maid, or a subordinate?"

Zhou Yan inquired.

"Reporting to my lord, I am but a serving maid beside Her Majesty the Queen, named ’Jingtian.’ You may simply call me ’Jingtian,’ my lord."

"Hmm. Jingtian, do you know how the Queen’s sister, Little Xue, is faring now?"

Zhou Yan asked.

"The Snow Queen? She is in secluded cultivation, preparing for self-evolution. The Netherworld Queen has put her into a natural sleep, and I estimate that it will be some time before the Snow Queen awakens."

"The Snow Queen?" Zhou Yan was somewhat surprised but then realized that if the Netherworld Queen was a queen, then it wasn’t strange for Little Xue to be queen here too, so he dismissed his curiosity.

"Yes. Oh, by the way, my lord, would you like to have a walk around? Jingtian can show you around," the maid Jingtian asked after a moment’s hesitation.

"No need, just wait here. If the Netherworld Queen wakes up, you can attend to her. I will just take a look around myself."

Zhou Yan decided not to use the services of the maid.

"The Queen has not rested for a long time, and the fact she can rest now indicates that she has opened up her heart, so traditionally, she will likely rest for several days."

Jingtian explained.

Zhou Yan was slightly startled, his thoughts stirring.

"No need, I will just have a look around."

Zhou Yan declined Jingtian’s offer and walked alone into the courtyard.

In the courtyard, there was an ancient Netherworld aura everywhere. This aura had some similarities to the energy that the Purple Flame Void could devour and could serve as ample energy for consumption.

However, Zhou Yan did not act, as it was clear that Xiao Shuang should be able to absorb and refine such energy. If he devoured the energy here, Xiao Shuang’s existence would likely become even more difficult.

Zhou Yan walked on, the courtyard was very quiet, with ancient pines reaching the sky, a Clear Spring, and pavilions.

If one did not consider that they were located in such a Desolate Land as the Frost Tears, this place would have been a very delightful sanctuary.

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