Supreme of the Heavenly Realm
Chapter 426 - 423 Sword Sect

Chapter 426: Chapter 423 Sword Sect

"You’ve lost, now you should tell me who you are."

Ye Xuan sheathed his sword, then descended in front of Xue Qianling, locking eyes with her as he awaited her answer.

"Who I am—can’t you guess at all?"

Xue Qianling shook her head with a smile, yet still didn’t disclose it plainly.

"How could I not guess at all? It’s just that your change is so drastic that it made me deny my initial thoughts."

A gentle look appeared in Ye Xuan’s eyes; now, he was almost certain of the other’s identity.

Retrieving a pale green pill from the Qiankun Ring, Ye Xuan handed it to Xue Qianling. "Take this. You must’ve sustained some internal injury from failing to catch that last sword strike."

"If you couldn’t recognize me, that would be what really wounded me."

Xue Qianling accepted the pill, then removed her veil, and suddenly, the beautiful, long-missed face that appeared before Ye Xuan’s eyes was one that often crossed his mind, leaving a deep impression.

Seeing her now, he felt a pang of nostalgia.

Xue Qianling, Ling Qianxue.

This pseudonym, with just a little thought, could have been figured out.

"Alright, let’s go down and talk."

Ye Xuan was still standing on the Battle Platform, which was best to not disrupt the continuation of the competition; he and Ling Qianxue had much to talk about. After all, they had been apart for so long, and this reunion here was an unexpected delight.

"Ye Xuan, you knew Miss Xue from before?"

Having witnessed everything that unfolded on the Battle Platform, Qin Qi couldn’t help but ask curiously.

"She is my Senior Sister from the Tiannan Region, Ling Qianxue."

Ye Xuan introduced her to the others.

"Senior Sister?"

Everyone was somewhat surprised—Tiannan Region, being such a small place, having produced a Ye Xuan, was already a glory of a millennium, and it was unexpected that Ling Qianxue, who was almost as strong as Ye Xuan, also hailed from Tiannan Region. It was a bit hard to believe.

"These are my friends. This is Yaoer, considered my childhood friend."

Ye Xuan also introduced Ling Qianxue to everyone.

"Nice to meet you, Senior Sister Ling."

Nangong Yao gave a formal bow to Ling Qianxue, but curiosity glimmered in her beautiful eyes. Could the relationship between her and Ye Xuan really be as simple as just senior sister and junior brother?

Little did she know, Ling Qianxue was likewise guessing—was Nangong Yao really just Ye Xuan’s childhood friend? Even though she trusted Ye Xuan wouldn’t lie, he had never admitted to liking anyone after all, and she had been away from Ye Xuan so long, while he had spent most of his days in the Chaotic Sea Domain with this Nangong Yao.

Emotions are fickle, especially when they are uncertain.

The atmosphere subtly shifted for a time.

"The competition is about to begin."

Ye Xuan still had many questions for Ling Qianxue, but sensing the growing tension, immediately changed the subject. He shifted everyone’s attention to the Battle Platform.

To him, cultivation was the only thing that mattered now. All else would have to wait. He did admire Ling Qianxue, even liked her, and his feelings for Nangong Yao were more akin to a brother’s protectiveness. Like the previous marriage incident, it was more about not wanting to see her wronged or manipulated than anything else. Moreover, it was likely that Nangong Yao herself did not know whether it was love for her Brother Ye Xuan she felt, or merely dependence on him.

Ye Xuan did not want to dwell on such headache-inducing thoughts, as he had no energy to spare on romantic entanglements at the moment.

At this time, atop the Battle Platform, the duel underway involved Demon Sword Jue Wuchen and his opponent, a reclusive master swordsman named Lou Baiyue.

Demon Sword Jue Wuchen, driven mad by his dedication to the sword, had achieved a high realm in Sword Dao and was the Great Grandmaster of Sword Dao in the Chaotic Sea Domain. As for Lou Baiyue, he too was an adept in demonic arts, practicing a technique known as the Green Demon Arm. His entire right arm was blackened and demonized, proving to be more formidable than Mr. Iron Hand’s mechanical arm.

The ferocity of their clash rivaled the previous battles, with black energy blades intersecting and hand seals clashing, causing the Battle Platform to quiver incessantly with cracks spreading across its surface.

Ultimately, it was Demon Sword Jue Wuchen who triumphed with the forty-third move, advancing to the top four.

Thus, with the conclusion of the fourth battle, the semifinalists for the Four Directions Conquest Tournament were finally determined.

On the Golden List rankings, there was a shift; the names of Sword Sect’s Liu Qinghe, Half-Saint Inheritor Dugu Hao, Demon Sword Jue Wuchen, and Ye Xuan were moved to the top. Next, these four would engage in two more rounds of combat to decide the top four.

Before that however, there were to be bouts among the losers to ascertain the fifth to eighth places.

After two more battles, Zhao Xin came in fifth, Ling Qianxue sixth, Lou Baiyue seventh, and Lian Yunsheng took the eighth spot.

Thus, the final rankings of the lower six on the Golden List were decided.

It was now high noon, and as the weather cleared and warmed, the atmosphere within the venue also reached the climax since the beginning of the tournament. The roaring cheers and shouts surged wave upon wave, practically deafening.

Keen to witness this great competition, they had traveled from afar, sparing no effort to be here. Now, as the tournament neared its grand finale, with the crowning of its champion imminent, their excitement was unstoppable.

Following a brief respite of half an hour, the semifinals were about to commence.

The names of the four combatants were jumbled once more on the match jades, resulting in two pairs of opponents.

Dugu Hao against Jue Wuchen.

Ye Xuan versus Liu Qinghe.

"Sword Sect’s Liu Qinghe."

Ye Xuan looked across at the middle-aged swordsman not far from him, as the man’s eyes also rested on him. Their gazes met for a brief instant before immediately parting.

Excluding Dugu Hao, Ye Xuan would prefer to face Liu Qinghe over Jue Wuchen. Having dedicated himself to Sword Dao, and with Liu Qinghe being the premier Sword Master swordsman of the Chaotic Sea Domain, the swordsman-to-swordsman match held a kind of kinship. Such a battle often provided deeper insights than any other.

For someone to earn the title "Sword Sect," he couldn’t possibly be ordinary. The term "Sword Sect" signifies a Sword Dao Master; such a title is usually exclusive, not shared. This match would surely be anything but simple.