Chapter 123 - Mortal Scaling the Heavens!

"Didn't I tell you all to get out?" Yun Hai thundered.

"Old Hai." A young voice, filled with playful mischief, rang out right in front of him. Yun Hai froze, his gaze slowly lifting in stunned wonder. Before him stood a young man in white robes, radiant as the morning star and eyes deep as the cosmos, looking every bit the deity.

"You called me what?" Yun Hai muttered, his voice barely more than a whisper.

"Old Hai, for someone as burly as you, you sure can't hold your liquor," the youth said with a grin, recalling a familiar joke between them.

In that very moment, a tremor shook Yun Hai. His eyes widened, tears gushing forth. "Your Majesty?!" He dropped to his knees with a thud. "You've returned from the afterlife, but why the change in appearance?"

"Afterlife?" The youth lazily took a seat beside Yun Hai, giving him a playful tap on the head. He then produced two flasks of wine, passing one to Yun Hai.

"Life's trials are plenty, why not get drunk a bit?" the young man suggested.

"Drunk..." Yun Hai's hand trembled as he accepted the flask, their fingers briefly touching. Elation surged in his eyes, "Your Majesty, you're alive! Truly alive!"

"Shush," Yun Xiao raised his flask, "All of life's troubles can be drowned with a good drink."

"Drink! I'll drink!" Yun Hai may have been a lightweight, but now, he couldn't tear his eyes away from Yun Xiao, eagerly gulping down the wine.

"From now on, the Cloud Nation is yours to govern. If you falter, if the people suffer, I'll have you answer to military law. Understood?" Yun Xiao declared, fixing his gaze on Yun Hai.

"Fear not, Your Majesty! I shall guard this nation with my life!" Yun Hai declared, his face flushed from the alcohol.

"You carry the bloodline of the Yun Family. In the future, when you ascend to the throne, may it pass on for generations to come," Yun Xiao continued.

"Y-yes! Yes! Yes!" Yun Hai's tears mingled with the wine as they streamed down his face. "And what about you, Your Majesty?"

"I've been reborn as an Immortal, busy trying to poke holes in the sky!" Yun Xiao quipped with a chuckle.

"Ha! What a twist of fate! Good deeds do get rewarded!" Drowning his emotions in wine, Yun Hai could barely take another gulp before he keeled over.

𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

"Consider it all a dream," Yun Xiao softly said, giving Yun Hai's rosy ear a gentle pinch. "The Cloud Nation is now yours, old pal."

Yun Xiao rose to his feet and began to step away, but after a few paces, he abruptly stopped. His gaze intense, he approached a golden coffin and, with trembling hands, pushed open its lid.

WHOOSH!

His pupils contracted sharply. The coffin was empty.

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At the Azure Spirit Sword Sect and the Sword Pavilion, the Azure Spirit Cauldron's flames blazed high while mournful souls wailed upon the Blue Drop Flag. Regret? Too late now.

At that moment, Ning Yan came from the Sea of Swords, handing a Pouch of Holding—as big as a hill—to Yun Xiao.

"180,000,000 Spirit Stones, 8,000 Heavenly Origin pills, various armors, daoist spells, and sword techniques. This includes the Star grade Forbidden Sword technique from the Forbidden Tower. Please verify," Ning Yan said reverently, offering everything with both hands.

Without counting, Yun Xiao casually tucked the pouch into his robes. "While I'm in the Heavenly Realm, the Sea of Swords will be overseen by your Ning Family. Protect the Azure Spirit. If anything goes wrong, your family will answer for it."

"Understood!" Ning Yan nodded, her face pale. She realized that with Sword Heaven and Forbidden Tower in ruins, in the absence of tigers in the mountains, her Ning Family could play king. Essentially, they profited, all thanks to Azure Spirit's influence.

"Yun Xiao," she began cautiously, "there's something else you should know."

"Go on."

"Now that both the Sword Lord and the Tower Lord are dead, the treaty signed by Xiao Changtian is null and void. If you head to the Heavenly Realm, I fear the demons of the Grand Wasteland will seize the chance to wreak havoc in the Sword Realm," she stated gravely.

"I'll handle it. Your family needn't worry," Yun Xiao replied nonchalantly.

"Not worry?" Ning Yan bit her lip, "Rumor has it there's a fearsome young fox demon out there. If he allies with the Grand Wasteland Demon Lord..."

Yun Xiao paid her no heed. Three figures emerged from the Grand Hall—Zhao Jianxing, Zhao Xuanran, and Shangguan Yu.

Ning Yan's eyes lifted slowly, resting on them. It had been twenty-two years since she last laid eyes on Zhao Jianxing. And now, to reunite under such circumstances... Their gazes met, a tremor in their hearts. They were no longer the impetuous youth of yore.

She remembered her father's and brother's admonitions. With the Sword Lord gone, what she had pursued doggedly for two decades had evaporated like a mirage. Now, her own flesh and blood stood before her. With Yun Xiao bridging the gap, she had prepared herself for this moment.

"Jianxing..." Ning Yan's voice quivered as she uttered the unfamiliar name.

"You should leave," Zhao Jianxing responded succinctly.

"Pardon?" Ning Yan blinked in confusion.

"Azure Spirit doesn't welcome you," Zhao Xuanran stated, tugging at Shangguan Yu's sleeve. True, Shangguan Yu might not have possessed Ning Yan's radiant beauty, but she had waited faithfully for Zhao Jianxing for all those twenty-two years.

"Oh," Ning Yan forced a smile, her eyes flicking to Shangguan Yu, but her heart shattered into a million pieces. With Yun Xiao's entrance, all her past glories seemed like jokes in hindsight. Even Zhao Jianxing, the man she once scorned, didn't seem to be as enamored with her as she'd believed. It was just a fleeting infatuation.

"Xuanran..." Yet, seeing her in the flesh, that innate bond, thicker than water, stirred unfamiliar emotions in Ning Yan, making her heart waver.

"I won't see you off," Zhao Xuanran declared. For twenty-two years, she hadn't even known her own name. How could she forgive that? The idea of a reunion was unbearable. A joyful family of three? That ship had sailed.

"I'm sorry. I failed you," Ning Yan whispered, her figure receding into the distance, steeped in melancholy.

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Beneath the Azure Spirit Cauldron, Yun Xiao forcibly dragged Ye Guying's face towards the Bluedrop Flag. "See that? Your entire family, hundreds strong, including Jiang Yue, are all right here," he said with a cold smirk.

The bones within Ye Guying's sword-arm had long been stripped away. Now, the Heart-Eating Gu feasted on his organs. Were he not at death's door, his screams would've been hauntingly loud. He didn't even have the right to scream! Endless torment, agony so profound, death would've been a sweet release.

Within the Bluedrop Flag, the tormented souls of Ye Tiance, Jiang Yue, and others, upon seeing the even more wretched state of Ye Guying, wailed and howled beneath the cauldron's fiery blaze.

"Jiang Yue, take a good look. This is your beloved Senior Brother Ye," Yun Xiao taunted, gripping Ye Guying's throat and hoisting him up.

Inside the flag, the spirit of the young girl crumbled to dust.

"Please... end it... quickly," Ye Guying begged, using the last of his strength.

"You have the audacity to ask?" Yun Xiao chuckled. "Three months ago, you gave me a swift end, but today, I won't grant you the same luxury."

Not just that, Yun Xiao had something special prepared.

"Ye Guying, your biggest pride was your Nine Dragons Dantian, wasn't it?" Yun Xiao sneered.

"You..." Ye Guying's eyes widened in horror.

"Here's a little surprise for you." Yun Xiao reached in, tearing through Ye Guying's flesh and grasping his Dantian.

The scream that followed was deafening.

Ye Guying's agony surged through every part of him, producing a cry so pained, it could make the stars weep.

"My Nine Dragons Dantian..."

Golden shadows of dragons, illuminated and ethereal, flooded into Yun Xiao's body, merging with his Dantian. They triggered an intense shift in the magic power of Yun Xiao's Primordial Void Technique.

"Now it's mine." Yun Xiao's voice stretched out with pleasure. "You brothers are truly my lucky stars. Your younger brother's Golden Dantian set me on the path of cultivation, while your Nine Dragons Dantian... it'll shoot me straight to the title of the top Immortal in the heavens!"

As the Nine Dragons Dantian settled into its new form, Yun Xiao felt that by nightfall, he would ascend to the Sovereign Dragon Realm, sprouting nine true dragons of magic power, just like Ye Guying.

"You managed to snatch the Dao Seed Talent..." Ye Guying's body and soul once again tore apart, and this was the most excruciating of all. A gut-wrenching fear consumed him. Yun Xiao's terrifying abilities felt godlike, grinding him to less than dust.

"How did a mere mortal like you achieve all this?" Ye Guying's voice trembled with terror.

Tossing him to the ground, Yun Xiao pressed his foot against Ye Guying's head, grinding it into the dirt. His eyes shimmered as if he was the embodiment of a true Immortal. Gazing down disdainfully, he coldly remarked, "Ye Guying, you don't deserve to know."

Without another glance, Yun Xiao turned to Zhao Jianxing standing before the Grand Hall and instructed, "Master, once he succumbs to the Heart-Eating Gu, imprison his soul in the Bluedrop Flag. Let him reunite with his family."

"Of course!" Zhao Jianxing nodded, his eyes filled with vengeance. How could he forget the revenge owed to the Seven Prodigies of Sword Pavilion?

"Here's some Spirit Stones, Heavenly Origin Pills, Divine Sea Pills, along with several treasures, combat techniques, demon bones, and some business contracts from the Sea of Swords." Yun Xiao handed over several Pouches of Holding.

These resources could bolster the might of the Azure Spirit Sword Sect. They were talented sword cultivators, only ever lacking resources.

"30,000,000 Spirit Stones..." Zhao Jianxing's eyes bulged in shock. He'd never seen such wealth in his entire life. Add to it the other treasures inside, and he was left utterly dumbstruck.

Yun Xiao chuckled, "If it's not enough, I might just have to raid the Heavenly Realm to get more."

"It's more than enough!" Zhao Jianxing hastily collected the offerings. Watching his swift moves, Yun Xiao realized where his Senior Sister Zhao had learned her craft. Talk about not being shy!

"I've assigned a demon-slaying mission to the Sea of Swords. Starting today, tens of thousands of Sword Cultivators from there will aid the Azure Spirit Sword Sect in purging the mundane world of demons. We won't stop until not a single demon roams the thousand mortal nations," Yun Xiao declared.

Zhao Jianxing nodded, "It's a noble cause." He then furrowed his brows, "But what about the Grand Wasteland Demon Lord? What will we do about him?"

"He's nearing his end," Yun Xiao simply stated.

"What?" Zhao Jianxing gaped.

"It's nothing," Yun Xiao replied with a sly smile, "All I'm saying is, starting today, without the Grand Wasteland Pact, I alone will suppress the demons of the Sword Realm. Who would dare defy us?"

"Alright..." Zhao Jianxing stared at the young man, lost in a sea of emotions. After a moment, he suddenly inquired, "Are you taking Lil Ran with you to the Sword Realm?"

Yun Xiao gazed towards the Little Cloud Residence and whispered, "I'll go find her."

Zhao Jianxing nodded, then with a hint of warning added, "Before you leave, remember not to drink with her!"

"Damn!" Just as Yun Xiao was about to mount his Sovereign Sword, he almost tumbled off. Glancing back, he found Zhao Jianxing maintaining a straight face as if he'd made no jest.

Yun Xiao's embarrassment faded. With a hum, he took to the skies, soaring high above the Azure Spirit Horizon. The horizon's twilight painted a vivid scarlet, reminiscent of a night that intoxicated the soul, lingering in memory long after.

Dusk had settled. The time for the meeting at the Divine Dawn Pavilion in the Spirit Treasure Walk was swiftly approaching.

Yun Xiao cast his gaze across the vast expanse of the heavens and the endless earthly realm. The sky was awash in the breathtaking hues of the sunset, with streaks of brilliant red stretching for miles.

Beneath that canopy of colors, a quaint courtyard glowed warmly, the cozy lights of earthly life beckoning him. The scent of food wafted through the air, mingled with the unmistakable aroma of wine and, of course, the intoxicating fragrance of a beautiful woman.

The Little Cloud Residence! Osmanthus trees, fish swimming in the pond, wine on the table, jade lanterns flickering. And the warm, gentle soul of the mortal world. Always there. Forever present.

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The Sea of Swords, Spirit Treasure Walk, and the Divine Dawn Pavilion.

Under the twilight, mists from the Azure Kite Sea settled, enveloping the Divine Dawn Pavilion, transforming it into a realm of enchantment.

On a mist-swathed balcony stood a wooden bathtub, sizable enough for two. The tub brimmed with a luminous white liquid, its surface strewn with pink petals.

Ripples disturbed the calm of the bath, revealing the soft, porcelain back of a young woman. She rested her delicate arms on the edge of the tub, her deep eyes lost in the sea of white mist, a rosy haze casting a gentle veil over her face. She waited, in serene anticipation.