Chapter 568 - A Life Without Regrets, A Sword That Cuts Through Hell - Part 1

The dirt road was yellow with clay. The willows had yet to green, and a light snow fell from the sky.

Ping'an had bought a cart full of strong liquor and brought it to a clearing in the forest.

A bonfire burned in the clearing, its flames crackling beneath fresh game and fish roasting over the fire.

At the center sat a youth, smiling. Beside him, a pretty woman with long legs lounged without lifting a finger, watching a wooden stick turn on its own over the fire.

From time to time, she stole glances at the youth next to her, then proudly lifted her chin, as if saying, “I’ve reached fourth rank too, you know.”

A little crow squatted on a tree branch, eyes darting between the fire, the meat, and the sound of someone returning.

When it recognized who it was, it cawed, “Ping’an’s back! Ping’an’s finally back!”

“We were starting to wonder if something had happened. You were gone so long.” Yao Jue laughed.

“All’s well.” Ping'an smiled. Then he sighed, “It’s just...wine’s hard to come by these days.”

Everyone paused for a moment, then broke into laughter. It was such a simple line, yet somehow it hit just right.

Of course, they all understood what he meant. This was the Stellar Sea Province, far from the Central Capital. The soil here had turned nearly to sand. It was desolate to the point of despair.

The famine back in Gemhill County, in hindsight, seemed almost quaint by comparison.

Ping'an parked the cart beneath the trees and hauled the jugs down. Then he drank deeply with Li Yuan.

“Is it good?” the little crow asked.

She had seen Tang Nian drink before and had even tried it herself once. The stuff was spicy and harsh, absolutely awful.

Li Yuan cracked open a jar. “Why don’t you try it and see?”

After all, Sheng'er wasn’t some little girl anymore.

The little crow cawed, “I was just asking! I’m not drinking that.”

Yao Jue didn’t drink either. She could handle her liquor, but tonight, she focused solely on roasting fish and meat for the two men. One by one, she delivered the food to the stone plates in front of them.

Today was a deeply important day for Ping'an.

After tonight, his state of mind would ascend to a new level.

In youth, one was bold and brash, clothed in finery and full of fire. But in middle age, one came to know the bitterness and helplessness of life, learning to endure, to fight tooth and nail, even as one's clothes hung looser and temples went gray.

And whether one regretted that path or not...well, that was harder to say.

Tonight, though, with enough drink in him, that razor-sharp spirit of Ping’an’s might soften just a little. It would still surge forward, but not recklessly, not blindly. Like a dragon that learned to temper its fury, only then could it soar long and far.

Li Yuan had never directly taught his son martial cultivation, but when the moment truly mattered, he always made the right call.

Yao Jue sneaked another glance at the youth beside her. Aside from those deep eyes of his, he looked just like any ordinary young man. Honestly, compared to him, she felt like a long-legged old auntie.

Then again, even if she was a long-legged old auntie, she was a stunning one.

𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

And tonight, this stunning old auntie was hoping to revisit a few old dreams with the youth sitting beside her.

As she turned the meat over the fire, Yao Jue giggled and glanced around the clearing. The thought flashed through her mind.

Heaven as a blanket, earth as a bed...this’ll be a first for me.

A subtle thrill rose in her chest.

Her eyes swirled mischievously, and suddenly she fished out a small jade vial from her robes. She gave it a shake. It was powdered burning heart flowers.

The little crow squawked, “Auntie Yao, why’d you even bring that with you?!”

Yao Jue replied breezily, “Well, I figured the father and son were bound to have a reunion, and there’d definitely be drinking. So I came prepared.”

Ping'an took the vial and carefully sprinkled its contents into the wine.

And so, father and son drank until dawn.

Yao Jue pouted, clearly displeased.

But Ping'an, ever thoughtful, said with a smile, “Your nephew is drunk, and my father’s had more than a little. Auntie Yao, would you mind helping him get some rest?”

Yao Jue winked at Ping’an, then stepped forward to help him up.

Li Yuan reeked of alcohol but protested loudly, “I’m not drunk!”

Truthfully, he wasn’t. Burning heart flowers only worked on cultivators of fourth rank or weaker. There was no way it could affect him.

It wouldn’t have worked on Ping'an either.

Wanting to get drunk was easy. Actually getting drunk? That was another matter.

Still, there was a pleasant buzz, just enough to feel it.

“I’m not drunk!” Li Yuan kept shouting.

The long-legged auntie chuckled and gently helped the

youth

up, her voice soothing, “You’re not drunk. Of course not.”

She walked him off into the distance, steadying him step by step, with the little crow fluttering along behind them.

Not long after, the little crow flew back alone and landed on the stone table. She glanced at Ping'an, who was still nursing his wine, and reported, “Papa and Auntie Yao went to stay the night at the nearby town.”

Thanks to her tree avatar in the Eastern Sea, Sheng’er and Ping’an were in contact daily. They were much more like siblings now, comfortable and close.

“Feels like I’m still not as good as our old man.” Ping'an let out a soft sigh.

“Why’s that?” The crow tilted her head.

“He’s been through so much more than I have. And yet, he still carries himself so lightly, as if nothing can weigh him down. Me? I feel worn down already,” Ping’an explained.

“Our old man walked through the whirlpool of the world as if wading through shallow water. Just got his shoes wet. But me? I’ve been fighting not to drown. Every hour, every moment, I’ve had to give it my all, never daring to relax.”

“You’ve already done more than enough,” the little crow reassured gently.

Maybe it was the alcohol, just a bit of that sweet haze, but the emotions Ping’an kept buried deep down finally surged up. Still, he didn’t say much. He only sighed, long and low.

The little crow reached out a wing and tapped his head lightly. “I’m not lying. At the very least...you’ve done way better than me.”

“Now that can’t be true.” Ping'an laughed.

“I seem cheerful, don’t I? But...the truth is, I’ve been stuck in a place without warmth or light for nearly 40 years,” the crow said,

“...” Ping'an froze.

She continued, “I can feel the graveyard I’m buried in drifting farther and farther away into the unknown. I have no idea where it’s headed. I just know...I’m the only one who can be there. And I have to be there... If I leave, then 6,174 ancient gods will be released. Our family, who now lie in slumber, will no longer be able to rest. They’ll lose their only chance at revival.”

“I...I had no idea.”

“At first, I stayed hopeful. But as the years went by, I became like a puppet, just sitting there on top of the coffin beneath the Yin-Yang fish. Sometimes I’d sit like that for a whole year. Not moving. Not thinking. A whole year, completely still... And if I happened to move, even a little, an unbearable sadness would flood over me.” The little crow’s voice turned distant, almost hollow.

“I never told Papa. I wanted him to always see me as his good daughter. But the truth is...” She gave a bitter laugh.“I was a wreck. My heart was sinking into darkness. Every smile felt forced. Every gesture felt like an act. Ping’an, you’re at least real. More real than me. Better than me.”

“Sister, it’ll get better.” Ping'an smiled gently. Then he broke the seal on another jar of wine, poured the last of the powdered burning heart flowers in, and filled two stone cups. “Come on, have a drink.”

The little crow fluttered her wings and cawed, “I’m just a crow. If I drink that, I’ll die!”

So Ping'an opened a fresh jar and said, “Then have this one instead.”

“I was only trying to comfort you,” the crow said. “I didn’t actually plan on drinking...”

A while later.

“Well... maybe one cup then?”

Another while later.

“...Another.”

And not long after...

“I’m not drunk!”

Thud!

The crow toppled over.

On the other hand, Ping'an truly wasn’t drunk. He leaned back against a dead winter tree, one hand lazily swinging the half-empty jar. Hearing the faint slosh inside, he lifted it again and drank straight from the mouth, watching as the sky shifted, from light snow to clear dawn, from dawn to dusk, and finally to a canopy of stars.

No one knew that the rising star of the Eastern Sea’s Immortal Domain was drinking himself half to death in solitude.

Meanwhile, in the nearby town inn, the

drunken

young man was still pretending to be passed out.

The long-legged auntie, taking advantage of her...well, long legs, decided to make a bold move. And soon enough, she put that plan into action, attempting to

subdue

the tipsy youth.

But in the end, the fierce auntie was the one who got subdued.

Even though she realized what was happening and tried to escape, it was too late. She was caught and pulled back. Her cries for mercy did no good.

That cold winter room turned suddenly, thoroughly, into spring.

˙·٠✧🐗➶➴🏹✧٠·˙

A few days later.

The long-legged auntie staggered out of the inn, clutching the wall for support. Her legs were weak and wobbly.

The little crow, perched nearby, covered her eyes with both wings. “I can’t watch this...”

At the end of the street, when she could no longer lean on the wall, Yao Jue took Li Yuan’s arm instead and asked softly, “When will you come to the Eastern Sea?”

She knew him well.

Sending Ping’an and the others to the Eastern Sea was, on the surface, for their own good. There, with the support of Elder Mushen and Ping’an’s extraordinary talent, they’d have a bright future.

But on another level...wasn’t this exactly what generals did? The king stayed still, but his envoys moved first. The main force held the line, while the scouts marched ahead.

Now, the

scouts

had already laid a solid foundation in the Eastern Sea.

The conditions there were nothing short of extraordinary. The spiritual energy was dense beyond compare.

Even cultivators from the Central Plains who had suffered internal damage or incomplete cultivation paths could find restoration there.

Between the ambient qi, refined techniques, and an abundance of celestial herbs and flowers, all of it worked in harmony to mend their flaws, giving them a real shot at stepping into third rank.

Without question, the Eastern Sea was now a sacred land for cultivation.

All this meant Li Yuan had no reason not to go there too. Once there, he could simply conceal himself under the banner of Ping'an. With his son running interference, he’d have cover to move freely and quietly accomplish many things.

But Li Yuan remained silent for a long time before saying, “I’m waiting for someone.”

“Who?” the long-legged auntie asked, puzzled.

“The Human Emperor,” Li Yuan said.

“The Human Emperor?” She looked even more confused.

“Your future lies in the Eastern Sea. Mine...maybe not.” Li Yuan smiled.

“What do you mean?” she asked, now clearly intrigued.

So Li Yuan gave her a simple explanation of the human seal and heavenly seal.

She listened, then said thoughtfully, “I get it. You think the human seal hits a ceiling at third rank, and if one wishes to go beyond that, it has to be converted to a heavenly seal. That does make some sense. The nine rank system we use now is an ancient holdover.

“Fifth Rank cultivators are said to draw power from the Five Sources. Fourth Rank calls on the Nine Ancestors. Third Rank returns to the True Self. Second Rank is the Heaven Realm. And First Rank...is the Saint Realm.

“But the Heaven and Saint Realms are too elusive, too mysterious. Ancient texts suggest that only through the ancient hall can one even begin to reach the Heaven Realm.” She spoke slowly, gently laying it out.

Li Yuan listened to her words, but his thoughts drifted far away.

˙·٠✧🐗➶➴🏹✧٠·˙

New Year’s Eve, midnight.

Xie Wei and Xie Yu boarded the flying ship of the Arcane Supreme Sect.

Both wore masks. But after being personally inspected by Ping’an, they were allowed to pass.

Among this group were many secret fourth and fifth rank cultivators, quietly deployed by the Human Emperor.

Most of them had lived under false identities, hidden away, so few would suspect anything unusual.

And they had a commander. Only he knew the Empress Dowager was aboard, and he would obey her orders without hesitation.

The flying ship departed. Snow fell lightly.

From afar, Li Yuan watched the two women vanish into the sky.

He didn’t go to see Xie Yu off. And Xie Yu...still hadn’t forgiven him.

But that was something to leave for the future. There would be a next time. A new beginning.

He turned and walked away. The little crow landed happily on his shoulder. One man, one crow, walking off into the falling snow, step by step through a land swallowed by winter.

Everywhere they passed had become wasteland. Fields turned to sand. Villages emptied by starvation. Cannibalism. Human flesh sold at market.

What once belonged to nightmares was now horrifyingly real.

Saving one person, a hundred, a thousand, it didn’t matter anymore.

Aside from the Central Capital, there was nowhere left on this land that could be called a good place.

And things were only going to get worse.

“Papa, where are we going?” the little crow asked.

“the Central Capital.” Li Yuan replied.