Chapter 847: Everything

The young man was none other than Ding Hao. Once known as the Blade and Sword Supreme, he had now become the Sword Immortal Emperor. He was one of the five great pillars of the human race in the universe.

Li Xiaofei realized that this drawer world recorded scenes from the time Ding Hao had studied at the Asking Sword Sect. Back then, Ding Hao had only been an ordinary disciple of the Eastern Blue-Robe House.

Ximen Qianxue, on the other hand, had already become a core disciple of the Asking Sword Sect and served as the herbal and alchemy instructor of the Eastern Blue-Robe House.

It was during this period that the two of them met and eventually began a romantic relationship between teacher and student. This memory was extremely precious to Ximen Qianxue, which was why it had been preserved in the drawer world.

Unfortunately, there was still no sign of the Blood-Drinking Sword. Li Xiaofei exited the drawer world and then opened the third drawer. It contained the episode of Ximen Qianxue facing hardship while on a training journey outside, and ultimately being rescued by Ding Hao. This, too, was one of the most treasured memories in the life of the Lord of Doushuai Palace.

Li Xiaofei exited again and opened the fourth drawer. Inside were yet more beautiful fragments of memory from Ximen Qianxue, nearly all related to Ding Hao. It wasn’t until he entered the sixth drawer’s small world that Li Xiaofei sensed something different.

This scene was no longer a memory fragment. A grand single-leaf gate rose from a vast sea of clouds. The unwavering figure of Ximen Qianxue stood beneath the Southern Heavenly Gate.

This time, it was no longer a vague shadow. Instead, it was a true form, a single projection that radiated energy fluctuations and the aura of life.

The master of Doushuai Palace, who vanished without a trace after the battle in Heaven, was actually here? Has she been inside Doushuai Palace all along?

Li Xiaofei was both astonished and hopeful. Sensing Li Xiaofei’s presence, the graceful figure beneath the Southern Heavenly Gate slowly turned around to look at the newcomer.

There was a hint of surprise in her eyes, and a trace of almost imperceptible disappointment.

It wasn’t him,

she sighed silently in her heart.

“The Dual Sacred Body of Blade and Sword... a new generation’s prodigy. What is your name?” Ximen Qianxue spoke first, her voice gentle and clear.

Li Xiaofei was taken aback.

Is this her true form? The rumored master of Doushuai Palace, who had disappeared without a trace, had in fact remained within the palace all along?

He respectfully bowed and replied, “Junior Li Xiaofei, from Earth.”

“Li Xiaofei? I’ve heard that name before.” Ximen Qianxue said, “A lifetime of laughter, never weaker than others. There was once a human saint by that name. Are you his reincarnation?”

“This... Junior is not,” Li Xiaofei hurriedly answered.

It was his first time hearing that a human saint had once borne his name. But to be remembered by Ximen Qianxue, and even praised with the words ‘a lifetime of laughter, never weaker than others,’ that predecessor must have been a truly great hero of the human race.

Ximen Qianxue studied Li Xiaofei carefully for a moment, but did not dwell further on the matter.

She then softly asked, “How are things outside now?”

It was a broad question. But Li Xiaofei knew exactly what she meant. So he gave a general account of the current situation in Heaven. Then he couldn’t help but ask, “Senior, where is the Blood-Drinking Sword? Only by drawing the Blood-Drinking Sword can we defeat the awakening Mother of All Beasts and protect Heaven.”

Ximen Qianxue slightly furrowed her brows. She was not a breathtaking kind of beauty, but had a scholarly nature. It was a kind of crystal-clear spiritual elegance. Her next words left Li Xiaofei utterly dumbfounded.

“The Blood-Drinking Sword is no longer here,” said Ximen Qianxue.

Li Xiaofei froze in place.

Wasn’t it said that the existence of the Blood-Drinking Sword, a weapon of an Immortal Emperor, was precisely what kept the Mother of All Beasts sealed within Heaven? If the Blood-Drinking Sword was no longer here, then what was keeping the Mother of All Beasts sealed?

“The Blood-Drinking Sword was indeed kept here to suppress and seal the Mother of All Beasts,” Ximen Qianxue explained softly. “But a hundred years ago, I sensed through a mysterious connection that Ding Hao had fallen into a deadly peril at the deepest end of the Star Battlefield. I had no choice but to draw the Blood-Drinking Sword and send it forth to find its master, to help him turn the tide of battle.”

Otherwise, Heaven wouldn’t have ended up overrun with nothing but weaklings. Darkness and daylight; it was just like the alternation of light and shadow.

Since the Blood-Drinking Sword was no longer suppressing it, the seal upon the Mother of All Beasts had begun to loosen. It continued to transmit energy from the sealed space, and the forces of darkness had begun to devour the light. Once the Mother of All Beasts awakened fully, eternal night would engulf Heaven.

Li Xiaofei felt a chill run down his spine.

If the Blood-Drinking Sword is truly gone, does that mean Heaven is doomed?

The master of Doushuai Palace, Ximen Qianxue, didn’t seem capable of resisting the tide of weaklings currently attacking the palace. Li Xiaofei could clearly sense that she was in a dire state of weakness.

“Senior, Heaven is on the brink of destruction. Is there any way to save it?” Li Xiaofei could only hope that Ximen Qianxue still had another solution.

Ximen Qianxue replied, “I have used my own flesh, essence, and soul for the past hundred years to replace the Blood-Drinking Sword. Drawing upon the blood, flesh, and willpower of a million fallen soldiers from Heaven during the great battle back then, I’ve maintained the seal on the Mother of All Beasts. But now, I’ve reached the point where the oil has run dry and the lamp has gone out... As for destroying it... Unless one of the Five Immortal Emperors arrives personally, it is absolutely impossible.”

Li Xiaofei was stunned. So it had been Ximen Qianxue herself who acted as the seal’s anchor during the hundred years without the Blood-Drinking Sword. Using her own body as the medium and the spirits of countless fallen celestial soldiers as her strength, she had barely managed to keep the Mother of All Beasts sealed.

“Senior, where are the Five Immortal Emperors now?” Li Xiaofei couldn’t help but ask.

“Some have become one with eternity; some stand guard at the Great Wall; some sacrifice themselves without hesitation; and some have set the stars ablaze... They are always fighting in the most terrifying, most desperate corners of existence. Without them, the human race in the universe would have long become fodder for the Reapers' evolution,” Ximen Qianxue replied.

Her gaze pierced through layers of cloud and mist, looking into the endless distance. How fortunate humanity was to have these five pillars. Aside from them, all of humanity had to unite with unwavering resolve and fight for survival. Perhaps only in this way could they find that faint glimmer of hope within utter despair.

“Do you wish to seal the Mother of All Beasts?” asked Ximen Qianxue as she turned her eyes to Li Xiaofei.

“Of course I do,” Li Xiaofei replied without hesitation.

“Then how much are you willing to sacrifice in order to do so?” Ximen Qianxue asked again.

Li Xiaofei vaguely understood what she meant. He fell into brief contemplation and thought of Little Aunt downstairs... Tan Qingying... Black Emperor... Huang Dinggou, hidden deep within the perilous well... the mute girl.

He thought of Chongque City, of his friends, his family, and his people back on Earth.

Slowly, Li Xiaofei lifted his head and said, “Everything.”

A faint look of comfort flickered in Ximen Qianxue’s eyes.