200: Chapter 197 I Won

None's words were like a sudden clap of thunder, exploding in Chen Zhiwen's mind!

A brand?

The living beings of this world... there was actually a brand upon their Soul Origin?

What on earth did this mean?!

"After severing the brand, he withdrew his hand."

"He told me that once I made a Breakthrough to the Great Grandmaster Realm, he would return to take my life."

None's voice calmly recounted these words that were enough to drive anyone mad.

"Having said that, he took a step forward under my bewildered gaze and vanished into thin air, leaving no trace behind."

"After that day, that man seemed to evaporate from the world; not a single person in Huangzhou ever saw a trace of him again."

"The world thought that this catastrophe, which had swept through half of Huangzhou, was finally over. Countless living beings were grateful for the protection of the heavens."

A hint of sorrow appeared on None's face.

"But only I knew that he hadn't left."

"His words were like a nightmare, haunting my mind day and night."

"I suspected he had simply returned to Qingshen Pass, like a patient farmer waiting for me—this 'nutrient'—to fully ripen."

"Waiting to harvest my life."

The atmosphere in the study became oppressive to the extreme.

Chen Zhiwen felt a chill rush from the soles of his feet to the crown of his head, leaving his entire body cold.

This was no longer a battle, but a... captivity with a preordained conclusion!

"After returning that day, for the sake of the billions of living beings in Huangzhou and for myself, I chose to enter secluded cultivation."

"Over the next three years, I felt the invisible shackles within my body being completely unfastened; there were no more Bottlenecks on my path of cultivation."

"The once obscure and difficult Laws of Heaven and Earth became clearly visible to my eyes."

"Higher Realms that were once out of reach seemed to be within my grasp."

"My cultivation progressed by leaps and bounds."

Light finally ignited in None's eyes once more—the confidence and sharp edge belonging to a powerhouse.

"Finally, three years later, I successfully made a Breakthrough!"

"I shattered the barrier of the Peak Grandmaster and stepped into a brand new Realm that no one had ever set foot in before."

"I call it..."

"The 'Taboo' Realm!"

Taboo!

A Realm beyond that of a Great Grandmaster!

Chen Zhiwen's heart gave a violent thud.

"After becoming the first 'Taboo' Realm powerhouse in the history of Huangzhou, I didn't give him the chance to come looking for me."

"I went to Qingshen Pass alone, sword in hand."

None's gaze became as sharp as a blade, as if wanting to pierce through the long river of time.

"In the oppressive and eerie depths of Qingshen Pass, I encountered him again."

"This time, he was no longer sitting cross-legged; he stood there, as if he had been waiting for me for a long time."

"There was still no idle chatter between us."

"The second great war commenced."

Having reached this point, None's words... came to an abrupt halt.

His gaze withdrew from his memories and landed on Chen Zhiwen. On that illusory face, his expression was complex, seemingly filled with emotion, sorrow, and a hint of relief.

The study fell into a deathly silence once again.

The light and shadow formed by the zhandao sword spirit stopped flickering and floated quietly in mid-air.

Chen Zhiwen held his breath; he knew that the following answer would be the most critical piece of this eternal secret.

He looked at None, his Adam's apple bobbing. With a voice carrying a hint of tension and dryness he hadn't even noticed himself, he asked slowly:

"The result... who won?"

Under Chen Zhiwen's tense gaze, None's illusory Soul form swayed slightly, like a candle in the wind that could be extinguished at any moment.

After a long while, he finally spoke. No joy of a victor could be heard in his voice; instead, it carried an exhaustion and sorrow heavier than that of defeat.

"I won."

He said.

These three words were light and weightless, yet they made Chen Zhiwen's heart sink abruptly.

He saw that there was no joy on None's face, not even a hint of the pleasure of revenge.

On that face formed of Soul Power, his expression became increasingly somber, as if shrouded in a layer of eternal ice—it was the despair of one who had seen through the truth.

"Though I won."

None's voice paused, as if he were organizing words that even he found difficult to accept.

"But it wasn't that I defeated him with my own hands."

"On the contrary..."

"He seemed to be seeking death."

None's gaze pierced through the walls of the study and through ten thousand years of time, returning once again to those extremely oppressive depths of Qingshen Pass.

"That battle was completely different from the one in the Boundless Sea of Sand."

"He was no longer passively devouring my attacks, but truly took action."

"His Dao was eerie, domineering, and filled with withering and deathly silence. Every strike seemed capable of draining the vitality from a portion of the world. It was a power I had never seen before, surpassing the Laws of Heaven and Earth as I understood them."

"I had stepped into the 'Taboo' Realm and thought I had touched the apex of this world, but before him, I discovered that I was still just a frog in a well."

None gave a self-deprecating smile.

"I gave it my all. My sword light tore through the gloom of Qingshen Pass, and my Taboo Domain enshrouded all directions. I poured all my insights from the past three years, all my anger and unwillingness, into my sword."

"But I was still... no match for him."

"I could feel that if he wanted to kill me, it might still only take a single thought."

"However, just when I thought I was about to face the desperate situation of defeat once again, he stopped."

None's Soul form fluctuated violently.

"When I slashed out the strongest strike of my life—the Peak sword strike after stepping into the Taboo Realm—he gave up all resistance."

"He just stood there quietly, allowing my sword strike—one capable of severing mountains and rivers and obliterating Laws—to land upon his body."

None closed his eyes, seemingly unwilling to recall that scene.

"There was no earth-shattering roar, no tidal wave of exploding Origin Qi."

"My sword passed through his body as if piercing an insubstantial shadow."

"His withered body began to dissipate inch by inch from where the sword light struck, turning into the purest Life Origin—the Origin belonging to the billions of living beings in Huangzhou that he had once devoured."

"In his final moments, his cloudy eyes gained focus for the first time."

"He looked at me, and a smile of relief actually appeared on his face."

"The two of us just looked at each other like that; neither of us spoke."