521: Inherited the power, but not the way.

At the edge of the Chaos Rift, the originally chaotic and violent air currents seemed to have become much more gentle due to the complete settling of the abyss entrance.

The surrounding space, which had been shredded by Chaos Qi, was also slowly smoothing over under the influence of Ye Xuan's power.

This Chaos Rift, though unable to become a paradise for cultivation in the short term,

would at least not remain an inaccessible wasteland. In time, it would be constructed into a new Great World, a place suitable for habitation.

Meanwhile, Ye Xuan and Xuanji stood facing each other, silent for a moment.

The thrilling struggle against the Guixu Origin just now had cost them an immense amount of mental and physical energy.

After all, in a battle of Origins, a single slip-up could lead to one's Divine Soul being scattered and their life and Dao extinguished.

Now that the crisis was resolved, an atmosphere mixed with exhaustion, relief, and an indescribable emotion quietly spread between them.

Ye Xuan looked at Xuanji. Her moon-white long dress was stained with a bit of chaotic dust, the hair at her temples was slightly messy, and her exquisite face bore the pallor of overextended power. Yet, her clear eyes were startlingly bright, clearly reflecting his figure.

The emotions contained within those eyes had appeared many times in Ye Xuan's memories, and he had seen them many times before.

It was just that the former Tai Hao didn't care about such things, whereas the current Ye Xuan thought of Tang Linglong, Fire Linger, and the others.

The way they looked at him was exactly the same.

“Your exhaustion is significant.”

Ye Xuan spoke, his voice deeper than usual, carrying a trace of imperceptible concern.

He raised his hand, and a wisp of pure, gentle Chaos Qi flowed from his fingertips; this was Chaos power imbued with the force of vitality.

Xuanji did not resist. The Chaos Qi enveloped her, quickly restoring her surging blood and replenishing her depleted Lunar Divine Power.

She felt an unprecedented sense of comfort and peace. This feeling was diametrically opposite to Tai Hao's cold attitude of the past.

“I am fine, it was just a bit of power consumption.”

Xuanji shook her head gently, her gaze still fixed on Ye Xuan's face. After watching him for a while, she said, “You... inside there, it was very dangerous, and you didn't...”

Her voice carried a nearly undetectable tremble, betraying the deep-seated worry she had hidden.

She didn't finish her sentence, perhaps knowing that in the past, even if she had asked, she wouldn't have received a response.

Ye Xuan naturally knew what she was referring to.

He nodded slightly and did not hide the truth: “The Dao-Erosion of Guixu strikes directly at the Dao Heart. It was indeed perilous. If not for...”

He paused, a trace of complexity entering his gaze as he looked at Xuanji.

“If not for that final wisp of conviction you sent, I might have truly lost myself within it. Even if I eventually regained consciousness, the world would have changed beyond recognition by then, and I fear everything would have been too late.”

Ye Xuan spoke plainly, but Xuanji could imagine the catastrophic consequences that could have resulted from those few moments.

Her heart tightened slightly, then was filled with an inexplicable emotion.

She had played a role at his moment of greatest crisis.

This made her feel that she wasn't merely an old acquaintance who needed to be protected by Tai Hao—or rather, by Ye Xuan.

“I just... didn't want anything to happen to you.”

Xuanji lowered her eyes and spoke softly.

This sentence contained too much: her obsession with Tai Hao's Reincarnation and her concern for the Ye Xuan before her. Even she couldn't distinguish between them for a moment.

Ye Xuan remained silent for a while; he could sense Xuanji's complex state of mind.

The matter of Tai Hao was always an invisible barrier standing between them.

He had no intention of becoming anyone's shadow, yet he couldn't completely sever his ties to the past, especially when those ties truly affected the present.

After all, whether it was Yue Xuan, Xuanji, or even Ziwei Fairy and the experts of the Immortal Palace, most of them saw him as Tai Hao rather than Ye Xuan.

But in the end, he was Ye Xuan.

“Xuanji.”

He called her name, his tone calm yet carrying a hint of determination.

“I am Ye Xuan.”

Xuanji looked up, meeting his eyes that were as deep as a sea of stars, yet clearly reflected her own image.

There was none of Tai Hao's coldness and distance in them; instead, there was a trace of gratitude toward her, and a hint of being moved.

Looking at Ye Xuan, Xuanji suddenly understood in this moment.

Ye Xuan had been emphasizing that he was Ye Xuan not to deny the power and Karma of the past,

but to declare his current way of existence and his choice of Dao Heart.

He inherited Tai Hao's power but did not inherit his Dao. This meant he had his own feelings, which even the Path of Heartlessness would not affect.

A certain knot in her heart seemed to be quietly loosening.

She looked at his slightly pale but still upright figure. For the first time, the obsession with Tai Hao that had always haunted her heart was clearly separated from the person before her.

“I know.”

Xuanji took a deep breath. When she looked up again, her eyes were filled with clear moonlight, and the sorrow caused by Tai Hao had faded significantly.

“You are Ye Xuan. I will remember that.”

Those simple words felt like the letting go of many obsessions.

Ye Xuan watched the change in her eyes, and his heart stirred slightly.

He could feel that some invisible barrier between the two of them was quietly melting away at the edge of this dim Chaos Rift.

He turned to look at the re-sealed abyss entrance. The new Seal and chaotic runes were intertwined with the intent of Nirvana, forming an even more stable Seal.

“Although the hidden danger here is temporarily resolved, the power of Guixu is no small matter. We still need to keep a frequent watch on it in the future.”

“I will inform my brother. The Heavenly Court will send people to rotate on guard duty here.”

Xuanji nodded, also looking at the Seal, her tone returning to its usual coldness.

“This time is thanks to you. If you hadn't risked entering the core of the abyss to fuse Nirvana with Chaos power and reset the Seal, the consequences would have been unimaginable.”

“It was just my duty. Besides, I received my reward.”

Ye Xuan continued, “Ya Ya's situation is also connected to the Seal here. To completely resolve her problem, we might still need to start from this place.”

At the mention of Ya Ya, Ye Xuan's eyes softened slightly.

This natural concern once again made Xuanji clearly recognize the difference between him and Tai Hao.

In Tai Hao's heart, there was only the Great Dao and order, while in Ye Xuan's heart, there were living people whom he needed to protect.

“That Dragon Clan girl is very lucky.”

Xuanji said softly, her tone devoid of any specific emotion, just a calm statement.

Ye Xuan glanced at her but didn't say much.

He raised his hand, and a tiny, grayish-black air current appeared in his palm. It contained pure Nirvana power, yet it was perfectly bound by his Chaos power.

“This is a wisp of pure Nirvana power I stripped from the Guixu Origin. Perhaps it will be of some help against the will inside Ya Ya.”

Controlling such dangerous power so casually—this kind of skill and Heart-Nature once again caused a slight shock in Xuanji's heart.