163: Kenshin

In the silent Void Realm, time and years seemed to cease to exist, leaving no trace.

"Who am I?"

"Where am I?"

"What am I doing?"

In the Void Realm, a stumbling figure murmured aloud.

The voice was faint, not stirring the slightest ripple in this vast and boundless Void Realm.

The figure stopped, and a glimmer of life returned to his dull, lifeless eyes.

"I am a Zhou Family Disciple, I am Zhou Xiuyuan."

Zhou Xiuyuan seemed to be answering his own questions from just now.

He had been walking in this Void Realm for an unknown amount of time; he couldn't feel the passage of time, only that he had walked for a very, very long time.

So long that he had almost forgotten who he was.

"Is there really an end here?"

"Can I really get out?"

Zhou Xiuyuan asked himself softly, his firm belief wavering once again.

After all, he was only in his twenties, and the time he had experienced in his life was simply insignificant compared to the time he had spent in this space.

Countless times before, he had thought of giving up. What was the point of such aimless progress?

But each time, he had stubbornly persevered.

Only this time... "I've walked too long, and I'm too tired. It's time to rest..."

The glimmer of life that had returned to Zhou Xiuyuan's eyes gradually dimmed.

"Old Ancestor, Grandfather, Father, Mother..."

"I've disappointed you. I can't hold on any longer."

Zhou Xiuyuan's mouth uttered one name after another—his elders, relatives, and younger siblings—as if he were bidding his final farewell to the Zhou Family and to himself.

He was about to fall into a deep slumber in this lonely place with no up or down.

"Do you know who Grandfather admires most in his life?"

At this moment, a scene quietly emerged from the deepest recesses of his memory.

The voice belonged to a man with slightly graying temples, aged around sixty or seventy.

This man, appearing to be sixty or seventy, was holding a child of about six or seven, standing before a cliff, watching the rising sun, and asking the child softly.

"I don't know."

The six or seven-year-old child was serious, with a hint of maturity on his tender face. He thought for a moment, then shook his head and replied.

"Haha~"

The man with slightly graying temples chuckled.

"Grandfather has two people he respects most in his life."

"One is your Great-Grandfather."

"He built the entire Family from scratch, from nothing. He was steady, meticulous, cautious, yet he never lacked the courage to burn his bridges. He is someone Grandfather has been learning from his entire life."

"The second is your Profound Ancestor Mo Xuan."

"Without your Profound Ancestor Mo Xuan, the Family would have been annihilated countless times over, and you wouldn't be able to see this magnificent sight of the rising sun..."

At this moment, dazzling light shone from the rising sun, bathing the old man and the young child in golden yellow.

The six or seven-year-old child looked at this scene, then looked up, the sun's rays falling upon his and his Grandfather's shoulders.

The child nodded heavily, imprinting the words in his heart.

"Grandfather, what about the person you admire most?"

The child asked with a hint of confusion.

What Grandfather had just said were people he respected, which seemed different from people he admired.

"The person Grandfather admires most is your Second Grandfather."

The man with slightly graying temples paused, then continued.

"Second Grandfather..."

In the Void Realm, Zhou Xiuyuan, along with the six or seven-year-old child in the scene that surfaced from his memory, uttered this title.

"Your Second Grandfather, with the body of a Mortal, dared to leave the Family alone, to leave this world, and to pursue the Dao in his heart. This kind of will, belief, and fearless spirit makes Grandfather greatly admire him."

"..."

The scene from the depths of his memory ended there.

Zhou Xiuyuan's heart began to stir.

"Second Grandfather, a mere Mortal, was able to walk out of that world that confined countless Mortals. How can I fall here?"

Zhou Xiuyuan looked up.

The surroundings remained desolate.

"The Dao is at the end of the path, but where is the end?"

"Life is endless, so where is the end?"

"Follow your heart, and the Dao is at the end of the path."

"Seek the heart, seek the heart..."

"So that's how it is."

"The heart is the direction, the heart is the destination."

The confusion and dimness in Zhou Xiuyuan's eyes quickly receded.

This vast and boundless Void Realm before him seemed to have a path, but in reality, it had none.

"If there is no path before me, then I shall use the sword in my hand to forge one."

"But what if I have no sword in my hand?"

Zhou Xiuyuan's eyes grew brighter, and his Aura gradually changed.

"What if I have no sword in my hand..."

"I have a sword heart, and I shall open up all Wan Fa (Ten Thousand Laws) in the world."

"Heart Sword Splits Heaven!"

Zhou Xiuyuan placed his right hand on his left chest, his eyes shining brightly, and he shouted aloud, his voice echoing into the distant desolation.

As his voice fell, his right hand, in the posture of holding a sword, slowly moved away from his left chest.

It was as if he had drawn a sword from his chest.

His right hand was slow and steady, tightly gripping the sword in his heart. As his voice drifted, he suddenly slashed through the Void Realm in front of him.

"Rumble!"

It was as if an invisible sharp blade was stirring this world. The Void Realm was no longer silent, emitting a rumbling sound.

The Void Realm was turning upside down and surging, yet Zhou Xiuyuan stood still, unmoved, his Aura erupting. Although he had no magical power, he possessed an indomitable courage that feared nothing.

"Buzz~ Buzz~"

The Void Realm shattered, and a blinding white light rushed in, once again engulfing the still Zhou Xiuyuan.

Zhou Xiuyuan showed no fear; he had already found the direction in his heart and his own will.

At the same time, in Qingyuan Town, Huichuan Prefecture.

The weather suddenly changed. Dark clouds covered the sky, thunder rumbled, strong winds suddenly rose, and fine rain fell continuously.

"Why did the weather suddenly change?"

A Mortal working in the fields saw the sudden change in weather, felt puzzled, picked up his hoe and sickle, and hurried home.

At the bottom of Qingyuan Lake.

The Black Giant Serpent, who had been sleeping for over a year, slowly opened his snake eyes.

The wind and rain in the sky suddenly intensified.

【Name: Mo Xuan;

Race: Black Water Profound Serpent;

Bloodline: Spirit Beast;

Lifespan: 127 / 1200 years;

Talents: Water Control, Wind Control;

Innate Divine Ability: Summon Wind and Call Rain;

Companion Magic Treasure: wind and rain pearl;

Divine Ability: Water Form: Myriad Transformations, Wind Form - Traceless, Size As Desired Transformation Divine Ability, Breath Concealment Divine Ability, Three Transformations of the Demon Body, Riding Clouds and Driving Mist, Dividing Spirit and Transforming Thought;

Realm: Late Golden Core Stage;

clan protecting system bound: Zhou Family, Family Head — Zhou Licheng.

Clan Fortune Points: 4】

...Outside the stone wall.

Zhou Liyue looked at the precious bead shining brightly in the air, her eyes filled with worry and helplessness.

"Uncle Xuan?"

Zhou Liyue called softly.

The snake shadow in the precious bead hissed silently.

A moment later.

The precious bead returned to calm, and the snake shadow emerged from within the precious bead.

"Uncle Xuan's Aura..."

Zhou Liyue was somewhat surprised and uncertain. In this short time, the Aura of this precious bead and the Aura of Uncle Xuan's Divided Soul seemed to have significantly strengthened.

Mo Xuan's voice was quite light, revealing a very good mood.

Zhou Liyue was overjoyed at the news.

"Congratulations, Uncle Xuan, on your further advancement in cultivation."

Zhou Liyue quickly got up and loudly congratulated the snake shadow.

Mo Xuan nodded, indicating there was no need for such formality.

Then, he calmed his mind and sensed carefully.

With his cultivation improved, his sensing ability had also become much stronger.

In the Void Realm.

Zhou Xiuyuan's sword ripped through the Void Realm, and a white light shone, engulfing everything.

"Sword Heart: Superior."

Only a few ancient seal characters emerged where Zhou Xiuyuan disappeared, then melted into the white light.

"You've finally arrived."

A hoarse, low voice sounded in his ear.

Zhou Xiuyuan's heart was startled.