126: Rebirth from the ruins, journey to the forbidden land

When Lin Tian's "candle dragon" sky-carrier, like a divine Dragon patrolling its Domain, slowly ascended and disappeared into the skyline of Yanjing amidst awestruck gazes, the tumultuous storm that had swept through the entire Golden Generation finally drew to a close.

However, the story did not end.

For the victors, this was the beginning of a new chapter.

For the defeated, this was merely the start of a descent into a deeper Hell.

[Perspective Switch: Opponent's Line]

Outside Yanjing City, in a desolate, abandoned suburb filled with construction waste.

Ye Fan, like discarded trash, was mercilessly thrown from a high-speed hovercar by two Qin Family guards.

With a "thud," his Physical Body, now devoid of all cultivation, slammed heavily onto the hard gravel. The sound of his bones breaking, a grating "crunch," instantly jolted him awake from his coma. What followed, however, was a numbness and despair that was ten thousand times more profound than physical pain, stemming from the Soul level.

He lay in the cold heap of trash, allowing the icy rain, mixed with the smell of dirt and rust, to wash over his scarred body. His eyes, once as brilliant as stars and as sharp as a sword's edge, now held only a hollow, grayish blankness, like a dead fish.

Abandoned by all.

This phrase was the truest reflection of his current state.

Those who had once flattered him and sought to cling to him, his so-called "allies," now avoided him like the plague after he was utterly defeated by Lin Tian.

And his original fiancée, Su Mucheng, whom he once believed would be the love of his life, hadn't even shown her face. She had merely sent someone to deliver a cold letter of annulment, one that seemed capable of freezing a person's Divine Soul.

That annulment letter, made of the highest-grade spiritual paper, contained only a few words. The handwriting was delicate, yet filled with the absolute rationality and coldness of a business empress, devoid of any emotion.

"Mr. Ye Fan: In consideration of our past relationship, this annulment is solely to dissolve our engagement and will not pursue the reputational and economic losses previously incurred by my corporation. Additionally, a severance package sufficient to ensure your livelihood for the rest of your life is included. From this day forward, our engagement is void, our ties are severed, and we shall have no further connection."

Ties severed… no further connection… These eight words, like eight of the sharpest Sharp Weapons, tempered with all the ice in the world, utterly shattered the last trace of his lingering attachment to the past and his fantasies of the future!

He had lost.

Lost everything.

Cultivation, Dao Heart, dignity, friends, lover… everything had been effortlessly crushed into dust before that man, who was like a god or a demon.

He was utterly despondent, having even lost the strength to lift a single finger.

Was it… over like this?

Was his life, his ridiculous path of "Sword Emperor Rebirth," going to end in such a humble manner, more lowly than an ant, in this cold, foul-smelling pile of trash?

Perhaps… this was for the best.

Just as his consciousness was about to be swallowed by endless darkness and cold, preparing to end his remaining life.

An old oil-paper umbrella suddenly appeared above him, shielding him from the cold rain.

Immediately after, a calloused yet unusually warm and dry hand offered a steaming bun, emanating the pure scent of wheat, to his mouth.

Ye Fan struggled to open his eyes. In his blurry vision, the mysterious old sweeping man, dressed in a simple sanitation worker's uniform, who seemed out of place with the entire world, appeared again.

His "Sword Attendant."

The old man looked at him, a mess like mud. In his cloudy eyes, there was no pity, no disappointment, only an eternal calm, like an ancient bedrock.

"Emperor," the old man's voice was hoarse, yet carried a strange, comforting power, "Your Physical Body's Foundation in this life has been destroyed by Lin Tian. Your Dao Heart in this life has also been broken by that Qin Family woman. From a worldly perspective, you are already 'dead.'"

Upon hearing this, the dead grayness in Ye Fan's eyes flickered, then transformed into a deeper, self-mocking bitterness.

"But…"

The old man's tone shifted, and for the first time, a brilliant gleam, like a star, burst forth from his cloudy eyes!

"…Your 'Sword Emperor Foundation' from your previous life is still intact!"

"That is the supreme Dao Foundation you condensed when you proved your Dao with the sword and challenged the Heavenly Dao, surpassing all Laws of this world! It is your true Foundation! As long as your Foundation is still there, everything still has a chance to start anew!"

"To achieve Rebirth, you must… break and then establish!"

"Walk a path completely different from everyone else in this life, a supreme Sword Dao that belongs only to you!"

These words were like a faint but incredibly tenacious candlelight lit in the depths of a dark abyss, causing Ye Fan's long-frozen heart to show the first signs of loosening.

He used all his strength to squeeze out a few hoarse, broken syllables from deep in his throat.

"Where… to…?"

The old man looked at the faint spark of hope rekindled in his eyes, and a relieved smile finally appeared on his face.

He slowly guided Ye Fan to the last, and most dangerous, path of counterattack.

"One of China's three great Forbidden Grounds, where countless Sword Dao powerhouses from ancient times are buried, a place even an S-rank Peak expert would not dare to easily venture into…"

His voice carried a reverence akin to pilgrimage.

"…'Burial Sword Valley'!"

"That place is where you meditated to death in your previous life, and it is also the last and strongest ultimate Legacy you left for yourself!"

Burial Sword Valley!

This name, like the oldest key, instantly unlocked the sealed memory of the "Nameless Sword Emperor" in Ye Fan's mind!

He remembered!

That land of death perpetually shrouded in endless Sword Qi! That Sword Tomb filled with the remnants of countless divine weapons and Sharp Weapons! And… at the Peak of that Sword Tomb, the "heart of the sword emperor" he had personally sealed, which contained his lifelong efforts!

A spark of hope quietly ignited in his heart.

But what followed was deeper hesitation.

He knew how dangerous that place was. Even at his Peak, entering the core would be a near-death experience. And now, he was just a useless man, powerless to even truss a chicken… As if seeing through his inner hesitation, the old man calmly said, "Emperor, the path of martial arts is inherently a gamble. Either you sink into oblivion, dying silently like an ant in these ruins."

"Or…"

An unprecedented, brilliant light, like a divine sword unsheathed, burst forth from the old man's eyes!

"…You bet everything, step into that Forbidden Ground of nine deaths, reclaim everything that belongs to you, reascend to the position of Sword Emperor, and once again… look down upon all living beings!"

Ye Fan fell silent.

After a long while, he slowly took the still-warm bun from the old man's hand and bit into it fiercely.

The scent of wheat spread in his mouth, as if transforming into a long-lost power called "hope."

He struggled, and with the old man's support, stood up from the cold pile of trash.

He did not look back at the city that had brought him endless glory and extreme humiliation.

He simply turned around and, step by step, stumbled yet incredibly determinedly, walked towards the distant western Forbidden Ground, filled with the unknown and death.

The moment he stepped into the desolate "Burial Sword Valley" Domain, shrouded in endless Sword Qi.

Hiss!

An invisible Sword Qi, sharp enough to tear apart the Divine Soul, rushed towards him, instantly cutting hundreds of fine bloodied wounds on his body, which had already lost its cultivation!

The intense pain, far from making him retreat, instead ignited two blazing flames of "fighting spirit" in his gray eyes!

He was no longer fixated on avenging himself against Lin Tian.

Because he had a grander, and more ultimate, goal.

'Lin Tian… Qin Yubing…'

'You are all just scenery on my Dao-proving path in this life.'

'I, Ye Fan… No, I, 'Nameless Sword Emperor,' will ultimately…'

He raised his head, looking at the gray sky, shattered by endless Sword Qi, as if he saw the "eyes" that coldly overlooked all things from above the endless firmament.

'…Reascend to the Imperial Throne, and look down upon all enemies in this world!'