Chapter 1084.2: Start to Finish (II) - Part 2

Yellow Dragon Prefecture, Sword Sect.

These days, the rice in that little mountain village had almost all been harvested. The farmers carried the rice back home and spread it out to dry in their own courtyards.

The straw was twisted into crude scarecrows and piled up in the rice paddies, while some older children made plans with their friends to catch loaches in the fields.

Yet every so often, they would raise their heads to look at the streaks of flowing light crossing the sky.

They did not know what those streaks of flowing light meant as they crossed the sky. They only thought they were beautiful.

At the origin of the flowing light, there was a cave dwelling.

Green vines crawled all around the cave dwelling, filling the surroundings with verdant greenery.

Ever since a tall man emerged from seclusion, he had been sitting at the entrance of the cave dwelling, holding a cup of plain water in his hand and watching the streaks of flowing light in the sky.

This man's entire life was just like the plain water in his hand - bland and without much of interest. ℯ

So much so that when he now wanted to recall some of the interesting things from his younger days, he could not remember them no matter how hard he tried.

His entire life seemed to have consisted of nothing but the sword.

After taking a sip of the plain water in his cup, the man had yet to rise when a voice came from in front of the cave dwelling. “Sect Master, where's the fun in drinking water? Come have some wine!”

As the voice rang out, someone tossed over a jug of wine.

The Sword Sect's Sect Master reached out and caught the jug of wine, then lowered his head and looked at the young great sword immortal standing lazily below the cave dwelling.

For a moment, the Sword Sect's Sect Master was actually somewhat dazed, because he remembered that roughly a year or two ago, when he was about to leave the Sword Sect for the Divine Capital, it had also been that fellow standing there, telling him that what he was doing was wrong.

At the time, all his attention had been focused on comprehending that perfect sword strike, so he had paid no attention. Yet Yu Xiyi, who at the time was not even a sword immortal, had been bold enough to raise his sword against the Sword Sect's Sect Master.

This was rare not only in the Sword Sect, but even throughout the entire world.

But regardless of whether it was rare, the fellow before him had gone ahead and done it, and had done so extremely directly, even throwing his own life into the bargain without a care.

The Sword Sect's Sect Master shook the wine jug in his hand, narrowed his eyes at Yu Xiyi before him, and asked, “Why are you back?”

Yu Xiyi did not hide anything either. Instead, he smiled and got straight to the point. “I used to wander around everywhere, and I’ve been just about everywhere there is to go. Yet I hardly got to see the Sword Sect. I happen to have some time now, so I came back to take a look.”

Sword Sect’s Sect Master asked, “Just a look?”

Yu Xiyi took a sip of wine and said with a smile, “Hopefully they won’t be the last glance.”

Sword Sect’s Sect Master did not rush to speak. He merely looked at the young man before him. Among those in the same realm, he had only lost twice in his life. Once, he had lost to the Great Liang Emperor, and the other time, he had lost to the young man before him.

The former probably did not mean much, but the latter was of great significance.

Because Yu Xiyi was also a sword cultivator.

Sword Sect’s Sect Master said frankly, “I originally intended to pass the position of sect master to you.”

Yu Xiyi narrowed his eyes and smiled. “Of course. After searching throughout the Sword Sect, it would be hard to find anyone more suitable than me, right?”

Sword Sect’s Sect Master said indifferently, “When it comes to managing the Sword Sect, you are not suited for it. But being sect master does not necessarily require doing those things. What it requires is a sufficiently powerful realm and sufficient integrity as a person. You fit both of those requirements very well.”

“If you ever get tired of being sect master, you can naturally pass it on to me. But that depends on whether I can make it back from the north.”

As Yu Xiyi drank, he found a place to sit down, then simply tilted his head up and looked at Sword Sect’s Sect Master above him.

Sword Sect’s Sect Master changed the subject and said, “I heard that Yun Jianyue has been in seclusion these days. He is probably about to take another step forward.”

The meaning behind his words was obvious, because in the world today, Chen Chao, Yu Xiyi, and Yun Jianyue had always been equally renowned.

Yu Xiyi dug at his ear and said with a smile, “I’m mainly just busy. Running around all day. Otherwise, I might not necessarily be any worse than him.”

“Have you never thought about whether a Fuyun Realm cultivator would be more useful than someone at the end of Nepenthe?”

Sword Sect’s Sect Master stared into Yu Xiyi’s eyes. He had absolute confidence that Yu Xiyi could reach that realm, and that it would not take him much time.

Right now was precisely the time when the wildflowers were in full bloom.

Yu Xiyi scratched his head and said, “I just can’t settle down. The matter is too important, and I always feel like I should do something.”

Sword Sect’s Sect Master said nothing. In truth, he understood very well that he and Yu Xiyi were like two extremes. He was indifferent to worldly affairs, whereas Yu Xiyi was precisely too concerned with them. ℯⅇ𝙡.

“You experienced the first great battle in the Northern Frontier firsthand. In your view, does the second great battle have any chance of victory?”

Sword Sect’s Sect Master abandoned his original question and instead asked about the situation in the Northern Frontier.

Yu Xiyi became serious for once. After remaining silent for a long while, he slowly shook his head and said, “Once the fighting starts, it’ll be very difficult.”

He had been in the north for so long that he could also feel that the atmosphere there was already different from before.

“But if Sect Master goes to the north and massacres your way through them, best if you kill the Demon Emperor with a single sword strike, then things will be simple.”

Yu Xiyi could not stay serious for more than a moment before returning to his usual carefree, devil-may-care manner.

Sword Sect’s Sect Master said, “Many people have gone to the north these days.”

Every streak of flowing light on the horizon was a sword cultivator.

According to the agreement with the imperial court, there was actually no need for so many sword cultivators to head north. The current situation existed simply because it was their own choice.

“The Sword Sect, as the last pure sword path sect in the world, has never concerned itself with worldly affairs all these years. Yet in little more than a decade, it seems as though everyone has changed.”

Sword Sect’s Sect Master found it somewhat difficult to understand.

Yu Xiyi shook his head and said solemnly, “They haven’t changed. The world in the past was simply that bad. No one could see any hope, so they had no choice but to suppress their own thoughts. But now that the world has improved, they have a reason to act.”

It was like a wild grass pressed down beneath a stone. You could not see it, but when the stone was moved aside, you could see that it had actually been striving to grow all along.

Sword Sect’s Sect Master asked, “Has any Fuyun Realms gone to the Northern Frontier?”

Yu Xiyi shook his head.

Sword Sect’s Sect Master stood up, took a sip of the wine Yu Xiyi had tossed to him, and said, “Then I’ll be the first.”

Yu Xiyi was taken aback.

But before Yu Xiyi could speak, a dense sword light suddenly rose from the ground and shot toward the heavens.

On this day, it was not only the sword cultivators of the Sword Sect, but even the people throughout the entirety of Yellow Dragon Prefecture, who could see an incomparably brilliant sword light traveling from south to north!