Chapter 546: Me, It's Me!

But simply by sitting there, he exuded a supreme majesty that made Heaven and Earth submit and all creation bow down. With his eyes closed, he slumbered—just like the ancient city, the long street, and this world that had been sealed away for eons.

Qi Yun stood just inside the palace doors, not stepping forward. He quietly gazed at the figure, taking in the black imperial robe, the Heaven-Peace Crown, and the Ancient Sword resting across his knees. The entire body of the sword circulated a Sword Intent identical in origin to those four large characters—ancient, pure, and domineering.

“Your Majesty’s Celestial Emperor’s Sword,” the Mountain and River Cauldron’s voice echoed. “It is still here. Your Majesty… is also still here.”

Qi Yun remained silent for a moment. He stepped forward, walked up to the stone platform, and cupped his hands in a respectful bow toward the slumbering figure.

“This junior, Qi Yun, greets Your Majesty.”

The hall was dead silent. The figure did not respond, and the Celestial Emperor’s Sword showed no reaction.

Qi Yun straightened his back, his gaze falling upon the Celestial Emperor’s Sword.

“You have finally come.”

The voice echoed once more. This time, it was no longer faint and distant; it rang out clearly and genuinely from within the Celestial Emperor’s Sword itself.

Qi Yun’s pupils shrank slightly. He stared at the sword, colorful light swirling in his eyes as he circulated the Dao of the Primordial at full force.

“Senior is…”

“Me?” the voice chuckled lightly, tinged with a hint of self-mockery and the weight of ages. “Who am I? I am this sword, this city, that long street, that bluestone slab. I am that Dao Fruit, and I am all the obsessions that refused to dissipate throughout the eons.

“I am also the final wisp of Sword Intent… that Your Majesty left to this world.”

Qi Yun fell silent. He vaguely guessed the truth but did not voice it.

The voice continued, “Eons ago, the Dao Kings joined forces to besiege Your Majesty and divide the Qi Yun of the Golden Tang Dynasty. Using his own strength, Your Majesty slew three of them and heavily injured several others, but he was ultimately outnumbered.

“Before his death, he divided his lifelong Sword Dao into four parts. One part remained in the Celestial Emperor’s Sword, one part transformed into the Immortal Slaying Dao Fruit, one part scattered into the Profound Yellow Dao Principles, and the last part…”

He paused, his voice growing even fainter.

“The last part became that remnant thought in your sleeve.”

Qi Yun lowered his head to look at the grayish-white halo in the palm of his hand. It floated quietly, no longer throbbing, emitting only an incredibly faint, gentle light. It looked like a wanderer who had finally found his way home, slumbering peacefully and contentedly.

“Your Majesty said that one day, someone would bring these four parts of the Sword Dao to Chang’an. When that time comes, the karma of the Golden Tang Dynasty will be settled.”

The voice carried the exhaustion of eons, yet also a trace of profound relief.

“And you are that person.”

Qi Yun remained silent for a long time. He waited so long that Cai Shen’s sobbing gradually subsided, and the Mountain and River Cauldron’s buzzing faded into stillness. Finally, he spoke.

“And after the karma is settled?”

The voice chuckled softly. “Afterward? What happens afterward has nothing to do with Your Majesty, nothing to do with the Golden Tang Dynasty, and nothing to do with the grievances of these past eons.

“That is your own path, your own Dao.”

Qi Yun raised his head, his gaze resting on the Celestial Emperor’s Sword. He could sense the Sword Intent contained within the blade transmitting something to him at an agonizingly slow and faint pace.

“Does Senior mean I should refine these four parts of the Sword Dao?”

“It is not refinement,” the voice corrected him. “It is inheritance. Your Majesty left these four parts of the Sword Dao behind not for you to refine, but for you to inherit.

“Inherit his will, inherit his Dao, and inherit his unfinished cause.”

“What cause?”

“Protecting Profound Yellow.”

The words were spoken lightly, yet they carried the immense weight of the eternal blue sky.

Qi Yun fell silent. He recalled the words of True Monarch Shen Yi, the words of Demon Master Kunpeng, and the words of the World Honored One. Each of them had their own schemes; each of them was plotting for their own personal gain. But this Emperor of the Golden Tang Dynasty—this Supreme Being who had been besieged by the Dao Kings and forgotten by the eons…

His dying wish was simply to protect Profound Yellow.

“Why?” Qi Yun asked. “Why Profound Yellow?”

The voice remained silent for a moment.

“Because Profound Yellow is the beginning of all creation and the source of all heavens. Destroying Profound Yellow means destroying everything. Your Majesty said that this world can exist without the Golden Tang Dynasty, and it can exist without an Emperor.

“But it cannot exist without Profound Yellow.”

He paused, his voice dropping to a whisper.

“Without Profound Yellow, there is no Dao, no law, no living beings, and no myriad realms. Those Dao Kings do not understand this principle. Or rather, they understand, but they do not care.

“But Your Majesty cared.”

Qi Yun remained silent.

He thought of the Profound Yellow Treasure Tree that Demon Master Kunpeng had shown him. He thought of those lush, leafy realms and those heavy Dao Fruits. He thought of the World Honored One’s tottering golden fruit and how it had desperately devoured purple qi in an attempt to break free from the branches.

“I understand,” he said slowly.

The voice did not respond again. However, the Celestial Emperor’s Sword began to emit a low hum.

The humming grew louder and more resonant until it ultimately transformed into a sky-piercing sword light that shot straight into the firmament!

At the same time, the remnant thought in Qi Yun’s sleeve abruptly erupted, merging flawlessly with the sword light!

The Immortal Slaying Dao Fruit refined within his body also trembled violently, resonating in harmony with the sword light!

His Dao of the Primordial, like a freshly ignited spark, began circulating frantically!

Four parts of the Sword Dao and four Sword Intents finally merged into one at this very moment!

BOOM!

An indescribably terrifying Sword Intent erupted explosively from Qi Yun’s body!

The Black Tortoise Sect trembled, the ancient city of Chang’an trembled, and this world that had been sealed for eons let out its final mournful cry!