The Mourning Hall

Mourning hall.

A Bronze Coffin lay horizontally within, its surface engraved with vast and ancient patterns of birds, beasts, insects, fish, the sun, the moon, and the stars.

A young girl dressed in plain white mourning clothes, her beauty refined and otherworldly, knelt before the coffin.

Outside the mourning hall lay a Secret Realm World, a pure land.

Terrifying figures, akin to All Heavens Gods and Buddhas, were locked in fierce combat and slaughter within it.

Roars shook the heavens.

Divine blood poured down like rain.

Yet, inside the mourning hall, there was only silence.

From beginning to end, the girl remained kowtowing on the ground, her expression neither sorrowful nor joyful, calm without a single ripple.

"Heh, so this is what it's like after I 'die'..."

Su Yi laughed, though his eyes were filled with coldness.

Only when he occasionally looked at the girl did a trace of imperceptible softness emerge in his gaze.

In his lifetime, he had roamed the vast void of the heavens, his sword suppressing the starry sky, ruling over the Great Realms alone.

He had conquered the universe, dominating an entire era.

He had also been revered as the only "Master of Myriad Daos" in the history of the Great Wilderness Nine Provinces.

In the eyes of the Sword Dao Giants of the Great Wilderness Nine Provinces, he was the peerless "Xuan Jun Sword Master" on the path of the sword.

But once news of his death spread, Everything changed!

"Hahaha, melting the dark abyss, refining the Great Dao—from this day forth, this 'Heaven Melting Furnace' of Su Xuanjun belongs to This Seat!"

A burst of laughter erupted in the Secret Realm World outside the mourning hall, brimming with joy and delight.

Su Yi raised his eyes to look.

It was a Golden Winged Great Peng, its wings like clouds hanging from the sky, their color like molten gold, radiating a brilliant, peerless light. Its might was so immense it crushed the surrounding mountains and rivers.

In its pair of sky-tearing giant claws, it clutched a furnace as red as burning fire.

"Even this Little Sparrow has betrayed me..."

Su Yi sighed with emotion.

He still remembered eighty thousand years ago, when the Golden Winged Great Peng had prostrated itself outside the Mountain Gate, kowtowing for ten days and ten nights, just to serve by his side and listen to the mysteries of the Dao.

Moved by its sincerity, he had kept it by his side to cultivate.

But now, it dared to call him by his name and snatch his Heaven Melting Furnace.

A traitor through and through!

"Su Xuanjun owes my 'Ascension Sword Court' eight hundred and ninety-three lives, and he stole our sect's supreme heritage, the 'Ten Directions Sword Sutra'. Today, we have come to collect the debt; whoever dares to stop us shall die!"

Beneath the firmament, amidst rolling thunder, a Red Robe Daoist roared sharply, his killing intent surging to the heavens.

Su Yi was stunned.

The Ascension Sword Court had originally been nothing more than an obscure little sect.

Its Grandmaster had merely been one of the thirty-six registered disciples by his side.

It was precisely by relying on the might and protection of Su Xuanjun that the Ascension Sword Court had been able to rise step by step, becoming one of the Six Great Dao Gates of the Great Wilderness Nine Provinces, shaking the universe.

Yet now, the people of the Ascension Sword Court had come as well.

The claim about owing eight hundred and ninety-three lives was pure, baseless nonsense.

Not to mention, that "Ten Directions Sword Sutra" had been bestowed upon the Grandmaster of the Ascension Sword Court by his own hand!

Clearly, upon learning of his death, the Ascension Sword Court had fabricated a reason, using the pretext of debt collection to loot him while he was down.

"Human hearts are no longer what they once were; it is nothing more than this."

Su Yi couldn't help but shake his head, his mood inevitably sinking.

In all those years when he was alive, he had never once treated those close to him poorly.

"Listen well, all of you! Su Xuanjun is the 'Master of Myriad Daos' we all revere. With us here today, we will never tolerate you taking advantage of this crisis to loot his remains!"

Amidst the pouring blood-rain, a group of figures with vast divine might shouted.

"Bullshit! That sounds nice, but aren't you all here to snatch treasures after hearing the news of Old Thief Su's death?"

"How fucking hypocritical!"

Someone sneered, retorting sharply.

"Look at what's in your hands: the Green Vine Immortal Tree, the Great Accomplishment Scepter, the Nine Dragons Divine Fire Lantern, the Ten Thousand Glazed Purple Jade Bottle... which one of these isn't a 'Peerless Dao Treasure' left behind by Su Xuanjun?"

"If you truly had any heart, why not stuff those treasures into Su Xuanjun's coffin and bury them with him?"

The heavens and earth trembled, the battle raging with intense ferocity.

The figures engaged in the fray were all the most supreme powerhouses of the Great Wilderness Nine Provinces, clashing and slaughtering one another in a scene of boundless terror.

In Su Yi's eyes, however, all of this was both laughable and ridiculous!

These scoundrels had been respectful and submissive, acting with utter obedience while he was still alive.

Yet, after his "death," they revealed such faces!

Life and death truly bring out different sides of people.

Su Yi withdrew his gaze and looked toward the girl kneeling before the bronze coffin in the mourning hall, his expression softening. At least, this girl Qingtang has remained...

Qingtang had followed him to cultivate since she was thirteen, and eighteen thousand nine hundred years had passed since then. In the Great Wilderness Nine Provinces, she held the title of "Qingtang Empress."

In the eyes of outsiders, Qingtang was a high and mighty Empress, ruling over ten thousand nations and suppressing the Nine Provinces with her might; even those of the same realm held her in awe.

But before Su Yi, she had always been like a little girl, serving by his side with gentleness and humility, aside from her cultivation.

"Junior Sister, you have kept vigil for Master for seven days already. If you do not leave now, we are destined to be unable to hold on!"

Suddenly, a tall and imposing figure walked into the mourning hall. His white battle robe was already tattered and stained with blood; having just emerged from a bloody, vicious battle, his entire body radiated a terrifying aura.

Bima!

The head of the nine Close Disciples under Su Yi, known as the "Bima Battle Emperor," who had followed Su Yi in cultivation for thirty-nine thousand years.

Qingtang, who had been kneeling before the coffin, slowly rose. Her voice was cold and indifferent as she said:

"Senior Brother, before Master passed away, he had already told us nine successors to leave. Why... have you returned?"

Bima frowned slightly, his expression righteous and solemn. "How could I watch those traitors and enemies destroy everything Master left behind? Furthermore, since you, Junior Sister, were unwilling to leave and kept vigil here, how could I, as the Eldest Senior Brother, possibly depart?"

Qingtang turned around, her beautiful eyes fixed on Bima like cold blades. "We have reached this point, yet Senior Brother still refuses to tell the truth?"

Bima's pupils constricted. "Junior Sister, what do you mean by this?"

"What do I mean?"

A mocking expression appeared on the corners of Qingtang's lips. "Others may not know, but I am very clear that you have always been obsessed with that 'Nine Hells Sword' of Master's."

Bima's expression shifted slightly. After a brief silence, he suddenly laughed, his eyes cold and dark. "Junior Sister, do you dare say that you are keeping vigil here not for the sake of this sword?"

Qingtang did not deny it. Her fair, exquisite face remained as calm as ever as she said, "Senior Brother, you are mistaken. I am staying here not just for the Nine Hells Sword."

"What else, then?" Bima could not help but ask.

Qingtang looked past the mourning hall toward the world where the Gods and Devils were locked in fierce combat, her expression unruffled as she said: "Everything Master left behind..."

"I want it all!"

Each word was spoken with such ease and calm. As she reached the end, her slender, beautiful figure took on an added sense of oppressive majesty.

"Want it all..."

Bima was stunned for a moment, then could not help but burst into loud laughter, his face full of mockery.

"I never expected that among us nine successors, the one with the biggest appetite would be you, Little Junior Sister! If Master were alive to see this, he would never have imagined that the Qingtang he loved and trusted most would be so greedy!"

In truth, Su Yi had been watching coldly from the sidelines.

He did not care about the betrayal of the Golden Winged Great Peng and those from the Ascension Sword Court.

Even when those Great Enemies stormed his gates, he did not care.

But when he saw that Bima, the successor he valued most, and Qingtang, the one he loved most, both had their own schemes and agendas.

He fell silent.

Mere treasures, yet they caused two disciples to turn against each other—how pathetic!

Clang!

Suddenly, Qingtang struck without warning, a single sword strike severely wounding Bima.

"I never expected that you, this bitch, were hiding so deeply!"

In the blink of an eye, Bima seized a sliver of opportunity to escape the mourning hall, his voice filled with fury and panic.

He had not expected that his Junior Sister's Dao Xing was far more terrifying than he had imagined.

Even Su Yi was startled; it turned out this girl had already made a breakthrough.

Bima did not linger and fled immediately.

Qingtang did not pursue. She stood alone before the bronze coffin in the mourning hall, a mocking smile playing on her lips as she murmured:

"If Master knew that his eldest disciple was the first to collude with the Six Great Dao Gates, how heartbroken would he be?"

"And Third Senior Brother Huo Yao—though he did not participate, he stole the 'Mystic Origin Divine Mirror' when he left. That treasure alone is enough to allow him to ascend to the 'Emperor Realm'..."

"Alas, Master has already passed away and can no longer see any of this."

Qingtang let out a soft sigh.

Su Yi's expression darkened bit by bit.

Only now did he realize that the eldest disciple he trusted most had actually committed an act of betrayal, inviting wolves into the house!

Only then did he realize that his third disciple, Huo Yao, had stolen the "Mystic Origin Divine Mirror" that suppressed this Secret Realm World!

No wonder those traitors and enemies had been able to breach his territory with such ease...

At this thought, Su Yi felt a mix of fury and melancholy.

Just then, Qingtang suddenly stepped out of the mourning hall.

Her graceful, slender figure stood as if isolated from the world, her beautiful, indifferent eyes sweeping across the heavens and earth as she spoke coldly:

"From this day forth, I, Qingtang, shall reign supreme over the Great Wilderness!"

Swish!

A desolate sword intent suddenly erupted from her, soaring upward to blanket the heavens and earth. A rain of cyan sword light shot forth like countless blades of execution, effortlessly slaughtering one terrifying figure after another.

In a mere instant—

The world, like a painting, was stained with divine blood!

The remaining terrifying entities were all struck with horror, feeling as if they had fallen into an ice cellar, their entire bodies chilled to the bone.

"Submit, or die."

Amidst this atmosphere of immense terror and bloodshed, Qingtang spoke indifferently, her voice echoing across the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths.

"We are willing to honor the Empress as our sovereign!"

"We are willing to honor the Empress as our sovereign!"

In that moment, cowed by Qingtang's overwhelming might, those great powers of the heavens all bowed their heads!

This girl...

Su Yi's pupils narrowed slightly; even his heart could not remain calm. He had not expected Qingtang's Dao Xing to have reached such a level.

Ordinarily, as her Master, he should have felt gratified.

But now, he felt only an indescribable sense of loneliness and desolation.

At this point, how could he not understand that this youngest disciple he had cherished the most had been hiding her true self all those years?

Not long after, Qingtang turned and walked back into the mourning hall.

Her gaze returned to the Bronze Coffin, and she bowed, her voice calm:

"Master, your disciple Qingtang has kept vigil for you for seven days and helped you suppress those traitors and enemies. The bond between master and disciple is now fulfilled."

"From now on, I alone shall inherit everything you left behind."

As she spoke, she stepped forward, placed her hand on the Bronze Coffin, and whispered:

"That Nine Hells Sword cannot be buried with you just like that. Once I have unraveled the mysteries within this sword, I will return it. Master, do not blame me for disturbing your rest..."

Bang!

The lid of the Bronze Coffin was heaved open.

But in that very instant, the calm and composed Qingtang's expression changed in a rare display of shock.

"How could this be..."

The Bronze Coffin was empty.

Not only was the Nine Hells Sword missing, but even his Master's remains were gone!

Su Yi, who had taken all of this in, felt the fury in his pupils boil.

Even though he had prepared for everything that was about to happen before deciding to reincarnate and recultivate, he still found it difficult to suppress the anger in his heart.

But gradually, the fire in Su Yi's eyes faded bit by bit, until only endless indifference and coldness remained.

"When I return, I hope you bastards are all still alive and well..."

Su Yi's phantom figure, unnoticed by anyone, dissipated into the void and vanished completely.

In the year 108,000 of the Great Wilderness Calendar, the "Xuan Jun Sword Master" Su Xuanjun, who had reigned supreme over the Great Wilderness Nine Provinces for an era, fell from the world, shaking the Nine Provinces to their core.

Seven days later.

The disciple of the Xuan Jun Sword Master, Qingtang Empress, swept across the six directions, pacified the heavens of the Divine Continent, and claimed sovereignty over the world.

Five hundred years later.

Great Zhou Kingdom, Cloud River County, Guangling City.

Evening, the sunset glow like fire.

Outside the Pine Cloud Sword Mansion.

Su Yi stood alone in the distance, waiting for his sister-in-law, Wen Lingxue, to finish her lessons.