The Martial Saint's grotto-heaven.
"Senior, you...!!!" Ji Minghao stepped over the threshold and froze at his first glimpse of the white-haired Martial Saint.
"As Your Majesty can see, this is what I truly look like now," the Martial Saint said.
Ji Minghao drew a deep breath.
"Senior, were you bluffing just now?"
"Yes!" The Martial Saint nodded. Had he truly been at his peak, he could have struck without restraint. "Nine Swords might have escaped, but those Immortals would not have. The Four-Sided Heaven-Locking Diagram would have stayed behind, too!"
"What a pity-!!" As he spoke those final words, regret filled the Martial Saint's face.
"Senior... then what... will become of Great Xia?" Bitterness showed in Ji Minghao's eyes.
The Martial Saint waved a hand. "It will be fine!"
Then he pointed at Jiang Ning.
"Great Xia will have this lad Jiang Ning in the years ahead!"
"Though he has yet to truly take the final step and become a Martial Saint, he is already close. Give him a little more time-three to five years at most. Considering this lad's legendary achievements, he may even take that step sooner."
"Once that day comes and he succeeds, the world will enjoy another thousand years of peace."
Hearing this,
"A thousand years of peace...?" Ji Minghao lowered his head and murmured, as though savoring the words.
Then he looked at Jiang Ning, his expression solemn.
"Brother Jiang, are you truly close to taking that step?"
Jiang Ning nodded.
Ji Minghao immediately drew a deep breath.
"A thousand years of peace!"
"Senior, you have a worthy successor!" Ji Minghao bowed to the Martial Saint. "Congratulations!"
The Martial Saint nodded, his gaze drifting into the distance toward the world outside.
"My intervention today will win us another ten years of peace! Those rats have