At the rear mountain of Golden Ao Island, before the Three Fairies' Cave.
Several months slipped swiftly by in peace and warmth.
During this rare stretch of leisure, Ye Xuan sat in quiet contemplation beside the cliff each day. At last, he fully refined and stabilized the Chaos Sword Intent within him, born of the fusion of the Grass Character Sword Art and Immortal-Slaying Sword Intent.
Now, even when Ye Xuan merely stood still, an aura as profound as an abyss naturally radiated from him.
It was a perfected state in which his peerless edge lay entirely concealed. Once unsheathed, it would surely shatter stone and startle the heavens.
With his Chaos Sword Intent fully mastered, his journey to the Blood Sea could no longer wait.
Early that morning, Ye Xuan and Houtu went together to Biyou Palace to take their leave of Tongtian Jiaozhu.
Tongtian Jiaozhu made no great effort to keep them. He merely gave a few hearty laughs and told Ye Xuan to act without restraint-the doors of the Interception Sect would always be open to him.
After bidding Tongtian Jiaozhu farewell, the two returned to the Three Fairies' Cave to say goodbye to the Three Xiāo Fairies.
When they learned that Ye Xuan was about to leave, the atmosphere before the Three Fairies' Cave immediately grew subdued.
The faces of all three Xiāo Fairies were filled with profound reluctance to part.
Fairy Bixiao, the liveliest by nature, had lost all her usual exuberance.
Her large eyes were red, veiled with tears, and her little hands clung tightly to Ye Xuan's sleeve, as though she feared he might vanish the very next moment.
"Big Brother Ye Xuan, you've only stayed with us for such a short time. Why are you leaving already?" Bixiao's voice was thick and